Gimelstob Survives Second Round Test;  Chang Scheduled to Play at 4 p.m. Thursday

By Fred Sidhu

Calabasas, Ca. – It took unseeded Justin Gimelstob two-hours and twenty-minutes to advance to the quarterfinals of the USTA Challenger of Calabasas as he defeated Italy’s Cristiano Caratti, 6-7 (10), 6-3, 6-3 at the Calabasas Tennis & Swim Center.

Gimelstob served for the first set at 5-4, but Caratti broke serve to stay in the set. In the tiebreak, which lasted 22 points, Gimelstob lost three set points as Caratti won the set in one-hour and 15 minutes.

In the second set, Gimelstob stormed back to tie the match as he hit three aces past Caratti while serving for the set at 5-3.

Gimelstob capitalized on service breaks in the third and ninth game of the third set to win the match.

When asked what was the key to his victory, Gimelstob responded, “Just hanging in there, not getting too frustrated after the first set loss. That was pretty frustrating.”

He added, “I was proud of the way I hung in there and kept playing each point. I think I wore him down a bit.”

Gimelstob will face third-seeded Noam Okun of Israel in Friday’s quarterfinals. Okun eliminated Switzerland’s George Bastl 6-4, 6-4.

In other second round action, fifth-seeded Cecil Mamiit defeated fellow American, Jack Brasington, 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-2.

Top-seeded Michael Chang will play his second round match at 4 p.m. Thursday against Alex Waske of Germany.

Admission is free through Thursday’s day session. Tickets for Thursday night’s Pro/Celebrity Exhibition are $12. Tickets Friday through Sunday are $8 - $12. Children under 18 will be admitted for $5 Friday through Sunday. For ticket information, call (818) 222-2782.

All tournament sessions through Friday begin at 11 a.m. Saturday’s semifinals and Sunday’s final, begin at noon.

The USTA Challenger of Calabasas is a $50,000 Challenger event. The tournament is part of the United States Tennis Association Professional Circuit.