( Left: Nishioka (JPN) celebrates his victory over No. 1 seed Devilder (FRA) at the Players’ Choice Open )
Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan upset No. 1 seed Nicolas Devilder (FRA), the only remaining seed in the Players’ Choice Open, beating him 6-2, 6-3 to make it to the final round of the tournament.
Nishioka, a qualifier for this USTA Pro Circuit event, has given his all throughout the main draw of the tournament. To reach the finals, he defeated the No. 5 seed from Serbia Obradovic in the first round, wild card American Polnett in the second, fellow qualifier Graber-Anguita of Chile in the quarterfinals and now No. 1 seed Devilder – all in straight sets.
The Players’ Choice Open started with 32 singles players all hoping to win a futures title and is now down to the final two. The public is invited to watch Nishioka challenge Jason Kubler of Australia tomorrow, Sunday, Oct. 30 at 1 p.m. at Highland Park Tennis Center in downtown Birmingham, Ala.
Scores for the day:
Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) def. Nicolas Devilder (FRA), 6-2, 6-3
Jason Kubler (AUS) def. Milan Pokrajac (CAN), 6-4, 6-2
About Highland Park Tennis Center
Located at 3300 Highland Avenue S. in Birmingham, Highland Park Tennis Center is home to Alabama’s Court Elite (A.C.E.), a junior tennis development program. It was founded in 1996 by Charles “Flip” Phillips and was established primarily to train serious junior tournament players. A.C.E. has since evolved to include instruction for players of all ages and skill levels. The program is dedicated to reaching the youth of today as they will become the champions of tomorrow. To learn more about A.C.E., visit www.academytennis.com.