Aussie Rogowska heads field in Redding Challenger

   Olivia Rogowska of Australia is seeded first in this week's The Ascension Project Women's Challenger in Redding, Calif.
   Main-draw play in the $25,000 tournament begins today at 10 a.m. at Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness. The temperature is predicted to reach 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4 Celsius) later in the day.
   Rogowska reached the second round of last year's Australian Open in her hometown of Melbourne. Now ranked No. 137, she will face 19-year-old Montserrat Gonzalez of Paraguay on Wednesday in the first round at a time to be determined.
   Seeded second is Ksenia Pervak, who climbed to a career-high No. 37 in 2011 after advancing to the fourth round at Wimbledon and winning the WTA tournament in Tashkent. Hampered by injuries this year, the 22-year-old left-hander from Russia has fallen to No. 142.
   Pervak will take on American qualifier Rosalia Alda today at 10 a.m.
   Also seeded, in order, are Channel Simmonds of South Africa, Veronica Cepede Royg of Paraguay, Adriana Perez of Venezuela, and Americans Samantha Crawford, Allie Kiick and Sanaz Marand.
   Simmonds, a 21-year-old left-hander, qualified for the recent U.S. Open before losing to countrywoman Chanelle Scheepers in the first round.
   Crawford won the U.S. Open girls singles title last year. Kiick reached the USTA girls 18 singles final and won the doubles title with Sachia Vickery last month in San Diego. Both Crawford and Kiick are 18.
   Kiick's father, Jim, was a running back on the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only undefeated team in NFL history. He scored a touchdown in Miami's 14-7 victory over Washington in the 1973 Super Bowl.
   President Barack Obama honored the 1972 Dolphins, including Kiick, last month at the White House.
   See below for today's full schedule in the Redding Challenger.

$25,000 THE ASCENSION PROJECT WOMEN'S CHALLENGER

At Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness

In Redding, Calif.

Final-round qualifying

   Catherine Harrison, United States, def. Piia Suomalainen, Finland, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
   Anne-Liz Jeukeng, United States, def. Leila Hodzic, United States, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4.
   Michelle Sammons (3), South Africa, def. Maia Magill, United States, 6-1, 6-3.
   Denise Muresan (4), United States, def. Trelsie Sadler, United States, 6-0, 6-1.
   Christina Makarova (5), United States, def. Jessica Perez, United States, 6-3, 6-2.
   Rosalia Alda (11), United States, def. Wendy Qi-Wen Shang (6), Canada, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
   Anamika Bhargava (7), United States, def. Sophia Bursulaya, United States, 6-1, 7-6 (4).
   Beatrice Capra, United States, def. Emily Harman (9), United States, 6-1, 6-2.

 Today's schedule

(Starting at 10 a.m.)

Court 1

   Anne-Liz Jeukeng, United States, vs. Allie Kiick (7), United States.
   Sanaz Marand (8), United States, vs. Christina Makarova, United States.
   Denise Muresan and Caitlin Whoriskey, United States, vs. Veronica Cepede Royg, Paraguay, and Adriana Perez (2), Venezuela.

Court 2

   Denise Muresan, United States, vs. Jacqueline Cako, United States.
   Krista Hardebeck, United States, vs. Robin Anderson, United States.
   Maria-Fernanda Alves, Brazil, and Olivia Rogowska (1), Australia, vs. Emily Harman and Elizabeth Lumpkin, United States.

Court 3

   Elizabeth Lumpkin, United States, vs. Veronica Cepede Royg (4), Paraguay.
   Jelena Pandzic, Croatia, vs. Despina Papamichail, Greece.
   Rosalia Alda, United States, and Montserrat Gonzalez, Paraguay, vs. Jacqueline Cako and Allie Kiick, United States.

Court 4

   Rosalia Alda, United States, vs. Ksenia Pervak (2), Russia.
   Lauren Embree, United States, vs. Ashley Weinhold, United States.
   Erin Clark, United States,and Despina Papamichail, Greece, vs. Jessica Perez and Katelyn Ross, United States.