Tiafoe, 18, cracks top 100 with Stockton title

Third-seeded Frances Tiafoe, right, beat unseeded Noah Rubin
6-4, 6-2 in a matchup of U.S. prospects in the final of the
$100,000 Stockton Challenger. Photo by Paul Bauman

   STOCKTON, Calif. -- Northern California fans might want to check out this week's $100,000 Fairfield Challenger at Solano Community College.
   It probably will be their last chance to see Frances Tiafoe in person. Barring injury or a prolonged slump, the 18-year-old phenom will graduate to Grand Slam and ATP World Tour events next year. So far, Tiafoe has only dabbled in the major leagues of men's professional tennis.
   By outclassing fellow American prospect Noah Rubin 6-4, 6-2 Sunday to win the $100,000 Stockton Challenger at the new Eve Zimmerman Tennis Center at the University of the Pacific, the third-seeded Tiafoe cracked the top 100 in the world for the first time.
   "It's an unbelievable feeling, something you always dream of and work as hard as you can to achieve," gushed Tiafoe, who jumped 17 spots to No. 100. "It (helps immensely) to be inside the top 100, getting in the main draw of Grand Slams and tour events. It definitely makes your life much easier; you don't have to play so many of these (Challenger) events."

   Tiafoe becomes the youngest player, fourth teenager and second American teen in the top 100. Alexander Zverev, 19, of Germany is No. 21; Borna Coric, 19, of Croatia is No. 41; and Taylor Fritz, 18, of Rancho Santa Fe in the San Diego area is No. 71. Fritz will turn 19 on Oct. 28, and Tiafoe will follow on Jan. 20.
   American Jared Donaldson, who turned 20 Sunday, dropped from No. 98 to No. 108 in the new rankings. Fritz won the singles titles in last year's Sacramento and Fairfield Challengers with victories over Donaldson and Dustin Brown of Germany, respectively. The Sacramento tournament moved to Stockton.

   Although Tiafoe eventually could reach the top 10, his immediate task is staying in the top 100. He will drop unless he at least matches his 2015 appearance in the semifinals in Fairfield, where he's the top seed, and runner-up finish in the $50,000 Knoxville (Tenn.) Challenger, scheduled for the first week of November.

Tiafoe didn't face a break point in the final.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Tiafoe has ideal size (6-foot-2 and 170 pounds or 1.88 meters and 77 kilograms) with power, touch, quickness -- you name it. His serve and forehand, both hit with a distinctive loose wrist, are devastating. His two-handed backhand is textbook perfect. And he has a deft volley.
   Weaknesses? Tiafoe has had temper problems (it was not an issue against Rubin), his concentration wanes at times (whose doesn't?), and his second serve needs improvement (according to Isner).
   Tiafoe's father, Constant, emigrated from Sierra Leone in West Africa to the Washington, D.C., area, where Frances was born, in the late 1990s. Constant helped build the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Md., and stayed as the head of maintenance.
   Frances and his twin brother Franklin, who attended the Stockton Challenger, began playing at 3 or 4. Frances won the prestigious Orange Bowl at 15 in 2013 to become the youngest boys 18 champion in the tournament's 67-year history. He was profiled in Sports Illustrated in 2014 and turned pro last year.
   As a wild card the recent U.S. Open, Tiafoe led 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) veteran John Isner, seeded No. 20 and ranked No. 1 in the United States at the time, two sets to none in the first round before falling in a fifth-set tiebreaker.
   Rubin, only 5-foot-10 (1.78 meters) and 155 pounds (70 kilograms), doesn't have as much of an upside as Tiafoe but well could join him in the top 100 next year. With his runner-up finish, he improved 25 places to No. 167.
   A counterpuncher who relies on quickness, Rubin stunned then-No. 18 Benoit Paire of France in the first round of the Australian Open in January but missed much of the summer with a sprained ankle.

   A native of Long Island, N.Y., Rubin trained at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy in New York as a junior. During his dream summer of 2014, he won the Wimbledon boys and USTA 18 national singles titles.
   Rubin then attended Wake Forest University for one year, falling in the 2015 NCAA singles final to 6-foot-4 (1.93-meter) junior Ryan Shane of Virginia, before turning pro.

