My recap of the memorable Kalamazoo 18s final Sunday is now available at the Tennis Recruiting Network. I've seen many tense and dramatic matches in junior tennis over the years, but given the circumstances--the big crowd, the players' friendship, the physical and emotional twists and turns in the match, and the US Open main draw wild card on the line--none have risen to that level.
I still have videos to process from the finals, in addition to the ones I posted on Sunday, and I've captured a couple of amazing points, so check back for those tomorrow. Videos of the 16s are also forthcoming.
This album can be viewed on mobile devices here.
Tampilkan postingan dengan label Tournament Synopsis. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label Tournament Synopsis. Tampilkan semua postingan
Jumat, 14 Agustus 2015
Kamis, 13 Agustus 2015
My Kalamazoo 16s Recap; Three Kalamazoo Quarterfinalists Reach Futures Final Eight, Finalists Receive Cincinnati Qualifying Wild Cards; NCAA Approves No-Ad for Division I 2016 Championships;
Championship week is in full swing at the Tennis Recruiting Network, and my recap of Patrick Kypson's remarkable 16s title in Kalamazoo is available today. My wrap-up of the memorable 18s tournament will come out Friday afternoon.
Three of the Kalamazoo 18s quarterfinalists have reached the same stage at this week's $15,000 Futures tournament in Champaign, Illinois. Wild card Reilly Opelka defeated Aleksandar Vukic of Australia, a rising sophomore for the University of Illinois, 6-3, 7-6(6) in today's second round. Tommy Paul, the No. 6 seed, defeated Evan King(Michigan) 6-4, 6-1 and Alex Rybakov, who Paul beat in the Kalamazoo quarterfinals a week ago, upset No. 2 seed and former Virginia star Sanam Singh of India 6-3, 7-5.
Opelka's quarterfinal opponent is lucky loser Justin Shane(Virginia), while Paul faces No. 4 seed Kevin King(Georgia Tech) and Rybakov takes on unseeded Richard Gabb of Great Britain.
No. 4 seeds Evan and Kevin King (no relation) will play brothers Justin and Ryan Shane in the doubles final on Friday.
Vicky Duval won her second match at the Landisville $25,000 Pro Circuit tournament, but then withdrew with an injury from doubles, so her status going forward is uncertain. Qualifiers Robin Anderson, the ITA Player of the Year, and 17-year-old Nicole Frenkel have advanced to the quarterfinals, where they'll play fellow Americans Alexandra Mueller and No. 2 seed Shelby Rogers.
In Aptos, the two Americans into the quarterfinals at the $100,000 Challenger are No. 4 seed Bjorn Fratangelo and No. 7 seed Austin Krajicek, who are the only two players still in the running for the US Open wild card given in the USTA Challenge. Krajicek would have to win the tournament to pass Fratangelo.
The Cincinnati ATP Masters and WTA Premier event has announced its wild cards, with Kalamazoo 18s champion Frances Tiafoe and Kalamazoo 18s finalist Stefan Kozlov receiving qualifying wild cards. Main draw men's wild cards were given to Mardy Fish, Fratangelo, Jared Donaldson and Rajeev Ram. Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, CoCo Vandeweghe and Allison Riske received the women's wild cards.
In addition to Tiafoe and Kozlov, Ryan Harrison, Vicky Duval, Taylor Townsend, Sachia Vickery, Alexa Glatch, Louisa Chirico and Nicole Gibbs received qualifying wild cards. One more men's qualifying wild card is to be announced.
The full announcement is here.
The NCAA announced today that the format used in the ITA National Team Indoor Tournaments in February will be adopted for the 2016 NCAA Championships in Tulsa. This is a six-game no-ad set for three doubles matches, and best-of-three tiebreak sets with no-ad scoring for six singles match singles. The individual championships will also be played best of three with no-ad scoring, and in lieu of a third set in doubles, a match tiebreaker will be played as is done on the ATP and WTA tours.
As I detailed several times in the past year, I will not be providing any on-site coverage of these events due to my dislike of the no-ad tennis format, but I will continue to follow tournament results from home and write about the college game and players.
The men's and women's Division III NCAA championships are in Kalamazoo in 2016, so I will be providing on-site coverage of that event.
Three of the Kalamazoo 18s quarterfinalists have reached the same stage at this week's $15,000 Futures tournament in Champaign, Illinois. Wild card Reilly Opelka defeated Aleksandar Vukic of Australia, a rising sophomore for the University of Illinois, 6-3, 7-6(6) in today's second round. Tommy Paul, the No. 6 seed, defeated Evan King(Michigan) 6-4, 6-1 and Alex Rybakov, who Paul beat in the Kalamazoo quarterfinals a week ago, upset No. 2 seed and former Virginia star Sanam Singh of India 6-3, 7-5.
Opelka's quarterfinal opponent is lucky loser Justin Shane(Virginia), while Paul faces No. 4 seed Kevin King(Georgia Tech) and Rybakov takes on unseeded Richard Gabb of Great Britain.
No. 4 seeds Evan and Kevin King (no relation) will play brothers Justin and Ryan Shane in the doubles final on Friday.
Vicky Duval won her second match at the Landisville $25,000 Pro Circuit tournament, but then withdrew with an injury from doubles, so her status going forward is uncertain. Qualifiers Robin Anderson, the ITA Player of the Year, and 17-year-old Nicole Frenkel have advanced to the quarterfinals, where they'll play fellow Americans Alexandra Mueller and No. 2 seed Shelby Rogers.
In Aptos, the two Americans into the quarterfinals at the $100,000 Challenger are No. 4 seed Bjorn Fratangelo and No. 7 seed Austin Krajicek, who are the only two players still in the running for the US Open wild card given in the USTA Challenge. Krajicek would have to win the tournament to pass Fratangelo.
The Cincinnati ATP Masters and WTA Premier event has announced its wild cards, with Kalamazoo 18s champion Frances Tiafoe and Kalamazoo 18s finalist Stefan Kozlov receiving qualifying wild cards. Main draw men's wild cards were given to Mardy Fish, Fratangelo, Jared Donaldson and Rajeev Ram. Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, CoCo Vandeweghe and Allison Riske received the women's wild cards.
In addition to Tiafoe and Kozlov, Ryan Harrison, Vicky Duval, Taylor Townsend, Sachia Vickery, Alexa Glatch, Louisa Chirico and Nicole Gibbs received qualifying wild cards. One more men's qualifying wild card is to be announced.
The full announcement is here.
The NCAA announced today that the format used in the ITA National Team Indoor Tournaments in February will be adopted for the 2016 NCAA Championships in Tulsa. This is a six-game no-ad set for three doubles matches, and best-of-three tiebreak sets with no-ad scoring for six singles match singles. The individual championships will also be played best of three with no-ad scoring, and in lieu of a third set in doubles, a match tiebreaker will be played as is done on the ATP and WTA tours.
As I detailed several times in the past year, I will not be providing any on-site coverage of these events due to my dislike of the no-ad tennis format, but I will continue to follow tournament results from home and write about the college game and players.
The men's and women's Division III NCAA championships are in Kalamazoo in 2016, so I will be providing on-site coverage of that event.
Selasa, 21 Juli 2015
Tiafoe, Rubin Win Opening Round Matches at Binghamton Challenger; Auger Aliassime, 14, Reaches Second Round at Granby $100K; Sarkissian Posts First ATP Victory
It was a busy day in the Americas, with noteworthy wins from Canada to Colombia.
Frances Tiafoe, who has struggled a bit since his Challenger run this spring, picked up his first main draw win since May in the opening round of the $50,000 Challenger in Binghamton, New York. He defeated Gregoire Barrere of France 6-4, 7-6(1) today to set up a second round match against No. 2 seed Bjorn Fratangelo, who he beat back in April during the run that secured the USTA's French Open wild card.
Wild card Noah Rubin picked up his second Challenger level win, defeating Omar Jasika of Australia 6-3, 6-3 in a battle between two recent junior slam champions. Rubin will play top seed Kyle Edmund of Great Britain in the second round Thursday. Edmund beat Ernesto Escobedo 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1.
