Anderson shocks Murray to reach U.S. Open quarters

Kevin Anderson of the Sacramento Capitals serves in a
2012 World TeamTennis match in the Sacramento suburb
of Citrus Heights. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Andy Murray had reached at least the quarterfinals in 18 straight Grand Slam tournaments.
   Kevin Anderson had been 0-7 in the fourth round of Slams.
   Both streaks ended on Monday as the 15th-seeded Anderson stunned the third-seeded Murray 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (0) at the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
   "Disappointing to lose because of that," Murray, 28, said of his success in majors. "Obviously, that's many years' work that's gone into building that sort of consistency."
   The 6-foot-8 (2.03-meter) Anderson blasted 25 aces and had 81 winners against Murray, who won the 2012 U.S. Open in addition to Wimbledon the following year.
   "I'm a little lost for words right now," the 29-year-old South African, who has an American wife and a home in Delray Beach, Fla., said after the tournament's longest match at 4 hours, 18 minutes. "I just managed to keep my composure throughout."
   Unlike against Novak Djokovic in the fourth round at Wimbledon two months ago. Anderson lost after leading two sets to none. 
   But now Anderson has a good chance to reach the U.S. Open semifinals, even though he will face another two-time Grand Slam champion, fifth-seeded Stan Wawrinka, in the quarters. Anderson has beaten Wawrinka, who defeated American Donald Young in four sets, four straight times after losing their first three matches.

Andy Murray, shown at Indian Wells in March,
had reached at least the quarterfinals in 18 straight
Grand Slam tournaments. Photo by Paul Bauman

   In a night match, second-seeded Roger Federer beat hard-serving John Isner, seeded 13th, 7-6 (0), 7-6 (6), 7-5. The 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) Isner had never been shut out in 428 tour-level tiebreakers, according to the ATP.
   With Isner and Young eliminated, there are no U.S. men in the quarterfinals for the 16th straight Grand Slam tournament. Isner was the last to get that far, in the 2011 U.S. Open. That's the only time an active American has accomplished the feat. Robby Ginepri, a U.S. Open semifinalist 10 years ago, retired on Aug. 27 at 32.
    Federer, a five-time U.S. Open champion (2004-08), will face 12th-seeded Richard Gasquet of France in the quarters. Gasquet beat sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1.
   The last two women's quarterfinals also were set. No. 2 Simona Halep of Romania will meet No. 20 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, and No. 5 Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic will play No. 26 Flavia Pennetta of Italy.
   Halep had her left thigh wrapped and rewrapped several times in her draining 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-2 victory over No. 24 Sabine Lisicki of Germany.
   Pennetta, 33, defeated No. 22 Samantha Stosur, the 2011 U.S. Open champion from Australia, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows for the sixth time in eight years.
   Northern California connection -- Murray went 10-0 in the now-defunct SAP Open in San Jose, winning title in 2006 at 18 years old and in 2007. He also won the Aptos Challenger in 2005.
   Anderson, a former All-American at Illinois, reached the singles quarterfinals and doubles final (with Frank Moser of Germany) in the 2012 SAP Open. Later that year, Anderson played part-time for the now-defunct Sacramento Capitals in World TeamTennis.
   Anderson also won the doubles title (with since-retired Scott Oudsema of the United States) in the 2006 Rocklin Futures and was the singles runner-up to since-retired Scoville Jenkins of the U.S. in the 2007 Loomis Futures. Rocklin and Loomis are suburbs of Sacramento.
   Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey, a San Francisco native and former part-time Sacramento Capital, advanced to the men's doubles quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over wild cards Young and Michael Russell in an all-American matchup.
   The win sent Russell into retirement at 37. Russell compensated for his small size (5-foot-8 or 1.73 meters) with fierce determination. Ranked a career-high No. 60 in 2007, he held a match point against top-ranked and eventual champion Gustavo Kuerten before losing in five sets in the fourth round of the 2001 French Open.
   Also in the third round of men's doubles, Americans Eric Butorac and Scott Lipsky lost to third seeds and reigning Wimbledon champions Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands and Horia Tecau of Romania 7-6 (3), 7-5. Lipsky starred at Stanford from 1999 to 2003.

Altamirano to face seed in Sacramento Challenger

Fifth-seeded Denis Kudla, playing in last year's Sacra-
mento Challenger, will meet 18-year-old hometown
favorite Collin Altamirano. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Fifth-seeded Denis Kudla of Boca Raton, Fla., will meet Collin Altamirano, an 18-year-old wild card playing in his hometown, on Monday in the first round of the $100,000 Sacramento Pro Circuit Challenger.
   The match is scheduled to begin not before 4:30 p.m. at the Natomas Racquet Club.
   Kudla, 22, will be playing his second match since July after being diagnosed with mononucleosis. Seeded seventh in this week's $50,000 Napa Challenger, he lost to countryman Alex Kuznetsov 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 in the first round.
   Both Kudla and Kuznetsov were born in Kiev, Ukraine, and moved to the United States at a young age. Kuznetsov, however, is five years older.
   Kudla was seeded first in last year's Sacramento Challenger but lost in the first round to Daniel Cox of Great Britain 7-5, 6-0.
   Altamirano won last year's USTA Boys 18 National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich., and was the runner-up there this year to Noah Rubin, the reigning Wimbledon boys champion.
   Also on Monday, Ryan Harrison will face teenage sensation Stefan Kozlov in a matchup of top American hopes.
   Kozlov, a 5-foot-10 (1.78-meter) right-hander who's named after International Tennis Hall of Famer Stefan Edberg, is ranked No. 762 in the world. But Jim Courier, the U.S. Davis Cup captain and a Tennis Channel commentator, asserted during the recent U.S. Open that Kozlov "will be in the top 50 by the time he's 20."
   Harrison did exactly that two years ago at 20, ascending to a career-high No. 43. However, the intense, volatile Boca Raton resident has plunged to No. 183.
   Meanwhile, 31-year-old Robby Ginepri, the only active American man to reach a Grand Slam singles semifinal, will play James McGee of Ireland not before 3:30 p.m. Ginepri lost to Andre Agassi in five sets in the 2005 U.S. Open semis. 
   In the second round of Sacramento qualifying on Sunday, Mitchell Frank of Annandale, Va., ousted top-seeded Matt Reid of Australia 6-2, 6-3.  Reid gained direct entry in last year's Sacramento Challenger and advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Donald Young.
   The 57th-ranked Young is playing in Tokyo on the elite ATP World Tour next week.
   Frank clinched Virginia's first NCAA team title with a 0-6, 7-5, 6-4 win over UCLA's Adrien Puget at No. 3 singles in last year's final, saving a championship point in the process.     
   Now a senior at Virginia, Frank will meet fifth-seeded Dimitar Kutrovsky of Bulgaria today at 11 a.m. for a berth in the main draw.
   Admission to the Sacramento Challenger is $5 daily through Thursday, $10 for Friday's quarterfinals and $15 daily for Saturday's semifinals and the Oct. 5 finals.

