Cal freshman Giavara named All-American in singles

Haley Giavara is ranked 15th
in singles. Photo courtesy of
Cal athletics

   Cal's Haley Giavara was one of three freshmen named as All-Americans in women's singles today by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

   Twenty women's singles players and 10 women's doubles teams were honored after the season was shortened because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The same number of men's players and teams received recognition. 

   The 15th-ranked Giavara, from San Diego, went 19-7 in singles with four victories over top-10 players. Other freshmen chosen were UCLA's Abigail Forbes and Virginia's Natasha Subhash.

   Also named in singles were 12th-ranked Michaela Gordon, a Stanford junior from nearby Saratoga, and 21st-ranked Mariia Kozyreva, a Saint Mary's junior from Russia. 

   It's the third consecutive year that Gordon has been selected as an All-American in singles. She also was picked in doubles as a freshman. Kozyreva was named for the first time in singles or doubles.

   On the men's side, Sam Riffice, a Florida sophomore who grew up in the Sacramento suburb of Roseville, was named an All-American in singles and doubles.
   Riffice is ranked fifth in singles and 19th in doubles. He also was chosen in singles last year.

   Seventh-ranked Alexandre Rotsaert, a Stanford sophomore from Boca Raton, Fla., was honored in singles. It's his first All-America recognition.

NorCal's Maltby, Riffice reach last 16 in NCAA singles

   Felicity Maltby, a senior from Sunnyvale in the San Francisco Bay Area, today became the second player in Texas Tech history to reach the round of 16 in the NCAA Singles Championships.
   Maltby defeated Aiwen Zhu of UNLV 6-4, 7-6 (2) in a matchup of unseeded players in Orlando, Fla.
   Reaching the last 16 on the men's side was Florida's Sam Riffice, who grew up in the Sacramento suburb of Roseville. Riffice, the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year, defeated USC's Daniel Cukierman 6-3, 6-2 to set up a match against second-seeded JJ Wolf of Ohio State.
   Maltby, by advancing to the round of 16, also became the second player in school history to earn All-America honors. Gabriela Talaba was named an All-American as a junior in 2017 and as a senior.
   "No player deserves this more than Felicity," Red Raiders coach Todd Petty said on texastech.com. "She has given her heart and soul to this program, and I am so excited to see her get to be an All-American. This run isn't over yet, and she is really hungry to keep improving. Felicity is one of the greatest to wear the Double T."
   Maltby is scheduled to play unseeded Petra Melounova of Hawaii on Wednesday. Melounova, a junior from the Czech Republic, beat Chiara Lommer of Michigan 6-4, 6-1.
   Meanwhile, Jada Hart of UCLA eliminated Stanford's Michaela Gordon, a sophomore from Saratoga in the Bay Area, 6-4, 6-1, and No. 9-16 Anastasia Rychagova of Kansas outlasted Julia Rosenqvist of Cal 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
   Gordon played No. 1 singles for the Cardinal, which won its second consecutive NCAA title on Sunday. She is ranked No. 24.
   In the men's second round, No. 9-16 seed Yuya Ito of Texas held off Columbia's Victor Pham, a senior from Saratoga, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Ito was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA team competition after clinching the title for the Longhorns on Sunday.
   Wolf topped Matej Vocel of Oklahoma State 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.
   Tennis Channel is televising the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships daily at 1 p.m. PDT.
   French Open qualifying -- Kristie Ahn, a 26-year-old Stanford graduate, lost to Aliona Bolsova, a 21-year-old Moldova native who plays for Spain, 6-1, 6-4 in the first round of French Open qualifying in Paris.

NCAA DOUBLES CHAMPIONHIPS

(Northern California results only)

Women's first round

   Nina Khmelnitckaia and Janet Koch (9-16), Kansas, def. Caroline Lampl and Kimberly Yee, Stanford, 6-2, 3-6 [10-7].
   Anna Rogers and Alana Smith (5-8), North Carolina State, def. Hana Mraz and Julia Rosenqvist, Cal, 6-7 (4), 6-3 [10-6].
   Jessie Aney and Alexa Graham (2), North Carolina, def. Emily Arbuthnott and Michaela Gordon, Stanford, 6-2, 6-4.
   Ksenia Kuznetsova and Valeriya Zeleva, Central Florida, def. Hind Abdelouahid and Mariia Kozyreva, Saint Mary's, 7-6 (4), 4-6 [10-6].

Men's first round

   William Blumberg and Bo Boyden, North Carolina, def. Cameron Klinger (San Jose) and Billy Rowe (5-8), Vanderbilt, 6-3, 6-4.
   Jacob Brumm and Yuta Kikuchi, Cal, def. Wilson Dong and Matt Kuhar, Bryant, 6-4, 7-5.

Stanford's Gordon avoids letdown, rolls in NCAA singles

Michaela Gordon, shown on May 5, dominated in the first round of the NCAA
Singles Championships one day after helping Stanford win its second consec-
utive NCAA title. Photo by Mal Taam

   Michaela Gordon easily could have suffered a letdown in the first round of the NCAA Singles Championships.

   Instead, the Stanford sophomore from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area dominated. 

   Less than 24 hours after helping Stanford win its second consecutive NCAA title, Gordon routed fifth-seeded Makenna Jones of North Carolina 6-2, 6-1 today in Orlando, Fla.

   Gordon, who outlasted Jones 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 two days ago in the team semifinals, has won nine of her last 10 matches. She will face Jada Hart of UCLA.

