Florida Teen Osuigwe Keeps Climbing WTA Rankings with USTA Pro Circuit $80K Charlottesville Win

In Sunday’s all-American final at the $80,000 Boar’s Head Resort Women’s Open, an ITF World Tour/USTA Pro Circuit event, Florida’s Whitney Osuigwe won her second career title, defeating veteran Madison Brengle 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 in Charlottesville, Va.

“These are probably some of the best green clay courts I’ve ever played on,” Osuigwe, the former world No. 1-ranked junior, told The Daily Progress afterwards. “I think my forehand is definitely what won this match today, along with my first-serve percentage.”

The Bradenton native Osuigwe was coming off another three-setter in her semifinal where the No. 8 seed came from behind to beat Poland’s Katarzyna Kawa 3-6, 7-5, 7-6. The 29-year-old Brengle in her semi was also a three-set winner, defeating 18-year-old Kaja Juvan of Slovenia.

Osuigwe improved to 2-1 in career ITF World Tour/USTA Pro Circuit finals, while the veteran Brengle, who in 2005 reached the WTA tour Hobart, Australia final, then reached the fourth round at the Australian Open, fell to 13-9 career in pro circuit finals. Last year she was 3-1 in pro circuit finals and had won her last two in Landisville, Penn., and in Stockton, Calif.

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Top-seeded Americans Asia Muhammad and Taylor Townsend won the doubles title, coming back from a set and a break down to beat No. 4 seeds Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic and Kawa 4-6, 7-5, 10-3.

The singles win vaulted Osuigwe, who entered Charlottesville at No. 189 on the WTA rankings, into the lead of the 2019 USTA Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge, where the player with the highest points tally in USTA Pro Circuit events between April 15-May 13 will be awarded a singles main draw wild card into the 2019 French Open.

Game, set and match, Osuigwe 💪

Relive championship point from the #USTAProCircuit $80K event in Charlottesville, VA on Sunday… ☺@whitney_osuigwe | #USTennis pic.twitter.com/Ymn2Kv0ZbT

— USTA (@usta) April 29, 2019

It would be the first appearance at Roland Garros for Osuigwe, who last year made her US Open main draw singles debut, and this year her Australian Open debut.

The USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova, John Isner, Sloane Stephens, Kei Nishikori, Victoria Azarenka, and Sam Querrey are among today’s top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.

For more info go to www.procircuit.usta.com, or www.usta.com/news.