Top Seed, Former Champion Advance to Quarterfinals at USTA Girls 18s Clay Courts

©Colette Lewis 2014--
Memphis, TN--

Drama was as absent as heat and humidity Wednesday in the fourth round of the USTA Girls 18s Clay Court Championships at the Racquet Club of Memphis.  A second consecutive day of low humidity and temperatures barely reaching 80 degrees was the backdrop for eight straight-set wins, with the last unseeded players exiting the main draw.

Top seed Francesca Di Lorenzo survived a tough test from Memphis resident Kenya Jones, a No. 17 seed, posting a 6-4, 6-4 victory.  Di Lorenzo served for each set at 5-3, but didn't close it either time.  In the first set, Jones led 40-0 serving at 4-5, but lost five straight points; in the final game of the match, the 16-year-old was serving at 4-5, 40-15 when the same rash of errors, this time four in a row, led to her demise.

Di Lorenzo will play No. 5 seed Katerina Stewart in Thursday's quarterfinals, after Stewart defeated No. 10 seed Brienne Minor 6-3, 6-2.  Stewart has now won 31 consecutive junior and pro circuit matches since her loss to Grace Min in March.  The other top half quarterfinal features No. 17 seed Gabriella Pollner against No. 8 seed Caroline Lampl.  Pollner defeated Melissa Lord, another No. 17 seed, 7-5, 7-6(5) in the day's tightest match, while Lampl downed unseeded Erica Oosterhout 6-2, 6-3. 

No. 4 seed Jessie Aney and No. 7 seed Kelly Chen will meet for the first time Thursday in one of the bottom half quarterfinals, with neither having come close to losing a set in their four wins this week.  Aney defeated Christina Rosca, a No. 17 seed, 6-3, 6-3, and Chen cruised past unseeded Rima Asatrian 6-0, 6-2.

Chen, 15,  is making her first appearance in Memphis, while Aney made her debut in Memphis last year as a 15-year-old, defeating top seed Spencer Liang in the second round. A year later Aney returns with additional experience but the same affinity for the surface.

"I don't play on it a whole lot, but I love it; it's my favorite surface," said the Rochester Minnesota resident, who is a star hockey player on her high school team. "I think I'm a good mover, so I can get to a lot more balls. And I'm pretty comfortable if I get to the net, I can finish the point off, even if they get a few extra balls back, I can finish the point. Also, my slice also sticks a little bit and my heavy ball kicks up more, so yeah, I like clay."

2011 champion Gabby Andrews will face fellow 17 seed Kennedy Shaffer in the fourth quarterfinal Thursday.  Andrews looked very much at home on show court 4 against unseeded Maddie Pothoff, taking a 6-2, 6-1 decision.  Shaffer, who defeated 15-year-old Dominique Schaefer 6-2, 6-3 on one of the lower three courts, will get her opportunity to be the center of attention on Thursday.

Although clay isn't her favorite surface, Shaffer has started to enjoy playing tennis again after a back injury kept her out of competition for several months earlier this year.

"I'm kind of coming out of a slump," said Shaffer, who recently made a verbal commitment to the University of Georgia for 2015. "It feels good just to be in matches. When I was off with my back injury, I came back very weakly--I was not winning, I was not doing well, I was not happy on the court.  So I took time before Clays to really work hard, make sure this was what I wanted, to put in the time and effort. It feels great to be out here playing good tennis again.  I don't care if I win, I don't care if I lose. Obviously you want to win, but it just feels so good to be playing well, competing my hardest. I've missed that so much."

Even though she trains at the Ivan Lendl Academy in Hilton Head, where Har-Tru is the prevalent surface, Shaffer is still learning to adapt her game to clay.

"I'm feeling really comfortable on clay for the first time in my life," said Shaffer, who is from Ohio. "I'm not really a clay court player. I'm a big hitter, I'm not really the best mover, so clay's a little bit of a struggle for me, but I'm starting to find my way around, work points, hit angles, move in. My slide is better--I can do it now. It's not great, but I can get around the court a little more efficiently."

Shaffer is looking forward to her first meeting with Andrews.

"I've never played her, but I know she's an amazing player," Shaffer said. "I'm excited to go out and play. I know how good she is, and she's a really nice person. You have to have respect for somebody who has won the title."

Due to rain in the forecast for Friday and Saturday, two rounds of doubles were played Wednesday evening, with the semifinals now set.

