Stanford grad Ahn loses in U.S. Open qualifying

Kristie Ahn was born two miles from the site of the
U.S. Open and lives in the New York area. 2019
photo by Paul Bauman

   Yuki Naito, 20, of Japan defeated No. 25 seed Kristie Ahn, a 29-year-old Stanford graduate, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 today in first-round qualifying for the U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

   Ahn, who reached the round of 16 in the 2019 U.S. Open, had no aces and eight double faults. She fell to 1-4, all in qualifying matches, since advancing to the second round at Wimbledon as a qualifier. 

   Ahn was born at Flushing Hospital Medical Center, two miles from the tournament site, and lives in nearby Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Ranked a career-high No. 87 in 2019, she has tumbled to No. 140.

   Naito, ranked No. 222, triumphed for the first time in seven matches since winning a $25,000 clay-court tournament in Buenos Aires in March.

   No. 4 seed Mayar "Who Shot The" Sherif (Fresno State, 2015-16) of Egypt is set to make her U.S. Open debut on Wednesday against Clervie Ngounoue, a 15-year-old wild card from Washington, D.C.

   Sherif, ranked No. 95, has reached the final of her last two tournaments, both on clay. She lost to No. 2 seed and former world No. 9 Andrea Petkovic of Germany in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, becoming the first Egyptian to play in a WTA singles final, and to No. 1 seed Arantxa "Sanchez-Vicario" Rus of the Netherlands in a $60,000 ITF tournament in Gran Canaria, Spain.