CiCi Bellis, the youngest player in the Women’s Tennis Association’s top 50, has committed to defend her title in the Hawaii Open in November, the tournament announced in a release on Tuesday.
Bellis, 18, claimed the inaugural Hawaii Open title last year with a win over Shuai Zhang, who has also committed to return to the WTA 125K series tournament set for Nov. 19-26 at Patsy T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park.
Zhang, 28, is 28th in the latest WTA rankings. Bellis is 42nd.
Vera Zvonareva, who peaked at No. 2 in the world in 2010 when she advanced to the finals of Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, has also accepted a wild card in a comeback from a shoulder injury in 2013 and becoming a mother last year.
Among other early commitments are Sara Errani of Italy, who reached No. 1 in doubles (2012) and No. 5 in singles (2013), American Christina McHale and Japan’s Misaki Doi and Risa Ozaki.
The tournament will feature a 32-player main draw and an eight-player qualifying draw. The doubles draw doubled in size this year to 16 teams.
Reserved individual session ticket sales begin Friday with prices starting at $20. Unreserved bleacher seating will go on sale in November. Tickets can be purchased at hawaiitennisopen.com.
Moore advances at Swatch Pro
Three-time World Surf League women’s champion Carissa Moore dominated in Rounds 2 and 3 of the Swatch Pro on Tuesday in San Clemente, Calif.
Moore posted a 15.56 to beat fellow local surfer Malia Manuel (13.70) in 3- to 4-foot waves at Lower Trestles. The Honolulu native kept the momentum into Round 3 and earned a score of 17.43 to defeat Lakey Peterson (15.83) and Tyler Wright (14.60).
Peterson eliminated Coco Ho in Round 2 with a score of 16.60 to 12.13. Kauai’s Tatiana Weston-Webb also fell in the second round to France’s Pauline Ado (12.63-12.43). The remaining two heats of Round 3 will continue today, surf permitting.
On the men’s side, Honolulu’s Ezekiel Lau posted the highest score of the day in the Hurley Pro. Lau scored a 16.83 in his Round 2 heat to eliminate Brazil’s Ian Gouveia (10.50). He will face Portugal’s Frederico Morais in the fourth heat of Round 3 today, surf permitting.
Sebastian Zietz will take on Brazil’s Italo Ferreira in Heat 2, while John John Florence faces Japan’s Hiroto Ohhara in Heat 7.
Schremmer upsets 7-time champion
Honolulu’s Patricia Schremmer defeated seven-time USGA champion Ellen Port, 6 and 5, on Tuesday to earn a spot in the Senior Women’s Amateur quarterfinals in Portland, Ore. Schremmer beat Port in the Round of 16, and edged Corey Weworski, 2 and 1, in the Round of 32 earlier in the day at Waverley Country Club.
A reinstated amateur as of 2014, Schremmer played on the LPGA Tour in 1997 and was the leading money winner on the Futures Tour in 1996. This marks her third year competing in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur. Schremmer previously qualified for the round of 64 in 2015 and 2016.
She will face Canada’s Jackie Little at 5:30 a.m. Hawaii time.
Miss Behavin ahead of the field at HIBT
The Surfside Marina Team Miss Behavin recorded 700 points to take the lead in Day 2 of the 58th annual Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament on Tuesday off Kailua-Kona.
Miss Behavin team captain David Finkelstein reeled in a 250-pound Pacific blue marlin and angler Steve Weitzen tagged and released a second marlin estimated at 150 pounds. A total of eight marlin were tagged and released on Day 2.
