U.S. teens Loeb, Chirico outclass seeds in Challenger

Jamie Loeb, 19, routed second-seeded An-Sophie
Mestach of Belgium 6-1, 6-2 to reach the quarter-
finals of the Gold River Women's Challenger.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   GOLD RIVER, Calif. -- Jamie Loeb might be one-and-done.
   Louisa Chirico took it one step further, turning professional two months ago out of high school.
   Both New York-area residents ousted high seeds today to reach the quarterfinals of the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger.
   Loeb, 19, of Ossining, N.Y., whipped second-seeded An-Sophie Mestach of Belgium 6-1, 6-2 in a match that actually lasted 1 hour, 32 minutes at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area.
   Chirico, an 18-year-old resident of Harrison, N.Y., topped fourth-seeded Nicole Gibbs, a former Stanford star from Marina del Rey in the Los Angeles area, 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-1 on a 92-degree (33.3 Celsius) day. 
   Also today, 5-foot-3 (1.61-meter) Danielle Lao, a 23-year-old former USC All-American, routed 6-foot-2 (1.88-meter) Samantha Crawford, 19, of Tamarac, Fla., 6-4, 6-1. Crawford won the 2012 U.S. Open girls title and reached the semifinals of the inaugural Gold River Challenger earlier that year.
   Loeb, who has trained at the Manhattan-based John McEnroe Tennis Academy for the past four years, led North Carolina to a runner-up finish in the NCAA Championships in May as a freshman. Ranked No. 1 in singles, Loeb reached the NCAA quarterfinals before losing to eventual runner-up Lynn Chi of Cal.

Louisa Chirico, 18, defeated fourth-seeded Nicole
Gibbs, a former Stanford star, 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-1.

   The 5-foot-6 (1.68-meter) Loeb, a girls singles quarterfinalist at Wimbledon last year, said she'll decide whether to return to North Carolina based on her results in pro tournaments this summer. For the Tar Heels, today's victory was not encouraging.
   Loeb, who played Mestach for the first time, attributed her lopsided win to a scouting report by USTA coaches at the tournament.
   The keys, Loeb said, were to "attack the forehand and hit body serves to jam her. She either missed the return or I got an easy ball. I also tried to use my variety and step up when I had the chance and drive the ball."
   Mestach, ranked No. 167 in the world at 20 years old, has a huge windup on her forehand and can pound the ball -- if it's in her strike zone.
   "Her forehand is a weapon," Loeb conceded, "but any high forehands or backhands were weaknesses."
   Mestach, who lists grass as her favorite surface, said her 2-hour, 52-minute marathon against American Allie Will less than 24 hours earlier had no effect on today's outcome.
   "I'm just not playing well at the moment," she lamented before rushing off for a two-hour practice.
   Loeb is coached by Felix Alvarado from McEnroe's academy but said she has hit with the 55-year-old legend "quite a bit" and played five or six practice sets against him.
   "I haven't won yet," Loeb noted.
   McEnroe apparently is as fiery as ever. In an observation that rivals the sun rising in the east and setting in the west for news value, Loeb said McEnroe "doesn't like to lose. He gets upset if he loses a point."
   Chirico, a girls singles semifinalist at the French Open and Wimbledon last year, had little trouble deciding to turn pro rather than attend Stanford or Duke.
   "It was always something I wanted to do," said Chirico, wearing a small Wimbledon necklace. "My parents wanted me to wait until I finished my junior year to decide. It was in my heart, and it has all worked out."
   Chirico already has risen to No. 250. In her last two tournaments before the Gold River Challenger, she won the title in Padova, Italy, and reached the final in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, in back-to-back $25,000 Challengers last month on red clay, her favorite surface.
   Chirico, 5-foot-9 (1.75 meters), displayed power and athleticism against Gibbs, only 5-foot-6 (1.68 meters) and 130 pounds (59 kilograms).
   "I stayed really solid when I needed to," Chirico said. "I needed to cut down on errors and make more first serves. That's what I did, and I think that was the difference."
   Although Gibbs is ranked a career-high No. 145, she fell apart in the third set and was beside herself with frustration. Gibbs struggled with her serve, getting broken all four times, and hardly could hit a ball in the court. By the last game, she could only laugh at her ineptitude.
   "We both had a lot of trouble serving," said Gibbs, who turned pro last summer after winning her second straight NCAA singles title as a junior. "It was a back-and-forth match. Early in the third set, I felt my strings were going to break, that the tension was off. I switched rackets and then switched back and couldn't get any rhythm. I was hitting everything out."
   Gibbs said her goal is to crack the top 100 but admitted that "it will take a much better effort than today."

$50,000 FSP GOLD RIVER WOMEN'S CHALLENGER

At Gold River Racquet Club

In Gold River, Calif.

Second-round singles 

   Julia Boserup (7), United States, def. Jennifer Elie, United States, 7-5, 6-2.

   Danielle Lao, United States, def. Samantha Crawford, United States, 6-4, 6-1. 

   Nao Hibino (8), Japan, def. Laura Pigossi, Brazil, 6-1, 6-2.

   Madison Brengle (3), United States, def. Storm Sanders, Australia, 7-5, 6-1.

   Sachia Vickery (6), United States, def. Chiara Scholl, United States, 6-1, 6-0.

   Louisa Chirico, United States, def. Nicole Gibbs (4), United States, 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-1.

   Jamie Loeb, United States, def. An-Sophie Mestach (2), Belgium, 6-1, 6-2.
   Olivia Rogowska (1), Australia, def. Peggy Porter, United States, 7-6 (5), 6-3.

  Doubles quarterfinals

   Jacqueline Cako and Danielle Lao (3), United States, def. Jessica Lawrence, United States, and Alina Soltanici, Moldova, 6-2, 6-3.

   Daria Gavrilova, Russia, and Storm Sanders, Australia, def. Samantha Crawford and Sachia Vickery, United States, 6-3, 6-3.

Thursday's schedule

(Starting at 1 p.m.)

Stadium

   Olivia Rogowska (1), Australia, vs. Sachia Vickery (6), United States.

   Nao Hibino (8), Japan, vs. Jamie Loeb, United States.

   Julia Boserup (7), United States, vs. Louisa Chirico, United States (6:30 p.m.).

