Roommates to meet in Gold River Challenger semis

Third-seeded Madison Brengle, above, of the United States
will face top-seeded Olivia Rogowska, below, of Australia
in the semifinals of the Gold River Women's Challenger.

   GOLD RIVER, Calif. -- Madison Brengle will have mixed emotions when she faces Olivia Rogowska this evening in the semifinals of the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger.
   "She is my roommate and closest friend," Brengle said. "She is a great person."
   Rogowska, 23, of Australia and Brengle, a 24-year-old American, train in Bradenton, Fla. Seeded first and third, respectively, they held off young Americans in tough three-set matches on Thursday at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area.
   In the other semifinal, seventh-seeded Julia Boserup of Newport Beach will take on eighth-seeded Nao Hibino of Japan. They eliminated promising U.S. teenagers Louisa Chirico and Jamie Loeb, respectively.
    Rogowska, ranked No. 127 in the world, edged 19-year-old Sachia Vickery of Hollywood, Fla., 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4. Rogowska saved four break points at 5-5 in the second set, won four of the last five points in the tiebreaker and overcame a 3-0 deficit (one break) in the third set.
   "At these tournaments, the level of play is similar," observed Rogowska, who has reached the second round of singles three times in Grand Slam tournaments. "The difference is all mental. You have to have self-belief."
  Vickery won the USTA National Girls 18s singles and doubles titles last August. She then beat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, a Wimbledon semifinalist in 1999, in the first round of the U.S. Open before losing to qualifier Julia Glushko of Israel in the second round.   
   "Vickery is a very tough player," Rogowska said. "I was proud of how I held it together."
   Brengle, ranked No. 158, outlasted 5-foot-3 (1.61-meter) Danielle Lao 6-4, 6-7 (9), 6-3. Lao, a 23-year-old former USC All-American, saved two match points in the second set.
   "Danielle has a tricky game," said Brengle, the runner-up in last year's Gold River Challenger. "She's very consistent and a good mover. You have to stay very mentally tough, working to create angles."
   Brengle has played Rogowska only once in a tournament, winning by the surprisingly one-sided score of 6-2, 6-0 in the final of a $25,000 Challenger in Landisville, Pa., last August. Rogowska had been extended to 2-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2 in the semifinals, whereas Brengle had breezed 6-1, 6-2.
   Boserup, 22, and Hibino, 19, will meet for the first time. Boserup is ranked No. 222 and Hibino No. 227.
   Boserup, a hard hitter at 5-foot-11 (1.80 meters) and 145 pounds (66 kilograms), reached the quarterfinals as a qualifier in Monterrey, Mexico, on the elite WTA tour in April. In the first round, she beat then-No. 25 Kirsten Flipkens, a Belgian who advanced to the Wimbledon semifinals last year.
   Hibino reached the final of a $25,000 Challenger on hardcourts in Fergana, Uzbekistan, last month. She is bidding to become the second consecutive Japanese teenager to win the Gold River tournament. Mayo Hibi prevailed at 17 last year but chose to play in a $25,000 event in Gatineau, Canada, this week instead. Seeded fifth, she will meet top-seeded Risa Ozaki, another Japanese player, in today's quarterfinals.
   Boserup, who squandered a 5-0 lead in the first set against Chirico before recovering, is the only player in the Gold River Challenger who has not lost a set. Not coincidentally, she has yet to face a seed, but that will change tonight.

$50,000 FSP GOLD RIVER WOMEN'S CHALLENGER

At Gold River Racquet Club

In Gold River, Calif.

Singles quarterfinals

   Olivia Rogowska (1), Australia, def. Sachia Vickery (6), United States, 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4.

   Madison Brengle (3), United States, def. Danielle Lao, United States, 6-4, 6-7 (9), 6-3.

   Nao Hibino (8), Japan, def. Jamie Loeb, United States, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

   Julia Boserup (7), United States, def. Louisa Chirico, United States, 7-5, 6-3. 

  Doubles quarterfinals

   Macall Harkins and Peggy Porter, United States, def. Natalie Pluskota and Keri Wong (2), United States, 6-3, 5-7 [10-7].

   Maria Sanchez and Zoe Gwen Scandalis, United States, def. Jamie Loeb and Allie Will, United States, walkover.

Today's schedule

(Starting at 4 p.m.)

Stadium

   Maria Sanchez and Zoe Gwen Scandalis, United States, vs. Macall Harkins and Peggy Porter, United States.

   Olivia Rogowska (1), Australia, vs. Madison Brengle (3), United States.

   Julia Boserup (7), United States, vs. Nao Hibino (8), Japan.

Court 3

   Jacqueline Cako and Danielle Lao (3), United States, vs. Daria Gavrilova, Russia, and Storm Sanders, Australia.