Tiburon Peninsula Club’s transformation into a pro tennis battleground is official.
Speed, athleticism, steely grit and determination were all on full display on the first day of the 2019 First Republic Tiburon Challenger and the weather was absolute perfection.
New faces and seasoned favorites faced off for the tournament’s first day of matches in the Main Draw.
Qualifying matches
Belgium’s Michael Geerts reaped the rewards of a little extra court time from having participated in the Pro-Am Tournament on Sunday and ran through American Evan King handily 6-2 6-4. Geerts is now in the main draw
In the other qualifying match American youngster Evan Zhu needed three sets to dispatch of India’s Ben Patael 6-4 3-6 6-1 and joins Geerts in the main draw.
Rising Stars
Emilio Nava showed great spirit playing against Ulises Blanch. While Nava was clearly overwhelmed by the pure power and ball speed of Blanch, this kid has exceptional talent and his skill set could see him launched into the world’s top echelon in the coming years.
Juan Aragone had the better game against Colin Altamirano in our 2:00 pm match. Though Altamirano put up a fight, his frustration was evident as Aragone got the better of him across all aspects of the match. By 3:00 pm Aragone had secured the win 6-2 7-6(3).
Donald Young did not have to get out of 2nd gear in his matchup against American Ryan Shane. Shane has a dangerous game, but today could barely string two shots together in a row handing the victory to Young 6-1 6-1.
View the full day results below.
Tomorrow
The action will heat up tomorrow, we’re in for a full day of incredible tennis. Marcelo Arevalo, a true professional and Tiburon favourite is sure to once again be a treat to watch. Marcelo is always extremely gracious and generous with his time and gives back to the game. It’s no wonder he has a special place in the heart of the Tiburon community.
Mitchell Krueger, No. 11 seed, plays second on after 10:00 am, and Emilio Gomez our No. 4 seed is playing 4th.
Our feature match (not before 4:00 pm) features Tommy Paul, No. 1 seed in singles, teaming up with Peter Polansky, 2013 Tiburon Challenger Champion, versus Jamie Cerratani and Maxime Cressy. This all American showdown is definitely worth the price of admission (and a couple of cold beers)!
Its forecast to be a scorcher tomorrow, so bring your sunscreen, hat, water bottle and cheering team and get ready to witness world-class tennis all day long!
Full Results | September 23, 2019
Men’s
Singles – First Round
[WC] B. Holt (USA) d [PR] R. Sarmiento (USA) 64 67(6) 63
G. Escobar (ECU) d R. Smith (USA) 62 36 62
R. Peniston (GBR) d A. Ritschard (USA) 60 64
M. Pervolarakis (GRE) d C. Sinclair (NMI) 63 76(0)
D. Young (USA) d R. Shane (USA) 61 61
U. Blanch (USA) d [WC] E. Nava (USA) 62 63
[PR] C. Gomez-Herrera (ESP) d S. Fanselow (GER) 64 46 62
Mi. Redlicki (USA) d F. Peliwo (CAN) 63 57 63
J. Aragone (USA) d C. Altamirano (USA) 62 76(3)
Mens
Qualifying Singles – First Round
Qualifying – M. Geerts (BEL) d [1] [WC] E. King (USA) 62 64
Qualifying – E. Zhu (USA) d [2] B. Patael (ISR) 64 36 61
