July 20, 2009
LEXINGTON, Ky. –
Megan Broderick, a junior on the University of Kentucky women’s tennis team, fought her way through the first two qualifying rounds of the $100,000 Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships. The Tampa, Fla., native upended No. 3 seed Julia Cohen Monday afternoon to come within one match of entering the main draw.
Broderick was the underdog in Monday’s match having finished the 2008-09 season at No. 106 while Cohen sat at the top of the rankings at No. 5. Cohen also plays the No. 1 position for the University of Miami Hurricanes, is ranked No. 376 in the world and was a semifinalist in the NCAA singles tournament this year.
“I would say I was a little bit surprised by the win today,” Broderick said. “But I’ve been working really hard so I tell myself that I’m working as hard as these girls out here so when I get a win like this I feel like I really deserve it.”
There were five game points before anyone could capture the first game of the match. Cohen went on to take the first set, 6-0, despite Broderick’s valiant efforts. The Wildcat wouldn’t stay quiet as she came out firing in the second set. Cohen and Broderick tied the second set at three-all. Broderick held her serve to go up 4-3 and went on to win the next two games. She split the match with a 6-3 second set win.
“Not looking at the score and keeping the same mentality throughout really helped me keep going,” Broderick said. “I knew it was the few points at the end of the games that I wasn’t winning so I just kept focusing on individual games. I think being able to stay in the present like that was the big factor that kept me in the match.”
Broderick again took charge in the third and final set winning the first game. Cohen brought the match to two-all but those would be the last games she won. Broderick won the next four games and used just two game points to secure the win, 6-2.
“I think the difference in my game this summer is the aggressiveness in my play,” Broderick said. “I kind of disappeared this past season but I’ve been playing a lot this summer and just trying to get my aggressive game back and I think it really came through today.”
During the first round of the qualifier Broderick defeated Alexandra Riley 6-4, 6-4. Broderick had to fight back in the second set from a 4-0 deficit, but avoided a third set by successfully playing six straight games.
“I’d rank these wins pretty high, they are both very respectable players but it is just going to get harder from here so I can’t dwell on that,” said Broderick. “I don’t know the girl I play tomorrow, I’ve just seen her results but I’m just going to go in there and try and keep the same mindset I did today and see what happens.”
Broderick is set to play Nicole Bartnik at 10 a.m. ET on court six tomorrow at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center. The winner of the match will advance to the main draw. Regardless of the results of the singles match, Broderick will be playing Tuesday afternoon in a doubles match with teammate Caroline Lilley. The UK duo will take on Yi Chen and Mashona Washington on the stadium courts later in the day.
Lilley also played singles in the tournament but fell in the first round to Tori Kinard, 6-2, 6-2.