   Jamie Loeb and Allie Will, United States, vs. Maria Sanchez and Zoe Scandalis, United States. 

Court 3

   Madison Brengle (3), United States, vs. Danielle Lao, United States.

   Macall Harkins and Peggy Porter, United States, vs. Natalie Pluskota and Keri Wong (2), United States.

U.S. teen Crawford upsets seed in Challenger

Samantha Crawford, 19, above, beat fifth-seeded
Romina Oprandi, below, in the first round of the Gold
River Women's Challenger. Oprandi, who reached
No. 32 in the world last year, has beaten four
Grand Slam singles champions.

   GOLD RIVER, Calif. -- Samantha Crawford knew nothing about Romina Oprandi before they met for the first time today.
   It's probably just as well. Crawford might have been intimidated, even though the 19-year-old American is eight inches (20.3 centimeters) taller than the 5-foot-6 (1.72-meter) Swiss veteran.
   The fifth-seeded Oprandi, who fell 6-3, 6-3 in the first round of the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area, was by far the most accomplished player in the draw.
   The 28-year-old right-hander climbed to a career-high No. 32 in the world in June last year before undergoing surgery on her right shoulder for the third and fourth time and missing seven months.
   Playing on her preferred clay in Marrakech, Morocco, in April, Oprandi reached her first singles final and won her maiden doubles title (with Spain's Garbine Muguruza) on the elite WTA tour.

   Oprandi owns victories over Grand Slam singles champions Kim Clijsters (grass), Svetlana Kuznetsova (clay) and Ana Ivanovic and Francesca Schiavone (hardcourts). The victory over Schiavone put Oprandi in the third round of the 2012 Australian Open, her best Grand Slam result.
   Still, Crawford overpowered Oprandi during the day session.
   "I felt I played well," said the soft-spoken Crawford, the 2012 U.S. Open girls champion and a semifinalist in the inaugural Gold River Challenger earlier that year. "I was trying to control the points and not be on defense so much."
   The featured night matches were anticlimactic.
   Fourth-seeded Nicole Gibbs outrallied 6-foot-1 (1.85-meter) Alexandra Stevenson 6-3, 6-2 in a matchup of native Southern Californians.
   Then Modesto product Maria Sanchez, the first Gold River champion, continued her singles tailspin with an error-filled 6-3, 6-0 loss to third-seeded Madison Brengle, last year's runner-up. Brengle, a 24-year-old resident of Bradenton, Fla., won the last eight games of the 52-minute shellacking.
   Stevenson, the 33-year-old daughter of basketball legend Julius Erving, drew international attention 15 years ago when she became the first female qualifier to reach the Wimbledon semifinals. Ranked a career-high No. 18 in the world in 2002, she is now No. 496.
   Gibbs, 21, turned pro last summer after becoming the fifth woman in history -- and fourth from Stanford -- to win back-to-back NCAA singles titles. She is ranked a career-high No. 145.
   Sanchez, a 24-year-old USC graduate, has tumbled from a peak of No. 107 last July to No. 399. However, she's No. 105 in doubles after winning Auckland in January with Sharon Fichman of Canada for her first WTA title and reaching three finals in tennis' minor leagues this year. 
   In contrast to the night program, the day session included several marathons as the temperature soared to 102 degrees (38.9 Celsius).
   Jennifer Elie outlasted qualifier Chanelle Van Nguyen, who helped UCLA win its second NCAA team title in May, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 in 3 hours, 10 minutes in an all-American battle.
   Second-seeded An-Sophie Mestach, 20, of Belgium held off Allie Will, a native of San Mateo in the San Francisco Bay Area who reached last year's semifinals, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-3 in 2 hours, 52 minutes. 
   Since Marrakech, Oprandi has suffered six straight first-round exits. Two came at the French Open and Wimbledon, two on the WTA tour and two in the minor leagues.
   When asked why she decided to play on hardcourts in the Gold River Challenger rather than on clay in Europe, the 180th-ranked Oprandi said: "That's a good question. I must have missed something in my brain. It was a terrible decision. I already knew it was the wrong decision."
   Almost everything about Oprandi -- from her candor to her appearance to her playing style -- is unusual.        
   With her white shorts, white shirt, short blond hair and white cap with the bill turned up, she resembled a house painter. She has a small silver ring pierced under her lower lip and the names of family members tattooed on her left forearm.
   Oprandi also had orange laces on one shoe and white laces on the other, but she wasn't making a fashion statement.
   "It's what I got from my sponsor (Lotto, an Italian sportswear company)," Oprandi shrugged.
   In an era of power, Oprandi relies on variety and placement. She's sort of a poor woman's Agnieszka Radwanska.
   Crawford, who missed last year's Gold River Challenger because of her third knee operation (two on the left), said the match was closer than the score indicated.
   "She's tough to play against. She will hit drop shots and slices. She'll hit flat and then slice. ... It's not easy to get in a rhythm. She has good shots on the line," Crawford observed.  
    Mostly, Oprandi hit soft serves and groundstrokes in the match. She was either "super relaxed," as Crawford put it, or out of sorts.
   Oprandi conceded that she played "not my best" but didn't know why.
   "I'll find out later, maybe," she mused.   

$50,000 FSP GOLD RIVER WOMEN'S CHALLENGER

At Gold River Racquet Club

In Gold River, Calif.

First-round singles

   Jamie Loeb, United States, def. Jessica Lawrence, United States, 7-5, 6-1.

   Olivia Rogowska (1), Australia, def. Macall Harkins, United States, 6-4, 6-2.

   Nicole Gibbs (4), United States, def. Alexandra Stevenson, United States, 6-3, 6-2.

   Madison Brengle (3), United States, def. Maria Sanchez, United States, 6-3, 6-0. 

   Jennifer Elie, United States, def. Chanelle Van Nguyen, United States, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4.

   Chiara Scholl, United States, def. Asia Muhammad, United States, 2-6, 6-4, 6-0.

   An-Sophie Mestach (2), Belgium, def. Allie Will, United States, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-3.

   Julia Boserup (7), United States, def. Zoe Gwen Scandalis, United States, 6-1, 6-1.
   Samantha Crawford, United States, def. Romina Oprandi (5), Switzerland, 6-3, 6-3.

