Sept. 28, 2011
University Park, Pa. - Junior Petra Januskova (Ottawa, Canada) is set to play in the All-American Prequalifiers in Los Angeles, Calif. beginning Sat., Oct. 1. This marks the second consecutive year Januskova will represent the Nittany Lions in the tournament.
Januskova will be part of the 64-player prequalifying round hosted by UCLA. During the prequalifying stage, she will have several ways to advance into the qualifying round. A player can win three rounds of prequalifying play, earn one of 28 at-large selections or be in the top three in their respective region.
If Januskova makes it through the prequalifying round she enters the 64-player qualifying round at the Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., Oct. 4-5. Just like the prequalifying round, she will have various opportunities to advance into the tournament's main draw. A player can win three rounds of qualifying play, earn one of 19 at-large bids, be in the top three in their region or be an ITA National Summer Championship Finalist.
The main draw of the All-American Championships is slated for Oct. 6-9, also at the Riviera Tennis Club. The tournament consists of 32 of the top singles players from around the country.
Last year in the All-American Championships, Januskova began competition in the qualifying stage. In the first round of 64, Januskova defeated Olivia Colman of San Diego State University, 6-2, 6-0. In the second round of 32, she was bested by Iowa's Sonja Molnar 6-3, 6-1, who was ranked No. 37 in the ITA Preseason Rankings.
Januskova is coming off a superb finish at the Cissie Leary Invitational in Philadelphia, Pa. The junior won five straight matches to capture the singles tournament crown. On her way to the title, Januskova only lost one set the entire tournament. In addition, she and her partner Nina Sertic (Zagrab, Croatia) placed second in the doubles portion of the tournament, with a record of 3-1. Overall, in her first weekend of fall play, Januskova claimed an 8-1 record, a singles tournament crown, and a doubles tournament runner-up finish.
For those who want updates on Januskova's play in the All-American Championships they can check www.ITAtennis.com or follow PreQualies2010 on Twitter for a live feed.
The entire Nittany Lion team resumes play at the Rice Invitational in Houston, Oct. 7-9.