Sets and Games Decide Winners at USTA Spring Team Championships

©Colette Lewis 2014
Mobile, AL--

The first day of play in the USTA's Spring Team Championships extended until 9 pm, with some teams advancing easily into the quarterfinals and others needing mathematical calculations to move on.

In the boys division, the Buccaneers downed the Falcons 6-6, 11-10 and the Cowboys defeated the Jaguars 6-6, 12-10, with the second score being the number of sets won, the first tiebreaker.  There was only one three-setter in the Buccaneers win with but the fact that William Genesen of the Buccaneers took a set from Alex Phillips at No. 1 16s tipped the scales in his team's favor. The grueling match, which lasted over three and a half hours, was the focus of the cheering for all the players on both teams who had already finishing their matches.

The Cowboys and Jaguars played two three-setters and although the Jaguars won both, it wasn't enough.  One of the Cowboys who had plenty of opportunity to support his teammates was Faris Khan, playing the No. 1 12s position, after his 6-0, 6-0 win.

"It's the first time I've played one of these tournaments," said the sixth grader from John Newcombe's Academy in New Braunfels, Texas. "It's fun, it's just more fun having a team with you."

Unlike most of the players, who are meeting their teammates for the first time at this tournament, Khan trains with the No. 1 18s player on his team, Henry Gordon.  Gordon, who lost to Walker Duncan 6-3, 7-6(4), enjoys the mentoring experience.

"This event is definitely unique and I like it a lot," said Gordon, a high school junior. "There are kids from all age divisions, and I'm kind of like a big brother here to all the younger kids. It's good watching all of them, seeing how they develop, it's real fun."

In his match with Duncan, Gordon was down two breaks at 3-0 in the second set, but came back, only to have Duncan take it in a tiebreaker.

"It was a tough loss, but I'm happy with how I competed," Gordon said. "I played well."

Although disappointed, Gordon said he knew he had to forget about it and support his team.

"Right after I lost it was tough, but right after I lost I made sure I cheered on my team a lot," said Gordon. "I don't know about other people, but for me that makes a world of difference in how I feel. Every single point counted today."

The match didn't go exactly as Cowboys coach John Sherwood thought it would.

"If I were predicting ahead of time, I would have said we would have been a little more successful at the top of our lineup in doubles and in singles, and it turned out completely the opposite," Sherwood said. "We won it with the younger players and the bottom of the lineup. Everybody fought hard and it really came down to who won the most sets. You've got to win one way or another, and at the end of the day, there's no pictures on the scorecard, it's still a win."

The girls matches, which began at 1:30 pm in warm and sunny conditions, didn't end until nearly 9 pm, with two matches going to tiebreakers, and the closest contest yet decided by number of games won.  The Firecrackers and the Sharks were tied in points at 6, and in sets at 11, so the format's second tiebreaker, games won, was invoked.

Players from both teams gathered excitedly around the tournament desk where the calculations were being made. The anticipation caused the volume of their conversations to reach such a pitch they were asked to move a few yards back so those counting games could concentrate on the task of determining the winner.  After the announcement that the Firecrackers had won 115 games to 110, the Sharks coach asked to check the numbers, so the Firecrackers had to wait for what they were calling a "recount." When the number was confirmed, another cheer came from the girls and their parents, and coach John Meinicke could relax.

"That was exciting, but that's what we came here for," said Meinicke, whose team trailed 3-1 after the doubles. "The kids worked hard and it was a lot of fun.  We knew going into the last match that we had to win it and if we did, we'd be tied, and then it was just what the tiebreaker was going to be, and we weren't sure where we were, but we knew it was going to be close."

The Firecrackers Lea Ma defeated Somer Henry 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 at 14s No. 2, leading to the gathering at the tournament desk and the tallies necessary to determine a winner.

A few minutes later, the second girls match to end tied also needed calculations, with the Pirates defeating the Angels 6-6, 11-10, with Marya Lucia of the Pirates taking a set from Alyssa Dimaio at 12s No. 2 to put the Pirates into the quarterfinals.

The complete team results are below.

