Sacramento women's pro tourney moves to Berkeley

Amanda Anisimova won the $60,000 FSP Gold River Women's
Challenger at age 15 last July. Photo by Rob Vomund

   SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Five years ago, California's capital had several marquee tennis events.
   The 27th-largest metropolitan area in the country with a population of 2.3 million, Sacramento offered the Capitals of World TeamTennis, a $100,000 men's Challenger, a $50,000 women's Challenger, the Big Sky Conference championships and the USTA National 30 Indoor Championships.
   Now they're all gone. Sacramento also lost a four-man legends tournament featuring Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jim Courier and James Blake after only one year in 2014.
   The $60,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger, the latest big event to leave Sacramento, ended a six-year run last summer.
   "We lost our headline sponsor," tournament director Michael Burchett explained this week, referring to Freight Solution Providers (FSP), "and we had difficulty trying to replace them. ...
   "Sacramento has a lot of companies, but they have their decision-making outside of the area. We're competing with the Kings (of the NBA), the River Cats (the San Francisco Giants' Triple-A affiliate) and the Republic (of the United Soccer League). Unfortunately, these (tennis) events don't attract a lot of people, so it's hard to get sponsorship."
   Lielani Steers, the CEO of the shipping company based in the Sacramento suburb of Rancho Cordova, did not return a phone call for comment.
   Winning singles titles in the Gold River Women's Challenger were, in order, Modesto product Maria Sanchez, Mayo Hibi of Japan, Olivia Rogowska of Australia, Anhelina Kalenina of Ukraine, Sofia Kenin of Pembroke Pines, Fla., and Amanda Anisimova of Aventura, Fla. Hibi (17), Kenin (17) and Anisimova (15) were teenagers at the time.
   Fortunately for Northern California fans, the tournament will be replaced by the $60,000 Berkeley Tennis Club Challenge, July 16-22. Past members of the Berkeley Tennis Club, founded in 1906, include International Tennis Hall of Famers Don Budge, Helen Wills Moody, Helen Jacobs and Hazel Wightman.
   "The USTA is giving (the Berkeley tournament more) money, and it's on the cheap," said Burchett, who would not divulge figures. "They don't have to put up shade, which is some savings."
   Heat could be a factor in the move. Summer temperatures in Berkeley in the San Francisco Bay Area are about 20 degrees Fahrenheit (11 degrees Celsius) cooler than in Sacramento in the scorching San Joaquin Valley.
   USTA coordinator Milagros Sequera also did not return a phone call.
   Technically, Berkeley will replace Stockton during the week of July 16, and a new $60,000 women's tournament in Ashland, Ky., will replace Sacramento. The $60,000 Stockton women's Challenger will be held concurrently with the $100,000 Stockton men's Challenger on Oct. 1-7.
   Singles qualifying for the Berkeley Tennis Club Challenge will begin on Sunday, July 15, at noon, and the singles main draw will start on Tuesday, July 17, at noon. The doubles and singles finals are scheduled for Saturday, July 21, and Sunday, July 22, respectively, at times to be determined.

Rare walkover gives Anisimova, 15, her first pro title

Amanda Anisimova, a potential superstar from Hallandale Beach, Fla., won her
first professional title when Ajla Tomljanovic withdrew from the final of the
$60,000 Sacramento Challenger with a shoulder injury. Photo by Rob Vomund

   GOLD RIVER, Calif. -- Yes, it was anticlimactic.
   Still, it could be historic.
   Fifteen-year-old Amanda Anisimova, a potential superstar from Hallandale Beach, Fla., won her first professional title on Sunday when Croatia's Ajla Tomljanovic (pronounced Eye-la Tom-yawn-o-vich) withdrew from the final of the $60,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger with a right shoulder injury.
   Anisimova had been 0-3 in finals, all on clay this year. She said the title at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area "means a lot. I was in two different (U.S.) finals before, $80,000 and $60,000. I was pretty unhappy that I lost both of those, but I came in here wanting to get my first title. I'm just really happy I finally got it. Maybe this will give me some more confidence and I can win next week, too."
   Anisimova, who will head to Lexington, Ky., for the $60,000 Kentucky Bank Tennis Championships, admitted that the walkover made the title less satisfying.
   "Yeah, I guess a little bit because I didn't earn it and we didn't have the match," she said. "At the same time, I had a couple tough matches. I played some really good players, so it feels pretty good that I got past that."
   Anisimova won three-setters against qualifier Chanel Simmonds, a left-hander from South Africa, in the quarterfinals and second-seeded Kristie Ahn, a former Stanford star based in Orlando, Fla., in the semifinals.
   Anisimova turned pro last September shortly after turning 15 and made her Grand Slam main-draw debut in May at the French Open. She became the youngest player to compete at Roland Garros since France's Alize Cornet also was 15 in 2005. Anisimova, who was profiled in The New York Times before the tournament, lost in the opening round to Kurumi Nara of Japan 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.
   The right-handed Tomljanovic, a former top-50 player, underwent surgery on her right shoulder in February 2016 and missed the rest of the year. She had treatment on the shoulder twice during her 6-4, 6-0 victory over eighth seed and defending champion Sofia Kenin, 18, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., in the semifinals on Saturday night. Kenin took a medical timeout for a left calf injury after Tomljanovic held serve for 2-0 in the second set.
   The final was going to be an enticing first-time meeting between tall power players. The 24-year-old Tomljanovic is 5-foot-11 (1.80 meters), one inch (2.54 centimeters) taller than Anisimova. Both were unseeded.
   Missy Malool said the walkover is only the second she has experienced in a final in her 21 years as a USTA on-site supervisor. Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia pulled out against Laura Granville, another ex-Stanford star, in a $50,000 clay-court tournament in Charlottesville, Va., in 2006 with a leg injury.
    "Right before the singles final, she came to me in tears and said she couldn't play," Malool recalled. "She walked out and spoke to the crowd, and everybody understood."
   Cibulkova, now 28, is ranked No. 11 after reaching a career-high No. 4 in March.
    Anisimova learned of Tomljanovic's withdrawal at about noon but stayed at the club until after the 5 p.m. doubles final to receive her trophy. Helping her celebrate were her Russian parents, Konstantin Anisimov and Olga, and her new coach, Henner Nehles, a German-born former UNLV star.
   Anisimova, a native of Freehold Township, N.J., speaks Russian at home but has never been to her parents' homeland.
   She soared from No. 250 in the world to No. 188 to become the youngest woman by far in the top 200. Next are three 17-year-olds: No. 129 Kayla Day of Santa Barbara, Calif., No. 147 Sofya Zhuk of Russia, No. 153 Destanee Aiava of Australia and No. 167 Bianca Andreescu of Canada.
   Anisimova beat Day 6-3, 7-5 in the first round of the Gold River Challenger.
   Grace Kim remains the youngest player to win a tournament on the USTA Pro Circuit. She was 13 years, 8 months and 16 days when she triumphed in Flemington, N.J., in 1982.
   Tomljanovic jumped from No. 270 to No. 228. She left the Gold River Racquet Club early to begin treatment at Stanford, the site of this week's Bank of the West Classic in the major leagues of women's tennis.
   A quarterfinalist at Stanford two years ago, Tomljanovic is scheduled to play 2012 runner-up CoCo Vandeweghe, seeded sixth and ranked 24th, in the first round on Tuesday or Wednesday.
   Anisimova took home $9,119, but that's likely pocket change for her. When asked if she has endorsement contracts, Anisimova said, "Um, I'm sponsored by Nike and Babolat, but I'd rather not say ... for personal reasons."
   Tomljanovic collected $4,863.

Giuliana Olmos, left, from Fremont in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Desirae
Krawczyk won the doubles title. Photo by Rob Vomund

   In the doubles final, second-seeded Desirae Krawczyk from Palm Desert, Calif., and Giuliana Olmos from Fremont in the San Francisco Bay Area routed top-seeded Jovana Jaksic of Serbia and Vera Lapko of Belarus 6-1, 6-2.
   It was the fifth and biggest ITF (minor-league) title for Krawczyk and Olmos together, all this year. Olmos, a 24-year-old former USC All-American, plays for Mexico. Krawczyk, a 23-year-old left-hander, starred at Arizona State.
   Serbian Vlade Divac, the general manager of the NBA's Sacramento Kings, attended the doubles final.
   Here are the complete Sacramento singles and doubles draws.

