Oct. 4, 2004

LAS VEGAS - UNLV freshman standout Elena Gantcheva won again on Monday to survive pre-qualifying at the Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Classic on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles.

Gantcheva improved to 6-0 in her brief college career by dispatching 108th-ranked Anna Bentzer of UC Irvine in straight sets 6-2, 7-6 (7-1).

The Lady Rebel was one of eight to emerge from the 125-player Pre-Qualifying Draw and will now play in the Qualifying Draw, which will take place at the Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades.

Players must win three more singles matches to reach the Oct. 7-10 Main Draw of the elite event. Two rounds of singles are set for Tuesday and the third round will take place Wednesday. If a player loses in the first round of qualifying, they will play in a consolation tournament.

This year's Qualifying singles draw includes 50 players from the ITA's preseason top 100 rankings. One of those players is 57th-ranked Elizabeth Exon of Michigan, who will take on Gantcheva in Tuesday's early round.

2004 Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Classic Day ThreeRound Four
Elena Gantcheva (UNLV) def.Anne Bentzer (UC IRVINE) 6-2, 7-6 (1)