Wimbledon champion Reilly Opelka lost his Challenger debut to qualifier Sekou Bangoura 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 after leading 4-2 in the final set. Bangoura held and broke to pull even in the third set, and then a huge wind gust tore the wind screen from the fence, which basically made the court unplayable. After the storm passed, the players returned to the court and Bangoura held (from deuce), then broke Opelka for the win.
No. 5 seed Jared Donaldson had just completed his 6-3, 6-2 win over Takuto Niki of Japan when play was suspended. Due to the delay, Tommy Paul's match with Gonzalo Escobar of Ecuador was postponed until Wednesday.
At the $15,000 Futures in Godfrey, Illinois, the top two seeds are out. Clay Thompson advanced over top seed Deiton Baughman 3-6, 7-5, 3-0 retired, and Fred Saba, the former Duke star, beat No. 2 seed Kaichi Uchida of Japan 6-4, 6-1. Nick Chappell, the recent TCU standout, defeated No. 4 seed Harry Bourchier of Australia 7-5, 6-3.
The top two seeds in the women's $10,000 tournament in Evansville, Indiana--Bianca Botto of Peru and Naomi Totka of Hungary--will begin play on Wednesday. A host of US college and junior players are in the draw, with wild card Sara Daavettila collecting her first professional level main draw victory. No. 7 seed Alexa Graham, Daavettila's future teammate at North Carolina, defeated Francesca Di Lorenzo 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-4.
Qualifying for the women's $50,000 Sacramento Challenger was completed today, with Michaela Gordon moving into the main draw with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Jacqueline Cako. Nicole Frenkel defeated Kelly Chen in the final round of qualifying, but both reached the main draw, with Chen taking a lucky loser spot. Gordon will play wild card Brooke Austin and Chen will meet wild card Jamie Loeb, with Frenkel drawing No. 6 seed Mayo Hibi of Japan. In first round action today, No. 3 seed CiCi Bellis, No. 8 seed Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine and No. 2 seed Eri Hozumi of Japan advanced to the second round with straight-set wins.
In Granby, Canada, at the $100,000 men's Challenger, Felix Auger-Aliassime recorded his first Challenger victory, beating fellow qualifier Andrew Whittington of Australia 6-3, 6-2. Auger-Aliassime, who turns 15 next month, made a big splash in March when he qualified for the Drummondville Challenger, but an injury forced him to withdraw before he could play his first round match. In Granby qualifying, he beat fellow Canadian teen Jack Lin and Jean-Yves Aubone to advance to the main draw. Auger-Aliassime's ITF junior ranking is not high enough to get him into the junior slams, and, although he has had good results this summer in ITF events on European clay, he has yet to win an ITF tournament above a Grade 3. He will play No. 8 seed Darian King of Barbados in the second round, after King defeated qualifier Raymond Sarmiento 6-2, 6-3.
Young Canadians Katherine Sebov and Charlotte Robillard-Millette are playing the women's $50,000 tournament in Granby, with Sebov qualifying for the main draw and Robillard-Millette getting a first round win. Qualifier Ellie Halbauer advanced to the second round with a 6-3, 6-1 win over wild card Erin Routliffe of Canada, a two-time NCAA doubles champion at Alabama.
At the ATP 250 in Bogota, Colombia, 2014 NCAA finalist Alex Sarkissian won his first ATP-level match tonight, defeating ATP No. 97 John Millman of Australia 6-3, 6-3. The former Pepperdine star will play No. 7 seed Malek Jaziri of Tunisia in the second round.
The Tennis Recruiting Network has begun its Clay Courts Championship Week coverage with recaps of the 12s tournaments. The article on Saud Alhogbani's title is here, and Elvina Kalieva's championship is here.
The USTA's New Balance High School Championships began on Monday in Boston, and the draws can be found here.
Frances Tiafoe, who has struggled a bit since his Challenger run this spring, picked up his first main draw win since May in the opening round of the $50,000 Challenger in Binghamton, New York. He defeated Gregoire Barrere of France 6-4, 7-6(1) today to set up a second round match against No. 2 seed Bjorn Fratangelo, who he beat back in April during the run that secured the USTA's French Open wild card.
Wild card Noah Rubin picked up his second Challenger level win, defeating Omar Jasika of Australia 6-3, 6-3 in a battle between two recent junior slam champions. Rubin will play top seed Kyle Edmund of Great Britain in the second round Thursday. Edmund beat Ernesto Escobedo 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1.
Wimbledon champion Reilly Opelka lost his Challenger debut to qualifier Sekou Bangoura 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 after leading 4-2 in the final set. Bangoura held and broke to pull even in the third set, and then a huge wind gust tore the wind screen from the fence, which basically made the court unplayable. After the storm passed, the players returned to the court and Bangoura held (from deuce), then broke Opelka for the win.
No. 5 seed Jared Donaldson had just completed his 6-3, 6-2 win over Takuto Niki of Japan when play was suspended. Due to the delay, Tommy Paul's match with Gonzalo Escobar of Ecuador was postponed until Wednesday.
At the $15,000 Futures in Godfrey, Illinois, the top two seeds are out. Clay Thompson advanced over top seed Deiton Baughman 3-6, 7-5, 3-0 retired, and Fred Saba, the former Duke star, beat No. 2 seed Kaichi Uchida of Japan 6-4, 6-1. Nick Chappell, the recent TCU standout, defeated No. 4 seed Harry Bourchier of Australia 7-5, 6-3.
The top two seeds in the women's $10,000 tournament in Evansville, Indiana--Bianca Botto of Peru and Naomi Totka of Hungary--will begin play on Wednesday. A host of US college and junior players are in the draw, with wild card Sara Daavettila collecting her first professional level main draw victory. No. 7 seed Alexa Graham, Daavettila's future teammate at North Carolina, defeated Francesca Di Lorenzo 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-4.
Qualifying for the women's $50,000 Sacramento Challenger was completed today, with Michaela Gordon moving into the main draw with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Jacqueline Cako. Nicole Frenkel defeated Kelly Chen in the final round of qualifying, but both reached the main draw, with Chen taking a lucky loser spot. Gordon will play wild card Brooke Austin and Chen will meet wild card Jamie Loeb, with Frenkel drawing No. 6 seed Mayo Hibi of Japan. In first round action today, No. 3 seed CiCi Bellis, No. 8 seed Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine and No. 2 seed Eri Hozumi of Japan advanced to the second round with straight-set wins.
In Granby, Canada, at the $100,000 men's Challenger, Felix Auger-Aliassime recorded his first Challenger victory, beating fellow qualifier Andrew Whittington of Australia 6-3, 6-2. Auger-Aliassime, who turns 15 next month, made a big splash in March when he qualified for the Drummondville Challenger, but an injury forced him to withdraw before he could play his first round match. In Granby qualifying, he beat fellow Canadian teen Jack Lin and Jean-Yves Aubone to advance to the main draw. Auger-Aliassime's ITF junior ranking is not high enough to get him into the junior slams, and, although he has had good results this summer in ITF events on European clay, he has yet to win an ITF tournament above a Grade 3. He will play No. 8 seed Darian King of Barbados in the second round, after King defeated qualifier Raymond Sarmiento 6-2, 6-3.
Young Canadians Katherine Sebov and Charlotte Robillard-Millette are playing the women's $50,000 tournament in Granby, with Sebov qualifying for the main draw and Robillard-Millette getting a first round win. Qualifier Ellie Halbauer advanced to the second round with a 6-3, 6-1 win over wild card Erin Routliffe of Canada, a two-time NCAA doubles champion at Alabama.
At the ATP 250 in Bogota, Colombia, 2014 NCAA finalist Alex Sarkissian won his first ATP-level match tonight, defeating ATP No. 97 John Millman of Australia 6-3, 6-3. The former Pepperdine star will play No. 7 seed Malek Jaziri of Tunisia in the second round.
The Tennis Recruiting Network has begun its Clay Courts Championship Week coverage with recaps of the 12s tournaments. The article on Saud Alhogbani's title is here, and Elvina Kalieva's championship is here.