Veteran, phenom reach 60K Sacramento final

Ajla Tomljanovic, playing in Friday's quarterfinals, defeated ailing Sofia Kenin,
the defending champion, on Saturday night in the semifinals of the $60,000 FSP
Gold River Women's Challenger in the Sacramento area. Photo by Rob Vomund

   GOLD RIVER, Calif. -- Anyone clinging to the archaic notion that professional tennis is a genteel sport hasn't been paying attention.
   In reality, pro tennis is a physical and mental grind played on different surfaces in different conditions on different continents. Injuries are common and sometimes require surgery.
   Consider this week's $60,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger, contested on unforgiving hardcourts in brutal heat.
   Ajla Tomljanovic (pronounced Eye-la Tom-yawn-o-vich), a former top-50 player rebounding from right shoulder surgery, defeated ailing Sofia Kenin 6-4, 6-0 in Saturday night's second semifinal at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area.
   Earlier, 15-year-old phenom Amanda Anisimova avenged an April loss to Kristie Ahn in which Anisimova pulled a groin muscle. Healthy this time, the Hallandale Beach, Fla., resident topped the No. 2 seed and 25-year-old former Stanford star 6-4, 5-7, 6-1.
   The 5-foot-6 (1.68-meter) Kenin, the eighth seed and defending champion, finally broke down physically after winning last week's $60,000 Stockton Challenger, also on hardcourts in blazing heat, and winning three matches in Sacramento.
   Kenin, ranked 165th, said she hurt her left calf during her three-set victory over top-seeded Jennifer Brady in the quarterfinals on Friday night. That followed Kenin's three-set win over fellow 18-year-old American Usue (pronounced OOO-sway) Arconada on Thursday.
   Kenin played Saturday with kinesiotape on her calf and took a medical timeout at 0-2 in the second set.
   "It's not good. It's hurting me," a tearful Kenin moaned about her calf after her winning streak ended at eight matches. "I don't know (what's wrong)."

Amanda Anisimova, 15, slugs a forehand during
her three-set win over No. 2 seed Kristie Ahn,
a former Stanford star, in the semifinals.
Photo by Rob Vomund

   Meanwhile, the tall (5-foot-11 or 1.80 meters), slender Tomljanovic had treatment on her right (serving) shoulder at 4-3 in the first set and after winning the set.
   "It's OK," Tomljanovic, a 24-year-old Croatian who trains in Boca Raton, Fla., and Australia and speaks fluent English with no accent, said of her shoulder. "It's a little bit sore, but we'll see how it holds up tomorrow."
   The shoulder didn't seem to affect the hard-hitting Tomljanovic against Kenin.
   "It didn't affect my baseline game," she clarified with a laugh. "I definitely wasn't serving how I have been the last two weeks. I have to be smart out there and not push it and do something that would have a longer effect on me, a negative one."
   Tomljanovic, who reached the fourth round of the French Open and the doubles quarterfinals of the Australian Open (with Slovakia-born Aussie Jarmila Gajdosova) in 2014, made few errors against Kenin after losing to her 7-6 (3), 7-5 last week in the Stockton semifinals.
   "I thought my level was definitely higher," the unseeded Tomljanovic said. "I felt much better here. I felt the conditions suited me better. Last week felt kind of weird. I never really found my game the whole tournament, but here it kind of felt like it was falling into place, and I played much better.
   "I just feel like the courts are nicer (here). Last week, I felt like the ball would skid. It felt like I was playing on cement. Something was off there."
   The 5-foot-10 (1.77-meter) Anisimova overcame 15 double faults to subdue the 5-foot-5 (1.65-meter) Ahn in 2 hours, 37 minutes.
   "In the second set, I backed off a little bit and wasn't playing as aggressive," explained the unseeded Anisimova, a tremendous ball-striker who eventually could reach her goal of ascending to No. 1 and winning all four Grand Slam tournaments. "Then in the third set I was stepping in more and taking my time on my shots."  

   Ahn, ranked No. 116, is finally reaching her potential after years of injuries. At 16, she qualified for the 2008 U.S. Open before losing to Dinara Safina 6-3, 6-4. Safina was ranked seventh at the time and climbed to No. 1 the following year.
   Ahn had surgery on her right (playing) wrist during her senior year of high school in Upper Saddle River, N.J. As a Stanford freshman, she was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Associated Rookie of the Year in 2011 despite playing only one match after May 1 because of an ankle injury.

Sofia Kenin lines up a forehand during her victory over top seed
Jennifer Brady on Friday night. Photo by Rob Vomund

   Ahn missed almost all of her sophomore season with a stress fracture in her left foot and shoulder soreness, then tore a quadriceps muscle between her sophomore and junior years. Along with Nicole Gibbs, Ahn led Stanford to the 2013 NCAA team title and graduated the following year as a four-time All-American.
   Tomljanovic and Anisimova will meet for the first time after today's 5 p.m. doubles final between top-seeded Jovana Jaksic of Serbia and Vera Lapko of Belarus and second-seeded Desirae Krawczyk from Palm Desert, Calif., and Giuliana Olmos from Fremont in the San Francisco Bay Area.
   Tomljanovic, ranked No. 270, seeks her fifth ITF (minor-league) singles championship and first since a $50,000 clay-court tournament in Dothan, Ala., in 2013. Her other three titles came in $25,000 tournaments.
   Tomljanovic has never won a crown on the WTA tour, the major leagues of women's tennis.
   A quarterfinalist in the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford on the WTA tour two years ago, Tomljanovic is scheduled to face sixth-seeded and 23rd-ranked CoCo Vandeweghe in the first round of the tournament next week. The 6-foot-1 (1.85-meter) Vandeweghe advanced to the 2012 Stanford final as a lucky loser, falling to Serena Williams.
   Anisimova, who turned pro last September shortly after turning 15, said Tomljanovic "plays similar to me. She likes to be aggressive, but that's all I've seen."
   Tomljanovic last week declined to address reports that she has broken up with her 22-year-old boyfriend, Nick Kyrgios. The mercurial Australian, whom Tennis Channel commentator and former renowned coach Paul Annacone has called the most talented player since Roger Federer, is ranked 21st.
   "I don't talk (to reporters) about my personal life," Tomljanovic declared in Stockton.
   Anisimova, who has soared from No. 761 at end of last year to No. 250, seeks her first ITF title. She has lost three finals, all on clay this year.
   "She hits the ball nice," Tomljanovic observed. "She's got easy power. She's tall with a good serve. So, yeah, she's got good things going for herself."
   Here are the Sacramento singles and doubles draws and today's schedule. Live streaming is available here.

Defending champ beats top seed in $60K Sacramento

   GOLD RIVER, Calif. — The dream quarterfinal was turning into a nightmare for Sofia Kenin.
   Top-seeded Jennifer Brady, who has a big serve and powerful whipping forehand, steamrolled the defending champion in the first set on Friday night in the $60,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger.
   But Kenin, 18, rallied to defeat her fellow Floridian 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area and extend her winning streak to eight matches.
   Kenin, who swept the singles and doubles titles in last week's $60,000 Stockton (Calif.) Challenger, won the last three games in her first meeting against Brady.
   "She was obviously playing really well (in the first set), and I just told myself to keep fighting because I was right there. The games were close," said Kenin, seeded eighth and ranked No. 165. "I just told myself to fight for every point."
   That's more than you can say for Brady, who didn't try for two balls late in the match, including Kenin's forehand cross-court passing shot on her first match point.
   Kenin also became more aggressive, hitting harder and taking time away from Brady, after dropping the first set.
   "I started going for my shots," she said. "I already lost the first set, so I just tried to play my best."
   Brady, 22, reached the fourth round of the Australian Open as a qualifier in January and the second round at Wimbledon early this month. At No. 77, she is the highest-ranked player Kenin has beaten.
   Kenin's only other victory over a top-100 player came last month against No. 85 Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus in the first round of qualifying on grass in Mallorca.
   Brady will head to Stanford, where she is scheduled to play wild card Maria Sharapova in the first round in next week's Bank of the West Classic.
   Kenin, meanwhile, will meet unseeded Ajla Tomljanovic (pronounced EYE-la Tom-lee-on-o-vich), a 24-year-old Croatian based in Boca Raton, Fla., in a semifinal for the second consecutive week tonight.
   Kenin won 7-6 (3), 7-5 in Stockton to even her record against the 5-foot-11 (1.80-meter) Tomljanovic at 1-1. Tomljanovic won on clay in the first round of a $60,000 tournament in Charlottesville, Va., in April en route to the semifinals.
   Tomljanovic, ranked No. 270, beat Irina Falconi of Orlando, Fla., in the quarterfinals for the second straight week in a matchup of former top-100 players rebounding from surgery. After prevailing in three sets in the $60,000 Stockton Challenger, Tomljanovic won 6-1, 7-6 (2).
   Tomljanovic advanced to the fourth round of the 2014 French Open, had shoulder surgery in February 2016 and missed the rest of the year.
   In the other Gold River semifinal, second-seeded Kristie Ahn of Orlando will face 15-year-old phenom Amanda Anisimova of Hallandale Beach, Fla., after a 4 p.m. doubles semifinal.
   Ahn outlasted seventh-seeded Danielle Collins of St. Petersburg, Fla., 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in 2 hours, 21 minutes in a match that began at noon on another scorching day in the San Joaquin Valley.
   Anisimova, the most promising American with the initials "AA" since Andre Agassi, topped qualifier Chanel Simmonds, a 24-year-old left-hander from South Africa, 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 as the temperature soared to 103 degrees (39.4 Celsius) early in the second set at 5:15 p.m.
   In May, the 5-foot-10 (1.83-meter) Anisimova became the youngest player to compete in the women's main draw of the French Open since Alize Cornet, also 15, in 2005. Before the tournament, Anisimova was profiled in The New York Times.
   Ahn and Anisimova will meet for the second time. Ahn triumphed 1-6, 6-2, 6-2 on clay in the final of a $60,000 tournament in Dothan, Ala., in April. Anisimova pulled a groin muscle early in the second set. Still, Ahn was highly impressed.
   "Obviously, she's a very clean ball-striker," Ahn said. "She's young, she's raw, she's talented. I think we're going to see a lot more of her. The crazy part is she's only 15. She's really mature for her age, and it's really impressive to watch her dictate matches."
   Anisimova said last week in Stockton, where she lost to American Jamie Loeb in the quarterfinals, that her goal is to become No. 1 in the world and win all the Grand Slam tournaments. That's realistic, according to Ahn.
   "Yeah, yeah," Ahn said without hesitation. "Obviously you never know, but she is only 15. I imagine the time when Serena, Sharapova and Venus aren't playing anymore, so it's going to be interesting to see the new wave of players in 10 years when they're 25. There's a good group of Americans, especially. I think we're all pretty curious to see how they grow up."
   Anisimova is eager to avenge her loss in Dothan.
   "This time it's going to be on hardcourt, so it's going to be a little different," said Anisimova, adding that her favorite surface is clay because it gives her more time to haul off on her groundstrokes. "Last time I wasn't fully there because I pulled a muscle, but hopefully this time I'll be there 100 percent, so we'll see how it goes."
   Both Ahn, 25, and Collins, 23, are college graduates, a rarity in professional tennis. Ahn, along with Nicole Gibbs, led Stanford to the NCAA team title in 2013 and graduated the following year. Collins graduated from Virginia last year as a two-time NCAA singles champion (2014 and 2016).
   Ahn shook off a double fault on set point in the first set and Collins' rally from 1-4 (one service break) to 4-4 in the third set.
   "A lot of credit to her," said the 5-foot-5 (1.65-meter) Ahn, ranked No. 116. "She played well, she put a lot of pressure on me, and I was just trying to clear it out of my head and take each point one at a time.
   "Obviously, experience helps, but she's playing pretty well, and there were just a couple of key moments that —you're right — I was able to put out of my head at the right time."

