Challenger series nets winners

Mirjam Swanson

GLENDALE -- Now that the weather’s cleared, the Women’s $25,000

Chalenger Series tournament at the Flint Canyon Tennis Club in La Canada

Flintridge has hit full stride.

Qualifying finals tok place first Tuesday, with the winners slated to

play a first-round match today in the main draw.

Qualifying finalists Marion Bartoli, Lindsay Lee Waters, Claudine

Schaul and Anne Keothavong all advanced.

Six first-round singles matches also were played, as No. 2 seed

Bryanne Stewart of Australia toughed out a win against wildcard Lindsay

Nelson, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, and No. 4 seed Julie Pullin of Great Britain won a

hard-fought match.

Other singles winners included No. 5 seed Lucy Ahl, Laura Granville,

Christina Wheeler and Francesca Lubiani of Italy.

One main doubles draw was played Tuesday, as Ahl and Helen Crook both

of Great Britain, won in three sets.

Twelve matches are scheduled to be played today beginning at 10 a.m.

On Monday, with the wind howling, the show went on. In fact, both

the three first-round matches that were postponed by rain Sunday were

played, as well as the scheduled eight second-round pairings.

This is what they wrought: In the completion of the first-round

singles qualifying matches, No. 2-seeded Maria Geznenge, of Bulgaria,

Diane Matias and Elizabeth Schmidt all won.

In second-round singles qualifying matches, top seed Maria

Golovizinina of Russia won in three sets, Geznenge won again in a sweep,

and No. 4 seed Claudine Schaul, who hails from Luxemburg, also swept.

Jacqueline Trail, the No. 7 seed, also was a winner, as was Australian

player Trudi Musgrave, who upset No. 3-seeded Abigail Spears.

Other singles winners included Waters, Bartoli, and Keothavong.

Shortened first-round qualifying doubles matches also were played

Monday. To save time, four-game sets were used to decide the victors.

It didn’t seem to hinder the winning pairs of Sylvia Kosakowski and

Tracy Lin -- who won easily, 4-0, 4-1 -- Joanne Moore and Tara Snyder,

Mireille Dittman and Feriel Esseghir, Beau Jones and Kristina Krasewski,

and Angela Haynes and Anne Yelsey.

The main draw and final qualifying matches begin at 10 a.m. today at the club.