Djokovic breaks record; Halep breaks through

Novak Djokovic won the Italian Open for his 36th Masters 1000 title, breaking
the record he had shared with Rafael Nadal. 2017 photo by Mal Taam

   The temper is still there, but so is the phenomenal game.

   In his first tournament since being defaulted from the U.S. Open, top-ranked Novak Djokovic defeated eighth-seeded Diego Schwartzman 7-5, 6-3 today for his fifth Italian Open title in Rome.

   Top-seeded Simona Halep won the women's title for the first time, beating second-seeded Karolina Pliskova 6-0, 2-1, retired (left thigh) in a matchup of 28-year-olds and former world No. 1s.

   Djokovic, who received warnings for smashing a racket in anger in the quarterfinals and uttering an obscenity in the semifinals, won his 36th Masters 1000 (the highest level besides the Grand Slams) crown to break a tie with Rafael Nadal for the record.

   The 33-year-old Djokovic, the only player to win all nine Masters 1000 tournaments at least twice and the oldest player to win the Italian Open, passed his idol, Pete Sampras, with 287 weeks at No. 1 for second behind Roger Federer's 310.  

   Djokovic lost only one set in his five matches in Rome but was extended to a tiebreaker in the third round and lost the first three games (two service breaks) against Schwartzman.

   "It was a great week, a very challenging week," Djokovic, who improved to 31-1 this year, said in an on-court interview. "I don't think I played my best tennis throughout the entire week, but I think I found my best tennis when I needed it the most, the decisive moments today, yesterday, practically every match. That makes me definitely very satisfied and proud."

   Djokovic now turns his attention to the French Open, which begins Sunday. A four-time finalist at Roland Garros, he won the 2016 title to complete a career Grand Slam.

   Schwartzman, only 5-foot-7 (1.70 meters) and 141 pounds (64 kilograms), rose two spots to No. 13, two short of his career high in June 2018. The 28-year-old Argentine beat Nadal, a nine-time Italian Open champion, for the first time in 10 matches in the quarterfinals and edged 12th-seeded Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (4) in 3 hours, 15 minutes in the semifinals.

   Halep recorded her 14th consecutive victory and 19th in her last 20 matches. The Rome runner-up in 2017 and 2018, she lost her opening match there last year to Marketa Vondrousova, who was 19 at the time.

   "I've finally won it," Halep, who will turn 29 on Sunday, gushed in an on-court interview. "I love this tournament, and I play well here almost every year – besides last year, of course.

   "I started my rise up the rankings at this tournament in 2013, so I've always dreamed of having this title. I'm really happy that it happened today."

   Halep has reached three French Open finals, winning the first of her two Grand Slam titles in 2018. Pliskova, the runner-up in the 2015 Bank of the West Classic at Stanford, said she hopes to be ready for Roland Garros.

   WTA Tour — Japan's Nao Hibino, who won the inaugural Stockton (Calif.) Challenger in 2015 at 20, beat eighth-seeded Sloane Stephens, a 27-year-old Fresno product, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in the first round of the Internationaux de Strasbourg. 

   Stephens, the runner-up to Halep in the 2018 French Open, has lost in the opening round of eight of her 10 tournaments this year.

California dreamin': Gibbs, Kenin to play for title

Second-seeded Nicole Gibbs attended high school and
lives in the Los Angeles area. She starred at Stanford.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   BERKELEY, Calif. -- Nicole Gibbs will have the home-court advantage when she faces Sofia Kenin for the first time today in the final of the $60,000 Berkeley Tennis Club Challenge.
   But not by much.
   Gibbs attended high school and lives in the Los Angeles area. She starred at Stanford, across San Francisco Bay from Berkeley.
   "Anytime I play in California, I feel like it's home for me," Gibbs, 25, said Saturday. "I'm just enjoying my time here and trying to savor it."
   Kenin was born in Moscow and grew up in Pembroke Pines, Fla. But the 19-year-old American will try to win a Northern California Challenger for the third consecutive year.
   Kenin captured the title in $50,000 Sacramento in 2016 and $60,000 Stockton last year. Her only other singles crown came in $25,000 Wesley Chapel, Fla., on clay in 2016.
   "I love California," said Kenin, who speaks Russian with her father and coach, Alex. "I love the atmosphere (at the tournaments), and the weather is great. I want to live somewhere in California after New York."
   Gibbs, seeded No. 2, beat another 19-year-old American, unseeded Ashley Kratzer, 6-4, 6-2 to avenge a hard-court loss to her. After Saturday's match, Gibbs said the Newport Beach resident has top-20 potential.
   Gibbs later won the doubles title with Asia Muhammad of Las Vegas. The unseeded team outclassed top-seeded Ellen Perez of Australia and Sabrina Santamaria of Los Angeles 6-4, 6-1 to split $3,344. Gibbs has not lost a set in eight singles and doubles matches in the tournament.

Top-seeded Sofia Kenin, 19, hopes to win a Northern
California Challenger for the third consecutive year.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Kenin, seeded No. 1, downed No. 3 Nao Hibino 7-6 (6), 6-2 to snap the 23-year-old Japanese player's winning streak at eight matches.
   The 5-foot-4 (1.63-meter) Hibino, who won last week's $60,000 Honolulu Challenger, had two set points in the tiebreaker and took a medical timeout for strained groin and abdominal muscles at 1-4 in the second set.
   Today's singles final will be streamed live beginning at noon. Admission is free.
   On Saturday, Gibbs won six straight games from 4-4 in the opening set. That helped her reverse a 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 loss to Kratzer in the second round of an $80,000 hard-court tournament in Tyler, Texas, last November in their first meeting. Gibbs also beat Kratzer 6-4, 6-4 in the final of a $25,000 clay-court event in Naples, Fla., in early June.
    "I'm a much more confident player right now than I was last fall," proclaimed the 5-foot-6 (1.68-meter) Gibbs, who has dropped from a career-high No. 68 two years ago to No. 116. "I was in the middle of some stuff in terms of my career. There was some turnover. I had just stopped with my old coach (Roger Smith), so I was in a little bit of limbo. Now I feel like I have a really good direction.
   "I came out today not just hoping she would miss but also planning to take offense when I could, and I think that shows in the result."
   Gibbs began working with Chris Tontz of the USTA three months ago. Tontz also coaches 18-year-old sensation Claire Liu of Thousand Oaks, Sam Querrey's hometown, in the Los Angeles area.
   When Tontz took over in February 2017, Liu's confidence was shattered. Five months later, Liu became the first American in 25 years to win the Wimbledon girls title.