   Two other Stanford players lost three-set battles. Senior Melissa Lord fell to Paola Delgado of Virginia Commonwealth 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, and junior Emily Arbuthnott came up short against Justina Mikulskyte of Kentucky 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.

   Cal women went 1-1. Sophomore Julia Rosenqvist overwhelmed Valeriya Zeleva of Central Florida 6-0, 6-2, but senior Olivia Hauger lost to 2017 NCAA champion Brienne Minor of Michigan 6-1, 6-4. Rosenqvist will take on No. 9-16 seed Anastasia Rychagova of Kansas.

   Texas Tech's Felicity Maltby, a senior from the Bay Area suburb of Sunnyvale, surprised No. 9-16 seed Christina Rosca of Vanderbilt 6-2, 7-5 to set up a match against Aiwen Zhu of UNLV.

   South Carolina's Paige Cline, a senior from Kentfield in the Bay Area seeded No. 9-16, lost to Katarina Stresnakova of Oklahoma State 6-2, 6-4.
   In the men's draw, Stanford freshman Alexandre Rotsaert fell to Emil Reinberg of Georgia 6-2, 7-5. Cardinal sophomore Axel Geller, ranked No. 13 in singles, withdrew from singles and doubles. The reason was not disclosed.
   Florida's Sam Riffice, who grew up in Roseville in the Sacramento region, knocked off No. 9-16 seed Johannes Schretter of Baylor 7-5, 6-2. Riffice, the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year, will meet Daniel Cukierman of USC.
   Columbia's Victor Pham, a senior from Saratoga, outplayed Carlos Divar of Georgia Tech 6-2, 6-2. Pham will take on No. 9-16 Yuya Ito, the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA team competition after clinching the title for Texas on Sunday.
   The NCAA Doubles Championships begin Tuesday.

Three Stanford women chosen for NCAA singles

Stanford's Michaela Gordon, a sophomore from Saratoga in the San Francisco
Bay Area, was selected to play singles and doubles in the NCAA Champion-
ships, May 20-25 in Orlando, Fla. Photo by Rob Vomund

   Three women from defending champion Stanford are two from Cal were among the 64 singles players selected Tuesday for the NCAA Championships.
   The men's and women's singles and doubles tournaments are scheduled for May 20-25, following the May 16-19 team competition, at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.
   Stanford will send sophomore Michaela Gordon of Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, junior Emily Arbuthnott and senior Melissa Lord. Cardinal senior Caroline Lampl was named as an alternate.
   Representing Cal in singles will be senior Olivia Haugen and sophomore Julia Rosenqvist.
   Also chosen were South Carolina's Paige Cline, a senior from Kentfield, and Texas Tech's Felicity Maltby, a senior from Sunnyvale. Kentfield and Sunnyvale are also in the Bay Area.
   The 32-team doubles field includes the teams of Arbuthnott and Gordon, Lampl and senior Kimberly Yee, and Rosenqvist and sophomore Hana Mraz. Saint Mary's sophomores Hind Abdelouahid and Mariia Kozyreva are alternates.
   Stanford sophomore Axel Geller is seeded 9-16 in men's singles. Also selected were Columbia's Victor Pham, a senior from Saratoga, and Florida's Sam Riffice, a freshman who grew up in the Sacramento suburb of Roseville.
   The doubles draw includes Geller and freshman Alexandre Rotsaert, Cal freshman Yuta Kikuchi and sophomore Jacob Brumm, and Vanderbilt senior Cameron Klinger from San Jose and junior Billy Rowe.

Roundup: Fed Cup, Volynets, Zamarripas, ITA tourney

Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic withdrew from
this weekend's Fed Cup final against the United States
with calf and wrist injuries. 2015 photo by Mal Taam

