Sanchez Enjoys Strong Start to 2012

Maria Sanchez shot out of the blocks quickly in 2012, winning her first five matches in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals of the $25,000 Rancho Santa Fe ITF/USTA Pro Circuit event.  Sanchez cruised through the qualifying before taking out No. 4 seed Chichi Scholl 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of the main draw on her way to the final eight.   Defying the bitter USC-UCLA rivalry, Sanchez (a former Trojan) teamed with Yasmin Schnack (a former Bruin) to capture the doubles final by virtue of a thrilling 10-8 deciding tiebreaker. "It feels good to get some wins under my belt to begin the year.  I had a productive offseason and I'm feeling confident and excited about what lies ahead," Sanchez said. Sanchez next moves on to the neighboring $25,000 event in Rancho Mirage.