Tennis: Top-seeded Agenor upset in quarterfinals

Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA - Unseeded Wesley Whitehouse of South Africa upset

top-seeded Ronald Agenor of Haiti, 6-1, 6-2, in the quarterfinals Friday

of the $15,000 Costa Mesa Pro Classic at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center.

Agenor, a former top-20 player in the world who surpassed the $1

million mark in career prize money in 1991, began his comeback at age 33

in 1997.

Jason Cook, who received a berth in the main draw as the “lucky loser”

from the qualifier, also advanced to today’s semifinals after upsetting

fourth-seeded Jeff Williams, 6-2, 6-3, in the quarters of the United

States Tennis Association Futures event.

Fifth-seeded Daniel Willman of New Zealand, a 5-7, 7-6 (1), 3-1

(retired) winner over fellow countryman Mark Nielson, is the only seeded

player remaining in the semifinals.

In the other quarterfinal, Chad Carlson, who upset third-seeded

Matthew Breen in the second round, advanced to the semifinals with a 7-6

(8), 7-5 win over qualifier Bertrand Contzler of France.

The championship final is Sunday, with the winner pocketing $1,950 and

the runner-up $1,350. Today’s semifinal losers take home $720.

In doubles Friday, second-seeded Nielson and Anthony Ross defeated

Jeff Laski and Ramsey Smith, 7-6 (5), 6-3, in the semifinals, while

fourth-seeded Breen and Cook upset top-seeded Ashley Fisher and Kyle

Spencer, 7-6 (6), 6-4.