Rubin could join Tiafoe in the top 100 next year.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Tiafoe and Rubin, 20, met as pros for the first time. Rubin was 3-0 in ITF junior tournaments against Tiafoe.
   This time, Tiafoe broke the unseeded Rubin in the first game of each set and broke again to lead 4-1 in the second set. Rubin double-faulted on key points in both of the second-set breaks. Tiafoe, meanwhile, never faced break point en route to his second Challenger title in his seventh final.
   "He was pretty nervous," declared Tiafoe, who earned $14,400. "He made a lot of mistakes. He obviously didn't play his best, but I thought I played my game about as well as I can play. I played pretty aggressive, took the strikes early and didn't really let him stay steady and try to make balls the way he usually plays. I thought I did a great job of putting a lot of pressure on him early."
   Tiafoe won the coin toss and elected to receive.
   "I always do that," he noted. "I don't want to come out and play a loose game in the opening game, so if I win the coin toss, I always receive.
   "I knew he was going to be a little nervous. It was only his second (Challenger) final, and I've been in quite a few finals, so I was pretty comfortable today."
   Rubin, who won his only previous Challenger final, denied he was nervous.
   "Actually, that did not affect me," said Rubin, wearing a necklace with a small Wimbledon pendant. "I was way more nervous to play the first round of this tournament. Maybe there was some internal, subconscious thing I can't even tell you. Yeah, I was a little slower than normal, but it happens."
   Instead, Rubin attributed his slow starts in each set to physical and mental fatigue. He won his first three matches in three sets before coasting past ailing Michael Mmoh, another 18-year-old American, 6-2, 6-3 in Saturday's semifinals.
   "It could be just cumulative," suggested Rubin, who collected $8,480. "It's a lot of matches, a lot of games. I put a lot of pressure on myself at the beginning of the tournament, more than at the end, because I was not playing my best tennis coming into this tournament. I was just working hard and putting in a lot of hours, and sometimes it wears on you."

   Against Tiafoe, there would be no Noah's bagels.
   "He played good tennis," said Rubin, who also is entered in Fairfield. "He mixed it up well. I think what hurt me the most was my movement was not (up to) par, which usually helps me get back into matches.

Second-seeded Sam Groth, left, and Brian Baker won the
doubles title in their first tournament together. Photo by
Paul Bauman

   "He kept me on my toes and didn't play loose points. I've been watching some of his matches, and sometimes he gives away loose points. He was pretty controlled today and consistent. It was good to see. He's in the top 100 now, and hopefully I'll see him there soon."
   Second-seeded Brian Baker and Sam Groth, playing their first tournament together, beat fourth-seeded Matt Reid and John-Patrick Smith 6-2, 4-6 [10-2] for the doubles title. All except Baker, from Nashville, Tenn., are Australian.
   Baker, 31, and Groth, who will turn 29 on Oct. 19, ended Reid and Smith's winning streak at seven matches. They won the title in the previous week's $100,000 Tiburon Challenger.
   Baker has come back from 11 operations (both hips, right elbow, back, sports hernia and four repairs of his right knee). Groth set an unofficial world record with a 163.7-mph (263.4-kph) serve in the 2012 Busan (South Korea) Challenger.
   Here are:
   --The complete Stockton singles and doubles draws.
   --The Fairfield singles qualifying draw, singles and doubles main draws, and Monday's schedule.
   --The complete Redding (Calif.) women's singles and doubles draws.

Once defaulted from match, King wins Tiburon title

Unseeded Darian King of Barbados celebrates after beating 18-year-old
qualifier Michael Mmoh of Bradenton, Fla., 7-6 (2), 6-2 Sunday to win
the $100,000 Tiburon Challenger. It was King's third (and biggest)
Challenger title, all in the last three months. Getty Images

   TIBURON, Calif. — Darian King was about as low as a player can get.
   Not in the rankings, although he was plenty low at No. 310.
   His reputation was in tatters, his spirit broken.
   Two years ago, King was defaulted from his first-round match in a $50,000 indoor tournament in Charlottesville, Va., for hitting a lineswoman with his racket, which he had thrown in anger at the tarpaulin hanging behind the court.
   The racket bounced off the tarp and lightly struck the lineswoman, standing nearby, in the back. She suffered only a minor knee injury as she fell to the court.
   King has come a long way since then. Faced with adversity in the final of the $100,000 Wells Fargo Bank Tiburon Challenger on Sunday, the unseeded King remained calm and defeated 18-year-old qualifier Michael Mmoh, one of several potential stars for the long-struggling United States, 7-6 (2), 6-2 on a windy day at the Tiburon Peninsula Club.
   "I used to get very frustrated on court when things aren't going my way, but as you get older, you start to understand the game much better," admitted King, a 24-year-old native of Barbados, a small island nation in the Caribbean Sea. "I'm glad I'm starting to really understand my game. That's the most important thing. Don't get frustrated when your plan is not working. I think I've been doing a great job of that."
   King collected $14,400 for his third (and biggest) Challenger singles title, all in the last three months, and jumped 30 places in the world rankings to a career-high No. 135. He won back-to-back championships — although not in consecutive weeks — in Cali, Colombia, on clay and Binghamton, N.Y., on outdoor hardcourts in July. Both were $50,000 tournaments.
   King was asked what the difference is between him now and two years ago.
   "Much stronger, much faster, much fitter," replied King, a lithe 6-foot-1 (1.85 meters) and 170 pounds (77 kilograms). "I think I know my game now. I play the big points well, especially 30-all, 40-all. I've overcome that and become stronger mentally. Two years ago, I had a very bad incident, and, as you can see on court, I've improved a lot."
   Keith Crossland, the USTA supervisor in Charlottesville in 2014 and in Tiburon this week, has seen a change in King's attitude since the default.
   "Very definitely," Crossland asserted. "I think he's become much more professional. He's also playing better. Obviously, that helps (a player's) attitude.
   "He played Davis Cup for Barbados. That kind of excitement also has helped him improve and grow and become a much more professional tennis player."

