Another men's blue-chip recruit commits to Stanford

   Stanford men's coach Paul Goldstein received his third commitment from a blue-chip recruit in three weeks on Monday.

   Michael Zheng of Montville, N.J., said he plans to attend Stanford. Now ranked sixth in the class of 2022 on tennisrecruiting.net, he reached the round of 16 in the USTA Boys 18 National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich., in August.

   Goldstein previously received commitments from Samir Banerjee, the reigning Wimbledon boys singles champion, and Nishesh Basavareddy. 

   Wednesday is the first day players can sign National Letters of Intent. 

   College — Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan were inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday with Jayne Appel-Marinelli (women's basketball), Josh Childress (men's basketball), Toby Gerhart (football/baseball), Alix Klineman (women's volleyball), Elle Logan (women's rowing) and Julia Smit (women's swimming and diving).

   In their two years at Stanford, the Bryan twins helped the Cardinal win the NCAA team title in 1997 and 1998. Bob Bryan achieved a rare "Triple Crown" in 1998, sweeping the NCAA singles, doubles (with Mike) and team crowns.

   Professionally, the Bryans amassed a record 16 Grand Slam men's doubles titles and won an Olympic gold medal in the 2012 London Games.

   WTA Tour — Three of the eight singles players in the WTA Finals, which begin Wednesday in Guadalajara, are former runners-up in San Francisco Bay Area stops on the tour: No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka (San Jose in 2019), No. 3 seed Karolina Pliskova (Stanford in 2015) and No. 4 seed Maria Sakkari (San Jose in 2018). No. 6 seed Garbiñe Muguruza won the Stanford doubles title with just-retired Carla Suarez Navarro in 2014.

   In the eight-team doubles field, No. 7 seeds Darija Jurak and Andreja Klepac claimed the San Jose title this year.

   Nicole Melichar-Martinez, seeded fourth with Demi Schuurs, took the San Jose crown in 2019 with then-44-year-old Kveta Peschke.

   Ena Shibahara, seeded second with Shuko Aoyama, was born in the Bay Area, and Giuliana Olmos, seeded eighth with Sharon Fichman, grew up there.

   ATP Tour — In the first round of doubles in the Stockholm Open, wild cards Andre Goransson (University of California, Berkeley, 2014-17) and Robert Lindstedt (Fresno State, 1995-97), 44, of Sweden beat alternates Karl Friberg of Sweden and Mohamed Safwat of Egypt 6-1, 3-6 [10-6].

   USTA Pro Circuit — In the opening round of doubles in a $25,000 tournament in Harlingen, Texas, No. 3 seeds Francis Casey Alcantara of the Philippines and Mark Whitehouse of Great Britain edged Yuta Kikuchi, a Cal senior, and Sho Shimabukuro of Japan 6-4, 3-6 [10-8]. 

   Kareem Al Allaf of Syria and Toby D. Boyer of the United States beat Americans Colin Markes and Keenan Mayo, a resident of Sacramento, Calif., 4-6, 6-3 [10-3].

Bryans upset in French Open doubles quarterfinals

Bob Bryan, right, and Mike Bryan lost to 12th-seeded
Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez 6-4, 6-2 on Monday.
2013 photo by Paul Bauman

   After winning four straight Grand Slam men's doubles titles, Bob and Mike Bryan have failed to reach the final of their last three.
   The top-ranked Bryans' latest disappointment came Monday as the defending champions lost to 12th-seeded Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez of Spain 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the French Open in Paris.
   The Bryans have won two men's doubles titles in the French Open, a record 15 in Grand Slam tournaments and 98 overall. They came within two match victories of a rare calendar-year Grand Slam in 2013, losing to eventual champions Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek in the U.S. Open semifinals.
   The Bryans, former NCAA champions from Stanford, then lost to Eric Butorac and Raven Klaasen in the third round of the Australian Open in January.
   In the French Open juniors, 15-year-old CiCi Bellis of Atherton (near Stanford in the San Francisco Bay Area) advanced to the third round of girls singles and the second round of doubles.
   Seeded second in singles, Bellis outclassed Emmanuelle Salas of France 6-1, 6-3. Bellis, the only remaining seed in her quarter of the draw, will face her doubles partner, Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic, today for a berth in the quarterfinals.
   The seventh-seeded pair of Bellis and Vondrousova dismissed Viktoria Kuzmova and Kristina Schmiedlova of Slovakia 6-1, 6-2.

Bryans win Delray title; Stanford women blank rivals

   It was a good day for Stanford.
   Former Cardinal stars Bob and Mike Bryan won their first doubles title of the year on Sunday, and the No. 3 Stanford women crushed No. 5 Florida 7-0 on the Farm. The No. 39 Cardinal men were idle.
   The top-ranked Bryan twins outclassed unseeded Frantisek Cermak of the Czech Republic and Mikhail Elgin of Russia 6-2, 6-3 to win their third Delray Beach (Fla.) crown.
   Jack Nicklaus watched the Bryans win their 94th career title.
   "We never thought we'd get this high," Mike Bryan told reporters.
   The Bryans never lost more than three games in a set in four matches, including one walkover, in Delray Beach.
   "We're very happy to kick-start the year here in Delray," Bob Bryan said. "We're starting to hit our stride."
   Meanwhile, sophomore Krista Hardebeck clinched the victory for defending NCAA champion Stanford (7-0) over Florida (8-2) with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over 29th-ranked Alexandra Cercone at No. 2 singles. Either the Cardinal or the Gators have won the last four NCAA titles.
   Hardebeck also beat Cercone at No. 3 singles last May to give Stanford a 4-3 win over two-time defending national champion Florida in the NCAA semifinals.
   At No. 1 singles on Sunday, fifth-ranked Kristie Ahn topped No. 11 Olivia Janowicz 6-2, 7-5.

OTHER COLLEGE RESULTS

Men

   No. 74 Santa Clara def. No. 69 New Mexico 4-1 in Santa Clara. No. 1 singles: John Lamble (SC) vs. No. 89 Samir Iftikhar, unfinished. Clinching match: At No. 3, Ahot Khacharyan def. Rodolfo Jauregui 6-2, 6-7 (tiebreaker score unavailable), 6-2. Records: Santa Clara 7-1, New Mexico 6-4. Note: Khacharyan is from Sochi, Russia.
   Pacific def. Sacramento State 7-0 in Stockton. No. 1 singles: Sem Verbeek def. Marek Marksoo 7-5, 6-2 (clinching match). Records: Pacific 3-5, Sac State 2-6.
   USF def. Lamar 6-1 in Fort Worth, Texas. No. 1 singles: Bernardo Saraiva (USF) def. Michael Feucht 4-6, 6-3 [10-3]. Clinching match: At No. 6, Timothy Tan def. Trey Crysel 6-4, 6-2.

Women

   UC Davis def. Sacramento State 4-3 in Davis. No. 1 singles: Megan Heneghan (UCD) def. Jennifer Nguyen 6-2, 6-1. Clinching match: At No. 4, Melissa Kobayakawa def. Katharina Knoebl 6-3, 4-6, 6-1. Records: UC Davis 4-5, Sac State 1-5.

Net loss: Sac Caps move to Las Vegas after 28 years

Wayne Bryan announced he is stepping down
after coaching the Sacramento Capitals for
13 years. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   For more than a quarter century, July nights in Sacramento have featured world-class coed tennis, generally pleasant weather and a familiar exchange between the public address announcer and the crowd.
   "What time is it?"
   "Break time!"
   Those nights are gone.
   The Capitals, the longest-running and most successful franchise in World TeamTennis, announced today that they are moving to Las Vegas as the Neon after 28 years in Sacramento.
   "It's certainly the end of an era," said Wayne Bryan, who also revealed he is stepping down after 13 years as the team's coach. "The Caps have had a long and proud tradition."
   Sacramento has won a record six WTT championships, including four straight (1997-2000). The Capitals mostly struggled on and off the court since their last title in 2007 but came within three points of beating the Washington Kastles in the 2012 WTT Finals.
   In that match, Sacramento's CoCo Vandeweghe led Venus Williams 2-0 in the decisive tiebreaker before Williams reeled off the last five points to give Washington a 20-19 victory. 

