Sarasota Open | Local players Bangoura, Cotrone fall in qualifying

Local players fall in Open qualifying

Local products Sekou Bangoura Jr. and Dominic Cotrone fell in first-round qualifying action Saturday during the first day of the $100,000 Sarasota Open men's tennis tournament at Lakewood Ranch Tennis and Athletic Center.

Bangoura, a 23-year-old University of Florida product, dropped a 6-2, 6-2 decision against Rogerio Detra Silva. Cotrone, a senior at USF who played at Bradenton Christian, fell 6-3, 6-4 against Facundo Mena.

Alex Kuznetsov, the 2013 Sarasota Open champion, lost 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 against Francis Tiafoe. Highly touted 17-year-old Stefan Kozlov also suffered a defeat, falling to Denis Matsukevich 6-2, 6-2.

Qualifying continues Sunday with the main draw set to begin Monday.

-- Herald staff report

This story was originally published April 12, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Sarasota Open | Local players Bangoura, Cotrone fall in qualifying ."