$100,000 SACRAMENTO PRO CIRCUIT CHALLENGER

At Natomas Racquet Club

Second-round singles qualifying

   Liam Broady (3), Great Britain, def. Lovedeep Singh, Sacramento, 6-1, 6-0.
   Alexander Ritschard, Switzerland, def. Spencer Papa, United States, 6-2, 6-4.
   Thomas Fabbiano (2), Italy, def. Philip Bester, Canada, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (6).
   Eric Quigley, United States, def. Dennis Novikov, San Jose, 7-6 (6), 6-4.
   Nils Langer (4), Germany, def. Sekou Bangoura, United States, 7-6 (1), 6-3.
   Mitchell Frank, United States, def. Matt Reid (1), Australia, 6-2, 6-3.
   Marcos Giron (8), United States, def. Alexios Halebian, United States, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
   Dimitar Kutrovsky (5), Bulgaria, def. Lucas Gomez, Mexico, 6-1, 6-2.

First-round doubles qualifying 

   Sebastian Bader, Austria, and Erik Elliott (2), United States, def. Nils Langer, Germany, and Louk Sorensen, Ireland, walkover.

Today's schedule

Court 1

(Starting at 11 a.m.)

   Mitchell Frank, United States, vs. Dimitar Kutrovsky (5) (final-round qualifying).
   Ryan Harrison, United States, vs. Stefan Kozlov, United States (not before 1 p.m.).
   Alex Kuznetsov and Vahid Mirzadeh, United States, vs. Alexios Halebian and Dennis Novikov, United States.
   Denis Kudla (5), United States, vs. Collin Altamirano, Sacramento (not before 4:30 p.m.).

 Court 7

(Starting at 10 a.m.)

   Thomas Fabbiano (2), Italy, vs. Eric Quigley, United States (final-round qualifying).
   Rhyne Williams, United States, vs. Louk Sorensen, Ireland (not before 11:30 a.m.).
   Thomas Fabbiano and Luca Vanni, Italy, vs. Thiemo de Bakker and Wesley Koolhof, Netherlands.
   Robby Ginepri, United States, vs. James McGee, Ireland (not before 3:30 p.m.).

Court 6

(Starting at 10 a.m.)

   Nils Langer (4), Germany, vs. Marcos Giron (8), United States (final-round qualifying).
   Liam Broady, Great Britain, vs. Alexander Ritschard, Switzerland (final-round qualifying).
   Sekou Bangoura and Tennys Sandgren, United States, vs. Adam Hubble and John-Patrick Smith, Australia.
   Liam Broady, Great Britain, and Jordan Thompson, Australia, vs. Sebastian Bader, Austria, and Erik Elliott, United States (final-round qualifying).

Ginepri, two seeds ousted early in Napa Challenger

Robby Ginepri lost to Liam Broady of Great Britain 6-4, 6-0
in the first round of the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger.
2013 photo by Paul Bauman

   Neither past accomplish- ments nor seedings meant much in the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger on Monday.
   Robby Ginepri, the only active American man to reach a Grand Slam singles semifinal, lost to Liam Broady of Great Britain 6-4, 6-0 in the first round at the Napa Valley Country Club.
   Both singles seeds in action Monday also fell. No. 4 Bradley Klahn, a former Stanford star, lost to fellow American left-hander Wayne Odesnik 6-4, 6-4. And No. 7 Denis Kudla succumbed to Alex Kuznetsov 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 in another all-American matchup.
   Ginepri, who lost to Andre Agassi in five sets in the semis of the 2005 U.S. Open, has reached the fourth round or better at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
   The 31-year-old right-hander won the Tallahassee Challenger on clay in May and earned a wild card into the French Open, where he was annihilated by eventual champion Rafael Nadal 6-0, 6-3, 6-0 in the first round.
   Broady, a 20-year-old left-hander, won the boys doubles titles at Wimbledon in 2010 and the Australian Open in 2012. His sister, 24-year-old Naomi, gained the Wimbledon mixed doubles quarterfinals this year with countryman Neal Skupski. Both Broadys are 6-foot-2 (1.89 meters).
   Kuznetsov advanced to the semifinals of last year's inaugural Napa Challenger, and Kudla and Klahn reached the quarterfinals. Kudla was seeded first.
   This year's No. 1 seed, 54th-ranked Sam Querrey, is scheduled to play today not before 1 p.m. in the first round against qualifier Frederik Nielsen of Denmark.
   The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Querrey, a native of nearby San Francisco, has battled injuries since climbing to a career-high No. 17 in 2011.
   Nielsen and Jonathan Marray of Great Britain in 2012 became the first wild cards to win the Wimbledon men's doubles title. Nielsen's grandfather, Kurt, advanced to the Wimbledon singles final in 1953 and 1955. 

$50,000 NAPA VALLEY CHALLENGER

At Napa Valley Country Club in Napa, Calif.

Final-round singles qualifying

    Nils Langer (1), Germany, def. Jose (Rubin) Statham, New Zealand, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.
    Julian Lenz, Germany, def. Cameron Norrie, Great Britain, 6-2, 6-1.
    Daniel Nguyen (3), United States, def. Alexios Halebian, United States, 3-6, 6-3, 6-0.
    Frederik Nielsen (6), Denmark, def. Cameron Norrie, Great Britain, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-5.