Unseeded Ashley Kratzer, 19, argues a line call during
her loss to Nicole Gibbs on Saturday in Berkeley, Calif.
Photo by Paul Bauman 

   Also, Liu reached the second round of the women's draw at Wimbledon this year, beating Gibbs in the final round of qualifying, and was the only player to win a set against champion Angelique Kerber.
   Tontz was not at Gibbs' match on Saturday, but her father was.
   "Chris Tontz is doing a really good job with Nicole," said Paul Gibbs, a high school English teacher who played at Ball State and was his daughter's first coach. "He knows the game really well, particularly the women's game. He's an excellent hitter of the ball, but he keeps it light. He's goofy and silly sometimes in addition to deadly serious.
   "He's got her moving up and back better, looking for chances to come in and also knowing when to drop back. That's one part of it. Then he's got her opening the court better and going to the open court."
   The 231st-ranked Kratzer, meanwhile, has all the physical tools for stardom. Not only is she 5-foot-11 (1.8 meters), she's left-handed. She can hammer her serve up the middle or slice it out wide. She has laser groundstrokes and, unlike the vast majority of male or female singles players, has an exquisite volley.
   Mentally, it's a different story. Kratzer argues seemingly every other line call. She was assessed a point penalty, for an audible obscenity, that nearly cost her the match in the quarterfinals. She was warned for unsportsmanlike conduct in the semifinals. All it takes is one unforced error for her to pound the bottom of her shoe with her racket frame in disgust.
   "She shows it on her sleeve as soon as she's frustrated, for sure," Gibbs said. "She's an emotional player. She definitely got frustrated. I just did my best to keep blinders on and not engage with that."

   Kratzer began playing pro tournaments at 14, bypassing the juniors and then college. She lost to Kenin in last year's Stockton final.

Third-seeded Nao Hibino's winning streak
ended at eight matches. Photo by Paul Bauman

   When asked if attitude is what Kratzer needs to work on the most, Gibbs blurted: "Absolutely. She's one of the most talented players out here. If she can pull it together a little bit more consistently mentally, I think she's going to be a really big threat on tour -- top 50 for sure, if not top 20, soon."
   Kenin could crack the top 50 this summer. She is ranked a career-high No. 64 after reaching the third round at the U.S. Open last summer, her first WTA tour semifinal at Mallorca on grass last month as a qualifier and the second round at Wimbledon. At Mallorca, Kenin stunned sixth-ranked Caroline Garcia for her first victory over a top-10 player.
   Hibino, 23, is ranked No. 113 after ascending to a career-high No. 56 in January 2016. She led 6-4 in the first-set tiebreaker on Saturday, but Kenin won the next four points on a service winner, two consecutive backhand winners and an unforced error.
   "(I was) just fighting," Kenin, who turned pro at the U.S. Open so she could pocket $144,000, said after facing Hibino for the first time. "She a tough player, and I knew I had to just play every point. She has a lot of experience and was a (highly ranked) player. I knew it was going to be tough. Obviously, that (tiebreaker) made the difference later. I started off well in the second (set)."
   Sort of. Kenin lost her serve to open the set but won the next four games to take control. Then Hibino, who won the inaugural $50,000 Stockton Challenger in 2015, took the medical timeout.
   "Since two days ago, I feel little bit pain in legs and abs, and it's getting worse," said Hibino, who nonetheless insisted she will play in next week's $60,000 Ashland (Ky.) Challenger and WTA tournaments the following two weeks in Washington, D.C., and Montreal.
   Here are the Berkeley singles and doubles draws.

Kratzer, 19, prevents all-Stanford semi in $60K Berkeley

Unseeded Ashley Kratzer won the last six games
to beat fourth-seeded Kristie Ahn 6-4, 2-6, 6-1.
Photo by Paul Bauman  

   BERKELEY, Calif. -- There will be no all-Stanford semifinal.
   Nor will there be an all-Japanese semifinal.
   Two 19-year-old Americans, one right-handed and one left-handed, saw to that.
   But not to worry. The semis in the $60,000 Berkeley Tennis Club Challenge remain plenty enticing.
   Unseeded Ashley Kratzer, the lefty, ousted fourth-seeded Kristie Ahn, a 26-year-old Stanford graduate, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 in Friday's quarterfinals.
   In a matchup of former Sacramento Challenger champions, top-seeded Sofia Kenin of Pembroke Pines, Fla., beat eighth-seeded Mayo Hibi of Japan 6-1, 6-4.
   Hibi, 22, was born in Japan but lived in Foster City in the San Francisco Bay Area as a young child and grew up in Irvine in the Los Angeles area.
   Kratzer will take on second seed and fellow Southern Californian Nicole Gibbs today at 11. Gibbs and Ahn led Stanford to the 2013 NCAA championship.
   "I'm disappointed for Kristie," said Gibbs, 25. "However, I'm always glad not to have to play her. It's never fun playing a really good friend."
   Kenin, who was born in Moscow but moved to the United States as a young child, will meet another Japanese player, third-seeded Nao Hibino, following the Gibbs-Kratzer match.
   After Kratzer double-faulted to lose her serve in the opening game of the third set against Ahn, she reeled off six straight games for the match.
   "I kind of dug deep and remembered back to yesterday, how much energy and my whole self I put into it," Kratzer said, referring to her 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7) victory over little Danielle Lao in 3 hours, 9 minutes. Kratzer escaped a match point at 6-7 in the tiebreaker. "I knew I had the match under control. I just needed to settle down and figure out what was working."

