Unseeded Rietsch Reaches Spring National Girls Semis; Two Boys from Tennessee Make Final Four

Unseeded Rietsch Reaches Spring National Girls Semis; Two Boys from Tennessee Make Final Four ~~~
©Colette Lewis 2006
Mobile--

Claire Rietsch was bursting with excitement after her 7-5, 6-2 win over Julia Boserup in the girls 18s quarterfinals Thursday at the Mobile Tennis Center. As a semifinalist, she automatically receives a wild card to the Easter Bowl next month, and the seventeen-year-old Southern Californian has earned her first opportunity for a USTA National Championship ball.

Rietsch can strike the ball with authority, but in Thursday's match against her fourteen-year-old opponent, she tried a different tactic.

"She feeds on your pace," said Rietsch, who has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Southern Methodist in the fall. "I have a lot of junk in my game, and I used it today."

The first set was close all the way, but in the second set, Rietsch took control.

"My backhand was really working. She started missing and I also started serving better. And I wasn't as nervous, because I had won the first set."

Rietsch has not dropped set in the tournament, and will meet a seed for the first time in the semifinals--Lauren Lui, seeded fourth.

Lui once again came back after dropping the first set, this time defeating Mallory Cecil 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Cecil was up 3-0 in the second set and 3-1 in the third, but Lui, a placid lefthander, picked up her game before it was too late and forced Cecil into a defensive mode.

In the bottom half of the draw, doubles partners Magdalena Bresson (5) and Melissa Saiontz (3) collided in one quarterfinal, with Saiontz coming out on top 6-4, 7-6 (4). Saiontz, who hasn't dropped a set, will now face second seed Reka Zsilinszka, who has lost only ten games in five matches.

Zsilinszka dismissed unseeded Kristen Rafael 6-0, 6-1 and although Zsilinszka was the first of the quarterfinalists to finish, there still were many long, multi-deuce games.

"My game throws people off," said Zsilinszka, who has already won two national level tournaments this year. Using her high looping topspin and first rate defense, she has completely baffled the power hitters she has faced, and her plan Thursday was tailored specifically to Rafael.

"She's a very aggressive player, she likes to come in take control and when we played last time it was very close, 7-6, 6-4. I had to take it out of her strike zone, hit it low or high and deep. I chose consistency over power today."

Zsilinszka and Saiontz have met twice in the past three months, with Saiontz taking a three set win at the Winter Nationals and Zsilinszka avenging that loss with a 6-4,6-3 victory in last month's National Open in Tampa.


In boys action Thursday, Davey Sandgren and Houston Barrick, suburban Nashville practice partners and friends, took straight set wins in their singles quarterfinals and then faced each other in the doubles semifinals.

Second seed Sandgren, who is attending school at University of Tennessee this semester, came up with big serves when it mattered most and eliminated Adam Schwartz, a nine seed 6-3, 6-4.

"I served well, and his serve didn't hurt me," said Sandgren. "There were only two breaks in the match, and even when I got down (5-4 0-40 when serving for the match), I got three straight first serves in to get back in it."

Barrick, who turns seventeen next month, took a set to assess his opponent, unseeded Viju George, and then ran away with the match 6-4, 6-0.

"I had to serve well and I had to make him volley," said Barrick. "He didn't come up with the volleys when he needed to."

When Sandgren (with partner Tyler Davis), and Barrick (with partner Eric Quigley) met in the afternoon, it was a similar story. Sandgren and Davis had three set points at 5-6 in the first set, but Barrick and Quigley fought them off and cruised through the tiebreak and the second set for a 7-6 (1), 6-3 win. An unseeded team is now assured of winning the title on Friday when Barrick and Quigley take on Matt Allare and Calvin Bennett, who defeated Geoffrey Embry and Will Guzick 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.

In the singles semifinals on Friday, Sandgren meets Rook Schellenberg, a five seed from Dallas. Schellenberg pounded past Will Guzick, a nine seed, by a 6-2, 6-4 score.


Barrick will square off against George Navas, a nine seed, who won his quarterfinal match with Xavier Smith when Smith retired with an illness down 6-2, 2-0.

"I was definitely happy to have a short match," said Navas, a winner in three sets over Nick Meister on Wednesday. "I was worn out from my doubles matches," he said of the three-set marathons he and partner Michael O'Shea won Monday and Tuesday.

Navas and Smith, a five seed, had never played, but the Floridian did some advance scouting.

"I talked to some guys who had played him, and they said he hits every ball flat," the soon-to-be Michigan Wolverine said. "So I gave him no pace and just tried to get as many balls into the court as I could."


The girls doubles quarterfinals were played Thursday afternoon, but two girls still playing in the consolation draw prevented the semifinals from being played following the quarterfinals. Three unseeded teams and the second seeded team make up the semifinalists.

For complete draws see ustaboys.com.
For additional coverage of the USTA Spring Nationals visit collegeandjuniortennis.com.