Former Pacific star falls in Los Cabos doubles final

Sem Verbeek returns serve in doubles in the 2016 Stockton (Calif.) Challenger.
Verbeek starred at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Hans Hach Verdugo of Mexico and John Isner of the United States beat Hunter Reese of Knoxville, Tenn., and Sem Verbeek (University of the Pacific, 2013-16) of the Netherlands 5-7, 6-2 [10-4] tonight in the Mifel Open, an ATP 250 hardcourt tournament in Los Cabos, Mexico.

   Both teams were unseeded. Reese, 28, and Verbeek, 27, played in their first ATP final, together or separately.

   The 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) Isner, 36, made his pro debut in a $15,000 Futures tournament in the Sacramento, Calif., suburb of Shingle Springs in 2007 and won the singles title. Hach Verdugo took the doubles crown in the 2018 Tiburon Challenger in the San Francisco Bay Area with Luke Saville of Australia. 

   In the Los Cabos singles final, top-seeded Cameron Norrie of Great Britain dominated unseeded Brandon Nakashima, 19, of San Diego 6-2, 6-2 for his first ATP title.

   Norrie, who won back-to-back Northern California Challengers in Tiburon and Stockton in 2017, will rise only one notch to a career-high No. 29. 

   Olympics — In the first round of doubles, Belinda Bencic and Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland stunned No. 2 seeds Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara of Japan 6-4, 6-7 (5) [10-5] on a hardcourt in Tokyo. Shibahara, 23, was born in Mountain View in the Bay Area, starred at UCLA and lives in Rancho Palos Verdes in the Los Angeles area.

   Paula Badosa and Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain eliminated Giuliana Olmos and Renata Zarazua of Mexico 6-2, 6-7 (4) [10-7]. Olmos, 28, was born in Austria, grew up in Fremont in the Bay Area and played at USC.

   Sorribes Tormo earlier ousted top-ranked Ashleigh Barty, coming off her Wimbledon title, 6-4, 6-3 in the opening round of singles. Badosa, 23, reached the singles quarterfinals of the French Open and the fourth round at Wimbledon this year. 

   ATP Challenger Tour — Dennis Novikov of San Jose, Calif., won his third Cary (N.C.) Challenger title and second straight in doubles.

   Top-seeded Novikov and Christian Harrison of Bradenton, Fla., outclassed unseeded Petros Chrysochos of Cyprus and Michail Pervolarakis of Greece 6-3, 6-3 on a hardcourt in the $52,080 Atlantic Tire Championships.

   Novikov won his ninth Challenger doubles championship, first of the year and first with Harrison. Novikov won the Cary doubles title last November with Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia and took the singles title in 2015.

Osaka withdraws; Andreescu ousted in marathon

Naomi Osaka said she "never wanted to be a distrac-
tion." 2018 photo by Mal Taam

   No. 2 seed Naomi Osaka of Japan withdrew from the French Open today in the wake of her announcement last week that she would skip her mandatory post-match news conferences.

   "I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris," Osaka said on social media. "I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept that my timing was not ideal and message could have been clearer."

   Osaka, who has won four Grand Slam singles titles but never advanced past the third round of the French Open, added that she will "take some time away from the court."

   Meanwhile, Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia outlasted No. 6 seed Bianca Andreescu of Canada, 6-7 (1), 7-6 (2), 9-7 in 3 hours, 20 minutes. Andreescu was two points from victory serving at 5-4 in the third set, 

   Zidansek, 23, recorded her first main-draw victory at Roland Garros and first top-10 win. Andreescu, who missed last year because of a knee injury and the five-month tour shutdown, has not advanced past the second round of a major since winning the 2019 U.S. Open at 19.

   Also falling were former French Open champions Garbine Muguruza, seeded 12th, and Jelena Ostapenko. 

   Eighth-seeded Roger Federer, who will turn 40 on Aug. 8, dismissed Denis Istomin, a 34-year-old qualifier from Uzbekistan, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3. 

   Federer, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee twice last year, played in his first Grand Slam tournament since the Australian Open in January 2020 and his second match on clay in two years. Istomin shocked Novak Djokovic in the second round of the 2017 Australian Open. 

   Both Federer and Istomin have played at the SAP Center in San Jose. Federer defeated Jack Sock in a 2018 exhibition, and Istomin lost to Milos Raonic in the final of the 2012 SAP Open.

   Federer is scheduled to meet Marin Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champion and a two-time Grand Slam runner-up, on Wednesday. The 32-year-old Croat eliminated wild card Arthur Rinderknech of France 7-6 (6), 6-1. 

   Federer is 9-1 against Cilic. They will meet for the first time since Federer won in five sets in the 2018 Australian Open final for his 20th Grand Slam singles title, a record he shares with Rafael Nadal, and second time on clay. Federer triumphed 6-4, 6-3 in the third round in Monte Carlo 10 years ago.

   In another matchup of players in their 30s, No. 31 seed John Isner, 36, beat Davis Cup teammate Sam Querrey, a 33-year-old San Francisco native, 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4.

   The 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) Isner hammered 22 aces to the 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Querrey's nine and improved to 4-5 in the head-to-head series.

   Querrey fell to 0-4 since early February. The 2017 Wimbledon semifinalist has won one match in the French Open in the last seven years.

   Isner and Querrey reached their career-high rankings of No. 8 and 11, respectively, in 2018. 

McDonald falls short vs. Isner; Stephens stumbles again

John Isner fired 15 aces in his three-set win
over Mackenzie McDonald, a San Francisco
Bay Area native, in the second round of the
Miami Open. 2016 photo by Paul Bauman

   No. 18 seed John Isner, a Greensboro, N.C., native now living in Dallas, outlasted qualifier Mackenzie McDonald, a San Francisco Bay Area native now based in Orlando, Fla., 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 tonight in the second round of the Miami Open.

   Isner, who had 15 aces and only one double fault, won the title in 2018 and lost to Roger Federer in the 2019 final. The tournament was not played last year because of the pandemic.

   Isner, at 35 years old and 6-foot-10 (2.08 meters), is 10 years older and one foot (30.5 centimeters) taller than McDonald. 

   McDonald became the only American man to reach the fourth round of last month's Australian Open. Isner skipped the tournament to stay home with his wife and two young children.

   In the first round of men's doubles, wild cards Sam Querrey, a 33-year-old San Francisco native, and Steve Johnson of Redondo Beach, Calif., in the Los Angeles region lost to second-seeded Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic of Croatia 7-6 (2), 6-4. 

   In the second round of women's singles, 28th-seeded Amanda Anisimova, 19, dominated fellow Floridian Sloane "Ranger" Stephens, the 2018 champion who grew up in Fresno, Calif., 6-3, 6-3. 

   Anisimova won her first professional title in the 2017 Sacramento (Calif.) Challenger at 15 and reached the semifinals of the 2019 French Open at 17. 

   Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion and 2018 French Open runner-up, fell to 1-5 this year. She has tumbled from a career-high No. 3 in 2018 to No. 49.

   College women — Julia Rosenqvist beat Sarah-Maude Fortin 7-5, 6-3 on Court 2 to give No. 25 California (11-3, 4-1 Pacific-12 Conference) a 4-3 victory over No. 49 Washington (9-5, 1-4) in Berkeley, Calif.

   No. 35 Stanford (8-0, 4-0) routed No. 47 Washington State (10-6, 2-2) 6-1 at Stanford. 

   College men — No. 5 Texas Christian defeated host Stanford 4-1 to improve to 11-5. The Cardinal fell to 2-3.

   Juniors — Top-seeded Alexandra Yepifanova, a Stanford signee from Lake Worth, Fla., and wild card Ethan Quinn of Fresno reached 18-and-under singles finals in the ITF Grade 1 International Open of Southern California in San Diego.

   Yepifanova routed qualifier Elisabeth Jones of Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., 6-2, 6-1 to set up a match against 10th-seeded Reese Brantmeier of Whitewater, Wis.

   Quinn, who beat unseeded Braden Shick of Greensboro, N.C., 6-4, 6-1, will face eighth-seeded Samir Banerjee of Basking Ridge, N.J.

   In the boy doubles final, Nathan Cox of Lake Charles, La., and Sebastian Gorzny of Fountain Valley, Calif., outplayed Nicholas Godsick of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and Quinn 6-4, 6-3. Both teams were unseeded.