   Collins, ranked No. 160 after only one year on the circuit full-time, crushes her serve, return of serve and groundstrokes. She blasted 11 aces, including three in a row twice.

   "She definitely took the initiative from the start — serves and returns," Ahn said with a laugh, "I think she had like eight aces or something, so definitely whenever I had a look, I tried to get into points as much as I could. "

   Anisimova trailed by a set and a service break for 0-1 in the second set when she suddenly stopped making unforced errors and started rifling passing shots. When the 5-foot-5 (1.65-meter) Simmonds pounded an ace at 0-4, 0-40, she raised her arms in mock triumph and smiled at the fans sitting behind the baseline.
   Said Anisimova: "I just didn't have a great day today. I think everyone doesn't always play great, but I got myself out of it, and I started playing my game again."
   Here are the Gold River singles and doubles draws and today's schedule. Live streaming is available.

Top seed, defending champ to meet in 60K Sacramento

   In a dream quarterfinal, top-seeded Jennifer Brady will face defending champion Sofia Kenin in the $60,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger.
   The Floridians will meet tonight after a 6:30 doubles semifinal at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area.
   Kenin, from Pembroke Pines, beat Usue (pronounced OOO-sway) Maitane Arconado, a Puerto Rico product, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-1 in a meeting of 18-year-olds in Thursday's featured night match.
   Kenin extended her winning streak to seven matches. She swept the singles and doubles titles in last week's $60,000 Stockton Challenger.
   Kenin played with Arconada in Stockton, but neither entered doubles in Sacramento.
   Brady, a 22-year-old former UCLA star based in Orlando, defeated U.S. qualifier Ena Shibahara, who completed her freshman season at UCLA in May, 6-2, 6-4.
   Brady, who reached the round of 16 in the Australian Open in January as a qualifier, is the only top-100 player in the draw at No. 77. Kenin is No. 165.
   Ajla Tomljanovic (pronounced Eye-la Tom-lee-on-o-vich), a 24-year-old Croatian based in Boca Raton, Fla., will meet Irina Falconi, 27, of Orlando in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive week. That will follow the noon match between No. 2 seed Kristie Ahn of Orlando and No. 7 Danielle Collins of St. Petersburg, Fla.
  Tomljanovic outslugged Falconi 2-6, 6-0, 6-2 in Stockton. Both are former top-100 players rebounding from surgery.
   Both Ahn and Collins are college graduates, a rarity in professional tennis. Ahn, along with Nicole Gibbs, led Stanford to the NCAA team title in 2013. Collins won the NCAA singles crown in 2014 and 2016 while playing for Virginia.
   After the Tomljanovic-Falconi showdown, 15-year-old U.S. sensation Amanda Anisimova will play qualifier Chanel Simmonds, a 24-year-old left-hander from South Africa.
   Here are the Sacramento singles and doubles draws and today's schedule. Live streaming is available.

Stockton runner-up Kratzer falls in 60K Sacramento

   Ashley Kratzer, the runner-up in Stockton last week as an 18-year-old wild card, lost to Danielle Lao, only 5-foot-3 (1.61 meters), 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday in a first-round matchup of Americans in the $60,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger in the Sacramento area.
   Lao, a quarterfinalist in the 2014 Gold River Challenger, will face seventh-seeded Danielle Collins of St. Petersburg, Fla., today at about 2 p.m. on the Stadium Court at the Gold River Racquet Club.
   Two seeds fell on Wednesday. No. 4 Sachia Vickery of Miramar, Fla., lost to former top-50 player Ajla Tomljanovic, a Croatian based in Boca Raton, Fla., 6-3, 6-1. Also, No. 5 Jamie Loeb of Ossining, N.Y., succumbed to qualifier Chanel Simmonds 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. Both Tomljanovic and Loeb reached the Stockton semifinals.
   Top-seeded Jennifer Brady, who advanced to the round of 16 in the Australian Open in January as a qualifier, outlasted 17-year-old American Claire Liu, the reigning Wimbledon girls champion who's ranked No. 1 in the world in the juniors, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
   Defending champion and eighth seed Sofia Kenin, 18, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., routed Jillian Taggart, a 16-year-old wild card from the Sacramento suburb of Fair Oaks, 6-1, 6-2. Kenin is coming off the Stockton title.
   U.S. qualifier Victoria Duval, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2014, edged Jovana Jaksic of Serbia 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 in 3 hours, 5 minutes.
   Emina Bektas, a 24-year-old wild card from Indianapolis, defeated 46-year-old Japanese marvel Kimiko Date 3-6, 6-2, 2-0, retired.
   Here are the Sacramento singles and doubles draws and today's schedule.

No. 77 Brady to face junior star in 60K Sacramento

   Top-seeded Jennifer Brady, who reached the fourth round of the Australian Open in January as a qualifier, will face reigning Wimbledon junior champion Claire Liu in an all-American matchup on Wednesday in the first round of the $60,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger.
   Brady, 22, of Boca Raton, Fla., and Liu, 17, of Thousand Oaks in the Los Angeles area will meet at a time to be announced at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area.
   Brady, ranked No. 77, is the only top-100 player in the draw. Next is No. 116 Kristie Ahn, a former Stanford star based in Orlando, Fla.
   Ahn will play Francesca Di Lorenzo, a 19-year-old left-hander from New Albany, Ohio, on Tuesday after the 10 a.m. match between Victoria Duval and Michaela Gordon in the final round of qualifying.
   Di Lorenzo, the top-ranked college player all spring as an Ohio State sophomore, reached the quarterfinals of last week's $60,000 Stockton Challenger.
   Duval was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma at age 18 in 2014, shortly before cracking the top 100 in the world. Gordon, from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, will turn 18 on Wednesday and enroll at Stanford in September.
   Two top U.S. prospects will square off on Tuesday in the opening round. Third-seeded Kayla Day, a 17-year-old left-hander from Santa Barbara, Calif., will take on Amanda Anisimova, 15, of Hallandale Beach, Fla., at about 2 p.m.
   In May, Anisimova became the youngest player to compete in the women's main draw of the French Open since Alize Cornet at 15 in 2005. Anisimova joined Di Lorenzo in the Stockton quarterfinals.
   Day advanced to the third round of the prestigious BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in March, losing to Garbine Muguruza 3-6, 7-5, 6-2. Muguruza won Wimbledon eight days ago for her second Grand Slam singles title. Day did not play in Stockton.
   Eighth seed and Gold River defending champion Sofia Kenin, 18, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., will try to sweep the Stockton and Sacramento titles. She will open against Jillian Taggart, a 16-year-old wild card from Fair Oaks in the Sacramento area, on Wednesday at a time to be announced.
   Also in action Wednesday will be Marina Erakovic, a former top-40 player from New Zealand rebounding from knee problems, and 46-year-old Japanese marvel Kimiko Date, who ascended to No. 4 in the world in 1995.
   Erakovic will play Jennifer Elie, a 30-year-old American, and Date will meet U.S. wild card Emina Bektas, 24.
   Here are the Sacramento qualifying, singles and doubles draws and Tuesday's schedule.

