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Tournament Director Rob Lowe Competes in Exhibition Match Against Zamarripas
Tyler, TX (October 31, 2020) – Catherine “CiCi” Bellis and Clara Tauson withdrew from their singles and doubles semifinal matches, respectively, citing injuries, advancing #8 seed Marta Kostyuk and the Zamarripa twins to the finals by default.
With an open Center Court and live streaming capabilities at the ready, Tournament Director Rob Lowe hosted an Exhibition Match for “hits and giggles” against the Zamarripa twins with partner Chloe Henderson, who had competed in the qualifying matches earlier this week. Tyler Athletic and Swim Club members watched on as jokes and the occasional winner flew back and forth across the net.
At 1pm, the Exhibition fun drew to a close as #7 seed Ann Li and world No. 114 Greet Minnen took the court for their semifinal match and their first professional meeting to date. The match was close and evenly matched. It took only a few stray balls from Minnen for Li to pounce and claim the first set. The second followed a similar pattern as Li capitalized on Minnen’s rare unforced errors to advance to the Finals without losing a single set on her way.
Following Li’s victory, #4 seeds Paula Kania-Chodun and Katarzyna Piter squared up against seasoned players Kateryna Bondarenko and Olga Govortsova who have held career-high doubles rankings of 9 and 24, respectively. Despite the Poland pairing’s initial lead, Bondarenko and Govortsova closed the first set 6-4. Kania-Chodun and Piter responded by sweeping the second 6-2, letting out plenty of cheers and yells along the way. Their high energy continued into the tiebreaker as they took a quick 5-1 lead, eventually cementing their spot in the finals 10-6.
Sunday’s matches will begin with at 10:30am with the Doubles Final on Center Court, followed by the Singles Final.
ABOUT THE USTA PRO CIRCUIT:
With more than 100 tournaments throughout the country and prize money ranging from $15,000 to upwards of $160,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world and the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players. Now in its 41st year, the USTA Pro Circuit has been a launching pad for many of today’s top pros, including Andy Murray, Naomi Osaka, Maria Sharapova, John Isner, Sloane Stephens, Alexander Zverev, Kei Nishikori, Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki, Garbine Muguruza, Nick Kyrgios and Milos Raonic. Follow the USTA Pro Circuit at #USTAProCircuit on social media and at www.procircuit.usta.com.