   Godsick's mother, Mary Joe Fernandez, climbed to the top five in singles and doubles as a professional. Fernandez now works as a tennis commentator for ESPN. Godsick's father, Tony Godsick, is Roger Federer's agent. 

Lucky loser stuns defending champ at Wimbledon

Lauren Davis, playing in Stockton (Calif.)
last October, ousted fifth seed and defend-
ing champion Angelique Kerber 2-6, 6-2,
6-1 today in the second round at Wimble-
don. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Lauren Davis is making the most of her second chance.
   Kristie Ahn, a Stanford graduate, upset fellow American Davis in the final round of Wimbledon qualifying last Thursday, but Davis also advanced to the main draw when some of the wild cards weren't used.
   Davis, one of the smallest players in professional tennis at 5-foot-2 (1.57 meters), shocked fifth seed and defending champion Angelique Kerber 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 today to reach the third round at Wimbledon, matching Davis' best result there.
   "(It's) definitely been incredible," Davis, 25, told reporters. "I was super disappointed having lost last round of qualies. I found out less than two hours later that I got into main. I was ecstatic about that. It's honestly a dream being here. I played qualies (at Roehampton) last year, so I wasn't able to come here. But, yeah, it feels amazing."
   Kerber, the champion of the 2015 Bank of the West Classic at Stanford, had 13 winners and 31 unforced errors.
   Davis, ranked No. 96 after reaching a career-high No. 26 in May 2017, is scheduled to play 30th seed and former top-10 player Carla Suarez Navarro, a 5-foot-4 (1.62-meter) Spaniard, on Saturday.
   Suarez Navarro, who won the Stanford doubles title in 2014 with compatriot Garbine Muguruza, defeated France's Pauline Parmentier 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4). Parmentier eliminated Maria Sharapova, who won her first Grand Slam title at 17 at Wimbledon in 2014.
   The only other women's seed to lose today was No. 25 Amanda Anisimova. The 17-year-old American, who won her first pro title in the 2017 Sacramento Challenger, fell to Magda Linette of Poland 6-4, 7-5.
   Eleventh-seeded Serena Williams, a part-time Silicon Valley resident seeking her eighth Wimbledon and record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles crown, outlasted Kaja Juvan, an 18-year-old Slovenian, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.
   Advancing in straight sets were top-ranked Ashleigh Barty, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and ninth-seeded Sloane Stephens. Barty and Stephens, a 26-year-old Fresno product, needed less than an hour each.
   Meanwhile, six men's seeds lost.
   Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin, the runner-up to Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus in the 2014 Aptos (Calif.) Challenger, toppled ninth-seeded John Isner, who reached the Wimbledon semifinals last year for his best Grand Slam result to date, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in 3 hours, 6 minutes.
   Isner, 6-foot-10 (2.08 meters), made his pro debut in a $15,000 Futures tournament in the Sacramento suburb of Shingle Springs in 2007 and won the title.
   Baghdatis, the runner-up to Roger Federer in the 2006 Australian Open who reached a career-high No. 8 later that year, retired from pro tennis at 34 after losing to Matteo Berrettini of Italy 6-1, 7-6 (4), 6-3.
   Joao Sousa of Portugal eliminated 13th-seeded Marin Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champion and 2017 Wimbledon runner-up, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
   Great Britain's Daniel Evans, the Aptos champion in 2016 and runner-up in 2013, beat 18th-seeded Nicoloz Basilashvili of Georgia 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (2).
   American Tennys Sandgren outlasted 20th-seeded Gilles Simon 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 8-6 in 3 hours, 48 minutes after losing to the Frenchman 7-5, 6-1 last week in the first round at Eastbourne. Sandgren reached the singles final in the 2017 Tiburon (Calif.) Challenger, losing to Cameron Norrie of Great Britain, and won the doubles title in the 2012 Sacramento Challenger with former University of Tennessee teammate Rhyne Williams.
   Two other former Aptos champions upset seeds. Steve Johnson (2012) of Redondo Beach in the Los Angeles area knocked off 25th-seeded Alex De Minaur of Australia 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in 3 hours, 21 minutes. Also, John Millman (2015) of Australia dismissed 31st-seeded Laslo Djere of Serbia 6-3, 6-2, 6-1.
   Sam Querrey, a 31-year-old San Francisco native, routed Andrey Rublev, a 21-year-old Russian, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in 1 hour, 36 minutes.
   Third-seeded Rafael Nadal, the Wimbledon champion in 2008 and 2010, subdued Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) in 3 hours, 4 minutes to avenge losses to the mercurial Australian in the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2014, their first meeting, and second round at Acapulco in March, their last encounter. Nadal, 33, improved to 4-3 overall against Kyrgios, 24.
   Federer, the second seed and an eight-time Wimbledon champion, beat Jay Clarke, a 20-year-old British wild card, 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2.
   In the first round of doubles, seventh-seeded Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan topped Denys Molchanov of Ukraine and Igor Zelenay of Slovakia 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-4. The 41-year-old Bryan twins (Stanford, 1997-98) seek their fourth Wimbledon title together and first since 2013. Mike Bryan also won last year's crown with Jack Sock while Bob Bryan was sidelined with a hip injury that required replacement surgery.
   Sixteenth-seeded Raquel Atawo, a Fresno native and former Cal star, and Lyudmyla Kichenok of Ukraine held off Mandy Minella of Luxembourg and Heather Watson of Great Britain 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.

Stephens ends Aussie Open drought; Isner, Murray lose

Reilly Opelka, serving during his first-
round loss in the $100,000 Stockton
(Calif.) Challenger last October, ousted
ninth seed and fellow U.S. giant John
Isner today in the opening round of the
Australian Open in Melbourne. Photo
by Paul Bauman

   Sloane Stephens won her first match in the Australian Open in five years today, beating fellow American Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-2 in Melbourne.
   Stephens, a 25-year-old Fresno product now based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., lost in the first round of the Australian Open in 2015, 2016 and 2018. She missed the 2017 tournament because of foot surgery but won the U.S. Open nine months later for her first Grand Slam title.
   Townsend, a 22-year-old left-hander, played for the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis in 2013, the team's final year of existence.
   Stephens, seeded fifth, is scheduled to play Timea Babos of Hungary on Tuesday (California time). Babos, also 25, defeated Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, the 2011 French Open girls singles champion, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3).
   Stephens and Babos know each other well, having won three of four major girls doubles titles in 2010.
   Stephens made her first big splash in the 2013 Australian Open, stunning Serena Williams to reach the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Victoria Azarenka.
   Meanwhile, Reilly Opelka's first main-draw victory in a Grand Slam tournament was a big one — in more ways than one.
   The 6-foot-11 (2.11-meter) Opelka ousted 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) John Isner, seeded ninth, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5) in an all-American matchup. Isner blasted 47 aces, and Opelka had 40.
   Opelka lost in the first round of back-to-back $100,000 Challengers in Northern California last October as the second seed in Stockton and fourth seed in Fairfield.
   Five-time runner-up Andy Murray played his last match in the Australian Open -- if not his career -- losing 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-2 to 22nd-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain.
   The 31-year-old Murray, who won the first two of his 45 tour-level singles titles in San Jose (2006-07), announced Friday that he will retire by Wimbledon because of chronic hip pain.
   Bautista Agut won his ninth career ATP singles title two weeks ago in Doha, stunning top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.
   Mackenzie McDonald, a 23-year-old product of Piedmont in the San Francisco Bay Area, defeated Andrey Rublev, a promising 21-year-old Russian rebounding from a stress fracture in his lower back, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. McDonald, only 5-foot-10 (1.78 meters) and 160 pounds (73 kilograms), next will face sixth-seeded Marin Cilic, who's 6-foot-6 (1.98 meters).
  McDonald, ranked No. 81, is making his second appearance in the Australian Open. He lost to third-seeded Grigor Dimitrov 8-6 in the fifth set in the second round last year as a qualifier.
   ATP Challenger Tour -- Bernardo Saraiva, a 25-year-old former University of San Francisco star from Portugal, won his first Challenger doubles title.
   Unseeded Maxime Cressy, a 6-foot-7 (2.01-meter) American originally from France, and Saraiva beat second-seeded Robert Galloway and Nathaniel Lammons of the United States 7-5, 7-6 (3) in the final of the $54,160 Columbus Challenger.
   In the $54,160 Canberra (Australia) Challenger, third-seeded Marcelo Demoliner of Brazil and Hugo Nys of France topped unseeded Andre Goransson of Sweden and Sem Verbeek of the Netherlands 3-6, 6-4 [10-3] for the crown. Goransson and Verbeek played at Cal and Pacific, respectively.

