Oct. 4, 2009

LOS ANGELES - UNLV senior Kristina Nedeltcheva upset the top seeded player in the pre-qualifying draw Sunday at the L.A. Tennis Center as party of the annual Riviera All-American Tennis Championships.

Nedeltcheva, ranked 90th nationally, upped her season record in singles to 5-1 with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Allie Will of national power Florida. The victory earned her a spot in the qualifying draw, which will be played Tuesday and Wednesday at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades. The prestigious event's main draw will then be played Thursday through Sunday.

Also, Nedeltcheva and her new doubles partner, freshman Nives Pavlovic won their second round doubles match Sunday over Megan Fudge and Chelcie Abajian of Illinois 8-3. However, the Lady Rebel duo was eliminated later in the day, 8-2, by homestanding and sixth-seeded Pamela Montez and Nina Pantic of UCLA.

"Kristina turned in a very solid performance this weekend, capped by a great win over a top young player," said UNLV assistant coach Mark Roberts, who is traveling with the Lady Rebel contingent. "We're looking forward to seeing what she does come Tuesday because she's definitely playing well right now."