After dominating Darian King early with power, Michael Mmoh tired from
his long week. Getty Images

   King faced a formidable, though weary, foe in Mmoh. A chiseled 6-foot-1 (1.85 meters) and 187 pounds (85 kilograms), he was playing in his eighth match, including three in qualifying, in eight days in this affluent community across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.
   Crushing his serve and forehand in his first Challenger final, Mmoh won four straight games to lead 4-2 in the first set and served for the set at 5-4. King, however, raised his game and broke on an inside-out forehand passing shot.
   King saved two break points to hold for 6-5 and then came within two points of winning the set at 30-30, but Mmoh belted a forehand passing shot down the line and pounded a service winner to force the tiebreaker.
   As it turned out, Mmoh was done physically and mentally. He committed five errors while dropping the tiebreaker and promptly fell behind 4-0 in the second set.
   "I played a lot of matches, I came from qualies, and I started to get a little fatigued," moaned Mmoh, who won the USTA boys 18 title in August to earn an automatic wild card in the U.S. Open. "He's a tough guy to play. It's probably the worst matchup I could get in the condition I'm in. It's just unlucky.
   "He won't really miss the ball. He'll kind of just bunt the ball from side to side and make you work. It takes a very big physical toll. It's not exactly what my body wanted today."
   Mmoh's road to the final was not only long but treacherous. He prevailed 7-6 (7) in the third set against Erik Crepaldi of Italy in the second round of qualifying, survived three match points against American Tennys Sandgren in the first round of the main draw and escaped one match point in his 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) victory over No. 3 seed and defending champion Tim Smyczek of the United States in the semifinals.
   Sandgren retired with a lower back injury while trailing 2-0 in the third set. King also benefited from a retirement while leading in the third set en route to the final. In the second round, top-seeded Benjamin Becker, 35, of Germany quit with a chest muscle strain with King ahead 4-2.
   Mmoh earned $8,480 (he turned pro last year) and, more importantly, soared 92 places to a career-high No. 264. A one-man United Nations, he was born in Saudi Arabia to Tony Mmoh, a former journeyman pro and Olympian from Nigeria, and Geraldine O'Reilly, an Irishwoman who also holds Australian citizenship.
   Tony was coaching the Saudi Arabian Davis Cup team, and Geraldine, an avid tennis fan, was working in Saudi Arabia as a nurse at the time.
   Michael was named after Michael Jordan. Tony became infatuated with the NBA legend while attending St. Augustine's College (now St. Augustine's University) in North Carolina and later gained U.S. citizenship.
   The Mmohs moved to Washington, D.C., when Michael was a child. He trains at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
   King, meanwhile, is the only man or woman from Barbados among the 4,000 or so players with a world ranking. Barbados is too small to run a marathon from one end to the other -- 21 miles (34 kilometers) long and up to 14 miles (23 kilometers) wide. Its population of 291,495 is about the same as that of Anchorage, Alaska, with about as many tennis players.
   As a youth, King trained at the Washington, D.C.-area center where Frances Tiafoe, another 18-year-old potential star, grew up.
   King said it was "very tough" to become a pro tennis player from Barbados.
   "I had to choose between football (soccer) and tennis, and I was more successful in tennis," explained King, who lost to American Steve Johnson in the first round of the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August. "The sport in Barbados is not that big. I'm trying to be a role model for the young ones coming up and show them that whatever you put your mind to, you can do it. I'm glad I chose this sport, and I'm glad I'm putting my all into it."

Third-seeded Matt Reid, left, and John-Patrick Smith of Australia bump fists
during their 6-1, 6-2 victory over Quentin Halys of France and Dennis Novikov
of Milpitas in the San Francisco Bay Area in the doubles final. Getty Images 

   In the doubles final, third-seeded Matt Reid and John-Patrick Smith of Australia routed unseeded Quentin Halys, 19, of France and Dennis Novikov of Milpitas on the other side of San Francisco Bay 6-1, 6-2 in 45 minutes. Reid had lost the last two Tiburon doubles finals with countryman Carsten Ball.
   Here are:
    —The completed Tiburon singles and doubles draws.
    —The Stockton singles qualifying, singles main and doubles main draws and today's schedule. The $100,000 men's tournament, held in Sacramento for the past 11 years, has moved to the new Eve Zimmerman Tennis Center at the University of the Pacific. King and Mmoh could meet in the quarterfinals.
    —The Redding singles qualifying draw and today's schedule. The $25,000 women's tournament is being played at Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness.