For all the individual results and the draw, see the TennisLink site.

BOYS:
Raiders def. Titans 7-5
Saints def. Seahawks 7-5
Vikings def. Bears 8-4
Eagles def. Lions 8-4
Buccaneers def. Falcons 6-6, 11-10
Patriots def. Broncos 9-3
Rams def. Panthers 8-4
Cowboys def. Jaguars 6-6, 12-10

GIRLS:
Firecrackers def. Sharks 6-6 11-11 110-105
Red Hawks def. Bengals 8-4
Lynx def. Devils 9-3
Pirates def. Angels 6-6, 11-10
Lightning def. Stingrays 10-2
Leopards def. Blue Jays 8-4
Diamondbacks def. Dolphins 9-3
Tornadoes def. Ninjas 8-4

Play Begins Monday in USTA Spring Team Championships; Sportsmanship is Theme of Second Practice Day

Photos of each team's eight competitors were posted today

©Colette Lewis 2014--
Mobile, AL--

The second day of the USTA Spring Team Championships was similar to the first, with beautiful weather, two-a-day practices and team bonding.

Several of the teams developed huddle cheers to use prior to their matches, and a few coaches set up scrimmages with other teams to get their players ready for the competition.

After the first boys practice and before the girls first practice, an extremely well-attended player meeting was held with the topic of sportsmanship the focus.

USTA Director of Junior Competition Lew Brewer opened the meeting by asking for a show of hands from those who had received a bad call during a match.  Predictably, most hands were raised, but when he asked how many had given their opponents a bad call, only a few confessed.  Brewer went on to make the point that everyone makes mistakes, and not every bad call is evidence of cheating. But he emphasized that in the majority of USTA junior matches, the player must rely on his opponent, and reminded his audience that the Golden Rule was an excellent model for all players to use.

Brewer then asked 18s competitor Jessie Aney to read the new USTA Junior Player Promise to the group, with the Olympic oath mentioned as an inspiration for it.  Brewer said this will be a part of every National Championship beginning this year, and hopes that it becomes a part of sectional play as well.

I recognize that tennis is a sport that places the responsibility for fair play on me. I promise to abide by the rules of the game, which require me to give the benefit of the doubt to my opponent. At all times, I shall strive to compete with the true spirit of sportsmanship, recognizing that my behavior on the court is a direct reflection of my character. Whether this match ends with my victory or defeat, I promise to conduct myself in a way that honors my opponents, my team, those who support me, and the game of tennis.

The 32 national coaches, most of whom are affiliated with USTA Regional Training Centers, have been asked to lead their teams in reciting the promise before matches begin on Monday.

In the next part of the meeting, former Davis Cup captain and current USTA National Coach Tom Gullikson spoke about the concept of sportsmanship at the highest levels of the game.  Gullikson asked who the ATP sportsmanship trophy is named after, and was suitably impressed when one of the older competitors in the tournament responded with the correct answer--Stefan Edberg.  Gullikson spoke of Edberg, his career and his new coaching arrangement with Roger Federer, who was the first and nearly only choice of the audience when asked for the game's current top sportsman or sportswoman.

The first matches begin with the boys, at 8:30 am CDT.  All eight dual matches will be played at the same time.  Four doubles matches will be played, followed by the four matches in the 18s and 16s, then the four matches in the 14s and 12s (this schedule is for the first day only). At 1:30 pm, the girls take the court with the same schedule.

Obviously, it will be difficult for me to cover all eight matches (I struggle with two at NCAAs and Team Indoors) and to know when a match is critical. Say what you will about the college format, when it comes down to the last match on at 3-3, everyone knows what the score is and what's at stake. Here, with 12 points on the line, not seven, a team may know they will win if they have a 6-5 lead, but with a formula needed to decide who wins the match if it's 6-6, the true sudden death element that you find in college tennis is not possible.

The results should be available at the TennisLink site, but I will try to tweet them as soon as I can confirm them.

As of now, the girls lineups are available on TennisLink by choosing the "Select a Flight" option. I'm sure the boys lineups will be available soon.