Kenin, 17, capitalizes on Min meltdown for title

Sofia Kenin, left, upset second-seeded Grace Min 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Sunday
night to win the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger in the
Sacramento area. Photo by Paul Bauman 

   GOLD RIVER, Calif. — Evonne Goolagong Cawley famously called them "walkabouts."
   The International Tennis Hall of Famer from Australia was referring to her lapses of concentration during matches.
   Grace Min had a mysterious walkabout for the ages on Sunday night, and it likely cost her the title in the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger.
   Seventeen-year-old Sofia Kenin capitalized on Min's meltdown for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory in an all-American final at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area.
   Min packs a punch at only 5-foot-4 (1.63 meters) and 140 pounds (64 kilograms). She outslugged Kenin — no easy feat — to lead 6-4, 1-1 in a baseline battle that began in 99-degree (37.2 Celsius) heat. Min, seeded second, was focused and pounding her groundstrokes into the corners.
   Then suddenly, the 22-year-old Min was listless and could hardly hit a ball in the court. The unseeded Kenin reeled off eight consecutive games to take the second set and lead 3-0 (two service breaks) in the third set.
   "I lost a bit of energy, pretty much a little of everything — a little objective and purpose with what I was trying to accomplish in the point," said Min, who saved two match points in the second round against former top-30 player Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands. "Yeah, I lost my way."
   When asked why, Min mused, "I'm not sure."
   Fatigue? Unlikely. Both Min and Kenin train in the heat and humidity of Florida, Min's two previous matches were one-sided, and she regained her form after falling behind 3-0 in the third set.
   "I did everything I could to prepare (for the tournament)," Min said, "so I had that peace of mind, but conditioning is always something you can improve."
   Perhaps Min got nervous as she tries to earn her third main-draw berth in the U.S. Open, Aug. 29-Sept. 11 in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
   Min broke Kenin at love for 1-3 in the final set and fought hard the rest of the match, but it was too late. Both players held serve from there, with Kenin converting her third championship point when a Min forehand sailed long.
    "I was just trying to ... control myself, move her and adjust to her game," Kenin said before rushing to the airport for a flight to Lexington, Ky., for the $50,000 Kentucky Bank Tennis Championships. "She was playing really well in the first set, but I was able to regroup well."
   Whereas Min inexplicably took the middle of the 2-hour, 8-minute match off, Kenin fought for every point in each set like her idol, Russia's Maria Sharapova. Kenin, a Moscow native who moved to Florida as a baby with her family, even walks to the wall behind the baseline between points and faces it while collecting her thoughts like Sharapova.
   Kenin, who has long legs but stands only 5-foot-6 (1.68 meters), became the second 17-year-old in the five-year history of the Gold River Challenger to win the singles title. She hopes to fare better than the first one.
   Mayo Hibi, a longtime resident of Irvine in the Los Angeles area who plays for her native Japan, defeated an ill Madison Brengle in the 2013 final. Hibi, only 5-foot-5 (1.65 meters) and 121 pounds (55 kilograms), then skipped college and turned pro. She is ranked No. 205.
   Kenin, a home-schooled high school junior, remains an amateur for now. Splitting her time between professional and junior tournaments, she was ranked No. 332 in the world entering the Gold River Challenger. Kenin will jump to about No. 252 when the new rankings are released on Monday. She is ranked 10th among juniors (18 and under).
    Min said Kenin has "a great deal" of potential.
   "She's very young, and obviously she's got a great tennis mind, so I think the world is hers," Min added.
   Does Kenin have top-10 potential?
   "I think anyone can reach the top 10 if they work hard enough," said Min, a former top-100 player who will improve from No. 158 to about No. 144.
   Kenin, who won her second and biggest ITF (minor-league) singles title, could play in the main draw of the U.S. Open for the second consecutive year. By winning the Gold River title, she took the lead in the U.S. Open Wild Card Challenge. The American who earns the most points in two of the three participating tournaments — Stockton two weeks ago, Sacramento and Lexington — will receive a wild card into the U.S. Open.

(Left to right) doubles runners-up Jamie Loeb and Chanel Simmonds,
Freight Solution Providers CEO Lielani Steers and doubles champions
Ashley Weinhold and Caitlin Whoriskey pose after the trophy presenta-
tion. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Kenin won the USTA Girls 18 National Championships last August in San Diego to earn an automatic wild card into the main draw of the U.S. Open. She lost to then-No. 96 Marina Duque-Marino of Colombia 6-3, 6-1 in the first round but reached the junior girls final.
   Min has played in the main draw of five Grand Slam tournaments but is still looking for her first victory in one. She won junior titles in U.S. Open singles and Wimbledon doubles (with Eugenie Bouchard) in 2011.

   Kenin and Min met in an official match for the first time, but they've played practice matches against each other at the USTA Training Center in Boca Raton, Fla., where both are based.
   This was the second all-American final in the Gold River Challenger. Maria Sanchez defeated Jessica Pegula in the inaugural tournament in 2012. Sanchez was born and raised in nearby Modesto. Pegula's parents, Terry and Kim, own the NFL's Buffalo Bills and NHL's Buffalo Sabres,

   Min, who played in the tournament for the first time this year, has an appropriate first name. During the awards ceremony, she warmly thanked the fans for attending and the club staff for making her feel at home. She then was cooperative in an interview with a reporter, to whom she had said "Nice to meet you" on Saturday.
   As for Min's walkabout, at least she's in good company.

   Second-seeded Ashley Weinhold of Spicewood, Texas, and Caitlin Whoriskey of East Sandwich, Mass., won the doubles title for the second consecutive year, beating third-seeded Jamie Loeb of Ossining, N.Y., and Chanel Simmonds of South Africa 6-4, 6-4.
   Loeb and Simmonds played together for the first time in the tournament. Loeb turned pro last year after winning the NCAA singles title as a North Carolina sophomore.
   Here are the complete Gold River Challenger singles and doubles draws.

Kenin, 17, hopes to rocket to vicinity of Venus

Sofia Kenin, above, will face Grace Min in
an all-American final in the FSP Gold River
Women's Challenger. Photo by Paul Bauman 

   GOLD RIVER, Calif. -- Sofia Kenin is unlikely to reach the heights of Venus Williams -- literally and figuratively.
   Kenin could, however, succeed Williams as a U.S. tennis star. They will play a 2 1/2-hour drive apart today in Northern California finals.
   The 36-year-old Williams will seek her 50th career singles title at the top level of women's tennis in the Bank of the West Classic, where she made her WTA tour debut 22 years ago, this afternoon at Stanford in the San Francisco Bay Area.

   In the evening, the 17-year-old Kenin will try to win her second ITF (minor-league) singles crown in the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento region.  
   The top three Americans in the world rankings are No. 1 Serena Williams, who will turn 35 in September; No. 7 Venus Williams; and No. 11 Madison Keys, who's 21.
   "There's such good players, and I have so much respect for them," said the unseeded Kenin, who will meet second-seeded Grace Min for the first time in an all-American final after today's 5 p.m. doubles title match (live streaming at usta.com). "It would be really good for the U.S. to have another player. My friends and I are trying to battle and get to the top. I look up to a lot of those Americans, and I really want to be in a position like them."
   Kenin's idol, though, is Maria Sharapova.
   "She's such a great fighter; she fights for every ball," explained Kenin, who won the USTA Girls 18 National Championships last summer to earn an automatic berth in the main draw of the U.S. Open (losing to Mariana Duque-Marino of Colombia in the first round). "I really like her game. She's got the big serve, she's aggressive, and that's how I want to play -- aggressive. I feel like her game matches well with mine."
   Like Sharapova, Kenin was born in Russia and moved to Florida. Kenin, however, came as a baby with her family and plays for the United States. Sharapova arrived at age 9 to train at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and competes for Russia.
   The big difference between Sharapova, who is serving a two-year suspension for using meldonium after it was banned as of Jan. 1, is height. The 6-foot-2 (1.88-meter) Sharapova, who owns a career Grand Slam in singles and five major singles titles overall, is eight inches (20.3 centimeters) taller than Kenin.
   Venus Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, is 6-foot-1 (1.85 meters).
   Still, Kenin has pop on her serve and laser groundstrokes on both sides. She also has a strong return of serve and good form at the net. In short, the Pembroke Pines, Fla., resident is supremely gifted.