Amazing shot helps Anderson top Isner in epic

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

   Occasionally, a professional player will hit a shot with his or her non-dominant hand out of desperation in a match.
   But never has it happened under such extraordinary circumstances as it did on Friday.
   At 24-24, 0-15 in the fifth set of a Wimbledon semifinal, 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) John Isner jammed 6-foot-8 (2.03-meter) Kevin Anderson with a booming serve. Anderson managed to return the ball with his two-handed backhand but fell on his back and dropped his racket.
   Isner responded with a deep, looping inside-out forehand that gave Anderson time to pick up his racket and get back on his feet. The right-hander's only play, however, was to hit a left-handed forehand, which he did with aplomb, the ball landing just inside the baseline. After an exchange of forehands, Isner slugged a cross-court forehand wide for 0-30.
   "That definitely brings a smile to my face," Anderson told the BBC about the left-handed shot after his 7-6 (6), 6-7 (5), 6-7 (9), 6-4, 26-24 triumph. "At that stage, you're just trying to fight every single moment. I was like, Just get up.
   "I've hit a lot of left-handed balls throughout my life. (I had) surgery when I was quite young. My dad, who coached me growing up and throughout my career, he was like, 'Let's play left-handed.' I didn't know that was going to come into play at this point in my career, at this stage, but that was obviously a vital point for me in the end."
   The stroke overshadowed another outstanding shot on the preceding point. Anderson lunged for a forehand volley and hit a sharply angled cross-court winner. He broke serve in the game on a cross-court backhand winner set up by a deep backhand return of serve.
   Serving at 15-15 in the next game, Anderson clubbed an ace and a service winner for his first match point. He then wrong-footed Isner, who pushed a runaround forehand wide to end the epic.
   At 6 hours, 36 minutes, Anderson's 7-6 (6), 6-7 (5), 6-7 (9), 6-4, 26-24 victory is the fourth-longest match in tennis history. First, of course, is Isner's 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68 win over Nicolas Mahut of France in the first round at Wimbledon in 2010.  That marathon lasted 11 hours, 5 minutes over three days. Next are a 2013 Davis Cup doubles match between the Czech Republic and Switzerland  (7 hours, 2 minutes) and a 2015 Davis Cup singles match between Argentina and Brazil (6 hours, 43 minutes).
   "I don't know what got me through today's match other than just a will to try to succeed, keep pushing myself," said the eight-seeded Anderson, who became the first South Africa-born man to reach a Wimbledon final since Kevin Curren 33 years ago.

John Isner serves at Indian Wells in 2016.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Isner came within two points of victory at 6-5 in the fifth set and overcame 0-30 deficits on his serve six times in the set, which lasted 2 hours, 55 minutes, before the decisive break.
   "I feel pretty terrible (physically)," said the ninth-seeded Isner, who finished with 53 aces to Anderson's 49. "My left heel is killing me. I have an awful blister on my fight foot. I've felt better before. A few days' rest -- maybe more than that -- and I'll recoup and try to get all healed up again.
   "Hats off to Kevin. He stayed the course incredibly well, played very well. It was a good win for him. He earned it. He played pretty well, I think, in the fifth set. I didn't have many chances."
   The match left Anderson and ESPN commentator Patrick McEnroe clamoring for Wimbledon to institute a fifth-set tiebreaker.
   Anderson, 32, improved to 4-8 against Isner, 33, as a professional. They began playing each other 14 years ago as college students at Illinois and Georgia, respectively.
   Anderson, who saved a match point in his quarterfinal victory over top seed and defending champion Roger Federer, reached his second Grand Slam final. He lost to Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in last year's U.S. Open title match.
   Isner, playing in his first Grand Slam semifinal, was trying to become the first American man to reach a major final since Andy Roddick lost to Roger Federer 16-14 in the fifth set in 2009. No U.S. man has won a Slam since Roddick in the 2003 U.S. Open.
   Both Anderson, who resides in Florida with his American wife, and Isner, a native of Greensboro, N.C., who lives in Dallas with his new wife, have played extensively in Northern California.
   Anderson won the 2006 NCAA doubles title at Stanford and reached the final of a $15,000 Futures tournament in the Sacramento suburb of Loomis in 2007. In 2012, he advanced to the quarterfinals of the SAP Open in San Jose and played part-time for the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis. The SAP Open and Capitals folded after the 2013 season.
   Isner reached Futures finals in Chico in 2006 and Shingle Springs in the Sacramento area in 2007, winning his first title as a pro in the latter tournament. Ten years ago, Isner advanced to the quarterfinals of the SAP Open and gained the doubles final in the $50,000 Sacramento Challenger with countryman Rajeev Ram.
   It's uncertain how much physical and mental energy Anderson will have left for Sunday's final (6 a.m. California time on ESPN). On the other hand, at least he has today to rest. The length of his match against Isner prevented the second semifinal from being completed on Friday. Play will resume today at 5 a.m., also on ESPN, with 12th-seeded Novak Djokovic leading the second-seeded Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (9). Djokovic, who's rebounding from elbow problems, has won three Wimbledon singles titles (2011, 2014 and 2015) and Nadal two (2008 and 2010).
   After the Djokovic-Nadal encounter, No. 25 seed Serena Williams will try to tie Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles when she meets No. 11 Angelique Kerber. ESPN will televise the match live, and ABC will replay it at noon.
   Following the women's singles final, No. 7 seeds Mike Bryan (Stanford, 1997-98) and Jack Sock of the United States will play No. 13 Raven Klaasen of South Africa and Michael Venus of New Zealand for the men's doubles title.

Querrey gives U.S. 2-0 lead in Davis Cup quarters

   San Francisco native Sam Querrey defeated Ruben Bemelmans 6-1, 7-6 (5), 7-5 today in Nashville, Tenn., to give the United States a 2-0 lead over Belgium in the Davis Cup quarterfinals.
   The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Querrey, ranked 14th, pounded 21 aces and won 83 percent of the points on his first serve (45 of 54).  Bemelmans, ranked 110th, had nine aces and nine double faults.
   Earlier, ninth-ranked John Isner beat No. 319 Joris De Loore 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (8), 6-4. The 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) Isner, who won the biggest title of his career on Sunday in Miami, hammered 43 aces and won 84 percent of the points on his first delivery (74 of 88).
   Both De Loore and Bemelmans have played in Northern California in recent years.
   De Loore, 6-foot-3 (1.91 meters) and 190 pounds (86 kilograms), ousted top-seeded Bjorn Fratangelo in the first round of the $100,000 Stockton Challenger in 2016 before losing to eventual runner-up Noah Rubin. The following week, De Loore reached the semifinals of the $100,000 Fairfield Challenger.
   Bemelmans, a 6-foot (1.83-meter) left-hander, won the $25,000 Burlingame Futures in 2016 and lost as the first seed in the opening round of the $100,000 Tiburon and Stockton Challengers last fall.
   Belgium, the Davis Cup runner-up in 2015, is playing without veterans David Goffin, ranked 10th, and Steve Darcis, ranked 143rd after reaching a career-high 37th last May, because of injuries.
   The United States can advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2012 with a victory in Saturday's doubles match (2 p.m. PDT, Tennis Channel).