   World No. 8 Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic will miss this weekend's Fed Cup final with calf and wrist injuries, and No. 7 Petra Kvitova sat out of practice today with a fever.
   Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, is expected to play against the United States on Saturday and Sunday on an indoor hardcourt in Prague. But even if she doesn't, the Czechs will be strong favorites at home with No. 31 Katerina Siniakova and No. 33 Barbora Strycova in singles and the No. 1 doubles team of Siniakova and Barbora Krejcikova.
   Pliskova reached the final of the 2015 Bank of the West Classic at Stanford, losing to Angelique Kerber, and Siniakova was the doubles runner-up at Stanford in 2014 at age 18 with Paula Kania of Poland. The tournament moved to San Jose under a new sponsor this year.
   The defending champion United States will be missing four of its top five singles players against the Czechs: No. 6 Sloane Stephens, No. 16 Serena Williams, No. 17 Madison Keys and No. 40 Venus Williams.
   Three of the four Americans on the team will make their Fed Cup debuts: No. 36 Danielle Collins, No. 52 Sofia Kenin and doubles No. 15 Nicole Melichar, a Czech native. Joining them will be Alison Riske, a member of last year's team that beat host Belarus in the final. She is ranked 63rd in singles.
   Collins reached the semifinals of the inaugural Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose in August. Kenin, who will turn 20 next Wednesday, has won a Northern California Challenger in each of the past three years, including the $60,000 Berkeley Tennis Club Challenge in July. Riske advanced to the 2016 semifinals and 2015 quarterfinals at Stanford.
   The United States leads all nations with 18 Fed Cup titles. The Czech Republic is next with 10, including five in the last seven years.
   Tennis Channel will televise the best-of-five-match series beginning at 5 a.m. PST on Saturday.
    USTA Pro Circuit -- Katie Volynets, a 16-year-old qualifier from Walnut Creek in the San Francisco Bay Area, demolished sixth-seeded Anna Danilina, a 23-year-old Moscow native who plays for Kazakhstan, 6-1, 6-0 to reach the quarterfinals of the $25,000 Harold A. Miller Women's Tennis Tournament in Lawrence, Kan.
   Volynets is scheduled to play Catherine Harrison, a 24-year-old lucky loser from Germantown, Tenn., on Thursday. Harrison, a former UCLA All-American, defeated Italy's Bianca Turati, a Texas junior ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division I, 6-3, 6-3.
   In the doubles quarterfinals, wild cards Allura and Maribella Zamarripa, 16-year-old twins from Saint Helena in the Napa area, surprised second-seeded Chieh-Yu Hsu of Chinese Taipei and Romy Koelzer of Germany 3-6, 6-1 [10-4].
   College -- All eight Stanford and Cal singles players, six women and two men, lost in the first round of the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships in Surprise, Ariz.
   Falling were eighth-seeded Melissa Lord, 14th-seeded Michaela Gordon, Emily Arbuthnott and Caroline Lampl of the NCAA defending champion Stanford, Olivia Hauger and Julia Rosenqvist of Cal, and William Genesen and Sameer Kumar of the Cardinal.
   Also bowing out in the opening round was South Carolina's Paige Cline, from Kentfield in the San Francisco Bay Area.
   Three teams from Stanford or Cal won in the first round of doubles. Advancing were third-seeded Kimberly Yee and Lampl of Stanford, Anna Bright and Jasie Dunk of Cal, and Yuta Kikuchi and Jacob Brumm of the Bears.
   However, top-seeded Arbuthnott and Gordon lost to Elysia Bolton and Jada Hart of UCLA 6-4, 6-2.

Klinger, Arbuthnott reach NCAA singles round of 16

   Only Cameron Klinger and Emily Arbuthnott survived a brutal day for Northern California players on Thursday in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships in Winston-Salem, N.C.
   Klinger, a Vanderbilt junior from San Jose, and Arbuthnott, a Stanford sophomore from England, reached today's singles round of 16.
   Klinger dismissed Mitch Harper of Virginia Tech 6-3, 6-2, and Arbuthnott held off Josie Kuhlman of Florida 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 two days after helping the Cardinal win the NCAA title. Kuhlman reached the 2015 semifinals as a freshman.
   Klinger, who upset 9-16 seed Alex Knight of Michigan 6-4, 6-0 in the first round, is scheduled to face second-seeded William Blumberg, a North Carolina sophomore who advanced to last year's final. Arbuthnott will take on Astra Sharma, a 9-16 seed from NCAA runner-up Vanderbilt. Both matches are scheduled for 7 a.m. PDT and will be streamed live.
   Sharma, a redshirt senior from Australia, has lost only two games in two matches.
   No. 9-16 seed Michaela Gordon, a Stanford freshman from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, lost to Gabriela Talaba of Texas Tech 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (5) in the second round.
   Billy Griffith, a Cal senior from Fresno, bowed out to Jose Salazar of Arkansas 6-1, 7-5 after ousting eighth-seeded Ryotaro Matsumura of Kentucky in the first round on Wednesday.
   Arbuthnott and Gordon, seeded third in doubles, fell to Chandler Carter and Emma Davis of Wake Forest 6-3, 6-3 in the opening round.
   Other results of matches involving NorCal players:
   Alfredo Perez (9-16), Florida, def. Victor Pham (Saratoga), Columbia, 6-1, 6-2 in the second round.
   Fernanda Contreras (8), Vanderbilt, def. Felicity Maltby (Sunnyvale), Texas Tech, 6-1, 6-1 in the second round.
   Johannes Ingildsen and Perez (4), Florida, def. Tom Fawcett and Axel Geller, Stanford, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 10-4 in the first round.
   Blumberg and Robert Kelly (2), North Carolina, def. Griffith and J.T. Nishimura (San Jose), Cal, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round.
   Austin Rapp and Keegan Smith, UCLA, def. Klinger and Billy Rowe, Vanderbilt, 6-3, 6-3 in the first round.
   Alexa Bortles and Arianne Hartono (5-8), Mississippi, def. Georgia Lawson and Emma Wilson, Fresno State, 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the first round. 

