Buckeyes Advance to Finals of USTA Tournament – Ohio State Buckeyes
7/12/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
July 12, 2000
COLUMBUS, Ohio–Members of the Ohio State men’s and women’s tennis teams will compete in the singles and doubles finals of the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) National Amateur Hardcourt Championships, a USTA Gold Ball Event, tomorrow at the Stickney Tennis Center. The singles finals are scheduled for 9 a.m., while the doubles championships will be played at 10:30 a.m.
Current Buckeyes Chris Porter (Sr., Canton, Ohio/Jackson) and Phil Metz (So., Mentor, Ohio/Mentor) will compete for the men’s singles title. Porter, the No. 1-seed, defeated Matt Behrmann of Florida in the semifinals (2-6, 6-2, 1-0 (7), while Metz, the No. 2-seed, posted a win over New Hampshire’s Geoffrey Russell (6-1, 6-0) to reach the final round.
For the women, Monica Rincon (Jr., Lapeer, Mich./Lapeer West), the top-seed, recorded a win over Alexis Prousis, a high school player from Lake Forest, Ill., in the semifinals (6-2, 6-2). Rincon will face Jenny McGaffigan of Illinois for the title, who defeated Lindsay Williams of Beverly Hills, Mich., in the semifinal round (6-4, 6-3).
Ohio State also earned three of the four doubles spots in the finals. Current Buckeyes Porter and Derek DeFalco (Sr., Maumee, Ohio/Maumee) topped Florida’s Behrmann and Marcos Asse in the semifinals (8-4), while Metz and OSU teammate B.J. Munroe (Sr., Freeport, Bahamas) beat Mississippi State’s Matt Armstrong and Chris McDonald (8-5) to reach the final round.
In the women’s draw, Rincon and OSU teammate Claudia Castro (Jr., Dublin, Ohio/Aquinas (Wis.) posted an 8-6 victory over Prousis and Michelle Webb of Illinois to reach the final. They will face the team of McGaffigan and Brown’s Zeff, who defeated Williams and partner Stacy Kokx of Northwestern in the semifinals, 8-5.
The tournament also is a part of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ITA) Collegiate Summer Circuit. The Summer Circuit is made up of five regional circuits that each consist of four consecutive tournaments played during the month of July. Points are awarded based on a players’ finish and the winners of each circuit (men’s and women’s singles and doubles) plus the next top three performers, including a wild card, will automatically qualify for the season-ending ITA National Summer Championships held in Williamsburg, Va., Aug. 9-13. The men’s and women’s singles and doubles winners will be given a wild card into the US Open Qualifying Tournament and the ITA National Clay Court Championships.
For on-site information, contact Harvey Beahm, the tournament director. The schedule is subject to change and current information is only available at the courts.