Mia Horvit and Stewart, a No. 9 seeded team, will play No. 3 seeds Di Lorenzo and Lauren Goodman. Andrews and Kenadi Hance, No. 9 seeds, face No. 8 seeds Lord and Jacqueline Urbinati, with both semifinals scheduled for 4 p.m. on Thursday.

For complete draws, see the TennisLink site.

At the Boys 18s Clay Courts, top seed and defending champion Danny Kerznerman lost to Tommy Paul in the round of 16.  For complete draws, see the TennisLink site.

Former Champion Andrews Tops No. 2 Seed Daniell, Lord Ousts Nelson in Girls 18s Clay Courts Third Round

©Colette Lewis 2014--
Memphis, TN--

Monday night's storms introduced cooler and less humid weather for Tuesday's third round of the USTA Girls 18s Clay Courts, and the change in the weather also produced a change in the fortunes of the top seeds, with No. 2 seed Andie Daniell and No. 3 seed Alexis Nelson exiting in straight sets.

Melissa Lord, a No. 17 seed, defeated Nelson 6-4, 6-2 adapting her game from the hard courts she usually plays on in New England.

"It's a slower game, so I have to use more spin," said the rising senior from Connecticut. "Since it's a slower game, basically you stay more consistent, spin the ball up when you want and hit more angles. They'll be more effective, drop shots will be more effective."

Lord led early, but Nelson, who was not having her best day, managed to get the break she surrendered in the opening game of the match to even the first set at 4.  She was immediately broken on a double fault however, and Lord served out the set.

Taking a 4-0 lead in the second set, Lord was cruising along but was broken to give one of the breaks back, with Nelson serving at 2-4.  Nelson, who will turn 16 next month, was broken at love in the next game, stalling any thoughts of a comeback, and Lord was home free.

"That game was very important," said Lord, who hasn't committed to a college yet. "She's a great player, and really tough mentally, so of course there was a chance she could come back. So that game was very vital to the whole match basically."

Lord was playing on Court 4, which features ballrunners and a microphone for the chair umpire. But just as with the dozens of college coaches watching the match, which she admitted was "a little intimidating," Lord was able to keep her mind within the lines.

"I've never had ball boys or anything, so that was a little different," said Lord, who is coached by Phil Gordon. "Being on that center court was a little nerve racking, but if you just focus on the court, you don't even notice your surroundings."

Lord will play Gabriella Pollner, a No. 17 seed, in the round of 16. Pollner defeated No. 16 seed Jaclyn Switkes 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-0.

Following Lord onto Court 4 was Gabby Andrews, who won the title back in 2011 as a 14-year-old. Comfortable on Court 4 and with an assist from her grandmother Shirley, who lives in Memphis, Andrews defeated Daniell 6-2, 6-4.

Californian Andrews, playing in Memphis for the fifth consecutive year, considers the city her second home, and having family and friends at every match gets her through some tough moments.  After four straight breaks in the second set, Andrews held to take a 5-4 lead, and in the final game, Daniell saved four match points before Andrews finally converted the fifth.

"She played a couple of great points," Andrews said, referring to Daniell's three big forehands that either were clean winners or forced errors on three match points. "I tried to stay calm but I was kind of pushing near the end. I couldn't really feel my flat shots like I usually do. So I just tried to keep the ball in play. I felt comfortable once we were in the rally. She'd find my weak points and I'd find her weak points. But I think I dictated...actually no, did I dictate most of the points?  Because I felt like I was pushing most of the match.

Although Andrews said her grandmother doesn't grasp all the intricacies of game, she does provide emotional support.

"She reminded me of some bible stories, she has this one story, it's a long one, about her grass. It's a confusing story, I couldn't even explain it," Andrews said. "And she was telling me encouraging stuff, like I've got this, you can do it, I believe in you, stuff like that. It helps."

Andrews also said having USTA National Coach Kathy Rinaldi at the tournament brought back some good memories for her.

"I saw Kathy here and I remembered all the trips, all that I experienced," said Andrews, who was on the 2010 ITF World Junior Tennis 14-and-under champion team and the 2012 ITF Junior Fed Cup 16-and-under champion team. "I think that experience helped me out today."

Andrews will play unseeded Maddie Pothoff in the round of 16 on Wednesday after Pothoff defeated Cassie Mercer, a No. 17 seed, 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 in a match played at the Memphis Country Club.