Cal's Griffith stuns No. 8 seed in NCAA singles

   Billy Griffith, a Cal senior from Fresno, ousted No. 8 seed Ryotaro Matsumura of Kentucky 6-4, 6-3 today in the first round of the NCAA Men's Singles Championships in Winston-Salem, N.C.
   Griffith, ranked No. 54, is scheduled to play No. 18 Jose Salazar of Arkansas on Thursday at 6 a.m. PDT. All matches are being streamed live.
   Cameron Klinger, a Vanderbilt junior from San Jose, knocked off No. 9-16 seed Alex Knight of Michigan 6-4, 6-0. Klinger, ranked No. 26, will take on No. 29 Mitch Harper of Virginia Tech at 5 a.m.
  Victor Pham of Columbia and Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area topped Jordi Arconada of Texas A&M 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-3. Pham, a junior, will meet 9-16 seed Alfredo Perez of Florida at 8:30 a.m.
   No. 9-16 seed Tom Fawcett, a Stanford senior and 2017 semifinalist, lost to Giovanni Oradini of Mississippi State 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
   Top-seeded Martin Redlicki of UCLA beat Tim Sandkaulen of Mississippi 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
   On the women's side, Stanford's Michaela Gordon and Emily Arbuthnott advanced one day after the Cardinal won its second NCAA crown in three years.
   Gordon, a freshman from Saratoga seeded 9-16, dismissed Fatima Bizhukova of Wichita State 6-2, 6-3. Arbuthnott beat Ingrid Gamarra Martins of South Carolina 6-3, 7-5. Gamarra Martins replaced fourth-seeded Samantha Harris of Duke after Harris withdrew.
   Gordon, ranked 15th, is scheduled to face No. 21 Gabriela Talaba of Texas Tech on Thursday. The 43rd-ranked Arbuthnott will play No. 52 Josie Kuhlman of Florida. Both matches are scheduled for 8 a.m.
   Melissa Lord, who won the deciding match in Stanford's 4-3 victory over Vanderbilt in the NCAA final, lost to No. 9-16 seed Andrea Lazaro of Florida International 6-4, 6-1.
   Alternate Felicity Maltby of Texas Tech and Sunnyvale in the Bay Area routed Maria Kononova of North Texas 6-1, 6-1. Maltby, a junior ranked No. 58, will face Vanderbilt's Fernanda Contreras, ranked and seeded 10th, at 7:30 a.m.
   Top-seeded Bianca Turati of Texas fell to Pepperdine's Luisa Stefani, a semifinalist two years ago as a freshman, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-3.
   All three Cal women in NCAA singles -- junior Olivia Hauger and freshmen Anna Bright and Julia Rosenqvist -- lost in the opening round.
   In the first round of doubles on Thursday:
   --Griffith and J.T. Nishimura, a senior from San Jose, will take on second-seeded William Blumberg and Robert Kelly of North Carolina at 11:30 a.m.
   --Klinger and Billy Rowe will face Austin Rapp and Keegan Smith of UCLA at 12:30 p.m.
   --Arbuthnott and Gordon will meet Chandler Carter and Emma Davis of host Wake Forest at 1:30 p.m.
   --And Fawcett and Axel Geller will play fourth-seeded Johannes Ingildsen and Perez at 2 p.m.

Stanford pair win ITA National Fall doubles title

Michaela Gordon eyes a forehand in the singles qualifying event of the
$60,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger in the Sacramento area in
July. Photo by Rob Vomund  

   Playing only their second tournament together, Stanford's Emily Arbuthnott and Michaela Gordon won the inaugural ITA National Fall Championships.
   Arbuthnott, a sophomore from England, and Gordon, a freshman from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, beat Alexa Bortles and Arianne Hartono of Mississippi 6-4, 6-1 today in Indian Wells, Calif. Both teams were unseeded.
   Arbuthnott and Gordon won the first three of their five tournament matches in super tiebreakers. They ousted third-seeded fifth-seeded Rosie Johanson and Meghan Kelley of Virginia in the quarterfinals and third-seeded Kelly Chen and Samantha Harris of Duke in the semifinals.
   Arbuthnott and Gordon ended the fall season with an 8-1 record. They reached the doubles semifinals in the ITA Northwest Regional Championships last month at Stanford.
   Gordon earned her second collegiate title and Arbuthnott, who played No. 1 doubles with then-senior Taylor Davidson last season, her first. Gordon won the singles crown in the Northwest Regionals.

Stanford duo to play for doubles title in Fall Nationals

Michaela Gordon volleys in the singles qualifying event
of the $60,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger in
the Sacramento area in July. Photo by Rob Vomund

   After pulling off their second consecutive upset, Stanford's Emily Arbuthnott and Michaela Gordon will play for the doubles title in the ITA National Fall Championships.
   The unseeded pair knocked off third-seeded Kelly Chen and Samantha Harris of Duke 6-1, 7-5 today in Indian Wells, Calif.
   Arbuthnott, a sophomore from England, and Gordon, a freshman from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, won all three of their previous tournament encounters in match tiebreakers. They surprised fifth-seeded Rosie Johanson and Meghan Kelley of Virginia in the quarterfinals.
   Arbuthnott and Gordon will play Mississippi's Alexa Bortles and Arianne Hartono, who beat Paige Hourigan and Kenya Jones of Georgia Tech 6-2, 7-6 (5) in a matchup of unseeded teams. Bortles is a sophomore from Alpharetta, Ga., and Hartono is a senior from the Netherlands.

Stanford pair reach doubles semis in Fall Nationals

   Stanford's Michaela Gordon and Emily Arbuthnott lost to unseeded players today in the third round of the ITA National Fall Championships in Indian Wells, Calif.
   However, they reached the doubles semifinals together.
   The 12th-seeded Gordon, a freshman from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, fell to Bianca Turati of Texas 6-2, 7-6 (7). Arbuthnott, a sophomore from England, succumbed to Marie Leduc of Clemson 6-1, 6-2.
   Unseeded in doubles, Arbuthnott and Gordon edged fifth-seeded Rosie Johanson and Meghan Kelley of Virginia 3-6, 7-6 (5) [10-4].
   Arbuthnott and Gordon, who have won all three of their encounters in match tiebreakers, will play third-seeded Kelly Chen and Samantha Harris of Duke. Chen and Harris beat Elena Christofi and Morgan Coppoc of Georgia 6-4, 7-6 (4).

