Brian Vahaly
At The Open With Marcia Frost...
Thursday, August 24th PM-Qualifying
The last amateur player in the qualifying singles draw did not go out without a fight. The University of Virginia's Brian Vahaly gave it his all during a tough three-setter that was overshadowed by calls he -- and the fans -- found questionable.
Vahaly, who recently won the ITA National Summer Championships, battled the No. 6 seeded Laurence Teileman while his Head Coach Dick Stockton looked on in anticipation and his Assistant Coach cheered in support.
The first set was a serving duel with few rallys. Neither player was able to break serve and, though Vahaly did have one break point which Tieleman stole back, it went to a tiebreaker. Tieleman prevailed as he came back at Vahaly slightly more often for a 7/5 lead.
The second set showed more excellent shots by both players, but Vahaly took it (6-2) in just 30 minutes. Just when it looked like the American had the match, the seed showed even stronger moves and broke serve at 3-2. He then held and took the win, 7-6(5),2-6,6-3.
I spoke briefly with Brian after the match. He seemed pleased (as he should be) with his job well-done and was ready to go back to the University of Virginia for another great season. (He finished No. 5 in the ITA Rankings for 99-00.) Though he's done with the singles for this year, I'm willing to bet that Laurece Tieleman won't be the last player at the U.S. Open to be challenged by this strong player.
