Krizek And Pierrepont Head Seeds In Inaugural John’s Island Open By Rob Dinerman Dateline April 22nd
--- Narelle Krizek and Suzie Pierrepont, winners of the U. S. Open this
past December, will headline a strong WDSA women’s pro doubles field
that will vie for the winner’s share of a $25,000 purse April 24th-27th
in the inaugural edition of the John’s Island Open, hosted by the
John’s Island Club in Vero Beach, Florida. Nine teams are entered in
this tournament, which also features a pro-am flight and what shapes up
as a high-quality a Thursday-evening qualifying match in which 2011 Los
Angeles Open finalists Amanda Sobhy and Latasha Khan will face off
against this year’s U. S. National Doubles finalists Gina Stoker and
Kelsey Engman, who won the William White Invitational this past January
at the Merion Cricket Club.
Whoever
wins that encounter will then oppose Vic Simmonds and Heidi Mather in
one Friday top-half quarterfinal, while Krizek and Pierrepont go up
against the first-time pairing of Alex Clarke and Emily Lungstrum. In
the bottom half of the draw, second seeds Dana Betts and Natarsha
McElhinny will play Amy Milanek and Karen Jerome and 2012 U. S.
National Doubles champs Steph Hewitt and Meredeth Quick will take on
the young Philadelphia-based British-born duo of Carrie Hastings and
Tina Rix. The semifinals are slated for Saturday afternoon with the
final to play on Sunday.
This
event will jumpstart a hectic stretch on the WDSA schedule, with three
tournaments in four weeks. The Metrosquash Open will be held in Chicago
on the first weekend of May, with the Turner Cup to follow in
Westchester two weeks later.