First-round singles

   Wayne Odesnik, United States, def. Bradley Klahn (4), United States, 6-4, 6-4.
   Alex Kuznetsov, United States, def.  Denis Kudla (7), United States, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.

   Bjorn Fratangelo, United States, def. Kyle Edmund, Great Britain, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-2.
   Liam Broady, Great Britain, def. Robby Ginepri, United States, 6-4, 6-0.

First-round doubles

   Alex Bolt, Australia, and Frank Dancevic, Canada, def. Nicolas Meister and Clay Thompson, United States, 6-4, 3-6 [11-9].
   Adam Hubble and John-Patrick Smith, Australia, def. Tennys Sandgren and Rhyne Williams (4), United States, 6-2, 6-3.
   Bradley Klahn and Tim Smyczek (2), United States, def. Matt Reid, Australia, and Jose (Rubin) Statham, New Zealand, 6-4, 6-3.
   Sekou Bangoura and Vahid Mirzadeh (3), United States, def. Sebastian Bader, Austria, and Erik Elliott, United States, 6-3, 1-6 [10-3].

Today's schedule

(Starting at 10 a.m.)

Center Court

    Michael Russell (6), United States, vs. Tennys Sandgren, United States.
    Ryan Harrison, United States, vs. Jared Donaldson, United States.
    Sam Querrey (1), United States, vs. Frederik Nielsen, Denmark (not before 1 p.m.).
    Marcos Baghdatis (3), Cyprus, vs. Marcos Giron, United States.

  Court 7

   James McGee, Ireland, vs. Elias Ymer, Sweden.
   John-Patrick Smith, Australia, vs. Julian Lenz, Germany.
   Tim Smyczek (2), United States, vs. Nils Langer, Germany (not before 1 p.m).
   Matt Reid, Australia, vs. John Millman, Australia.
   Liam Broady, Great Britain, and Jordan Thompson, Australia, vs. Julio Peralta, Chile, and Matt Seeberger, Los Altos.

Court 8

   Frank Dancevic (8), Canada, vs. Daniel Nguyen, United States.
   Rhyne Williams, United States, vs. Jordan Thompson, Australia.
   Dennis Novikov, San Jose, vs. Matt Seeberger, Los Altos (not before 1 p.m.).
   Peter Polansky (5), Canada, vs. Alex Bolt, Australia.

Former U.S. star to play today in Napa Challenger

Robby Ginepri lost to Andre Agassi in five sets in the
2005 U.S. Open semifinals. 2013 photo by Paul Bauman

   Robby Ginepri, the only active American man to reach a Grand Slam singles semifinal, is scheduled to play Liam Broady of Great Britain today in the first round of the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger.
   The match will begin not before 4:30 p.m. at the Napa Valley Country Club. Admission is $15 daily through Thursday and $20 daily from Friday through Sunday.
   Ginepri, who lost to Andre Agassi in five sets in the semis of the 2005 U.S. Open, has reached the fourth round or better at all four Grand Slam tournaments. The 31-year-old resident of Kennesaw, Ga., also has won three titles on the ATP World Tour, the major leagues of men's tennis.
   Ginepri, a right-hander, reached a career-high No. 15 in the world in 2006 but broke his left elbow in 2010 when he fell off his bicycle trying to avoid a squirrel. He is now ranked No. 213.
   Broady won the boys doubles titles at Wimbledon in 2010 and the Australian Open in 2012. Now 20, the left-hander is ranked No. 286.
   Two all-American matches will precede Ginepri vs. Broady on Center Court.
   Fourth-seeded Bradley Klahn will meet fellow left-hander Wayne Odesnik not before 11:30 a.m. Klahn won the 2010 NCAA title as a Stanford sophomore, and graduated in 2012 and advanced to the quarterfinals of last year's inaugural Napa Valley Challenger.
   After the Klahn-Odesnik encounter, seventh-seeded Denis Kudla faces a tough assignment against Alex Kuznetsov. They reached the Napa quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, last year. Kudla was the top seed.
   On Sunday, a pair of 2012 Wimbledon champions played separate matches in the second round of qualifying.
   Sixth-seeded Frederik Nielsen, a Dane who won the men's doubles title at the All England Club with Jonathan Marray, edged wild card Clay Thompson, a 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) UCLA All-American, 2-6, 7-5 7-6 (6).
   Eighth-seeded Andrew Harris, who took the Wimbledon boys doubles crown with Australian countryman Nick Kyrgios, lost to left-hander Alexios Halebian, a 20-year-old Florida native, 7-5, 6-4.

$50,000 NAPA VALLEY CHALLENGER

At Napa Valley Country Club in Napa, Calif.

Second-round singles qualifying

   Nils Langer (1), Germany, def. Kevin Kim, United States, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.
   Jose (Rubin) Statham, New Zealand, def. Spencer Papa, United States, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
   Cameron Norrie, Great Britain, def. Ben McLachlan, New Zealand, 6-2, 6-2.
   Frederik Nielsen (6), Denmark, def. Clay Thompson, United States, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (6).
   Daniel Nguyen (3), United States, def. Dane Webb, United States, 7-5, 6-2.
   Alexios Halebian, United States, def. Andrew Harris (8), Australia, 7-5, 6-4.
   Mico Santiago, United States, def. Vahid Mirzadeh, United States, 6-3, 6-0.
   Julian Lenz, Germany, def. Daniel Garza (7), Mexico, 6-4, 6-2.

Today's schedule

(Starting at 10 a.m.)

Center Court

   Daniel Nguyen (3), United States,vs. Alexios Halebian, United States (final-round qualifying).
   Wayne Odesnik, United States, vs. Bradley Klahn (4), United States (not before 11:30 a.m.).
   Denis Kudla (7), United States, vs. Alex Kuznetsov, United States .
   Liam Broady, Great Britain, vs. Robby Ginepri, United States (not before 4:30 p.m.).

