Stevens Fares Well at USTA Pro Circuit Event

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HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. Virginia women’s tennis player Jennifer Stevens (Miami, Fla.) had a strong showing last week at the Kaelin/Diadora USTA Women’s Pro Circuit $10,000 Tournament in Hilton Head, S.C. She advanced from the qualifying draw with four wins and won a round in the main draw before falling in the round of 16.

In the qualifying draw, she opened play with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Ashlee Brown, who plays at Arizona State. In the second round, Stevens topped Russian Violetta Tosmuk 6-1, 6-2. She topped Nadja Gilchrist, who will be a freshman at Georgia next season, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the third round and advanced to main draw with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over Elizabeth Begley.

In the main draw, she defeated Kate Fuller 6-3, 6-4 in the round of 32 before falling to No. 5 seed Alexis Prousis, a 2007 All-American at Northwestern, 7-5, 6-2 in the second round.

Two future Cavaliers also competed in the event, Claire Bartlett and Emily Fraser, who will both enter Virginia as first-years this fall.

Fraser had a first round bye in qualifying before winning a pair of matches. She topped Kristin Messmer 6-3, 6-1 in the second round and Clemson freshman Laurianne Henry, who ended the 2008 college season ranked No. 120, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the third round. In the final round of qualifying, she fell to Alexandra Anghelescu but advanced to the main draw as a lucky loser. She was defeated in the first round by Australian Brittany Sheed 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

Bartlett won a pair of matches in the qualifying draw. In the opening round she topped Tayo Bailey 6-1, 6-1 and downed Natalie Pluskota, who will be a freshman at Tennessee next season, 6-3, 6-3 in the second round. She fell in the third round to No. 4 seed Brooke Bolender 6-1, 6-2.