Stanford Senior Wins First Round at Open

Written by: Staff on 28th August 2012

Stanford Senior Wins First Round at Open

epa03371838 Mallory Burdette of the US hits a return to Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland during their match on the first day of the 2012 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 27 August 2012. The US Open runs through Sunday 09 September 2012. EPA/PETER FOLEY |

Stanford senior Mallory Burdette of Jackson, Ga., has already made up her mind: she’s returning for her senior season. But with every win at the US Open this week – like her victory on opening day Monday – the decision will be just that much tougher to make.

“I’ve already left a lot of money on the table this summer,” said Burdette, who won the USTA Pro Circuit event in Vancouver. “But I’m definitely planning on coming back for my senior year.”

Burdette won the USTA’s wild card by finishing with the most points at three Pro Circuit events this summer.

“It’s all very surreal, honestly,” said Burdette, who beat Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky, 6-4, 6-3, in the first round. “I’m definitely happy with my performance out there today but I know there are some things that I can improve on out there.”

Burdette next faces Lucie Hradecka, who upset No. 27 seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues. The winner of that match faces Maria Sharapova in the third round.

Burdette won a round at the WTA Bank of the West event at Stanford, the Pro Circuit event in Canada, and now a round at the US Open. “If someone would have told me I would have done all that at the beginning of the summer I would have said you’re crazy,” she said. “But I’ve worked very hard and just want to take things one game at a time, one point at a time.”

Burdette grew up the youngest of four children who all played tennis. She started playing at 5 and played her first tournament at 6. She is a Psychology major.

Topics: Anabel Medina Garrigues, Mallory Burdette, Maria Sharapova, Sports, Tennis News, Timea Bacsinszky, US Open 2012