Lauren Embree Falls in U.S. Open Tennis Qualifying Second Round
Thursday, August 27, 2009 | Women's Tennis
University of Florida freshman Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) dropped a hard-fought decision in the second round of the 2009 US Open Women's Qualifying Tournament on Thursday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The match couldn't have been much closer, as the Gator rookie fell 7-6 (4), 6-7 (4), 6-4 to No. 24 seeded Shenay Perry (USA), who has been ranked as high as No. 40 in the WTA professional rankings.
Embree actually won more total points in the match, 131-to-127, but it was Perry's big serve that was the difference, as she connected on 11 aces and won 72 percent of the points after converting her first serve.
Embree was 3-of-9 on break point chances and Perry was 4-of-17, with that one break point difference coming on Embree's last serve of the two hour and 28 minute bout. The Gator freshman fell behind 3-1 in the third set, which remained on-serve until Embree was able to break Perry in the eighth game to even the frame at 4-all. Perry, however, broke right back and served out for the win.
In the opening set, Embree held a 3-1 lead with the serve until Perry broke in a long fifth game and the rest of the initial frame was on-serve entering the tiebreak, where Perry won the first four points en route to the early lead.
The Gator refused to fold and held her own in the second set where the two traded breaks in the fifth and sixth games and neither relinquished her serve resulting in a second tiebreak. Embree jumped out first with a mini-break and a few points later with the points again even at 4-all, she won the final three points to force a deciding third.
Embree earned a wildcard into the 2009 French Open where she made her Grand Slam debut and was aiming to compete in the main draw of the US Open for the first time in her young career.
Embree is one of five newcomers on the Gators' 2009-10 roster, joining freshmen Allie Will (Boca Raton, Fla.), Caroline Hitimana (Waterloo, Belgium) and Brittany Borsanyi (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), as well as sophomore transfer Claire Bartlett (Chattanooga, Tenn.).
The website tennisrecruiting.net ranked Florida's incoming class No. 1 in the country.
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