The USTA's New Balance High School Championships began on Monday in Boston, and the draws can be found here.
Jumat, 17 Juli 2015
My Wimbledon Recap; USTA Clay Court Finals Set; Nedovyesov Tops Kyrgios in Davis Cup; Zhao Wins Pan Am Gold
My recap of the Wimbledon Junior Championships is available today at the Tennis Recruiting Network. Although Sunday was a bit bleak, in general the weather was outstanding, the best I've experienced in my four trips. And it's always a plus for me when US juniors do well which they certainly did this year: six quarterfinalists and a singles champion and doubles finalist in Reilly Opelka.
Because Wimbledon was a week later this year, I was unable to cover the Girls 18s Clay Courts in Memphis after being there the previous seven years. All finals in the four age divisions are scheduled for Saturday. The results of today's semifinals, with full draws available by clicking the link contained in the age division heading.
Boys 18s:
Sam Riffice(1) def. Nathan Perrone(17) 6-2, 1-6, 6-2
Alexandre Rotsaert(17) def. (9) Vasil Kirkov(9)
7-6, 6-1
Girls 18s:
Boys 16s:
Danny Thomas(17) d. Robert Maciag 6-3, 6-3
Girls 16s:
Samantha Martinelli(2) def. Nicole Mossmer(4) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
Natasha Subhash(1) def. Hannah Lairmore(3) 6-3, 6-4
Boys 14s:
Jenson Brooksby(4) def. JanMagnus Johnson 6-1, 6-7(7), 6-3
William Grant(7) def. (17) Stefan Leustian(17) 6-1, 6-2
Girls 14s:
Hailey Baptiste(17) def. Victoria Hu(8) 5-7, 6-4, 6-1
Alexa Noel(1) def. Alana Wolfberg(4) 6-2, 6-1
Boys 12s:
Girls 12s:
Davis Cup is underway, and Bobby Knight has all the results involving current and former collegians from World Group to Group III competition at College Tennis Today. The biggest win for a college player was that of former Oklahoma State star Aleksandr Nedovyesov of Kazakhstan. Nedovyesov defeated Nick Kyrgios 7-6(5), 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 6-4 to give Kazakhstan a 2-0 lead over the Australians in a World Group quarterfinal in Darwin.
Also playing Davis Cup this week is 16-year-old Hady Habib, who is representing Lebanon in its relegation playoff with Sri Lanka. Habib, currently 91 in the ITF world junior rankings, is a regular on the ITF circuit here in the United States.
Because Wimbledon was a week later this year, I was unable to cover the Girls 18s Clay Courts in Memphis after being there the previous seven years. All finals in the four age divisions are scheduled for Saturday. The results of today's semifinals, with full draws available by clicking the link contained in the age division heading.
Boys 18s:
Sam Riffice(1) def. Nathan Perrone(17) 6-2, 1-6, 6-2
Alexandre Rotsaert(17) def. (9) Vasil Kirkov(9)
7-6, 6-1
Girls 18s:
| Ellyse Hamlin(6) def. Mia Horvit(5) | 6-2, 7-6(3) |
| Kaitlyn McCarthy(17) def. Meible Chi | (8) 6-4, 7-5 |
Boys 16s:
| Aleks Huryn(17) def. Kyrylo Tsygura(6) 6-3, 6-4 |
Girls 16s:
Samantha Martinelli(2) def. Nicole Mossmer(4) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
Natasha Subhash(1) def. Hannah Lairmore(3) 6-3, 6-4
Boys 14s:
Jenson Brooksby(4) def. JanMagnus Johnson 6-1, 6-7(7), 6-3
William Grant(7) def. (17) Stefan Leustian(17) 6-1, 6-2
Girls 14s:
Hailey Baptiste(17) def. Victoria Hu(8) 5-7, 6-4, 6-1
Alexa Noel(1) def. Alana Wolfberg(4) 6-2, 6-1
Boys 12s:
Saud Alhogbani(12) def. Alexander Bernard(8) 6-4, 6-3
Karl Lee(4) def. Hugo Hashimoto(1) 7-6(4), 6-3
Girls 12s:
Elvina Kalieva(9) def. Ellie Pittman(17) 5-7, 6-3, 6-1
Charlotte Owensby(1) def. Rachel Arbitman(17) 6-2, 6-3
Also playing Davis Cup this week is 16-year-old Hady Habib, who is representing Lebanon in its relegation playoff with Sri Lanka. Habib, currently 91 in the ITF world junior rankings, is a regular on the ITF circuit here in the United States.
Other international tennis competitions concluded today, with gold medals decided at the Pacific Games and the Pan American Games. Papua New Guinea's Abigail Tere-Apisah, the former Georgia State All-American and 2014 NCAA semifinalist, collected four gold medals, winning singles, doubles, mixed and team events.
At the Pan American Games in Toronto, the women's doubles gold went to the Canadian team of Carol Zhao(Stanford) and Gaby Dabrowski. They defeated the Mexican team of Victoria Rodriguez and Marcela Zacarias 6-1, 4-6, 10-5. Mariana Duque-Marino of Colombia won the singles gold medal, beating Rodriguez 6-4, 6-4. Monica Puig of Puerto Rico took the bronze with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Lauren Davis.
Kamis, 28 Mei 2015
My NCAA Individual Championships Recap; Catching Up on NCAA Division II and Division III Titles; Johnson, Stiefelmeyer Features
My recap of the NCAA singles and doubles tournaments is available today at the Tennis Recruiting Network, and if you missed it last week, my recap of the team tournament is here.
The Raleigh News and Observer published this feature on women's champion Jamie Loeb, and the Charlottesville Daily Progress spoke with Virginia's Ryan Shane about his title.
In addition to getting behind on junior news while I was in Waco, I also was short on time to follow the Division II and Division III tournaments.
Barry won the men's Division II team title for the second time in three years, beating Hawaii-Pacific 5-3 in the final and finishing the season undefeated.
The women's Division II team championship is also the property of an undefeated powerhouse, with Armstrong State defeating Barry 5-2. The Pirates have won six of the last eight Division II women's team titles.
In Division III, which has both team and individual tournaments, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's team took the rare Triple Crown, winning the team, singles and doubles titles. Top seed CMS defeated Middlebury 5-0 to win the team title, and Warren Wood defeated teammate Skyler Butts 6-1, 6-4 for the singles title. The Stags also took the doubles championship, with Wood and Joe Dorn beating North Carolina Wesleyan's Robert Kjellberg and Sebastian Sikh 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4.
Top seed Williams won the women's Division III team title, beating No. 2 seed Emory 5-4 for its seventh title in eight years. The Williams team of Linda Shin and Juli Raventos, who were the Ephs No. 2 team during the season and alternates into the doubles tournament won their school's second title, beating the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps team of Katie Kousman and Caroline Ward 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-3. Top seed Eudice Chong of Wesleyan won the singles title, the first NCAA national title for her school, beating Joulia Likhanskaia of Bowdoin 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.
Sandra Harwitt is at the French Open and she caught up with Steve Johnson, who plays his third round match against Stan Wawrinka Friday, to talk about his college tennis career.
2014 ITA All-American champion Sebastian Stiefelmeyer of Louisville recently answered questions about his college tennis experience, his future, and why he chose to come to the United States to attend college and continue competing. This interview, at Smartathlete.com, is important reading for anyone looking for an honest account of a player's college tennis experience, whether you're a fan, coach, player, parent or journalist.
The Raleigh News and Observer published this feature on women's champion Jamie Loeb, and the Charlottesville Daily Progress spoke with Virginia's Ryan Shane about his title.
In addition to getting behind on junior news while I was in Waco, I also was short on time to follow the Division II and Division III tournaments.
Barry won the men's Division II team title for the second time in three years, beating Hawaii-Pacific 5-3 in the final and finishing the season undefeated.