Second-seeded Grace Min, shown Saturday,
saved two match points in the second round
in Gold River. Photo by Paul Bauman

   But Kenin, an amateur ranked No. 332 in the world among women (up from No. 620 at the end of last year) and No. 10 in the juniors, said her biggest strength is "just the fact that I'm fighting on court, and I see the game really well. When I'm playing well, I feel like I'm attacking."
   Kenin's competitiveness was evident in her 6-4, 6-4 semifinal victory over qualifier Valeria Solovyeva of Russia in 100-degree (37.8 Celsius) heat. Serving for the match for the second time, Kenin overcame a 0-40 deficit and saved a fourth break point with a service winner. Solovyeva then slugged two consecutive backhands long to end the match.
   "I have to give her credit," said Solovyeva, a semifinalist in the inaugural 2012 Gold River Challenger at 19 who returned in May from knee surgery. "She played a really good, solid match. She was tough today out there. Definitely, she was fresher, but it's part of the game. I had to play through qualies, so that's how it is."          
   Min, a compact 5-foot-4 (1.63 meters), led eighth-seeded Sabina Sharipova of Uzbekistan 6-0, 3-0 in the first semifinal when the 21-year-old Sharipova retired with nausea.
   Sharipova, on the verge of tears, later said she began feeling sick after her 6-4, 6-4 victory over Elizaveta Ianchuk of Ukraine on Friday afternoon in 95-degree (35.0 Celsius) heat.
   Min, 22, of Boca Raton, Fla., saved two match points in her second-round victory over Dutch veteran Michaella Krajicek, a former top-30 player. Min then routed her doubles partner, former Stanford star Kristie Ahn, 6-1, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
   "With each match, I've been getting better, and that's been the most positive for this week," said Min, who's ranked No. 158 after cracking the top 100 in March 2015.
   Both Min and Kenin have extra incentive in the final. The winner will take the lead in the U.S. Open Wild Card Challenge. The American who earns the most points in two of the three participating tournaments -- Stockton, Sacramento and Lexington, Ky., in consecutive weeks -- will receive a wild card into the U.S. Open, Aug. 29-Sept. 11 in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
   Kenin will attempt to become the second 17-year-old in the five-year history of the Sacramento Challenger to win the title. Mayo Hibi, a longtime resident of Irvine, Calif., who plays for her native Japan, defeated an ill Madison Brengle in the 2013 final.
   Hibi, 5-foot-5 (1.65 meters) and 121 pounds (55 kilograms), then skipped college and turned pro. She is now ranked No. 205.
   This will be the second all-American final in the Sacramento Challenger. Maria Sanchez, who was born and raised in nearby Modesto, defeated Jessica Pegula, whose parents own the NFL's Buffalo Bills and NHL's Buffalo Sabres, in the inaugural tournament in 2012.
   Here are links to the singles and doubles draws and today's schedule.

Solovyeva returns to 50K Gold River semis

Valeria Solovyeva, playing Monday in the final round of
qualifying, beat third-seeded An-Sophie Mestach to reach
the semifinals of the Gold River Challenger.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Four years ago, Valeria Solovyeva reached the semifinals of the inaugural FSP Gold River Challenger at 19 years old.
   The Russian qualifier, playing in the $50,000 tournament for the first time since then, returned to the semis on Friday with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory over third-seeded An-Sophie Mestach of Belgium at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento, Calif., area.
   Solovyeva took last year off to earn a master's degree in sports and health science, graduating with honors. Mestach, the world's top junior in 2011, was the runner-up in last year's back-to-back Stockton and Sacramento Challengers.
   Solovyeva, ranked No. 287, will play 17-year-old American Sofia Kenin, a Moscow native living in Pembroke Pines, Fla., for the first time in tonight's second semifinal at about 7:30 (live streaming at usta.com).
   Kenin ended the run of lucky loser Caroline Romeo of France, prevailing 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. The 434th-ranked Romeo stunned top-seeded Alison Van Uytvanck, last week's Stockton Challenger and a French Open quarterfinalist in 2015, in the first round.
   Romeo had lost in the final round of qualifying but advanced to the main draw when Melanie Oudin, a U.S. Open quarterfinalist in 2009, pulled out with an undisclosed illness.
   Kenin, won the USTA Girls 18 National Hardcourt Championships in San Diego last August to earn an automatic wild card in the U.S. Open. She then lost to Mariana Duque-Marino of Colombia in the opening round.
   In the first semifinal at about 5:30 p.m., second-seeded Grace Min of Boca Raton, Fla., will meet eighth-seeded Sabina Sharipova of Uzbekistan for the first time.
   Min trounced her doubles partner, ex-Stanford star Kristie Ahn, 6-1, 6-2. Sharipova beat Elizaveta Ianchuk of Ukraine 6-4, 6-4.
   Here are links to the singles and doubles draws and today's schedule.

No. 2 seed Min barely survives in 50K Gold River

   Second-seeded Grace Min of Boca Raton, Fla., saved two match points in a 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory over Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands on Thursday in the second round of the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger in the Sacramento, Calif., area.
   The 5-foot-4 (1.63-meter) Min, 22, escaped the match points to hold her serve for 5-5 in the third set. She broke for 6-5 on a perfectly executed backhand drop shot and held serve for the match on a service winner down the middle.
   Krajicek, the 27-year-old sister of 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek, was coming off a 3-hour, 22-minute victory over U.S. wild card Sabrina Santamaria on Wednesday.
   Michaella Krajicek has been ranked as high as No. 30 in singles (2008) and No. 23 in doubles (2015). She is now No. 223 and No. 94, respectively.
   Min, ranked No. 158, will play her doubles partner, former Stanford star Kristie Ahn, not before 1:30 p.m. in today's quarterfinals (live streaming at usta.com).
   The 5-foot-5 (1.65-meter) Ahn, who clinched Stanford's 2013 NCAA championship at No. 2 singles, routed sixth-seeded Tara Moore of Great Britain 6-2, 6-1.
   Also, qualifier Valeria Solovyeva of Russia ousted seventh-seeded Mayo Hibi of Japan 6-2, 6-2.
   Solovyeva reached the semifinals of the inaugural Gold River Challenger in 2012 at 19 years old and took last year off to earn a master's degree in sports and health science, graduating with honors.
   Hibi won the Gold River title in 2013 at 17.
   Solovyeva will face third-seeded An-Sophie Mestach of Belgium in tonight's featured match at 6:30. Mestach, the world's top junior in 2011, reached the final of last year's Stockton and Gold River Challengers. She did not play in last week's Stockton Challenger.
   In today's other quarterfinals, lucky loser Caroline Romeo of France will meet 17-year-old Sofia Kenin of Pembroke Pines, Fla., and eighth-seeded Sabina Sharipova of Uzbekistan will play Elizaveta Ianchuk of Ukraine.
   The 434th-ranked Romeo stunned top-seeded Alison Van Uytvanck, who won the Stockton title last week, on Wednesday in the first round.
   Here are links to the singles and doubles draws and today's schedule.

Lucky loser stuns top seed in Gold River Challenger

   Alison Van Uytvanck ran out of magic today.
   The 22-year-old Belgian played her fourth consecutive three-set singles match after dropping the second set today in the first round of the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger.
   This time, she lost.
   Van Uytvanck, seeded first, fell to lucky loser Caroline Romeo of France 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area. Van Uytvanck converted only 47.9 percent of her first serves and committed 11 double faults.   
   Van Uytvanck also lost in the first round of doubles at Gold River on Tuesday after sweeping the singles and doubles titles in last week's $50,000 Stockton Challenger in sweltering heat.
   A French Open quarterfinalist last year, Van Uytvanck underwent ankle surgery in the spring and missed two months. She is ranked No. 116 after reaching a career-high No. 41 last October.
   The 434th-ranked Romeo, who turned 22 on Saturday, lost to Chanel Simmonds of South Africa on Monday in the final round of qualifying but advanced to the main draw because Melanie Oudin pulled out with an undisclosed illness.
   Meanwhile, 17-year-old Sofia Kenin of Pembroke Pines, Fla., surprised fifth-seeded Jovana Jaksic of Serbia 6-3, 6-3. Kenin won the USTA Girls 18 Hardcourt National Championships in San Diego last August to earn a wild card into the U.S. Open, in which she lost to Mariana Duque-Marino in the first round.
   Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands wore down wild card Sabrina Santamaria, a former USC standout, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (3), 6-2 in 3 hours, 22 minutes.
   Krajicek, 27, has won three singles and five doubles titles on the elite WTA tour. She climbed to career-high rankings of No. 30 in singles in 2008 and No. 23 in doubles last year.

$50,000 FSP GOLD RIVER WOMEN'S CHALLENGER

In Gold River, Calif.

At Gold River Racquet Club

First round

   Sofia Kenin, United States, def. Jovana Jaksic (5), Serbia, 6-3, 6-3.
   Priscilla Hon, Australia, def. Karina Kristina Vyrlan, Sacramento, 6-2, 6-3.
   Greet Minnen, Belgium, def. Freya Christie, Great Britain, 6-3, 1-6, 6-1.
   Tara Moore (6), Great Britain, def. Laura Robson, Great Britain, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.
   Michaella Krajicek, Netherlands, def. Sabrina Santamaria, United States, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (3), 6-2.
   Riko Sawayanagi, Japan, def. Alexandra Stevenson, United States,6-4, 6-0.
   Caroline Romeo, France, def. Alison Van Uytvanck (1), Belgium, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
   An-Sophie Mestach (3), Belgium, def. Cristiana Ferrando, Italy, 7-6 (6), 6-3.
   Valeria Solovyeva, Russia, def. Chanel Simmonds, South Africa, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
   Ellie Halbauer, United States, def. Lizette Cabrera, Australia, 6-4, 6-4.
   Elizaveta Ianchuk, Ukraine, def. Shiho Akita, Japan, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5.  

Doubles 

First round

   Shiho Akita, Japan, and Caroline Romeo, France, def. Deimante Bulatovaite, Lithuania, and Alina Soltanici, Moldova, 6-7 (6), 6-0 [10-4].
   Kristie Ahn and Grace Min, United States, def. Lizette Cabrera and Priscilla Hon, Australia, 6-2, 6-3.
   Isabella Kling, Orangevale, and Laura McGaffigan, Folsom, def. Freya Christie and Laura Robson (4), walkover.