   Laura Pigossi, Brazil, def. Tori Kinard, United States, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

   Sachia Vickery (6), United States, def. Sanaz Marand, United States, 7-6 (2), 6-4.

   Louisa Chirico, United States, def. Jennifer Brady, United States, 6-3, 6-3.

   Peggy Porter, United States, def. Marina Shamayko, Russia, 6-4, 6-3.

   Danielle Lao, United States, def. Natalie Pluskota, United States, 6-2, 6-4.

First-round doubles

  Jessica Lawrence, United States, and Alina Soltanici, Moldova, def. Emina Bektas and Jennifer Brady, United States, walkover.

Wednesday's schedule

(Starting at noon on each court)

Stadium

   Julia Boserup (7), United States, vs. Jennifer Elie, United States.

   Madison Brengle (3), United States, vs. Storm Sanders, Australia.

   An-Sophie Mestach (2), Belgium, vs. Jamie Loeb, United States.

   Olivia Rogowska (1), Australia, vs. Peggy Porter, United States (starting at 6:30 p.m.).

   Samantha Crawford and Sachia Vickery, United States, vs. Daria Gavrilova, Russia, and Storm Sanders, Australia.

Court 3

   Samantha Crawford, United States, vs. Danielle Lao, United States.

   Nicole Gibbs (4), United States, vs. Louisa Chirico, United States.

Court 4

   Nao Hibino (8), Japan, vs. Laura Pigossi, Brazil.

   Sachia Vickery (6), United States, vs. Chiara Scholl, United States.

Court and time TBA

   Jacqueline Cako and Danielle Lao (3), United States, vs. Jessica Lawrence, United States, and Alina Soltanici, Moldova. 

Aussie Rogowska heads field in Redding Challenger

   Olivia Rogowska of Australia is seeded first in this week's The Ascension Project Women's Challenger in Redding, Calif.
   Main-draw play in the $25,000 tournament begins today at 10 a.m. at Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness. The temperature is predicted to reach 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4 Celsius) later in the day.
   Rogowska reached the second round of last year's Australian Open in her hometown of Melbourne. Now ranked No. 137, she will face 19-year-old Montserrat Gonzalez of Paraguay on Wednesday in the first round at a time to be determined.
   Seeded second is Ksenia Pervak, who climbed to a career-high No. 37 in 2011 after advancing to the fourth round at Wimbledon and winning the WTA tournament in Tashkent. Hampered by injuries this year, the 22-year-old left-hander from Russia has fallen to No. 142.
   Pervak will take on American qualifier Rosalia Alda today at 10 a.m.
   Also seeded, in order, are Channel Simmonds of South Africa, Veronica Cepede Royg of Paraguay, Adriana Perez of Venezuela, and Americans Samantha Crawford, Allie Kiick and Sanaz Marand.
   Simmonds, a 21-year-old left-hander, qualified for the recent U.S. Open before losing to countrywoman Chanelle Scheepers in the first round.
   Crawford won the U.S. Open girls singles title last year. Kiick reached the USTA girls 18 singles final and won the doubles title with Sachia Vickery last month in San Diego. Both Crawford and Kiick are 18.
   Kiick's father, Jim, was a running back on the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only undefeated team in NFL history. He scored a touchdown in Miami's 14-7 victory over Washington in the 1973 Super Bowl.
   President Barack Obama honored the 1972 Dolphins, including Kiick, last month at the White House.
   See below for today's full schedule in the Redding Challenger.

$25,000 THE ASCENSION PROJECT WOMEN'S CHALLENGER

At Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness

In Redding, Calif.

Final-round qualifying

   Catherine Harrison, United States, def. Piia Suomalainen, Finland, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
   Anne-Liz Jeukeng, United States, def. Leila Hodzic, United States, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4.
   Michelle Sammons (3), South Africa, def. Maia Magill, United States, 6-1, 6-3.
   Denise Muresan (4), United States, def. Trelsie Sadler, United States, 6-0, 6-1.
   Christina Makarova (5), United States, def. Jessica Perez, United States, 6-3, 6-2.
   Rosalia Alda (11), United States, def. Wendy Qi-Wen Shang (6), Canada, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
   Anamika Bhargava (7), United States, def. Sophia Bursulaya, United States, 6-1, 7-6 (4).
   Beatrice Capra, United States, def. Emily Harman (9), United States, 6-1, 6-2.

 Today's schedule

(Starting at 10 a.m.)

Court 1

   Anne-Liz Jeukeng, United States, vs. Allie Kiick (7), United States.
   Sanaz Marand (8), United States, vs. Christina Makarova, United States.
   Denise Muresan and Caitlin Whoriskey, United States, vs. Veronica Cepede Royg, Paraguay, and Adriana Perez (2), Venezuela.

Court 2

   Denise Muresan, United States, vs. Jacqueline Cako, United States.
   Krista Hardebeck, United States, vs. Robin Anderson, United States.
   Maria-Fernanda Alves, Brazil, and Olivia Rogowska (1), Australia, vs. Emily Harman and Elizabeth Lumpkin, United States.

Court 3

   Elizabeth Lumpkin, United States, vs. Veronica Cepede Royg (4), Paraguay.
   Jelena Pandzic, Croatia, vs. Despina Papamichail, Greece.
   Rosalia Alda, United States, and Montserrat Gonzalez, Paraguay, vs. Jacqueline Cako and Allie Kiick, United States.

Court 4

   Rosalia Alda, United States, vs. Ksenia Pervak (2), Russia.
   Lauren Embree, United States, vs. Ashley Weinhold, United States.
   Erin Clark, United States,and Despina Papamichail, Greece, vs. Jessica Perez and Katelyn Ross, United States.

