Henderson teen wins first professional match at US Open

By Steve Silver

Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009 | 5:43 p.m.

Aside from Andre Agassi, Las Vegas is not exactly known for producing world-renowned tennis players.

Asia Muhammad hopes to change that.

The 18-year-old Henderson native, who trained with Team Agassi while still living in the Las Vegas Valley, burst onto the professional circuit earlier this year and won her first US Open match Wednesday.

Muhammad dropped 27-year-old Argentina native Jorgelina Cravero 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 in the first round of the qualifying draw in Flushing Meadows.

"This is my favorite tournament," said Muhammad, who earned a wild card entry into the main draw last year. "Earlier this year I hadn't been playing that well, but now I'm getting my game down… I got a little tight in that second set, but I was more relaxed in the third set."

Muhammad now faces Australia's Anastasia Rodionova, the No. 30 seed, in the second round Thursday at 8 a.m. Muhammad has to win two more matches to become one of the 16 qualifiers into the main draw beginning Monday.

Muhammad already has a place in the main doubles draw with partner Christina McHale, though, after the duo won the USTA National 18s Hard court national championships two weeks ago.

"What was pleasing about today's match is that the US Open is a high pressure situation," said Muhammad's coach and former UNLV national champion Tim Blenkiron. "And she went there and played lights out. That's a very good sign, because the biggest factor in a young player's success is the mental aspect of the game. Staying relaxed and calm can be as important as a great serve."

Since turning pro, Muhammad has cracked the top-500 in world singles rankings and she has earned nearly $49,000 in career prize money.

But Muhammad's professional career was almost put on hold as she pondered a full scholarship offer from USC.

Her father, Ron Holmes, played basketball for USC in the 1980s. Muhammad's brother, Shabazz, is a sophomore at Bishop Gorman, already has basketball scholarship offers from USC and UNLV.

"It was probably the hardest decision I ever had to make," Muhammad said. "I really wanted to play for USC, but my dream was to go pro and I think this is the right time. You only have so much time to play on the tour. So now I will take classes online and I can go to college later still."

As a professional, Muhammad's rise through the tennis rankings, including a trip to the finals of the 2008 Tennis Channel Open, drew the attention of the United States Tennis Association.

After a year on tour with Blenkiron, Muhammad left Las Vegas to join the elite USTA traveling pro team. She now trains at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles.

No matter what happens in the rest of the US Open, those around Muhammad believe she is just at the beginning of a long, successful professional career.

"Athletic wise and game wise, the sky is the limit for Asia," Blenkiron said. "The mental aspect will be key. When she controls the mind and is loose out there she is as good as it gets."

Steve Silver can be reached at 948-7822 or [email protected].