Sunday, August 05, 2001
Morrison aims for turnaround in qualifier
Endured difficult 1st pro season
By Dave Schutte
Enquirer Contributor
When Jeff Morrison turned professional in July 2000, expectations were high; he had been the 1999 NCAA singles champion while at the University of Florida.
But life on the ATP Tour hasn't been easy for Morrison, a 22-year-old who grew up in Huntington, W. Va., and now resides in Tampa, Fla.
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AT A GLANCE
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• Qualifier: 10 a.m. today. Adult tickets $10, kids 14 and under admitted free.
• Main draw: Tennis Masters Series Cincinnati tournament begins play Monday. Ticket prices range from $18 to $40, depending on the session (tickets remain for all sessions). Call (513) 651-0303 or (513) 562-4949 for info or tickets.
• Check the bracket
• More Masters facts
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“It's almost a year to the day that I turned professional,” Morrison said Saturday after his 6-2, 4-6, 6-0 victory over Bob Bryan in the Tennis Masters Series Cincinnati qualifier at the ATP Tennis Center in Mason.
“My career got off to a slow start, and then in October I tore a ligament in my left ankle and sat out until January,” Morrison said. “In April, my coach, Ralph Vargas, was killed in an automobile accident.”
Today, Morrison is aiming for a victory over No.103 ranked Magnus Larsson in one of the eight qualifier matches. The first match begins at 10 a.m., and spots in the main draw are awarded to the winners.
If Morrison succeeds, it will be his second appearance in a major professional tournament. He was awarded an at-large wild-card spot in the 1999 U.S. Open for winning the NCAA championship.
Larsson upset No.96 Martin Lee 6-1, 7-5.
LATE START: Jeff Tarango overslept and almost missed his qualifier match against Byron Black.
“I didn't get in from Montreal until early this morning and went to bed,” said Tarango, 32, who is ranked No.144 on the tour.
Tarango upset 126th-ranked Black 6-4, 7-6 (3). He plays Chris Woodruff, ranked No.81, today on Stadium Court.
“I've never beaten Chris and this is a big match for me,” Tarango said.
MANTILLA WINS: Felix Mantilla, at No.56 the highest ranked player in the qualifier, escaped with a 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 victory over 198th-ranked Ronald Agenor. Agenor led 5-2 in the third set, but a broken racket and the heat took their toll and and Mantilla rallied.
TODAY'S SCHEDULE
(First match on each court begins at 10 a.m.)
Stadium Court: Ljubicic vs. Fish; Larsson vs. Morrison; C. Woodruff vs. Tarango.
Grandstand Court: Boutter vs. Gimelstob; Mantilla vs. Spadea; Di Pasquale vs. W. Black.
Court Three: Koubek vs. Wheaton; Mamiit vs. Weiner.
SATURDAY'S RESULTS
Koubek d. Goldstein 6-2, 6-2; Wheaton d. Lareau 6-4, 5-7, 6-4; Gimelstob d. King 6-2, 4-6, 6-0; Boutter d. Salzenstein 5-7, 7-6, 6-4; Morrison d. Bob Bryan 6-4, 3-6, 6-1; Mantilla d. Agenor 6-1, 4-6, 7-5; Spadea d. Delgado 6-3, 6-3; Larsson d. Lee 6-1, 7-5; Weiner d. Srichaphan 6-1, 4-6, 6-3; Ljubicic d. Thomas 6-3, 6-4; Mamiit d. O'Brien 7-5, 6-1; Fish d. Nestor 6-3, 0-6, 7-6 (2); Woodruff d. M. Bryan 7-6, 6-1; DiPasquale d. Ginepri 6-3, 1-0 retired; W. Black d. Woodbridge 6-4, 7-6; Tarango d. B. Black 6-4, 7-6 (3).
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