Modesto's Sanchez falls in Wimbledon qualifying

Maria Sanchez, who was born and raised in
Modesto, lost in the second round of Wim-
bledon qualifying. 2013 photo by Paul Bauman

   Maria Sanchez will have to wait at least one more year to make her first appearance in the singles main draw at Wimbledon.
   The 25-year-old Modesto product lost to eighth-seeded Ying-Ying Duan of China 7-5, 6-0 today in the second round of qualifying at Roehampton in London.
   In her only previous singles appearance at Wimbledon, Sanchez lost to former world No. 11 Shahar Peer of Israel in the second round of qualifying in 2013.
   Five American women reached Thursday's final round of qualifying: No. 3 Louisa Chirico, No. 4 Sachia Vickery, No. 18 Anna Tatishvili, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jessica Pegula. Vickery, 20, and Pegula, 21, are scheduled to meet; the winner will earn her first berth in the Wimbledon main draw. 
   The last U.S. man remaining in the draw, No. 18 Bjorn Fratangelo, lost to Australia's John-Patrick Smith 7-6 (5), 6-4.
   Vickery advanced to WTA tour quarterfinals at Stanford on hardcourts last summer and Nottingham on grass two weeks ago, both times as a qualifier.
   Vickery and Chirico, 19, reached the quarters of the $50,000 Sacramento Challenger last July.
   Mattek-Sands, who had hip surgery last year and missed six months, has plunged from a career-high No. 30 in singles in 2011 to No. 157. But she's a career-high No. 6 in doubles after winning this year's Australian Open and French Open with Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic.
   Mattek-Sands also won this year's French Open mixed doubles title with fellow American Mike Bryan.
   Pegula, the runner-up in the inaugural 2012 Sacramento Challenger whose billionaire father owns the NFL's Buffalo Bills and the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, eliminated No. 21 Michelle Larcher de Brito of Portugal 1-6, 7-6 (7), 5-4, retired.
   Larcher de Brito, 22, stunned former world No. 1s Maria Sharapova in the second round at Wimbledon two years ago and Ana Ivanovic in the same round at Birmingham last week on grass, each time as a qualifier.
   At 14, Larcher de Brito helped the Sacramento Capitals win the World Team Tennis title in 2007. She was the youngest competitor in league history until American Madison Keys surpassed her, by 19 days, two years later as a 14-year-old with the Philadelphia Freedoms.
   The 20-year-old Keys, an Australian Open semifinalist in January, is now ranked 21st to Larcher de Brito's 119th. Not coincidentally, Keys is 5-foot-10 (1.78-meter), and Larcher de Brito is five inches (12.7 centimeters) shorter.
   The Capitals disbanded in 2013 after 28 years in Sacramento but will be replaced by the California Dream beginning next month.
   Joining Sanchez on the sideline today were Americans Grace Min, seeded 24th, and Melanie Oudin.
   Oudin, a U.S. Open quarterfinalist at 17 in 2009, underwent heart and eye procedures during the offseason. Also, a muscle condition sidelined her in 2013.
   Smith, a 26-year-old left-hander, has won the doubles title in the last two Sacramento Challengers with Aussies Matt Reid and Adam Hubble, respectively.
   Smith had one of the greatest collegiate careers on and off the court in history. He earned not one but two bachelor's degrees, in economics and business administration, and became the second player in NCAA Division I history to earn All-America honors in singles and doubles all four years. The other is USC's Jon Leach, who eventually rose to No. 1 in the world in doubles.

Kozlov, 16, reaches first Challenger quarterfinal

Stefan Kozlov, 16, outlasted veteran John-
Patrick Smith to reach his first Challenger
quarterfinal. Photo by Paul Bauman

   SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The kid was supposed to crack.
   Instead, the veteran did.
   Stefan Kozlov, a 16-year-old U.S. sensation, eked out a tense 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory over John-Patrick Smith, 25, of Australia today in the second round of the $100,000 Sacramento Pro Circuit Challenger.  
   Kozlov prevailed after 2 hours, 40 minutes on a warm, breezy day at the Natomas Racquet Club to reach his first Challenger quarterfinal in only his third attempt.
   Serving at 4-4 in the third set, Kozlov saved three break points before finally holding. The left-handed Smith then took a medical timeout to have his serving arm treated, perhaps in retaliation for the right-handed Kozlov taking one for the same reason after losing his serve for 3-2 in the final set.
   If Smith's timeout was meant to unnerve the precocious Kozlov, it didn't work. Smith saved one match point with a backhand volley that Kozlov thought was long. But on the next one, Smith sprayed a backhand wide.
   "I thought I was just mentally stronger at the end," said Kozlov, a wild card who will soar from No. 763 in the world to, at minimum, about No. 616 on Monday. "He's obviously a very good player, and it was one of the toughest matches I've played in a while. I'm just really lucky to get out of that one."
   Observed Smith: "I had some chances at 4-all in the third. If I get a break there, I'm pretty confident I would have served it out, but that's tennis."