Thursday's schedule

(Starting at noon)

Stadium

   An-Sophie Mestach (3), Belgium, vs. Riko Sawayanagi, Japan.
   Mayo Hibi (7), Japan, vs. Valeria Solovyeva, Russia.
   Greet Minnen, Belgium, vs. Sofia Kenin, United States.
   An-Sophie Mestach, Belgium, and Tara Moore (1), Great Britain, vs. Jacqueline Cako, United States, and Jovana Jaksic, Serbia (possible court change).
   Grace Min (2), United States, vs. Michaella Krajicek, Netherlands (not before 6:30 p.m.).
   Shiho Akita, Japan, and Caroline Romeo, France, vs. Isabella Kling, Orangevale, Calif., and Laura McGaffigan, Folsom, Calif.

Court 3

   Sabina Sharipova (8), Uzbekistan, vs. Pricilla Hon, Australia.
   Tara Moore (6), Great Britain, vs. Kristie Ahn, United States.
   Jamie Loeb, United States, and Chanel Simmonds (3), South Africa, vs. Yuki Kristina Chiang, United States, and Elizaveta Ianchuk, Ukraine.

Court 4

   Elizaveta Ianchuk, Ukraine, vs. Eri Hozumi, Japan.
   Caroline Romeo, France, vs. Ellie Halbauer, United States.

No. 4 seed Anderson retires from Gold River match

   Fourth-seeded Robin Anderson, who graduated from UCLA last year after a storied career, retired from her first-round match on Tuesday in the $50,0000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger.
   Anderson, only 5-foot-3 (1.61 meters), quit with a shoulder injury after leading Eri Hozumi of Japan 3-2 in the first set at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area.
   Hozumi's countrywoman Mayo Hibi, seeded seventh, dismissed Jamie Loeb of Ossining, N.Y., 6-2, 6-3.
   Hibi, who was born in Japan but grew up in Irvine, Calif., won the 2013 Gold River Challenger at age 17. Loeb, a product of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy in New York, turned pro after winning the NCAA singles title last year as a North Carolina sophomore.
   Kristie Ahn, who played No. 2 singles on Stanford's 2013 NCAA championship team, topped Renata Zarazua of Mexico 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.
   Second-seeded Grace Min of Boca Raton, Fla., beat Claire Liu, a 16-year-old wild card from Thousand Oaks in the Los Angeles area, 6-4, 6-4.
   At Wimbledon this month, Liu reached the girls singles quarterfinals and won the girls doubles title with countrywoman Usue Maitane Arconada.   

$50,000 FSP GOLD RIVER WOMEN'S CHALLENGER

In Gold River, Calif.

At Gold River Racquet Club

Singles

Final-round qualifying

   Chanel Simmonds (3), South Africa, def. Caroline Romeo (5), France, 6-4, 6-0.
   Alexandra Stevenson, United States, def. Alexandra Sanford, United States, 6-4, 6-4.
   Lizette Cabrera, Australia, def. Maegan Manasse, United States, 6-4, 7-6 (7).
   Valeria Solovyeva (1), Russia, def. Tori Kinard (8), United States,4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

First round

   Eri Hozumi, Japan, def. Robin Anderson (4), United States, 2-3, retired.
   Mayo Hibi (7), Japan, def. Jamie Loeb, United States, 6-2, 6-3.
   Sabina Sharipova (8), Uzbekistan, def. Storm Sanders, Australia, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.
   Grace Min (2), United States,def. Claire Liu, United States,6-4, 6-4.

Doubles

First round

   An-Sophie Mestach, Belgium, and Tara Moore (1), Great Britain, def. Alexandra Facey and Kat Facey, Cameron Park, Calif.,  6-1, 6-4.
   Jacqueline Cako, United States, and Jovana Jaksic, Serbia, def. Ashley Mackey, United States, and Karina Kristina Vyrlan, Sacramento, 6-1, 6-3.
   Ashley Weinhold and Caitlin Whoriskey (2), United States, def. Greet Minnen and Alison Van Uytvanck, Belgium, 6-4, 6-1.
   Jamie Loeb, United States, and Chanel Simmonds (3), South Africa, def. Caroline Dolehide and Sofia Kenin, United States, 6-4, 6-3.
   Yuki Kristina Chiang, United States, and Elizaveta Ianchuk, Ukraine, def. Kaitlyn Christian and Sabrina Santamaria, United States, 6-2, 6-7 (3) [10-5].

Wednesday's schedule

(Starting at 10 a.m.)

Stadium

    Jovana Jaksic (5), Serbia, vs. Sofia Kenin, United States.
   Alison Van Uytvanck (1), Belgium, vs. Caroline Romeo, France (not before 11:30 a.m.).
   An-Sophie Mestach (3), Belgium, vs. Cristiana Ferrando, Italy (not before 1 p.m.).
    Robin Anderson and Maegan Manasse, United States, vs. Shiho Akita, Japan, and Caroline Romeo, France (not before 2:30 p.m., possible court change).
   Isabella Kling, Orangevale, and Laura McGaffigan, Folsom, vs. Freya Christie and Laura Robson (4), Great Britain (not before 4:30 p.m.).

Court 3

   Priscilla Hon, Australia, vs. Karina Kristina Vyrlan, Sacramento.
   Tara Moore (6), Great Britain, vs. Laura Robson, Great Britain (not before 11:30 a.m.).
   Michaella Krajicek, Netherlands, vs. Sabrina Santamaria, United States (not before 1 p.m.).
   Kristie Ahn and Grace Min, United States, vs. Lizette Cabrera and Priscilla Hon, Australia (not before 2:30 p.m.).

Court 4

   Greet Minnen, Belgium, vs. Freya Christie, Great Britain.
   Alexandra Stevenson, United States, vs. Riko Sawayanagi, Japan (not before 11:30 a.m.).
   Chanel Simmonds, South Africa, vs. Valeria Solovyeva, Russia (not before 1 p.m.).

Court 5

   Lizette Cabrera, Australia, vs. Ellie Halbauer, United States.
   Elizaveta Ianchuk, Ukraine, vs. Shiho Akita, Japan (not before 11:30 a.m.).

Cal star Manasse upsets seed in Gold River qualifying

Cal star Maegan Manasse beat No. 4 seed Jacqueline Cako today
in the second round of qualifying for the $50,000 FSP Gold River
Women's Challenger. Photo by Paul Bauman

   GOLD RIVER, Calif. -- Cal star Maegan Manasse upset No. 4 seed Jacqueline Cako 6-3, 6-4 today in an all-American matchup in the second round of qualifying for the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger.
   Manasse, from Redondo Beach in the Los Angeles area, reached the singles round of 16 and the doubles final with Denise Starr in the NCAA Championships in Tulsa, Okla., in May as a junior.
   Manasse will play Lizette Cabrera of Australia on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento region for a berth in the main draw.
Cabrera ousted No. 7 seed Caroline Dolehide, 17, of Hinsdale, Ill., 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-2.
   Also advancing were No. 1 seed Valeria Solovyeva of Russia and unseeded American Alexandra Stevenson, the 35-year-old daughter of basketball legend Julius Erving.
   Solovyeva, who will play No. 8 Tori Kinard of the United States, advanced to the semifinals of the inaugural Gold River Challenger in 2012 at 19 years old. She took 2015 off to earn a master's degree in sports and health science, graduating with honors.
   In 1999, the 6-foot-1 (1.85-meter) Stevenson became the first female qualifier to reach the Wimbledon semifinals. She climbed to a career-high No. 18 in 2002 before shoulder problems derailed her career.
   Stevenson will face 17-year-old Alexandra Sanford of Westerville, Ohio. Sanford, who plans to attend North Carolina in the fall, gained the quarterfinals of the $100,000 Dow Corning Tennis Classic in Midland, Mich., as a qualifier in February.

$50,000 FSP GOLD RIVER WOMEN'S CHALLENGER

In Gold River, Calif.

At Gold River Racquet Club

Singles

Second-round qualifying

   Chanel Simmonds (3), South Africa, def. Michaela Gordon, Saratoga, Calif., 6-1, 6-3.
   Maegan Manasse, United States, def. Jacqueline Cako (4), 6-3, 6-4.
   Alexandra Sanford, United States, def. Nicole Frenkel (6), United States, 6-3, 7-5.
   Caroline Romeo (5), France, def. Caitlin Whoriskey, United States, 6-7 97), 7-5, 6-3.
   Valeria Solovyeva (1), Russia, def. Ashley Kratzer, United States, 6-2, 6-2.
   Tori Kinard (8), United States, def. Camille Favero, Sacramento, Calif., 6-1, 6-3.
   Alexandra Stevenson, United States, def. Yuki Kristina Chiang, United States, 5-7, 6-1, 6-0.
   Lizette Cabrera, Australia, def. Caroline Dolehide (7), United States, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-2.

Tuesday's schedule

Starting at 10 a.m.

Stadium

   Maegan Manasse, United States, vs. Lizette Cabrera, Australia (final-round qualifying).
   Jamie Loeb, United States, vs. Mayo Hibi (7), Japan (not before 11:30 a.m.).
   Claire Liu, United States, vs. Grace Min (2), United States (not before 1 p.m.).
   Jamie Loeb, United States, and Chanel Simmonds (3), South Africa, vs. Caroline Dolehide and Sofia Kenin, United States (not before 2:30 p.m.).