Top seed Francesca Di Lorenzo was cruising through her match with Mia Horvit leading 6-1, 3-1 when Horvit raised her game, forcing Di Lorenzo to earn the points she won.

Di Lorenzo served for the match twice, at 5-4 and 6-5, failing to get to match point either time, but she did avoid dropping her first set of the tournament, posting a 6-1, 7-6(4) win.

"The first set wasn't her best, but the second set she came out like she normally does, which made it a lot tougher," said Di Lorenzo, who turns 17 next week. "She was fighting, and that's what she always does, so I was expecting that."

Di Lorenzo, who lost in the 2012 Girls 16s Clay Court finals to Horvit, said she has improved her offense since then.

"I build a point better and I'm able to go from defense to offense much more quickly," said the Ohio resident. "I was usually behind the baseline, but I try to step in now, be a little bit more aggressive. In the 16s Clay Courts, I was on defense the whole match, so now I'm working my way into being more comfortable stepping into the ball, coming to net, hitting some volleys, closing out points more."

As a left-hander, Di Lorenzo is expected to look fondly on clay, and she does.

"I like it. I think it suits my game very well, my high topspin balls can get people off the court," Di Lorenzo said. "I like sliding, I like moving, and it slows the ball down for me, so it suits my game well."

In Wednesday's round of 16, Di Lorenzo will play hometown favorite Kenya Jones, a No. 17 seed, in the 8 a.m. match on Court 4. The 16-year-old Jones defeated No. 14 seed Olivia Sneed 6-4, 6-1 to advance.

No. 4 seed Jessie Aney avoided the upset bug buzzing around the Racquet Club Tuesday, defeating unseeded Kristen Thoms 6-2, 6-2.  No. 5 seed Katerina Stewart, playing at Memphis Country Club, had her first real test of the tournament, defeating No. 17 seed Emma Davis 7-6(5), 7-5.

For complete results, see the TennisLink site.

Top Seeds Stay on Course in Sweltering Memphis

©Colette Lewis 2014--
Memphis, TN--

Seeded players, who went 32 for 32 in Sunday's first round at the USTA Girls 18s Clay Courts, didn't have quite the same gaudy record in Monday's second round of play, with eight seeds losing.

None were in the top 8 however, with four in the 9-16 range and four No. 17 seeds headed to the back draw.

Second seed Andie Daniell, who had played a mid-afternoon match on Monday, was scheduled first on show court 4, against 14-year-old Ellie Douglas.  Daniell prevailed, 7-5, 6-1, but every game was long and physical in the opening set, which lasted well over an hour, with Douglas serving for it at 5-4.

The young Texan saved two break points from 0-40 down, but an unforced error on the backhand side gave Daniell the break for 5-5.  Daniell held, then broke Douglas again with a return winner, and from then on Douglas was unable to match Daniell's level.

"She was playing really well that first set," said Daniell, a 17-year-old from Douglasville Georgia, who has committed to the University of Alabama. "If she would have won it, I would have just had to refocus, keep trying. I felt my game started to go up, so I felt pretty confident whether I won that set or not. I knew I could win it, so it was just a matter of playing solid at the big moments."

Although the heat and humidity had not yet reached their peak during their match, with the heat index over 100 degrees in the afternoon, the conditions were difficult, even for a Georgia girl.

"It's Georgia weather, it's how it is every day in practice," Daniell said. "It was nice though during that brief section when the clouds came in."

Daniell will play 2011 Clay Court champion Gabby Andrews, a 17 seed, in Tuesday's third round.  Andrews trailed doubles partner Kenadi Hance 2-0 in the final set, but came back for a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory.

Top seed Francesca DiLorenzo again rolled through her second round opponent, defeating Christi Woodson 6-1, 6-0.  No. 5 seed Katerina Stewart didn't allow a game for the second straight day, beating Kenya Williams 6-0, 6-0.

Only one seeded player is missing from the top quarter, with Mia Horvit defeating 2013 semifinalist Alexandra Letzt 6-2, 6-3. The two met last year in the same round, with Horvit, the 2012 16s Clay Court champion, retiring down 7-5, 3-0.  Horvit will play DiLorenzo in the third round, a rematch of the 16s clay final.

