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From Press Services
LA COSTA Calif.-- (July 18, 2011) – Top-seeded
Nazari Urbina of Tijuana overcame warm conditions and a young opponent to
win the Mercury Insurance Open Presented by Tri-City Medical Center Opportunity
Tournament at the San Diego Tennis & Racquet Club for the second consecutive
year.
The 22-year-old Urbina, currently
No.816 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings, received a
wild card into the qualifying draw of the Mercury Insurance Open, which begins
July 30 at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad.
In the Opportunity Tournament final,
which took place on Sunday, July 17, Urbina faced third-seeded Christina
Makarova, a 15-year-old San Diegan who is ranked 43 in the International
Tennis Federation (ITF) junior rankings. After losing the opening set, Makarova
won the second set and took a 4-1 lead in the third set. As she led 5-3,
Makarova experienced leg cramps and took a medical time-out.
She continued to play, but when Urbina
came back and tied the set at 5-5, Makarova retired from the match, giving
Urbina the victory, 6-3, 3-6, 5-5, ret.
“As a tennis player, you don’t
want to win tennis matches like that,” Urbina said after Makarova retired
from the championship match. “I’m glad I’m coming back to
play again (in the qualifying) at La Costa. It’s a great opportunity
for me and my career and it’s going to be a great
experience.”
In last year’s qualifying draw
at the Mercury Insurance Open, Urbina fell to American Coco Vandeweghe, 6-2,
6-1, in the first round, but the Tijuana resident feels the experience helped
her improve her game in the last year.
“Ever since I played that
tournament, I’ve been thinking about the things I need to work on. This
year I feel better. I feel stronger and faster on the court. Tennis-wise
I just feel in better shape,” said Urbina, who will start her junior
year at Texas A&M in late August.
Urbina will join Stacey Tan of Lakewood,
who won the Pacific Palisades Opportunity Tournament, and San Diegan Zoe
Sandalis, the Opportunity Tournament champion in Laguna Niguel, as wild cards
in the Mercury Insurance Open qualifying draw.
“The Mercury Insurance Open
is very happy to award a wild card into the tournament qualifying draw to
each of these well-deserving players. Tan, Scandalis and Urbina all played
very tough matches to win their respective Opportunity Tournament titles
this summer,” said Raquel Giscafre, Mercury Insurance Open tournament
director. “The high quality of play in all three Opportunity events
was outstanding. We look forward to seeing these three players in what is
sure to be an exciting and very competitive weekend of qualifying in
Carlsbad,” Giscafre added.
The 2011 Mercury Insurance Open field
will be highlighted by two-time defending US Open champion and reigning
Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters, former world #1 Ana Ivanovic, current
world #3 Vera Zvonareva, 2010 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, 2010 runner up
Agnieszka Radwanska and other top stars on the WTA Tour including Daniela
Hantuchova, Flavia Pennetta, Andrea Petkovic, Julia Goerges, Coco Vandeweghe,
Christina McHale and Melanie Oudin.
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