Ex-Capital Davenport nominated for Hall of Fame

Lindsay Davenport, playing for the Newport Beach Breakers
against the host Sacramento Capitals in World TeamTennis
last year, reached No. 1 in the world in singles and doubles.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Lindsay Davenport, a former Sacramento Capitals star in World Team Tennis, and six other luminaries were nominated Thursday for enshrinement in the International Tennis Hall of Fame at Newport, R.I., next year.
   Also on the ballot are former players Mary Pierce and Conchita Martinez, wheelchair player Chantal Vandierendonck, coach Nick Bollettieri, executive Jane Brown Grimes, and British broadcaster and author John Barrett.
   Voting will take place over the next several months, and the Class of 2014 will be announced early next year. An international media panel, consisting of tennis journalists and authors, will cast ballots on the players. An international masters panel, comprised of Hall of Famers and tennis historians, will vote on the contributors. Candidates in either category must receive 75 percent affirmative votes for induction.  
   Davenport, 6-foot-2 (1.89 meters), reached No. 1 in the world in singles and doubles. The 37-year-old resident of Laguna Beach in Southern California won six Grand Slam titles, three in singles (1998 U.S. Open, 1999 Wimbledon and 2000 Australian Open) and three in doubles (1996 French Open with Mary Joe Fernandez, 1997 U.S. Open with Jana Novotna and 1999 Wimbledon with Corina Morariu). Davenport also earned the singles gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
   Playing for the Capitals, Davenport was named the WTT Female Rookie of the Year at 17 years old in 1993 and the Female MVP in 1997. She competed on three of Sacramento's record six WTT championship teams -- in 1997, 1998 and 2007.
    Davenport also was known for her down-to-earth personality and unfailing cooperation with the media. 
    Pierce, 38, of France captured four Grand Slam titles, two in singles (1995 Australian Open and 2000 French Open), one in doubles (2000 French Open with Martina Hingis) and one in mixed doubles (2004 Wimbledon with Mahesh Bhupathi).
    Martinez, 41, remains the only Spanish woman to win Wimbledon, having stunned nine-time champion Martina Navratilova in 1994.
   ITA to honor Crawford -- Roger Crawford, 52, of Granite Bay in the Sacramento area will receive the 2013 Intercollegiate Achievement Award today in New York.
   Crawford, a renowned motivational speaker and author, was born with four impaired limbs. He has one finger on his right hand, two fingers on his left hand, three toes on his right foot and a prosthetic left leg. Yet he played Division I college tennis at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles.    

Modesto's Sanchez reaches Gold River final

Fourth-seeded Maria Sanchez of
Modesto demolished seventh-seeded
Valeria Solovieva to reach the final.
Photo bv Paul Bauman

  Maria Sanchez has endured a long commute this week, but it hasn't affected her game.
   Not much has lately.      
   The 22-year-old Modesto resident, seeded fourth, continued her outstanding year Saturday, demolishing seventh-seeded Valeria Solovieva of Russia 6-0, 6-1 in the semifinals of the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger at the Gold River Racquet Club.
   Solovieva, 19, had routed top-seeded Elena Bovina of Russia 6-1, 6-2 in Friday's quarterfinals.
   "It's nice being home and having my family here to support me," said Sanchez, last year's Pacific-10 Conference Women's Player of the Year as a senior at USC. "I'm staying at home and driving three hours (round-trip) each day. That part is not so nice, but it's nice to sleep in my own bed and eat home-cooked meals."
   The other semifinal featured two of the United States' top teenage prospects. Fifth-seeded Jessica Pegula, 18, won the last five games to beat unseeded 17-year-old Samantha Crawford 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.
   Either Sanchez or Pegula -- whose billionaire father, Terry, owns the NHL's Buffalo Sabres -- will win her first professional singles title in their first career meeting today at noon. Sanchez has won six doubles crowns and Pegula three.
   Sanchez will be playing in her second consecutive singles final. She lost to Grace Min of Norcross, Ga.,  6-4, 7-6 (4) in a $50,000 tournament on clay in Indian Harbour Beach, Fla., four weeks ago.

Fifth-seeded Jessica Pegula, 18,
rallied to beat unseeded Samantha
Crawford, 17. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Sanchez also reached today's doubles final with Kaitlyn Christian, an Orange resident who just finished her sophomore season at USC. The unseeded team will meet second-seeded Asia Muhammed of Henderson, Nev., and Yasmin Schnack of Elk Grove in the Sacramento area.
   Schnack usually plays doubles with Sanchez but paired with Muhammed because they will be teammates on the Sacramento Capitals during the World TeamTennis season in July.
   Sanchez has skyrocketed from No. 687 to No. 287 in singles and jumped from No. 268 to No. 150 in doubles since the end of 2011. 
   "I'm starting to get used to life as a professional tennis player, traveling a lot and finding out what works for me," she said. "I have a lot of support. My coach (Ini Ghidirmic) has been really helpful since I started working with him in the last couple of months, and I still see the USC coaches when I'm in L.A. I've been working out at the Evert Tennis Academy (in Boca Raton, Fla.), and Chrissie and the coaches there have been really helpful in my progress."
   The 5-foot-10 Sanchez played almost flawlessly Saturday, especially in the first set. She pounded her first serve, hit forehand and backhand rockets, volleyed deftly and, on one point, tormented Solovieva with a feathery drop shot followed by a winning lob.
   "I always work on all aspects of my game," Sanchez said. "I try to play an all-court game. The ability to finish points at the net is helpful. I work on strengthening everything every day."
   Solovieva, ranked No. 321, needs no convincing.
   "She was serving well and coming in a lot," Solovieva, who won the 2009 U.S. Open junior girls doubles title with Maryna Zanevska of Ukraine, said after facing Sanchez for the first time. "It's one of the best matches I've seen her play. I didn't lose the match. She won it."
   Pegula, ranked No. 294 in singles and No. 116 in doubles, and the 6-foot-2 Crawford, ranked No. 870 in singles, also met for the first time. Even though both are based in Boca Raton and close in age, they do not know each other well. Pegula is not affiliated with the USTA Training Center-Headquarters, where Crawford trains.
   "She's kind of shy," Pegula said. "I don't talk to her much."
   Both players appeared in the main draw of women's doubles at the U.S. Open last year. Pegula and Taylor Townsend -- then 17 and 15, respectively -- reached the third round. Crawford and Madison Keys, both 16 at the time, lost in the first round to sixth-seeded Sania Mirza of India and Elena Vesnina of Russia.
   Pegula also won two singles qualifying matches against players then ranked No. 119 and No. 120 to reach the main draw at Indian Wells on the elite WTA tour in March. She then lost in three sets to then-No. 83 Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia in the first round.
   Pegula is coached by Michael Joyce, who guided Maria Sharapova for seven years, and Crawford by Tom Gullikson, the USTA's lead national coach for women. Gullikson, who reached No. 4 in the world in doubles with twin brother Tim in 1983, also served as a U.S. Davis Cup captain and U.S. men's Olympic coach. Both Joyce and Gullikson came to Gold River with their proteges.
   The turning point in Saturday's match came when Crawford held serve from 0-30 to lead 4-1 in the third set. On the changeover, Pegula tossed her racket toward her bench.
   "I was really mad," she said. "I said, You know what? Just hit the ball. I loosened up and started serving better."
   French Open in Paris -- Second-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan, the 1998 NCAA doubles champions from Stanford, overwhelmed Lukas Dlouhy of the Czech Republic and Nicolas Mahut of France 6-0, 6-2 in the second round of the French Open.
   All but, ironically, Mahut have won the men's doubles title at Roland Garros. The Bryans triumphed in 2003, and Dlouhy paired with Leander Paes to prevail in 2009.
   Next for the 34-year-old Bryan twins are two more past French Open men's doubles champs, 40-year-old Mark Knowles of the Bahamas and 31-year-old Xavier Malisse of Belgium.
   Knowles, who will return for his 11th season with the Capitals, won in 2007 with former longtime partner Daniel Nestor of Canada. Malisse teamed with countryman Olivier Rochus for the 2004 crown.
   Fifteenth-seeded Scott Lipsky and Rajeev Ram, last year's doubles champions at the SAP Open in San Jose, wore down Benjamin Becker of Germany and Lukasz Kubot of Poland 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
   Lipsky, who reached the 2002 NCAA doubles final with Stanford teammate David Martin, and fellow American Ram will meet top seeds and defending champions Max Mirnyi and Nestor in the third round.      
   Mirnyi also won the 2005 and 2006 French Open crowns with now-retired Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden. Nestor also captured the title in 2010 with Nenad Zimonjic, plus 2007 with Knowles.
   Lipsky and Vladimira Uhlirova lost in the first round of mixed doubles to Virginie Razzano and Nicolas Devilder of France 3-6, 7-5, 10-6 tiebreak. Razzano stunned fifth-seeded Serena Williams in the first round of women's singles.