Mark Knowles has played 12 seasons in World TeamTennis,
all with Sacramento. Knowles, 42, plans to return to WTT
this summer. 2013 photo by Paul Bauman

   Capitals players over the years have included Las Vegas resident Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, Lindsay Davenport, Mark Knowles and Anna Kournikova.
   Agassi and Chang are members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and Davenport almost certainly will be inducted in July. Knowles and Kournikova reached No. 1 in the world in men's and women's doubles, respectively.
   Among those who have visited Sacramento to oppose the Capitals are Hall of Famers Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin and Martina Hingis and future Hall of Famers Serena and Venus Williams, Andy Roddick and Bob and Mike Bryan (Wayne's identical twin sons).
   "It's obviously a tough day," said the 42-year-old Knowles, a three-time WTT Male MVP who plans to return for his 13th season in the league. "I have such fond memories of Sacramento. It's the only team I've played for. The fans have been incredibly special, and I've been fortunate to be with a lot of great owners. It definitely will be bizarre not playing in Sacramento."

Lindsay Davenport, a former Capital, almost
certainly will be inducted into the International
Tennis Hall of Fame in July. 2012 photo
by Paul Bauman

   The Capitals' exodus represents the latest blow to Northern California in professional tennis. The SAP Open, which would have been held next week in San Jose, was replaced on the ATP World Tour calendar by Rio de Janeiro after 125 years in NorCal.
   Remaining are the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford on the WTA tour and several men's and women's Challenger (minor-league) tournaments. 
   Kolleen McNamee, who will continue to serve as the WTT team's general manager, cited the lack of a permanent tennis facility in the Sacramento area as the reason for the move.
   The Capitals played in a temporary stadium in the parking lot of a shopping mall -- first in Citrus Heights, then in Roseville, then back to Citrus Heights -- for the past 12 seasons. The capacity progressively was reduced from 4,500 to 2,134.
   It cost $125,000 annually to set up and take down the facility, according to former Capitals owner Lonnie Nielson. 
   Sacramento played its inaugural campaign in 1986 in the first home of the NBA's Kings and the following 15 seasons at the Gold River Racquet Club. Prompting the move from Gold River were complaints by neighbors about noise, lights and parking.
   McNamee would not disclose how the team did financially last season as the Capitals slumped to 5-9, the worst record in team history. They averaged 1,357 fans for their seven home matches, she said. 

Mike, left, and Bob Bryan, the identical twin sons of Wayne
Bryan, pose with Capitals owner Deepal Wannakuwatte and
  his wife, Betsy, after a match last July. The Bryan brothers
played for the visiting Texas Wild. 2013 photo by Paul Bauman

   It's no longer feasible to use a temporary stadium, according to McNamee.
   "There have been a number of (Capitals) ownership changes over the last five or six years, and probably those ownership changes have occurred because it's difficult to fund a franchise when you're spending a big amount of money on the stadium each year," she said. "To be fiscally responsible, it makes sense to make this move."
   Perhaps, but the ownership changes have involved far more than stadium issues. 
   Nielson, the Capitals' owner or co-owner from 2000 through 2010, pleaded guilty to grand theft related to his real estate business in the fall of 2010 and was released from prison last summer.
   Bob Cook, the team's owner or co-owner from 2008 through 2011, declared bankruptcy after the 2011 season.
   The team now is owned by Deepal Wannakuwatte, who has a medical supply company based in West Sacramento.
   WTT, meanwhile, has been in flux. Three of the four teams in the Western Conference -- Las Vegas, the San Diego Aviators and the Austin (Texas) Aces -- moved from other cities during the offseason. The other, the Texas Wild, relocated from Kansas City after the 2012 season.   
  The Neon will play at the Amanda & Stacy Darling Memorial Tennis Center, a certified USTA regional training center featuring a permanent 3,000-seat stadium.
   A fringe benefit of moving to Las Vegas is that marquee player Sam Querrey, a part-time Capital for the past two seasons, lives in the tax haven.
   On the negative side, high winds are common in Las Vegas, and it's a very tough sports market. Many residents and tourists are reluctant to pay to attend a sporting event when they might make money by gambling.
   The Tennis Channel Open, a tournament on the ATP World Tour at the Darling Tennis Center, lasted only three years (2006-08). 
   Wayne Bryan led the Capitals to two WTT titles (2002 and 2007) and was named the league's Coach of the Year three times (2004-06). The front man for the Bryan Bros. Band, Wayne composed and performed in "Sac Town Caps Songs" on a 2010 compact disc.
   Bryan, who also travels around the country emceeing tournaments and holding clinics, said the Capitals' move to Las Vegas made his decision to step down easier.
   "I'm trying to shorten up my schedule. I do about 180 days a year, and I promised (wife) Kathy I'd try to knock it down to 120 days," said Bryan, a resident of Camarillo in the Los Angeles area who will turn 67 on Feb. 19.
   "I've got two grandkids that at this stage of my life I'd like to be able to see a little bit. Bob and Mike will only be playing for three or four more years, and I'd like to spend as much time with them as I can.
   "I'm usually on the road about 10 of the 12 weeks of summer, and I'd rather be gone five of the 12 weeks and be able to have a summer barbecue and mow the grass."
   McNamee said the Neon would name Bryan's successor "in the coming weeks."
   WTT will hold its marquee player draft next Tuesday and its roster player draft on March 11. The regular season is scheduled for July 6-23, followed by the conference championships on July 24 and the WTT Finals on July 27.
   But for Sacramento fans, what time is it?
   Time to turn out the lights.
   The party's over.

Spaniards edge Bryans for ATP doubles title

Bob, left, and Mike Bryan lost to David Marrero and Fernando
Verdasco 7-5, 6-7 (3), 10-7 match tiebreaker in the doubles title
match of the ATP World Tour Finals. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Would it have been so terrible for the ATP World Tour Finals to use a best-of-three-set format in doubles?
   After all, only the top eight teams in the world were invited.
   Instead, organizers turned the event into a crapshoot by using the infernal match tiebreaker after split sets. Why not just flip a coin or play rock-paper-scissors? It would save everyone even more time. Who wants to see superb shotmaking and lightning-quick reflexes anyway?
   Sixth-seeded David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco of Spain edged top-ranked Bob and Mike Bryan 7-5, 6-7 (3), 10-7 match tiebreaker on Monday to win the title in London.
   Afterward, Mike Bryan told reporters that Marrero and Verdasco "came up with the goods, especially when it mattered. They went for broke … hitting those forehands like overheads.
   "We could have done a few things different. All in all, (when) you get down to a match tiebreak, which we've been playing all week, you're dancing with the devil. It didn't go our way there at the end."
   All of the Bryans' five matches in the ATP World Tour Finals went to a match tiebreaker, of which they won three.
   Marrero and Verdasco became the third Spanish team to win the title and second in a row. Juan Gisbert and Manuel Orantes triumphed in 1975, and Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez prevailed last year.
   Verdasco is the last player not named Milos Raonic to capture the singles crown in the SAP Open in San Jose, taking the 2010 trophy. The tournament is being replaced on the calendar by Rio de Janeiro next February after 125 years in the San Francisco Bay Area.
   The Bryans -- 35-year-old identical twins and former stars at Stanford, 20 miles (32 kilometers) up the freeway from San Jose -- were seeking their fourth title in the ATP World Tour Finals and first since 2009.
   The Southern California natives still won a career-high 11 titles this year, including the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon.
   "We'll take a year like this every year," Mike Bryan said.

Bryans finally return to ATP doubles final

   Bob and Mike Bryan reached the doubles final in the ATP World Tour Finals for the first time in four years on Sunday.
   The top-seeded Bryans -- who won the title in 2003, 2004 and 2009 -- edged second-seeded Alexander Peya of Austria and Bruno Soares of Brazil 4-6, 6-4, 10-8 match tiebreaker in Saturday's semifinals in London.
   The Bryans, 35-year-old identical twins, grew up in Camarillo in the Los Angeles area and won the 1998 NCAA doubles title while attending Stanford.
   They will seek their career-high 12th title of the year when they meet sixth-seeded David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco of Spain today at 10 a.m. PST (live on Tennis Channel). Marrero and Verdasco beat fourth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Marcelo Melo of Brazil 7-6 (10), 7-5.
   The Bryans are 3-0 lifetime, all on clay, against Marrero and Verdasco. The ATP World Tour Finals are on an indoor hardcourt.
   In today's singles final, top-ranked Rafael Nadal will meet second seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic at noon PST (live on ESPN2). Nadal topped sixth-seeded Roger Federer 7-5, 6-3, and Djokovic dispatched seventh-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 6-3.
   Surprisingly, Nadal has never won the ATP World Tour Finals. He will make his second appearance in the final after losing to Federer 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in 2010.