The women's Division II team championship is also the property of an undefeated powerhouse, with Armstrong State defeating Barry 5-2. The Pirates have won six of the last eight Division II women's team titles.
 |
| Warren Wood and Skyler Butts of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps photo via twitter |
Top seed Williams won the women's Division III team title, beating No. 2 seed Emory 5-4 for its seventh title in eight years. The Williams team of Linda Shin and Juli Raventos, who were the Ephs No. 2 team during the season and alternates into the doubles tournament won their school's second title, beating the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps team of Katie Kousman and Caroline Ward 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-3. Top seed Eudice Chong of Wesleyan won the singles title, the first NCAA national title for her school, beating Joulia Likhanskaia of Bowdoin 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.
Sandra Harwitt is at the French Open and she caught up with Steve Johnson, who plays his third round match against Stan Wawrinka Friday, to talk about his college tennis career.
2014 ITA All-American champion Sebastian Stiefelmeyer of Louisville recently answered questions about his college tennis experience, his future, and why he chose to come to the United States to attend college and continue competing. This interview, at Smartathlete.com, is important reading for anyone looking for an honest account of a player's college tennis experience, whether you're a fan, coach, player, parent or journalist.
Sabtu, 18 April 2015
Easter Bowl Recap; SEC Conference Finals Set; Ly, Yadlapalli Win ITF B1 Asian Closed; Pierre-Louis Claims Grade 4 in Guadeloupe
My recap of the Easter Bowl Spring Championships, available today at the Tennis Recruiting Network, provides a condensed version of the seven days of tennis coverage I provided last week while in the Coachella Valley. I will be processing the slideshow and videos from that tournament in the upcoming week.
The SEC conference tournament finals are set, with the University of Georgia still alive in both the men's and women's draws. The top-seeded Georgia men defeated No. 4 Ole Miss 4-1 today, while host Texas A&M, the No. 2 seed, beat No. 3 seed Mississippi State 4-0. Georgia won the regular season meeting between the two teams in Athens 4-1 back in early March.
The women's tournament, played in Columbia, SC, had a few more surprises. No. 3 seed Texas A&M was beaten by No. 6 seed LSU in the 4-3 in the quarterfinals, with the match coming down to a third-set tiebreaker with the score tied at 3. No. 2 Georgia handled LSU today however, and will meet No. 4 seed Vanderbilt in the final, after they took out No. 1 seed Florida 4-2. It is the second win for Vanderbilt over Florida this year. Georgia beat Vanderbilt 5-2 in Athens in regular season play back in March.
In other notable results today in college tennis, the Cal men defeated Stanford 4-3, denying the Cardinal the outright Pac-12 championship. The TCU men, who beat Texas A&M last week, followed up this week with a 4-1 win over Texas today in Fort Worth. It's TCU's first win over Texas since 1996.
Last night, No. 33 Minnesota defeated No. 3 Illinois 4-3, yet another indication that sure things in Division I college tennis are rare this year.
The ITF Grade B1 Asian Closed was played in India this week, with Nam Hoang Ly of Vietnam and Pranjala Yadlapalli of India sweeping the titles. Yadlapalli, the No. 2 seed, beat top seed Wushuang Zheng of China 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 in the singles final, while Ly defeated No. 8 seed Renata Toduka of Japan 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.
Ly and Alberto Lim of the Philippines, seeded 1, defeated No. 2 seeds Toduka and Sora Fukuda of Japan 6-3, 6-4 in the doubles final. Yadlapalli and Zheng, the top seeds, beat No. 2 seed I-hsuan Cho of Taiwan and Zhanlan Wei of China 6-2, 6-4 to take the girls doubles title.
At the ITF Grade 4 in Guadeloupe, Kariann Pierre-Louis claimed her first ITF singles title, and also took the doubles championship. The 16-year-old from Florida halted the winning streak of Hurricane Tyra Black in the semifinals, then the No. 3 seed defeated Clara Froget of France 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 in the final. Pierre-Louis and Naomi Waters, the top seeds, won the doubles over No. 3 seeds Black and Julia Goldberg 6-4, 6-2.
Top seed Andres Andrade of Ecuador won both boys titles, beating No. 4 seed Morgan Dill 6-0, 6-7(5), 6-0 in the singles final and teaming with Jason Legall to win the doubles. The top seeds beat Sean Burnette and Andrew Quiros of El Salvador 6-2, 6-3 in the final.
The SEC conference tournament finals are set, with the University of Georgia still alive in both the men's and women's draws. The top-seeded Georgia men defeated No. 4 Ole Miss 4-1 today, while host Texas A&M, the No. 2 seed, beat No. 3 seed Mississippi State 4-0. Georgia won the regular season meeting between the two teams in Athens 4-1 back in early March.
The women's tournament, played in Columbia, SC, had a few more surprises. No. 3 seed Texas A&M was beaten by No. 6 seed LSU in the 4-3 in the quarterfinals, with the match coming down to a third-set tiebreaker with the score tied at 3. No. 2 Georgia handled LSU today however, and will meet No. 4 seed Vanderbilt in the final, after they took out No. 1 seed Florida 4-2. It is the second win for Vanderbilt over Florida this year. Georgia beat Vanderbilt 5-2 in Athens in regular season play back in March.
In other notable results today in college tennis, the Cal men defeated Stanford 4-3, denying the Cardinal the outright Pac-12 championship. The TCU men, who beat Texas A&M last week, followed up this week with a 4-1 win over Texas today in Fort Worth. It's TCU's first win over Texas since 1996.
Last night, No. 33 Minnesota defeated No. 3 Illinois 4-3, yet another indication that sure things in Division I college tennis are rare this year.
The ITF Grade B1 Asian Closed was played in India this week, with Nam Hoang Ly of Vietnam and Pranjala Yadlapalli of India sweeping the titles. Yadlapalli, the No. 2 seed, beat top seed Wushuang Zheng of China 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 in the singles final, while Ly defeated No. 8 seed Renata Toduka of Japan 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.
Ly and Alberto Lim of the Philippines, seeded 1, defeated No. 2 seeds Toduka and Sora Fukuda of Japan 6-3, 6-4 in the doubles final. Yadlapalli and Zheng, the top seeds, beat No. 2 seed I-hsuan Cho of Taiwan and Zhanlan Wei of China 6-2, 6-4 to take the girls doubles title.
At the ITF Grade 4 in Guadeloupe, Kariann Pierre-Louis claimed her first ITF singles title, and also took the doubles championship. The 16-year-old from Florida halted the winning streak of Hurricane Tyra Black in the semifinals, then the No. 3 seed defeated Clara Froget of France 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 in the final. Pierre-Louis and Naomi Waters, the top seeds, won the doubles over No. 3 seeds Black and Julia Goldberg 6-4, 6-2. Top seed Andres Andrade of Ecuador won both boys titles, beating No. 4 seed Morgan Dill 6-0, 6-7(5), 6-0 in the singles final and teaming with Jason Legall to win the doubles. The top seeds beat Sean Burnette and Andrew Quiros of El Salvador 6-2, 6-3 in the final.
Jumat, 10 April 2015
Recap of Last Week's ITF Grade 1 International Spring Championships
Before today's Easter Bowl 16s finals and ITF quarterfinals, here's my look back at last week's International Spring Championships for the Tennis Recruiting Network.
Selasa, 17 Maret 2015
USTA Spring Team Championships Recap; Sock into BNP Paribas Fourth Round; Mayotte Joins Harvard; 13 US Juniors Reach Grade A Second Round; North Carolina Women, Oklahoma Men Stay No. 1
My recap of a damp USTA Spring Team Championships in Mobile is available today at the Tennis Recruiting Network. Although this new format is undeniably popular with the players and coaches, I find myself missing the 18 Spring Nationals, where the gradual whittling down of the field as the tournament progresses provides me time to actually watch late round matches closely. Guaranteed matches are an attraction if you are spending the money to travel (although weather must permit them), but as a spectator, I find compass draws less compelling than the standard USTA main/consolation draw format.