Kristie Ahn couldn't raise her level to match Ashley Krat-
zer's in the third set. Photo by Paul Bauman

   The turning point came with Ahn serving at 1-2, 40-0 in the third set. Kratzer won the next five points to break and then overwhelmed Ahn with a barrage of passing shots.
   "She hit some really good returns," said the 5-foot-5 (1.68-meter) Ahn, who's based in Boca Raton, Fla. "Maybe I wasn't aggressive enough, but I didn't play badly. I needed to raise my level a little bit more because obviously she did, and she took advantage of it, and obviously it changed the tone of the match."
   Ahn took a medical timeout early in the second set to have her lower back massaged. Asked if her back bothered her in the third set, Ahn said, "It wasn't great, but it's something you have to play through," before adding sheepishly, "It's from period cramps. I don't like to ... the timing is just unfortunate."
   Gibbs dismissed fifth-seeded Jamie Loeb, a 23-year-old product of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy in New York, 6-3, 6-2 in 61 minutes in a clash of ex-NCAA singles champions.
   Gibbs turned pro after winning her second consecutive NCAA singles title in 2013 as a junior (in addition to capturing the 2012 doubles crown with Mallory Burdette). Loeb made the leap after taking the 2015 title as a North Carolina sophomore.

Top-seeded Sofia Kenin winds up on a back-
hand during her 6-1, 6-4 victory over eighth-
seeded Mayo Hibi. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Gibbs, ranked No. 116 after reaching a career-high No. 68 two years ago, and Kratzer, ranked No. 231, have split two career matches.
   Kratzer won 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the second round of an $80,000 hard-court tournament in Tyler, Texas, last fall, and Gibbs triumphed 6-4, 6-4 in the final of a $25,000 clay-court event in Naples, Fla., in early June.
   "She's explosive, she's extremely talented, she's an athlete," said Gibbs, who has reached the third round of a Grand Slam twice and extended then-No. 1 Karolina Pliskova to 6-4 in the third set in the second round of the U.S. Open last September. "I'm definitely looking forward to the contest tomorrow."
   Kratzer, who last summer reached the final of the $60,000 Stockton Challenger (losing to Kenin) and won the USTA girls 18 hardcourt title, said Gibbs "definitely is looking to move forward and trying to attack off the first ball. It's definitely going to be who can make the most balls tomorrow but also staying super offensive."
   Ahn said she could not stay for Gibbs' match but would watch the live stream.
   "I'm curious about that match as well," said Ahn, who is scheduled to play in a $60,000 tournament in Ashland, Ky., next week. "I'm sure it will be a really good match."
   Kenin's athleticism and flat groundstrokes proved to be too much for the slightly built Hibi, but Kenin was frustrated at times by Hibi's unorthodox game. Hibi gives opponents little pace, slices every backhand, chases down almost everything and has a good drop shot and volley.
   "She has good hands and a good slice, and she comes to the net really well," said the 64th-ranked Kenin, who reached the third round of the U.S. Open last year and the second round at Wimbledon this month. "It's really tough to play someone like her.
   "I had to try to somehow (produce) my own pace. Against players like that, people overhit and miss everything. I tried to be patient."

Mayo Hibi, who lived in the San Francisco Bay Area as a
young child, follows through on her trademark slice backhand.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Hibino, the champion of last week's $60,000 Honolulu Challenger, extended her winning streak to eight matches with a 7-6 (3), 6-1 victory over seventh-seeded Francesca Di Lorenzo, a 20-year-old left-hander from New Albany, Ohio.
   Kenin and Hibino, ranked No. 113 after climbing to a career-high No. 56 in 2016, will meet for the first time in a matchup of past Stockton Challenger champions.
   "I didn't really watch her before my match because I didn't want to look ahead," Kenin said. "From what I saw, she hits flat, moves well and fights for every point."
   Gibbs also will play for the doubles title after today's second singles semifinal. She and Asia Muhammad of the United States will face top-seeded Ellen Perez of Australia and Sabrina Santamaria of the United States.
   Gibbs and Muhammad beat Di Lorenzo and Jovana Jaksic, a Serbian living in Sacramento, 6-4, 6-3.
   Here are the Berkeley singles and doubles draws and today's schedule.

Bellis suffers stunning collapse in U.S. Open

   The U.S. Open has been the scene of some of CiCi Bellis' greatest triumphs.
   Today, it was the scene of one of her most disappointing losses.
   Bellis, who was born in San Francisco and grew up in nearby Atherton, fell to Nao Hibino of Japan 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., in a first-round match postponed by rain.
   Bellis, 18, led 5-3 in the third set but collapsed in a blaze of unforced errors, especially on the forehand side. She was clearly perturbed afterward, giving the 22-year-old Hibino a perfunctory handshake at the net.
   Bellis, the youngest player in the top 50 at No. 36, will drop to about No. 43 after the U.S. Open. She reached the third round as a qualifier last year, then turned pro.
   Three years ago, Bellis stunned 12th-seeded Dominika Cibulkova in the opening round to become the youngest player to win a singles match at the U.S. Open since Anna Kournikova, also 15, in 1996. Cibulkova had advanced to the Australian Open final that year.
   Hibino, ranked No. 80, earned her first main-draw victory in a Grand Slam tournament after seven losses and topped Bellis for the first time after two defeats. Hibino won the inaugural Stockton Challenger in 2015.
   Meanwhile, Sloane Stephens, a 24-year-old Fresno product, upset No. 11 seed Cibulkova 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 in the second round. Stephens, who climbed to No. 11 in the world in 2013, returned to competition last month at Wimbledon after missing 11 months because of foot surgery. She will play Ashleigh Barty of Australia.
   Ex-Stanford star Nicole Gibbs beat Veronica Cepede Royg of Paraguay 6-0, 1-6, 6-1 in the completion of a first-round match suspended by rain. Gibbs, 24, will face top-ranked Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic.
   Sofia Kenin, who won last month's Stockton Challenger, topped qualifier Sachia Vickery 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (0) in a second-round matchup of Miami-area residents who often practice with each other.
   Kenin, 18, was born in Moscow and moved to the United States as a baby. She will take on her idol, wild card Maria Sharapova. If Kenin loses and remains an amateur, she will forfeit $144,000 for reaching the third round of the U.S. Open.
   On the men's side, No. 17 seed Sam Querrey, a 29-year-old San Francisco native, beat 32-year-old Dudi Sela of Israel 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 in the second round.
   Querrey, 6-foot-6 (1.98 meters) and 210 pounds (95 kilograms), is 9 inches (22.9 centimeters) taller and 66 pounds (30.0 kilograms) heavier than Sela.
   Querrey, who reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon, has not lost a set in two matches at the U.S. Open. He will meet another 5-foot-9 (1.75-meter) veteran, 27-year-old Radu Albot of Moldova, and could face Davis Cup teammate John Isner, seeded 10th, in the round of 16.

