All-American Semifinal Field Set at Dow Tennis Classic in Midland
MIDLAND, Mich. (Nov. 5, 2021) - By: Thomas Cluck
A thrilling weekend is set at the Dow Tennis Classic as an all-American Final Four lineup brings the semifinals to stage in Midland. A duo of former champions here in Michigan lead the contingent as 2018 winner and tournament top seed Madison Brengle and 2019 champion Caty McNally have separated themselves from the rest of the pack this week indoors at the Greater Midland Tennis Center.
It was McNally, the 19-year-old Cincinnati native and recent US Open doubles finalist alongside partner Coco Gauff, that scored the big win of Friday, ousting the second seed Misaki Doi of Japan, a veteran lefty and always a tough out, receiving a retirement at 6-4, 4-2 up to advance.
“I think it was great, I was really going after my shots today in the big moments, it kinda gave me the chills some of the shots I was hitting, I was like ‘wow Caty, that’s pretty good!’,” said McNally after the match.
“I’m really happy with the way I played, she’s a really good player, she’s been out here for a long time and she knows what it takes, she has a lot of experience so I just tried to take it one point at a time and I’m so happy with the way I played,” assessed the Ohio native.
It’s been a brilliant week for McNally so far in only her second tournament since her run to the US Open doubles final in New York City following a minor injury this fall. So far, so good as the teenager is yet to drop a set as she explained her confidence here.
“I don’t really think about that honestly. I just try to go out there and play my game and try to enjoy myself and I've sort of been doing that so far. I love coming to Midland and playing here so that’s a huge factor,” McNally commented post-match.
When asked about what makes her so at home in Midland, the Midwesterner cited her comfort playing so close to home and you can see that comfort in the way she’s playing.
“It’s been awesome, I’m so close to being at home and the Midland crowd makes me feel like I’m at home. The housing people we’ve been with are amazing and I always look forward to coming back here because of the community and the people coming out to support us,” she added.
McNally’s next opponent will be fellow American and former UCLA Bruin Robin Anderson who scored an impressive victory over the 17-year-old Katrina Scott in the nightcap on Stadium court, winning 6-2, 6-2 to book her spot in the last four.
The American success on day five continued as quite possibly the performance of the week so far went to the number one seed Brengle, not putting a foot wrong in a flawless performance against seven seed Lizette Cabrera of Australia to achieve the rare 6-0, 6-0 victory in a stunning 46 minutes of time on court.
The Delaware native will get one of her countrywomen up next in the feisty “Little Giant” Danielle Lao, a former USC Trojan star, who battled her way past former Ohio State Buckeye and American compatriot Francesca Di Lorenzo 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 first on this morning to get a date with the top seed tomorrow.
The first trophy of this tournament will be awarded tomorrow as a WTA 125 title will be on the line Saturday with the doubles final set. The second-seeded team of American Asia Muhammad and Great Britian’s Harriet Dart will face off against the three seeds Peangtarn Plipuech of Thailand and Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia with both teams working towards a memorable milestone in their careers with a win in Midland on the line, making for a thrilling day six to come.