LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Tom Fawcett compiled three wins in the qualifying draw, including a win over No. 498 Raymond Sarmiento, to represent the Cardinal in the USTA Futures of Los Angeles main draw, where he advanced to the second round after a straight sets win in the first round.
Fawcett entered the qualifying draw seeded 12th, where he defeated Riley Smith and Jacob Brumm in straight sets in the first and second rounds, before taking on the No. 2 seed, Raymond Sarmiento. Sarmiento entered the tournament ranked No. 498 in the world, with Fawcett collecting a dominant 6-3, 6-0 win to advance to the singles main draw.
In the singles main draw first round, Fawcett faced Nicolas Hu, whom he dispatched in straight sets 6-2, 6-4. Up next was the No. 1 seed, Tennys Sandgren, which saw Fawcett rally hard, but ultimately fall 6-3, 6-4.
Teammate Michael Genender also competed in the qualifying draw where he defeated Alan Chang 6-0, 6-0 and ninth-seeded Boris Bakalov 6-0, 6-2 before falling to Nicholas Hu in the finals 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.
Next up, the Cardinal will compete in the USTA Pro Futures in Long Beach January 11-15.