Querrey advances, but no U.S. showdown

Sam Querrey, right, plays doubles with Gilles Mueller at Indian Wells in March.
Querrey, a 29-year-old San Francisco native, beat Radu Albot of Moldova in four
sets today in the U.S. Open. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Sam Querrey did his part.
   But John Isner was upset, preventing an all-American showdown on Labor Day weekend for a berth in the U.S. Open quarterfinals.
   Querrey, seeded 17th, defeated Radu Albot of Moldova 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 today in the third round in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., to equal his best showing in the U.S. Open. He also reached the round of 16 in 2008 and 2010.
   No. 10 seed Isner fell to No. 23 Mischa Zverev, a Moscow native who plays for Germany, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the first match of the night session in 23,771-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium. Halfway through the third round, Querrey is the only remaining U.S. man in singles.
   On the women's side, resurgent Sloane Stephens beat Ashleigh Barty of Australia 6-2, 6-4 to reach the fourth round of a major for the first time since the 2015 French Open.
   Querrey, a 29-year-old San Francisco native now living in Santa Monica in the Los Angeles area, will meet Zverev, a 30-year-old left-hander, for the first time on Sunday.
   Querrey is riding a wave of confidence after reaching his first Grand Slam semifinal in July at Wimbledon and completing a "Sombrero Double" with the Los Cabos title last month. He also won Acapulco in March.
   The bottom half of the U.S. Open draw, in which Querrey and Zverev are situated, will feature a first-time Grand Slam finalist following No. 29 seed Diego Schwartzman's 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-4 victory over No. 5 Marin Cilic.
   The tournament is missing Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, defending champion Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic because of injuries.
   Stephens, a 24-year-old Fresno product, returned to competition at Wimbledon after missing 11 months because of foot surgery. The layoff changed her perspective.
   "Before I was, like, so emotional. Everything always got to me," Stephens, who upset Serena Williams to reach the semifinals of the 2013 Australian Open, told reporters. "Now, my life is good, everything's good. I play a sport for a living. I don't operate on people. This is not life or death. It's hard to realize that when you're out there playing, because there's a lot riding on it: prize money, points, so many things go into it.

    "Now I'm kind of, like, I do this for fun. I love tennis. There's not a lot of people that can say, like, Oh, yeah, I go and play tennis every day, and sweat, see all my friends, hang out, work out, and take pictures. That's it, right? I think I have it pretty good."

   Stephens will play No. 30 seed Julia Goerges of Germany on Sunday and could face 2006 champion Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals. Stephens is 4-1 (4-0 on hardcourts) against Goerges, including a 6-1, 7-6 (3) victory two weeks ago in the Cincinnati quarterfinals.

   Sharapova defeated 18-year-old American Sofia Kenin 7-5, 6-2 in a late matchup of wild cards in Arthur Ashe Stadium and will face No. 16 seed Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia.

   Kenin, a Moscow native who grew up idolizing Sharapova, won $60,000 Challengers in Stockton in July and Sacramento last year. She could turn pro, allowing her to keep $144,000 for reaching the third round of the U.S. Open.

OTHER RESULTS

(Matches involving players with Northern California connections)

Women's doubles

First round

   Julia Boserup and Nicole Gibbs (Stanford, 2011-13), United States, def. Naomi Osaka, Japan, and Francesca Schiavone, Italy, 6-3, 6-2.
   Sorana Cirstea, Romania, and Sara Sorribes Tormo, Spain, def. Kristie Ahn (Stanford, 2011-14), and Irina Falconi, United States, 6-3, 6-2.
   Qiang Wang and Yafan Wang, China, def. Sloane Stephens (Fresno product) and Taylor Townsend, United States, 6-4, 6-4.
  

U.S. leads Swiss subs 2-0 in Davis Cup

John Isner gave the United States a 2-0 lead
over Switzerland in the first round of the
Davis Cup. 2016 photo by Paul Bauman

   What's the marketing campaign for the United States vs. Switzerland in the first round of the Davis Cup in Birmingham, Ala., this weekend?
   "No Federer! No Wawrinka! No Bryan brothers! Hurry while tickets last!"
   Predictably, the United States took a 2-0 lead on Friday in the best-of-five-match competition. One of the few surprises was that John Isner lost a set.
   Jack Sock, ranked No. 20, gave the United States a 1-0 lead with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 victory over No. 146 Marco Chiudinelli. The Swiss veteran saved five set points in the first set.
   No. 23 Isner then defeated No. 127 Henri Laaksonen 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (1). Laaksonen, 24, was born in Finland to a Finnish mother and Swiss father. Henri uses his mother's maiden name.
   The United States can clinch the series with a victory in today's doubles match and advance to the April 7-9 quarterfinals at Australia. Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey, a San Francisco native, will play Adrien Bossel and Antoine Bellier, a 20-year-old left-hander.
   Querrey and Johnson are ranked No. 80 and No. 99, respectively, in doubles. Bellier is No. 545, and Bossel is unranked.
   Johnson and Querrey reached the semifinals of the 2015 U.S. Open, stunning top-seeded Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan in the first round.
   Federer, 35, defeated Wawrinka in the Australian Open semifinals en route to the title. They chose to rest after Melbourne. The 38-year-old Bryan twins announced last month that they have retired from Davis Cup competition and this could be their last year on the tour.

French Open Day 8 highlights: Rogers in first Slam QF

   Five highlights from Day 8 of the French Open in Paris:
   1. Roger is absent, but Rogers remains.
   Roger Federer withdrew before the French Open with back problems. Meanwhile, unseeded Shelby Rogers of Charleston, S.C., reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over No. 25 seed Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania.
   The 23-year-old Rogers, ranked No. 108, knocked off a seed for the third time in the tournament. She beat No. 17 Karolina Pliskova in the first round and No. 10 Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, in the third round.
   Rogers will meet No. 4 Garbine Muguruza, who eliminated No. 13 Svetland Kuznetsova, the 2009 champion at Roland Garros, 6-3, 6-4 to gain her third consecutive French Open quarterfinal.
   2. No. 2 seed Andy Murray ousted the last remaining U.S. man, No. 15 John Isner, 7-6 (9), 6-4, 6-3. The 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) Isner squandered three set points in the first set.
   Murray, who defeated 6-foot-11 (2.11-meter) Ivo Karlovic in the third round, will face No. 9 Richard Gasquet of France in a bid for his third straight French Open semifinal and fourth in six years.
   Gasquet, who will turn 30 on June 18, ousted No. 5 Kei Nishikori 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 to reach his first French Open quarterfinal.
   3. Unseeded Albert Ramos-Vinolas, a 28-year-old Spaniard left-hander who had won one match in five appearances at Roland Garros, knocked off No. 8 Milos Raonic of Canada 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.
   Ramos-Vinolas, ranked 55th, will play third seed and defending champion Stan Wawrinka, who wore down 22nd-seeded Viktor Troicki of Serbia 7-6 (5), 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-2.
   4. A pair of unseeded 20-year-old Czechs, Barbora Krejcikova and Katarina Siniakova, stunned top-seeded Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the quarterfinals. Hingis and Mirza had won the last three Grand Slam titles.
   5. Unseeded Serena Williams and Venus Williams lost to Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands and Johanna Larsson of Sweden 6-3, 6-3. The Williams sisters had completed a three-set victory over Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia and Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan earlier in the day.

Northern California results

Men's doubles

Third round

   Former Stanford stars Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (5), United States, def. Radek Stepanek, Czech Republic, and Nenad Zimonjic (12), Serbia, 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3.

Mixed doubles

Second round 

   CoCo Vandeweghe and ex-Stanford star Bob Bryan (8), United States, def. Chia-Jung Chuang, Taiwan, and Henri Kontinen, Finland, 6-3, 6-3.

On crummy motels, heat, Vika, etc. in Indian Wells

Eventual champion Victoria Azarenka begins
 a warmup session by tossing a football.
 Photo by Paul Bauman

   Random observations after spending three days in the middle of the second week at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, a suburb of Palm Springs:

   —The area features numerous swanky hotels. Then there was my motel in lovely Indio. I don't want to say it was cheap, but across the street was Silva's Radiator, and around the corner was the Riverside County Detention Center (they can't just call it a jail). Nothing says "resort area" like barbed wire.

   —I've attended the BNP Paribas Open annually since 2009, and I still can't get used to the "o" being silent in Coachella Valley, where the Palm Springs area is situated.

   —You don't have to be Dr. Oz or House to figure out why there's a pharmacy on seemingly every corner in the Ca-chell-a Valley. Because of the year-round warm weather, Palm Springs is, above all, a retirement community. 

   —Overheard as a female fan talked on her cellphone: "I want you to call your kidney guy for an appointment in two weeks." See what I mean?

   —Even in March, the temperature reaches the high 80s and low 90s in Indian Wells. Players have to be in phenomenal shape to battle for up to three hours; it's tough just to sit in the afternoon sun and watch the matches. Memo to self: Don't come here in July.

   —In fact, the players are unbelievably fit. Unlike their golf counterparts, pro tennis players can't afford to have an ounce of fat since their sport places a premium on movement and endurance.