FRENCH OPEN TV SCHEDULE

   Today -- Fourth round, Tennis Channel, 2-10 a.m. (live); NBC, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (live). French Open Tonight (daily wrapup), Tennis Channel, 1-4 p.m. (premiere), 4-7 p.m. (repeat), 7-10 p.m. (repeat).

$50,000 FSP GOLD RIVER WOMEN'S CHALLENGER

At Gold River Racquet Club

Singles semifinals

   Maria Sanchez (4), Modesto, def. Valeria Solovieva (7), Russia, 6-0, 6-1.
   Jessica Pegula (5), Boca Raton, Fla., def. Samantha Crawford, Boca Raton, Fla., 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. 

Doubles semifinals

   Kaitlyn Christian, Orange, and Maria Sanchez, Modesto, def. Lena Litvak, Bronx, N.Y., and Adriana Perez, Venezuela, 6-4, 6-4.
   Asia Muhammed, Henderson, Nev./Capitals, and Yasmin Schnack (2), Elk Grove/Capitals, 6-3, 7-6 (3). 

Today's schedule

Stadium Court

(Beginning at noon)

   Maria Sanchez (4), Modesto, vs. Jessica Pegula (5), Boca Raton, Fla.
   Kaitlyn Christian, Orange, and Maria Sanchez, Modesto, vs. Asia Muhammed, Henderson, Nev./Capitals, and Yasmin Schnack (2), Elk Grove/Capitals.

 CALENDAR

   THROUGH JUNE 10 -- FRENCH OPEN, www.rolandgarros.com.
   Today -- $15,000 Tennis Town Pro Tennis at Park Terrace, Park Terrace Swim & Tennis Club, 5500 Parkfield Court, Sacramento, second-round qualifying, 10 a.m. Main draw begins Tuesday. www.parkterraceprotennis.org.
   June 9-10, 16-18 -- NorCal 18 Junior Sectional Championships, Sacramento State, www.norcal.usta.com.
   June 9-17 -- $15,000 Chico Futures, Chico Racquet Club & Resort, 1629 Manzanita Ave.
Chico, www.chicoracquetclub.com.
   JUNE 25-JULY 8 -- WIMBLEDON, www.wimbledon.com.
   July 7-15 -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   July 9 -- World TeamTennis, Sacramento Capitals' season opener at Boston, 4 p.m., www.saccaps.com.

   July 12 -- World TeamTennis, Capitals' home opener (with Mardy Fish) vs. Kansas City, Sunrise Marketplace Stadium, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., www.saccaps.com.      

Capitals' Muhammad upsets No. 8 seed

   There will be no all-Sacramento Capitals showdown today in the quarterfinals of the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger.
   However, there will be an all-Northern California matchup.

Asia Muhammad, who will play for the Sacramento
Capitals in July, serves during her first-round victory
Wednesday. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Asia Muhammad, who's scheduled to make her World TeamTennis debut for Sacramento in July, did her part Thursday night at the Gold River Racquet Club near Sacramento. The 21-year-old resident of Henderson, Nev., led eighth-seeded Gabriela Paz of Venezuela 6-1, 4-0 when Paz retired with the flu.
   But 24-year-old Yasmin Schnack, who will return for her second season with her hometown Capitals, lost to Samantha Crawford, 17, of Boca Raton, Fla., 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. The 6-foot-2 Crawford pounded serves and groundstrokes against the 5-foot-10 Schnack, an ex-UCLA All-American who upset third-seeded Marie-Eve Pelletier of Canada in the first round.
   Meanwhile, fourth-seeded Maria Sanchez of Modesto will meet Tracy resident Romana Tedjakusuma.
   The 5-foot-10 Sanchez, a 22-year-old former USC All-American, turned back 15-year-old Gabrielle Andrews of Pomona 3-6, 7-5, 6-2. Andrews won the Australian Open girls doubles title in January with Taylor Townsend, 16, of Stockbridge, Ga.