Third round ATP matches are still going on at the BNP Paribas Open, but Jack Sock has made his way into the last 16 with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 15 seed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain. The 22-year-old Sock, who is playing his first tournament this year after hip surgery, had won only one ATP match after dropping the first set prior to this week, but after comeback wins over Yen-Hsun Lu, Gilles Muller and Bautista Agut this week, he now has three. Sock, who has dedicated this tournament to his brother Eric, now healthy after a week in intensive care this winter due to an infection, plays the winner of the Roger Federer and Andreas Seppi match later tonight. For more on Sock's win, see this article from the ATP. Steve Johnson lost to No. 9 seed Tomas Berdych this afternoon, and Donald Young fell to No. 3 seed Rafael Nadal this evening, by identical 6-4, 6-2 scores.
The volunteer assistant position at Harvard now belongs to Tim Mayotte, who takes it over from Eric Butorac, currently the president of the ATP Players Council and still active in doubles. This Harvard Magazine article examines Mayotte's playing career and coaching experience and reveals that he is a candidate for the USTA Player Development General Manager's position.
A baker's dozen of US juniors remain alive after the first round of the Grade A in Porto Alegre Brazil. Seeds Emil Reinberg(13), Ulises Blanch(7), William Blumberg(6) and unseeded Anudeep Kodali, Catalin Mateas and Liam Caruana were the American boys advancing. Kodali defeated No. 9 seed Sora Fukuda of Japan 7-6(4), 6-2 and Mateas ousted No. 14 seed Felipe Cunha Silva of Portugal 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.
Mateas' younger sister Maria moved through to the second round, as did qualifier Abigail Desiatnikov, Meghan Kelley and seeds Usue Arconada(3), Francesca Di Lorenzo(10), Alexandra Sanford(11) and Kayla Day(14).
There was a big upset in the boys first round, with No. 2 seed Franco Capalbo of Argentina, who has won three South American clay court titles already this year, losing to Yosuke Watanuki of Japan 6-3, 6-3.
The latest Division I team rankings were released today by the ITA, with the North Carolina women and Oklahoma men continuing to hold the top spot.
The men's Top 10:
1. Oklahoma
2. Illinois
3. Baylor
4. Southern Cal
5. Georgia
6. Duke
7. Texas A&M
8. Texas
9. Virginia
10. North Carolina
The women's Top 10:
1. North Carolina
2. Florida
3. Cal
4. Georgia
5. UCLA
6. Baylor
7. Southern Cal
8. Virginia
9. Alabama
10. Stanford
Third round ATP matches are still going on at the BNP Paribas Open, but Jack Sock has made his way into the last 16 with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 15 seed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain. The 22-year-old Sock, who is playing his first tournament this year after hip surgery, had won only one ATP match after dropping the first set prior to this week, but after comeback wins over Yen-Hsun Lu, Gilles Muller and Bautista Agut this week, he now has three. Sock, who has dedicated this tournament to his brother Eric, now healthy after a week in intensive care this winter due to an infection, plays the winner of the Roger Federer and Andreas Seppi match later tonight. For more on Sock's win, see this article from the ATP. Steve Johnson lost to No. 9 seed Tomas Berdych this afternoon, and Donald Young fell to No. 3 seed Rafael Nadal this evening, by identical 6-4, 6-2 scores.
The volunteer assistant position at Harvard now belongs to Tim Mayotte, who takes it over from Eric Butorac, currently the president of the ATP Players Council and still active in doubles. This Harvard Magazine article examines Mayotte's playing career and coaching experience and reveals that he is a candidate for the USTA Player Development General Manager's position.
A baker's dozen of US juniors remain alive after the first round of the Grade A in Porto Alegre Brazil. Seeds Emil Reinberg(13), Ulises Blanch(7), William Blumberg(6) and unseeded Anudeep Kodali, Catalin Mateas and Liam Caruana were the American boys advancing. Kodali defeated No. 9 seed Sora Fukuda of Japan 7-6(4), 6-2 and Mateas ousted No. 14 seed Felipe Cunha Silva of Portugal 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.
Mateas' younger sister Maria moved through to the second round, as did qualifier Abigail Desiatnikov, Meghan Kelley and seeds Usue Arconada(3), Francesca Di Lorenzo(10), Alexandra Sanford(11) and Kayla Day(14).
There was a big upset in the boys first round, with No. 2 seed Franco Capalbo of Argentina, who has won three South American clay court titles already this year, losing to Yosuke Watanuki of Japan 6-3, 6-3.
The latest Division I team rankings were released today by the ITA, with the North Carolina women and Oklahoma men continuing to hold the top spot.
The men's Top 10:
1. Oklahoma
2. Illinois
3. Baylor
4. Southern Cal
5. Georgia
6. Duke
7. Texas A&M
8. Texas
9. Virginia
10. North Carolina
The women's Top 10:
1. North Carolina
2. Florida
3. Cal
4. Georgia
5. UCLA
6. Baylor
7. Southern Cal
8. Virginia
9. Alabama
10. Stanford
Rabu, 31 Desember 2014
Junior Orange Bowl Recap, Slideshow, Videos
Although I still have my December Aces column for next week, this Junior Orange Bowl recap for the Tennis Recruiting Network concludes my onsite tournament coverage for 2014. It's been quite a year in junior tennis, and I'm looking forward to an even better one in 2015.
As with the Eddie Herr and Orange Bowl, I will post the videos of the finalists next month, but all four champions can be viewed below.
As with the Eddie Herr and Orange Bowl, I will post the videos of the finalists next month, but all four champions can be viewed below.
Jumat, 19 Desember 2014
Metropolia Orange Bowl Recap, Slideshow, Videos
Before I head out for third round action at the Junior Orange Bowl, it's time to wrap up last week's Metropolia Orange Bowl. My recap for the Tennis Recruiting Network is available now. The singles quarterfinalists and doubles semifinalists are featured in the slideshow, and videos of the champions are also below. As with the Eddie Herr finalists, those videos will be posted early next month.
Selasa, 16 Desember 2014
Eddie Herr Slideshow, Videos
All Eddie Herr semifinalists and doubles finalists appear in the slideshow, and despite the finals all being played simultaneously, there is at least a short video of all the champions. My recap of the tournament for the Tennis Recruiting Network was published last Friday. Videos of the 16s and 18s champions are below, with links to the 12s and 14s champions' videos here:
Boys 12s: Jungwon Park
Girls 12s: Himari Sato
Boys 14s: Nicolas Mejia
Girls 14s: Anastasia Potapova
I will be posting the videos of the Eddie Herr and Metropolia Orange Bowl finalists next month, when I return home and have more time.
Boys 12s: Jungwon Park
Girls 12s: Himari Sato
Boys 14s: Nicolas Mejia
Girls 14s: Anastasia Potapova
I will be posting the videos of the Eddie Herr and Metropolia Orange Bowl finalists next month, when I return home and have more time.
Jumat, 12 Desember 2014
Eddie Herr Recap; Vicky Duval Back Training after Completing Cancer Treatment; US Collegiate Team Wins Fourth Straight Master'U Title
With the Eddie Herr and Orange Bowl tournaments back-to-back, I have little opportunity to post on other tennis news that I would usually note in more detail.
If you didn't have a chance to follow my daily coverage of the Eddie Herr, here is my recap of the tournament for the Tennis Recruiting Network.
While I was in Bradenton, I caught up with Vicky Duval, who has recently returned to training after treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma, diagnosed this summer during Wimbledon. Here's my update on the 19-year-old for USTA Florida.
And last week, the US team competing in the international collegiate tournament Master'U BNP Paribas won its fourth straight title, defeating host France in the final 4-1. The US team consisted of Noah Rubin(Wake Forest), Thai Kwiatkowski(Virginia), Nathan Pasha(Georgia), Julia Elbaba(Virginia), Chanelle Van Nguyen and Robin Anderson(UCLA). Amanda Augustus of Cal and Greg Patton of Boise State coached the team. Patton's blog from the event can be found here. More information is available at the tournament website.
If you didn't have a chance to follow my daily coverage of the Eddie Herr, here is my recap of the tournament for the Tennis Recruiting Network.
