Two more seeds were eliminated from qualifiers on day two of the Stockton Challenger at the Eve Zimmerman Tennis Center on Monday, leaving just four remaining as we head to the final round. Eight total finalists will cap off the qualifying round tomorrow, July 18th as they eye the four spots in the Tournament’s main draw, which also begins tomorrow.
Desirae Krawczyk (8) cruised to a 6-3 victory in her first set but quickly saw herself down 3-0 in the second to Olivia Hauger, who tied the match at one set a piece with a 6-4 win. In the deciding third set, Krawczyk never trailed en route to the 6-1 victory.
At Stadium Court, Victoria Duval (1) and Megan McCray traded games back and forth, with both players winning their service games in the first set and McCray taking the 7-6(8) decision. Duval was able tie things up in the second following a 6-3 victory behind strong service play. In the third set McCray pulled ahead 4-1, but couldn’t close out the top seed as Duval took the next five games for a 6-4 win and the match.
University of Florida standout Ingrid Neel won five straight-games to win her first set 6-2 over three-seed Tori Kinard. In the second, Neel cruised to a 5-2 advantage, but Kinard battled back to take the next two games to come within striking distance. However, Neel was able to fend off Kinard and take the last three points and the second set 6-4 for the upset.
Another top seed fell victim to the upset on Monday as Allie Will outlasted Jessica Wacnik (4), 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to reach the final qualifier round.
Pacific’s Karina Vyrlan saw herself up 5-0 over Kristina Smith in set one, but Smith took the next five games to and force a tie-breaker at 6-6. Vyrlan prevailed to edge out Smith 10-9 for the 7-6(9) victory in the key first set. Smith prevailed in the second with a smooth 6-1 victory, and walked away victorious with a 6-2 win in the third.
Qualifiers will wrap up tomorrow, with all four matches beginning at 9 AM PST. The tournament’s main draw has been set, with Kristie Ahn (1), Jamie Loeb (2), Danielle Rose Collins (3), Sofia Kenin (4), Lizette Cabrera (5), Grace Min (6), Usue Arconada (7) and Jennifer Elie (8) occupying the top eight seeds. Tuesday’s schedule as well as the complete main draw for singles and doubles can be found below.
Some notables in the main draw:
Kristie Ahn (USA) boasts a career-high ranking of 116 and will be the top seed in this year’s Stockton Challenger. She recently reached the finals in qualifiers for Wimbledon and earlier this year she won the Hardee’s Pro Classic in Dothan, Al., bouncing back to defeat her opponent in three sets in the finals.
In last season’s Stockton Challenger, Jamie Loeb (USA) reached the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL). Loeb returns this year boasting a ranking of #145. Loeb and her partner Sanaz Marand (USA) took the doubles title of the inaugural Stockton Challenger in 2015.
One of the most decorated players in this year’s event, Kimiko Date (JAP) has 370 career professional singles victories to go with 17 singles titles. In 1992 she was named the Most Improved Player of the Year by the WTA and in 1995 she was the fourth-ranked singles player in the world.
The tournament will be live streamed online beginning with main draw play on July 18th. Fans are encouraged to engage with the Stockton Challenger on social media by following the latest information on Twitter at @STKChallenger and @USTAProCircuit. Fans can also visit StocktonChallenger.com for live streaming video, scoring and daily updates on the tournament.