Daily Court Report
by Walt Reese
It was a full day of action at Cary Tennis Park on Monday as the men’s main draw got underway, the final round of men’s qualifying wrapped up, and the entire women’s qualifying field hit the courts for the first time, making for a busy day of high-level tennis across the grounds.
In men’s qualifying, Columbia University’s Michael Zheng, the reigning NCAA Division I Singles Champion, delivered another clinical performance dropping just one game in a 6-1, 6-0 win over North Carolina native Will Mayew. Zheng moves into the main draw without losing a set throughout qualifying.
Strong Kirchheimer, also a North Carolina native, edged out South Korea’s Hyeon Chung, a former World No. 19 and 2017 Next Gen Finals Champion, in one of the most compelling matches of the day. Kirchheimer held his nerve in a tight third-set tiebreak to earn a 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(4) victory and a spot in the main draw.
Monday also marked the start of main draw play for the men with several college standouts in action. Wake Forest alum Stefan Dostanic, who earned a U.S. Open singles wild card by winning the 2024–25 American Collegiate Wild Card Playoff, battled hard against Georgia Tech alum Andres Martin. Martin ultimately came out on top, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.
University of Kentucky alum and No. 2 seed Liam Draxl got off to a smooth start defeating Australia’s Philip Sekulic 6-2, 6-2. Top seed Tristan Schoolkate of Australia had to work harder, but advanced in three sets over 20-year-old Yi Zhou of China, 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 6-1. Cary’s own Ian Mayew made his main draw debut but came up short against China’s Yibing Wu, 6-3, 6-3. In the final match of the day, Cary native and No. 8 seed Patrick Kypson made his tournament debut on Anthony Blackman Stadium Court with a straight-set win over Japan’s Masamichi Imamura 6-3, 6-4 in front of the home crowd.
In women’s qualifying, several players with strong local ties were in action with limited success. Duke’s Liv Hovde, the 2022 Girls’ Wimbledon Champion, fell to Canada’s Katherine Sebov, 6-0, 6-2. NC State alum Adriana Reami was beaten by Ayana Akli, 6-2, 6-2, while fellow Wolfpack standout Jaeda Daniel, the 2022 NCAA Doubles Champion, lost a tight three-setter to Olivia Lincer, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3. Former UNC star Sara Daavettila was edged out by Rachel Gailis in a close one, 7-6(4), 6-4. Current Tar Heel and NCAA All-American Theadora Rabman fell 6-2, 6-1 to No. 7 seed Sahaja Yamalapalli of India.
Among the broader field, 17-year-old Wakana Sonobe of Japan, the 2025 Girls’ Australian Open Champion, advanced with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Amelia Honer. American Kayla Day, a former World No. 84, looked sharp in a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Jada Robinson.
With both the men’s and women’s draws now underway, fans can expect another packed day of matches on Tuesday as play continues in Cary. For schedules, draws, and ticket info, visit https://carytennisclassic.com/.