Gordon, Pham, Hill win ITA Regonal titles

   Three Northern Californians won titles in the recent ITA Regional Championships.
   All three players are from the San Francisco Bay Area, and all triumphed in singles. Michaela Gordon won the Northwest Regional, Victor Pham the Northeast Regional and Sean Hill the Mountain Regional.
   The fourth-seeded Gordon, a Stanford freshman from Saratoga, defeated teammate Emily Arbuthnott, seeded seventh, 7-5, 6-2 on their home courts in Monday's final.
   The top-seeded Pham, a Columbia junior from Saratoga, beat No. 5-8 seed David Volfson of Cornell 6-3, 6-3 at Yale on Monday.
   The unseeded Hill, a BYU sophomore from Berkeley, routed third-seeded Ricky Hernandez-Tong of New Mexico 6-2, 6-1 at BYU on Saturday.

Kratzer wins national 18s for spot in U.S. Open

Ashley Kratzer defeated Kelly Chen 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to win the USTA
Girls 18 National Championships in San Diego. Kratzer, an 18-year-
old left-hander from Newport Beach, was the runner-up in last
month's $50,000 Stockton Challenger. Photo courtesy of USTA

   No Northern Californians won titles in last week's USTA National Championships for juniors at various sites around the country.
   But Ashley Kratzer, the runner-up in last month's $50,000 Stockton Challenger, captured the Girls 18s in San Diego to earn a wild card in the U.S. Open. The year's last Grand Slam tournament is scheduled for Aug. 28-Sept. 10.
   No. 3 seed Kratzer, an 18-year-old left-hander from Newport Beach, defeated No. 33 Kelly Chen of Cerritos 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in the final. Newport Beach and Cerritos are in the Los Angeles area.
   Kratzer eliminated No. 6 Michaela Gordon of Saratoga, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, 7-5, 7-5 in the quarterfinals. Kratzer turned pro late last year. Gordon will enroll at Stanford next month.
   No. 8 seed Whitney Osuigwe of Bradenton, Fla., defeated No. 17 Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek, Calif., 7-5, 7-6 (3) in the round of 16 in a battle of decorated 15-year-olds.
   Osuigwe won the French Open junior title in June. Volynets last December became the first girl to win the 16s in the Eddie Herr International Championships and Orange Bowl in the same year. The tournaments were held in consecutive weeks in Bradenton, Fla., on hardcourts and Plantation, Fla., on clay, respectively.
   In the Boys 18s in Kalamazoo, Mich., No. 1 seed Sam Riffice, who grew up in the Sacramento suburb of Roseville, lost to No. 5 JJ Wolf of Cincinnati 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 in the quarterfinals. Riffice, now based at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., has verbally committed to the University of Florida for next year.
   In the Girls 14s in Rome, Ga., No. 1 seed Vivian Ovrootsky of San Jose lost to No. 16 Bridget Stammel of Dallas 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 in the round of 16. Ovrootsky swept the 12s singles and doubles titles at the USTA Winter Nationals in Tucson, Ariz., in January. She turned 13 on July 15.
   Other results of NorCal players who reached the later rounds:

BOYS

In Kalamazoo, Mich.

18-and-under

Doubles quarterfinals

   Nathan Perrone, Moorestown, N.J., and Jake Van Emburgh, Belleair Beach, Fla., def. Sam Riffice and Gianni Ross (4), Orlando, Fla., 6-4, 7-5.

   Oliver Crawford, Spartanburg, S.C., and Patrick Kypson (2), Greenville, N.C., def. Austen Huang, Elk Grove, Calif., and Sean Sculley (12), Hilton Head Island, S.C., 6-4, 6-4.

16-and-under

Doubles semifinals

   Will Grant, Boca Raton, Fla., and Tyler Zink (3), Bradenton, Fla., def. Robert Cash, New Albany, Ohio, and Ryder Jackson (1), Nicasio, Calif., 6-1, 3-6, 6-1.

In Mobile, Ala.

14-and-under

Singles quarterfinals

   Andrew Chang (17), Trophy Club, Texas, def. Luke Neal, Mill Valley, 6-2, 7-6 (4).
   Ben Shelton (17), Gainesville, Fla., def. Luke Casper (10), Santa Cruz, Calif., 6-4, 6-4.

Singles semifinals

   Saud Alhogbani (4), Alexandria, Va., def. Hugo Hashimoto (17), San Jose, Calif., 6-4, 6-0.

Doubles semifinals

   Connor Krug and Jake Krug (1), Lakewood Ranch, Fla., def. Alex Han, Tulsa, Okla., and Hugo Hashimoto (6), San Jose, Calif., 7-5, 7-6 (6).

12-and-under

Singles quarterfinals

   Aidan Kim (1), Milford, Mich., def. Kurt Miller, Los Gatos, Calif., 7-5, 6-2.

Doubles semifinals

   Lucas Brown, Plano, Texas, and Learner Tien (1), Irvine, Calif., def. Kurt Miller, Los Gatos, Calif., and Andrew Salu (3), Sarasota, Fla., 7-5, 6-3.

GIRLS

In San Diego

16-and-under

Singles semifinals

   Angelica Blake (9), Boca Raton, Fla., def. Connie Ma, Dublin, Calif., 6-2, 6-3.

In Rome, Ga.

14-and-under

Doubles quarterfinals

   Hibah Shaikh, Teaneck, N.J., and Madison Sieg (2), Greenwich, Conn., def. Kimberly Hance, Torrance, Calif., and Yuu Ishikawa (5), Los Altos, Calif., 7-6 (5), 6-2.  