Bryans advance to semis in ATP World Tour Finals

   Top-ranked Bob and Mike Bryan reached the doubles semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals in London, beating eighth-seeded Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski of Poland 4-6, 6-3, 10-5 match tiebreaker on Saturday.
   The Bryans, 35-year-old identical twins and former Stanford stars, will face second-seeded Alexander Peya of Austria and Bruno Soares of Brazil today at 10 a.m. PST (live on Tennis Channel).
   In the first doubles semifinal at 4 a.m. (also live on Tennis Channel), third-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Marcelo Melo of Brazil will meet sixth-seeded David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco of Spain.
   The Bryans are 5-1 against Peya and Soares this year, winning 6-3, 6-3 in the Paris final last week and losing 7-6 (3), 6-7 (1), 13-11 match tiebreaker in the Valencia final two weeks ago.
   The Bryans already have clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking for the fifth straight year and record ninth time overall. The natives of Camarillo in the Los Angeles area have won 11 titles this year -- including the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon -- to tie their career high.

Bryans save match point in win; Cal star ousted

   Bob and Mike Bryan, the top seeds and three-time champions, saved a match point in a 7-6 (3), 1-6 (14-12 match tiebreaker) victory over Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands today in the round-robin phase of the ATP World Tour Finals in London.
   The Bryans, 35-year-old identical twins originally from Camarillo in the Los Angeles area, converted their fourth match point. The 1998 NCAA doubles champions from Stanford will meet the Polish pair of Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski in Group A on Saturday for a berth in the semifinals.
   Already clinching semifinal spots are Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Marcelo Melo of Brazil in Group A and the Spanish team of David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco in Group B.
   Cal's Susanyi upset -- Maho Kowase of Georgia shocked fifth-seeded Zsofi Susanyi of Cal 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 in the first round of the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
   Susanyi, a junior from Hungary, led 5-2 in the second set.
   Meanwhile, Jenny Jullien of Saint Mary's advanced with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Lorraine Guillermo of Pepperdine.
   On the men's side, Campbell Johnson of Cal defeated Max Schnur of Columbia 6-1, 7-6 (2).
   In doubles, Cal's Gregory Bayane and Chase Melton lost to fourth-seeded Ross Guignon and Tim Kopinski of Illinois 8-5. Third-seeded Marcos Giron and Mackenzie McDonald of UCLA fell to Simon Felix and Deni Zmak of Embry-Riddle 8-7 (5). McDonald, a freshman, lives in Piedmont (near Oakland).

Tursunov returns to top 30 after long absence

Russian Dmitry Tursunov, who trains
in the Sacramento area, rose nine spots
to No. 30 in the latest rankings.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   It has been a long road back for Dmitry Tursunov.
   And it isn't over yet.
   The 30-year-old Moscow native, who trains in the Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay, returned to the top 30 in the world for the first time in more than four years Sunday.
   By reaching the semifinals of the Valencia Open 500 in Spain last week, the hard-hitting Tursunov rose nine spots to No. 30 in the new rankings. After reaching No. 29 on July 27, 2009, he battled injuries and dropped as low as No. 516 exactly one year later.
   Tursunov, one of four nominees for the 2013 Comeback Player of the Year on the ATP World Tour, has one more tournament this year to approach or surpass his career high of No. 20 in 2006.
   He is scheduled to play No. 39 Marcel Granollers of Spain on Tuesday in the first round of the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris. The winner will face top-ranked Rafael Nadal, who received a first-round bye, on Wednesday. Tursunov is 0-1 against Granollers and 0-3 against Nadal.
   Meanwhile, Bob and Mike Bryan narrowly were denied their 11th doubles title of the year, which would have tied their career high.
   Second seeds and defending champions Alexander Peya of Austria and Bruno Soares of Brazil saved four match points in a 6-7 (3), 7-6 (1), 13-11 match tiebreaker victory over the top seeds and former Stanford stars in the Valencia final.
   The Bryans, 35-year-old identical twins originally from Camarillo in the Los Angeles area, came within two match victories in the U.S. Open of becoming the second pair to win a calendar-year Grand Slam in men's doubles. Australians Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman accomplished the feat in 1961.

Bryans' Grand Slam bid ends; Altamirano prevails

Leander Paes practices with doubles partner Radek
Stepanek during last year's Australian Open. They
won the title, beating Bob and Mike Bryan in the
final, in only their second tournament together.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek out-Bryaned the Bryans.
   Playing brilliantly and celebrating winning points by side-stepping in unison, Paes and Stepanek ended the Bryans' quest for the Grand Slam with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory today in the men's doubles semifinals of the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
   The Bryans, former Stanford stars who commemorate victories with their trademark leaping chest-bump, were trying to become the second men's doubles team in history to win all four major titles in one year.
   "As competitors we hate to lose," Bob Bryan told reporters, "and we knew what was riding on this match. In one sense, it's a little bit of a relief where you get to kind of exhale for the first time in a few months. All of this Grand Slam talk has been in the back of our head, and it's been an honor to be a part of this run with Mike. It's been a great 12 months. Those guys played a great match, and we wish them luck in the finals."
   Mike Bryan added: "We're pretty fortunate to have this opportunity. (We) played three matches in Arthur Ashe Stadium in a row. We played our third (match) out there on TV, which doesn't happen pretty much ever in doubles. The crowds were great. Twenty-eight matches in a row in Grand Slams might not ever happen again, [but] we feel like we did all we can do. Probably never going to have another shot at it."

Stepanek practices with Paes at last year's Australian
Open. Stepanek had neck disc surgery in January.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Australians Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman won the Grand Slam 62 years ago en route to seven consecutive major titles. The Bryans, 35-year-old identical twins, had won four in a row and the gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics for a "Golden Bryan Slam." Their run began with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Paes and Stepanek in last year's U.S. Open final.
   In an all-Northern California boys singles matchup today, 17-year-old wild card Collin Altamirano outlasted unseeded Mackenzie McDonald, 18, of Piedmont in the San Francisco Bay Area 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals. Altamirano, who trains at Arden Hills in Sacramento and lives with his grandparents in the suburb of Elk Grove, will face top-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany.
   In girls singles, 11th-seeded Mayo Hibi, a 17-year-old Irvine resident who plays for her native Japan, crushed unseeded Katie Boulter of Great Britain 6-1, 6-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. Hibi, who won the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger in the Sacramento area in July, will meet third-seeded Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic.
   Catherine (CiCi) Bellis and Michaela Gordon -- 14-year-old wild cards who live nine miles (14 kilometers) apart in Atherton and Los Altos Hills, respectively, in the San Francisco Bay Area -- lost to seeds in the third round of girls singles. Bellis fell to second-seeded Ana Konjuh, 15, of Croatia 6-3, 6-3, and Gordon succumbed to 10th-seeded Louisa Chirico, 17, of Harrison, N.Y., 6-7 (2), 5-7, 6-2.

Mike, left, and Bob Bryan of the visiting Texas Wild and their
father, Sacramento Capitals coach Wayne Bryan, watch
players warm up before a World TeamTennis match in July.
Photo by Paul Bauman

    The top-seeded Bryans "just got outplayed today" by the fourth-seeded Paes and Stepanek, commentator Patrick McEnroe said on ESPN2's broadcast. Paes, a 40-year-old Indian, made numerous incredible shots with his lightning-quick reflexes, and Stepanek, a 34-year-old Czech, raised his game dramatically after the first set.
   When Paes hit an amazing half-volley winner serving on break point at 5-2 in the third set, commentator Brad Gilbert said, "That's magician hands." Paes ended up losing his serve, and Bob Bryan held for 4-5. But Stepanek, who won the decisive match in his country's 3-2 victory over Spain in last year's Davis Cup final, held serve at love for the match.
   Afterward, Paes lifted Stepanek, who held his arms out in triumph. When Gilbert asked Paes on the
court what winning a Grand Slam title at age 40 meant to him, Paes deflected the attention and paid tribute to everyone else.