Pliskova upsets Venus in U.S. Open thriller

Karolina Pliskova, shown last year, reached her first
Grand Slam quarterfinal today. Photo by Mal Taam

   The last two runners-up in the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford met today in the fourth round of the U.S. Open.
   No. 10 seed Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic saved a match point in a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) victory over No. 6 Venus Williams during the day session in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Almost the entire crowd at 23,771-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium rooted for Williams, a 36-year-old American.
   "I was prepared that I'm going to play Venus -- it's going to be tough, because of the people are cheering for her," the 6-foot-1 (1.85-meter) Pliskova, who had never been past the third round of a major in 17 appearances, said in an on-court interview after the match.
   Pliskova, who lost to Angelique Kerber last year at Stanford, will play unseeded Ana Konjuh, 18, of Croatia on Wednesday in the quarterfinals. Konjuh upset No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-4, 6-4.
   Williams fell to Johanna Konta of Great Britain in the Bank of the West Classic in July. Konta lost to Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia on Sunday in the fourth round of the U.S. Open.
   Kerber, the No. 2 seed in Flushing Meadows and reigning Australian Open champion, will meet No. 7 Roberta Vinci of Italy on Tuesday at 9 a.m. PDT at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Vinci stunned Serena Williams in last year's semifinals, ending Williams' hopes of achieving the first calendar year Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988.
   Also today, No. 7 seeds Sania Mirza of India and Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic beat former Stanford star Nicole Gibbs of Marina del Rey in the Los Angeles area and Nao Hibino of Japan 6-4, 7-5 in the third round of women's doubles.
   Hibino won the singles title in the inaugural $50,000 Stockton Challenger last year. Strycova and Lucie Safarova took the bronze medal in the Olympics last month in Rio de Janeiro.
   In the first round of boys doubles, Karim Hossam of Egypt and Ergi Kirkin of Turkey nipped Liam Caruano of Italy and Sacramento-area product Sam Riffice 1-6, 6-1 [10-8].

Aptos champ Evans almost pulls off major upset

Daniel Evans practices earlier this week.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Daniel Evans, who won the $100,000 Nordic Naturals Challenger in Aptos, Calif., three weeks ago, came within one point of a huge upset in the U.S. Open on Saturday.
   The 26-year-old Briton lost to No. 3 seed Stan Wawrinka 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (8), 6-2 in Louis Armstrong Stadium in the third round at Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Evans, 5-foot-9 (1.75 meters), held a match point at 6-5 in the fourth-set tiebreaker.
   Wawrinka, who has won two Grand Slam singles titles, will play unseeded Illya Marchenko of Ukraine in the fourth round. Marchenko led No. 14 seed Nick Kyrgios of Australia 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 when Kyrgios retired with a hip injury.
   Meanwhile, former Stanford star Nicole Gibbs won tight matches in the second round of women's doubles and first round of mixed doubles.
   Gibbs, 23, and Nao Hibino, 21, of Japan edged Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands and Heather Watson of Great Britain 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. Hibino won the singles title in the inaugural $50,000 Stockton Challenger last year.
   Gibbs and Dennis Novikov of Milpitas in the San Francisco Bay Area beat Arantxa Parra Santonja and Marc Lopez of Spain 6-4, 3-6 [10-6]. In men's doubles, Lopez reached the final of the 2014 U.S. Open with Marcel Granollers and won his first Grand Slam title in this year's French Open with Feliciano Lopez (no relation). Granollers and Feliciano Lopez also are Spanish.
   Also in women's doubles, Modesto product Maria Sanchez and Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia fell to fourth-seeded Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. Hlavackova and Hradecka won the 2013 U.S. Open and 2011 French Open.
   In the second round of mixed doubles, Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia and ex-Stanford All-American Scott Lipsky of Irvine in the Los Angeles area lost to Yung-Jan Chan of Taiwan and 40-year-old Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia 6-1, 6-2.

Tursunov draws Wawrinka in Australian Open

Dmitry Tursunov, a Russian who trains in the Sacramento
suburb of Granite Bay, practices at Indian Wells in 2014.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Welcome back, Dmitry.

   In his first Grand Slam tournament since losing in the first round of the 2014 U.S. Open, Sacramento-area resident Dmitry Tursunov drew fourth seed and 2014 Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka on Thursday (PST) in the first round in Melbourne. 

   The Australian Open begins Sunday, although the Warwrinka-Tursunov match could be played on Monday. 

   Tursunov, who reached a career-high No. 20 in 2006, has dropped out of the singles rankings after his latest injury layoff. The 33-year-old Russian is using a protected ranking to play in Melbourne.

   Tursunov returned last October, winning the doubles title in his native Moscow with 18-year-old countryman Andrey Rublev, after missing more than one year with plantar fasciitis in his left foot and pain in his left ankle. Tursunov had surgery on the ankle twice in 2009, to remove bone spurs and then a chip. 

   Tursunov is 1-1 lifetime against Wawrinka, 30. Tursunov coasted 6-3, 6-3 in the first round at Sydney in 2008, and Wawrinka prevailed 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3) in the quarterfinals indoors at Kuala Lumpur in 2013.

   Wawrinka owns two Grand Slam singles titles, having also won last year's French Open. Tursunov's best Grand Slam result is fourth-round appearances at Wimbledon in 2005 and 2006.  

   Sam Querrey, a 28-year-old San Francisco native, will face Dusan Lajovic, a 25-year-old Serbian, for the first time. Querrey is ranked 60th and Lajovic 79th.

   In a matchup of former Sacramento Challenger champions, Donald Young (2008 and 2013) of Atlanta will take on Santiago Giraldo (2009) of Colombia.
   On the women's side, 2015 Stockton Challenger champion Nao Hibino of Japan will meet fifth-seeded Maria Sharapova, the Australian Open champion in 2008 and runner-up in 2007, 2012 and 2015. Sharapova, 6-foot-2 (1.88 meters), withdrew from Brisbane last week with a forearm injury.
   Hibino, only 5-foot-4 (1.63 meters), won her first WTA title in Tashkent in October (although she faced no one in the top 100) and reached the quarterfinals in Auckland last week. Ranked 58th, she will make her Grand Slam main-draw debut at 21 years old.

