Ex-Capital King tops Gold River Challenger entries

Vania King, playing for the Sacramento Capitals last season,
heads the field for the FSP Gold River Women's Challenger
with a No. 117 world ranking. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Three familiar faces head the acceptance list for the second annual FSP Gold River Women's Challenger.
   Former Sacramento Capital Vania King is ranked No. 117 in the world, and Jessica Pegula, last year's runner-up at Gold River, is No. 123. Ex-Capital Michelle Larcher de Brito is No. 130.
   The entries for the $50,000 tournament, July 1-6 at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area, were released Friday. Absent from the list is 2012 champion Maria Sanchez, a Modesto native ranked No. 119. She could receive a wild card, though.
   King, a 24-year-old Long Beach product, played for the Capitals of World TeamTennis for all or part of the past three seasons. However, she will return to the Springfield Lasers this season after being named the 2009 WTT Female MVP as a member of the Missouri-based team.

At 18, Jessica Pegula reached the final
of the inaugural Gold River Women's
Challenger last year. 2012 photo
by Paul Bauman

   King won the 2010 Wimbledon and U.S. Open women's doubles titles with Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan, but they have since split. King, who reached a career-high No. 3 in the world in women's doubles in 2011, has slumped to No. 47. Her career high in singles is No. 50 in 2006.
   The Gold River Women's Challenger will be held during the second week of Wimbledon, which could prevent King from returning to the Sacramento area.
   Pegula, 19, of Boca Raton, Fla., has more than halved her ranking from No. 294 entering last year's tournament. Her billionaire father, Terry, owns the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League.
   Larcher de Brito of Portugal played one season for the Capitals, helping them win the last of their record six WTT titles in 2007. At 14, she was the youngest player in league history until Madison Keys surpassed her by 19 days two years later as a 14-year-old with the Philadelphia Freedoms. Keys, who also lives in Boca Raton, is now ranked a career-high 53rd.
   Also entered in the Gold River Women's Challenger is No. 139 Casey Dellacqua of Australia. Dellacqua, a 28-year-old left-hander, won the 2011 French Open mixed doubles title with former Stanford All-American Scott Lipsky and reached this year's Australian Open doubles final with countrywoman Ashleigh Barty, then 16. It was the first time since 1977 that two Aussie women played in the Australian Open title match.   

GOLD RIVER WOMEN'S CHALLENGER

Acceptance list (subject to change)

Pos.  Player                                      Ranking

1	Vania KING (USA)	117
2	Jessica PEGULA (USA)	123
3	Michelle LARCHER DE BRITO (POR)	130
4	Julia GLUSHKO (ISR)	131
5	Casey DELLACQUA (AUS)	139
6	Olivia ROGOWSKA (AUS)	146
7	Chanel SIMMONDS (RSA)	166
8	Julie COIN (FRA)	176
9	Olga SAVCHUK (UKR)	178
10	Maria-Elena CAMERIN (ITA)	180
11	Sacha JONES (AUS)	187
12	Jovana JAKSIC (SRB)	190
13	Ana VRLJIC (CRO)	196
14	Ons JABEUR (TUN)	209
15	Irena PAVLOVIC (FRA)	218
16	Madison BRENGLE (USA)	219
17	Monique ADAMCZAK (AUS)	220
18	Petra RAMPRE (SLO)	225
19	Junri NAMIGATA (JPN)	227
20	Florencia MOLINERO (ARG)	230
21	Melanie KLAFFNER (AUT)	234
22	Ivana LISJAK (CRO)	236
23	Risa OZAKI (JPN)	279
24	Heidi EL TABAKH (CAN)	280