(September 25, 2012) -- Mallory Burdette admitted to feeling a little sad with the start of school on Monday in Palo Alto where she would be starting her senior year at Stanford if she hadn’t made the decision to start her professional tennis career instead.
“I’m happy with my decision to turn pro, but just going up there and saying goodbye to everyone and moving out of my apartment, it was a little hard,” said Burdette, 21, who opened up main-draw singles play at the Party Rock Open on Tuesday with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Amra Sadikovic of Switzerland.
Burdette was playing in her first match since her US Open run last month where she won two rounds as an unseeded USTA Pro Circuit Wild Card before falling to No. 3-seeded Maria Sharapova on Arthur Ashe Stadium Court. A week later, Burdette decided to turn professional. There wasn’t a better place for her professional debut win than the women’s $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit event sponsored by Redfoo of the hit group LMFAO
Playing against Sadikovic later in the day in doubles, wild cards Burdette and Lauren Embree lost to Sadikovic and Maria Abramovic of Croatia, 6-7 (8), 6-3, 10-8.
After the Party Rock Open, the No. 7-seeded Burdette will go back to her home base in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for three days before heading over to Europe for three weeks for 2 WTA events and a $100,000 ITF Challenger.
There were two big upsets in the other two main-draw singles matches played as Petra Rampre of Slovenia upset top-seeded Edina Gallovits-Hall of Romania, 6-1, 6-1, and American Chi Chi Scholl beat No. 3-seeded Michelle Larcher De Brito of Portugal, 6-4, 6-0.
Final round of qualifying finished on Tuesday with four players -- American Jennifer Elie, Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada, Arina Rodionova of Russia, and Adriana Perez of Venezuela -- earning their way into the main draw.
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PARTY ROCK OPEN
Las Vegas, Nevada
September 23-30, 2012
$50,000/USTA Pro Circuit
Surface: Hard/Outdoor
Tournament Website: Party Rock Open
RESULTS -- TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2012
Final-Round Qualifying Singles
q: qualifier; wc: wild card
Jennifer Elie (2), U.S., def. Lauren Embree, U.S., 6-2, 6-4
Gabriela Dabrowski (6), Canada, def. Chieh-Yu Hsu (1), U.S., 6-3, 6-4
Arina Rodionova (4), Russia, def. Lena Litvak, U.S., 7-6 (3), 6-1
Adriana Perez (5), Venezuela, def. Zoe Scandalis, U.S., 7-6 (6), 6-2
First-Round Main Draw Singles
Mallory Burdette (7), U.S., def. Amra Sadikovic, Switzerland, 7-5, 6-1
Chi Chi Scholl, U.S., def. Michelle Larcher De Brito (3), Portugal, 6-4, 6-0
Petra Rampre, Slovenia, def. Edina Gallovits-Hall (1), Romania, 6-1, 6-1
First-Round Main Draw Doubles
Shelby Rogers, U.S.-Ashley Weinhold, U.S., def. Gabriela Dabrowski, Canada-Asia Muhammad, U.S., 6-3, 4-6, 10-6
Anastasia Rodionova, Australia-Arina Rodionova (1), Russia, def. Alison Riske, U.S.-Allie Will (wc), U.S., 6-1, 6-4
Lena Litvak, U.S.-Nicole Melichar, U.S., def. Roxanne Ellison, U.S.-Sierra Ellison (wc), 7-5, 6-4
Jessica Pegula, U.S.-Marie-Eve Pelletier (3), U.S., def. Veronica Cepede Royg, Paraguay-Adriana Perez, Venezuela, 6-3, 6-3
Nicole Rottman, Austria-Lenka Wienerova, Slovakia, def. Ksenia Lykina, Russia-Miki Miyamura, Japan, 6-3, 6-3
Maria Abramovic, Croatia-Amra Sadikovic, Switzerland, vs. Mallory Burdette, U.S.-Lauren Embree (wc), U.S., 6-7 (8), 6-3, 10-8
SCHEDULE -- WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012
First-Round Main Draw
Stadium Court beginning at 11 a.m.
Chelsey Gullickson (wc), U.S., vs. Jessica Pegula, U.S
Followed by Maria Sanchez, U.S., vs. Lauren Davis (2), U.S.
Followed by Samantha Crawford (wc), U.S., vs. Anastasia Rodionova (4), Australia
Followed by MacCall Harkins, U.S.- Chieh-Yu Hsu, U.S., vs. Irina Falconi, U.S.-Maria Sanchez (2), U.S.
Starting at 6 p.m.
Gabriela Dabrowski (q), Canada, vs. Asia Muhammad (wc), U.S.
Court 11 beginning at 11 a.m.
Grace Min, U.S., vs. Shelby Rogers, U.S.
Followed by Maria Abramovic, Croatia, vs. Irina Falconi (5), U.S.
Followed by Stephanie Dubois, Canada, vs. Alison Riske (6), U.S.
Followed by Jennifer Elie, U.S.-Elizabeth Lumpkin, U.S. vs. Elena Bovina, Romania-Edina Gallovits-Hall (4), Romania
Court 10 beginning at 11 a.m.
Heidi El Tabakh (8), Canada, vs. Ashley Weinhold, U.S.
Followed by Veronica Cepede Royg (Paraguay) vs. Adriana Perez (q), Venezuela
Followed by Allie Will (wc), U.S., vs. Madison Brengle, U.S.
Court 8 beginning at 11 a.m.
Elena Bovina, Russia, vs. Julia Bosserup, U.S.
Followed by Marie-Eve Pelletier, Canada, vs. Jennifer Elie (q), U.S.
Followed by Arina Rodionova (q), Russia, vs. Ksenia Lykina, Russia