Court 7

   Cameron Norrie, Great Britain, vs. Frederik Nielsen (6), Denmark (final-round qualifying).
   Bjorn Fratangelo, United States, vs. Kyle Edmund, Great Britain (not before 11:30 a.m.).
   Alex Bolt, Australia, and Frank Dancevic, Canada, vs. Nicolas Meister and Clay Thompson, United States (not before 1 p.m).
   Tennys Sandgren and Rhyne Williams (4), United States, vs. Adam Hubble and John-Patrick Smith, Australia (not before 2:30 p.m.; may move to Center Court).
    Matt Reid, Australia, and Jose (Rubin) Statham, New Zealand, vs. Bradley Klahn and Tim Smyczek (2), United States (not before 3:30 p.m.).

Court 8

   Nils Langer (1), Germany, vs. Jose (Rubin) Statham, New Zealand (final-round qualifying).
   Mico Santiago, United States, vs. Julian Lenz, Germany (final-round qualifying).
   Sekou Bangoura and Vahid Mirzadeh (3), United States, vs. Sebastian Bader, Austria, and Erik Elliott, United States (not before 1:30 p.m.).

Things are looking up Down Under

Matthew Ebden of Australia is close to return-
ing to the top 100. Photos by Paul Bauman

   SACRAMENTO, Calif. — You think the United States has struggled in men's professional tennis?
   Consider Australia.
   The nation that has won 28 Davis Cup championships, second to the United States' 32, and produced legends such as Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Ken Rosewall, Lew Hoad, John Newcombe and Tony Roche has no men in the top 50 in the world. As recently as the 2010 year-end rankings, Australia had one man in the top 100 -- Lleyton Hewitt at No. 54.
   No Aussie man has won a Grand Slam singles title since Hewitt in 2002 at Wimbledon. That tops the U.S. drought by one year; Andy Roddick won the 2003 U.S. Open.
   Of course, Australia has about 1/14th the population of the United States.
   However, there's hope for Australian men's tennis. The country is up to three men in the top 100 -- No. 55 Bernard Tomic, No. 56 Marinko Matosevic and No. 59 Hewitt. Tomic is 20 years old, Matosevic 28 and Hewitt 32.
   And it appears more Aussies are on the way, as they represent half of the quarterfinalists in the $100,000 Sacramento Pro Circuit Challenger. In fact, all four of today's quarterfinals pit Australians against Americans.

Robby Ginepri is the only active U.S. man
to have reached a Grand Slam singles semifinal.

   Third-seeded Matthew Ebden, who ascended to a career-high No. 61 last October, is No. 114 and rising. The 25-year-old veteran survived the wind and a challenge from 30-year-old Robby Ginepri, the only active U.S. man to have reached a Grand Slam singles semifinal, for a 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 victory on Thursday at the Natomas Racquet Club.
   "A few years back, we might not have had one guy in the top 100 for a short time," said Ebden, the runner-up in last week's $50,000 Napa Challenger and the mixed doubles champion in this year's Australian Open with Slovakian-born Australian Jarmila Gajdosova. "Now we're looking at four or five guys maybe soon going to be in there. Then there's the potential to get to 50 or better.
   "Everybody sort of has an Australian attitude -- just keep our head down and work hard and keep improving month after month and year after year. I'm trying to do the same thing."
   Just as the Ebden-Ginepri match was beginning on the Stadium Court, a matchup of two potential stars from Australia was ending on an outside court. Nick Kyrgios, an 18-year-old right-hander, topped 17-year-old qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis 2-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1 despite being treated for a right wrist injury. Both players are prototypically tall and powerful.

Nick Kyrgios, 18, of Australia is by far the youngest player ranked in the
top 200 in the world.

   Kyrgios (pronounced KEER-ee-ose) also beat Kokkinakis in the Australian Open boys singles final in January, and they teamed to win the Wimbledon boys doubles title in July. Kyrgios, ranked No. 191, is the youngest player in the top 200 by 20 months over Dominic Thiem, 20, of Austria.
   Aussies Samuel Groth and Matt Reid -- ranked No. 202 and No. 235, respectively -- advanced to the Sacramento quarterfinals on Wednesday. Groth, who owns the world's fastest serve (163.4 mph or 263 kph), is 25 and Reid 23.
   Not playing in Sacramento is 19-year-old Luke Saville, who won the boys singles title at Wimbledon in 2011 and the Australian Open last year.
   Ebden cited two reasons for Australia's woes.
   "Like anything in life, there are cycles," he said. "In the economy, there are upturns and downturns. For a long time, Spain didn't have players, and then all of a sudden, they had tons of players.

Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia won this year's
Wimbledon boys doubles title with Kyrgios.

   "Australia is very far away geographically. That's one thing people have to overcome, but if you want it bad enough, you'll find a way. With some good people in charge of Australian tennis, like (two-time U.S. Open champion) Pat Rafter who bring a really strong work ethic, everyone is sort of picking up on that and fighting to get up there."
   Ebden, from Perth, used his experience in the wind and his fighting spirit to subdue a valiant Ginepri, who lost to Andre Agassi in five sets in the semifinals of the 2005 U.S. Open, in a match featuring outstanding athleticism and shotmaking.
   "Where I live in Australia, it's quite a windy place, so I don't actually mind the wind too much," Ebden said. "I think that's probably why in the first set I was settled from very early on and maybe he wasn't. But he adjusted really well, and then it was just a good fight. I tried to be a little more aggressive in the third set when I could, and I think that was the key for me."    
   Seventh-seeded Bradley Klahn, a former NCAA singles champion from Stanford who won his first career Challenger title in August at Aptos, reached the Sacramento quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. The 23-year-old left-hander from Poway in the San Diego area defeated 20-year-old Benjamin Mitchell of -- you guessed it -- Australia, 7-6 (6), 6-4.
   Wild card Jarmere Jenkins, who completed his eligibility at Virginia in May, eliminated Daniel Evans of Great Britain 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to reach his first Challenger quarterfinal. At the NCAA Championships in May, Jenkins led Virginia to its first team title, reached the singles title and won the doubles crown with Mac Styslinger.
   Evans reached the third round of the recent U.S. Open, upsetting No. 11 seed Kei Nishikori of Japan and 2011 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Tomic.
   In the doubles quarterfinals, wild cards Robert Kendrick and Brian Martinez edged Americans Austin Krajicek and Denis Kudla 5-7, 6-2, 10-6 match tiebreaker.
   Kendrick, a 33-year-old Fresno native, retired from the tour last year. He reached the Sacramento Challenger singles final in 2008 and 2010 and won the doubles title with Brian Wilson in 2007. In the second round at Wimbledon in 2006, Kendrick came within a tiebreaker of beating Rafael Nadal in straight sets before losing.
   Martinez is the tournament director of the Sacramento Challenger and director of tennis at the Natomas Racquet Club.
   Krajicek, a distant relative of 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek from the Netherlands, and Devin Britton of Brandon, Miss., reached last year's doubles final in Sacramento. They fell to Americans Tennys Sandgren and Rhyne Williams 4-6, 6-4, 12-10 match tiebreaker.
   Following are links to the singles and doubles draws and today's schedule:
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/singles_draw291.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/doubles_draw292.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/schedule292.PDF

