Solovyeva returns to 50K Gold River semis

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

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

Kalinina overcomes big deficit for Challenger title

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mestach overcomes bizarre injury, gains another final

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

$50,000 FSP GOLD RIVER WOMEN'S CHALLENGER

At Gold River Racquet Club in Gold River, Calif.

Singles semifinals

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

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

Doubles semifinals

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

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

Today's schedule

Stadium

(Starting at 5 p.m.) 

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

Oudin tries to bounce back from health woes

Melanie Oudin lost to No. 1 seed An-Sophie Mestach 6-4, 6-4
in the first round of the Gold River Women's Challenger.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   GOLD RIVER, Calif. -- She was once America's sweetheart.
   Melanie Oudin, a 17-year-old pipsqueak with "Believe" printed on her shoes, knocked off four towering Russians in a row to reach the quarterfinals of the 2009 U.S. Open.
   U.S. fans went crazy.  
   Eventual runner-up Caroline Wozniacki ended Oudin's fairytale run in the quarters, but the 5-foot-6 (1.68-meter), 130-pound (59-kilogram) upstart climbed to No. 31 in the world the following April. Her future seemed unlimited.
   Then she put too much pressure on herself, and the losses mounted. Aside from winning the mixed doubles title in the 2011 U.S. Open with Jack Sock, there were few highlights.
   But the worst was yet to come as a bizarre series of health problems struck.
   Oudin was diagnosed in November 2012 with a debilitating muscle condition that caused her arms to swell "like balloons," she told the Associated Press at the time. However, she recovered in time to play a full season in 2013.  
   Last November, Oudin had a procedure for an accelerated heart rate and a growth removed her left eye that was caused by excessive exposure to the sun. (She now wears sunglasses while playing in an effort to prevent the growth from returning.)
   The heart procedure didn't work, so she had another one by a different doctor in April.
   "He did a great job, and I haven't had any problems since then," Oudin, a 23-year-old resident of Marietta, Ga., in the Atlanta area, said during last week's inaugural $50,000 Stockton Challenger. "I'm pretty sure I'm fixed and good to go."

Mestach led 5-1 in the second set against Oudin.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Oudin advanced to the Stockton quarterfinals in the third tournament of her comeback but drew top-seeded An-Sophie Mestach of Belgium in the first round of this week's $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger in the Sacramento area.
   Mestach, the No. 1 junior in the world in 2011, won 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday night at the Gold River Racquet Club in the first meeting between the undersized Fed Cup veterans.
   But it wasn't that close. The 5-foot-7 (1.70-meter) Mestach, ranked No. 104 after reaching the Stockton final, led 5-1 in the second set and served for the match at 5-2. She double-faulted twice, though, and lost her serve.
   After the right-handed Oudin held serve for 4-5, she took a dubious medical timeout for a right shoulder injury. While Oudin, lying on a towel on her stomach, received treatment near her chair, the 21-year-old Mestach tried to stay warm by practicing her serve.
   It worked. After a 10-minute break, Mestach held serve for the match.
   Oudin is mystified by the decline early in her career.
   "I honestly can't tell you," she said after beating eighth-seeded Naomi Broady of Great Britain in the second round of the Stockton Challenger. "The heart thing I've had since I was 19 or 20. I just didn't know what it was. I'm not making an excuse, but it definitely happened in a ton of matches, and I didn't really know what it was.

No. 4 seed Nao Hibino, who won last week's Stockton Chall-
enger, dominated Sanaz Marand. Photo by Mal Taam

   "A lot of people go up when they're young and go back down the rankings, and it just takes time to get back up again."
   Oudin's health problems have changed her perspective.
   "I've had some pretty crappy luck over the past two years, but I'm really happy," said the 270th-ranked Oudin. "I feel I'm almost playing a little better now (with) a little less pressure because I've gone through so much and realize there's way more to life than just tennis.
   "I feel like it's good not putting pressure on myself, because a lot of times I will put way too much on myself. Just starting back, no one expects me to win. I shouldn't expect right away to be winning tournaments, so every match (I win) is definitely a good thing."
   Broady can see how Oudin got to the U.S. Open quarterfinals.
   "She's a really good mover," said the 6-foot-2 (1.89-meter) Broady, who won the doubles title in the 2013 Gold River Challenger with Storm Sanders of Australia. "She's really quick. She hit a really good ball the first few games of the match. She was actually more aggressive than I was.
   "She's a little 'pocket rocket,' really. She's a great player, and I think her ranking will get back up there soon."
   It appears, though, that Oudin needs to lose weight.

