By Dustin Dow
Enquirer staff writer

MASON - Mashona Washington doesn't really care if she's playing the best tennis of her career at age 28.

"I feel like a kid out there," Washington said after her first-round win Monday in the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open.

"Like I'm a teenager or something. Everything is so new. It makes it so exciting for me."

In an unusual setting for Washington - on Center Court at the Lindner Family Tennis Center - she easily disposed of fellow American Marissa Irvin 6-2, 6-4.

"I was a little nervous going in because it was my first time playing here on stadium court," Washington said. "It was a little more of a crowd than I thought it would be. It was exciting."

At an age when most players are approaching the twilight of their careers, Washington is elated because she's achieved her highest WTA ranking at No. 78.

At Stanford in July, she reached the quarterfinals of a Tier II tournament, and two weeks ago in Montreal, she advanced to the round of 32 in a Tier I tournament.

Washington, the sister of former men's ATP player MaliVai Washington, is getting used to answering questions about her age.

She attributes her success occurring much later than she would have orchestrated to a divine plan.

"If it was when I wanted it, I probably would have had 10 Grand Slams by now, retired from tennis, married and had a couple kids," Washington said. "But things don't always work out the way you want them to.

"I'm still in my 20s, so I'm not old by any means. The heck what everybody else says."

Even with her experience, she said it's always a thrill to play the feature match of the night as she did Monday on Center Court.

"Maybe in a way, that's setting me up for future feature matches," Washington said.

"I love playing on stadium (court). I want to be center stage on center court; even if there's one person in the stands, I don't care."

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E-mail ddow@enquirer.com