De Voest clears first hurdle
2008-08-21 17:25
Johannesburg - Rik de Voest has kept South Africa's wavering hopes of mustering a representative in the singles line-up at next week's US Open alive with a 6-3 6-3 win over Italy's Alberto Brizzi in the first qualifying round at Flushing Meadows.
Earlier, South Africa's number one, Kevin Anderson, who is ranked 100th in the world and was seeded second in the qualifying event, lost 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 to Ecuador's Giovanni Lapentti, who is ranked 248th in the world by the ATP.
Despite a commendable performance against the cagey Brizzi, the resolute De Voest still faces two further qualifying games in order to make the 128-man main draw at the New York tournament - with the South African's next hurdle a match-up against France's tricky Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
- SAPA