While I was in Bradenton, I caught up with Vicky Duval, who has recently returned to training after treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma, diagnosed this summer during Wimbledon. Here's my update on the 19-year-old for USTA Florida.
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| photo courtesy Amanda Augustus |
Kamis, 16 Oktober 2014
ITF B1 Pan American Closed Recap, Slideshow, Videos
My synopsis of last week's ITF Pan American Closed Championships is available today at the Tennis Recruiting Network. After finishing the tournament on Saturday, champion Michael Mmoh went straight to the $15,000 Mansfield Texas Futures, where, after a win over Jeff Dadamo(Texas A&M) today, he has reached the quarterfinals, his second career quarterfinal at a Futures tournament. In addition to Mmoh, three current college players also have reached the quarterfinals: TCU's Cameron Norrie, who beat Dennis Novikov(UCLA) 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-0; Virginia's Mitchell Frank and Oklahoma's Andrew Harris.
Pan Am finalist Claire Liu went straight to Florence, South Carolina and, without any rest, won three qualifying matches in the $25,000 tournament there before losing in a third-set tiebreaker yesterday. CiCi Bellis beat No. 5 seed Miharu Imanishi of Japan 6-4, 7-5 to post her seventh straight win at the $25,000-level. Tornado Alicia Black gave a walkover to Greece's Despina Papamichail.
Below is the slideshow of the singles quarterfinalists and the doubles semifinalists. Also below are short videos of the four finalists in the championship matches.
Pan Am finalist Claire Liu went straight to Florence, South Carolina and, without any rest, won three qualifying matches in the $25,000 tournament there before losing in a third-set tiebreaker yesterday. CiCi Bellis beat No. 5 seed Miharu Imanishi of Japan 6-4, 7-5 to post her seventh straight win at the $25,000-level. Tornado Alicia Black gave a walkover to Greece's Despina Papamichail.
Below is the slideshow of the singles quarterfinalists and the doubles semifinalists. Also below are short videos of the four finalists in the championship matches.
Jumat, 19 September 2014
American Collegiate Invitational Recap; Update on the 16 Participants
My recap of the first American Collegiate Invitational is up today at the Tennis Recruiting Network. After talking with tournament director Bill Mountford and US Open tournament director David Brewer, it sounds as if will be back in 2015, with some tweaks, of course.
As I mentioned in my post last week on how top college players feel about the no-ad format, I talked to all 16 competitors at the American Collegiate Invitational two weeks ago. So instead of a slide show, I'm passing along individual photos with a brief update on their plans for the coming months.
As I mentioned in my post last week on how top college players feel about the no-ad format, I talked to all 16 competitors at the American Collegiate Invitational two weeks ago. So instead of a slide show, I'm passing along individual photos with a brief update on their plans for the coming months.
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| The UCLA sophomore is taking the fall off to compete in USTA Pro Circuit tournaments. Brady won her first ITF Women's Circuit singles title at last week's $25K in Redding |
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| Cercone, who graduated from Florida in May, is planning to continue competing on the Pro Circuit and will play in the upcoming ITF Women's tournaments in Mexico |
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| Andrews is currently working on a masters in accounting at Notre Dame, but will train with the team, and continue play when he can, saying he's not ready to give it up. |
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| Carter is a sophomore at the University of North Carolina, and with a preseason ranking of 3. She was out most of the summer with an injury, but reached the final of the $10K in Fort Worth, her 1st tournament since the NCAAs |
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| The sophomore at UCLA returns to school in October after playing 10 events this summer. McDonald, 13 in the preseason rankings, reached the semis of the Winnetka Challenger and Tulsa Futures and will play the Napa Challenger next week. |
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| Ahn, who graduated from Stanford with a degree in Science, Technology and Society, is now training in Boca Raton, although not with the USTA. She plans to play professional tennis for at least a couple of years. |
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| Sarkissian, the NCAA finalist in 2014, won a Futures title in Canada this summer. The Pepperdine graduate plans to compete on the professional circuit full time. |
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| The 2014 NCAA champion, a junior at Virginia, is No. 10 in the preseason rankings. She had wrist surgery after the NCAAs, returning to competition in August and winning a set from WTA No. 2 Simona Halep in the first round of the US Open. |
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| Thompson expressed disappointment with his results this summer, his first as a professional, citing confidence issues. But the former UCLA Bruin did reach the quarterfinals of this week's Futures in Costa Mesa |
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| The Virginia junior is No. 5 in the preseason rankings and expressed excitement about the upcoming ITA Riviera All-American Championships, where she reached the final as a pre-qualifier her freshman year. She plans to play Pro Circuit events this fall as well. |
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| The Ohio State graduate is currently in Sweden, where he has reached the final of a Futures there. He has won 5 doubles titles since starting his pro career in June, all outside the US, and said he has enjoyed the extensive traveling he's done. |
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| No. 1 in the preseason rankings, the North Carolina sophomore is playing the ITA Riviera All-American championships and the Las Vegas, Florence and New Braunfels Pro Circuit events. Says she definitely wants to turn pro, but has no timetable other than 'near future'. |
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| Now a pro after three years at UCLA, Giron is expected to sign a management agreement with the CAA agency soon. He is playing the Napa Challenger next week, and says he gained confidence from qualifying at August's ATP Winston Salem event. |
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| Former Gator Janowicz is dealing with a stress fracture in her foot, but if she heals sufficiently, she will give the professional tour a try. |
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| Sarmiento is finishing his degree this semester at USC and will begin playing the Pro Circuit full time in January of 2015 |
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| Hiltzik strained his hip flexor this summer, but is back healthy and ready for his junior season at the University of Illinois. His preseason ranking is 6. |
Jumat, 12 September 2014
US Open Junior Championships Recap; Slideshow
My recap of last week's US Open Junior Championships is up today at the Tennis Recruiting Network. If you couldn't follow my daily coverage here on ZooTennis, you can get the condensed version there.
As I try to do for every US Open Junior Championships, I have compiled a slideshow including every US player who played in the singles main draw, with the round they lost noted on the caption. Along with the 39 of them, the slideshow also features the singles quarterfinalists and doubles semifinalists. Due to restrictions imposed by the US Open, there is no video for this tournament.
As I try to do for every US Open Junior Championships, I have compiled a slideshow including every US player who played in the singles main draw, with the round they lost noted on the caption. Along with the 39 of them, the slideshow also features the singles quarterfinalists and doubles semifinalists. Due to restrictions imposed by the US Open, there is no video for this tournament.
Senin, 25 Agustus 2014
International Hard Courts Recap, Slideshow, Videos; NCAA Champion Collins Test Halep, Falls in Three Sets at US Open
My recap of last week's ITF Grade 1 International Hard Court Championships, with details on Russia's Anna Kalinskaya and Florida's Reilly Opelka winning their first ITF titles is available today at the Tennis Recruiting Network. Even with the rainy weather, I enjoyed covering the tournament for the first time, and am glad another Grade 1 tournament is now available in the United States, after the loss of the Lexington Grade 1 that used to follow the US Open.
Below is the slideshow of those reaching the singles quarterfinals and the doubles semifinals. The videos of the two champions are below, with the videos of the finalists available by clicking on the links below:
Tim Van Rijthoven
Gabby Ruse
NCAA champion and wild card Danielle Collins put a scare into WTA No. 2 Simona Halep today in a US Open first round match in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The rising junior from the University of Virginia came from 4-2 down in the opening set to force a tiebreaker, which she dominated, before eventually succumbing 6-7(2), 6-1, 6-2.
It's easy to say a 20-year-old with no WTA ranking has nothing to lose in that situation, but it's much harder to perform as if you truly believe that, which is what Collins did. In the first set she hit out on every ball, served well, kept the ball deep and played with conviction, despite playing only one match since she underwent wrist surgery at the end of May. To be fair, Halep wasn't playing her best, but part of that was due to the relentless pressure Collins put on her. Collins wasn't able to sustain the level she showed in the second and third sets, with her serve most noticeably dropping off, but she did prove that her top level is competitive with the world's best. Whether she can play at that level consistently is of course the important question, but that was an impressive performance in a slam debut.
