As freshman Stacey Fung of West Vancouver embarked on her NCAA tennis career this year in the Pac-12 with the University of Washington Huskies, she told herself to remember a few basic things: 鈥淏e mentally tough and trust myself and all the work I鈥檝e put into this.鈥�
The unranked graduate of Sentinel Secondary was all that in the opening round of the International Tennis Federation $10,000 ITF EncoreFX Victoria International at Panorama Recreation Centre with a 6-0, 7-5 upset of seventh-ranked Kristina Smith of the U.S.
The ITF holds a series of entry-level pro tournaments around the world for promising young players. NCAA players are allowed to declare amateur status for the tournaments to retain their collegiate eligibility. The tournament is back for a third consecutive year with a commitment for another three years. It is the only pro women鈥檚 tennis event in sa国际传媒 west of Winnipeg.
The 32-player singles field is now down to the Sweet 16, beginning today when Fung squares off against fellow Canadian Wendy Zhang. Zhang beat Vanessa Wong 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 in her opening match on Tuesday. The tournament continues through the week and concludes with the semifinals Saturday and finals Sunday. There is also a 16-team doubles draw. Seating is court level and admission is free.
Fung was a semifinalist and quarter-finalist the past two years in the Victoria event.
鈥淭o win it would be cool,鈥� said the 19-year-old, who was three times Canadian age-group champion.
Fung said she enjoyed her first year at UW, after which she hopes to pursue her dreams of pro tennis in three years.
鈥淚 roomed with two Huskies teammates, one from Bali the other from Southern California, and I鈥檓 from sa国际传媒,鈥� she noted.
鈥淲e had different experiences growing up, and in tennis, but ultimately were ended up at UW for the same reason and same goal. It鈥檚 kind of neat.鈥�
These hopefuls crisscross the globe in these tournaments following their tennis dreams. The champion of the Victoria tournament will earn world ranking points.
Most of the players ranked in the big-league women鈥檚 WTA have played in these ITF development tournaments. They range from the $10,000 US-level event through to $25,000, $50,000, $75,000 and $100,000 tournaments.