   —When the sun goes down, though, the temperature is ideal.

   —It doesn't get any better than when you're sipping an ice-cold lemonade in a shaded seat, watching the best tennis players in the world in a beautiful setting and listening to The Beatles ("Drive My Car," "Good Day Sunshine," etc.) on the PA system during changeovers or between matches.

Stan Wawrinka's one-handed backhand
is the most beautiful shot in tennis.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   —Creedence Clearwater Revival ("Proud Mary") and Eric Clapton ("Layla") work, too. My wife hates CCR, but she teaches school and stayed home in Sacramento.

   —OK, so I'm old, too. But not retirement age yet.

   —The tournament volunteers are very helpful and friendly, contributing to the relaxed atmosphere.

   —Stan Wawrinka's one-handed backhand is the most beautiful shot in tennis. Richard Gasquet's, Dominic Thiem's and Philipp Kohlshreiber's are pretty sweet, too. 

   —It isn't just John Isner's 140-plus-mph (225-plus kph) first serve that's a weapon. In a 6-4, 7-6 (4) third-round victory over Adrian Mannarino, the 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) Isner's second delivery consistently bounced over the head of the 5-foot-11 (1.81-meter) Frenchman, who grew increasingly frustrated.

   —In the next round, 5-foot-10 (1.78-meter) Kei Nishikori saved a match point in his 1-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) win over the ninth-seeded Isner. With his tremendous hand-eye coordination, the fifth-seeded Nishikori blocked back several of Isner's first-serve rockets to pull out the tiebreakers.

   —Two kids clamored for Nishikori to throw them a souvenir after he beat Isner. Nishikori tossed each of them a towel, and both kids ran off without saying thank you.

   —Eighteen-year-old Alexander Zverev, a 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) German whom Rafael Nadal touted as a possible future No. 1, also is impressive in the interview room. Zverev displayed candor, maturity and impeccable English after losing to Nadal in the fourth round. When asked about blowing a putaway volley while holding match point, Zverev admitted, "I missed probably the easiest shot I had the whole match." Regarding the possibility of reaching No. 1, Zverev asserted, "This is painful right now, but it doesn't change anything about the process."
   —Memo to "journalists": Please ask a question. "Talk about ... " and "Your thoughts on ... " are not questions.

   —By the way, when did "journalists" become "media members"? Why use two words when one will do, except to sound like a pompous jerk?
   —It didn't take long for 13th-seeded Gael Monfils to exhibit his renowned athleticism in his 6-3, 6-4 victory over Federico Delbonis in the fourth round. Monfils hit a seemingly impossible backhand with the ball behind him and won the point.

Alexander Zverev, 18, was impressive in the interview
room as well as on the court. Photo by Paul Bauman

   —Delbonis, who stunned second-seeded Andy Murray in the third round, has a bizarre hitch in his service motion. The 6-foot-3 (1.91-meter) left-hander from Argentina starts to toss the ball, brings his arm back down, then goes through with an unusually high toss. Didn't bother Monfils, though.

   —Novak Djokovic stood up several hundred fans who packed Practice Court 2 for his scheduled session at noon on Wednesday, a day off for him. By 11:30 a.m., the stands were almost full, and by 12:30 p.m., most of the fans gave up and left. Hey, Djoker, if you're not going to practice, don't sign up for the court. If something comes up, have someone in your entourage call the staff so the fans can be notified. As one of them said at 1:15 p.m.: "(Tournament officials) say he's still going to show up but his coach doesn't know when. Very considerate. Without the fans, you're nothing. Remember that." 

   —Just then, Victoria Azarenka arrived to warm up for her match that evening. The 26-year-old Belarusian, who lived in the Phoenix area for many years, began by running pass patterns along a baseline, catching footballs tossed by a member of her entourage and throwing them back. The 49ers might want to take a flier on her in next month's draft.
   —Djokovic went on to win his third straight Indian Wells title and record fifth overall. Azarenka upset Serena Williams for her second BNP crown. That morning, tournament director and CEO Ray Moore opened his big mouth about the women's tour. 

   —Former Stanford star Nicole Gibbs, who reached the fourth round as a qualifier, has the greatest stare in tennis. When displeased, she lowers her head and shoots daggers from her eyes. 

   —Gibbs is feisty, too. Two years ago, in a loss to fellow American Louisa Chirico in the second round of the FSP Gold River Challenger in Sacramento, Gibbs stomped on her racket because she didn't like the string tension. 

   —Players engage in a lot of wishful thinking when they challenge line calls. They're wrong about 90 percent of the time. Often, it's not even close.

   —Players weren't the only celebrities in the BNP Paribas Open. After one match, a woman insisted on having her picture taken with charismatic chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani.
   —Fans could putt on a small green set up by the Indian Wells Golf Resort in the shopping area of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the site of the BNP Paribas Open. One guy was taking practice swings and intently studying his putt. Hey, Bubba, putt the ball already. This isn't the Masters. 

Defending champ Halep, Wawrinka fall in BNP

   INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Defending champion Simona Halep and No. 3 seed Stan Wawrinka exited, and No. 4 Rafael Nadal and No. 5 Kei Nishikori barely survived on a day of high drama in the BNP Paribas Open.
   Halep, seeded fifth, fell to top seed and two-time champion Serena Williams 6-4, 6-3 in Wednesday night's featured  match in 16,100-seat Stadium 1. They were scheduled to meet in last year's semifinals, but Williams withdrew minutes beforehand with a knee injury.
   Williams' older sister Venus had done the same before they were to meet in the 2001 semifinals. Fans unleashed a torrent of boos, some allegedly made racial comments, and both players boycotted the tournament for the next 14 years.
   Just as Venus had in 2001, Serena won Miami two weeks after Indian Wells last year.
   Venus returned to the BNP Paribas Open this year as the 10th seed but lost to qualifier Kurumi Nara of Japan in the second round after receiving a bye.
   After last year's withdrawal, Serena said: "It feels really good to get that win (against Halep). She obviously has been in good form the past couple years."
   Still, Williams improved to 7-1 against Halep.
   "She played really well today," said Halep, who pronounced herself healthy after she had encountered a series of physical problems this year. "I have to get better to be closer to her."
   Wawrinka, a two-time Grand Slam singles champion, lost to 15th-seeded David Goffin of Belgium 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (5). Wawrinka nearly pulled off an amazing comeback after trailing 6-3, 4-0 and then 5-2 in the third set.
   Wawrinka led 4-2 in the tiebreaker, but Goffin won the next three points. At 5-5, Wawrinka sailed a putaway overhead at the net way long. On the next point, he netted a forehand off a running cross-court forehand by Goffin to end the match after 2 hours, 25 minutes in 90-degree heat.
   "Well, not too great a day, not too great a level," lamented Wawrinka, who applauded the crowd and signed a couple of autographs on his way out of 8,000-seat Stadium 2. "I didn't have the rhythm yet. Was a match without a brain, let's put it that way."  
   The fourth-ranked Wawrinka had not lost a set to the 5-foot-11 (1.80-meter), 150-pound (68-kilogram) Goffin in their three previous matches, although they had played four tiebreakers (all won by Wawrinka).
   Goffin, who saved two match points in his second-round victory over 18-year-old wild card Frances Tiafoe of the United States, reached his second ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal and first on hardcourts. He also advanced to the Rome quarters on clay last year.
   Goffin, ranked 18th, had been 1-25 against top-10 players with a 14-match losing streak against them. He beat then-No. 9 Milos Raonic in the Basel quarterfinals in 2014.
   Both Nadal and Nishikori saved match points in their victories.
   Nadal, who has won three singles and two doubles titles at Indian Wells, held off 18-year-old Alexander Zverev 6-7 (8), 6-0, 7-5 in 2 hours, 34 minutes in Stadium 1.
   Nadal trailed 5-2 in the third set against the 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) German, whom the Spanish star has touted as a future No. 1. Zverev netted a putaway forehand volley while serving at 5-3, 40-30.
   "I missed probably the easiest shot I had the whole match," Zverev moaned.
   Showing his inexperience, Zverev fell apart after that, dropping 14 of the next 15 points for the match. Nadal, though, displayed his trademark tenacity.
   "Is a great victory," crowed Nadal, who has slumped since winning the 2014 French Open for his 14th Grand Slam singles title (tied for second all-time with Pete Sampras behind Roger Federer's 17). "I'm very happy about it. I am especially happy about the mentality on court, the spirit of fight during the whole match, believing that I can win a match during the whole time even in the tougher situations."
   Nishikori, 5-foot-10 (1.78-meters), withstood 23 aces by 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) John Isner to prevail 1-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5). Nishikori, who escaped a match point at 5-6 in the third set, reached the Indian Wells quarterfinals for the first time in eight appearances.
   Isner upset world No. 1 Novak Djokovic to reach the 2012 final, in which he lost to Federer. The Swiss star missed this year's tournament while recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery.
   Djokovic, who has won the last two Indian Wells titles and four overall, and Nadal are the only remaining past men's champions. Both are in the top half of the draw. The top-seeded Djokovic will meet No. 7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Nadal will face Nishikori.
   The bottom half will produce a first-time Indian Wells finalist. No. 10 Marin Cilic will play Goffin, and No. 8 Gael Monfils will take on No. 12 Raonic.
   Serena Williams will play third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, the runner-up to Flavia Pennetta in 2014, in one semifinal. Radwanska will rise one notch to No. 2, tying her career high, after beating eighth-seeded Petra Kvitova 6-2, 7-6 (3) on Wednesday.
   The other semifinal will be determined today. No. 13 seed Victoria Azarenka, the 2012 champion, will meet unseeded Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia, and No. 18 Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic will face unseeded 18-year-old Daria Kasatkina.
   In the men's doubles quarterfinals, No. 8 seeds Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia edged No. 3 Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 4-6, 6-1 [14-12]. The Bryans, who starred at Stanford in the late 1990s, won the Indian Wells title in 2013 and 2014.
   Roger-Vasselin is the baby of the group at 32. Zimonjic will turn 40 in June, and the Bryans will be 38 next month. 