No. 7 Kimiko Date-Krumm, 44, overcame a slow
start to beat Jessica Pegula. Photo by Mal Taam

   After the first round of the Gold River Challenger, all eight seeds remain -- a rarity in professional tennis. The biggest surprise Wednesday was Jan Abaza, 20, ousting fellow American Julia Boserup, last year's runner-up to Olivia Rogowska of Australia, 6-3, 6-3. Rogowska did not return this year.
   Half of the seeds are Japanese. Joining No. 2 Eri Hozumi, who won on Tuesday, in the second round were No. 4 Nao Hibino, No. 6 Mayo Hibi and No. 7 Kimiko Date-Krumm, a 44-year-old marvel.
   Hibino, the Stockton champion, dominated American left-hander Sanaz Marand 6-2, 6-3 after beating her 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) in the Stockton semifinals.
   "The court is a little bit different from last week," said Hibino, 20. "It's faster, and the bounce is a little bit low. She hits a lot of spin, and I think it doesn't work (on this court)."
   Hibi, who won the Gold River Challenger two years ago at 17, dismissed American qualifier Nicole Frenkel 6-3, 6-3. Hibi was born in Japan but moved to Foster City in the San Francisco Bay Area at 2 1/2 and to Irvine, her current residence, a few years later.
   Date-Krumm topped Jessica Pegula, the runner-up to Maria Sanchez in the inaugural Gold River Challenger three years ago at 18, 1-6, 6-4 6-2. Pegula's billionaire father, Terry, owns the NFL's Buffalo Bills and the NHL's Buffalo Sabres.
   It took Date-Krumm one set to start moving her feet and get in a rhythm after reaching the Stockton semifinals, in which she lost to Mestach in three sets.
   "After Stockton, I took one day off and had two days of easy practice but still (didn't have) confidence  in my legs," said Date-Krumm, who ascended to No. 4 in the world 20 years ago but retired at age 26 for 12 years. "In practice, I was OK, but in the match, moving is different, so I was worried too much.
   "Also, in the beginning ... (my) moving (was) not good because she has big power, so we have no (rallies). If I start moving, I'm getting better, but in the beginning, I was still sleeping," Date-Krumm added with a laugh.
   Hibino will play Kristie Ahn, a 23-year-old former Stanford star. Date-Krumm will face Jamie Loeb, who won the NCAA title in May as a sophomore at the University of North Carolina.
   Watching Jovana Jaksic's first-round victory were fellow Serbians and former Sacramento Kings stars Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic.
   Qualifier Michaela Gordon, a resident of Saratoga in the Bay Area who will turn 16 on Sunday, lost to wild card Brooke Austin, an All-American as a freshman at the University of Florida this year, 6-2, 6-4. 

$50,000 FSP GOLD RIVER WOMEN'S CHALLENGER

At Gold River Racquet Club in Gold River, Calif.

First-round singles

   Asia Muhammad, United States, def. Naomi Cavaday, Great Britain, 6-2, 6-2.
   Kimiko Date-Krumm (7) def. Jessica Pegula, United States, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.
   Nao Hibino (4), Japan, def. Sanaz Marand, United States, 6-2, 6-3.

   Mayo Hibi (6), Japan, def. Nicole Frenkel, United States, 6-3, 6-3.
   Jan Abaza, United States, def. Julia Boserup, United States, 6-3, 6-3.
   Robin Anderson, United States, def. Lauren Embree, United States, 6-2, 6-4.

   Jovana Jaksic, Serbia, def. Manon Arcangioli, France, 6-2, 6-4.

   Kristie Ahn, United States, def. Chanel Simmonds, South Africa, 7-5, 6-2.

   Brooke Austin, United States, def. Michaela Gordon, Saratoga, 6-2, 6-4.

   Ashley Weinhold, United States, def. Mari Osaka, Japan, 6-4, 6-2.

   Jamie Loeb, United States, def. Kelly Chen, United States, 6-3, 6-4.

   Jennifer Brady (5), United States, def. Clothilde De Bernardi, France, 7-6 (7), 5-7, 6-4.

   An-Sophie Mestach (1), Belgium, def. Melanie Oudin, United States, 6-4, 6-4.   

First-round doubles

   Naomi Cavaday, Great Britain, and Alexandra Stevenson, United States, def. Samantha Crawford and Asia Muhammad, United States, 7-6 (5), 4-6 [12-10].

   Jovana Jaksic, Serbia, and Anhelina Kalinina, Ukraine, def. Usue Maitane Arconada and Kylie McKenzie, United States, 6-7 (5), 6-1 [10-8].

   Alexandra Facey and Kat Facey, Cameron Park, def. Jillian Taggart, Fair Oaks, and Karina Kristina Vyrlan, Sacramento, 7-5, 1-6 [10-6].

Thursday's schedule

Stadium

(Starting at 10 a.m.)

   Kimiko Date-Krumm (7), Japan, vs. Jamie Loeb, United States.

   An-Sophie Mestach (1), Belgium, vs. Jan Abaza, United States.

   Anhelina Kalinina (8), Ukraine, vs. Jovana Jaksic, Serbia.