For more on the match, see the WTA's website.
Video highlights from the match can be found at usopen.org.
A transcript of Collins' post-match press conference is here
Although not mentioned in the press conference, Collins is expected to return next week to New York, as she will be competing in the inaugural American Collegiate Invitational beginning next Thursday.
The US Open Tuesday schedule is out, with NCAA champion Marcos Giron playing John Isner second on Arthur Ashe. Kalamazoo champion Noah Rubin, who plays Federico Delbonis of Argentina, is also second on Tuesday, on court 13. Taylor Townsend gets a night match on Ashe against top seed Serena Williams, after the men's night match, which starts at 7 p.m. Jared Donaldson plays No. 20 seed Gael Monfils of France not before 5 p.m. on the Grandstand. CiCi Bellis is also on Tuesday's schedule, but her match with No. 12 seed Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia is on Court 6, which is not televised.
In all, there are 21 Americans in singles action on Tuesday, and seven in men's doubles, with Peter Kobelt and Hunter Reese, Chase Buchanan and Tennys Sandgren, Donald Young and Nick Monroe and Eric Butorac (with South Africa's Raven Klaasen) playing their first round matches.
Below is the slideshow of those reaching the singles quarterfinals and the doubles semifinals. The videos of the two champions are below, with the videos of the finalists available by clicking on the links below:
Tim Van Rijthoven
Gabby Ruse
NCAA champion and wild card Danielle Collins put a scare into WTA No. 2 Simona Halep today in a US Open first round match in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The rising junior from the University of Virginia came from 4-2 down in the opening set to force a tiebreaker, which she dominated, before eventually succumbing 6-7(2), 6-1, 6-2.
It's easy to say a 20-year-old with no WTA ranking has nothing to lose in that situation, but it's much harder to perform as if you truly believe that, which is what Collins did. In the first set she hit out on every ball, served well, kept the ball deep and played with conviction, despite playing only one match since she underwent wrist surgery at the end of May. To be fair, Halep wasn't playing her best, but part of that was due to the relentless pressure Collins put on her. Collins wasn't able to sustain the level she showed in the second and third sets, with her serve most noticeably dropping off, but she did prove that her top level is competitive with the world's best. Whether she can play at that level consistently is of course the important question, but that was an impressive performance in a slam debut.
For more on the match, see the WTA's website.
Video highlights from the match can be found at usopen.org.
A transcript of Collins' post-match press conference is here
Although not mentioned in the press conference, Collins is expected to return next week to New York, as she will be competing in the inaugural American Collegiate Invitational beginning next Thursday.
The US Open Tuesday schedule is out, with NCAA champion Marcos Giron playing John Isner second on Arthur Ashe. Kalamazoo champion Noah Rubin, who plays Federico Delbonis of Argentina, is also second on Tuesday, on court 13. Taylor Townsend gets a night match on Ashe against top seed Serena Williams, after the men's night match, which starts at 7 p.m. Jared Donaldson plays No. 20 seed Gael Monfils of France not before 5 p.m. on the Grandstand. CiCi Bellis is also on Tuesday's schedule, but her match with No. 12 seed Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia is on Court 6, which is not televised.
In all, there are 21 Americans in singles action on Tuesday, and seven in men's doubles, with Peter Kobelt and Hunter Reese, Chase Buchanan and Tennys Sandgren, Donald Young and Nick Monroe and Eric Butorac (with South Africa's Raven Klaasen) playing their first round matches.
Jumat, 15 Agustus 2014
Kalamazoo 18s Recap, Slideshow, Videos; Rubin Awarded ATP Winston-Salem Open Wild Card; Take USTA Junior Survey
My recap of Noah Rubin's sweep of the titles at last week's USTA Boys 18s National Championships is available now at the Tennis Recruiting Network. Earlier today, Rhiannon Potkey provided a look back at CiCi Bellis' championship run at the Girls 18s in San Diego.
In addition to the two main draw US Open wild cards he received for winning the singles and doubles in Kalamazoo, rising Wake Forest freshman Rubin has now received a main draw wild card to the ATP's Winston-Salem Open next week. Kevin Anderson and Ryan Harrison have also received wild cards, with one main draw wild card still to be named.
Also, Lisa Stone at Parenting Aces has provided a link to the USTA survey for players, parents and coaches regarding their experience with USTA tournaments, the competitive structure and changes they'd like to see. The deadline for responses to this survey is Monday, August 18th, so please go to Lisa's site for the link and take the time to provide your input.
In addition to the two main draw US Open wild cards he received for winning the singles and doubles in Kalamazoo, rising Wake Forest freshman Rubin has now received a main draw wild card to the ATP's Winston-Salem Open next week. Kevin Anderson and Ryan Harrison have also received wild cards, with one main draw wild card still to be named.
Also, Lisa Stone at Parenting Aces has provided a link to the USTA survey for players, parents and coaches regarding their experience with USTA tournaments, the competitive structure and changes they'd like to see. The deadline for responses to this survey is Monday, August 18th, so please go to Lisa's site for the link and take the time to provide your input.
Kamis, 14 Agustus 2014
My Recap, Slideshow and Videos of Kalamazoo 16s; Fields Announced for American Collegiate Invitational at US Open
My recap of the 16s National Championships in Kalamazoo is available now at the Tennis Recruiting Network. I'm trying something new this year, doing separate slideshows for each age division, with the 18s coming on Friday, when my 18s recap is published at Tennis Recruiting Network. Make sure you check out all the coverage from the other age divisions, with links available here.
The USTA today released the names of the 16 participants--eight men and eight women--who will play in the inaugural American Collegiate Invitational September 4-6 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
On Monday, the USTA released the names of those on the 2014 USTA Collegiate Team, who are automatically included in the ACI field. The women are: Jamie Loeb(North Carolina), Jennifer Brady(UCLA), Robin Anderson(UCLA), Kristie Ahn(Stanford), Danielle Collins(Virginia) and Julia Elbaba(Virginia). The men's team consists of UCLA's Clay Thompson, Marcos Giron and Mackenzie McDonald, Ohio State's Peter Kobelt, Virginia's Mitchell Frank and Pepperdine's Alex Sarkissian. All six of the men's team members are in the ACI field, but Anderson is not in the women's field, replaced by Hayley Carter of North Carolina.
The additional two participants for each competition must have completed their collegiate eligibility, although I've been told that might change next year. NCAA regulations require that some of the competitors no longer be eligible for college competition. This year, only one woman on the USTA National Collegiate Team--Kristie Ahn--has exhausted her eligibility, but four of the men had, with Thompson, Kobelt and Sarkissian all graduating and Giron deciding to turn pro.
In any case, the criteria for this year's event states the additional two participants, taken from the ITA final rankings, must have completed their eligibility, with Raymond Sarmiento of Southern Cal, Greg Andrews of Notre Dame, Olivia Janowicz and Alex Cercone of Florida receiving entry via that method.
The 12 participants will receive the same player credentials as participants in the men's and women's tournaments and the USTA is paying for their transportation, meals and accommodations. The winners have an opportunity to get US Open wild cards based on their WTA/ATP rankings at the 2015 cutoff for entry. From the release:
The winners of the American Collegiate Invitational will receive main draw wild card entries into 2015 US Open, if the men’s champion is ranked No. 250 or better and the women’s champion No. 150 or better. Otherwise, the winners will receive 2015 US Open qualifying wild cards. The champions will also get wild cards into two USTA Pro Circuit events, while each runner-up will get one.
The USTA today released the names of the 16 participants--eight men and eight women--who will play in the inaugural American Collegiate Invitational September 4-6 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
On Monday, the USTA released the names of those on the 2014 USTA Collegiate Team, who are automatically included in the ACI field. The women are: Jamie Loeb(North Carolina), Jennifer Brady(UCLA), Robin Anderson(UCLA), Kristie Ahn(Stanford), Danielle Collins(Virginia) and Julia Elbaba(Virginia). The men's team consists of UCLA's Clay Thompson, Marcos Giron and Mackenzie McDonald, Ohio State's Peter Kobelt, Virginia's Mitchell Frank and Pepperdine's Alex Sarkissian. All six of the men's team members are in the ACI field, but Anderson is not in the women's field, replaced by Hayley Carter of North Carolina.
