Teen Ann Li Wins USTA Pro Circuit Stop in Osprey, Fla., for 2nd Career Title

An all-American final at the ITF World Tour/USTA Pro Circuit Oaks Club Women’s $25,000 tennis tournament in Osprey, Fla., saw 18-year-old Ann Li defeat 20-year-old Usue Maitane Arcanada 6-3, 7-5 on Sunday for her second career title.

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The No. 3-seeded Li in the semifinals upended top-seeded Elena Gabriela Ruse of Romania in straight sets, while the unseeded Arcanada upended No. 6 Katarzyna Piter of Poland, and in the semifinals No. 5 Olga Govortsova from a set and 0-4 down, winning 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

Both players entered the tournament with few expectations as Li was coming back from an elbow injury, and Arcanada was battling a leg injury.

“I wasn’t trying to expect too much,” Li told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. “But I was playing well earlier, so I felt good.”

While both players displayed their clay court prowess, they’ve had some of their greatest success on grass courts. Li was runner-up at the Wimbledon junior singles in 2017, and Arcanada won the Wimbledon junior doubles in 2016.

Li improved to 2-1 in career pro circuit finals, and Arcanada fell to 1-2.

The USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova, John Isner, Sloane Stephens, Kei Nishikori, Victoria Azarenka, and Sam Querrey are among today’s top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.

For more info go to www.procircuit.usta.com, or www.usta.com/news.