Tennis Channel reporter OK after cancer
Corina Morariu is lucky to be alive, much less working as the Tennis Channel Open’s roving reporter.
But the former WTA Tour pro, who teamed with Lindsay Davenport to win the women’s doubles title at Wimbledon in 1999, isn’t going to let a bout with leukemia stop her.
Morariu will be front and center today as part of the tournament’s Yellow and White-Out Event, which is being co-sponsored by the American Cancer Society and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The two charities hope to raise at least $50,000 for cancer research.
“I wouldn’t be alive today without the money that’s been raised,” Morariu said. “It’s obviously a cause that’s very close to my heart.”
Morariu was diagnosed with leukemia in 2001. She made a full recovery and returned to competition. She and Davenport made it to the women’s doubles final of the Australian Open in 2005. Morariu retired after last year’s U.S. Open and now works for the Tennis Channel.
“When you’re an athlete, you learn to deal with adversity,” she said of beating cancer. “It certainly didn’t hurt that I was an athlete.”
Fans who have tickets and make a $20 donation at the door receive their choice of a yellow or white T-shirt. For $100, a person receives a ticket to tonight’s matches and two shirts. One thousand fans are expected to attend tonight in support of the event.
For those who can’t attend but still want to donate, there is a Web site dedicated to the cause — www.lightingtheway-forsurvival.com.
• LLODRA UPSET — France’s Michael Llodra, the No. 6 seed, was the tournament’s first seeded player to fall, losing to South Africa’s Kevin Anderson, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2). Anderson, who went through three days of qualifying to get a spot in the main draw, will face John Isner in the second round.
Another qualifier, Amer Delic, also sprung an upset Tuesday as he knocked out Austria’s Jurgen Melzer, last year’s runner-up, 7-5, 7-6 (7-2).
• GONZALEZ SURVIVES — Top-seeded Fernando Gonzalez received a bit of a scare from Dudi Sela, needing a second-set tiebreaker to advance, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2).
“It was a tough match,” said Gonzalez, who had an ice pack on his right knee after the match. “I played him in Davis Cup last year, and he’s a good player. That second set was tough, but once I took the lead in the tiebreak, I was fine.”
Gonzalez jumped to a 3-0 lead in the tiebreak and led 4-1 before finishing off Sela. He’ll play Evgeny Korolev in the second round.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2913.