Unseeded Jada Hart defeated Jessica Golovin, a No. 17 seed, 6-3, 6-1; Rima Asatrian took out No. 9 seed Bianca Moldovan 6-4, 6-4; Erica Oosterhout defeated No. 11 seed Emma Higuchi 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 and Kristen Thoms downed Karina Traxler, a No. 17 seed, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1.  Dominique Schaefer defeated No. 17 seed Lauren Goodman 7-5, 7-5, and Ines Vias beat No. 12 seed Meghan Kelley 7-5, 6-2. Schaefer and Vias will play for a spot in the round of 16.

No. 13 seed Sarah Dvorak was involved in the only singles match still going on Monday when the rains came, and she didn't finish her 6-4, 5-7, 7-3 victory over Tiffany Chen until late Sunday evening.  On Monday, Dvorak lost to unseeded Maddie Pothoff 7-5, 6-2.

"She got off pretty late, I think she got off at around 10," Pothoff said. "So that's tough for her. But I just went out there and played."

Pothoff admitted that Dvorak's lefty serve gave her some trouble early in the match.

"It was throwing me off for sure. Her lefty serve out wide was really throwing me off, so I had to adjust, move over more," said Pothoff, a 16-year-old from Arizona who had played at the Intersectionals in Shreveport, Louisiana last week. "It was a matter of making more balls and adding more spin to my shots. I hit a lot of high balls later on in the match and I think that definitely helped."

Pothoff said she doesn't play much on clay, although she did have an extended training block on it last year.

"I trained at L'Academie de Tennis (in Boynton Beach Florida) for about six months and we trained on clay everyday," Pothoff said. "But for the past eight months, I've just been playing on hard. Intersectionals last week was a good warm up for this, but Inters and Clay Courts are pretty much the only tournaments that I play on clay throughout the year. But I love this surface, and I think it suits my game pretty well."

Another 4 pm thunderstorm disrupted doubles play, with many second round doubles matches, held over from Sunday night, still incomplete. All doubles matches were cancelled due to the rain, so the backlog in doubles is increasing.  Tuesday's forecast is for cooler temperatures, but a chance of rain remains.

Draws can be found at the TennisLink site.

Kalamazoo Wild Cards

The wild card meeting for Kalamazoo was last Friday and the tournament was notified of the USTA's selections today.

Boys 18s:
Collin Altamirano
Jared Donaldson
Ernesto Escobedo
Stefan Kozlov
Noah Rubin
Alex Rybakov
Francis Tiafoe

The eighth wild card has been offered to Michael Mmoh, and if he accepts it, that leaves ITF No. 43 Logan Smith, who made the round of 16 at the Wimbledon Juniors, in the qualifying, along with Deiton Baughman, Eduardo Nava and Reilly Opelka.

UPDATE: Mmoh has accepted the final wild card.

Boys 16s:
Ulises Blanch
Lane Leschly
Alex Phillips

Four wild cards will not be used, with four players moving into the main draw from qualifying. The USTA is retaining access to one 16s wild card for now.

Seeds Breeze on Opening Day of USTA Girls 18s Clay Courts Championships; Pro Circuit Update

©Colette Lewis 2014--
Memphis, TN--

July in Memphis.  Heat? Check. Humidity? Of course. Afternoon thunderstorm? Yes ma'am.  Upsets in the first round of the Girls 18s Clay Courts? Nope, didn't happen.

As common as the first three items are, the fourth is unusual. 31 of the 32 seeds in the 128-player singles draw won their first round matches (one seed was still in action at this writing), certainly a first in my seven years covering the tournament.

Top seed Francesca DiLorenzo made quick work of her 8 am opponent Peyton Gollhofer, winning 6-0, 6-1 before the heat and humidity really kicked in at the Racquet Club of Memphis.  Not to be outdone, No. 5 seed Katerina Stewart took even less time in her match, which followed DiLorenzo's on Court 5, beating Kristy Jorgensen 6-0, 6-0.

Stewart last lost a match back in March, to Grace Min, and since then has won 27 straight matches in junior and pro circuit competition.  She won the 16s Easter Bowl, a National Selection 18s tournament in Florida, the Florida Closed 18s and two straight $10,000 Pro Circuit events.

Switching back and forth between junior and pro events requires some mental adjustments, according to the Coral Gables Florida resident.

"Coming back to the juniors, you really have to focus," said Stewart, who turns 17 on Thursday. "You don't want your level to drop down. You have to really focus on your game plan and make sure you don't take any of these players for granted, because you never know."

The two Pro Circuit events she won last month were on the the same Har-Tru surface at this tournament, which Stewart acknowledges as a great one for her game.