Draw Ceremony, Practice Sessions Highlight Opening Day of USTA Spring Team Championships; Stewart Reaches Gainesville Final; Rublev, Myneni Win Futures Titles

USTA's Lew Brewer speaks at the draw ceremony

©Colette Lewis 2014--
Mobile, AL--

After nine years hosting the USTA 18s Spring National Championships, the Mobile Tennis Center has a completely different tournament on its schedule, with the USTA discontinuing the Spring National Championships for all age divisions and instead bringing the four age groups together for a new team event and format.

Each team will be made up of 2 players from the 12s, 2 from the 14s, 2 from the 16s and 2 from the 18s. Rather than representing sections, as the Intersectionals and 18s Team Championships do, these teams are created by the tournament, balancing the teams according to USTA rankings.  All eight singles matches in each dual are already set, with the 32 National coaches, most of whom are affiliated with USTA Regional Training Centers, having no leeway.  The top-ranked 18s player on each team plays, the second-ranked 18s players play, and on down the list.

Coaches can put their four doubles teams together as they wish, with no ranking or age restrictions, and each of the four doubles matches counts for one point. Each of the eight singles matches also count for one point, so there is the possibility of a tie, which is broken by percentage of sets won, or should that not break the tie, percentage of games won.

The eight No. 1 18s players for boys are: William Little, Daniel Grunberger, Jacob Hansen, McClain Kessler, Robert Seby, William Griffith, Walker Duncan, Trey Yates, Spencer Furman, Augustus Ge, Dennis Wang, Michael Tran, Henry Gordon, Josh Silverstein, Eric Rutledge, Korey Lovett.

The eight No. 1 18s players for girls are: Gabrielle Smith, Alexandria Najarian, Andie Daniell, Jessie Aney, Katherine Fahey, Anna Sanford, Allison Miller, Meghan Kelley, Ellie Zogg, Caroline Turner, Madison Westby, Olivia Sneed, Amy Yang, Karina Traxler, Lauren Goodman, Emma Davis.

The complete list of who is on what team can be found on the TennisLink site.  Unfortunately, TDM isn't set up to provide these kinds of compass draws at the moment, so I will provide Monday's first round matches by team names.  Theoretically, all teams are equal, so there is no seeding.

Girls draw:
Firecrackers v. Sharks
Bengals v. Red Hawks
Devils v. Lynx
Pirates v. Angels
Stingrays v. Lightning
Leopards v. Blue Jays
Dolphins v. Diamondbacks
Ninjas v. Tornados

Boys draw:
Titans v. Raiders
Seahawks v. Saints
Vikings v. Bears
Lions v. Eagles
Falcons v. Buccaneers
Broncos v. Patriots
Rams v. Panthers
Jaguars v. Cowboys

Two practices were held today for each team, to get to know the coach and each other, and Scott and Lorraine Novak, who run the municipal tennis center and its tournaments, were busy throughout the day distributing team shirts donated by Nike, explaining the rules and format and establishing traditions.  The Mobile Azalea Trail Maids helped with the draw, providing a burst of spring pastels and issuing a high five to every player for good luck.

USTA coach Tom Gullikson spoke briefly to the players about running down every ball, playing every point with full effort and keeping their composure throughout the tournament.  Lew Brewer, USTA Director of Junior Competition, was on hand to welcome the players to the new tournament, and asked them to thank not just the Novaks and those involved in organizing the tournament, but to appreciate the sacrifices their parents had made so they could compete in it.

A free lunch catered by Outback Steakhouse was provided to coaches, parents and players alike before the second set of practices began on the mild and partly cloudy day.

Sunday will also be a practice day, with a special address by Gullikson on the topic of "Sportsmanship and Benefits of Team Competition for Top US Junior Players."

In ITF men's and women's circuit action today, 16-year-old Katerina Stewart reached her first professional final, defeating fellow qualifier Renata Zarazua of Mexico 7-5, 6-4 in the Gainesville $10,000 tournament.  Stewart, from Miami, will play top seed Katerina Kramperova of the Czech Republic in Sunday's final.  Kramperova has already collected the doubles title, partnering compatriot Nicola Frankova. The top seeds beat unseeded Roxanne and Sierra Ellison (San Diego State) 6-4, 6-3 in the final.