Catching up: Fritz, Hibino, colleges, juniors

Taylor Fritz, shown en route to the title in the
recent Fairfield Challenger, lost in the second
round in Las Vegas. That ended his winning
streak at 17 matches. Photo by Paul Bauman

   U.S. phenom Taylor Fritz's winning streak ended at 17 matches last week when he lost in the second round of the $50,000 Las Vegas Challenger.
   Fritz, the world's top-ranked junior, fell to Grega Zemlja of Slovenia 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-2. Zemlja advanced to the final, losing to Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands. Both Zemlja, 29, and de Bakker, 27, are former top-50 players.
   Fritz, who will turn 18 on Wednesday, won three straight titles after turning pro in August. He triumphed in the U.S. Open boys tournament, the $100,000 Sacramento Challenger and the $50,000 Fairfield Challenger.
   The latter two titles came in Fritz's home state of California. He lives in Rancho Santa Fe in the San Diego area.
   WTA tour -- Nao Hibino, who won the inaugural $50,000 Stockton Challenger in July, beat Donna Vekic of Croatia 6-2, 6-2 recently in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, for her first WTA tour title.
   Hibino, 20, of Japan did not face a seed or drop a set in the tournament. She defeated Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina, the champion of the $50,000 Sacramento Challenger the week after Stockton, in the first round in Tashkent.
   Only 5-foot-4 (1.6 meters) and 132 pounds (60 kilograms), Hibino has soared from No. 177 in the world before Stockton to No. 79.
   USTA/ITA All-American Championships -- Cal's Andre Goransson and Maegan Manasse and Stanford's Tom Fawcett reached the semifinals of this month's USTA/ITA All-American Championships.
    Goransson, a junior from Sweden, lost to fourth-seeded Dominik Koepfer of Tulane 6-4, 6-4 in Tulsa, Okla. Fawcett, a 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) sophomore from Winnetka, Ill., fell to third-seeded Thai-Son Kwiatkowski of NCAA champion Virginia 6-3, 6-2.

Nao Hibino, playing in the Sacramento Challenger in July,
recently won her first WTA tour title. Photo by Mal Taam 

   Both Goransson and Fawcett were seeded 9-16. Kwiatkowski won the title.
   Manasse, a junior from Redondo Beach, lost to seventh seed and eventual champion Danielle Collins of Virginia 7-6 (7), 6-3 in Pacific Palisades. Collins won last year's NCAA singles title.
   Second-seeded Manasse and Denise Starr, a junior from Brooklyn, N.Y., won the doubles title with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over unseeded Hayley Carter and Whitney Kay of North Carolina 6-1, 6-4.
   USTA/ITA Northwest Regional Championships -- Stanford's David Wilczynski, a sophomore from Richboro, Pa., topped Mitch Stewart of Washington 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 on Monday in Seattle for the USTA/ITA Men's Northwest Regional title.
   USF's Vasco Valverde and Nils Skajaa took the doubles title, outclassing Stanford's Nolan Paige and Maciek Romanowicz 6-2, 6-2.
   Top-seeded Taylor Davidson of Stanford is scheduled to face ninth-seeded Mayar Ahmed of Fresno State today in the final of the Women's Northwest Regional Championships at Stanford.
   In the doubles final, top-seeded Davidson and Caroline Doyle, from San Francisco, will take on third-seeded Klara Fabikova and Olivia Hauger of Cal.
   USTA National Selection Tournament -- Top-seeded Sara Choy of Palo Alto routed third-seeded Jessi Muljat of Sacramento 6-1, 6-2 to win the girls 16 title in this month's USTA National Selection Tournament at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.
   In the doubles final, unseeded Michelle Deng of Temple City and Rena Lin of Northridge beat top-seeded Choy and Niluka Madurawe of Sunnyvale 8-6.
   Eighth-seeded Jenson Brooksby of Carmichael reached the boys 16 singles semifinals, falling to unseeded Jake Sands of Pacific Palisades 6-1, 6-0. Sands then lost to sixth-seeded Govind Nanda of Redlands.
   Third-seeded Brooksby and Randy Cory of Salinas won the doubles title, beating fourth-seeded Nanda and Sands 8-4 in the final.
   The 16s was the only age group in the tournament.

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.

Japan's Hibino has yen for Stockton Challenger

Fifth-seeded Nao Hibino, left, beat top-seeded An-
Sophie Mestach 6-1, 7-6 (6) to win the inaugural
Stockton Challenger. Photo by Paul Bauman

   STOCKTON, Calif. -- Traveling alone for the first time and playing far from her native Japan, Nao Hibino did her best to feel at home on Sunday.
   When asked why she beat top-seeded An-Sophie Mestach of Belgium 6-1, 7-6 (6) to win the inaugural $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit Challenger, the fifth-seeded Hibino cracked in halting English with a laugh, "I had rice bowl before the match, so it gave me ... power."
   There was more to it, of course. Mild-mannered and polite in typical Japanese fashion off the court, the 20-year-old Hibino transforms into Godzilla on it.
   Most impressive are Hibino's groundstrokes and mental toughness. Both her forehand and two-handed backhand are weapons. Plus, she saved all seven break points against her in the final and converted three of her four break points, yelling "Yeah!" or "C'mon!" after winning big points. Hibino won all three of her tiebreakers in the semifinals and finals, and never lost a set in five tournament matches.
   Hibino also has superb touch, repeatedly hitting perfect lobs for winners. And for someone only 5-foot-4 (1.63 meters) and 132 pounds (60 kilograms), she has good pop on her serve. She refuses to hit overheads, instead taking swinging forehand volleys a la Andre Agassi.
   Weaknesses? Hibino can be overpowered by bigger, stronger players. But Mestach, a 21-year-old Fed Cup veteran and the world's top junior in 2011, also is undersized at 5-foot-7 (1.70 meters) and 141 pounds (64 kilograms). Neither player hit an ace in the final.
   "If I play more my game -- be more aggressive and serve better -- I should beat her," Mestach insisted, even though she lost to Hibino 6-2, 6-2 on grass two months ago in their only previous meeting. "But that wasn't the case today, so she deserved to win."
   After winning championship point Sunday at the University of the Pacific, Hibino dropped her racket, put her head in her hands, shook Mestach's hand and bowed to each side of the court amid a hearty round of applause from the crowd.
   Reading from notes in her acceptance speech, Hibino said: "I had some concerns before coming here because this is my first (time traveling) by myself. However, the peaceful atmosphere, delicious food and kind people made my stay great. And now I love it here very much. I hope to come back next year. Thank you."