Samantha Crawford, 17, of Boca Raton, Fla., prepares for a
forehand during her second-round victory Thursday over
Yasmin Schnack, who will return for her second season
with her hometown Capitals. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Tedjakusuma, a 35-year-old Indonesian, topped American Elizabeth Lumpkin 6-4, 7-6 (0).
   In an all-Russian quarterfinal, top-seeded Elena Bovina will face seventh-seeded Valeria Solovieva. The 6-foot-2 Bovina, who reached No. 14 in the world in 2005 before injuries derailed her career, is 10 years older at 29.
   Finally, in an all-American encounter, second-seeded Ashley Weinhold will play fifth-seeded Jessica Pegula. Weinhold is 22 years old and Pegula 18.
   In two matches each, Bovina has lost only four games, Solovieva eight and Weinhold eight.
   See below for Thursday's full singles and doubles results and today's schedule.
   French Open in Paris -- No. 29 seed Julien Benneteau of France beat Sacramento-area resident Dmitry Tursunov  6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round of the French Open.
   Tursunov, a 29-year-old Moscow native, had lost in the first round at Roland Garros for the last three years. However, he reached the French Open doubles quarterfinals in 2007, semifinals in 2008 and quarterfinals in 2009 with fellow Russian Igor Kunitsyn. Tursunov is not playing doubles in the tournament this year.
   Mark Knowles of the Bahamas and Xavier Malisse of Belgium defeated Michal Mertinak of Slovakia and Andre Sa of Brazil 6-3, 6-6, retired in the first round of men's doubles. Ironically, Knowles and Mertinak lost in the first round of last year's French Open to Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine and Malisse.
   Knowles and Malisse are former French Open champions with different partners. Knowles won in 2007 with Daniel Nestor of Canada and Malisse in 2004 with countryman Olivier Rochus.
   Knowles, 40, will return for his 11th season with the Capitals.
   In other opening-round matches:
   --Liga Dekmeijere of Latvia and Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand ousted 10th-seeded Raquel Kops Jones of Fresno and Abigail Spears of San Diego 6-4, 6-4 in women's doubles.
   Kops-Jones won the 2003 NCAA doubles title with Sacramento native Christina Fusano, who retired last year after eight years on the pro circuit.
   --Second-seeded Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic and Mike Bryan downed the French team of Pauline Parmentier and Benoit Paire 6-4, 6-1 in mixed doubles.
   Peschke and Bryan are longtime WTT teammates on the Kansas City Explorers. Twins Bob and Mike Bryan won the 1998 NCAA doubles title as Stanford sophomores, then turned pro.
   Bob Bryan is scheduled to play with Serena Williams in the first round of mixed doubles today. They are -- get this -- unseeded.
   Television coverage of the French Open continues today live from 2 to 7 a.m. PDT on ESPN2 and 7 a.m to 4 p.m. on Tennis Channel, which also will broadcast its daily wrapup show from 4 to 7 p.m.

FSP GOLD RIVER WOMEN’S CHALLENGER

At Gold River Racquet Club

Second-round singles

   Jessica Pegula (5), United States, def. Jennifer Elie, United States, 6-3, 7-5. 

   Valeria Solovieva (7), Russia, def. Whitney Jones, United States, 6-2, 6-3. 

   Ashley Weinhold (2), United States, def. Lena Litvak, United States, 6-4, 6-3. 

   Elena Bovina (1), Russia, def. Maria-Fernanda Alves, Brazil, 6-3, 6-0. 

   Romana Tedjakusuma, Tracy/Indonesia, def. Elizabeth Lumpkin, United States, 6-4, 7-6 (0). 

   Samantha Crawford, United States, def. Yasmin Schnack, Elk Grove/Capitals, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. 

   Maria Sanchez (4), Modesto, def. Gabrielle Faith Andrews, United States, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2. 

   Asia Muhammed, United States/Capitals, def. Gabriela Paz (8), Venezuela, 6-1, 4-0, retired.

First-round doubles

   Chieh-Yu Hsu and Ashley Weinhold, United States, def. Whitney Jones and Elizabeth Lumpkin, United States, 6-1, 6-2. 

   Maria-Fernanda Alves, Brazil, and Valeria Solovieva (3), Russia, def. Gabrielle Faith Andrews and Samantha Crawford, United States, 6-3, 6-4. 

   Jessica Pegula, United States, and Marie-Eve Pelletier (1), Canada, def. Jennifer Elie, United States, and Kim-Alice Grajdek, Germany, 6-2, 6-4.

Today’s schedule

(Beginning at noon)

Stadium Court

   Elena Bovina (1), Russia, vs. Valeria Solovieva (7), Russia.

   Asia Muhammed, United States/Capitals, vs. Crawford, United States.

   Jessica Pegula, United States, and Marie-Eve Pelletier (1), Canada, vs. Lena Litvak, United States, and Adriana Perez.

   (Not before 7 p.m.) Elena Bovina, Russia, and Gabriela Paz, Venezuela, (4) vs. Kaitlyn Christian, United States, and Maria Sanchez, Modesto.

   Yawna Allen and Erin Clark, United States, vs. Asia Muhammed, United States/Capitals, and Yasmin Schnack (2), Elk Grove/Capitals.

Court 7

   Jessica Pegula (5), United States, vs. Ashley Weinhold (2), United States.

   Maria Sanchez (4), Modesto, vs. Romana Tedjakusuma, Tracy/Indonesia.

   Chieh-Yu Hsu and Ashley Weinhold, United States, vs. Maria-Fernanda Alves, Brazil, and Valeria Solovieva (3), Russia.

Schnack upsets third seed in Gold River Challenger

   With her exceptional volley, Yasmin Schnack has fared better in doubles than singles since turning professional two years ago.
   But the former UCLA All-American's singles career received a boost Wednesday in the first round of her hometown tournament.
   Schnack, a 24-year-old resident of Elk Grove in the Sacramento area, upset third-seeded Marie-Eve Pelletier 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the featured night match at the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger at the Gold River Racquet Club.