Michael Venus scores upset again in Napa

   Michael Venus pulled off his second consecutive upset in the inaugural Napa Valley Challenger.
   The 25-year-old New Zealander nipped Robby Ginepri of Kennesaw, Ga., 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) today in the second round of the $50,000 tournament at the Napa Valley Country Club.
   Venus, the only unseeded player in the quarterfinals, and Ginepri, who also was unseeded, are ranked No. 364 and No. 229 in the world, respectively. Ginepri had won their only previous meeting 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of the Binghamton (N.Y.) Challenger last year.
  Ginepri, 30, is the only active U.S. man to have reached a Grand Slam singles semifinal, losing to Andre Agassi in five sets in 2005.
   Ginepri has reached the fourth round or better at all four Grand Slam tournaments and won three titles on the ATP World Tour, the major leagues of men's tennis. The right-hander climbed to a career-high No. 15 in the world in 2006 but broke his left elbow in September 2010 when he fell off his bicycle trying to avoid a squirrel. He missed 10 months.
   Venus, a former LSU All-American who surprised seventh-seeded Steve Johnson of Orange, Calif., in the first round, will meet fourth-seeded Alex Kuznetsov of Tampa, Fla., on Friday at 1 p.m. on Court 6.
   The other quarterfinal matchups, in order on the Stadium Court beginning at 11:30 a.m., are No. 3 Rhyne Williams of Knoxville, Tenn., against No 8 Donald Young of Atlanta, No. 1 Denis Kudla of Arlington, Va., vs. sixth-seeded Matthew Ebden of Australia and No. 2 Tim Smyczek of Tampa against No. 5 Bradley Klahn of Poway in the San Diego area.
   Neither Kudla nor Smyczek (pronounced SMEE-chek) has lost more than two games in a set in his two matches at Napa. The 5-foot-11 (1.80-meter) Kudla, ranked No. 99, is the only top-100 player in the singles draw. Smyczek, only 5-foot-9 (1.75 meters), gained the third round of the recent U.S. Open.
   Klahn is playing 81 miles (130 kilometers) north of Stanford, where he starred from 2009 to 2012. He won the 2010 NCAA singles title as a sophomore, underwent surgery for a herniated disc as a junior and graduated in economics last year. In his last three years, Klahn reached the quarterfinals or better in NCAA singles and doubles.
   Here are links to the singles and doubles draws and Friday's schedule:
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/singles_draw287.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/doubles_draw288.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/schedule288.PDF

Klahn outlasts Evans in rematch of Aptos final

Bradley Klahn, a former Stanford star, beat Daniel Evans of
Great Britain in a tight match in Northern California for the
second month in a row. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   The match lived up to expectations.
   In a battle of 23-year-olds, fifth-seeded Bradley Klahn topped Daniel Evans 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 today in the first round of the inaugural Napa Valley Challenger at the Napa Valley Country Club.
   Klahn, a former Stanford star from Poway in the San Diego area, also outlasted Evans of Great Britain 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 last month in Aptos, Calif., for his first Challenger title. Evans lost after holding one or more championship points for the second straight week. He had one against Klahn and three the previous week against Vasek Pospisil of Canada in the Vancouver Challenger.
   Evans reached the third round of the recent U.S. Open as a qualifier, stunning 11th-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan and 2011 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Bernard Tomic. Evans lost to 19th-seeded Tommy Robredo, who then eliminated five-time champion Roger Federer in straight sets before falling to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals.
   Klahn, a wild card at Flushing Meadows, advanced to the second round for the second consecutive year. He defeated 6-foot-8 (2.03-meter) Kenny De Schepper of France but lost to 23rd-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain. All three players are left-handed.
   Klahn will meet Thanasi Kokkinakis, a 17-year-old qualifier from Australia, on Wednesday in the second round of the $50,000 Napa tournament. Kokkinakis, the U.S. Open and Australian boys runner-up and Wimblebon boys doubles champion this year, edged 30-year-old qualifier Jesse Witten of Naples, Fla., 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4) in 2 hours, 42 minutes.
   Witten reached the third round of the 2009 U.S. Open as a qualifier before falling to Novak Djokovic.
   Robby Ginepri, the only active American man to have reached a Grand Slam singles semifinal, thrashed Nicolas Barrientos of Colombia 6-1, 6-1.
   Ginepri, who lost to Andre Agassi in five sets in the 2005 U.S. Open semis, will face Michael Venus of New Zealand of Thursday. Venus, a former LSU All-American, upset seventh-seeded Steve Johnson of Orange, Calif., in the opening round.
   Here are links to the singles and doubles draws and Wednesday's schedule:
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/singles_draw287.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/doubles_draw288.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/schedule288.PDF