Cancer survivor Duval loses in Stockton Challenger

   Third-seeded Danielle Collins of St. Petersburg, Fla., beat qualifier Victoria Duval of Bradenton, Fla., 6-1, 7-6 (5) today in the first round of the $60,000 University of the Pacific Stockton (Calif.) Challenger at the Eve Zimmerman Tennis Center.
   Collins won the 2014 and 2016 NCAA singles titles while attending Virginia to become the seventh woman with multiple NCAA singles crowns.
   Duval, now 21, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2014 and missed one year while undergoing chemotherapy.
   Collins, 23, is scheduled to play Xu Shilin, 19, of China on Thursday not before 10:30 a.m.
   In a battle of teenagers, Tessah Andrianjafitrimo of  France took out fifth-seeded Lizette Cabrera of Australia 1-6, 7-5, 6-2. After the first round, six of the eight seeds remain. No. 8 Jennifer Elie of New York lost to former top-50 player Anna Tatishvili, a 27-year-old U.S. citizen from the nation of Georgia, on Tuesday.
   Second-seeded Jamie Loeb, a product of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy in New York, outclassed An-Sophie Mestach of Belgium 6-3, 6-2.
   Shortly after Loeb won the 2015 NCAA singles championship as a North Carolina sophomore, she took the doubles title in the inaugural Stockton Challenger with previous Tar Heels star Sanaz Marand. Mestach reached the singles final, falling to Nao Hibino of Japan.
   Amanda Anisimova, a 15-year-old phenom from Hallandale Beach, Fla., demolished qualifier Ingrid Neel, 19, from Rochester, Minn., 6-0, 6-1 in 47 minutes.
   Both Anisimova, who will turn 16 on Aug. 31, and Neel made news in May. Anisimova became the youngest player to compete in the main draw of the French Open since Alize Cornet of France in 2005, losing to Kurumi Nara of Japan 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the opening round. Neel, then a freshman at Florida, won the clinching match in the Gators' 4-1 victory over Stanford in the NCAA final in Athens, Ga.
   Anisimova's victory was not the only 47-minute match of the day. Ajla Tomljanovic of Croatia overwhelmed Michaela Gordon, a 17-year-old qualifier from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, 6-1, 6-0. Gordon will enroll at Stanford in September.
   Tomljanovic, 5-foot-11 (1.80 meters), attained a career-high ranking of No. 47 in February 2015 and reached the quarterfinals of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford that July. But she had shoulder surgery in February 2016 and missed 13 months.
   Francesca Di Lorenzo, 19, of New Albany, Ohio, defeated qualifier Allie Will, a former University of Florida star who teaches tennis in Fairfield (near San Francisco), 7-5, 6-3. Di Lorenzo won the NCAA doubles title in May as an Ohio State sophomore with Miho Kowase.
   Here are the Stockton singles and doubles draws and Thursday's schedule. Live streaming of the tournament is available.

Saratoga's Gordon verbally commits to Stanford

Michaela Gordon lines up a forehand during her loss to Storm
Sanders of Australia in the first round of the $50,000 Stockton
Challenger in July. Photo by Paul Bauman

   The defending national champion Stanford women have received their second verbal commitment from a San Francisco Bay Area star in the last four months.
   This one likely will enroll.
   Michaela Gordon, 17, said she will attend Stanford, a 20-minute drive up Interstate 280 from her home in Saratoga, beginning in the fall of 2017.
   "It came down to Duke and Stanford," Gordon, a two-time Wimbledon girls quarterfinalist who's ranked fifth in the Class of 2017, told tennisrecruiting.net. "Aside from those schools, I didn't really look anywhere else. I went on unofficial visits, and both are amazing schools, obviously.
   "At Stanford, I really loved the campus, which I was really familiar with anyway. And when I talked with the girls on the team, I felt I fit in really well. I love all the girls on the team, and that was a really important thing. The coaches were important as well. It was a really good fit for me, the perfect fit."
   Gordon's father, Robert, is a heart surgeon, and her mother, LuShan, was a dentist. Michaela said she has "always put academics as a priority. I'm home-schooled, but I've always been into school and always been a good student."
   Gordon has played extensively on the USTA Pro Circuit, reaching the quarterfinals in Redding at 15. She is ranked No. 760 in the world after climbing as high as No. 600 in April.
   CiCi Bellis, also 17, verbally committed to Stanford, a five-minute drive from her home in Atherton, in July but turned pro in September after reaching the third round of the U.S. Open as a qualifier.
   Last week, Bellis won her second consecutive $50,000 Canadian indoor hardcourt tournament to crack the top 100 in the world for the first time at No. 90.
   Stanford leads all schools with 18 NCAA women's team titles. Next is Florida with six. Duke has one.

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.).

