Day Three Rolls On at Palmetto Pro Open in Sumter

SUMTER – Eight qualifiers found their way to the Singles Main Draw on Tuesday in the Palmetto Pro Open, a USTA Women’s Pro Circuit $25,000 event at the Palmetto Tennis Center. The top doubles seed team of Alexa Guarachi and Emina Bektas were upended by Ellen Perez and Luisa Stefani in the first round of the Doubles Main Draw, 7-6(4), 6-4.

Hayley Carter continued her cruise through qualifying with her third straight 6-1, 6-0 victory – dispatching Anna Sanford to move into the Main Draw; No. 6 seed Astra Sharma also made it into the Main Draw without dropping a set after advancing past Rasheeda McAdoo 6-2, 6-1; Second-seeded Michaela Gordon found her way into the Main Draw with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Lauren Proctor; and Katie Volynets outlasted No. 3 seed Luisa Stefani 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to make the Main Draw.

Fifth-seeded Alexandra Sanford was a 6-2, 6-1 winner over Sedona Gallagher to book her spot in the Main Draw; In a three-hour, five-minute match, Morgan Coppoc survived Leylah Annie Fernandez 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to advance; Victoria Emma rallied past Lilian Poling 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to advance; and Abigail Forbes got past Kaitlyn McCarthy 6-4, 6-2 to move on to the Main Draw.

The Singles Main Draw also got underway on Tuesday, with four players moving onto the second round. In Tuesday’s feature match, fifth-seeded Chanel Simmonds defeated Alyona Sotnikova 6-2, 4-6, 6-4; No. 7 Chieh-Yu Hsu was a 7-6(1), 6-2 winner over Andie K. Daniell; Eighth-seeded Giuliana Olmos defeated eighth-seeded Zuzana Zlochova 6-2, 6-2; and Allie Kiick – playing in just her second USTA Pro Circuit event since July 2015 after recovering from, four knee surgeries, mononucleosis and a rare form of skin cancer – moved on with a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over Ellen Perez.

In Doubles Main Draw action, sister-duo Alexandra Sanford/Anna Sanford advanced with a 6-1, 6-1 win over fourth-seeded Sabrina Santamaria/Keri Wong; qualifiers Joelle Kissell/Catherine Leduc defeated Akilah James/Akiko Okuda 3-6, 6-2, 10-6; and Alexandra Facey/Ashley Kratzer were 6-4, 7-6(5) winners over Maria Fernanda Navarro Oliva/Daniela Ruiz of Clemson University.

Singles Main Draw kicks off tomorrow at 9 a.m. on four courts – 12 total Singles Main Draw matches will be played. Four doubles matches will close out the day after singles are done.

The tournament will conclude with Championship Sunday on Sunday, June 18. Admission is free to all matches.