Hibino has tremendous groundstrokes and mental
toughness. Photo by Paul Bauman

   If all goes well, though, Hibino could graduate to the WTA tour in the next year. She jumped 33 places in the world rankings to a career-high No. 140 with the title and needs to crack the top 100 to play full-time in the major leagues of women's tennis.
   The athletic, muscular Mestach is almost there. She rose only seven spots to No. 104, just off her career high of No. 100 last November, because she reached the quarterfinals in Carson during the same week last year.
   The rankings are based on a 52-week revolving system; results from one week replace those from the corresponding week last year.
   Mestach is distinctive in several ways. She has short blond hair; she takes a huge windup on her forehand; her shoes screech as she slides on hardcourts, as if she were playing on clay back home; and, most of all, she is a Hall of Fame ball bouncer.
   Mestach bounces the ball 20 to 30 times before every serve, first and second. The Japanese government changes about three times while Mestach prepares to serve. It took all of five service points for Mestach to receive a time violation warning Sunday, although she was never penalized.
   Nothing seemed to bother Hibino, though. She won her sixth professional and third Challenger ($25,000 and above) singles title but first outside of Japan. Mestach also was seeded first in a $50,000 grass-court tournament in Kurume in May, but Hibino beat her en route to the championship.    
   "Everyone said I won (Kurume) because it's in Japan, so I'm happy to prove I can win outside of Japan," Hibino said.
   Hibino's coach, Keiji Takeuchi, was busy working for the Japan Tennis Association last week, but Hibino said he will join her today for this week's $50,000 Sacramento Challenger at the Gold River Racquet Club. Mestach also plans to play in the tournament.
   Hibino bolted to a 5-0 lead in the first set against Mestach, who spent most of the time watching passing shots whiz by her in the corners. After Mestach finally held serve, Hibino saved three break points and won the first set when Mestach floated an easy backhand volley way long.
   Mestach played more aggressively in the second set, and Hibino began to make errors. There were no breaks, as Hibino saved two break points at 1-2 and two more at 3-4.
   "You have to (capitalize on) these chances," Mestach asserted. "Otherwise, you pay the price."
   Hibino earned her first championship point when Mestach slugged a forehand long to trail 6-5 in the tiebreaker. But with Mestach now serving, Hibino netted a runaround forehand.

Mestach said fatigue hurt her in the final. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Mestach then slapped a runaround forehand long to give Hibino another championship point, this one on Hibino's serve. Hibino ripped a crosscourt forehand into the corner, and a sliding Mestach netted a forehand.
    "I didn't play well in the first set," conceded Mestach, who was seeking her seventh professional and sixth Challenger singles title. "It was not good, but I fought my way back into the match and had some chances in the second set, but I felt a bit tired today. I've been playing a lot of long matches, so I felt more tired.
   "That didn't help much today. But I tried my best and kept on working hard, and I think my attitude was good. The tennis wasn't there today, but OK. I played (in the) finals, so I hope I made the cut of U.S. Open. I think I'm in."
   Hibino earned $7,600 and Mestach $4,053.
   The Challenger originally was scheduled to be played at the new Eve Zimmerman Tennis Complex at Pacific. But because of delays, construction on the $4 million facility will begin this week, Challenger tournament director Ryan Redondo said.
   The 12 courts are scheduled to be finished in late October, and the 5,500-square-foot clubhouse is set for completion next spring, according to Redondo.
   Eve Zimmerman-Short, who played for Pacific in the early 1980s, donated at least $1.5 million for the project. Zimmerman-Short has a legendary passion for tennis. While playing for the Tigers, she was so excited about the resurfaced courts that she kissed them. 
   Redondo, the men's tennis coach at Pacific, said the new complex had "a lot" to do with the United States Tennis Association bringing the Challenger to Stockton.
   "We want to make sure we do justice to the facility," Redondo said. "Eve is very interested in events like that. We want to make this a tennis Mecca in Northern California."
   Stockton needs all the help it can get. Because of high foreclosure, unemployment and crime rates, Forbes magazine in 2010 named the city of 300,000 people one of the three worst places in the United States to live. In 2012, Stockton became the largest city in U.S. history to file for bankruptcy protection.
  Countered Redondo: "Stockton is a great city that doesn't get the respect it deserves. People are great here."    

Hibino avenges one-sided loss to reach Stockton final

Nao Hibino beat Sanaz Marand after losing to her
6-1, 6-0 last September. Photo by Paul Bauman

   STOCKTON, Calif. -- So much for past results.
   Sanaz Marand crushed Nao Hibino in their only meeting before the semifinals of the inaugural $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit Challenger at the University of the Pacific.
   But the fifth-seeded Hibino outslugged the unseeded Marand 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) Saturday in a grueling baseline battle filled with breathtaking rallies and spectacular shotmaking.
   After Hibino, ranked No. 173 in the world at 20 years old, laced a crosscourt forehand just out of the reach of Marand, a 27-year-old left-hander ranked No. 270, at the net, the appreciative crowd heartily applauded the combatants. Hibino, from Japan, responded by bowing to each side of the court.
   It was a far cry from last September, when Marand demolished Hibino 6-1, 6-0 in the second round of qualifying in Quebec City on the WTA tour, the major leagues of women's tennis.
   "It wasn't her day," recalled the stocky Marand, a former All-American at North Carolina from Houston. "I played well, but she basically gave me the match. She made too many errors. I felt like I just put the ball in the court and she made errors.

