FSU’s Whitehurst Sole Home-State Winner at 2016 US Open National Playoffs-Florida

Texas’ Ashley Weinhold and Caitlin Whoriskey of Massachusetts each won two titles, while Florida State University rising junior Terrance Whitehurst won the men’s singles title at the 2016 US Open National Playoffs-Florida Section tournament, held on June 3-5 at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

Rain on the final Sunday resulted in four of the five finals played indoors at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center.

Winners of the USTA Florida Section event now advance to the national tournament, where the winners in men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles will earn spots in either the main draw or qualifying for the upcoming 2016 US Open.

2016 US Open National Playoffs-Florida Winners and Finalists
(seeds in parenthesis)

Men’s Singles: (2) Terrance Whitehurst (Tallahassee, Fla.) d. (6) Oscar Janglin (Sarasota, Fla.) 6-2, 6-3

The 6-foot-4 Whitehurst followed his twin brother, Terrell, who last year claimed the men’s singles title and advanced to the national playoffs and a chance for a spot in the US Open qualifying draw.

“I was very impressed with Terrance this week,” FSU head coach Dwayne Hultquist said. “He was aggressive, his backhand and forehand were strong, and he dominated play. He hit great passing shots and forced errors from the baseline.”

He dropped his only set of the tournament in the quarterfinals against FSU teammate Jake Albo 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. He and brother Terrell were ranked this fall in doubles by the NCAA for the first time. Janglin is a 19-year-old Swede who plays for Texas A&M.

Women’s Singles: (1) Ashley Weinhold (Spicewood, Texas) d. (2) Yukako Noi (Richmond, Va.) 7-6(5), 6-2

Currently ranked No. 502 on the WTA tour rankings, the 26-year-old Weinhold stopped last year’s champion Noi, a recent FSU graduate, in the final.

Weingold in the semifinals defeated FSU rising junior Gabriella Castaneda, while Noi beat 16-year-old Florida junior Emma Decoste. Last year Weinhold also won a sectional event to reach the national US Open Playoffs, losing in the semifinals. She also competed in the 2006 US Open qualifying, main draw doubles and mixed doubles, and the 2007 US Open main draw singles, doubles and mixed.

Her career-high WTA singles ranking was No. 181 in 2011.

Men’s Doubles: (1) Phillip Bester (Burnaby, B.C., Canada)/Peter Polansky (Maple, Ontario, Canada) d. Jeffrey Brown (Mandeville, La.)/Shane Tyree (Covington, La.) 6-2, 6-1

Canadian ATP World Tour regulars Phillip Bester and Peter Polansky will advance to the US Open National Playoffs event for their shot at a wild card into the US Open men’s doubles after not dropping a set throughout the Florida Section tournament.

Bester and Polansky, both 27 years old, in February won the Morleos Challenger doubles title in Mexico. Bester competed in Davis Cup play for Canada earlier this year against France in the first round, teaming with countryman Vasek Pospisil. Both players will be attempting to make their debuts in the US Open doubles draw.

The runner-up Brown is a rising senior at the University of Louisville, and Tyree is the head tennis professional at Stone Creek Club and Spa in Covington, La.

Women’s Doubles: (1) Ashley Weinhold (Spicewood, Texas)/Caitlin Whorisky (East Sandwich, Mass.) d. Taylor Garcia (Mandeville, La.)/Therina Steenkamp (Covington, La.) 6-2, 6-1

Weingold won her second title of the tournament with 28-year-old Caitlin Whoriskey, who was a three-time All-American at the University of Tennessee, and finished runner-up in doubles at the 2010 NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship.

Whorisky is 10-8 career in doubles at USTA Pro Circuit events, this year finishing runner-up twice in April at Pelham, Ala. (w/Sophie Chang, losing to fellow Americans Asia Muhammad/Taylor Townsend in the final) and at Dothan, Ala. (w/Keri Wong, again losing to Muhammad/Townsend).

Runner-up Garcia is a high school sophomore, and Steenkamp is a former player at Weber State and currently a tennis professional at Stone Creek Club and Spa in Covington, La.