The additional two participants for each competition must have completed their collegiate eligibility, although I've been told that might change next year. NCAA regulations require that some of the competitors no longer be eligible for college competition. This year, only one woman on the USTA National Collegiate Team--Kristie Ahn--has exhausted her eligibility, but four of the men had, with Thompson, Kobelt and Sarkissian all graduating and Giron deciding to turn pro.
In any case, the criteria for this year's event states the additional two participants, taken from the ITA final rankings, must have completed their eligibility, with Raymond Sarmiento of Southern Cal, Greg Andrews of Notre Dame, Olivia Janowicz and Alex Cercone of Florida receiving entry via that method.
The 12 participants will receive the same player credentials as participants in the men's and women's tournaments and the USTA is paying for their transportation, meals and accommodations. The winners have an opportunity to get US Open wild cards based on their WTA/ATP rankings at the 2015 cutoff for entry. From the release:
The winners of the American Collegiate Invitational will receive main draw wild card entries into 2015 US Open, if the men’s champion is ranked No. 250 or better and the women’s champion No. 150 or better. Otherwise, the winners will receive 2015 US Open qualifying wild cards. The champions will also get wild cards into two USTA Pro Circuit events, while each runner-up will get one.
Jumat, 25 Juli 2014
Girls 18 USTA Clay Courts Recap, Slideshow and Videos
In less than a week, qualifying for the Boys and Girls 16s and 18s National Championships will begin, but before we start anticipating that, it's time to take a final look back at last week's USTA Clay Court championships. My review of the Girls 18s in Memphis is up this afternoon on the Tennis Recruiting Network, but make sure you read all eight articles on one of the three individual gold ball events remaining in the USTA junior tournament structure. Links to all eight articles can be found at the bottom of my recap at TR Net.
A slideshow of the top performers in Memphis and videos of finalists Katerina Stewart and Kennedy Shaffer are below.
A slideshow of the top performers in Memphis and videos of finalists Katerina Stewart and Kennedy Shaffer are below.
Jumat, 11 Juli 2014
Wimbledon Junior Recap; Rubin Chooses Wake Forest; Sock, Min, Rogers Reach First Career ATP/WTA Semifinals; Kerznerman, DiLorenzo Top Seeds at 18s Clay Courts in Delray Beach and Memphis
Due to the restrictions imposed on print/online media credentialed at Wimbledon, which does not allow them to photograph play, I won't be producing a slideshow or videos from this year's junior tournament. But my recap, which focuses on the boys final featuring Noah Rubin and Stefan Kozlov, is available today at the Tennis Recruiting Network. (If you have access to WatchESPN, a replay of the boys final is available).
Rubin, who was honored by the New York Mets at last night's game, announced today that he will attend Wake Forest this fall. Wake Forest head coach Tony Bresky was at Wimbledon throughout Rubin's run to the final; the recruiting battle was between Virginia, where Bresky was an assistant for seven years under Brian Boland, and Wake Forest, where Bresky is entering his third year as head coach.
When asked at Wimbledon (prior to the final) why he had decided to attend college, this is what Rubin said:
"I've been playing pros for a while now and the thing that got my father and I thinking about college is the peak of professional tennis players. You look in the book of Wimbledon and you're seeing 29, 30 (year-old players) all over the place. It's not 18-year-olds, like Nadal, winning slams anymore. So that year of maturity, mentally or physically, I think is important."
Three 20-something Americans reached their first Tour semifinals today. Twenty-year-old Grace Min, 2011 US Open girls champion, made the semifinals of the WTA International-level event in Austria, where she will play Andrea Petkovic of Germany, the No. 4 seed, on Saturday. Qualifier Shelby Rogers, who picked up her first WTA Top 20 win over No. 3 seed Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain on Thursday in Austria, backed that win up today with a win over No. 7 seed and WTA No. 39 Camila Giorgi of Italy in the quarterfinals. The 21-year-old Rogers will play No. 2 seed Sara Errani of Italy in Saturday's semifinal.
At the ATP 250 Hall of Fame tournament in Newport, Rhode Island, No. 7 seed Jack Sock defeated top seed John Isner 6-4, 7-6(4) and will face No. 3 seed Lleyton Hewitt of Australia in Saturday's semifinals. Hewitt defeated Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-4 to advance. Sock's surprise Wimbledon men's doubles title with Vasek Pospisil of Canada appears to have been a catalyst in singles, as he beat Isner for the first time in four meetings.
The USTA Clay Court championships will begin on Sunday for most age divisions, although qualifying in the 16s and 18s began Thursday. Defending champion Dan Kerznerman is the top seed at the Boys 18s in Delray Beach, with 16s Easter Bowl champion John McNally the top seed in the 16s.
Francesca DiLorenzo is the top seed at the Girls 18s in Memphis, which I will begin covering live on Sunday. Katerina Stewart, who has a WTA ranking of 547 after back-to-back titles at $10Ks last month, is seeded fifth. The TennisLink sites for all age divisions are below:
Boys 12s in Winston-Salem, NC
Girls 12s in Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Boys 14s in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Girls 14s in Plantation, FL
Girls 16s in Virginia Beach, VA
Boys 16s & 18s in Delray Beach, FL
Girls 18s in Memphis, TN
Rubin, who was honored by the New York Mets at last night's game, announced today that he will attend Wake Forest this fall. Wake Forest head coach Tony Bresky was at Wimbledon throughout Rubin's run to the final; the recruiting battle was between Virginia, where Bresky was an assistant for seven years under Brian Boland, and Wake Forest, where Bresky is entering his third year as head coach.
When asked at Wimbledon (prior to the final) why he had decided to attend college, this is what Rubin said:
"I've been playing pros for a while now and the thing that got my father and I thinking about college is the peak of professional tennis players. You look in the book of Wimbledon and you're seeing 29, 30 (year-old players) all over the place. It's not 18-year-olds, like Nadal, winning slams anymore. So that year of maturity, mentally or physically, I think is important."
Three 20-something Americans reached their first Tour semifinals today. Twenty-year-old Grace Min, 2011 US Open girls champion, made the semifinals of the WTA International-level event in Austria, where she will play Andrea Petkovic of Germany, the No. 4 seed, on Saturday. Qualifier Shelby Rogers, who picked up her first WTA Top 20 win over No. 3 seed Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain on Thursday in Austria, backed that win up today with a win over No. 7 seed and WTA No. 39 Camila Giorgi of Italy in the quarterfinals. The 21-year-old Rogers will play No. 2 seed Sara Errani of Italy in Saturday's semifinal.
At the ATP 250 Hall of Fame tournament in Newport, Rhode Island, No. 7 seed Jack Sock defeated top seed John Isner 6-4, 7-6(4) and will face No. 3 seed Lleyton Hewitt of Australia in Saturday's semifinals. Hewitt defeated Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-4 to advance. Sock's surprise Wimbledon men's doubles title with Vasek Pospisil of Canada appears to have been a catalyst in singles, as he beat Isner for the first time in four meetings.
The USTA Clay Court championships will begin on Sunday for most age divisions, although qualifying in the 16s and 18s began Thursday. Defending champion Dan Kerznerman is the top seed at the Boys 18s in Delray Beach, with 16s Easter Bowl champion John McNally the top seed in the 16s.
Francesca DiLorenzo is the top seed at the Girls 18s in Memphis, which I will begin covering live on Sunday. Katerina Stewart, who has a WTA ranking of 547 after back-to-back titles at $10Ks last month, is seeded fifth. The TennisLink sites for all age divisions are below:
Boys 12s in Winston-Salem, NC
Girls 12s in Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Boys 14s in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Girls 14s in Plantation, FL
Girls 16s in Virginia Beach, VA
Boys 16s & 18s in Delray Beach, FL
Girls 18s in Memphis, TN
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