   "I have tremendous respect for the Bryan boys," Paes said. "They're great ambassadors for American tennis. Radek is one of the best partners I've ever had. Gotham City, you're the greatest."
   Stepanek, who underwent neck disc surgery last January and missed 2 1/2 months, said the side-stepping move "came naturally. We have fun on the court. Maybe we'll do something else for the final."
   Paes and Stepanek won last year's Australian Open, beating the Bryans in the final, in only their second tournament together. Paes will seek his eighth Grand Slam men's doubles title and Stepanek his second when they meet second-seeded Alexander Peya of Austria and Bruno Soares of Brazil in Sunday's final.
   Peya and Soares defeated 10th-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Marcelo Melo of Brazil 7-5, 6-4 in the semis. Last October, Peya and Soares downed Paes and Stepanek 6-3, 7-6 (5) indoors for the Tokyo title.  

Bryans survive again in quest for rare Grand Slam

Mike Bryan (left) and Bob Bryan of the visiting Texas Wild take
  a break from signing autographs after a World TeamTennis
match in July to pose with Sacramento Capitals owners
Betsy and Deepal Wannakuwatte. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Even for a team as dominant as Bob and Mike Bryan, the margin of error is very small in men's doubles.
   The 1998 NCAA champions from Stanford survived another close call Monday night to keep their calendar-year Grand Slam hopes alive.
   Saving two set points in the first set, the top-seeded Bryans defeated 12th-seeded Colin Fleming and Jonathan Marray of Great Britain 7-6 (7), 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
   "We play with a lot of energy, and maybe if we lose the first set, the energy goes down a little bit," Mike Bryan told reporters.
   The Bryans, 35-year-old identical twins who grew up in Camarillo in the Los Angeles area, escaped their first set point by winning a 21-shot rally to even the tiebreaker 6-6. On the second set point, Marray missed a volley off Mike Bryan's return.
   One night earlier, the Bryans switched sides for one of the few times in their career after trailing by a set and a break against Canadians Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil. Normally, left-handed Bob Bryan plays the deuce side and right-handed Mike Bryan the ad side so that both hit forehands on balls down the middle.
   This time, they played it straight.  
   The Bryans need two more victories to become the second men's team to win all four Grand Slam titles in a calendar year. Australians Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman did it 62 years ago.
   The Bryans have won a record 15 Grand Slam men's doubles titles, including the last four. They will meet the winner of today's match between fourth-seeded Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek and fifth-seeded Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer.
   Marray and Frederik Nielsen of Denmark last year became the first wild cards to win the Wimbledon men's doubles title. That's the last time a team other than the Bryans won a Grand Slam title.

Bryans' ploy works; Grand Slam bid continues

Bob, left, and Mike Bryan of the Texas Wild in World Team-
Tennis watch the women's singles set against the host Sac-
ramento Capitals last month. Photo by Paul Bauman

   With their hopes of a doubles Grand Slam almost dashed, Bob and Mike Bryan took a big gamble Sunday.
   The top seeds and former Stanford stars switched sides for their service returns in the second set of their third-round match at the U.S. Open. The move paid off with a 6-7 (1), 7-5, 6-2 victory over Canadians Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
   "It's a pretty big deal, because you never practice the other way," Mike Bryan told reporters. "But when you're desperate, you kind of have nothing to lose, just because we didn't have much hope the other way."
   Normally, the left-handed Bob Bryan plays the deuce side and the right-handed Mike the ad side so that both hit forehands down the middle. But the 35-year-old identical twins switched after trailing by a break at 4-3 in the second set.
   The Bryans proceeded to break Nestor, an eight-time Grand Slam champion in men's doubles, four straight times.
   Nestor, who will turn 41 on Wednesday, was asked if the switch affected him.
   "Maybe, a little bit," he said. "Probably could've mixed it up a little more. I got too repetitive with my first serves, and they weren't going in."
   The Bryans, who have won 27 consecutive matches in majors, are trying to become the second team in history to earn a calendar-year Grand Slam in men's doubles. They need three more victories to join Australians Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman, who accomplished the feat 62 years ago.
   "To be honest, it's really on our minds," Bob Bryan said.
   The Bryans are scheduled to face 12th-seeded Colin Fleming and Jonathan Marray of Great Britain in the quarterfinals in tonight's late match.
   Last year, Marray and Frederik Nielsen of Denmark became the first wild cards to win the Wimbledon men's singles title. The Bryans dispatched Eric Butorac, who played for the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis in 2008, and Nielsen last week in the second round of the U.S. Open.
   All four Northern California juniors in action Sunday won in the first round of singles. Mackenzie McDonald, 18, of Piedmont and Collin Altamirano, a 17-year-old Yuba City resident who trains in Sacramento, advanced in the boys draw. Fourteen-year-olds Catherine (CiCi) Bellis of Atherton and Michaela Gordon of Los Altos Hills moved on in the girls field.
   Altamirano lost to 22nd-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 in the first round of men's singles last week.
   Also advancing in girls singles was 11th-seeded Mayo Hibi, won the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger in the Sacramento area last month. Hibi, 17, lives in Irvine in Southern California but plays for her native Japan.

Sacramento-area team falls in U.S. Open mixed doubles

Sacramento-area wild cards Eric Roberson and Yasmin Schnack lost
to Slovakians Janette Husarova and Filip Polasek. Photo courtesy of USTA.

   Yasmin Schnack and Eric Roberson went down fighting.
   The wild cards from the Sacramento area lost to the far more accomplished Slovakian team of Janette Husarova and Filip Polasek 6-4, 7-6 (3) Friday in the first round of mixed doubles at the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
   Schnack, a 25-year-old Elk Grove resident, and Roberson, 27, of Sacramento earned a spot in the draw by winning the U.S. Open National Playoffs in New Haven, Conn., last week.

   Schnack appeared in a Grand Slam adult tournament for the second time and Roberson for the first. Schnack and her best friend, Vania King, lost in the first round of women's doubles at Wimbledon last year to eighth-seeded Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic.
   King won the Wimbledon and U.S. Open women's doubles titles in 2010 with Yaroslava Shvedova.
   Schnack helped UCLA win the NCAA team title in 2008, graduated in sociology in 2010 and reached a career-high No. 140 in the world in women's doubles in June 2012. However, she retired last September and plans to begin nursing school in the fall. Her father, William, is a retired physician.
   Roberson earned all-conference honors at Boise State (2004-08).
   Husarova, 39, reached the women's doubles final of the 2002 U.S. Open with Elena Dementieva of Russia and climbed to a career-high No. 3 in that category in 2003.
   Polasek, 28, has been ranked as high as No. 20 in men's doubles (January 2012). He advanced to the men's doubles quarterfinals of last year's U.S. Open with Julian Knowle of Austria.
   Meanwhile, top-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan coasted past Eric Butorac and Frederik Nielsen 6-3, 6-2 Friday in the second round of men's doubles at the U.S. Open.
   The 35-year-old Bryan twins, who starred at Stanford, are trying to become the second team in history to win a calendar-year Grand Slam. Australians Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman accomplished the feat 62 years ago.
   Three of the four players in Friday's match have won Wimbledon men's doubles titles. The Bryans triumphed in 2006, 2011 and this year. Nielsen, a 30-year-old Dane, and Jonathan Marray of Great Britain last year became the first wild cards to take the crown. Nielsen's grandfather Kurt was the Wimbledon singles runner-up in 1953 and 1955.
   Butorac, a 32-year-old left-hander from Rochester, Minn., won the men's doubles title in the 2007 SAP Open in San Jose with Jamie Murray, Andy's older brother, and played for the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis in 2008.     