Former Alabama All-American Saketh Myneni of India collected his ninth Futures title, but first this year, in a $10,000 Futures in India. The 26-year-old top seed defeated No. 3 seed Sanam Singh (Virginia) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the final. Singh and Myneni won the doubles title on Friday.

Sixteen-year-old Andrey Rublev of Russia claimed his second career Futures title, this one in Kazakhstan.  The No. 7 seed defeated unseeded Yaraslau Shyla of Belarus 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the final of the $10,000 tournament.

Oklahoma Hands No. 1 Ohio State First Defeat; UCLA Women Down USC; Renaud Claims Grade 2 in South Africa; Three Junior Qualifiers Reach Gainesville $10K Semis

Oklahoma handed the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes their first loss of the season tonight in Norman, with the No. 4 Sooners claiming a 4-1 victory.

Oklahoma won the doubles point, with Oklahoma's Guillermo Alcorta and Axel Alvarez posting an 8-4 win over Herkko Pollanen and Hunter Callahan at line 2. The other two doubles matches went to tiebreakers, with Peter Kobelt and Kevin Metka of Ohio State winning at 1 over Dane Webb and Andrew Harris 8-7(2), but Oklahoma's Nick Papac and Peerakit Siributwong secured the point with an 8-7(3) victory over Ralf Steinbach and Chris Diaz at 3.

Oklahoma kept the momentum at the beginning of singles play, taking five first sets from the Buckeyes. Harris made it 2-0 Sooners with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Diaz at 3, but Steinbach closed the gap with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Siributwong at line 5.  Austin Siegel dealt the Buckeyes a real blow when he handed Callahan his first dual match loss of the season at line 6 by a 6-2, 7-5 score, with Callahan 15-0 coming into the match.  Up 3-1, the Sooners needed just one more point, but it wasn't going to come at No. 1, where Kobelt had earned a third set with Alvarez, or at No. 2, where Pollanen had taked the second from Alcorta.  The only chance for a quick end to the match resided with Webb, who had led 6-4, 4-2 over Metka at line 4.  When the other two matches split, Webb and Metka were at 5-5 in the second set, and Webb took the last two games of the match for a 6-4, 7-5 win. For more on the match, see the Ohio State website and Oklahoma website.

In another upset today in men's tennis, unranked Ole Miss beat No. 13 Tennessee 4-1 in Knoxville, after losing the doubles point to the Volunteers.

On the women's side, No. 3 UCLA quickly dispatched No. 6 Southern Cal, playing without injured Sabrina Santamaria, 4-0, with the doubles point and wins from Catherine Harrison, Jennifer Brady and Kyle McPhillips. The match was played out, with the final score 5-2, but the Bruins proved too much for USC on this day.

In ITF Junior action, Floridian Johnnise Renaud, who recently committed to Georgia Tech, won a Grade 2 in South Africa.  Renaud, the No. 1 seed, defeated unseeded Hana Mraz of Slovenia 7-6(6), 7-6(0) in the final.  Unseeded qualifier Thomas Brechemier of France won the boys title.  Renaud had reached the final of this tournament in 2013, and then went on to win the Grade 2 the following week. She is scheduled to defend her title there next week.

At the $10,000 women's Pro Circuit event in Gainesville, Florida, three junior qualifiers have joined the No. 1 seed in the semifinals.  Because rain washed out play on Thursday, both second round and quarterfinal matches were played today.  Mexico's Renata Zarazua, 16, Czech Republic's Marie Bouzkova, 15, and American Katerina Stewart, 16, are joined in the semifinals by 25-year-old top seed Katerina Kramperova of the Czech Republic.  The young Minnesota pair of Jessie Aney and Ingrid Neel have reached the doubles semifinal.  Complete draws can be found here.

At the $25,000 ITF Women's Circuit in Mexico, Connie Hsu(Penn) has reached the singles semifinals and Denise Muresan(Michigan) is in the doubles final.