Mixed Doubles: (1) Hunter Reese (Kennesaw, Ga.)/Caitlin Whorisky (East Sandwich, Mass.) d. Colter Decoste/Emma Decoste (Stuart, Fla.) 6-2, 6-1

Whorisky claimed a second title of the tournament with Georgia’s Hunter Reese, who last year won the US Open National Playoffs Mid-Atlantic Section men’s doubles title with Mikelis Libietis, continuing their success from 2014 when they won the NCAA doubles championship title for the University of Tennessee. Reese that year received a wild card into the doubles main draw at the US Open as the NCAA winner.

Reese/Libietas also won the USTA Pro Circuit Knoxville Challenger in 2014. Whoriskey won the 2014 US Open National Playoffs women’s singles title to earn a wild card into US Open qualifying, where she won her first-round match.

Runners-up Colter Decoste (age 18, committed to Stetson) and sister Emma (16) are four- and five-star recruits respectively on the Tennis Recruiting Network.

The Florida Section champions and the winners of the other 14 USTA Sections participating advance to the following US Open National Playoffs Championship events that will take place in conjunction with the WTA tour’s Connecticut Open presented by United Technologies, an Emirates Airline US Open Series event, in New Haven, Conn.:
* Men’s and Women’s Singles Championship, Aug. 19-22
* Men’s and Women’s Doubles Championship, Aug. 21-24
* Mixed Doubles Championship, Aug. 24-27

The winners of the Men’s and Women’s Singles Championships earn a wild card into the US Open Qualifying Tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, held the weekend prior to the US Open. The winners of the Men’s and Women’s Doubles Championships earn a wild card into the main draw of the US Open men’s and women’s doubles draws, while the winner of the Mixed Doubles Championship will earn a wild card into the US Open Mixed main draw.

US OPEN NATIONAL PLAYOFFS-FLORIDA
SECTION CHAMPIONS HISTORY

Men’s Singles:
2016 — Terrance Whitehurst, Tallahassee, Fla.
2015 — Terrell Whitehurst, Tallahassee, Fla.
2014 — Jeff Dadamo, Tampa, Fla.
2013 — Jeff Dadamo, Tampa, Fla. *
2012 — Eric Hechtman, Miami, Fla.
2011 — Oleg Dmitriev, Dania Beach, Fla.
2010 — Olivier Sajous, Plantation, Fla.
* Won the national championship that year and advanced to the US Open men’s qualifying singles

Women’s Singles:
2016 — Ashley Weinhold, Spicewood, Texas
2015 — Yukako Noi, Japan
2014 — Liz Jeukeng, Boca Raton, Fla.
2013 — Amy Sargeant, Great Britain/Tallahassee, Fla.
2012 — Sandra Roma, Sweden
2011 — Caroline Dailey, Sarasota, Fla.
2010 — Jan Abaza, Deerfield Beach, Fla.

Men’s Doubles:
2016 — Phillip Bester (Burnaby, B.C., Canada)/Peter Polansky (Maple, Ontario, Canada)
2015 — Ricky Doverspike (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)/Korey Lovett (Brevard, N.C.)
(division first held in 2015)

Women’s Doubles:
2016 — Ashley Weinhold (Spicewood, Texas)/Caitlin Whorisky (East Sandwich, Mass.)
2015 — Lauren Proctor (Tega Cay, S.C.)/Miranda Talbert (Bradenton, Fla.)
(division first held in 2015)

Mixed Doubles:
2016 — Hunter Reese (Kennesaw, Ga.)/Caitlin Whorisky (East Sandwich, Mass.)
2015 — Vahid Mirzadeh (Wellington, Fla.)/Amy Sargeant (Tallahassee, Fla.)
2014 — Brittany Dubins/Billy Federhofer (Miami, Fla.)
2013 — Jesse/Sarah Witten (Naples, Fla.) (brother/sister)
2012 — Ryler DeHeart/Megan Fudge (Largo, Fla.) (husband/wife)
2011 — Ellis Ferreira (Holmes Beach, Fla.)/Amanda Rodgers (Bradenton, Fla.) (former Slam winner/student)
(division first held in 2011)

The US Open remains the only of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments to offer the opportunity for any player to qualify.

For full USTA Florida Section tournament draws or more information go to http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=186523#&&s=8Results0.