McDonald, 18, achieves unprecedented feat

Mackenzie McDonald, 18, of Piedmont became the first
unranked teenager to qualify for an ATP World Tour
Masters 1000 tournament. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   From qualifying to main-draw singles and doubles, men with Northern California ties made a big impact in last week’s Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

   Mackenzie McDonald, 18, of Piedmont in the San Francisco Bay area became the first unranked teenager to qualify for an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, the highest level for men besides the Grand Slams.

   McDonald, a wild card who will be a freshman at UCLA in the fall, stunned No. 79 Nicolas Mahut of France 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 and No. 128 Steve Johnson of Orange in the Los Angeles area 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the main draw.
   Mahut, 31, won the first two ATP singles titles of his career in June and July. Johnson led USC to four NCAA titles (2009-12) and won the NCAA singles title in his last two years.
   "I didn't expect to win two rounds and qualify for this event," McDonald, who lost to qualifier David Goffin of Belgium 6-1, 6-1 in the first round of the main draw, admitted on atpworldtour.com. "I was supposed to be playing a college tournament in Indiana. I was thinking about going to Indiana instead, but I realized what this tournament is, and I decided to take advantage of it."

   Another qualifier, Dmitry Tursunov, knocked off fourth-ranked David Ferrer of Spain to reach the quarterfinals before losing to No. 7 Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.   
   Tursunov, a 30-year-old Moscow native who trains in the Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay, will jump from No. 44 in the world to about No. 33 when the weekly rankings are released today. Ranked a career-high No. 20 in 2006, he plunged to No. 150 one year ago after suffering repeated injuries.
   In doubles, top-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan edged second-seeded Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez of Spain 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-4) for their fourth Cincinnati doubles title, 10th of the year and 92nd overall. The career high of the 35-year-old identical twins and 1998 NCAA champions from Stanford is 11 titles in one year (2007 and 2010).
   The Bryans, who saved a match point in the Cincinnati semifinals against Santiago Gonzalez and ex-Stanford star Scott Lipsky, improved to 28-1 since early May. They won consecutive titles in Madrid, Rome, the French Open, Queen's Club and Wimbledon.
   The Bryans will seek a calendar-year Grand Slam in the U.S. Open, which begins next Monday in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. They are the defending champions.

$12,500 MACY'S.COM WOMEN'S TENNIS OPEN

At Marin Tennis Club in San Rafael

   Singles final -- Yasmin Schnack (2), Elk Grove, def. Katsiaryna Zheltova (7), Sacramento, 6-3, 6-4.

   Doubles final -- Yasmin Schnack, Elk Grove, and Katsiaryna Zheltova (1), Sacramento, def. Lejla Hodzic, Santa Clara, and Jana Juricova (2), Oakland, 6-1, 6-0.

$25,000 THE HERITAGE BANK OF COMMERCE OPEN

Aug. 6-11 at Moraga Country Club

   Men's singles final -- Kiryl Harbatsiuk (5), Sacramento, def. Jonas Merckx (9), Gijzegem, Belgium, 6-3, 6-0.
   Women's singles final -- Katsiaryna Zheltova (3), Sacramento, def. Kelly Chui (5), Milpitas, 6-3, 6-0.
   Men's doubles -- Jeffrey Hawke, Rolling Hills Estates, and Max Manthou (5), Tacoma, Wash., def. Tyler Browne, Walnut Creek, and Gregory Lee (1), El Macero, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.
   Women's doubles -- Yasmin Schnack, Elk Grove, and Katsiaryna Zheltova (3), Sacramento, def. Alexandra Facey and Kat Facey, Cameron Park, 6-0, 6-2.
   Mixed doubles -- Tyler Browne, Walnut Creek, and Jana Juricova (1), Oakland, def. Matt Seeberger, Redwood City, and Katsiaryna Zheltova (4), Sacramento, 6-3, 6-3.

U.S. men record dubious first; adieu, Marion

John Isner, the top-ranked American man, fell out
of the top 20 this week but will return on Monday.
He'll face Rafael Nadal in Sunday's Cincinnati final.
2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   The unthinkable happened this week.
   For the first time in the 40-year history of the men's world rankings, no American man can be found in the top 20. The top U.S. man, 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) John Isner, dropped from No. 20 to No. 22 on Monday.
   Andy Roddick, who retired last September after leading U.S. men's tennis for most of the previous 10 years, recently lamented the decline.
   "Throwing out statistics, like it's the first time since such-and-such, is fair journalism," Roddick, who won the 2003 U.S. Open for the last Grand Slam singles title by an American man, was quoted as saying in the New York Times. "That's a fact. I think I'm more concerned with what's going to happen to make it right and make it better. The other thing that seems painfully obvious when you say stuff like that is how spoiled we've been."
  Roddick was referring to International Tennis Hall of Famers Pete Sampras (14 Grand Slam singles titles), Jimmy Connors (eight), Andre Agassi (eight), Jim Courier (four) and Michael Chang (one) and himself.
   All is not lost for the United States, however. Far from it.
   Isner, whose devastating serve is the biggest weapon in men's tennis, will return to the top 20 on Monday. He has beaten three consecutive top-10 players -- No. 10 Milos Raonic of Canada, No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 7 Juan Martin del Potro (saving one match point) -- to reach Sunday's final in Cincinnati against third-ranked Rafael Nadal (CBS, 9:30 a.m. PDT).
   That makes Isner a threat to win the U.S. Open, Aug. 26-Sept. 9. The questions are whether the 28-year-old native of Greensboro, N.C., can hold up physically over two weeks of best-of-five-set matches and handle the pressure of playing in his home country.
   Isner has never advanced past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament, but six years after winning a $15,000 tournament in the Sacramento suburb of Shingle Springs in his professional debut, this could be his time. He reached the quarters of the 2011 U.S. Open.
   The next American in the rankings, Sam Querrey, is No. 28 after reaching a career-high No. 17 in 2011. The 25-year-old San Francisco native, 6-foot-6 (1.96 meters), has played part-time for the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis for the past two seasons.
   The United States' top prospects appear to be Jack Sock, ranked a career-high No. 87 at 20 years old, and Ryan Harrison, ranked No. 102 at 21 years old.
   Sock won the 2011 U.S. Open mixed doubles title with Melanie Oudin two weeks after turning 19 and the singles crown at the Tiburon Challenger in the San Francisco Bay area last October. Harrison climbed as high as No. 43 in the world last summer.
   Then there are Bob and Mike Bryan, widely regarded as the greatest doubles team ever with a record 15 Grand Slam men's doubles titles. The 35-year-old identical twins and former Stanford stars will seek the biggest accomplishment of their careers, a calendar-year Grand Slam, in the U.S. Open.

Marion Bartoli retired two months after winning Wimbledon
for her first Grand Slam women's singles title. 2012 photo
by Paul Bauman

   Bartoli retirement -- Tennis lost a true gem when Marion Bartoli of France abruptly announced her retirement at 28 on Wednesday because of numerous injuries. Only two months beforehand, Bartoli won Wimbledon for her first Grand Slam women's singles title.
   Everything about Bartoli was unusual -- her background, appearance, playing style, intelligence and personality.
   Bartoli grew up not on the sunny Riviera or in bustling Paris but in a snowy village in central France. She was taught not by French Tennis Federation coaches but by her physician father, Walter.
   Stocky for a pro player at 5-foot-6 (1.70 meters) and 139 pounds (63 kilograms), Bartoli employed a quirky serve and, like Hall of Famer Monica Seles, a two-handed forehand and backhand. Between points, she practiced her strokes as if she were a beginner.
   Off the court, Bartoli was down to earth, thoughtful and candid. Reputedly, she has a genius IQ.
   Bartoli played in the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford for 11 consecutive years (2003-12), winning the title in 2009 and reaching the final in 2008 and 2011. Her news conference after she upset Venus Williams in the 2009 final was a classic. Here are some highlights:
   --"I give absolutely everything on the court. That's probably my biggest strength."
   --"The French federation used to tell me, 'Your dad is so stupid. He's an idiot. There's no way you can be a tennis player with him on your side.' I was looking at Venus when she was 14 or 15 and Serena. (Their father) was making them be No. 1 in the world. I was telling (the federation), 'You see, Venus came to be No. 1 with her dad on her side. Monica, too.' "
   --"I was always very ambitious. When I was 4 or 5, I told my dad, 'One day, I want to be the prime minister of France.' I remember always telling myself, 'I don't want to stay in this village forever. I want to go to the bigger city, travel the world, do something different and take my dad out of this village that doesn't see him work almost 18 hours a day and doesn't respect him.' "
   Mission accomplished.   