Court 3

   Chanel Simmonds (3), South Africa, vs. Caroline Romeo (5), France (final-round qualifying).
   Eri Hozumi, Japan, vs. Robin Anderson, United States (not before 11:30 a.m.).
   An-Sophie Mestach, Belgium, and Tara Moore (1), Great Britain, vs. Alexandra Facey and Kat Facey, Cameron Park, Calif. (not before 1 p.m.).
   Greet Minnen and Alison Van Uytvanck, Belgium, vs. Ashley Weinhold and Caitlin Whoriskey (2), United States (not before 2:30 p.m.).

Court 4

   Alexandra Stevenson, United States, vs. Alexandra Sanford, United States (final-round qualifying).
   Sabina Sharipova (8), Uzbekistan, vs. Storm Sanders, Australia (not before 11:30 a.m.).
   Ashley Mackey, United States, and Karina Kristina Vyrlan, Sacramento, Calif., vs. Jacqueline Cako, United States, and Jovana Jaksic, Serbia (not before 1 p.m.).
   Yuki Kristina Chiang, United States, and Elizaveta Ianchuk, Ukraine, vs. Kaitlyn Christian and Sabrina Santamaria, United States (not before 2:30 p.m.).

Court 5

   Valeria Solovyeva (1), Russia, vs. Tori Kinard, United States (final-round qualifying).
   Renata Zarazua, Mexico, vs. Kristie Ahn, United States (not before 11:30 a.m.).

Record setter tops 50K Sacramento acceptance list

   Kristyna Pliskova, who holds the record for most aces in a match on the WTA tour, tops the acceptance list for the fifth annual $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger in the Sacramento area.
   The tournament is scheduled for July 19-24 at the Gold River Racquet Club. Qualifying begins on Sunday.
   Pliskova, a 6-foot (1.84-meter) Czech, blasted a record 31 aces in a 4-6, 7-6 (6), 9-7 loss to Monica Puig of Puerto Rico in the second round of the Australian Open in January.
   Pliskova, ranked No. 116, is the 24-year-old twin sister of Karolina Pliskova, ranked No. 16 after reaching a career-high No. 7 last Aug. 17. Earlier that month, Karolina was the runner-up to Angelique Kerber in the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford.
   Kristyna Pliskova won the Wimbledon girls singles title in 2010 and advanced to the third round in women's singles at the All England Club last year.
   Gold River entries also include:
   --Alison Van Uytvanck, a Belgian who reached the French Open quarterfinals last year.

   --Julia Boserup, a Southern Californian who advanced the third round at Wimbledon last week.
   --American Kristie Ahn, who clinched Stanford's 4-3 victory over Texas A&M in the 2013 NCAA final.
   --Maria Sanchez and Japan's Mayo Hibi, the first two Gold River Challenger champions. Sanchez was born and raised in Modesto, Calif.
   --American Melanie Oudin, a U.S. Open quarterfinalist in 2009 and mixed doubles champion with Jack Sock at Flushing Meadows in 2011.
   --Former world No. 1 junior An-Sophie Mestach, 22, of Belgium. Mestach, already a Fed Cup veteran, was the runner-up in last year's Stockton and Gold River Challengers.
   --Laura Robson, a 22-year-old British left-hander who reached a career-high No. 27 in July 2013 but suffered a serious wrist injury in 2014.
   Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina, last year's Gold River champion, is not entered in the Gold River Challenger.
   Nicole Gibbs, a former Stanford star, heads the entry list for this week's $50,000 Stockton Challenger. However, the 76th-ranked Gibbs will play in the Bank of the West Classic on her former home courts instead of the Gold River Challenger.
   Four wild cards for the Gold River Challenger will be announced later.

$50,000 SACRAMENTO CHALLENGER

Acceptance list (subject to change; rankings as of June 27)

1. Kristyna Pliskova, Czech Republic, No. 107.
2. Alison Van Uytvanck, Belgium, No. 132.
3. Grace Min, United States, No. 151.
4. Taylor Townsend, United States, No. 154.
5. An-Sophie Mestach, Belgium, No. 165.
6. Mayo Hibi, Japan, No. 185.
7. Robin Anderson, United States, No. 187.
8. Asia Muhammad, United States, No. 199.
9. Eri Hozumi, Japan, No. 200.
10. Anastasia Pivovarova, Russia, No. 203.
11. Sabina Sharipova, Uzbekistan, No. 218.
12. Michaella Krajicek, Netherlands, No. 220.
13. Jovana Jaksic, Serbia, No. 222.
14. Julia Boserup, United States, No. 225.
15. Kristie Ahn, United States, No. 226.
16. Tara Moore, Great Britain, No. 227.
17. Sofia Shapatava, Georgia, No. 232.
18. Arina Rodionova, Australia, No. 246.
19. Riko Sawayanagi, Japan, No. 254.
20. Jamie Loeb, United States, No. 257.
21. Maria Sanchez, United States, No. 260.

Qualifying (top three only)

1. Storm Sanders, Australia, No. 265.
2. Melanie Oudin, United States, No. 268.
3. Laura Robson, Great Britain, No. 283.

Kalinina overcomes big deficit for Challenger title

No. 8 seed Anhelina Kalinina, right, of Ukraine toppled No. 1
An-Sophie Mestach of Belgium for the Sacramento Challenger
title after trailing by a set and two breaks. Photo by Paul Bauman

   GOLD RIVER, Calif. — An-Sophie Mestach was cruising.
   The Belgian, whose sculpted 5-foot-7 (1.70-meter) physique makes Jillian Michaels look like a couch potato, was scurrying around the court and outslugging lethargic Anhelina Kalinina on Sunday night.
   Leading by a set and two breaks, the top-seeded Mestach appeared to be minutes away from winning the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger.
   "The crowd was even (getting bored)," groaned Kalinina, 18, of Ukraine. "I was just, 'Oh my God, c'mon, you have to play for them, for you, for everybody who's supporting me in my country. They're watching online.' " 
   Finally playing her trademark aggressive game, the eighth-seeded Kalinina rallied to stun Mestach 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in 2 hours, 38 minutes at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area.
   Kalinina earned $7,600 and Mestach $4,053 in the first final in the four-year history of the tournament without an American. Earlier, however, the U.S. team of Ashley Weinhold and Caitlin Whoriskey edged Nao Hibino of Japan and 16-year-old Rosie Johanson of Canada 6-4, 3-6 [14-12] for the doubles title in a matchup of unseeded teams.
   Weinhold and Whoriskey trailed 8-4 in the match tiebreaker and survived three championship points. They split $2,786.   
   There was more drama ahead in the singles final, although it took a while to materialize. Mestach, a 21-year-old Fed Cup veteran and former world No. 1 junior, served at 4-1 in the second set. As the lead slipped away, she put up a colassal fight in the epic last game of the set. Mestach saved six set points before Kalinina finally converted.

Kalinina's sensational backhand, along with her
excellent volley, helped her subdue Mestach.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   During the awards ceremony, Mestach's voice broke as she addressed an estimated crowd of 400.
   "It sucks to lose like this," lamented Mestach, drawing laughs from spectators. "I mean, 6-4, 4-1, so ... I'm not very happy at the moment, but OK. I want to congratulate her. She (had) a good week. ... "
   As if Sunday's loss wasn't agonizing enough, it was Mestach's second runner-up finish in two weeks. Also seeded first in the inaugural Stockton Challenger, she fell to the 20-year-old Hibino 6-1, 7-6 (6) in the final. In the second round, Mestach beat Kalinina 7-6 (3), 6-2.
   At least Mestach improved five spots in this week's world rankings to a career-high No. 99, surpassing her previous best by one notch.
   Kalinina also attained a career high, jumping 44 places to No. 148 with her third and biggest professional singles title. She won $25,000 Challengers in Jackson, Miss., and Pelham, Ala., both on clay, in consecutive weeks in April.
   The daughter of two teaching pros, Kalinina excelled in the juniors last year. She won the Australian Open doubles title with Elizaveta Kulichkova of Russia and reached the U.S. Open singles final, losing to Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 7-6 (5).
   Kalinina has a big upside -- literally. Like many top players, she's tall (5-foot-10 or 1.79 meters) with a strong serve and punishing groundstrokes.