At the $10,000 Futures in India, top seeds Sanam Singh(Virginia) and Saketh Myneni(Alabama) won the doubles title, and will play for the singles title on Saturday.  The pair have already claimed two Challenger doubles titles this year in their home country of India.

UCLA Squeezes Past Virginia in NCAA Team Final Rematch; ITA Partners with Universal Tennis Ratings; Townsend Beats Knapp at BNP Paribas Open

 Given the setting, the significance and the circumstances of their last meeting in the NCAA final (see yesterday's post for more on that), the UCLA-Virginia match today couldn't possibly top it.  But it came darn close, with five of the six singles matches going to three sets, with the last three all in third-set tiebreakers when Bruin Marcos Giron beat Alex Domijan at line 2 to clinch the win for UCLA.

UCLA got a huge boost by winning the doubles point, which has been a weak spot for them all season.  But a couple of new combinations paid off, with Gage Brymer and Mackenzie McDonald clinching the point at No. 3 with an 8-5 win over Thai Kwiatkowski and Mac Styslinger.

Once singles began, UCLA won four first sets in singles, but Virginia came back in three of those, while UCLA forced a third set in the two matches when they lost the first set.  The only straight-set win went to Mackenzie McDonald, who beat Ryan Shane 7-5, 6-4 at line 3, and the score was 2-0 UCLA for a long time.

Kwiatkowski put Virginia on the board with a 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-2 win over Karue Sell at line 5, and Clay Thompson got a late break over Mitchell Frank at 1 to win 7-6(1), 3-6, 7-5, making it 3-1 UCLA. By that time, Giron and Domijan, Styslinger and Brymer (at 4) and Joe DiGiulio and Justin Shane (at 6) were all in tiebreakers. Virginia needed to win all three, of course, and Giron prevented a last-match-on scenario with his 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4) win.  The other two matches did finish, with Styslinger and Shane getting the wins for a 4-3 score that still doesn't convey just how close the match was.  There's many, many matches to be played between now and the NCAAs in May, but few are likely to be that closely contested on every court.  Accounts of the match can be found at the UCLA website and the Virginia website.

There are two big Top 10 clashes on Friday, with the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes traveling to Norman to play No. 4 Oklahoma in men's play, and No. 6 USC hosting No. 3 UCLA in women's play.

============================================
#3 UCLA 4, #2 Virginia 3
Mar 06, 2014 at Los Angeles, CA (Los Angeles Tennis Center)

Doubles
1. Domijan/J. Shane (VA) def. Giron/Sell (UCLA) 8-4
2. Di Giulio/Thompson (UCLA) def. Luca Corinteli/Frank (VA) 8-3
3. Brymer/McDonald (UCLA) def. Kwiatkowski/Styslinger (VA) 8-5

Singles
1. #1 Clay Thompson (UCLA) def. #4 Mitchell Frank (VA) 7-6(1), 3-6, 7-5
2. #5 Marcos Giron (UCLA) def. #92 Alex Domijan (VA) 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4)
3. #35 Mackenzie McDonald (UCLA) def. Ryan Shane (VA) 7-5, 6-4
4. #73 Mac Styslinger (VA) def. #74 Gage Brymer (UCLA) 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5)
5. Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (VA) def. #98 Karue Sell (UCLA) 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-2
6. Justin Shane (VA) def. Joseph Di Giulio (UCLA) 1-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(4)
Match Notes
Virginia 9-2; National ranking #2
UCLA 10-1; National ranking #3
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (3,5,1,2,6,4)
============================================

The ITA announced today an enhanced partnership with the Universal Tennis Rating System, which seeks to rate every competitive player regardless of age.  Based on the French rating model, the system is designed to promote more local play between juniors and older competitors, and to allow players to better judge the level of competition when selecting tournaments to compete in.

A Frequently Asked Questions document about the system is available here.

