By SDCN Staff
La Jolla, CA–Third-seeded Stuart Ross Duncan of Aliso Viejo, Calif., defeated Josh Basha of Mountlake Terrace, Wash., 6-2, 6-0 in 66 minutes to advance to the third round of the USTA National 40 Hard Court Championships.
Playing on Court No. 1 on a cool, partly-sunny day at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, the 46-year-old Duncan took control of the match with an early service break in the first set to build a 4-1 lead. Basha attempted to trade shots and extend the rallies from the baseline, but Duncan, the 2018 singles champion, used his all-court game to close out the second-round match.
Duncan, who reached last year’s singles final, will face unseeded David Kirsch of Bedford Hills, N.Y., in a third-round match on Tuesday at 10 a.m.
“It feels great to be in the third round. This was a tough match. I know Josh well and we’ve played a lot of practice sets,” Duncan said after his victory. “The score was not reflective of the match. There were a lot of close games and it went my way.”
Duncan acknowledged that getting through tough matches and staying injury free in these age-division national events is a key to making a title run. I’m just trying to get through it one match at a time. One of my best assets is my physical (fitness). I can go with anyone as long as we want. It’s my biggest strength,” he said.
In other second-round men’s singles action, fourth-seeded Jan Axel Tribler of Honolulu eased past Jesper Clausen of San Marcos, Calif., 6-1, 6-2, and fifth-seeded Jeff Greenwald of San Anselmo, Calif., overcame Eduardo Gil of Brooklyn, N.Y., 6-3, 6-1. The 56-year-old Greenwald captured the men’s singles title in 2009, 2016, and 2017.
Play in the Women’s Singles division will get underway Tuesday at 12 p.m. Defending five-time champion and top-seed Hiromi Sasano of San Diego received a first-round bye and will play her first match on Wednesday at 11:30 p.m., against the winner of the first-round match between Christa Chrovian of La Jolla, Calif., and Quynh Le of Irvine, Calif.
Former ATP Tour doubles star Pablo Albano, who achieved a career-high No. 25 in the ATP doubles rankings in 1997, was scheduled to play in the men’s doubles and mixed doubles competitions. However, the 55-year-old native of Argentina withdrew from the tournament due to illness.
The USTA National Father/Son and Grandfather/Grandson Hard Court Doubles Championships will also be played at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club with matches beginning Friday, Dec. 2, and concluding Sunday, Dec. 4.
La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club welcome tennis spectators to the tournament with free admission. Onsite parking is available for a nominal fee.
Starting times for each day of the tournament will be as follows: Tuesday, Nov. 29 through Friday, Dec. 2 at 8 a.m.; Saturday, Dec. 3 and Sunday, Dec. 4 at 9 a.m.
The USTA National 40 Hard Court Championships are part of the International Tennis Federation World Tennis Masters Tour. Formerly known as the ITF Seniors Tour, the recently rebranded Masters Tour includes individual and team singles, doubles, and mixed doubles events across various grade levels for each five-year age increment from 30 plus to 90 plus. Approximately 27,500 players worldwide aged 30+ to 90+ compete in Masters Tour events each year.
Designated one of the Top 100 Tennis Resorts in the world by Tennis Resorts Online, the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club’s reputation as a top tennis destination started in 1942, when it attracted its first major tournament, the Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship. The club will be hosting the 133rd edition of this popular tournament March 2-5, 2023, as well as both the USTA National Hard Court Championships for Women’s 50-90 age groups and the 50th Annual Men’s Senior Championships May 15-21, 2023.
