Wild card qualifier 2019 NCAA singles champion Estela Perez-Somarriba, of the University of Miami, defeated world’s No. 189, Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina, 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday in the RBC Challenge at Tyler Athletic & Swim Club. Shae Connell/RBC Challenge

The rain stayed away on Thursday as the tennis action returned at the third annual $80,000 RBC Pro Challenge at Tyler Athletic & Swim Club.

There were a few upsets on the chilly day with Katherine Fahey, the University of Michigan standout from Fair Haven, New Jersey, knocking off world No. 114 and third-seed Patricia Maria Tig of Romania, 6-4, 6-2.

Matches were played through Thursday with Wednesday’s play washed out.

In another upset, wild card qualifier 2019 NCAA singles champion Estela Perez-Somarriba, of the University of Miami, defeated world’s No. 189, Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina, 6-2, 6-3.

Other matches of note included wild card Coco Vandeweghe, who reached as high as No. 9 in the world before a foot injury sidelined her, claimed her match against American qualifier Sanaz Marand 7-6, 6-3.

In an exciting evening match in front of a crowd of tennis fans and Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours, wild card doubles team Liga Dekmeijere of Latvia and Maria Kononova of Russia faced off against Chieh-Yu Hsu (Taipai, Taiwan) and Marcela Zacarias (Mexico). Dekmeijere and Kononova ran away with the first set, 6-1, but Hsu-Zacarias stormed back for the second set, 6-2. The 10-point tiebreaker for the third set went to Hsu-Zacarias, 10-8, to launch them into Friday’s semifinals.

Chamber members and tennis fans enjoyed dinner and drinks courtside and inside the Cliff Drysdale-owned state-of-the-art athletic club and tennis facility.

“This tournament makes Tyler even more of a tennis destination. It gifts our city with great tennis talent and unbelievable national exposure,” Tom Mullins, President/CEO, Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce, said. “Tyler Athletic and Swim is a fantastic venue for our community and has done a great thing for our city bringing this tournament to within our city limits.”

Friday’s match play will have two rounds of singles and semifinals of doubles. Friday’s matches are free and open to the general public. Doubles will conclude with the finals match on Saturday and the singles semifinals, with play beginning at 10 a.m. On Sunday, the singles finals will be at 12:30 p.m. Tickets for Saturday and Sunday’s matches can be purchased at rbcprochallenge.com.

The tournament continues the women’s side of the USTA’s Australian Open Wild Card Challenge, which kicked off last week in Macon, Georgia.

Tyler is the second of four consecutive women’s hard-court tournaments that make up the women’s side of the Challenge, which will award an American woman a main draw wild card into the 2020 Australian Open.

The USTA and Tennis Australia have a reciprocal agreement in which wild cards into the 2020 U.S. Open and Australian Opens are exchanged. The Challenge also includes a W60 (second tier) event in Las Vegas (week of Nov. 4), as well as the WTA $125,000 series tourney in Houston (week of Nov. 11).

The women’s wild card will be awarded to the American with the highest cumulative total of WTA singles ranking points earned from their best three results during those four weeks. Only Americans who do not earn direct entry into the Australian Open are eligible.

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RBC Pro Challenge

A USTA Pro Circuit Event

Thursday, October 31

Tyler Athletic & Swim Club

Purse: $80,000

Surface: Hard-Outdoor

Thursday, Results

Singles–Round of 32

Shelby Rogers (USA) def. Deniz Khazaniuk (Israel), 6-3, 6-1

(Q) Katharine Fahey (USA) def. (3) Patricia Maria Tig (Romania), 6-4, 6-2

(Q) Marcela Zacarias (Mexico) def. (Q) Sophia Whittle (USA), 6-4, 6-4

(Q) Estela Perez-Somarriba (Spain) def. Anhelina Kalinina (Ukraine), 6-2, 6-3

(WC) Coco Vandeweghe (USA) def. (Q) Sanaz Marand (USA), 7-6 (0), 6-3

(Q) Lorraine M. Guillermo (USA) def. Jamiee Fourlis (Australia), 6-0, 7-5

(Q) Giuliana Olmos (Mexico) def. (6) Usue Maitane Arconada (USA),7-6 (6), 7-5

(8) Caroline Dolehide (USA) def. (WC) Grace Min (USA), 7-6, 4-6, 6-4

Katherine Sebov (Canada) def. (Q) Stephanie Wagner (Germany), 6-4, 7-5

(WC) Jamie Loeb (USA) def. (LL) Vladica Babic (Montenegro), 7-5, 6-2

Doubles–Round of 16

Lorraine M. Guillermo (USA)-Anna Hertel (Poland) def. Caty McNally (USA)-Whitney Osuigwe (USA), walkover

(2) Johanna Larsson (Sweden)-Mindy Minella (Luxembourg) def. (WC) Ellie Douglas (USA)-Elizabeth Mandlik (USA), 3-6, 7-5 (10-4)

Beatrice Gumulya (Indonesia)-Jessy Ropmies (Indonesia) def. (3) Sarah Beth Grey (Great Britain)-Paige Hourigan (New Zealand), 6-3, 7-6 (4)

Chieh-Yu Hsu (Taiwan)-Marcela Zacarias (Mexico) def. (4) Vladica Babic (Montenegro)-Caitlin Whoriskey (USA), 6-4, 4-6, (10-8)

Jodie Anna Burrage (Great Britain)-Jaimee Fourtis (Australia) def. Sophie Chang (USA)-Alexandra Mueller (USA), 6-2, 6-0

(1) Guiliana Olmo (Mexico)-Ellen Perez (Australia) def. Marine Partaud (France)-Gabriela Talaba (Romania), 6-1, 6-1

Doubles-Quarterfinals

Guillermo-Hertel def. (2) Larsson-Minella, 6-4, 6-2

Gumulya-Ropmies def. Alicia Barnett (Great Britain)-Stephanie Wagner (Germany), 6-1, 6-2

Olmo-Perez def. Burrage-Fourtis, 6-3, 7-6 (3)

Hsu-Zacarias def. (WC) Liga Dekmeijere (Lativa)-Maria Kononova (Russia), 1-6, 6-2, (10-8)