No. 7 seed Johnson falls in Napa Challenger

Seventh-seeded Steve Johnson lost to Michael Venus of New
Zealand in the first round of the Napa Valley Challenger.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Michael Venus of New Zealand upset seventh-seeded Steve Johnson of Orange, Calif., 7-6 (4), 6-4 today in the first round of the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger at the Napa Valley Country Club.
   Johnson, who won two NCAA singles and four team titles at USC from 2009 to 2012, had beaten Venus 6-1, 6-4 in the second round of the $50,000 Winnetka (Ill.) Challenger in July in their only previous meeting.
   Venus, a 25-year-old former LSU All-American, will meet the winner of Tuesday's match between Robby Ginepri of Kennesaw, Ga., and Nicolas Barrientos of Colombia.
   Ginepri, 30, is the only active U.S. man to have reached a Grand Slam singles semifinal, losing to Andre Agassi in five sets in 2005.
   Ginepri, who climbed to a career-high No. 15 in the world in 2006, has plunged to No. 229. The right-hander broke his left elbow in September 2010 when he fell off his bicycle trying to avoid a squirrel and missed 10 months.
   The top three seeds in the Napa Valley Challenger -- Americans Denis Kudla, Tim Smyczek and Rhyne Williams, respectively -- won easily in the first round. Williams dispatched Collin Altamirano, a 17-year-old wild card from Elk Grove in the Sacramento area, 6-2, 6-2.
   In the final round of qualifying, former Sacramento State star Kiryl Harbatsiuk lost to third-seeded Jesse Witten of Naples, Fla., 6-4, 6-1. Witten avenged a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 loss to Harbatsiuk, a native of Minsk, Belarus, living in Sacramento, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the final round of qualifying in the 2010 Tiburon Challenger.
   Here are links to the Napa singles, doubles and qualifying draws and Tuesday's schedule:
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/singles_draw265.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/doubles_draw288.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/qualifying_draw285.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/schedule288.PDF   

Kudla, other top Americans enter NorCal Challengers

   Denis Kudla heads a strong American contingent in the upcoming Napa, Sacramento and Tiburon Challengers.
   At No. 95 in the world this week, Kudla is the fourth-ranked American and only top-100 player entered in any of the tournaments. Next are fellow Americans Tim Smyzcek (No. 104), Rajeev Ram (No. 118), Rhyne Williams (No. 125), Alex Kuznetsov (No. 128) and Bradley Klahn (No. 133).

Qualifier Tim Smyczek signs autographs after beating fifth seed
and 2010 champion Fernando Verdasco in the first round of the
SAP Open in San Jose in February.  Smyczek and Daniel Evans,
below, reached the third round of the recent U.S. Open to earn
$93,000 each. Photos by Paul Bauman

   All except Ram are scheduled to play in each of the three tournaments. Ram is entered only in Sacramento and Tiburon.
   Smyczek and Great Britain's Daniel Evans, who also is entered in all three tournaments, reached the third round of the recent U.S. Open.
   The $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger, $100,000 Sacramento Pro Circuit Challenger and $100,000 First Republic Bank Tiburon Challenger will be held in consecutive weeks beginning Monday.
   The Napa tournament, at the Napa Valley Country Club, will be staged for the first time. Sacramento has been played annually since 2005, at the Sutter Lawn Tennis Club for the first four years and the Natomas Racquet Club since then. Tiburon has been contested since 2003 with a break from 2005 through 2008.
   Last year's singles champions in Sacramento and Tiburon -- James Blake and Jack Sock, respectively -- are not scheduled to return. Blake, who reached a career-high No. 4 in 2006, retired after the recent U.S. Open. Sock, ranked No. 88, plays primarily on the elite ATP World Tour. 
   Kudla, a 21-year-old Ukraine native who moved to Fairfax, Va., on his first birthday, played in the singles main draw of three Grand Slam tournaments this year. As a qualifier, he lost in the first round of the French Open on clay and reached the second round at Wimbledon on grass. Kudla earned direct acceptance into the U.S. Open on hardcourts and advanced to the second round, facing two of the top four Czechs.
   Kudla, a 5-foot-11 (1.80-meter) right-hander, beat Jiri Vesely, a 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) left-hander, at Flushing Meadows before losing to fifth-seeded Tomas Berdych. Vesely, 20, climbed to No. 1 in the world junior rankings in January 2011.
   Kudla also reached the quarterfinals at Queen's Club, a Wimbledon tuneup tournament in London on the ATP World Tour, before losing to fourth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
   Smyczek, only 5-foot-9 (1.75 meters), was the last American left in men's singles at the U.S. Open. John Isner and Sock also reached the third round. That was worth $93,000 for each player.

Evans gained the final of the Aptos Challenger
in July, losing to former Stanford star Bradley
Klahn after holding a championship point.

   Evans, also 5-9, held a championship point before losing to Klahn in the final of the $100,000 Aptos Challenger in July. As a qualifier at Flushing Meadows, Evans stunned 11th-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan and 2011 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Bernard Tomic of Australia.
   Evans then fell to 19th-seeded Tommy Robredo of Spain. Robredo ousted five-time champion Roger Federer in the fourth round before losing to eventual winner Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals.
   Also scheduled to make the NorCal swing are 30-year-old American Robby Ginepri, a U.S. Open semifinalist in 2005, and Australian Samuel Groth, who holds the record for the world's fastest serve (163.4 mph or 263 kph).
   Ram, 29, gained the second round of the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open this year. At Flushing Meadows, he routed 16th-seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in the opening round.
   Williams, 22, lost in the first round of the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open. He reached the semifinals on clay in Houston in April for his best result on the ATP Tour and won last year's doubles title in Sacramento with former University of Tennessee teammate Tennys Sandgren.
   Kuznetsov, a Sacramento semifinalist in 2011 and 2006, qualified for Wimbledon in June before losing to Igor Sijsling of the Netherlands in the opening round.               
   Klahn, the 2010 NCAA champion as a sophomore at Stanford, reached the second round of the U.S. Open for the second consecutive year. The 2012 Stanford graduate won his first Challenger title two months ago in Aptos. 
   Brian Baker, one of the greatest comeback stories of all time in any sport, is entered in Sacramento and Tiburon. The 28-year-old American missed six years while undergoing five operations, including the Tommy John (elbow ligament replacement) procedure dreaded by baseball pitchers.
   Baker returned in 2011 and, as a qualifier, advanced to the final at Nice on clay on the ATP World Tour and the round of 16 at Wimbledon last year.
   Disaster struck again in January, when Baker tore the lateral meniscus in his right knee in the second round of the Australian Open. He underwent surgery on Jan. 21 and returned the competition in Aptos. 
   Here are links to the Napa, Sacramento and Tiburon entry lists:
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/Napa.pdf
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/Sacramento_CH.pdf
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/Tiburon.pdf
   Aggie Pro Am -- The Sixth Annual UC Davis Aggie Pro-Am is scheduled for Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Marya Welch Tennis Center.
   Lunch, side events for prizes and T-shirts are included in a $100 donation to UC Davis women’s and men’s tennis programs. To enter or help sponsor the event, call Ashley Williams at (530) 754-2593.
   Clay Court League -- The registration deadline for the Sacramento Clay Court League at Ben Combs' house in the suburb of Orangevale is Oct. 4. The season is scheduled for Oct. 19 through Nov. 3.
   For more information, visit www.sacramentoclaycourtleague.com.

