Suarez Advances to Next Round of Qualifiers

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. – In her first tournament of the fall, sophomore Deborah Suarez cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Sarah Baron in the singles qualifying round of the $10,000 Amelia Island Tournament.

“Deborah was able to keep up the patterns from start to end,” assistant coach Laura Vallverdu said. “Consequently, she was able to break her opponent down and complete the match on her terms. I was very happy to see that she stayed calm and in control.”

Suarez had little trouble with Baron, a 5-8 right-hander from Orlando, Fla. Suarez managed to let just two games each set slip away en route to the win.

“Deborah was able to dictate play with her forehand, and she stayed very disciplined with her plan of play,” Vallverdu added. “I would like her to focus a little more on closing games and the match with more determination when the opportunities present themselves.”

Next, Suarez will face Madeline Meredith in the next round of singles qualifiers. Meredith edged out Ashley Canty on Sunday in a three-set match, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (5).

“Deborah needs to come out of the gates intense and energized tomorrow,” Vallverdu said. “She has an early match and needs to show up from the start with the same game pattern that helped her succeed today.”

Suarez will begin play Monday morning at 9 a.m. For updates on Suarez throughout the tournament, visit www.HurricaneSports.com.