Oh, brother – Mike Bryan drills Bob with ball

Mike Bryan (left) and Bob Bryan (right) of the Texas Wild watch
players warm up between sets with their father, Sacramento
Capitals coach Wayne Bryan. Photo by Paul Bauman

   CITRUS HEIGHTS, Calif. – Take heart, club players.
   Even Bob and Mike Bryan, generally considered the greatest men's doubles team in history, have their embarrassing moments on the court.
   With the 35-year-old identical twins playing men's doubles for the Texas Wild against the Sacramento Capitals tonight in a World TeamTennis match, Mike drilled Bob squarely on the left ear with a forehand. Mike was in the backcourt on the ad side, and Bob was at the net on the deuce side. After the mishap, Bob gave Mike a playful kick in the rear end.
   "I can't remember the last time he did that," said Bob, who was not seriously hurt. "Usually, he knows where I'm going. He sees me there and goes around me, but he lined me up and took my ear off.
   "It didn't feel good. I'd rather get hit on the head. The ear is kind of sensitive."
   Added Bob, who plays in a band with his brother: "I'm already pretty deaf from all the music we've played in our lives. Now I'm really deaf. My ear is still buzzing. I'll get him back."
   The rest of the night, the Bryans were brilliant, as usual. They won the two sets in which one or both played, leading Texas to a 22-19 victory before an announced crowd of 1,886 at 2,134-seat Capitals Stadium. The Capitals have lost five straight matches after winning their first three.

Bob Bryan (left) and Mike Bryan watch the women's singles
set at Capitals Stadium. Photo by Paul Bauman

   The Bryans defeated Mark Knowles and Ryan Sweeting 5-3 in men's doubles to give Texas (5-4) a 14-11 lead at intermission. Sacramento pulled even at 17-17 in the first game of the final set, mixed doubles, but Bob Bryan and Eugenie Bouchard beat Knowles and Olga Govortsova 5-3 for the overall victory.  
   The Bryans grew up in Camarillo in the Los Angeles area and live in Florida, where there is no state income tax. But they are no strangers to Northern California. They played at Stanford in 1997 and 1998, leading the Cardinal to two NCAA titles and winning the 1998 NCAA doubles crown.
  The twins also have played against their father, Capitals coach Wayne Bryan, several times in WTT matches in the Sacramento area.
   Curiously, the Bryans never won the title in San Jose, 25 minutes down Highway 101 from Stanford, in 10 attempts. They reached the final only once, losing to Scott Lipsky and David Martin, who arrived at Stanford one and two years, respectively, after the Bryans left.

Mike Bryan (left) and Bob Bryan pose with Capitals owners
Betsy and Deepal Wannakuwatte while signing autographs
after tonight's match. Photo by Paul Bauman

   It appears the Bryans never will win a title in the San Francisco Bay Area, as the San Jose tournament will be replaced on the calendar by Rio de Janeiro beginning next year.
   The Bryans have won just about everything else. They have captured a record 15 Grand Slam men's doubles titles, including the last four; their first Olympic gold medal last year; and a Davis Cup championship in 2007. Earlier this month at Wimbledon, they became the first team to hold all four Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal.
   With nine titles overall  this year, the Bryans are on pace to shatter their career high of 11 in 2007 and 2010. They have won 24 straight matches with championships at Madrid, Rome, the French Open, Queen's Club in London and Wimbledon. The first three titles were on clay and the last two on grass. The last team to beat them was Julien Benneteau of France and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia in the Monte Carlo final in April. 
   "At 35, we have a lot of experience," Bob explained. "We know our bodies well, we know what works on the tour, how to practice, now to prepare, how to recover. It's a combination of that as well as winning the gold medal. That released a lot of pressure. It's really made the tour enjoyable for us. We're having a great time, we're playing with a smile on our face, and we feel like we've done it all and the rest of our career is just kind of icing on the cake."
   Also, many of the Bryans' top rivals have either broken up as a team, are approaching retirement or both. The twins have said they will play at least through the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, when they'll be 38. Canada's Daniel Nestor, who has won eight Grand Slam men's doubles titles, remains active at 40. 
    "We're always licking our chops when a lot of the great tandems split up at the end of the year," Mike Bryan said, "because we know we're sticking together and can build on a year-to-year basis. It takes time to develop chemistry and a good partnership."
   By winning the U.S. Open, Aug. 26-Sept. 9, the Bryans would become the first team to win a calendar-year Grand Slam since Australians Frank Sedgman and Ken McGregor 62 years ago.
   "We'd love to win the U.S. Open for the fifth time, and with that goes a calendar-year Grand Slam," Bob Bryan said. "It would be amazing, another great achievement. It would probably be our greatest achievement."
   Said Mike: "It would go down in the history books. It's really hard to do as doubles players. Both of us have to be healthy, and doubles is tough to dominate because the margins are so small. If one guy loses his service game, you can potentially lose the match.
   "We're going to let this non-calendar-year Grand Slam sink in a little bit, enjoy it, and once the U.S. Open comes around, really go after it."
   The Bryans scoff at the notion that their record is inflated because the top singles players rarely play doubles. They say they would fare well against a team of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The matchup would be all the more tantalizing because of the right-left pairings. Mike Bryan and Federer are right-handed, and Bob Bryan and Nadal are left-handed
   :"We're 5-3 against Federer and 4-0 against Nadal (separately in doubles)," Bob Bryan said. "They're great players, but singles and doubles are two different sports. They need a completely different skill set. They need different types of returns, they need different types of serves, quick hands, and the fast feet at the net are something the singles players don't really have a chance to get used to unless they're doing a lot of it.
   "We like our chances. We obviously have a lot of respect for those guys. They're two of our heroes, and what they do on and off the court is really breathtaking. It would be nice to have an exhibition one day, but I doubt we're going to see that in a tour-level match anytime soon."
   It's not as Federer and Nadal can't play doubles, though. Federer won the 2008 Olympic gold medal with  Swiss teammate Stanislaus Wawrinka. Nadal is 3-0 in doubles finals in Masters series tournaments, the top level after the Grand Slams. 
    Nor do the Bryans buy John McEnroe's argument that he and Peter Fleming were better because they won 70 percent of their Grand Slam finals (seven of 10 from 1979 to 1984) to the Bryans' 60 percent (15 of 25). Indeed, it's hard to fathom how reaching 15 more major finals is a negative.
   "We like our numbers compared to the other teams' numbers," Mike Bryan said. "It's not for us to say who's the better team ... different eras, different competition, different rackets, different balls, courts."
   Added Bob: "The game evolves over time. We feel like doubles is at its toughest now. You have a great combination of singles players and doubles players playing different styles. It's a real big power game now with a lot of poaching, and the strategy of doubles has really been taken to a new level in the last 10 years."
   Even though most recreational players play doubles, it receives little exposure on television because of the top singles players' absence. They don't need the money, and it detracts from their singles.
   Bob Bryan, though, said doubles' second-class status doesn't bother him. After all, he and Mike have each earned more than $10 million in prize money, not to mention endorsements.  
   "We've created a great niche in the sport," Bob said. "We've created great lives for ourselves, and we're very happy with the way our career has gone. We play in front of sold-out crowds all over. We couldn't ask for any more."

 TEXAS 22, CAPITALS 19

In Citrus Heights, Calif.

   Men's singles -- Alex Bogomolov Jr. (Texas) def. Ryan Sweeting, 5-3.
   Women's singles -- Olga Govortsova (Capitals) def. Eugenie Bouchard, 5-4 (5-3 tiebreaker).
   Men's doubles -- Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (Texas) def. Mark Knowles and Sweeting, 5-3.
   Women's doubles -- Govortsova and Megan Moulton-Levy (Capitals) def. Bouchard and Darija Jurak, 5-3.
   Mixed doubles -- Bouchard and Bob Bryan (Texas) def. Knowles and Govortsova, 5-3.

