Black Tennis Pros

American Taylor Townsend, Day 6 of 2019 Oracle Challenger Series-Houston.

On Friday, November 15th, the 2019 Oracle Challenger Series returned to action on the courts of the George R. Brown Tennis Center at Rice University in Houston, Texas.  The rain and cold weather that began to take shape on Wednesday afternoon, came in full force on Thursday causing the shutdown of all court activity, leading into a very match laden Friday.  The schedule had all third-round winners playing two singles matches – and some even had to play a third match of doubles.

One of the first matches of the day was contested by two Americans, No. 2 seeded Taylor Townsend and 14th seed Caroline Dolehide.  While the weather was still a bit cold, Dolehide hit the court very competitively and took the first set.  In the second and third sets Townsend met, then superseded Dolehide's game, taking the match 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.

One court over, American Sekou Bangoura was up against the towering Croatian Ivo Karlovic. Bangoura has displayed very impressive athleticism and strategy throughout the tournament, and while he continued his gameplay, even taking the second set, Karlovic's powerful tree line serve alone wreaks havoc on most of his opponents, as it did Bangoura. Karlovic took the match 7-6, 2-6, 6-4

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American Sekou Bangoura into Oracle Challenger Series Round of 16

Severe cold and windy weather in  Houston, Texas added to the challenges that players faced in the 2019 Oracle Challenger Series on Tuesday.  Nonetheless, the players braved the weather and completed matches that were suspended on Monday, as well as those scheduled for today on the courts of the George R. Brown Tennis Center at Rice University.

WOMEN'S SINGLES

Sachia Vickery, USA[15]   def. by   [WC]CoCo Vandeweghe, USA   5-7, 3-6

Hailey Baptiste, USA   def. by   Kirsten Flipkens, BEL   6-3, 3-6, 6(4)-7


MEN'S SINGLES

Sekou Bangoura, USA[16]   def.   Peter Heller, GER   0-6, 6-4, 6-2

Darian King, BAR[7]   def. by   Gonzalo Escobar, ECU   6(3)-7, 5-7

[Q] Olukayode Alafia Damina Ayeni,USA   def. by   Flip Cristian Jianu, ROU   4-6, 2-6

American Sachia Vickery

American Olukayode Alafia Damina Ayeni

American Hailey Baptiste

Barbadien Darian King

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American Sekou Bangoura, Brandenton, Florida

Former University of Florida standout Sekou Bangoura continues to carry over his stellar play from last year in Sunday’s final of the Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy $15,000 USTA-ITF World Tennis Tour event, beating Brazil’s Pedro Sakamoto 7-6(6), 6-0 for his first title of the 2019 in season in Naples, Fla.

The No. 4-seeded American was 3-1 in ITF finals last year. The 27-year-old Bradenton resident improves to 8-5 in career finals.

Bangoura in the semifinals defeated No. 7 seed Pietro Rondoni of Italy 7-6(2), 6-1, while Sakamota came back from a set down to outlast 18-year-old Nicolas Mejia of Colombia 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, a wearing result that took its toll the next day in the final.

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American Hailey Baptiste

A pair of USTA Pro Circuit events produced two American singles finalists, as Hailey Baptiste and Sekou Bangoura each contested rain-delayed finals on Monday in Florida.

The 17-year-old Baptiste claimed her first career professional title, at the ITF World Tennis Tour W25 event in Plantation, Fla., while Bangoura fell just short in his quest for back-to-back Pro Circuit titles, at the ITF World Tennis Tour M25 event in Palm Coast, Fla. Also in the Palm Coast event, Junior Alexander Ore teamed with Colombia’s Alejandro Gomez to win the doubles title.

Baptiste qualified for the Plantation clay-court event and dismissed three seeded opponents on her way to the title, dropping just two sets in seven matches on the week, including qualifying. The Washington, D.C., native scored three-set victories over No. 4 Ylena In-Albon of Switzerland in the quarterfinals and Hungary’s Anna Bondar in the championship match.

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