Isner lifts U.S. in Davis Cup; Sanchez in doubles final

John Isner defeated Bernard Tomic to
to give the United States a 3-1 victory
over Australia in the first round of the
Davis Cup. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   They are the two most successful nations in Davis Cup history.
   The United States has won 32 titles and Australia 28. However, it has been nine and 13 years, respectively, since the last one.
   In the 46th meeting between the countries, John Isner defeated Bernard Tomic 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (4) on Saturday to give the United States a 3-1 first-round victory on grass at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club in Melbourne, Australia.
   The reverse singles match between American Jack Sock and Sam Groth was not played as the United States improved to 26-20 against Australia.
   Isner, 6-foot-10 (2.08 meters), pounded 49 aces against Tomic, a 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) right-hander who played with a right wrist injury.
   "Breathtaking to watch John serve the way he did," U.S. captain Jim Courier told reporters. "After the last couple of years (first-round losses to Great Britain), this is massive for us. It was a tough matchup on paper and in reality. You can't take any of these for granted."
   Isner, who won a $15,000 Futures tournament in the Sacramento suburb of Shingle Springs in his professional debut in 2007, also defeated Groth on Thursday to give the United States a 1-0 lead.
   After Tomic beat Sock to level the tie, former Stanford All-Americans Bob and Mike Bryan won in doubles to give the Americans a 2-1 lead.
   The 37-year-old Bryan twins improved to 24-4 in Davis Cup doubles, fifth all time in victories.
   The United States will host Croatia or Belgium on July 17-19. Croatia leads host Belgium 2-1.

   WTA tour in Monterrey, Mexico -- Unseeded Petra Martic of Croatia and Maria Sanchez, who was born and raised in Modesto, topped fourth-seeded Maria Irigoyen of Argentina and Paula Kania of Poland 6-4, 6-2 to reach the doubles final of the Abierto Monterrey Afirme.

   Martic and Sanchez, who took up tennis at 10 when her family lived in Guadalajara, Mexico, for one year, will play top-seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues and Arantxa Parra Santonja of Spain for the title.
   Medina Garrigues and Parra Santonja won the Acapulco crown last week, beating Tatjana Maria of Germany and Sanchez 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.
   Medina Garrigues was named the co-Female MVP of World TeamTennis while playing for the Sacramento-based California Dream last July. The team folded in January.
   Sanchez, 26, will play in her second career WTA tour doubles final. She won the Auckland title in 2014 with Sharon Fichman of Canada.
   Pacific Coast Men's Doubles in La Jolla, Calif. -- Northern California will be well-represented in today's semifinals.
   No. 3 seeds Tom Fawcett and Maciek Romanowicz of Stanford will play No. 8 Jimmy Bendeck and Julian Lenz of Baylor.
   Also, No. 1 Julian Cash and Arjun Kadhe of Oklahoma State will meet No. 7 Tyler Browne of Walnut Creek and J.T. Nishimura of Cal and San Jose.   

Anderson shocks Murray to reach U.S. Open quarters

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

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

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

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

Federer faces tall order against Isner in U.S. Open

Roger Federer, shown at Indian Wells in March, will
  face John Isner in the fourth round of the U.S. Open
on Monday. Photo by Paul Bauman

   ESPN got the Labor Day matchup it wanted.
   Roger Federer, a five-time U.S. Open champion, will face John Isner, the top American, on Monday in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows.
   Federer, seeded No. 2, dismissed No. 29 Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday.
   No. 13 Isner, who's 6-foot-10 (2.08 meters), advanced when Jiri Vesely, a Czech who's only 6-foot-6 (1.98 meters), retired with a neck injury after losing the first two sets 6-3, 6-4.
   Vesely became the 16th player, including 14 men, to quit during a match at this year's U.S. Open. That's a record for a Grand Slam tournament in the Open era, which began in 1968. One factor has been high heat and humidity, although Saturday's weather was mercifully cooler.
   Federer is 4-1 against Isner, but they haven't met in three years. The series includes one encounter in the U.S. Open, a four-set victory by Federer in the third round in 2007. It was the first time they played each other.

Isner, shown at Indian Wells in 2012, is 1-4
against Federer. Photo by Paul Bauman

   "It's going to be fun," Isner said. "It's what I work so hard for, to get an opportunity like this. On Monday I'm going to have fun with it. At the same time, I'm going to go out there and believe that I can win the match."
   Another American, unseeded Donald Young, outlasted 22nd-seeded Viktor Troicki of Serbia 4-6, 0-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2, 6-4 to equal his best Grand Slam result. He also reached the fourth round of the 2011 U.S. Open.
   It was the second time in three matches that Young, a 26-year-old left-hander, won after losing the first two sets. He had never accomplished the feat before knocking off 11th-seeded Gilles Simon of France on Tuesday.
   On the women's side, qualifier Johanna Konta of Great Britain ousted 18th-seeded Andrea Petkovic of Germany 7-6 (2), 6-3. Konta will meet No. 5 Petra Kvitova, who beat No. 32 Anna Schmiedlova, a 20-year-old Slovakian, 6-2, 6-1.
   No. 2 Simona Halep of Romania outclassed qualifier Shelby Rogers of Charleston, S.C., 6-2, 6-3.
   Also, No. 26 Flavia Pennetta of Italy ended the run of Petra Cetkovska of the Czech Republic with a 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 triumph. Cetkovska was coming off a win over fourth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, the U.S. Open runner-up for the second time last year. 
   Northern California connection -- In a battle of past and reigning champions of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford, No. 20 seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus subdued No. 11 Angelique Kerber of Germany 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in almost three hours.
   Azarenka and Kerber won the Bank of the West in 2010 and last month, respectively. Azarenka will face unseeded Varvara Lepchenko, a U.S. citizen from Uzbekistan who has reached the semifinals at Stanford the past two years.
   In the second round of men's doubles, Americans Eric Butorac and Scott Lipsky defeated Gilles Muller of Luxembourg and Asiam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan 6-4, 6-4. Butorac played for the now-defunct Sacramento Capitals in World TeamTennis in 2008, and Lipsky starred at Stanford from 1999 to 2003.
   In the second round of women's doubles, sixth-seeded Raquel Kops-Jones of San Jose and Abigail Spears of Colorado Springs, Colo., advanced by walkover against Eugenie Bouchard of Canada and Elena Vesnina of Russia.
   Bouchard slipped and fell in the locker room on Friday and hurt her head, according to tournament officials. Seeded 25th in singles, she is scheduled to play Roberta Vinci of Italy today in the fourth round.
   Kops-Jones and Spears will play 11th-seeded Sara Errani of Italy and Pennetta, who teamed to eliminate Americans Asia Muhammad and Maria Sanchez 7-6 (5), 6-1. Sanchez was born and raised in Modesto.
   Bethanie Mattek-Sands of Phoenix and Sam Querrey, a San Francisco native living in Las Vegas, beat Australians Daria Gavrilova and John Peers 6-1, 7-5 to reach the mixed doubles quarterfinals.