   Smith, ranked No. 230 in singles and No. 77 in doubles, said he felt no pressure as the favorite.
   "Not really. Everyone is good here. It's a $100,000 Challenger. It's not as though it's a ($15,000) Futures. You have to expect every match to be tough. That's what I did," offered Smith, who won last year's Sacramento doubles title with countryman Matt Reid. 
   Nor did Kozlov find it strange that he might have been mentally tougher than Smith, who earned All-America honors in singles and doubles in all four years at the University of Tennessee All-American and graduated with bachelor's degrees in economics and business administration.
   "Mental strength has always been my weapon," said Kozlov, who turned professional at 14. "Today it paid off, and I'm happy to be in the quarterfinals."

Smith said he felt no pressure as the favor-
ite against Kozlov. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Kozlov will meet another former Tennessee All-American, 23-year-old Rhyne Williams, for the first time on Friday. Kozlov, who lives in the Miami suburb of Pembroke Pines, Fla., said he's "pretty good friends" with Williams, who trains up the road in Boca Raton, Fla.
   Williams turned pro after reaching the 2011 NCAA singles final at Stanford as a sophomore. He advanced to the Sacramento quarterfinals when Wayne Odesnik of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., retired with toe inflammation at 4-6, 2-4.
   Both Odesnik and Williams have won Sacramento Challenger titles. Odesnik triumphed in singles in 2007 at the Sutter Lawn Tennis Club, and Williams prevailed in doubles in 2012 at Natomas with former Tennessee teammate Tennys Sandgren.  
   In the other quarterfinal in the all-American bottom half of the draw, No. 2 seed Tim Smyczek of Tampa, Fla., will face No. 5 Denis Kudla of Boca Raton.
   None of the four quarterfinalists was born in Florida.
   Kozlov, who's named after International Tennis Hall of Famer Stefan Edberg, and Kudla moved from Eastern Europe to the United States at 1 with their families. Kozlov and his Russian parents emigrated from Macedonia to South Florida, and Kudla relocated from Ukraine to the Washington, D.C., area.
   Williams hails from Knoxville, Tenn., and Smyczek, last year's runner-up in Sacramento, is from Milwaukee.
   The quarterfinal matchups in the top half will be determined on Thursday.
   Kozlov was diplomatic when asked if Smith used gamesmanship by taking a medical timeout.
   "I'm not going to call him on that," Kozlov said. "I don't know. It personally helped me, and that's all I'm going to say."
   Kozlov elaborated, though, on how the timeout helped him.
   "It gave me time to think about what I'm going to do and gave me a little rest," he said.
   Kozlov, meanwhile, also took an injury timeout in the first set for a finger injury on his right hand and was warned at least twice during the match for time violations.
   When Smith was asked if there was gamesmanship in the match, he stared at a reporter and paused.
   "In what way? ... Obviously, you have to play within the time limit. As far as (Kozlov's) injury timeouts, he might have been injured, he might not have been," Smith replied.
   Several hours after the match, Kozlov was seen with ice wrapped around his right elbow and Smith won his doubles quarterfinal. 

$100,000 SACRAMENTO PRO CIRCUIT CHALLENGER

At Natomas Racquet Club

Second-round singles

   Denis Kudla (5), United States, def. Elias Ymer, Sweden, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.
   Stefan Kozlov, United States, def. John-Patrick Smith, Australia, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
   Rhyne Williams, United States, def. Wayne Odesnik, United States, 6-4, 4-2, retired.
   Tim Smyczek (2), United States, def. James McGee, Ireland, 6-4, 6-3.

First-round doubles

   Marcus Daniell and Artem Sitak (1), New Zealand, def. Rik de Voest, South Africa, and Matt Seeberger, Los Altos, 6-1, 7-6 (4).
   Alex Bolt, Australia, and Frank Dancevic, Canada, def. Liam Broady, Great Britain, and Jordan Thompson, Australia, 6-3, 6-3.
   Peter Polansky and Adil Shamasdin (2), Canada, def. Denis Kudla and Rhyne Williams, United States, 7-6 (6), 6-0.
   Daniel Nguyen and Eric Quigley, United States, def. Sebastian Bader, Austria, and Erik Elliott, United States, 7-5, 6-4.

Doubles quarterfinals

   Adam Hubble and John-Patrick Smith, Australia, def. Thiemo de Bakker and Wesley Koolhof, Netherlands, 6-4, 6-7 (6) [10-8].

Thursday's schedule

(Starting at 11 a.m.)