Capitals land Fish again; Young upset in SAP Open

   Mardy Fish will try again.
   The Sacramento Capitals protected Fish, the top-ranked American at No. 8 in the world, with the seventh pick in Tuesday's World TeamTennis marquee draft.
   Fish was scheduled to play one match for the Capitals last year but withdrew with an abdominal injury. This year, the 30-year-old Los Angeles resident is set to play two matches, both at  home, for Sacramento during the July 9-29 regular season. Dates for all marquee player appearances will be announced when the league schedule is released next month.

   Visiting Capitals Stadium at Sunrise Mall will be 35-year-old retired stars Lindsay Davenport, chosen third by the Orange County Breakers, and Mark Philippoussis, picked first by the Philadelphia Freedoms. 
   Davenport, a Laguna Beach resident formerly ranked No. 1 in singles and doubles, was named WTT's 1993 Female Rookie of the Year at 17 and 1997 Female MVP as a member of the Capitals. Philippoussis, an Australian living in Las Vegas, reached the singles final at the U.S. Open in 1998 and at Wimbledon in 2003. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 8 in 1999.
   Returning marquee players are former Stanford stars John McEnroe of the New York Sportimes and Bob and Mike Bryan of the Kansas City Explorers, Serena and Venus Williams of the defending champion Washington Kastles, Martina Hingis of the Sportimes and John Isner of the Boston Lobsters. Also, James Blake will play for Philadelphia. The Springfield (Mo.) Lasers did not make a selection, and the St. Louis Aces folded after last season.
   Team lineups will be finalized in the WTT roster draft on March 13.  Marquee players typically play a limited schedule, while roster players play the full season.  Additional marquee players could be added before the start of the season. 

   Young upset in SAP Open -- Thirty-three-year-old Michael Russell, 5-foot-8, upset fellow American Donald Young, seeded seventh, 6-1, 7-6 (6) Tuesday night in the first round of the $531,000 SAP Open at HP Pavilion in San Jose.
   Young, 22, made his ATP World Tour debut seven years ago in the SAP Open as the future of U.S. men's tennis. The gifted left-hander from Atlanta has failed to achieve stardom, although he did soar from No. 127 to No. 39 in the world rankings last year.
   Russell could meet another American, Sam Querrey, in the second round. Querrey, 6-6, beat Russell 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the 2010 SAP Open.
   In a matchup of former SAP Open semifinalists, 29-year-old wild card Robby Ginepri of Kennesaw, Ga., dismissed 31-year-old Xavier Malisse of Belgium 6-1, 6-2. Ginepri has fallen from No. 15 in the world in 2005, when he reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open, to No. 235. The right-hander broke his left elbow in a bicycle accident in September 2010 and missed 10 months.
   In a battle of 19-year-old American prospects, qualifier Denis Kudla of Arlington, Va., outlasted wild card Jack Sock of Overland Park, Kan., 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3. Kudla, who avenged a loss to Sock in the 2010 U.S. Open junior final, is scheduled to meet second-seeded Andy Roddick, a three-time SAP Open champion, tonight at 7 in the second round.
   Ex-Cal star advances in doubles -- Raquel Kops-Jones, a former NCAA doubles champion from Cal, and fellow Californian Abigail Spears dominated Eleni Daniilidou of Greece and Monica Niculescu of Romania 6-1, 6-1 in the first round of the $2,168,400 Qatar Ladies Open in Doha.

SAP OPEN

In San Jose

First-round singles

   Dimitar Kutrovsky, Bulgaria, def. Dennis Lajola, United States, 6-7 (7), 6-3, 7-6 (3).
   Gilles Muller, Luxembourg, def. Tim Smyczek, United States, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
   Denis Kudla, United States, def. Jack Sock, United States, 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3.
   Steve Darcis, Belgium, def. Steve Johnson, United States, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5).
   Robby Ginepri, United States, def. Xavier Malisse, Belgium, 6-1, 6-2.
   Michael Russell, United States, def. Donald Young (7), United States, 6-1, 7-6 (6).

   First-round doubles

   Kevin Anderson, South Africa, and Frank Moser, Germany, def. Lukas Dlouhy, Czech Republic, and Igor Zelenay, Slovakia, 6-2, 6-3.
   Defending champions Scott Lipsky and Rajeev Ram (2), United States, def. Julien Benneteau and Gael Monfils, France, 6-3, 7-6 (6).  

Today's schedule

(First-round matches unless noted)

Stadium Court

(Beginning at 9:30 a.m.)

   Matthew Ebden, Australia, vs. Dudi Sela, Israel.
   Denis Istomin, Uzbekistan, vs. Sam Querrey, United States.
   Ryan Harrison (wild card), United States, vs. Olivier Rochus (8), Belgium.
   Julien Benneteau (5), France, vs. Ryan Sweeting, United States
   James Cerretani, United States, and Matthew Ebden, Australia, vs. Robby Ginepri and Travis Rettenmaier (wild cards), United States.

(Beginning at 7 p.m.)

