CLAREMONT, Calif., (Sept. 13, 2017) – Karue Sell kept us his winning ways during the first round of action at the Claremont Club Pro Classic as the former UCLA player from Brazil upset top-seeded Christopher O’Connell from Australia, 6-4, 7-6 (3) on Wednesday at the Claremont Club.

Sell, who finished his fourth year at UCLA at the start of summer of 2016, said having to win four matches in qualifying over the weekend to make the main draw has helped him. “I got some good matches in and got used to the courts,” the 23-year-old Sell said. “I’ve been trying to work on some things in my game.”

Sell spent last season as the volunteer assistant coach at Pepperdine University, and said the 10-month break from tournament tennis has helped jump-start his game. “Now I’m ready to focus and go full-out on tour over the next six months,” he said.

Sell’s doubles partner Deiton Baughman did the same thing last year coaching at USC. Baughman, the 2015 Claremont champion, beat Sweden’s Andre Goransson on Wednesday in his first round, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. He later teamed up with sell as the pair beat the No. 4-seeded team of Matias Franco Descotte of Argentina and American Ronnie Schneider, 6-1, 6-4.

Sell and Baughman have never played each with each other, but Sell said they are on similar career paths having taken some time off and are now both fully committed to pro tennis. Unlike Sell, Baughman turned pro forgoing college tennis and is now 21 years old. He holds three ITF Pro Circuit singles titles and seven doubles titles during his career.

For more information, check on the web at: www.procircuit.usta.com, www.claremontclub.com; Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Claremont-Club/236147226396

Wednesday’s First-Round Singles Results

Laurens Verboven, Belgium (q) def. Hunter Callahan, U.S. (6), 7-6 (8), 4-6, 6-4

Isaiah Strode, U.S. (wc) def. Matias Franco Descotte, France (5), 6-4, 3-6, 7-5

Deiton Baughman, U.S., def. Andre Goransson, Sweden, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4

Karue Sell, Brazil (q) def. Christopher O’Connell, Australia, (1), 6-4, 7-6 (3)

Daniel Cukierman, Israel, (4) def. Francisco Dias, Portugal (q), 6-1, 6-2

Michael Geerts, Belgium, def. Evan Song, U.S., (3), 6-2, 7-6 (2)

Benjamin Lock, Zimbabwe (2) def. Nicholas Shamma, U.S. (q), 6-1, 6-3

John Lamble, U.S., def. Greg Jones, Australia (8), 6-3, 4-6, 7-5

Jenson Brooksy, U.S. (wc) def. Jack Jaede, U.S. (q), 2-6, 6-2, 6-4

Igor Ribeiro Marcondes, Brazil, def. Strong Kirchheimer, U.S. (q), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3

Wednesday’s Second-Round Doubles Results

Hunter Callahan, U.S./Robert Galloway, U.S. (1) def. Strong Kirchheimer, U.S./Samuel Shropshire, U.S., 6-3, 6-4

Collin Altamirano, U.S./Jenson Brooksby, U.S., def. Eduardo Dischinger, Brazil/Igor Ribeiro Marcondes, Brazil, (3), 7-6 (1), 6-4

Benjamin Lock, Zimbabwe/Evan Song, U.S. (2), def. Dominic Cotrone, U.S./Michael Geerts, Belgium, 6-4, 4-6, 10-7

Deiton Baughman, U.S./Karue Sell, Brazil, def. Matias Franco Descotte, Argentina/Ronnie Schneider, U.S., (4), 6-1, 6-4