Yasmin Schnack of Elk Grove in the Sacramento area steps into
a forehand during her three-set victory over third-seeded
Marie-Eve Pelletier of Canada in the first round of the $50,000
FSP Gold River Women's Challenger. Photo by Paul Bauman

   It's the first women's pro tournament in the Sacramento area since at least the early 1970s and the first pro event at the club since the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis moved to Sunrise Mall 10 years ago.
   Schnack admitted she was surprised to beat Pelletier, a 30-year-old Fed Cup veteran for Canada, in their first career singles meeting. They are friends who are scheduled to play doubles together for the first time next week in El Paso, Texas.
   "I've known her for a while," Schnack said of Pelletier, a right-hander who played with a possible cartilage tear in her right shoulder but didn't seem hindered. "She's a great girl and a great player with a lot of experience. I knew I would have to play my best. I caught her on a bit of an off day, but I'll take what I can get. It's a confidence booster for me to beat someone of that caliber."
   Schnack wasn't the only Northern Californian who pulled off a first-round upset. Romana Tedjakusuma, a 35-year-old Tracy resident from Indonesia, knocked off sixth-seeded Adriana Perez, a 19-year-old Venezuelan, 7-6 (2), 7-5. 

Alexandra Stevenson, a Wimbledon semi-
finalist in 1999 and the daughter of NBA
legend Julius Erving, fell to Lena Litvak
in the opening round. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Meanwhile, Alexandra Stevenson's tailspin continued as she fell to Lena Litvak of Bronx, N.Y., 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. In 1999, Stevenson joined John McEnroe as the only qualifiers in Wimbledon history to reach the semifinals.
   Ranked a career-high No. 18 in 2002, Stevenson has plunged to No. 410. The 31-year-old daughter of NBA legend Julius Erving appeared to be packing a few extra pounds on her 6-foot-1 frame against the 5-foot-4 Litvak, who played at Harvard in 2006-07 before turning pro.
   Schnack won a main-draw singles match for the first time since January. In singles, she's ranked No. 399 in the world with two career ITF (minor-league) titles. In doubles, she's No. 152 with nine crowns. Her 5-foot-10 height gives her power on her serve and groundstrokes but limits her quickness.
   Like Schnack, the 5-foot-8 Pelletier has had more success in doubles than singles. She is ranked No. 284 in singles with two career ITF titles and No. 136 in doubles with 21 championships. She has been as high as No. 106 in singles (2005) and No. 54 in doubles (2010).
   Schnack said playing in her hometown helped "big time," although it initially worked against her.
   "I had so much support," said Schnack, who will return for her second season with the Capitals in July. "I was so nervous in the beginning. To have everyone support me made a big difference."
   The bad news for Schnack was she lost her first two service games. The good news was Pelletier dropped her first three service games and double-faulted to lose the first set.
   Schnack then suffered a letdown, getting broken in the opening game of the second set. Both players held serve from there until Schnack was broken at love to lose the set. But Schnack held serve throughout the third set and broke for 4-2 and 6-3.    
   "She started playing better  and attacking in the second set, and I hit shorter," Schnack said. "Then I quieted down everything. I used a compact swing and focused on getting balls in the court. The more I made her play, the better chance I had. She let up just enough for me to get my confidence back, and the momentum shifted."
   Schnack will play another first-time opponent, 17-year-old Samantha Crawford of Tamarac, Fla., today in the third match on the Stadium Court. The first one begins at 11 a.m.
   Crawford won last year's USTA girls 18 doubles title with Madison Keys to earn a wild card into women's doubles at the U.S. Open. The teenagers then lost to sixth-seeded Sania Mirza of India and Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-2, 6-0 in the first round.
   "She's a great up-and-coming American player," Schnack said of Crawford. "I think she's here with Tom Gullikson (the USTA's lead national coach for women's tennis). She's working with one of the best coaches in the world.
   "She'll come out with good strategy and technique. She's a big hitter. If I mix it up, give her off-pace shots and keep her off-balance, I think I'll have a good chance."
   See below for Wednesday's full results and today's order of play.
   French Open in Paris -- Second-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan, the 1998 NCAA doubles champions from Stanford, defeated Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine and Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 7-5, 6-3 in the first round of the French Open.
   The 34-year-old Bryan twins won the French Open in 2003 and reached the final in 2005 and 2006.
   Also advancing were 15th-seeded Scott Lipsky, an NCAA doubles runner-up in 2002 from Stanford, and Rajeev Ram of Carmel, Ind. The champions of the 2011 SAP Open in San Jose beat Australians Ashley Fisher and Marinko Matosevic 7-5, 6-2. 
   In the opening round of mixed doubles, seventh-seeded Mirza and countryman Mahesh Bhupathi downed Raquel Kops-Jones and Eric Butorac 6-2, 6-4. Kops-Jones won the 2003 NCAA women's doubles title with Cal teammate Christina Fusano, a Sacramento native who retired from the pro circuit last year. Butorac played for the Capitals in 2008.
   Television coverage of the French Open continues today live from 2 to 7 a.m. PDT on ESPN2 and 7 a.m to 4 p.m. on Tennis Channel, which also will broadcast its daily wrapup show from 4 to 7 p.m.    
   Bank of the West Classic -- Three of the world's top 10 players have entered the Bank of the West Classic, July 7-15 at Stanford.
  Highlighting the field will be No. 5 Serena Williams of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., No. 8 Marion Bartoli of France and No. 10 Angelique Kerber of Germany.
   Williams, the defending champion, has won 13 Grand Slam singles titles. Bartoli, the Stanford champion in 2009 and runner-up in 2008 and 2011, reached the Wimbledon final in 2007. Kerber gained the U.S. Open semifinals last year.
   Entries also include former world No.1 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, 2011 Wimbledon semifinalist Sabine Lisicki of Germany and two-time Grand Slam singles champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia. 
   In conjunction with the tournament, three American men in the International Tennis Hall of Fame will play a series of exhibition matches. Pete Sampras will face Michael Chang on July 11 and Jim Courier on July 12. Courier will play Chang on July 13.
   Tickets are available by calling 866-WTA-TIXS (866-982-8497) or visiting www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   Here is the full acceptance list with world rankings in parentheses:
   Williams (5); Bartoli (8); Kerber (10); Lisicki (13); Dominika Cibulkova (16), Slovakia; Jankovic (21); Kuznetsova (28); Nadia Petrova (29), Russia; Peng Shuai (30), China; Monica Niculescu (33), Romania; Yanina Wickmayer (35), Belgium; Christina McHale (36), Englewood Cliffs, N.J.; Simona Halep (37), Romania; Marina Erakovic (42), New Zealand; Sorana Cirstea (43), Romania; Chanelle Scheepers (45), South Africa; Petra Martic (50), Croatia; Tamira Paszek (52), Austria; Vania King (57), Boynton Beach, Fla.; and Varvara Lepchenko (63), Allentown, Pa.

