Briefs: Coco opens with win
Newport Beach resident CoCo Vandeweghe won her first-round match at tennis’ U.S. Open on Tuesday, defeating Alberta Brianti of Italy, 7-5, 6-3, in Flushing Meadows, New York.
It was the first win for Vandeweghe, 19, in the singles main draw of a Grand Slam tournament. She had lost in the first round of her previous six Grand Slam appearances.
Vandeweghe, ranked No. 112 in the world, plays No. 9-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia in Wednesday’s second round. Vandeweghe and Stosur are scheduled to be the third match on court at Louis Armstrong Stadium, where play starts at 8 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.
—From staff reports
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Billingsley, Slevcove playing for Titans
Recent Sage Hill School graduate Devyn Billingsley and Corona del Mar High graduate Kalika Slevcove are both continuing their respective tennis careers at Cal State Fullerton.
Billingsley would be the second Sage Hill program alumna to continue her career at a Division I college. The first was former Lightning standout Julia Blakeley, who now plays at George Washington University.
Billingsley was the Sage Hill Female Athlete of the Year last year for Sage Hill. Playing at No. 2 doubles with Lauren Hsu, she helped the Lightning girls reach the CIF Southern Section Division III championship match before losing to rival St. Margaret’s.
Slevcove played at No. 1 doubles for CdM with partner Morgan McVey. Put together as a team midway through the season, they had a 17-3 record as they helped CdM reach the Division I semifinals for the 12th straight year, before the Sea Kings fell to top-seeded eventual champion Campbell Hall.
Cal State Fullerton finished 7-17 last spring, advancing to the quarterfinals of the Big West Championships.
—From staff reports
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Limited spots left
A limited number of spots remain for the UCI/Scott Brooks Golf Invitational presented by Irvine BMW, which is set for Sept. 21 at Oak Creek Golf Club in Irvine.
Brooks is scheduled to attend the tournament that raises funds to support student-athlete scholarships at UCI. The event is expected to sell out.
The day’s festivities include lunch, a shotgun start at 1 p.m., on-course contests and interaction with Anteaters coaches and student-athletes.
An outdoor cocktail reception and extensive silent auction will follow the conclusion of play. One lucky winner will receive a trip to participate in the BMW Cup at the prestigious Pinehurst Golf Club in Pinehurst, N.C.
Brooks, a UCI alum, is head coach of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. He received the Red Auerbach NBA Coach of the Year Award for the 2009-10 season when he guided the Thunder to a 27-win improvement from the previous season.
He has led Oklahoma City to the NBA playoffs each of the last two seasons, including the Western Conference Final this past season.
Brooks played for UCI from 1985-87, averaging 23.8 points as a senior in 1986-87. He played 11 seasons in the NBA, including 1994 with the NBA-champion Houston Rockets. He still holds the UCI record for career free-throw percentage at .859.
“I am very happy to be associated with this event to help raise scholarship funds for the student-athletes at UCI,” Brooks said. “I am, and always will be, an Anteater, and will do anything I can to assist UCI Athletics and the university. I encourage the community to participate in this event and support the outstanding student-athletes at UCI.”
Information on the tournament can be obtained by contacting Kerry Boznanski at kboznans@uci.edu, (949) 824-5550.
— From staff reports