Amanda Fink (Calabasas, CA) had nothing to lose, having already advanced farther in this

tournament than any previous Pro Circuit event. On the other hand, for her opponent, full-time

on the line. Albanese was hoping to use the 2008 Mecco Cup to spring board into the US Open

qualifying draw.

Albanese did not get the start she was vying for, as Fink jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the

first set, breaking Albanese in the second game of the match: “I came out with a little bit of a

quicker start today,” Fink explained. On the strength of her own lefty serve in combination with

multiple unforced errors on Albanese’s part, Fink rapidly took a commanding 5-2 lead, taking the

set, 6-3. Again in the second set, Fink shot out to a 3-0 lead before Albanese made what would

turn out to be her only serious run of the match, breaking Fink’s serve twice to level the set at 3-

3. Perhaps Fink was prepared for this, as she later said of her opponent, “Lauren’s a fighter.

She’s not going away.” Unfortunately for Albanese, Fink immediately broke back, hitting several

clean forehand winners and zapping Albanese of whatever confidence remained. Albanese won

only one of the last four games, as Fink took the match, winning the second set, 6-4.

Despite her success, Fink said she’s not even playing her best tennis yet. “That’s what’s so

encouraging,” she remarked. “But I’m getting more confident. Definitely, today was a step up in

my game.” Fink will have to step up her game even further in Sunday’s final when she will

got off to a slow start today, losing the first five games and, ultimately, the first set, 6-1, to her

Sequera later said of Kulikova. “I’ve never played her before. She surprised me with how hard

she hit the ball. . . . She was very confident and very cool-headed. After that, I said, ‘Ok, just try

to take the initiative.’” Sequera did just that, breaking serve once, early in the second set, but

that was all it took. Kulikova’s frustration became evident as the set wore on, allowing Sequera

to gain a foothold in the match. As Kulikova began to spray unforced errors across the court,

Sequera held firm, taking the second set, 6-3. As Sequera found her game, Kulikova grew

increasingly discouraged, dropping her serve twice in the third set. Accordingly, taking

advantage of two consecutive unforced errors by Kulikova, Sequera took the match, serving out

the third set and winning it, 6-2.

Sequera’s last final came when she won a WTA event in Morocco in May 2007, prior to getting

injured. Since returning to the tour, after being out of action from July 2007 through February

2008, Sequera has been playing Pro Circuit events like the Mecco Cup to try to reclaim her spot

in the top 50.

Looking ahead to tomorrow’s final, Sequera is hoping to up her world ranking and continue

gaining confidence in her comeback. “If you’re confident, the ranking can take care of itself,” she

said. By comparison Fink is just looking forward to her first-ever Pro Circuit final. “I’ve never

been to a final at a tour event,” she said. “So this is really exciting. It’s going to be a surprise to

me, the number that’s next to my name after this.” Fink has been off the Pro Circuit since 2006

to focus on her college studies, so she’s not overly familiar with most of the pro players, and

likewise, those players are not familiar with her game. When asked if this was an advantage one

way or the other, Fink replied, “There are pros and cons. Most of the time, it is an advantage

because there’s no pressure on me.”

(Brentwood, TN) “hung around” in this year’s doubles draw long enough to walk away with the

Despite the misleading score, Gullickson explained afterward that this was the third time she

and Kriz had played doubles together, and Kriz added, “This is probably the toughest match

we’ve ever played.” Gullickson summed up the match by saying, “I thought we probably had a

slip in two or three games, but I thought we played really, really well today.” During the trophy

presentation, Gullickson took the mic and, after thanking the tournament director and sponsors,

said, “I always love coming here. I was here two years ago, and I was really glad to be back this

year.” Kriz agreed that the Mecco Cup was a highlight of their season, calling it “one of the best

$50k tournaments of the year.” “I’m looking forward to coming back next year,” said Gullickson.