   Denis Kudla (qualifier), United States, vs. Andy Roddick (2), United States, second round.
   Defending champion Milos Raonic (3), Canada, vs. Tobias Kamke, Germany, second round.

Courtside Club in Los Gatos

(Beginning at 1 p.m.)

   Santiago Gonzalez, Mexico and Christopher Kas (1), Germany, vs. Grigor Dimitrov, Bulgaria, and John Paul Fruttero, United States.
   Kevin Anderson, South Africa, and Frank Moser, Germany, vs. Paul Hanley, Australia, and Jamie Murray (3), Great Britain, quarterfinals.
   Mark Knowles, Bahamas, and Xavier Malisse (4), Belgium, vs. Mikhail Elgin, Russia, and Denis Istomin, Uzbekistan.
   Gilles Muller, Luxembourg, and Olivier Rochus, Belgium, vs. Carsten Ball, Australia, and Treat Conrad Huey, Philippines.

  To be arranged

  Sam Querrey and Jack Sock (wild cards), United States, vs. defending champions Scott Lipsky and Rajeev Ram (2), United States, quarterfinals.

King eliminated in Seoul quarterfinals

   Vania King could not sustain her momentum in the Hansol Korea Open.
   After shocking 10th-ranked Marion Bartoli for her first career victory over a top-10 player, the Sacramento Capital lost to unseeded Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 Friday in the quarterfinals of the $220,000 tournament in Seoul, South Korea.
   It was King's first loss to Zakopalova in four career meetings. Both players are 5-foot-5. The 29-year-old Zakopalova is ranked No. 43, and the 22-year-old King is No. 98.
   Zakopalova will meet sixth-seeded Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain in one semifinal, and fifth-seeded Polona Hercog of Slovenia will play unseeded Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan in the other.
   Tiburon Challenger -- The field for the $100,000 First Republic Bank Tiburon Challenger, Oct. 10-16 at the Tiburon Peninsula Club, is much the same as for the $100,000 Natomas/USTA Challenger in Sacramento the previous week.
   The primary difference is San Francisco native Sam Querrey playing in Tiburon instead of James Blake. Entered in both tournaments are Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, Ivo Karlovic of Croatia, Robby Ginepri of Kennesaw, Ga., and Jack Sock of Lincoln, Neb.
   Blake and Gonzalez, both 31, are former top-five players. Karlovic, 32, and Ginepri, 28, reached the top 15. All four are coming back from serious injuries. Sock, 18, won the mixed doubles title in the recent U.S. Open with Melanie Oudin.
   Costa Mesa Futures -- Kiryl Harbatsiuk, a former Sacramento State standout from Belarus, lost to John-Patrick Smith of Australia 7-5, 6-4 in the second round of the $10,000 Costa Mesa Tennis Classic.
   Both players completed their collegiate eligibility in May. Smith, who starred at Tennessee, became the second player in college tennis history to be named a four-time All-American in singles and doubles. He joined Rick Leach of USC (1984-87).

Blake, Gonzalez set to play in Natomas Challenger

   Although they come from different countries, James Blake and Fernando Gonzalez have much in common.
   Both are 31. Both have reached the top five in the world. Both are battling back from injuries. And both are scheduled to play in the $100,000 Natomas/USTA Challenger, Oct. 1-9 at the Natomas Racquet Club in Sacramento.
   Gonzalez, who received a wild card last week, climbed to a career-high No. 5 in the world in January 2007 after finishing as the runner-up to Roger Federer in the Australian Open. The Chilean won the singles silver medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and finished in the top 15 for the fifth consecutive year in 2009. However, he underwent right hip surgery last October and has plunged to No. 297.
   Blake, a three-time Grand Slam singles quarterfinalist, ascended to a career-high No. 4 in 2006 and played a key role on the United States' 2007 Davis Cup championship team. But the Yonkers, N.Y., native, now living in Tampa, Fla., missed 10 weeks in the spring of 2010 with a knee injury and fell to No. 173 last March. He has since climbed back to No. 73.
   Other entrants in the Natomas Challenger include former top-15 player Ivo Karlovic of Croatia, 2005 U.S. Open semifinalist Robby Ginepri of Kennesaw, Ga., and 2007 Sacramento Challenger champion Wayne Odesnik of Weston, Fla.
   Blake, Karlovic (32) and Ginepri (28) are no strangers to Northern California. All have done well in the SAP Open in San Jose.
   Blake reached the singles semifinals in 2003 and 2009 and won the doubles title in 2004 with Mardy Fish. The 6-foot-10 Karlovic came within a tiebreaker of winning the 2007 SAP Open, losing to Andy Murray.  Ginepri advanced to the semis in singles in 2008 and doubles in 2005 with Jan-Michael Gambill.
   Odesnik, 25, returned to action in January after serving a one-year suspension for possession of HGH.
   Also receiving a wild card last week was 18-year-old Jack Sock, who won the U.S. Open mixed doubles title with fellow American Melanie Oudin last week.
   Redding Women's Challenger -- Yasmin Schnack of Elk Grove, a Sacramento suburb, reached the Redding singles quarterfinals for the third time in four appearances.
   The eighth seed and former UCLA All-American defeated doubles partner and ex-USC rival Maria Sanchez of Modesto 7-6 (2), 6-2 in the second round of the $25,000 Oak River Rehab Challenger at Sun Oaks Tennis and Fitness.
   Schnack, 5-10, has a good chance to reach the Redding singles semifinals for the first time when she meets unseeded Yuliana Lizarazo of Colombia today. Schnack then could face top-seeded Camila Giorgi of Italy.
   In the bottom half of the draw, second-seeded Kurumi Nara of Japan will play wild card Allie Will of Boca Raton, Fla., and third-seeded Julia Boserup of Newport Beach will take on sixth-seeded Lauren Davis of Boca Raton. The 5-foot-2 Davis, nine inches shorter than Boserup, has lost only two games in two matches.
   Schnack and Sanchez, the top seeds in doubles, beat Surina de Beer of South Africa and Olga Puchkova of Russia 6-3, 6-2 in the quarterfinals. Schnack is the defending champion with Sacramento native Christina Fusano, who retired two weeks ago.