Mestach lost a Challenger final for the second
consecutive week. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Kalinina, though, is unusual in several ways. She's very quick at her size, her two-handed backhand is even better than her forehand, she has an excellent volley, and she's not afraid to use it. At least she wasn't in the last half of Sunday's match.
   On the other hand, the final marked Kalinina's second mental lapse in three matches. She was the one who blew a big second-set lead in the quarterfinals against third-seeded CiCi Bellis, 16, of Atherton in the San Francisco Bay Area, but she recovered to dominate the third set. 
   Kalinina knew early against Mestach that something was amiss.
   "Even 3-all in the first set, I realized I'm not there; I'm not fighting," she said. "I was not even ready to beat her right there. It's impossible to win (that way) against top players.
   "I don't know why I started that bad. Maybe I was a little bit nervous because I really want to show that (after) last week I'm going to win this match. (I made) too many mistakes in the first set. Main thing is I was not that aggressive. I was just pushing balls, and of course she was beating me every rally."
   After Mestach jumped to a 4-1 lead in the second set, Kalinina took the advice of her coach, Dmitry Mazur. Sitting at courtside with Kalinina's mother, Halyna, he spoke to Anhelina in their native language. (Never mind that coaching is prohibited in Challenger tournaments, although it's allowed on the elite WTA tour.)
   "He said, 'Play your game; go to the net,' " Kalinina said. "Especially, 'Go to the net.' And, 'Be aggressive. You (have nothing to lose), so just play. Just try.' "

Americans Ashley Weinhold, left, and Caitlin Whoriskey
won the doubles title, surviving three championship points.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Kalinina proceeded to reel off five straight games to steal the second set. But even after Kalinina pulled to 3-4 in the set, Mestach seemed to have the match in hand. She served at 40-0 in the next game but double-faulted on three of the next six points, including on break point.
   The last game of the second set was the highlight of the match — and probably the tournament. Back and forth it went on Mestach's serve. Kalinina would rifle a shot into the corner, follow it to the net and put away the volley for set point. Mestach then would play spectacular defense and eventually crack a passing shot to stay alive.
   Finally, from deuce, Kalinina spanked a backhand winner and a backhand passing shot, both down the line, for the set.
   Kalinina secured the only break of the third set on a reflex forehand volley to lead 5-3. Serving for the title, she hammered a service winner down the middle on her second championship point.
   Mestach said Kalinina was the fresher player in the third set.
   "Let's be honest — that's my 10th match in two weeks. I've been playing doubles as well," noted Mestach.
   Also, honestly, the singles final shouldn't have gone to three sets.  

Mestach overcomes bizarre injury, gains another final

Top-seeded An-Sophie Mestach beat fourth-seeded
Nao Hibino after losing to her in last week's Stock-
ton Challenger final. Photo by Paul Bauman

   GOLD RIVER, Calif. — An-Sophie Mestach undoubtedly is the only player in tennis history to get injured from bouncing the ball before serving.
   Actually, it was from her habit of twirling the racket in her right hand while bouncing the ball about 25 times before every serve, first and second, during last week's inaugural $50,000 Stockton Challenger.
   Mestach advanced to the final, losing to Nao Hibino at the University of the Pacific.  
   "I got a wrist problem after bouncing so much," Mestach explained Saturday after beating Hibino 7-5, 6-4 in the semifinals of the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger. "I was turning my racket so much.
   "I was very nervous last week. I was trying to make the cut for U.S. Open, and that didn't really help me mentally. I fought my way through the tournament, but I didn't play well. This week I'm playing much better."
   Mestach has slashed her ball bouncing to three times before each serve. 
   "My boyfriend was making fun of me like I was a basketball player," she said. "The coaches weren't very happy with me because I had pain in my wrist because of doing that.
   "I was making it more difficult for myself. I practiced one day, and I just did every time three bounces, and now I'm doing much better in the matches."
   The top-seeded Mestach, a 21-year-old Belgian, will meet eighth-seeded Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine for the second straight week tonight at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area. Kalinina outclassed wild card Brooke Austin of Indianapolis 7-5, 6-1 in a matchup of teenagers.

No. 8 seed Anhelina Kalinina outclassed
wild card Brooke Austin in a matchup
of teenagers. Photo by Paul Bauman

   The singles final, which will follow the 5 p.m. doubles final, will match Mestach's consistency and endurance against the 18-year-old Kalinina's firepower. Mestach beat her 7-6 (3), 6-2 in the second round at Stockton.    
   "I didn't play very aggressive," the 5-foot-7 (1.70-meter) Mestach recalled of the match. "I was playing very defensively, and she was having problems with it. She was missing a lot of shots.
   "I think it just depends on the day for her. If she has a good day, she can play very well, but she can also miss a lot of balls."
   Kalinina said "the match was very tough for me because she has unbelievable physical conditioning. She's so fit. She can run for I don't know how long.
   "I can't miss easy balls. I have to try to play a very solid game. That's the most important (thing) against her because if you miss a lot of balls, there is no chance to win. I'm not such an incredible runner like she."
   Still, Kalinina moves exceptionally well for a 5-foot-10 (1.79-meter) woman.
   As it turned out, the 104th-ranked Mestach missed the cutoff for the U.S. Open, Aug. 31 to Sept. 13 in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., by three spots. Unless at least three players withdraw, she will have to win three qualifying matches to play in her second Grand Slam tournament. Mestach got straight into the main draw of the Australian Open — barely — in January and lost to 10th-seeded Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 6-2, 6-2 in the first round.
   Not only is there less pressure on Mestach in Sacramento, she likes the conditions better there than in Stockton.

Hibino looked nothing like the player who won
Stockton. Photo by Paul Bauman

   "I didn't like Stockton at all," groused Mestach, the world's top junior in 2011. "The balls were flying more than here. I don't know what it was; it was something weird with the courts, but it was (the same) for everyone. Who (handled it) the best (won) the matches.
   "This week (it's) much easier to play. (The ball is) flying less, and you have more control, but (it's) still bouncing. I think I just adjusted better this week than last week. I've been here a bit longer; it's my second week in the U.S., so (there's) also the time difference and everything."
   Mestach wasn't crazy about playing the fourth-seeded Hibino, though.
   "She's a tricky player on this surface," Mestach allowed. "The ball bounces high, and she has a slight loopy thing going on. It's quite annoying to play her."
   But Hibino, 20, of Japan was nothing like the player who won Stockton with pinpoint groundstrokes, a strong serve and exquisite touch.
   Serving at 5-5, 30-30 in the first set, Hibino committed two consecutive errors to lose her serve.  After netting a forehand return of a second serve in the next game to drop the set, she flung her racket on the ground in a rare display of temper from a Japanese player.
   In the second set, Hibino double-faulted three times at 2-2 to suffer the only break of the set. She did hit a perfect backhand lob in the next game for 0-40 but couldn't capitalize.
   Serving at 3-5, Hibino escaped a match point with an ace, but Mestach converted her next one.

Austin won four straight games to lead 5-4 in the first set
before Kalinina dominated. Photo by Paul Bauman

   "I made a lot of (errors wide in the match), and her defense (was) good today, so she made me (make) mistakes," Hibino, who hadn't lost a set in two career matches against Mestach, said in halting English. "Her serve (was) better than last week."
   Hibino, whose winning streak ended at eight matches, conceded that she "felt (a) little bit tired." 
   Kalinina overcame other issues in the second semifinal. She led 4-1 in the first set before Austin, 19, reeled off four straight games. Kalinina then won nine of the last 10 games. 
   "I lost my concentration (in the first set)," moaned the 192nd-ranked Kalinina, who last year in the juniors reached the U.S. Open singles final and won the Australian Open doubles title with Elizaveta Kulichkova of Russia. "Then I (became) very angry (with) myself, so I just started to push myself, like, 'C'mon, just move, move, move and hit and don't miss.' That helped me a lot, and I tried to keep this focus to the end."
   Kalinina, according to Austin, "just played looser" after trailing 5-4 in the first set. "She hit a lot more winners and went for more, and they all just went in. There wasn't really much I could have done, I don't think."
   The match featured 21 double faults, 13 by Austin.
   "I just changed my serve -- literally the day before this tournament -- so I'm like all over the place," explained the 19-year-old Austin, an All-American in singles and doubles as a freshman at Florida this past season. "I'm still getting used to it."
   Austin, 5-foot-6 (1.68 meters), said she returned to a full motion instead of the half delivery that she had been using because of back trouble.
   "It's completely different. I'm actually surprised (the serve) went in as much as it did," conceded Austin, who wore Florida Gators orange and blue and plans to return to the school for at least one more season. 
   Austin and Sanaz Marand are tied for the lead in the U.S. Open Wild Card Challenge — which consists of the $50,000 Challengers in Stockton, Sacramento and Lexington, Ky., in a three-week span — with 30 points each.
   The American woman who earns the most WTA ranking points in two of the three tournaments will receive a wild card in the singles main draw of the U.S. Open.

$50,000 FSP GOLD RIVER WOMEN'S CHALLENGER

At Gold River Racquet Club in Gold River, Calif.

Singles semifinals

   An-Sophie Mestach (1), Belgium, def. Nao Hibino (4), Japan, 7-5, 6-4.

   Anhelina Kalinina (8), Ukraine, def. Brooke Austin, United States, 7-5, 6-1.

Doubles semifinals

   Ashley Weinhold and Caitlin Whoriskey, United States, def. Eri Hozumi, Japan, and An-Sophie Mestach (1), Belgium, 6-4, 6-2.

   Nao Hibino, Japan, and Rosie Johanson, Canada, def. Robin Anderson and Maegan Manasse, United States, 7-6 (3), 6-3.   

Today's schedule

Stadium

(Starting at 5 p.m.) 

   Nao Hibino, Japan, and Rosie Johanson, Canada, vs. Ashley Weinhold and Caitlin Whoriskey, United States.
   An-Sophie Mestach (1), Belgium, vs. Anhelina Kalinina (8), Ukraine.