Court 1

   Marcos Giron, United States, vs. Bjorn Fratangelo, United States.
   Sam Querrey (1), United States, vs. Daniel Nguyen, United States (not before noon).
   Matt Reid, Australia, and Jose (Rubin) Statham, New Zealand, vs. Peter Polansky and Adil Shamasdin (2), Canada.
   Luca Vanni, Italy, vs. Jared Donaldson, United States (not before 4 p.m.).

Court 7

   Dimitar Kutrovsky, Bulgaria, vs. John Millman, Australia.
   Marcus Daniell and Artem Sitak (1), New Zealand, vs. Alex Bolt, Australia, and Frank Dancevic, Canada (not before 12:30 p.m.).
   Alex Kuznetsov and Vahid Mirzadeh, United States, vs. Daniel Nguyen and Eric Quigley, United States.

Aussie gives it the old college try, upsets Klahn

John-Patrick Smith of Australia ousted No. 3 seed Bradley Klahn,
a former NCAA champion from Stanford, in the first round of the
Sacramento Challenger. Photo by Paul Bauman

   SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- It's rare for a professional tennis player to have a college degree.
   John-Patrick Smith and Bradley Klahn, who met today in the first round of the $100,000 Sacramento Pro Circuit Challenger, have three bachelor's degrees combined.
   That's right, three.
   Smith, a 25-year-old Australian, earned diplomas in economics and business administration from the University of Tennessee in 2011. Klahn, 24, from Poway in the San Diego area, picked up an economics degree from Stanford the following year.
   "I like school, and obviously I have a very keen interest in business," Smith, whose parents are both teachers, said after leading a parade of upsets with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 victory over the third-seeded Klahn at the Natomas Racquet Club. "After tennis, I look to do something in that."
   Such as?
   "I don't know what I'm going to do next week," Smith cracked, "so I wouldn't know what I'm going to do after tennis."
   Also ousted today were No. 4 Michael Russell of Houston, No. 6 Peter Polansky of Canada, No. 7 Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands and No. 8 Frank Dancevic of Canada. Russell, 36, and de Bakker retired from their matches with a breathing problem and back injury, respectively.
   With the first round complete, the only remaining seeds are No. 1 Sam Querrey of Las Vegas, No. 2 Tim Smyczek of Tampa, Fla., and No. 5 Denis Kudla of Boca Raton, Fla.
   As if Querrey, a 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Davis Cup veteran who has been ranked as high as No. 17, needed any help, he already is the only seed left in his half of the draw. 
  In addition to their academic success, Smith and Klahn fared pretty well on the court in college.
  Smith became the second player in NCAA Division I history to earn All-America honors in singles and doubles all four years, joining eventual world No. 1 doubles player Jon Leach of USC.

Klahn, like Smith, has struggled
with injuries this year. Photo by
Paul Bauman

  Klahn won the 2010 NCAA singles title as a sophomore before undergoing surgery for a herniated disc at the beginning of his junior year. He bounced back to reach the NCAA singles quarterfinals and doubles final that year and the singles semis and doubles quarters as a senior.
  Both players are happy they stayed in college for four years.
  "I formed some great friendships, met some great people and had some good times," Smith said. "You can't replace that being on the tour. I got my degree, I've got my (general) backup plan, so now I can really enjoy tennis."
   Klahn has said he "had a great four years (at Stanford). I had a lot of fun and have a lot of memories."
   Smith and Klahn share more than their college backgrounds. Both are left-handed and have struggled with injuries this year.       
   Smith developed a sore shoulder after playing tournaments in seven of eight weeks over the summer.
   "Traveling and playing takes a toll on your body," he said. "Those are the lessons you learn. This period here, I'm going to play for three weeks (in Napa, Sacramento and Tiburon) and then take a little break."
   Klahn, a Sacramento quarterfinalist last year, missed two months in the spring when his back flared up and five weeks over the summer with a foot sprain.
   "Physically, I feel very good," said Klahn, who has tumbled from a career-high No. 63 in the world in March to No. 118. "To be brutally honest, this has been a difficult year with injuries for me, but that's part of the tour. That's what you have to accept and deal with."
   Smith was clearly the sharper player today. He saved seven of nine break points (77 percent) to Klahn's 12 of 16 (75 percent) and had one double fault to Klahn's four.
   "I came out of the blocks pretty good," said Smith, who will face 16-year-old sensation Stefan Kozlov of Pembroke Pines, Fla., on Wednesday at 11 a.m. "I served pretty well, I thought. In the second set, he hit an unbelievable passing shot when I had break point. In the third set, I had break points in (almost) every game, so I was pretty happy with that."
   Smith recorded the only breaks of the third set in the third and final games. Both times, Klahn double-faulted for 0-40.
   Smith is ranked No. 230 in singles and No. 77 in doubles. He won the Sacramento doubles crown last year with countryman Matt Reid, but they are playing with different partners this year.
   Klahn lost to Smith for the first time in three matches.
   "He's a difficult player to play just because he doesn't give you any rhythm, and I feel like I'm still finding my rhythm again," Klahn said. "He kept me off-balance pretty well. I just didn't feel like I was able to find my range and my game today.
   "It's a tricky match. He serves well, he comes in a lot, and he has great hands around the net. I thought I did a good job finding my game and adjusting in the second set. A couple sloppy games on my serve in the third set, and that was it."