Capitals have major concerns entering season

Mark Knowles, who reached No. 1 in the world in doubles
in 2002 and 2004, will return for his 12th season with the
Sacramento Capitals at age 41. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   For a team that came within three points of winning the World TeamTennis title last year, the Sacramento Capitals have an alarming number of concerns entering their 28th season.
   Topping the list is a women's lineup with zero WTT experience. Americans Taylor Townsend, 17, and Megan-Moulton Levy, 28, replace Asia Muhammad and Yasmin Schnack.
   Women are more important than men in WTT, with its no-add scoring and sets up to five games. Because women are less powerful, they are more likely to break serve and create leads.
   The Capitals' two full-time men have their issues, too. Mark Knowles, who reached No. 1 in the world in men's doubles in 2002 and 2004, is 41 years old. Ryan Sweeting's singles ranking has plummeted from a career-high No. 64 in 2011 to No. 293. 
   One of Sacramento's two marquee players, 31-year-old Mardy Fish, has missed most of the past 15 months with heart palpitations. He is scheduled to play three matches, all early in the three-week regular season that begins on Sunday night.
   Finally, there's no Kevin Anderson, Vania King or CoCo Vandeweghe to bail out the Capitals. All played part-time for Sacramento last year.
   The 6-foot-8 (2.03-meter) Anderson, ranked 23rd in the world, will play for Washington this season. Just what the Capitals and the rest of the league need -- for the Kastles to get stronger. Washington edged Sacramento 20-19 last year in Charleston, S.C., for its second consecutive WTT title and 32nd straight victory.

Under coach Wayne Bryan, the Capitals came within
three points of winning the World TeamTennis title
last season. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   King will return to the Springfield (Mo.) Lasers, with whom she won the 2009 WTT Female MVP award, after playing three full- or part-time seasons with the Capitals.
   The 6-foot-1 (1.85-meter) Vandeweghe, who reached the final of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford last summer as a qualifer, will play for the Orange County Breakers. They're based in Irvine, about 90 minutes up Interstate 5 from her home in the San Diego suburb of Rancho Santa Fe.
   Not that all is lost for the Capitals, however.
   Townsend, a 5-foot-6 (1.68-meter) left-hander, ended 2012 as the No. 1 junior girl in the world. She became the first U.S. girl to hold the No. 1 year-end ranking since Gretchen Rush in 1982.
   Townsend also beat the world's 57th-ranked woman, Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic, in March.
   After falling in today's Wimbledon girls final, Townsend will miss Sunday's 7:35 p.m. season opener against the Texas Wild at Sunrise Mall in the Sacramento area and possibly Monday night's home match against the Philadelphia Freedoms.
   “Many tennis insiders think Taylor has potential to be the next great American women’s
player," Sacramento coach Wayne Bryan said when the Capitals drafted Townsend in March, although 18-year-olds Madison Keys and Samantha Crawford are also in the conversation.
   Nicole Gibbs, who turned pro out of Stanford last month after winning her second straight NCAA singles title as a junior, will replace Townsend.
   Moulton-Levy, a 5-foot (1.52-meter) doubles specialist, is ranked a career-high No. 57 in that department.     
   Marquee player Sam Querrey, the top-ranked American man at No. 19 in the world, will return for his second part-time season with Sacramento. The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) San Francisco native is scheduled to play the Capitals' final four regular-season matches. He competed in six last year and finishing second in the men's singles standings.
   Because of their schedule, the Capitals could get off to a fast start and then cool off. They will play the first five of their 14 regular-season matches at home and seven of their last nine on the road.

CAPITALS’ SCHEDULE

(Home matches at Capitals Stadium, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights)

   Sunday vs. Texas, 7:35 p.m.

   Monday vs. Philadelphia, 7:35 p.m.

   Wednesday vs. Orange County, 7:35 p.m. (Mardy Fish plays for Capitals)
   Friday vs. Boston, 7:35 p.m. (Fish plays for Capitals)

   Saturday vs. Washington, 7:35 p.m. (Fish plays for Capitals)

   July 14 at Texas, 5:35 p.m.

   July 15 at Orange County, 7 p.m. 

   July 17 vs. Texas, 7:35 p.m. (Bob and Mike Bryan play for Wild)
   July 18 at Springfield, 5:05 p.m.

   July 19 at Boston, 4 p.m. (Mark Philippoussis plays for Lobsters)

   July 21 at Orange County, 5 p.m. (Sam Querrey plays for Capitals)

   July 22 vs. Orange County, 7:35 p.m. (Querrey plays for Capitals)

   July 23 at Springfield, 5:05 p.m. (Querrey plays for Capitals)

   July 24 at Texas, 5:35 p.m. (Querrey plays for Capitals)

TICKETS

   $25-$70 (discounts for children). For more information, visit www.saccaps.com or call (916) 747-6728.

2013 CAPITALS

   Mardy Fish, 31, Westwood, Calif. ... Fifth World TeamTennis season (second with Capitals). ... Scheduled to play three matches for Capitals, all early in season. ... Has missed much of last 18 months with irregular heartbeat. Has played only two tournaments this year and none since April. ... Ranked No. 43 in world after reaching career-high No. 7 in 2011. ... Singles quarterfinalist at Australian Open (2007), U.S. Open (2008) and Wimbledon (2011). ... Has won six career ATP World Tour titles in singles and eight in doubles (including San Jose in 2004 with James Blake and 2010 with Sam Querrey). ... Won singles silver medal in 2004 Olympics in Athens, losing to Nicolas Massu of Chile 6-4 in fifth set after leading two sets to one. ... Seven-time U.S. Davis Cup team member. ... Named 2006 Comeback Player of Year after undergoing two operations on left wrist.  ... Has booming serve, excellent return of serve. ... Moved from native Minnesota to Florida at age 4 and lived with Andy Roddick in 1999 during high school.

   Mark Knowles (captain), 41, Bahamas. ... Twelfth WTT season (all with Capitals). ... Retired from ATP World Tour last September as one of best doubles players in Open Era (since 1968). ...  Reached No. 1 in world in doubles in 2002 and 2004. Finished in top 10 for eight straight years (2002-09). … In April 2010, became fifth player in ATP history to record 700 doubles match wins. … Has won four Grand Slam titles: three in men’s doubles with ex-partner Daniel Nestor (2002 Australian Open, 2004 U.S. Open and 2007 French Open) and one in mixed doubles with Anna-Lena Groenefeld (2009 Wimbledon). … Overall, has won 55 men’s doubles crowns (tied for 15th in Open Era). Won at least one in 19 of 20 seasons (1992-2012). … Five-time Olympian for Bahamas (1992-2008). ... Three-time WTT Male MVP (2001, 2005 and 2007), tied with ex-Capital Brian MacPhie (1996-98) for men’s record. ... Has coached Fish since March 2012. ... Possesses textbook volley and return of serve.
    Megan Moulton-Levy, 28, Washington, D.C. ... First WTT season ... Doubles specialist, only 5 feet (1.52 meters), is ranked a career-high No. 57 in that category. ... Recorded first Grand Slam doubles victory of career in 2013 Australian Open. ... Reached doubles semifinals in Auckland, Memphis, Charleston and s'-Hertogenbosch this year. ... Has captured 10 doubles titles and one singles crown in minor leagues. ... Four-time Colonial Athletic Association Women's Tennis Player of the Year at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
   Sam Querrey, 25, Las Vegas. ... Third WTT season (second with Capitals). ... Top-ranked American at No. 19 in world, down two spots from career high in 2011. ... Has won seven singles and four doubles titles in career. ...  Reached fourth round of U.S. Open in 2008 and 2010 and at Wimbledon in 2010 for best Grand Slam singles results. ... Member of U.S. Davis Cup team in 2008 and 2010. ... Gashed right (playing) arm in 2009 when glass table he was sitting on at Bangkok tournament collapsed. Narrowly missed damaging nerves, which could have ended career. ... Sidelined for three months after right elbow surgery in 2011.
   Ryan Sweeting, 25, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. ... Second WTT season (both with Capitals). Suffered back spasms in WTT debut last year and missed only other scheduled match for Sacramento. ... Has plunged from career-high No. 64 in 2011 to No. 293. ... Won his only ATP World Tour title on clay in Houston in 2011. ... Won 2005 U.S. Open junior title and reached No. 2 in world in juniors that year. ... Bahamas native became U.S. citizen in 2006 and attended University of Florida for one year before turning pro in 2007.