Wild card Taylor Townsend, who will be 18 next month, picked up her first WTA Top 50 win today at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.  Townsend, who also won her first round match there last year, beat No. 49 Karin Knapp of Italy 7-6(1), 6-1 and will play No. 20 seed Flavia Pennetta, also of Italy, in the second round.  Wild card Vicky Duval led 4-1 in the final set, but lost to Alisa Kleybanova of Russia 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in their nearly three-hour first round meeting today.  Donna Vekic of Croatia, another teenage wild card, beat qualifier Olivia Rogowska of Australia 6-2, 6-0.

In the all-American matches, Tim Smyczek beat wild card Jack Sock 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 and Michael Russell(Miami) defeated Donald Young 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Many first round matches are still on the schedule for this evening. See the tournament website for results and draws.

Tennis.com Looks Back at UCLA-Virginia NCAA Final; Kosakowski Qualifies at BNP Paribas Open; ITF Grade 1 Carson Acceptances

UVA's Mitchell Frank exhorts crowd in NCAA Team final versus UCLA

Last week I was contacted by Tom McFerson, who was putting together an oral history of last year's NCAA Men's Team final between UCLA and Virginia for tennis.com.  With the two teams meeting Thursday for the first time since that memorable final, McFerson spoke with Mitchell Frank, Adrien Puget, Billy Martin, Brian Boland and me about that dramatic and heart-breaking finish. If you weren't in Champaign that day last May, or even if you were, read what Tom has put together on a truly memorable match.  And if you are so inclined, please comment on that post, which may help assure future features on college tennis.

Yesterday, I was asked by tennis.com's online editor Ed McGrogan to do a short podcast on college tennis, which can be found here.  There is some discussion of the Virginia - UCLA rematch, but mostly I discuss the current contenders for the NCAA team championships, the value of college tennis for aspiring professionals, and the format experiments. Again, if there is enough interest, I think tennis.com might do another podcast on college tennis prior to the NCAAs in May, so please give it a listen.

Speaking of college tennis, two former college players qualified for the BNP Paribas Open.  Dan Kosakowski, who played one year at UCLA in 2010-11, defeated No. 3 seed and ATP No. 95 David Goffin of Belgium 6-3, 6-2 one day after breezing past No. 16 seed Thiemo De Bakker of the Netherlands 6-1, 6-2.  Kosakowski's win over Goffin wasn't his best, ranking-wise, as he claimed victories in 2012 over No. 82 Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia in the second round of US Open qualifying and No. 85 Benjamin Becker of Germany in the first round of the Sacramento Challenger a month later, but he is now competing in his first Masters 1000 event on the ATP tour.  Kosakowski went through the prequalifying tournament at the BNP Paribas, but found out before the final was played that he would received entry into qualifying based on his protected ranking.  In this article, Kosakowski explains the shoulder injury that kept him off the circuit for six months last year.

Australian JP Smith, the eight-time All-American at the University of Tennessee, also reached the main draw of an ATP 1000 event for the first time.  Smith beat No. 12 seed Wayne Odesnik 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(1) Tuesday, and earned his place in the main draw with a 6-3, 7-5 win over No. 13 seed Andrej Martin of Slovakia today.

Alex Kuznetsov, seeded No. 11, and Robby Ginepri also reached the main draw with wins today.

The women's main draw began today, with Madison Keys, Lauren Davis and wild card Shelby Rogers posting first round wins.  World No. 1 junior Belinda Bencic of Switzerland lost to qualifier Heather Watson of Great Britain 7-5, 6-4.

Results, draws and the order of play can be found at the tournament website.

The acceptance lists for the ITF Grade 1 in Carson, which begins late this month, are out.  The ITF's No. 2 junior Stefan Kozlov will not be defending his title, but Francis Tiafoe(8) and Michael Mmoh(9) have entered, as has 2013 finalist Henrik Wiersholm and 2012 semifinalist Noah Rubin.  Naoki Nakagawa of Japan is the highest ranked international player entered, at 24. No ITF Top 10 girls are entered--Tornado Black and Louisa Chirico are not playing, but Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic and Sandra Samir of Egypt give the tournament two Top 20 players.  2013 semifinalist Christina Makarova is entered, as is Sofia Kenin, Johnnise Renaud, Dasha Ivanova and CiCi Bellis.

The complete list can be found at the ITF Junior site.