$100,000 SACRAMENTO PRO CIRCUIT CHALLENGER

At Natomas Racquet Club

First-round singles

   John Millman, Australia, def. Tennys Sandgren, United States, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3).
   Bjorn Fratangelo, United States, def. Frank Dancevic (8), Canada, 6-4, 6-4.
   Elias Ymer, Sweden, def. Eric Quigley, United States, 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (2).
   John-Patrick Smith, Australia, def. Bradley Klahn (3), United States, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.
   Daniel Nguyen, United States, def. Alex Kuznetsov, United States, 6-4, 7-6 (4).
   Marcos Giron, United States, def. Alex Bolt, Australia, 6-4, 6-4.
   Tim Smyczek (2), United States, def. Jordan Thompson, Australia, 6-1, 6-2.
   Wayne Odesnik, United States, def. Peter Polansky (6), Canada, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (5).
   Luca Vanni, Italy, def. Liam Broady, Great Britain, 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-0.
   Dimitar Kutrovsky, Bulgaria, def. Michael Russell (4), United States, 3-2, retired.
   Jared Donaldson, United States, def. Thiemo de Bakker, Netherlands, 6-2, 3-0, retired.
   Sam Querrey (1), United States, def. Kyle Edmund, Great Britain, 7-6 (3), 6-4.
First-round doubles
   Matt Reid, Australia, and Jose (Rubin) Statham, New Zealand, def. James Cluskey and James McGee, Ireland, 3-6, 6-4 [10-8].

Wednesday's schedule

(Starting at 11 a.m.)

Court 1

   Stefan Kozlov, United States, vs. John-Patrick Smith, Australia.
   Marcus Daniell and Artem Sitak (1), New Zealand, vs. Rik de Voest, South Africa, and Matt Seeberger, Los Altos (not before 12:30 p.m.).
   Tim Smyczek (2), United States, vs. James McGee, Ireland.
   Adam Hubble and John-Patrick Smith, Australia, vs. Thiemo de Bakker and Wesley Koolhof, Netherlands.
   Bradley Klahn and Tim Smyczek (3), United States, vs. Daniel Nguyen and Eric Quigley, United States (not before 4:30 p.m.)

Court 7

   Denis Kudla (5), United States, vs. Elias Ymer, Sweden.
   Wayne Odesnik, United States, vs. Rhyne Williams.
   Liam Broady, Great Britain, and Jordan Thompson, Australia, vs. Alex Bolt, Australia, and Frank Dancevic, Canada.
   Peter Polansky and Adil Shamasdin (2), Canada, vs. Denis Kudla and Rhyne Williams, United States.

Despite U.S. men's worst year ever, Kudla optimistic

Denis Kudla, shown in last week's Sacramento
Challenger, was the last American man remaining
in singles at Wimbledon. Photos by Paul Bauman

   TIBURON, Calif. — Mercifully for American men's tennis, the season will end in 5 1/2 weeks.
   Simply stated, this has been the worst year in U.S. men's history.
   No American reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open for the first time, and no U.S. man advanced to the third round at Wimbledon for the first time in 101 years.
   For one week last month, the United States was shut out of the top 20 in the world for the first time since the computerized rankings began 40 years ago.
   In addition, no American man has won a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick 10 years ago at the U.S. Open.
   At least Bob and Mike Bryan came within two match victories of the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men's doubles in 62 years.
   Despite the United States' woes in singles, 21-year-old Denis Kudla of Boca Raton, Fla., is optimistic. 
   "I don't think anyone is in his prime, except for John (Isner) and Sam (Querrey)," the top-seeded Kudla said today after crushing Austin Krajicek of Tampa, Fla., 6-0, 6-1 in 51 minutes in the second round of the $100,000 First Republic Bank Tiburon Challenger. "All the guys before were a lot older, at the end of their careers. I think every guy was at least 30, maybe 29. All the other guys are 19, 20, 21, 22, and we're coming up. We're right there — 100 (in the world), 95.
    "If you look at other big federations — the French, the Spanish — they don't have anyone 19, 20, 21. They may have one guy. We have maybe six, seven, even more than that coming up. Maybe in the next three or four years, I think something good is going to happen with American tennis."

Benjamin Mitchell, 20, of Australia edged No. 6 seed Rhyne
Williams 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (1) in 3 hours, 1 minute in the second
round of the $100,000 Tiburon Challenger.