U.S. Open Day 6 highlights: Kvitova, last U.S. men gone

Third-seeded Petra Kvitova lost to qualifier
Aleksandra Krunic 6-4, 6-4 in the third round.
2014 photo by Paul Bauman

   Upset of the day -- Aleksandra Krunic, a 21-year-old Serbian qualifier ranked No. 145, stunned third-seeded Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-4 to reach the round of 16.
   Kvitova, who won her second Wimbledon title last month, has never advanced past the fourth round in seven trips to the U.S. Open.
   Of the top eight women, only three remain: No. 1 Serena Williams, No. 5 Maria Sharapova and No. 7 Eugenie Bouchard.

   Match of the day -- No. 22 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany topped No. 13 John Isner of Tampa, Fla., 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4). Isner, 6-foot-10 (2.08 meters), blasted 42 aces and saved all five break points he faced.
   It's the third straight year that Kohlschreiber has eliminated Isner in the third round at Flushing Meadows.
   U.S. report -- Now it's up to Williams, the two-time defending champion. All other U.S. men and women are gone in singles.
   It's the second year in a row that no American man has reached the round of 16. Until last year, that had never happened since the tournament began in 1881.
   Notable -- Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, the top seeds in women's doubles, lost to Jarmila Gajdosova and Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in the second round. Gajdosova and Tomljanovic are from Slovakia and Croatia originally.
Men's seeded winners -- No. 1 Novak Djokovic, No. 3 Stan Wawrinka, No. 5 Milos Raonic, No. 8 Andy Murray, No. 9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 10 Kei Nishikori, No. 16 Tommy Robredo and Kohlschreiber.
   Men's seeded losers -- Isner and No. 23 Leonardo Mayer.
   Women's seeded winners -- Williams, Bouchard, No. 11 Flavia Pennetta, No. 16 Victoria Azarenka, No. 17 Ekaterina Makarova and No. 20 Casey Dellacqua.
   Women's seeded losers -- No. 3 Petra Kvitova, No. 15 Carla Suarez Navarro and No. 30 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.
   Northern California connection -- Sam Querrey, a San Francisco native and former Sacramento Capital in World TeamTennis, was outclassed by Djokovic 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.  
   Nicole Gibbs, the 2012 and 2013 NCAA singles champion from Stanford, lost to Pennetta of Italy 6-4, 6-0.
   Top-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan, seeking their fifth U.S. Open men's doubles title and 100th overall, will meet Bradley Klahn and Tim Smyczek (pronounced SMEE-check) in an all-American third-round match. All except Smyczek played at Stanford, but only Klahn, who's 12 years younger than the Bryans, graduated.
   Scott Lipsky, another former Stanford star, lost in the first round of mixed doubles with fellow American Lisa Raymond.
   Fast fact -- Isner, ranked No. 15, is the only U.S. man in the top 45.
   Quote -- Krunic, on beating Kvitova: “It was an honor for me to be in the same court with Petra. Of course, I didn’t expect to win. I was hoping (to) at least to win a set, but I managed to win a match somehow."

Good news, bad news for U.S. men

John Isner rose three notches to No. 10 in the
world by reaching the semifinals at Indian Wells.
2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   The good news for the United States is that an American man returned to the top 10 in the world this week.
   The bad news is that -- brace yourself -- only one U.S. man is ranked in the top 60.
   John Isner, 6-foot-10 (2.08 meters), rose three notches to No. 10 by reaching the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. It's the first time a U.S. man has been ranked in the top 10 since Isner reached No. 10 in September 2012. His career high is No. 9 in April 2012.
   Isner is one of five American men in the top 100. Then come Sam Querrey, a 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) San Francisco native, at No. 62; former Stanford star Bradley Klahn at No. 63; Donald Young at No. 77; and Tim Smyczek at No. 98.
   Twenty years ago, the United States had four men in the top 10, 12 in the top 60 and 19 in the top 100.
   Both Isner and Querrey won Northern California titles in their professional debuts.
   Isner captured a Futures championship in Shingle Springs, a Sacramento suburb, in 2007 after graduating from the University of Georgia.
   Querrey earned a Challenger crown in Yuba City, a one-hour drive north of Sacramento, in 2006 after graduating from Thousand Oaks High School in the Los Angeles area.

COLLEGE RESULTS

Thursday

Men

   Sacramento State def. Maryland-Baltimore County 4-2 in Sacramento. No. 1 singles: Justin Carter (MBC) def. Roy Brandys 6-3, 6-3. Records: Sac State 6-11, Maryland-Baltimore County 9-6.

Women

   Sacramento State def. Maryland-Baltimore County 4-0 in Sacramento. No. 1 singles: Daria Savchenko vs. Kim Berghaus 6-7, unfinished. Clinching match: At No. 4, Olivia Boija def. Madlena Kurasz 6-3, 6-1. Records: Sac State 5-8, Maryland-Baltimore County 6-7. Note: Sac State's No. 1 singles player, Jennifer Nguyen, missed the match with an injury.

Wednesday

Men

   Hawaii def. USF 6-1 in Honolulu. No. 1 singles: Bernardo Saraiva (USF) def. Jonathan Brooklyn 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (6). Clinching match: At No. 3, Chas Okamoto def. Thomas Takemoto 7-6 (4), 7-5. Records: Hawaii 2-8, USF 8-8. Note: The Rainbow Warriors ended an eight-match losing streak.

Women

   USF def. Loyola Marymount 7-0 in San Francisco. No. 1 singles: Andrea Ka def. Jessica Perez 6-1, 6-4. Records: USF 11-4 overall, 1-2 West Coast Conference; Loyola Marymount 6-9, 0-2.
   San Jose State def. Texas-Arlington 4-0 in San Jose. No. 1 singles: Marie Klocker def. Elizabeth Thoms 6-2, 6-2. Clinching match: At No. 2, Gaelle Rey def. Giada D'ortona 6-3, 6-4. Records: San Jose State 9-10, Texas-Arlington 8-7.

U.S. men record dubious first; adieu, Marion

John Isner, the top-ranked American man, fell out
of the top 20 this week but will return on Monday.
He'll face Rafael Nadal in Sunday's Cincinnati final.
2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   The unthinkable happened this week.
   For the first time in the 40-year history of the men's world rankings, no American man can be found in the top 20. The top U.S. man, 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) John Isner, dropped from No. 20 to No. 22 on Monday.
   Andy Roddick, who retired last September after leading U.S. men's tennis for most of the previous 10 years, recently lamented the decline.
   "Throwing out statistics, like it's the first time since such-and-such, is fair journalism," Roddick, who won the 2003 U.S. Open for the last Grand Slam singles title by an American man, was quoted as saying in the New York Times. "That's a fact. I think I'm more concerned with what's going to happen to make it right and make it better. The other thing that seems painfully obvious when you say stuff like that is how spoiled we've been."
  Roddick was referring to International Tennis Hall of Famers Pete Sampras (14 Grand Slam singles titles), Jimmy Connors (eight), Andre Agassi (eight), Jim Courier (four) and Michael Chang (one) and himself.
   All is not lost for the United States, however. Far from it.
   Isner, whose devastating serve is the biggest weapon in men's tennis, will return to the top 20 on Monday. He has beaten three consecutive top-10 players -- No. 10 Milos Raonic of Canada, No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 7 Juan Martin del Potro (saving one match point) -- to reach Sunday's final in Cincinnati against third-ranked Rafael Nadal (CBS, 9:30 a.m. PDT).
   That makes Isner a threat to win the U.S. Open, Aug. 26-Sept. 9. The questions are whether the 28-year-old native of Greensboro, N.C., can hold up physically over two weeks of best-of-five-set matches and handle the pressure of playing in his home country.
   Isner has never advanced past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament, but six years after winning a $15,000 tournament in the Sacramento suburb of Shingle Springs in his professional debut, this could be his time. He reached the quarters of the 2011 U.S. Open.
   The next American in the rankings, Sam Querrey, is No. 28 after reaching a career-high No. 17 in 2011. The 25-year-old San Francisco native, 6-foot-6 (1.96 meters), has played part-time for the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis for the past two seasons.
   The United States' top prospects appear to be Jack Sock, ranked a career-high No. 87 at 20 years old, and Ryan Harrison, ranked No. 102 at 21 years old.
   Sock won the 2011 U.S. Open mixed doubles title with Melanie Oudin two weeks after turning 19 and the singles crown at the Tiburon Challenger in the San Francisco Bay area last October. Harrison climbed as high as No. 43 in the world last summer.
   Then there are Bob and Mike Bryan, widely regarded as the greatest doubles team ever with a record 15 Grand Slam men's doubles titles. The 35-year-old identical twins and former Stanford stars will seek the biggest accomplishment of their careers, a calendar-year Grand Slam, in the U.S. Open.

