Top Seed Ball Wins ASB Pro Circuit Title

Australian top seed Carsten Ball proved that by being ranked inside the world’s top-200 players he was just a step ahead of the rest at the Futures tennis event in Hamilton.



Ball ranked at 193 won the US$15,000 ASB Pro Circuit final against second seed Tatsuma Ito of Japan 7-6(2) 6-2. Despite having had recent success at Davis Cup level for Australia it was just the fourth Futures singles title for Ball, 21 who was a former top-10 ranked junior player and had a father who also played Davis Cup for Australia in the 1980’s



“I think it’s my fourth title. I came here to get some match practice as it’s been a slow start to the year for me. It’s been a good tournament for me and I’m pleased to have taken the title,” said Ball who says he has an average first serve speed of around 200 kilometres.



Standing at 1’90” metres tall, but looming larger on the court Ball was able to unleash aces seemingly at will, including four late in one game late in the final set. Although the 333rd ranked Ito has shown good form leading into the final defeating four Kiwis along the way with his best win of the tournament being against Kiwi No2 Dan King-Turner in straight sets. In the final the Japanese player struggled to contend with the big shots of Ball who served an ace which Ito was forced to dodge rather than return on the final point.



The US$10,000 women’s final was won by unseeded Indonesian Ayu-Fani Damayanti, 19 who gained her fourth ITF singles title by defeating fourth seed and world No1 junior Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand 6-4 4-6 6-3.



All players now travel to Wellington to compete in the third of the circuit tournaments which starts on Tuesday.



Results:

ASB Pro Circuit US$10,000 women’s singles final:

Ayu-Fani Damayanti(Indonesia) bt (4)Noppawan Lertcheewakarn(Thailand) 6-4 4-6 6-3

ASB Pro Circuit US$15,000 men’s singles final:

(1)Carsten Ball(Australia) bt (2)Tatsuma Ito(Japan) 7-6(2) 6-2.



US$10,000 ASB Pro Circuit first round qualifying, Wellington:

Misa Kinoshita(Japan) bt Nancy Ferguson(Australia) 6-3 6-2, Jun-Yi Zheng(China) bt Dana Gray(New Zealand) 6-1 6-3, Chelsea Te Tai(New Zealand) bt Deeon Mladin(Australia) 6-3 6-1, (4)Nungnadda Wannasuk(Thailand) bt Brittant Teei 6-2 6-3, Mitsumi Kawasaki(Japan) bt (13)Renee Binnie(Australia) 7-6(5) 7-5, (5)Sabrina Capannolo(United States) bt Sun-Mi Soo(Korea) 6-3 6-3, Yoshimi Kawasaki(Japan) bt Teegan Edwards(South Africa) 6-2 6-1, (6)Sophia Mulsap(Thailand) bt Subbadharmi Sundaram(United States) 6-4 6-7(2) 6-4, (10)Jung-Yoon Shin(Korea) bt Brie Whitehead(United States) 6-2 6-2, (7)Daniela Scivetti(Australia) bt Alison Shemon(Australia) 6-3 6-1, (11)Etsuko Kitazaki(Japan) bt Stephanie Nguyen(Australia) 6-1 6-1, (8)So-Jung Kim(Korea) bt Hayley Erickson(Australia) 6-1 6-0, Christian Thompson(United States) bt (9)Julia Moriarty(Australia) 6-2 6-0.