   Two seeds, both Americans, lost to Australians at the Tiburon Peninsula Club. No. 5 Rajeev Ram fell to John-Patrick Smith 7-6 (2), 6-4, and No. 6 Rhyne Williams of Knoxville, Tenn., finally succumbed to 20-year-old Benjamin Mitchell 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (1) in 3 hours, 1 minute. Williams, 6-foot-1 (1.85 meters) with a pulverizing serve and forehand, saved one match point in the second set and five in the third set.
   Maybe the United States won't have to wait three or four years for a Grand Slam champion. Kudla said the 6-foot-10 (2.08-centimeter) Isner, 28, and the 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Querrey, 26, are capable of winning a Slam. But they have not advanced past the quarterfinals and fourth round, respectively.
   Isner is ranked No. 13 and Querrey No. 31. Prospects include 21-year-olds Jack Sock (No. 78), Kudla (No. 97) and Ryan Harrison (No. 106); 22-year-old Williams (No. 124); and 23-year-olds Bradley Klahn (No. 131) and Steve Johnson (No. 150).
   Further down the road are potential stars Christian Harrison, Ryan's 19-year-old brother, and Stefan Kozlov, 15.       
   In the meantime, Kudla contends that bad timing has victimized the United States at the highest level. Roger Federer of Switzerland, Rafael Nadal of Spain, Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Andy Murray of Great Britain have combined to win 37 of 40 Grand Slam singles titles since Roddick's triumph.

Williams saved six match points before
succumbing to Mitchell.

   "Tennis has gotten incredibly tough at the top level," said Kudla, the last American man remaining in singles at Wimbledon. "There are four guys setting the bar so high. I don't know if we'd be sitting in the same seat right now if those guys weren't there. I think Roddick would have seven, eight Slams and won a Slam probably in '09, '10, and it would be a (three- or four-year) drought instead of 10."
   Kudla rejects the argument that players from other countries are hungrier than Americans.
   "It's easy to say that, but I think we're pretty hungry," he said. "The toughest thing people sometimes don't look at — or maybe they do — is in other countries, tennis is the second sport. Everyone gets into tennis. Here, it's the seventh or eighth sport, so it's hard to get an unbelievable freak athlete into tennis and, even if (one is) into tennis, to like it."
   Kudla has a somewhat different perspective than other Americans. He moved from his native Ukraine to Fairfax, Va., with his family on his first birthday.   
   "I grew up in a European environment," said the 5-foot-11 (1.80-meter) Kudla, who skipped college to turn pro. "My parents were strict but not crazy strict. I was never spoiled. I wanted tennis. It was always my dream."
   Vladimir Kudla, a successful architect, took his family out of Ukraine shortly after the Soviet Union collapsed.
   "It was dangerous," Denis said. "There were a lot of drugs and corruption everywhere. It was definitely not an easy place to grow up. My dad just said, 'I don't want that lifestyle for my kids. Come to America; we can do whatever we want; it's a lot safer.'
   "I definitely wouldn't have been a tennis player if I had stayed in Ukraine. Yeah, there are (pro) players, but even those guys now, they're all playing somewhere else. They're in France or Germany or Spain. None of them stay in Ukraine.

The road from the upscale town of Tiburon to the tournament
site offers a stunning view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

   "The only reason we started in tennis is because we came to America. My dad had friends here, and they were like, 'Let's go play tennis.' Tennis wasn't even an idea at all (in Ukraine)."
   Kudla's parents "came here not speaking a word of English and picked it all up in a year or two," he said. "It's pretty amazing what they did."
  Kudla reminisced in an otherwise empty locker room at the Tiburon Peninsula Club, tucked away in the hills across the bay from San Francisco. The road from the upscale town of Tiburon to the club offers a spectacular view of the city to the left and the Golden Gate Bridge to the right.
   Kudla has lost only two games in two matches after losing in the first round as the top seed in the Sacramento Challenger to alternate Daniel Cox 7-5, 6-0.
   "Last week was a disaster," moaned Kudla, who will face Smith in Friday's quarterfinals. "I played awful. I was getting frustrated with everything for no reason and just wasn't able to control it. I was just kind of weak-minded a little bit.
   "You can't do that with these guys, because they'll jump all over you. Give them an inch to breathe, and they're going to take it and beat you. That's exactly what happened last week. Definitely, I learned from that quick."
   Overall, Kudla has enjoyed a breakthough year. He cracked the top 100 for the first time after Wimbledon, also reached the second round of the U.S. Open and advanced to the semifinals at Queen's Club in London on the elite ATP World Tour.
   "I'm really happy with my year, but I want more," said Kudla, who is close to ensuring a spot in the main draw of the Australian Open in January. "There are bigger goals — top 50 now, hopefully top 20, top 10 — just keep pushing, keep working from now to the end of the year."
   It can't come soon enough for U.S. men's tennis in general.
   Following are the Tiburon singles and doubles draws and Thursday's schedule:
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/singles_draw293.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/doubles_draw294.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/schedule294.PDF