Marand lost to Hibino in two tiebreakers
this time. Photo by Paul Bauman

   "Little different this time," Marand, who later won the doubles title with reigning NCAA singles champion Jamie Loeb of North Carolina, added with a laugh. "She made a lot more balls."
   Hibino, only 5-foot-4 (1.63 meters) and 132 pounds (60 kilograms), said winning a $50,000 Challenger in Kurume, Japan, on grass in May gave her confidence.
   "I don't care I lost to (Marand) in Quebec," Hibino said in halting English. "I don't really think about that. I just focus (on) today's match."
   It looked like more of the same when Marand took a 3-1 lead in the first set. But Hibino broke back for 4-4 on two forehand errors by Marand from deuce.  
   Both players then held serve to send the set to a tiebreaker. Hibino bolted to a 5-1 lead and had four set points at 6-2. Marand saved the first three before Hibino ripped a forehand winner.
   The second set was the reverse of the first with the same outcome. Hibino led 3-1, but Marand broke back for 4-4, and both held serve from there.
   This time in the tiebreaker, the players were tied 3-3. Hibino earned the decisive minibreak with a backhand crosscourt winner to lead 5-3. After Marand won the next point on her serve, Hibino held twice for the match. 
   "I was nervous in the ... beginning," Hibino said. "I get used to (playing), and I try to get ball in the court, hit more spin and try to make her move."
   Top-seeded An-Sophie Mestach, a 21-year-old Belgian ranked No. 111, prevented an all-Japanese final by defeating 44-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.

Top-seeded An-Sophie Mestach beat 44-year-old Kimiko Date-
Krumm in three sets to reach the final. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Date-Krumm, who's married to a German race car driver, reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon once each in the mid-1990s.
   Date-Krumm climbed to a career-high No. 4 in the world 20 years ago but retired in 1996 for 12 years. She cracked the top 50 in 2010 but has plunged to No. 198 because of injuries.
   Hibino had dinner with Date-Krumm for the first time on Friday night at a Korean restaurant.
   "I really want to play her because she's (a) legend," Hibino said before the second semifinal.
   It wasn't to be, but Hibino is familiar with Mestach. Also seeded first in Kurume, Mestach lost to Hibino 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinals in their only encounter.

   Then again, Hibino, of all people, knows past results sometimes mean nothing. 

$50,000 USTA PRO CIRCUIT CHALLENGER

At University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif.

Singles semifinals

   Nao Hibino (5), Japan, def. Sanaz Marand, United States, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4).

   An-Sophie Mestach (1), Belgium, def. Kimiko Date-Krumm, Japan, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.

Doubles final

   Jamie Loeb and Sanaz Marand (4), United States, def. Kaitlyn Christian and Danielle Lao, United States, 6-3, 6-4.

Today's schedule

(Starting at noon)

Stadium

   An-Sophie Mestach (1), Belgium, vs. Nao Hibino (5), Japan.

Rogowska, Boserup reach Gold River Challenger final

Top seed Olivia Rogowska beat ailing Madison Brengle, seeded
third, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 to reach the final of the Gold River Challenger.

   Madison Brengle can't seem to stay healthy for an entire week in the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger.
   One year after coming down with a stomach ailment on the day of the final and losing, the third-seeded Brengle hurt her right knee and lost to top-seeded Olivia Rogowska 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 in Friday night's semifinals at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area.
   Rogowska, a 23-year-old Australian, and Brengle, a 24-year-old American, are roommates and best friends who train in Bradenton, Fla.
   "I got revenge for the last time we played," Rogowska said. "She skunked me."
   Rogowska was referring to Brengle's 6-2, 6-0 victory in the final of a $25,000 Challenger, also on hardcourts, in Landisville, Pa., last August. It was their only previous meeting.

No. 7 seed Julia Boserup routed No. 8 Nao Hibino 6-1, 6-3.

   Rogowska, who has dropped the opening set in her last two matches, will meet seventh-seeded Julia Boserup of Newport Beach for the first time after tonight's 7 o'clock doubles final. Boserup, 5-foot-11 (1.80 meters) and 145 pounds (66 kilograms), overpowered little Nao Hibino, seeded eighth, of Japan 6-1, 6-3.

   "The score was not indicative of the match," Boserup, 22, said after her first career match against Hibino, 19. "She is a very impressive player."
   Hibino was trying to become the second consecutive Japanese teenager to win the Gold River Challenger. Mayo Hibi triumphed last year at 17 but chose to play in a $25,000 Challenger in Gatineau, Canada, this week instead. Hibi, seeded fifth, lost to top-seeded Risa Ozaki, also of Japan, in Friday's quarterfinals.
   Brengle began hobbling midway through the second set. She took a medical timeout early in the third set and had her knee taped but limped through the rest of the match.
   Rogowska played with her left thigh taped for the first time this week but didn't seem bothered.
   At first glance, the final looks like a mismatch. Rogowska is ranked almost 100 places higher in the world than Boserup, 127 to 222. Also, Rogowska has won nine career ITF (minor-league) titles in singles and 15 in doubles to Boserup's two and none, respectively.
   Rogowska hits hard for someone only 5-foot-9 (1.75 meters) and 128 pounds (58 kilograms), and she's mentally tough. She came within a tiebreaker of losing in straight sets to sixth-seeded Sachia Vickery, 19, in the quarterfinals but pulled out the match.
   But Boserup is not to be underestimated. Her ranking is deceptively low because she missed the first half of last year with a bulging disc -- returning in the Gold River Challenger and losing to former top-20 player Alisa Kleybanova in the last round of qualifying -- and tumbled to No. 510.
   This year, Boserup is showing what she can do when healthy. As a qualifier in Monterrey, Mexico, on the elite WTA tour in April, she stunned 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens, a Belgian ranked 25th at the time, en route to the quarterfinals of the hardcourt tournament.
   Boserup not only is more powerful than Rogowska but fresher, having not lost a set in the Gold River Challenger. Temperatures have reached the 90s (32.2-37.8 Celsius) all week.
   Also, Boserup has the homecourt advantage. Both of her titles have come in $25,000 tournaments in her native California, at Rancho Santa Fe in the San Diego area in 2012 and at Redding in 2011.
   The doubles final features two unseeded teams. Modesto product and USC graduate Maria Sanchez and current Trojan Zoe Scandalis will face Daria Gavrilova of Russia and Storm Sanders of Australia.
   In the inaugural Gold River Challenger two years ago, Sanchez won the singles title and reached the doubles final with then-Trojan Kaitlyn Christian.
   Sanders, a left-hander, won last year's doubles crown at 18 with 6-foot-2 (1.89-meter) Naomi Broady of Great Britain. Broady did not return this year after advancing to the Wimbledon mixed doubles quarterfinals with countryman Neal Skupski.
   Tickets for the finals of the Gold River Challenger are $10. The matches will be streamed live at www.goldriverchallenger.com.

