RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – American Ashley Weinhold rallied back in both sets to upset No. 4 seed Karolina Pliskova, 6-4, 6-4, on Saturday to advance to the final at the Childhelp Desert Classic pro tennis tournament benefitting Childhelp Merv Griffin Village in nearby Beaumont, Calif.  



 

 

The tournament is a $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit Challenger that is taking place at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage. Qualifying for the tournament took place Sunday and Monday, while main-draw matches began Tuesday, Feb. 8. Admission is free to the tournament, which is being co-chaired by Jackie Cooper and Lornie Kuhle.



 

Weinhold struggled with Pliskova’s serve and went down 4-1 in the first set, but the Texas native fought back and won five games in a row to take the set. In the second, Weinhold once again fell behind 4-0 before winning six consecutive games to clinch a spot in the final. Weinhold wasn’t necessarily happy with the way she won, but in the end was pleased to have an opportunity at the championship.

 



"I probably shouldn’t fall behind early in the sets and do that to myself anymore," Weinhold said jokingly. "After falling behind, I started to focus and took one point at a time, and I slowly just came back and found a way to win and move on to the finals."

 



Weinhold, 21, will take on Pliskova’s twin sister and No. 5 seed Kristyna, who beat American Lauren Albanese, 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (3) in a competitive match. Albanese went down a break early in the third set and broke back to force a tiebreak, but a couple unforced errors helped Kristyna advance.

 

 



Weinhold, a finalist at the $50,000 event in Troy, Ala., in October and a winner of three ITF titles, beat Kristyna last week in Rancho Sante Fe in the first round but isn’t getting ahead of herself. 



 

"Kristyna is a great player, and I know I have to be prepared because every day is different," Weinhold said. "I’m looking forward to playing in the finals."

The singles final will begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday in the main stadium.

 



In doubles, the Pliskova twins won the championship with a 6-7 (6), 6-1, 10-5 victory over Nadejda Guskova and Sandra Zaniewska.

http://www.usta.com/weinhold_kristyna_pliskova_reach_rancho_mirage_final/