Cook and Joelson Successful On USTA Pro Circuit
Feb 24, 2009 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 24, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Former Texas A&M men's tennis players Lester Cook (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) and Brett Joelson (Beaverton, Ore.) turned in successful weekends on the USTA Pro Circuit.
Cook, who played for the Aggies from 2002-04, and fellow American Shane La Porte recently won the doubles title as the No. 2 seed in a pro tennis tournament held in Brownsville, Texas. They are currently ranked No. 741 in the world and defeated Armenian Tigran Martirosyan and American Jesse Witten, 6-1, 7-5, in the finals.
Cook also picked up three-straight victories in the qualifier to earn a No. 3 seed in the singles main draw in Brownsville. He reached the semifinals after beating No. 631-ranked Daniel Lustig of the Czech Republic in three sets, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1. Cook, ranked No. 353 in the world, later fell to top-seeded and No. 259-ranked American Michael Russell for a spot in the finals.
Joelson, who played for the Aggies from 2004-07, defeated two seeded players in the qualifying draw of singles at the Harlingen Country Club Futures tournament in Harlingen, Texas. He topped eighth-seeded Adil Shamasdin of Canada in a 6-1, 6-4 straight-set victory. Joelson was one of eight main draw qualifiers including American Jarmere Jenkins, Treat Huey of the Phillippines, American Sheeva Parbhu, American Ryan Lipman, Vasek Pospisil of Canada, Lustig and Artur Chernov or Russia.