French Open Day 12 highlights: Serena survives scare

Serena Williams beat unseeded Yulia Putintseva
5-7, 6-4, 6-1 in the French Open quarterfinals.
2016 photo by Paul Bauman 

   Five highlights from Day 12 of the French Open in Paris:
   1. Nerves could be starting to affect Serena Williams again. The top-ranked Williams avoided her third straight Grand Slam upset with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 victory over unseeded Yulia Putintseva, a 21-year-old Moscow native who plays for Kazakhstan, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.
   The 60th-ranked Putintseva, only 5-foot-4 (1.63 meters), had two break points at 4-4 in the second set of her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
   Williams, 34, is attempting to tie Steffi Graf with 22 career Grand Slam singles titles, second behind Margaret Court's 24.
   While trying to earn the first calendar-year Grand Slam in singles since Graf in 1988, Williams lost to 43rd-ranked Roberta Vinci in the U.S. Open semifinals last September. Williams then fell to sixth-ranked Angelique Kerber in the Australian Open final in January.
   2. Williams is scheduled to play another unseeded player, red-hot Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands, in the semifinals on Friday at 4 a.m. PDT.
   Bertens, 24, ousted eighth-seeded Timea Bacsinszky, seeking her second straight French Open semifinal, 7-5, 6-2 for her 12th straight victory.
   The 6-foot (1.82-meter) Bertens swept the Nuremberg singles and doubles titles (qualifying in singles) the week before the French Open.
   Bertens has knocked off four seeds -- No. 3 Kerber, No. 29 Daria Kasatkina, No. 15 Madison Keys and Bacsinszky -- to become the first Dutch woman to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since Betty Stove in 1977.
   Williams could be extremely tight as the heavy favorite in the semifinals while pursuing a place in history. Bertens, meanwhile, figures to be very loose with nothing to lose.  
   Williams defeated Bertens 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the second round of the U.S. Open last year in their only career meeting.
   Fourth-seeded Garbine Muguruza, 22, of Spain will meet 21st-seeded Samantha Stosur, 32, of Australia in the other semifinal on Friday at 4 a.m.
   Stosur beat Muguruza 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 in the second round on clay at Madrid in 2014 in their only career encounter.
   3. Top-ranked Novak Djokovic continued his mastery over seventh-seeded Tomas Berdych with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 quarterfinal victory.
   Djokovic, trying to become the eighth man to achieve a career Grand Slam in singles, is 24-2 with an 11-match winning streak against Berdych.
   4. Djokovic is set to face 13th-seeded Dominic Thiem on Friday not before 6 a.m.
   Thiem, a 22-year-old Austrian, topped 12th-seeded David Goffin of Belgium 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4, 6-1 in the first Grand Slam quarterfinal for both players.
   Djokovic is 2-0 lifetime against Thiem, winning both matches 6-3, 6-4 on hardcourts.
   In Friday's other semifinal not before 6 a.m., second-seeded Andy Murray will take on third-seeded Stan Wawrinka, the defending champion.
   Murray leads the head-to-head series 8-7, but Wawrinka has won the last three matches and is 2-0 against Murray on clay.
   5. Second-seeded Amanda Anisimova, 14, of Hallandale Beach, Fla., beat unseeded Michaela Gordon of Saratoga, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay Area 6-0, 1-6, 6-4 in the third round of the junior girls event.
   Earlier today, Gordon advanced with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over unseeded Melany Krywoj of Argentina.

Gibbs receives WTA honor; Bryans end title drought

Former Stanford All-American Nicole Gibbs,
playing in Indian Wells recently, was voted
the WTA Breakthrough Performer of the
Month for March. Photo by Paul Bauman

   It was a good week for former Stanford All-Americans.

   The WTA announced on Friday that fans had voted Nicole Gibbs as the Breakthrough Performer of the Month for March, and Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan won their sixth Houston title on Saturday. 

   Gibbs, who turned 23 on March 3, reached the quarterfinals in Monterrey as a qualifier, the fourth round in Indian Wells as a qualifier and the third round in Miami to improve to a career-high No. 71 in the rankings.

   Gibbs upset two top-30 players during March, No. 24 Madison Keys in Indian Wells and No. 29 Kristina Mladenovic in Miami.

   Gibbs also pushed No. 9 Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, to 6-4 in the third set in Indian Wells but was drubbed by No. 4 Garbine Muguruza 6-1, 6-0 in Miami.

   The top-seeded Bryan twins, who will turn 38 on April 29, edged unseeded Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic and Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico 4-6, 6-3 [10-8] in the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship.

   "It was a battle from the first point to the last, but we feel like we played our best tennis down the stretch," Bob Bryan said on atpworldtour.com. "It's nice to pull out some close wins after losing a few tight matches to start the season. We're looking forward to building momentum through the clay-court season."

   The Bryans ended their title drought at 12 tournaments since winning Montreal last August, made Houston the third tournament they have won at least six times (along with the Australian Open and now-defunct Los Angeles) and captured their 110th title overall.

   "It feels great to get over the hump and win number 110 after a bit of a drought," Mike Bryan said. "There's no better place to do it than in Houston, where we've enjoyed so much success and had unbelievable fan support. Thanks to the River Oaks Country Club and its members for another fantastic tournament."

   Easter Bowl in Indian Wells -- Elysia Bolton of Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., and Chiara Lommer of Skokie, Ill., beat Michaela Gordon of Saratoga and Ena Shibahara of Rancho Palos Verdes 6-1, 5-7 [10-6] in the girls 18 doubles semifinals. Both teams were unseeded.

