Melissa Kandinata of Cary overcame nerves but couldn't overcome a
veteran player as the 15-year-old made her debut in the world of
professional tennis on Tuesday in Raleigh.

Kandinata, who was the event's local wild-card entry, lost to USTA Pro
Circuit veteran Tetiana Luzhanska, 26, of Ukraine, 6-0, 6-2, in their
first-round match in the $50,000 RBC Bank Women's Challenger at the
North Hills Club, according to an event news release.

The Bouncing Bulldogs have done it again.

The internationally known rope-skipping team from the Triangle is
heading back to the USA Jump Rope National Championships to try to win
their seventh consecutive national championship.

Forty Bulldogs in 15 events qualified for nationals during a USA Jump
Rope Region 2 qualifying tournament against other teams from the
Carolinas on Saturday at Green Hope High School in Cary.