Hometown native, Hayley Carter, put up a strong performance last week in the Head/First Federal Women’s $10,000 USTA Pro Circuit Tournament held in Hilton Head, SC. Carter, a University of North Carolina commit, persevered to both the Singles and Doubles Finals at the Van Der Meer Tennis Center before coming up short.

 

After entering the tournament as a wild card, Carter made an immediate impact by defeating fifth-seeded Elisabeth Fournier (Canada) 6-1, 6-2. She then went on to win three more matches before advancing to the finals, which included knocking off eighth-seeded Hiroko Kuwata (Japan) 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals. In the final round, Carter’s opponent, Yana Koroleva (Russia), proved to be too much for her. Koroleva took the championship in a close match 7-5, 6-4.

 

Carter had another great run to the Doubles Final with fellow American partner, Josie Kuhlman, despite coming in by way of wild card again. The duo fell to first-seeded Kristy Frilling (U.S.) and Alexandra Mueller (U.S.) in the championship match 6-3, 6-4.

 

The Head/First Federal Women’s $10,000 USTA Pro Circuit Tournament is the United States’ largest and second longest running Pro Circuit event. Notable players, such as Maria Sharapova and Lindsey Davenport, began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.