Local teen makes stellar debut at Las Vegas Open

By Steve Silver

Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009 | 9 p.m.

Home was extra sweet for Asia Muhammad at the Red Rock Country Club on Wednesday.

The 18-year-old Henderson native fed off a partisan hometown crowd to dominate seventh-seeded Heidi El Tabakh in the first round of the Lexus of Las Vegas Open.

"You have the crowd and that upsets a lot of players from the beginning, so you have that on your side," Muhammad said. "Also, it's positive energy so that really helps if you're getting down on yourself. I like playing at home. It kind of doesn't even feel like I'm at a tournament. It feels like my everyday stuff, so that's why I'm pretty chill. I can sleep in my own bed and be at home."

Whether it was a tasty home-cooked meal or a comfortable bed, something made Muhammad's first singles victory at the Las Vegas Open seem effortless.

Muhammad sped through a nearly flawless first set 6-0 and had amassed a 2-0 lead in the second set when El Tabakh retired due to an undisclosed illness.

El Tabakh had called the trainer for assistance following the first set while Muhammad calmly put on a jacket and ate a banana.

"I don't know what was wrong with her, but I knew if I kept the pressure on her and didn't let her get any games early in the second set that she'd retire," Muhammad said.

In addition to the frequent medical delays by El Tabakh, Muhammad also had to cope with strong wind gusts on a particularly cool day.

Neither of those issues, though, distracted Muhammad.

"I think she did as well as she's ever done today," said Tim Blenkiron, Muhammad's local coach. "It was a really solid mental performance today. Heidi hits a great ball. She has a lot of power and I think maybe half of her problem was the home crowd. She wasn't dealing with the situation well and she made a lot of errors early. Asia was very solid and consistent, which is what we're looking for."

Muhammad will continue her quest to return to the singles finals for a second consecutive year against Lauren Albanese at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. Albanese defeated Frederica Piedade 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 on Wednesday.

Although Muhammad and Albanese have never faced each other, they will see plenty of one another Thursday.

A few hours after their singles match, Muhammad and Albanese will return to the court for a second-round doubles match as Muhammad and Coco Vandeweghe take on Albanese and Madison Brengle in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m.

"I was happy I got to play doubles (Tuesday)," Muhammad said. "I got used to the court and got used to the wind. I think the doubles really prepared me for my singles match."

Wednesday's complete results are as follows:

First-round singles

Shenay PERRY (USA) [2] def. Kimberly COUTS (USA), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2

Regina KULIKOVA (RUS) [3] def. Beatrice CAPRA (USA), 6-0, 7-5

Maria-Fernanda ALVAREZ-TERAN (BOL) def. Agnes SZATMARI (ROU), 1-6, 6-4, 6-2

Meng YUAN (CHN) def. Agustina LEPORE (ARG), 7-5, 6-1

Varvara LEPCHENKO (USA) [1] def. Laura SIEGEMUND (GER), 6-1, 6-1

Monique ADAMCZAK (AUS) [4] def. Ana JOVANOVIC (SRB), 6-0, 3-6, 6-1

Lauren ALBANESE (USA) def. Frederica PIEDADE (POR), 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2

Anastasia PIVOVAROVA (RUS) def. Ivana LISJAK (CRO), 6-4, 7-5

Jorgelina CRAVERO (ARG) def. Coco VANDEWEGHE (USA), 6-1, 6-3

Lilia OSTERLOH (USA) [8] def. Petra RAMPRE (SLO), 7-6(4), 6-4

Mirjana LUCIC (CRO) def. Anna TATISHVILI (GEO) [5], 6-2, 3-6, 6-3

Gabriela PAZ (VEN) def. Alison RISKE (USA), 4-6, 6-2, 6-2

Asia Muhammad (USA) def. Heidi EL TABAKH (CAN) [7], 6-0, 2-0 Ret.

First-round doubles

Marie-Eve PELLETIER (CAN) / Mashona WASHINGTON def. Beatrice CAPRA (USA) / Nicole MELICHAR (USA), 6-2, 6-2

Kimberly COUTS (USA) / Lindsay LEE-WATERS (USA) def. Nicole ROTTMANN (AUT) / Amra SADIKOVIC (SUI), 6-2, 6-3

Christina FUSANO (USA) / Shikha UBEROI (IND) def. Carla BELTRAMI (ARG) / Karen Emilia CASTIBLANCO DUARTE (COL), 6-2, 6-4

Steve Silver can be reached at 948-7822 or [email protected].