NorCal's Riffice, Gordon fall in Easter Bowl quarters

   Northern Californians Sam Riffice and Michaela Gordon lost today in the boys and girls 18 quarterfinals, respectively, at the Easter Bowl in Indian Wells, Calif.
   The fifth-seeded Riffice, from Granite Bay, fell to third-seeded Nathan Ponwith of Scottsdale, Ariz., 6-4, 6-4. Riffice, the runner-up to Taylor Fritz last year, is ranked No. 1 nationally in the 18s.
   The fourth-seeded Gordon, from Saratoga, bowed out against eighth-seeded Alexandra Sanford of Westerville, Ohio, 7-5, 6-3.
   Sanford, 17, reached the quarterfinals of the $100,000 Dow Corning Tennis Classic in Midland, Mich., in February as a qualifier.
   In the girls 18 doubles quarterfinals, unseeded Gordon and Ena Shibahara of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., outclassed second-seeded Hurricane Tyra Black of Boca Raton, Fla., and Caty McNally of Cincinnati 6-2, 6-2.
   Gordon and Shibahara will face unseeded Elysia Bolton of Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., and Chiara Lommer of Skokie, Ill.

Riffice beats ex-Roseville neighbor in Easter Bowl

   Sam Riffice and Keenan Mayo grew up a few houses apart in the Sacramento, Calif., suburb of Roseville.
   Riffice, seeded No. 5, defeated Mayo 6-2, 6-4 Thursday to reach the boys 18 quarterfinals in the prestigious Easter Bowl in Indian Wells, Calif.
   Riffice, 17, is ranked No. 1 nationally in the 18s, and Mayo, 15, is No. 32 in the 16s. They train at the USTA centers in Boca Raton, Fla., and Carson, Calif., respectively.
   Riffice, who will face third-seeded Nathan Ponwith of Scottsdale, Ariz., was the runner-up to Taylor Fritz in last year's Easter Bowl 18s. Fritz, 18, has skyrocketed to No. 79 in the men's world rankings since turning pro last August.
   Meanwhile, No. 4 seed Michaela Gordon of Saratoga, Calif., advanced to the girls 18 quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Sofia Sewing of Doral, Fla.
   Gordon, 16, will play No. 8 Alexandra Sanford of Westerville, Ohio. Sanford, 17, reached the quarterfinals of the $100,000 Dow Corning Tennis Classic in Midland, Mich., in February as a qualifier.
   No. 13 Elie Douglas of McKinney, Texas, held off No. 8 Emma Higuchi of Los Angeles 6-4, 7-6 (8). Higuchi plans to enroll at Stanford in the fall.
   In the girls 16 semifinals, No. 7 Angelica Blake of Boca Raton, Fla., routed No. 6 Rachel Eason of Union City, Calif., 6-1, 6-2.
   No. 11 Max Fardanesh of Albany, Calif., won the boys 12 title, knocking off No. 1 Samuel Landau of Los Angeles 6-4, 6-2.

NorCal girls reach 16 singles final in USTA tourney

   The girls 16 singles final in the USTA International Spring Championships in Carson will be an all-Northern California encounter.
   No. 14 seed Jessi Muljat of Sacramento will meet No. 15 Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek in the San Francisco Bay Area on Saturday.
   Muljat, 15, outlasted unseeded Eryn Cayetano of Corona, Calif., 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 today. Volynets, 14, routed No. 10 Hailey Baptiste of Takoma Park, Md., 6-0, 6-2.
   Cayetano ousted No. 1 seed Kacie Harvey, 14, of Braintree, Mass., in the second round, and Volynets eliminated No. 2 Marcella Cruz of Marlboro, N.J., in the third round.
   Muljat is ranked 42nd nationally in the 16s, and Volynets is No. 1 in the 14s.
   In the girls 18 quarterfinals, No. 2 seed Kayla Day of Santa Barbara, Calif., held off No. 6 Michaela Gordon of Saratoga, Calif., 6-4, 7-5 in a matchup of promising 16-year-olds. 
   Day, a left-hander, was the girls 18 runner-up in the Orange Bowl in Plantation, Fla., last December. She is ranked No. 13 in the world among girls and No. 685 among women. Gordon is No. 44 and No. 605, respectively.
   Both Day and Gordon have reached the quarterfinals of $25,000 professional tournaments. Day did so in Wesley Chapel, Fla., in January and, as a qualifier, in Surprise, Ariz., in February. Gordon gained the quarters in Redding in 2014 at 15 years old.
   In the boys 18s in Carson, Sam Riffice of Roseville in the Sacramento area reached the singles semifinals and doubles final.
   Riffice, seeded No. 4 in singles, topped No. 5 Duarte Vale of Portugal 7-5, 6-1. Riffice, who has not lost a set in his four matches, will face No. 2 seed and defending champion William Blumberg of Greenwich, Conn. In the other semifinal, No. 10 Oliver Crawford of Spartanburg, S.C., will play No. 11 Liam Caruana of Italy.
   No. 5 doubles seeds Brian Cernoch of North Bethesda, Md., and Riffice beat No. 3 Crawford and Brandon Holt of Rolling Hills, Calif., 7-5, 6-4. Cernoch and Riffice saved nine set points after trailing 5-1 in the first set. Cernoch won the 16s last year with Crawford.
   Holt, the son of International Tennis Hall of Famer Tracy Austin, and Riley Smith of Long Beach, Calif., were the boys doubles runners-up in the U.S. Open last September.
   Cernoch and Riffice will take on No. 1 Blumberg and Nathan Ponwith of Scottsdale, Ariz., for the title.
   Past tournament singles champions include Sam Querrey (2005), Bradley Klahn (2008), Sloane Stephens (2009) and Melanie Oudin (2008).
   Past participants include Milos Raonic, Madison Keys, Steve Johnson, Christina McHale, Madison Brengle, Vania King, Ryan Harrison, Nicole Gibbs, CoCo Vandeweghe, Lauren Davis, Taylor Townsend and Jesse Levine.