$50,000 FSP GOLD RIVER WOMEN'S CHALLENGER

At Gold River Racquet Club

In Gold River, Calif.

Singles semifinals

   Olivia Rogowska (1), Australia, def. Madison Brengle (3), United States, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.   

   Julia Boserup (7), United States, def. Nao Hibino (8), Japan, 6-1, 6-3.

  Doubles semifinals

   Daria Gavrilova, Russia, and Storm Sanders, Australia, def. Jacqueline Cako and Danielle Lao, United States (3), 6-2, 7-6 (6).

   Maria Sanchez and Zoe Scandalis, United States, def. Macall Harkins and Peggy Porter, United States, 6-7 (2), 6-2 [10-7].

Today's schedule

(Starting at 7 p.m.)

Stadium

   Maria Sanchez and Zoe Scandalis, United States, vs. Daria Gavrilova, Russia, and Storm Sanders, Australia.

   Olivia Rogowska (1), Australia, vs. Julia Boserup (7), United States.

Roommates to meet in Gold River Challenger semis

Third-seeded Madison Brengle, above, of the United States
will face top-seeded Olivia Rogowska, below, of Australia
in the semifinals of the Gold River Women's Challenger.

   GOLD RIVER, Calif. -- Madison Brengle will have mixed emotions when she faces Olivia Rogowska this evening in the semifinals of the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger.
   "She is my roommate and closest friend," Brengle said. "She is a great person."
   Rogowska, 23, of Australia and Brengle, a 24-year-old American, train in Bradenton, Fla. Seeded first and third, respectively, they held off young Americans in tough three-set matches on Thursday at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area.
   In the other semifinal, seventh-seeded Julia Boserup of Newport Beach will take on eighth-seeded Nao Hibino of Japan. They eliminated promising U.S. teenagers Louisa Chirico and Jamie Loeb, respectively.
    Rogowska, ranked No. 127 in the world, edged 19-year-old Sachia Vickery of Hollywood, Fla., 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4. Rogowska saved four break points at 5-5 in the second set, won four of the last five points in the tiebreaker and overcame a 3-0 deficit (one break) in the third set.
   "At these tournaments, the level of play is similar," observed Rogowska, who has reached the second round of singles three times in Grand Slam tournaments. "The difference is all mental. You have to have self-belief."
  Vickery won the USTA National Girls 18s singles and doubles titles last August. She then beat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, a Wimbledon semifinalist in 1999, in the first round of the U.S. Open before losing to qualifier Julia Glushko of Israel in the second round.   
   "Vickery is a very tough player," Rogowska said. "I was proud of how I held it together."
   Brengle, ranked No. 158, outlasted 5-foot-3 (1.61-meter) Danielle Lao 6-4, 6-7 (9), 6-3. Lao, a 23-year-old former USC All-American, saved two match points in the second set.
   "Danielle has a tricky game," said Brengle, the runner-up in last year's Gold River Challenger. "She's very consistent and a good mover. You have to stay very mentally tough, working to create angles."
   Brengle has played Rogowska only once in a tournament, winning by the surprisingly one-sided score of 6-2, 6-0 in the final of a $25,000 Challenger in Landisville, Pa., last August. Rogowska had been extended to 2-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2 in the semifinals, whereas Brengle had breezed 6-1, 6-2.
   Boserup, 22, and Hibino, 19, will meet for the first time. Boserup is ranked No. 222 and Hibino No. 227.
   Boserup, a hard hitter at 5-foot-11 (1.80 meters) and 145 pounds (66 kilograms), reached the quarterfinals as a qualifier in Monterrey, Mexico, on the elite WTA tour in April. In the first round, she beat then-No. 25 Kirsten Flipkens, a Belgian who advanced to the Wimbledon semifinals last year.
   Hibino reached the final of a $25,000 Challenger on hardcourts in Fergana, Uzbekistan, last month. She is bidding to become the second consecutive Japanese teenager to win the Gold River tournament. Mayo Hibi prevailed at 17 last year but chose to play in a $25,000 event in Gatineau, Canada, this week instead. Seeded fifth, she will meet top-seeded Risa Ozaki, another Japanese player, in today's quarterfinals.
   Boserup, who squandered a 5-0 lead in the first set against Chirico before recovering, is the only player in the Gold River Challenger who has not lost a set. Not coincidentally, she has yet to face a seed, but that will change tonight.

$50,000 FSP GOLD RIVER WOMEN'S CHALLENGER

At Gold River Racquet Club

In Gold River, Calif.

Singles quarterfinals

   Olivia Rogowska (1), Australia, def. Sachia Vickery (6), United States, 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4.

   Madison Brengle (3), United States, def. Danielle Lao, United States, 6-4, 6-7 (9), 6-3.

   Nao Hibino (8), Japan, def. Jamie Loeb, United States, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

   Julia Boserup (7), United States, def. Louisa Chirico, United States, 7-5, 6-3. 

  Doubles quarterfinals

   Macall Harkins and Peggy Porter, United States, def. Natalie Pluskota and Keri Wong (2), United States, 6-3, 5-7 [10-7].

   Maria Sanchez and Zoe Gwen Scandalis, United States, def. Jamie Loeb and Allie Will, United States, walkover.

Today's schedule

(Starting at 4 p.m.)

Stadium

   Maria Sanchez and Zoe Gwen Scandalis, United States, vs. Macall Harkins and Peggy Porter, United States.

   Olivia Rogowska (1), Australia, vs. Madison Brengle (3), United States.

   Julia Boserup (7), United States, vs. Nao Hibino (8), Japan.

Court 3

   Jacqueline Cako and Danielle Lao (3), United States, vs. Daria Gavrilova, Russia, and Storm Sanders, Australia.