Bronx's Falconi wins 3 qualifiers to make U.S. Open

Irina Falconi said her U.S. Open first-round match against 19th-seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy "is match 4 of this tournament." That's because the former Bronx resident is the only U.S. woman to make it through the qualifying by winning three matches to gain access to the main draw.

As the No. 1-ranked college player in the nation this past spring for Georgia Tech, Falconi received a wild card into the qualifying tournament and became just the 10th to take that route to the main draw. The U.S. Open actually will be her first WTA-level event since turning pro in May, but she already has won an ITF event in Atlanta and reached the semifinals of another ITF tournament in Vancouver.

"I wouldn't say there's a significant gap between college and pro tennis," Falconi said Sunday after her practice session. "The transition hasn't been difficult for me. A lot of girls can hit the ball hard. The difference is just experience."

Falconi actually was born in Ecuador, but her family moved to the Bronx when she was 3 and her father, Carlos, a former pro soccer player, took her to Inwood Park in the Morningside Heights area of Manhattan to practice. On this trip to New York, she took some friends on a nostalgic visit to her old stamping grounds Saturday night after making it into the main draw.

"I showed them where I grew up," Falconi said. "In my eyes, it was a good court. I'm always going to have a soft spot in my heart, and I hope to play on those courts again to see how it feels."

Before moving to Florida at age 14 to continue her tennis development, Falconi played with a group of guys at Inwood Park who referred to her as "the crown jewel" because they could see she was going places with her talent. "It was quite an experience," she said.