Top Men’s And Women’s Seeds Easily Advance At USTA National 40 Hard Court Championships
Wednesday’s Action to Begin at 8 a.m. (PST) at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club
Top-seeded Stuart Ross Duncan of Laguna Beach, Calif., and second-seeded Tony Bujan of Tustin, Calif., scored impressive straight-set victories to easily advance to the fourth round of the USTA National 40 Hard Court Championships at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.
Playing on Court No. 1 on a bright, sunny day, the 40-year-old Duncan took only 50 minutes to dispatch unseeded Matthew Conrad of Wichita, Kan., 6-0, 6-0. He will face 14th seeded Kerry Safdie of San Diego on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. (PST).
Bujan, the three-time defending men’s singles champion, eliminated unseeded Michael Peltz of Irvine, Calif., 6-1, 6-0 on Court No. 2. Bujan will take on ninth-seeded Ryan Pang of Mercer Island, Wash., on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. (PST).
This year marks the first time Duncan is playing in the USTA National 40 Hard Court Championships. In 2011 and 2012 he captured the singles title at the USTA National 35 Hard Court Championships.
Duncan, who played in the Pacific Coast Doubles Championships at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club in 1996 while playing for Pepperdine University, said he feels humbled to enter this week’s tournament as the number one seed and knows he’ll have to play well to win the USTA National 40 Hard Court singles title.
Stuart Ross Duncan
“I just have to go out there and play to win. I’m going to have to play aggressively. There are some really strong players. Some guys aren’t even seeded. There are a lot of dark horses out there,” Duncan said. “It would be a dream for me to win. It feels like a pro tournament. It’s by far the best National I’ve ever been to.”
In the women’s singles draw, top-seeded Dina McBride of Stevenson Ranch, Calif., blanked Tai Sisson of San Dimas, Calif., 6-0, 6-0 to reach the quarterfinals. She will play San Diego’s Mariko Atoji on Wednesday at 10 a.m. (PST).
Second-seeded Ros Nideffer of San Diego (Rancho Bernardo) also advanced to the quarterfinals as she cruised past Heather Walsh of Cabin John, Md., 6-1, 6-0. Nideffer, a former WTA touring professional, will go up against Carolina Blouin of Augusta, Ga., on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. (PST).
For the latest tournament results and updated draws for each division, please go to:
http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=170902
The starting times for each day of the tournament will be as follows: Wednesday, Nov. 30 through Friday, Dec. 2 – 8 a.m.; Saturday, Dec. 3 and Sunday, Dec. 4 – 9 a.m. (All times are PST). Admission for spectators is free and onsite parking is available for a nominal fee.
Also on the agenda is the USTA National Father/Son and Grandfather/Grandson Hard Court Doubles Championships beginning Friday, Dec. 2, with matches concluding Sunday, Dec. 4. Among the entries in the USTA National Father/Son Championship are former ATP World Tour players:
Brad Gilbert – Former Top 5 singles player in the world and former coach of Andre Agassi and Andy Murray. He is currently a Tennis Analyst for ESPN.
Murphy Jensen – 1993 French Open Doubles Champion.
Jonathan Stark – Former No. 1 doubles player in the world.
Jeff Tarango – Former Top 50 in singles and Top 10 in doubles in the world.
Erik van Dillen – Represented the U.S. in 14 Davis Cup ties.
The Father/Son Championship has been held continuously at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club since 1959, and attracts the top father and son tennis teams in the nation. The Grandfather/Grandson Championship is a relatively new competitive division that started at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club in 2003.
RadioTennis.com will broadcast the final weekend of the tournament. Live audio play-by-play coverage will be available on Saturday, Dec. 3 and Sunday, Dec. 4. Tennis broadcaster Ken Thomas will provide the web cast commentary. Go to RadioTennis.com for additional information.
Designated one of the Top 100 Tennis Resorts in the world by Tennis Resorts Online, the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club’s reputation as a top tennis destination started in 1942 when it attracted its first major tournament, the Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship. The Club will be hosting the 128th edition of The Pacific Coast Mens’ Doubles Championships in March 2017, and the USTA National Hard Court Championships for Womens’ 50-90 age groups in May 2017.