Twenty-Two-Year-Old SMU Sophomore From Belgium Advances To Quarterfinals At Southern California’s Second-Biggest Pro Tennis Tournament

TEMPLETON, Calif. – October 1, 2026 – Qualifier Amelie Van Impe of Belgium won her fourth straight match without dropping a set to advance to the quarterfinals of the Central Coast Tennis Classic, a $100,000 World Tennis Tour and USTA Pro Circuit women’s tournament taking place all week at the Templeton Tennis Ranch.

After the match, Van Impe, a 22-year-old sophomore at Southern Methodist University, said playing in the recent ITA All-American women’s tournament in Cary, N.C., helped give her the confidence she needed this week. She easily got past Italy’s Francesca Pace, 6-1, 6-1, and will next face a player who has been equally as dominant this week in American No. 8 seed and past CCTC champion Madison Brengle, who beat Arianna Zucchini from Italy, 6-1, 6-2.  

“That definitely has a lot to do with it, and I’m just seeing a lot of things in my game clicking,” said Van Impe, who advanced to the quarterfinals at the All-American to receive an invite into the upcoming NCAA Individual Singles Championships. “I had some difficulty closing out my match against (defending champion) Kayla Day yesterday. I figure if I can beat these players in the top 150, then why not just go for it.”

Van Impe said she looked up to Belgian players like Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters growing up. “They were pretty big stars, and the Federation has always done a good job developing the young players who go on to the pros.”

Two American 17-year-olds who will likely skip the college route in favor of the pro tour are Julieta Pareja and Kristina Penickova. Both won straight-set matches with Pareja beating No. 2 seeded Mary Stoiana, 7-5, 7-5, and Penickova taking out the unseeded German Carolina Kuhl, 6-2, 6-3. Penickova will next face Britain’s Ella McDonald in their first career meeting. Kristina and twin sister Annika were beaten in doubles by Whitney Osuigwe and Akasha Urhobo, 6-3, 3-6, 13-11. Their USTA national coaches, Jay Gooding and Jarmere Jenkins, watched the sisters.

In the late match, No. 7-seeded Caroline Dolehide beat qualifying wild card and UCLA junior Kate Fakih, 6-1, 6-4. Other singles finals results included: top-seeded German Tatjana Maria dropping just three games beating American Lea Ma, 6-1, 6-2, and Malaika Rapolu taking out No. 5 fellow American Urhobo, 6-1, 6-3. All eight singles Round of 16 matches ended in straight sets.  

In doubles, Thea Frodin and Anita Sahdiieva had the highlight of the day beating top-seeded Dalayna Hewitt and Valeriya Strakhova, 7-5, 6-4. Amazingly, the 31-year-old Ukrainian Strakhova has won 52 career doubles titles.

The Central Coast Tennis Classic is brought to you once again by Central Coast Home Health. Central Coast Home Health and Hospice returns as a major sponsor. Serving San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties, Central Coast Home Health and Hospice provides physician-directed nursing, rehabilitation, and hospice, delivering skilled home care in the comfort of your own home.

The tournament is part of the World Tennis Tour / USTA Pro Circuit. The event is open to the public; tickets start at $15 and are available at: www.centralcoasttennisclassic.com, where you can also find news and updates on the tournament. Also check out TTR’s Facebook and Instagram pages http://www.facebook.com/ttrtennis / @TTRTennis in the coming weeks for player announcements and the latest tournament news.

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Templeton Tennis Ranch, a Mouratoglou Tennis Center, is set in the heart of the Central Coast’s wine country. One of 23 Mouratoglou Centers world-wide, Templeton Tennis Ranch offers world-class, high-performance tennis training and instruction. The state-of-the-art facility features tennis, pickleball, 25-yard, eight-lane competition lap pool, bocce, a well-appointed fitness center, Pilates studio, massage rooms, infrared saunas, and a cafe & wine bar. Conveniently located at 345 Championship Lane, off the Main Street Exit from Highway 101, in Templeton, the Ranch is open weekdays 7am to 8pm, Saturday 8 am to 8 pm and Sunday 8 am to 3 pm. For more information, call 805.434.9605 or visit www.ttrtennis.com, or www.mouratoglou.com/en/international/templeton/.