Tennessee Friends Meet in Boys Final; Zsilinszka Reaches Second Straight Spring Nationals Final; Doubles Champions Crowned

Tennessee Friends Meet in Boys Final; Zsilinszka Reaches Second Straight Spring Nationals Final; Doubles Champions Crowned~~~
©Colette Lewis 2006
Mobile--

When Davey Sandgren and Houston Barrick take the court Saturday morning at the Mobile Tennis Center, there are several sure things: A resident of the Volunteer state will win his first gold ball, they will know each other's games, and the sportsmanship will be unparalleled.

Sandgren, the second seed, and Barrick, a five seed, were regular practice partners in suburban Nashville until Sandgren entered the University of Tennessee in January. Although both won National Championships balls in doubles on Friday--Sandgren a bronze and Barrick a silver, neither has ever played for a National title. As for court demeanor, Sandgren, 18, will be traveling to Newport this summer to accept a national junior sportsmanship award, and Barrick, who won the 16s National sportsmanship award last summer in Kalamazoo, added another trophy Friday when he received the Spring Nationals 18s award.

Sandgren, a 6-3, 2-6, 6-0 victor over Rook Schellenberg of Texas in the semifinals, knows he can't have any lapses if he's to stop the talented sixteen-year-old high school junior. Barrick, a five seed, dispatched George Navas with an efficient 6-2, 6-4 display of power tennis.

"He's got big strokes," Barrick said of Navas, a nine seed. "He's kind of scary sometimes because you don't ever know what's coming. He can turn on a dime sometimes and you have no clue."

But Barrick showed no signs of being puzzled or caught off guard, and forced Navas into going for too much too often.
"I returned real well, second serves especially," Barrick said. "And ground strokes, I just had to neutralize them and keep it away from his forehand."


It is not his defense that has earned him six consecutive straight-set victories, however. "I had to serve well, like always," said Barrick who admitted he toned down his usual serve and volley game in deference to Navas' return. "Hold, that's the important thing, so I concentrated on my first serve."

Sandgren hopes that he can engage Barrick in the kind of battle he had with Schellenberg, with a barrage of big serves and heavy ground strokes.

"My goal tomorrow is to have a long match," said Sandgren who lost to Barrick 6-0, 7-5 last October in a Southern Designated tournament. "I want to make him work for it. He's not going to win it in an hour. If I lose, it's going to be at least three sets."

Barrick sees himself in the ideal situation, as the upstart with nothing to lose.

"I'm the youngster out here, everyone else can vote. I'm only 16 so I'm kind of taking it and running with it. Just go out and play some tennis and have some fun."

As dominant as Barrick has been on the boys side, Reka Zsilinszka, the second seed, has been even more so among the girls. Friday she faced nemesis Melissa Saiontz, who had a 2-1 record against the sixteen-year-old from North Carolina. But Zsilinszka's one win was in straight sets last month, and she demonstrated once again that tennis isn't always about power, frustrating Saiontz by a typically one-sided 6-2, 6-1 score.

"I thought I played well," said Zsilinszka, who lost in the 2005 Spring Nationals to Lindsay Burdette. "I had to adjust my game, because Melissa is way too solid to wait for her to miss. I tried to be more agressive today, hit with more power."

Saiontz, who will be attending Princeton in the fall, frequently vocalized her frustration, sometimes shrieking in disbelief when Zsilinzska forced an error, or returned a sure winner. But Zsilinszka never let the drama perturb her.

"Everyone has their own way of fighting. I think it helps keep her motivated, and it doesn't bother me," she said. "This year I've been staying really calm. I've had good composure all week."

Trying to dent that attitude will be fourth seed Lauren Lui, who will be attending Northwestern this fall. The lefthander from Houston, described by Zsiliniszka as a "beautiful player," was able to close out unseeded Claire Rietsch in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4.

"Claire is known to hit winners and make errors," said Lui. "I had to stay consistent and stay in the point." She admitted that winning the first set, after having dropped it in her two previous victories helped. "It was a little more comfortable. I could just got at it in the second."

Lui will be the underdog in the final, given that she lost to Zsilinszka 6-1, 6-4 the last time they met, at the 2005 National Clay Courts in Memphis. And her opponent, who is now on a eighteen match winning streak in junior events this year, is playing with confidence and poise at what she calls "her good luck tournament." So Lui faces a stern challenge in an attempt to win her first gold ball.

The consolation finals on Saturday will feature unseeded Julia Boserup against Magdalena Bresson, a five seed. For the boys, number one seed Reid Carleton, upset in the first round by Eric Quigley, has made his way through to the consolation finals, assisted today by two walkovers. Carleton will play Roy Kalmanovich, a nine seed, for fifth place.

The gold balls in girls doubles went to Texans Sanaz Marand and Ashley Weinhold, the second seeds, who won two matches on Saturday-- a tough three-setter over Holly Johnson and Caitlin Whoriskey in the semifinals and a 6-1, 6-1 victory over unseeded Jennifer Meredith and Connor Vogel in the final.

Matt Allare of Ohio and Calvin Bennett of Utah took the boys doubles championship with a 7-5, 6-4 decison over Barrick and Quigley. Both teams were unseeded. In the third place match, the bronze balls went to Sandgren and Tyler Davis, who defeated Geoffrey Embry and Will Guzick 7-6 (7), 1-6, 6-4.


For full draws see usta.com and for additional tournament coverage, visit collegeandjuniortennis.com.