   Taylor Townsend, 17, Boca Raton, Fla.... First WTT season. ... Often compared to Serena Williams because she's stocky African-American but plays more like Martina Navratilova. Both are left-handed with strong volley. ... Became first American in 30 years to top world junior rankings in 2012. ... Won junior titles in 2012 Australian Open singles and doubles, Wimbledon doubles and U.S. Open doubles. ... Became first American to sweep the junior girls crowns in a Grand Slam event since Lindsay Davenport in 1992 U.S. Open. ... Made WTA main-draw debut at 16 in March, beating No. 57 Lucie Hradecka. ... Reach third round of women's doubles in 2011 U.S. Open at 15 with Jessica Pegula.
   Wayne Bryan, coach, Camarillo, Calif. ... Thirteenth WTT season (12^th with Capitals). ... Longest-tenured coach in the league. … Three-time WTT Coach of the Year (2004-06). … Has led Capitals to two of their record six league titles (2002 and 2007). … Father of identical twins Bob and Mike Bryan, who have won record 14 Grand Slam men's doubles titles. … Tennis’ unofficial ambassador. … Non-practicing attorney. … Author of 2004 book “Raising Your Child to be a Champion in Athletics, Arts and Academics.” … Front man for Bryan Bros. Band.

OTHER TEAMS

Western Conference

   Orange County – Maria Elena Camerin, Treat Huey, Steve Johnson, CoCo Vandeweghe, Liga Dekmeijere. Coach: Trevor Kronemann.

   Springfield (Mo.) Lasers – Andy Roddick, Rik de Voest, Vania King, Alisa Kleybanova, Jean-Julien Rojer. Coach: John Laffnie de Jager.
   Texas Wild – Bob and Mike Bryan, Jim Courier, Alex Bogomolov Jr., Eugenie Bouchard, Darija Jurak, Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi. Coach: Brent Haygarth.

Eastern Conference

   Boston Lobsters – Mark Philippoussis, Eric Butorac, Jill Craybas, Katalin Marosi, Amir Weintraub. Coach: Bud Schultz.

   New York Sportimes – John McEnroe, Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Kveta Peschke, Robert Kendrick, Jesse Witten, Abigail Spears. Coach: Claude Okin.

   Philadelphia Freedoms – Sloane Stephens, Samuel Groth, Liezel Huber, Jordan Kerr, Jessica Pegula, Maria Sanchez. Coach: Josh Cohen.

   Washington Kastles – Martina Hingis (2012 WTT Female MVP), Kevin Anderson, Anastasia Rodionova, Leander Paes, Bobby Reynolds (2012 WTT Male MVP). Coach: Murphy Jensen (2012 WTT Coach of the Year).

Bryans win eighth title of year; junior sectional finals

   At 35, Bob and Mike Bryan are having the best year of their careers.
   That's saying something for arguably the greatest men's doubles team in history.
   The top-ranked Bryans won their eighth title of the year and 90th overall today, nipping fourth-seeded Alexander Peya of Austria and Bruno Soares of Brazil 4-6, 7-5, 10-3 match tiebreaker in the Aegon Championships in London.
   The Bryans, former NCAA champions from Stanford, won their fifth title at The Queen's Club and improved to 4-0 against Peya and Soares this year.
   "Like they've been doing all year, Bruno and Alex played really solid tennis, and we had to hit some great shots at the end to get the win,” Bob Bryan said on atpworldtour.com. “It'll be nice to put the racquets down for a couple days and recharge the batteries for Wimbledon.
   “Special thanks to Chris Kermode and The Queen's Club for putting on another fantastic event. And happy Father's Day to our awesome dad back home in California. He is the reason we fell in love with this game so many years ago.”
   Wayne Bryan, 66, will begin his 12th season as the coach of the Sacramento Capitals in World TeamTennis on July 7. The three-time WTT Coach of the Year (2004-06) and author of the 2004 book "Raising Your Child to be a Champion in Athletics, Arts and Academics" is scheduled to face his sons when the Capitals host the Texas Wild on July 17 at Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights.
   Bob and Mike Bryan, who grew up in Camarillo in the Los Angeles area, are threatening to shatter their career high of 11 titles in one year (2007 and 2010). They will take an 18-match winning streak to Wimbledon following titles in Madrid, Rome, the French Open and London. They are 44-6 overall this year.
   For the first time in their career, the Bryans are halfway to the Grand Slam. They have won a record 14 major titles in men's doubles, including two Wimbledon crowns (2006 and 2011). This year's tournament at the All England Lawn Tennis Club is scheduled for June 24 through July 7.

NORCAL 18s JUNIOR SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Sacramento State

Finals

   Boys singles -- William Griffith (2), Fresno, def. Logan Staggs (1), Tracy, 7-5, 6-4.
   Girls singles -- Sarah Hu (1), Oakland, def. Emily Zheng (7), Fremont, 6-4, 6-4.
   Boys doubles -- David Ball, Palo Alto, and Logan Staggs (4), Tracy, def. Corey Spang, Redwood City, and Eric Spence, Los Gatos, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. 
   Girls doubles -- Isabella Heidenreich, Napa, and Sarah Hu (2), Oakland, def. Hadley Berg, Greenbrae, and Emma Critser (1), Mountain View, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5).  

After 10 years, Bryans repeat in French Open

Bob, right, and Mike Bryan, playing in the SAP Open at San Jose
in February, edged France's Michael Llodra and Nicolas Mahut
for their second French Open title. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Serena Williams wasn't the only one to end a French Open title drought today.
   Top-ranked Bob and Mike Bryan edged unseeded Frenchmen Michael Llodra and Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (4) for their second Roland Garros crown and first in 10 years.
   “It's great winning slams with your brother," Mike Bryan told reporters. "We really wanted to win another (Roland Garros). It's been ten years. This is the first one we won back in the day and kind of launched our career. This is the toughest Slam to win, I think. Clay is an equalizer and makes a lot of teams better.”
   Williams, who has won the last two Bank of the West Classic titles at Stanford, defeated Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-4 for her second French Open title and first in 11 years. Williams is not entered in this year's Bank of the West Classic, July 22-28, but Sharapova, the 2010 runner-up to Victoria Azarenka, is.
   The Bryan twins, 35-year-old former Stanford All-Americans originally from Camarillo in the Los Angeles area, became the first team to complete a career Grand Slam twice. They won the first of their record 14 Grand Slam men's doubles titles at the French Open.
   For the first time in their illustrious careers, the Bryans are halfway to the calendar-year Grand Slam in men's doubles. They won their sixth Australian Open title in January, breaking the record of 12 major men's doubles titles they had shared with Aussies John Newcombe and Tony Roche. The Bryans also have won two Wimbledons and four U.S. Opens.
   The Bryans ended the clay-court season with 14 consecutive victories for the titles in Madrid, Rome and Paris. They have won seven titles overall this year
   Llodra, 33, and Mahut, 31, were trying to become the first French team to win Roland Garros since Henri Leconte and Yannick Noah in 1984.
   “It's not finished until the end, and you have to fight until the last ball,” Llodra said. “Today we were close to losing the match two sets to love, and we fought until the end. We got chances, but not enough to [beat] the Bryans today.”
   Llodra and Mahut had upset fifth-seeded Max Mirnyi and Horia Tecau in the second round and second-seeded Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez in the quarterfinals. Mirnyi has won four French Open men's doubles titles, in 2005 and 2006 with Jonas Bjorkman and in 2011 and 2012 with Daniel Nestor.
  Llodra was seeking his fourth Grand Slam men's doubles crown. He captured the Australian Open in 2003 and 2004 with countryman Fabrice Santoro and Wimbledon in 2007 with France's Arnaud Clement.
   Mahut was playing in his first Grand Slam final. He is best known for losing 70-68 in the fifth set to John Isner in the first round at Wimbledon in 2010.