"It gives me a lot of time and give my ball a little more bite," said Stewart, who is currently 547 in the WTA rankings. "My topspin works really well on this surface. I grew up on this surface, I've been training my whole life on clay, so that's what I'm used to."

Stewart is in the tournament to win it, and the US Open junior championships main draw wild card that goes to the champion. She recognizes that losing a match now and then isn't a bad thing, but prefers the alternative.

"You get your best wins after failures, it teaches you a lesson," said Stewart. "But if you work hard enough, you don't need those failures. I hate losing, but it's true, you do need to learn from your mistakes. I'd just rather not make those mistakes right now. I'm really confident, playing really well right now, so hopefully I can get through this tournament."

No. 2 seed Andie Daniell, was one of the last to go on court, but she beat the rain with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Emily Kolbow.  No. 3 seed Alexis Nelson defeated Chloe Gullickson 6-4, 6-2 and No. 4 seed Jessie Aney downed Christina Zordani 6-2, 6-2.

In addition to the seeds, the qualifiers also had a good day, with four of the eight winning their opening matches: Erica Susi, Ally Miller Krasilnikov, Kenya Williams and Meible Chi.

Two rounds of doubles were initially on the schedule, but due to the nearly three-hour rain delay, the second round was postponed.

For complete results, see the TennisLink site.

The $50,000 Sacramento Challenger didn't produce any US winners, with top seed Olivia Rogowska of Australia beating No. 7 seed Julia Boserup in the final 6-2, 7-5 for the singles title.  Storm Sanders of Australia and Daria Gavrilova of Russia won the doubles, beating USC alum Maria Sanchez and current USC standout Zoe Scandalis 6-2, 6-1 in the final. Neither team was seeded.  

Two US players did capture titles this weekend, with 19-year-old Jan Abaza sweeping the singles and doubles at the $10,000 ITF women's circuit tournament in Egypt and 20-year-old Bjorn Fratangelo taking both singles and doubles titles at the $15,000 Futures in Italy. It is Fratangelo's second Futures title this year and fifth of his career. Abaza's singles title is her second in three weeks and she's also won two straight doubles titles in Egypt.

At the $10,000 Hong Kong Futures, former Ohio State Buckeyes Devin McCarthy and Peter Kobelt won their third straight title at the Futures level. Sixteen-year-old Duck Hee Lee of Korea won the singles title, his first.

Former Duke All-American Henrique Cunha of Brazil won his second Futures title of the year at the $10,000 tournament in Venezuela.

This week's women's Pro Circuit event is a $50,000 event in Carson, California, with qualifying beginning today.

The men, who had no US Pro Circuit events last week, have two this week, the $10,000 Futures in Tulsa and the $50,000 Challenger in Binghamton New York.  Both Carson and Binghamton are part of the

USTA Clay Courts Draws Posted; Rogers Beats Errani to Reach First WTA Final

I spent the day traveling to Memphis, where I'll be covering the Girls 18s Clay Courts for the seventh consecutive year.

The host site of the Girls 18s Clay Courts in Memphis

The boys 12s and the boys 14s completed their first rounds today, while the girls 12s and 14s will begin on Sunday. The boys and girls 16s and 18s, which had 64-player qualifying draws for eight spots, began on Thursday, with today an off day for them and the main draw starting on Sunday. (At Kalamazoo, the Saturday after qualifying will have two rounds of doubles and the Opening Ceremonies, which will this year feature Mats Wilander and his Wilander on Wheels Exhibition.)

Where No. 5 seed Katerina Stewart fell in the Girls 18s draw was answered today, with the two-time Pro Circuit title winner landing in the same quarter as top seed Francesca DiLorenzo. Play begins at 8 a.m. Sunday at the Memphis Racquet Club, with DiLorenzo taking on Peyton A. Gollhofer. No. 2 seed Andie Daniell will play Emily Kolbow at approximately 1 p.m.

Links to all the draws 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

Today in Austria, qualifier Shelby Rogers reached her first WTA final, beating No. 2 seed Sara Errani of Italy 7-6(12), 6-3. Rogers has beaten No. 3 seed Carla Suarez Navarro, No. 7 Camila Giorgia and now Errani, all on the red clay. After never securing a top 20 win in her career, Rogers now has two with her wins over Suarez Navarro and Errani. Rogers will go for her third on Sunday against No. 4 seed Andrea Petkovic, who came back to defeat Grace Min 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. For more on Rogers win, see the WTA website.