Marion Bartoli retired two months after winning Wimbledon
for her first Grand Slam women's singles title. 2012 photo
by Paul Bauman

   Bartoli retirement -- Tennis lost a true gem when Marion Bartoli of France abruptly announced her retirement at 28 on Wednesday because of numerous injuries. Only two months beforehand, Bartoli won Wimbledon for her first Grand Slam women's singles title.
   Everything about Bartoli was unusual -- her background, appearance, playing style, intelligence and personality.
   Bartoli grew up not on the sunny Riviera or in bustling Paris but in a snowy village in central France. She was taught not by French Tennis Federation coaches but by her physician father, Walter.
   Stocky for a pro player at 5-foot-6 (1.70 meters) and 139 pounds (63 kilograms), Bartoli employed a quirky serve and, like Hall of Famer Monica Seles, a two-handed forehand and backhand. Between points, she practiced her strokes as if she were a beginner.
   Off the court, Bartoli was down to earth, thoughtful and candid. Reputedly, she has a genius IQ.
   Bartoli played in the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford for 11 consecutive years (2003-12), winning the title in 2009 and reaching the final in 2008 and 2011. Her news conference after she upset Venus Williams in the 2009 final was a classic. Here are some highlights:
   --"I give absolutely everything on the court. That's probably my biggest strength."
   --"The French federation used to tell me, 'Your dad is so stupid. He's an idiot. There's no way you can be a tennis player with him on your side.' I was looking at Venus when she was 14 or 15 and Serena. (Their father) was making them be No. 1 in the world. I was telling (the federation), 'You see, Venus came to be No. 1 with her dad on her side. Monica, too.' "
   --"I was always very ambitious. When I was 4 or 5, I told my dad, 'One day, I want to be the prime minister of France.' I remember always telling myself, 'I don't want to stay in this village forever. I want to go to the bigger city, travel the world, do something different and take my dad out of this village that doesn't see him work almost 18 hours a day and doesn't respect him.' "
   Mission accomplished.   

U.S. could have no men in top 20 after Indian Wells

John Isner, shown at Indian Wells in 2012,
was upset by Lleyton Hewitt in this year's
tournament. Photo by Paul Bauman

   John Isner's slump continued Saturday, which is bad news for U.S. men's tennis.
   Very bad.
   The United States, a tennis power throughout the 1900s, already has no men in the top 10 in the world. Come March 18, when the next rankings are released, there's a good chance that the nation will have no one in the top 20.
   As John McEnroe once famously said, you cannot be serious.
   The 6-foot-9 (2.06-meter) Isner, who missed the Australian Open in January with a knee injury, lost to 32-year-old Lleyton Hewitt 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-4 in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Hewitt won the title there an eternity ago -- in 2002 and 2003.
   "It was a tough match," Isner told reporters. "I knew it was going to be. Lleyton is such a good competitor. I felt like I could have played a little bit better. I needed to play very well to win today, and I don't feel like I necessarily did that. But I think Lleyton had a lot to do with it. It's very disappointing.
    "But I believe things will get better. ... Just gotta keep plugging away."
   Isner, the top American at No. 15, nevertheless will plummet in the rankings after reaching last year's final at Indian Wells. He beat top-ranked Novak Djokovic, the defending champion, in the semifinals before losing to Roger Federer.
   The rankings operate on a rotating 52-week basis. Therefore, Isner's results from Indian Wells last year are replaced on the computer by his results there this year. Everything else being equal, he would have had to reach this year's final just to stay No. 15.

Sam Querrey, shown at Indian Wells in 2012,
likely will replace John Isner as the top-ranked
American man. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Sam Querrey, a 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) native of San Francisco, likely will replace Isner as the top American. Querrey, though, faces a tall order -- literally -- trying to rise from No. 23 in the world. He is scheduled to meet 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) qualifier Ivo Karlovic of Croatia today in the second round after losing at that stage last year at Indian Wells.
   Karlovic, 34, held the record for the world's fastest serve at 156 mph (251 kph) until Samuel Groth of Australia was credited with a 163.4-mph (263-kph) missile last year.
   Although five other Americans reside in the top 100, the only possible bright spot is 20-year-old prospect Ryan Harrison at No. 73 in the world.
   No. 32 Mardy Fish is 31 years old with heart trouble. No. 56 Brian Baker, who returned to the tour last year after missing six years because of five major operations, underwent surgery for a torn meniscus in January. No. 70 Michael Russell is 34 years old and only 5-foot-8 (1.73 meters) in an era of power. No. 99 James Blake is 33 years old.
   Meanwhile, two of Querrey's teammates on the Sacramento Capitals in World TeamTennis last season also made news at Indian Wells on Saturday.
   South Africa's Kevin Anderson, a 6-foot-8 (2.03-meter) right-hander playing in his second tournament since undergoing right elbow surgery, ousted fourth-seeded David Ferrer 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the second round.
   Fish, playing his first official match in six months because of an irregular heartbeat, teamed with Blake to beat Spaniards David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of doubles. Blake and Fish are wild cards.
   Fish is scheduled to play the first singles match of his comeback today against qualifier Bobby Reynolds, another American in his 30s, today in the second round. Fish, seeded 32nd, received a first-round bye. 

COLLEGE SCORES

Men

   Texas-Arlington def. Sacramento State 4-3 in Sacramento. No. 1 singles: Marek Marksoo (SS) def. Yauheni Yakauleu 7-6 (3), 6-3. Records: Texas-Arlington 4-4, Sac State 3-8.
   Sacramento State def. Northern Arizona 4-3 in Sacramento: No. 1 singles: Marek Marksoo (SS) def. Shaun Waters 6-4, 6-4. Records: Sac State 4-8, Northern Arizona 2-11.
   Nevada def. UC Davis 5-2 in Davis. No. 1 singles: Kyle Miller (UCD) def. Victor Ouvrard 7-6, 6-3. Records: Nevada 7-4, UC Davis 6-7.
   Pacific def. Santa Clara 4-3 in Santa Clara. No. 1 singles: No. 66 John Lamble (SC) def. Alex Golding 6-1, 6-3. Records: Pacific 8-4, Santa Clara 10-5.
   Boise State def. USF 6-1 in San Francisco. No. 1 singles: No. 30 Andrew Bettles (BSU) def. Thai Tu 7-6 (6), 6-7 (5), 10-6 match tiebreaker.

Women

   No. 18 Cal def. No. 31 Washington in Berkeley. No. 1 singles: No. 8 Anett Schutting (C) def. No. 124 Andjela Nemcevic 6-1, 6-1. Records: Cal 7-4, Washington 8-5.
   No. 20 Stanford def. No. 73 Washington State 7-0 at Stanford. No. 1 singles: No. 87 Nicole Gibbs (S) def. Liudmila Vasilieva 6-1, 6-1. Records: Stanford 7-2, Washington State 10-4.
   No. 66 San Jose State def. Southern Utah 7-0 in San Jose. No. 1 singles: Sebastiani Leon Chao (SJS) def. Olya Kunz 6-1, 6-2. Records: San Jose State 8-4, Southern Utah 2-3.
   USF def. Northern Arizona 7-0 in San Francisco. No. 1 singles: Andrea Ka (USF) def. Ghizelene Doballah 6-0, 6-0. Records: USF 6-3, Northern Arizona 6-7.