 $50,000 FSP GOLD RIVER WOMEN'S CHALLENGER
At Gold River Racquet Club

Singles

First round

   Elena Bovina (1), Russia, def. Elizabeth Profit, United States, 6-1, 6-0.
   Samantha Crawford, United States, def. Tori Kinard, United States, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.  
   Maria Sanchez (4), Modesto, def. Mary Closs, Menlo Park, 6-3, 6-1.
   Lena Litvak, United States, def. Alexandra Stevenson, United States, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
   Asia Muhammed (Capitals), United States, def. Diana Ospina, United States, 6-4, 7-6 (4).
   Ashley Weinhold (2), United States, def. Tatsiana Kapshai, Sacramento/Belarus, 6-1, 6-0.
   Romana Tedjakusuma, Tracy/Indonesia, def. Adriana Perez (6), Venezuela, 7-6 (2), 7-5.  
   Gabrielle Faith Andrews, United States, def. Piia Suomalainen, Finland, 6-3, 4-3, ret.
   Yasmin Schnack, Elk Grove/Capitals, def. Marie-Eve Pelletier (3), Canada, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Doubles

First round

   Elena Bovina, Russia, and Gabriela Paz (4), Venezuela, def. Celine Cattaneo, France, and Nicole Robinson, United States, 6-2, 6-0.
   Yawna Allen and Eric Clark, United States, def. Isabella Kling, Orangevale/Sweden, and Kelly Wilson, Cameron Park, 7-5, 2-6, 10-7 tiebreak.      

Today's schedule 

(Beginning at 11 a.m.)

Stadium Court

   Jessica Pegula (5), United States, vs. Jennifer Elie, United States.
   Elena Bovina (1), Russia, vs. Maria-Fernanda Alves, Brazil.
   Yasmin Schnack, Elk Grove/Capitals, vs. Samantha Crawford, United States.
   (Not before 6:30 p.m.) Jessica Pegula (5), United States, and Marie-Eve Pelletier (1), Canada, vs. Jennifer Elie, United States, and Kim-Alice Grajdek, Germany.
   Asia Muhammed (Capitals), United States, vs. Gabriela Paz (8), Venezuela.  

Court 1

   Whitney Jones, United States, vs. Valeria Solovieva (7), Russia.

Court 7

   Ashley Weinhold (2), United States, vs. Lena Litvak, United States.
   Romana Tedjakusuma, Tracy/Indonesia, vs. Elizabeth Lumpkin, United States.
   Maria Sanchez (4), Modesto, vs. Gabrielle Faith Andrews, United States.
   Chieh-Yu Hsu and Ashley Weinhold, United States, vs. Whitney Jones and Elizabeth Lumpkin, United States.
   (Not before 4:30 p.m., might be moved to Stadium Court) Gabrielle Faith Andrews and Samantha Crawford, United States, vs. Maria-Fernanda Alves, Brazil, and Valeria Solovieva (3), Russia.  

Young begins to fulfill promise

   Perseverance and patience are paying off for Donald Young.
   Once touted as the future of American men's tennis, Young has struggled since turning professional at 14 years old. Heading into this year's U.S. Open, he had lost in the first round of singles in 11 of his 13 Grand Slam tournaments. Never had he advanced past the third round.
   Furthermore, Young blasted the USTA in an obscenity-laced Twitter message in April for declining to give him a wild card into the French Open.
   Young's troubles seemed distant memories Sunday, though, as the 22-year-old left-hander knocked off his second consecutive seed to reach the fourth round in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
   The Atlanta resident, born in Chicago, followed his five-set victory over No. 14 Stanislas Wawrinka with a 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 decision over No. 24 Juan Ignacio Chela, a U.S. Open quarterfinalist in 2007.
   "You have your highs and lows in tennis," the 84th-ranked Young told reporters. "I've definitely had the lows. Hopefully I'll have a lot more highs."
   Northern California has figured prominently in Young's career. He made his ATP World Tour debut in San Jose at 15 in 2005 and won Challenger singles titles in Aptos in 2007 and Sacramento in 2008.
   Young, who will eclipse his career high of No. 73 after the U.S. Open, will face fourth-seeded Andy Murray, the 2008 U.S. Open runner-up, of Great Britain on Tuesday for a berth in the quarterfinals.
   Young beat Murray, who won Aptos in 2005 and San Jose in 2006 and 2007, 7-6 (4), 6-3 in the first round at Indian Wells in March in their only career meeting.
   Meanwhile, Mark Knowles of the Bahamas did not have a very happy 40th birthday Sunday. Not only did the longtime Sacramento Capital in World TeamTennis lose in his only U.S. Open events, men's doubles and mixed doubles, he and his partners lost in straight sets to unseeded teams.
   Knowles and Belgium's Xavier Malisse, the 15th seeds in men's doubles, fell to Italians Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini 7-5, 6-4 in the third round. Then Knowles and Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia lost to Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic and Philipp Petzschner of Germany 6-4, 6-3 in the second round of mixed doubles.
   Knowles won the 2004 U.S. Open men's doubles title with Daniel Nestor.
   In junior boys singles, 16-year-old Connor Farren of Hillsborough defeated Diego Hidalgo of Ecuador 6-4, 6-4 in the first round.
   Labor Day Grand Prix -- Rob Lessler edged Robert Crawford 7-5, 3-6, 10-7 tiebreaker for the title in 4.5 singles, the highest men's division, in the 58th annual Labor Day Grand Prix at McKinley Park in Sacramento.
   Marisol Prieto-Valle routed Eva Wilson 6-0, 6-0 in the final of 4.0 singles, the top women's category.
   Paul Gregory, playing in the tournament for the 31st consecutive year, won the men's 4.0 singles crown.