   Jan Abaza and Melanie Oudin (3), United States, vs. Ashley Weinhold and Caitlin Whoriskey, United States.

Court 3
(Starting at 10 a.m.)

   Mayo Hibi (6), Japan, vs. Ashley Weinhold, United States.
   Eri Hozumi (2), Japan, vs. Brooke Austin, United States.
   CiCi Bellis (3), Atherton, vs. Asia Muhammad, United States.
   Eri Hozumi, Japan, and An-Sophie Mestach (1), Belgium, vs. Manon Arcangioli and Clothilde De Bernardi, France.

Court 4 

(Starting at 11 a.m.)

   Nao Hibino (4), Japan, vs. Kristie Ahn, United States.
   Jennifer Brady (5), United States, vs. Robin Anderson, United States.

Japan's Hibino has yen for Stockton Challenger

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hibino avenges one-sided loss to reach Stockton final

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

$50,000 USTA PRO CIRCUIT CHALLENGER

At University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif.

Singles semifinals

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

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

Doubles final

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

Today's schedule

(Starting at noon)

Stadium

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

U.S. teens Loeb, Chirico outclass seeds in Challenger

Jamie Loeb, 19, routed second-seeded An-Sophie
Mestach of Belgium 6-1, 6-2 to reach the quarter-
finals of the Gold River Women's Challenger.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   GOLD RIVER, Calif. -- Jamie Loeb might be one-and-done.
   Louisa Chirico took it one step further, turning professional two months ago out of high school.
   Both New York-area residents ousted high seeds today to reach the quarterfinals of the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger.
   Loeb, 19, of Ossining, N.Y., whipped second-seeded An-Sophie Mestach of Belgium 6-1, 6-2 in a match that actually lasted 1 hour, 32 minutes at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area.
   Chirico, an 18-year-old resident of Harrison, N.Y., topped fourth-seeded Nicole Gibbs, a former Stanford star from Marina del Rey in the Los Angeles area, 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-1 on a 92-degree (33.3 Celsius) day. 
   Also today, 5-foot-3 (1.61-meter) Danielle Lao, a 23-year-old former USC All-American, routed 6-foot-2 (1.88-meter) Samantha Crawford, 19, of Tamarac, Fla., 6-4, 6-1. Crawford won the 2012 U.S. Open girls title and reached the semifinals of the inaugural Gold River Challenger earlier that year.
   Loeb, who has trained at the Manhattan-based John McEnroe Tennis Academy for the past four years, led North Carolina to a runner-up finish in the NCAA Championships in May as a freshman. Ranked No. 1 in singles, Loeb reached the NCAA quarterfinals before losing to eventual runner-up Lynn Chi of Cal.

Louisa Chirico, 18, defeated fourth-seeded Nicole
Gibbs, a former Stanford star, 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-1.

   The 5-foot-6 (1.68-meter) Loeb, a girls singles quarterfinalist at Wimbledon last year, said she'll decide whether to return to North Carolina based on her results in pro tournaments this summer. For the Tar Heels, today's victory was not encouraging.
   Loeb, who played Mestach for the first time, attributed her lopsided win to a scouting report by USTA coaches at the tournament.
   The keys, Loeb said, were to "attack the forehand and hit body serves to jam her. She either missed the return or I got an easy ball. I also tried to use my variety and step up when I had the chance and drive the ball."
   Mestach, ranked No. 167 in the world at 20 years old, has a huge windup on her forehand and can pound the ball -- if it's in her strike zone.
   "Her forehand is a weapon," Loeb conceded, "but any high forehands or backhands were weaknesses."
   Mestach, who lists grass as her favorite surface, said her 2-hour, 52-minute marathon against American Allie Will less than 24 hours earlier had no effect on today's outcome.
   "I'm just not playing well at the moment," she lamented before rushing off for a two-hour practice.
   Loeb is coached by Felix Alvarado from McEnroe's academy but said she has hit with the 55-year-old legend "quite a bit" and played five or six practice sets against him.
   "I haven't won yet," Loeb noted.
   McEnroe apparently is as fiery as ever. In an observation that rivals the sun rising in the east and setting in the west for news value, Loeb said McEnroe "doesn't like to lose. He gets upset if he loses a point."
   Chirico, a girls singles semifinalist at the French Open and Wimbledon last year, had little trouble deciding to turn pro rather than attend Stanford or Duke.
   "It was always something I wanted to do," said Chirico, wearing a small Wimbledon necklace. "My parents wanted me to wait until I finished my junior year to decide. It was in my heart, and it has all worked out."
   Chirico already has risen to No. 250. In her last two tournaments before the Gold River Challenger, she won the title in Padova, Italy, and reached the final in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, in back-to-back $25,000 Challengers last month on red clay, her favorite surface.
   Chirico, 5-foot-9 (1.75 meters), displayed power and athleticism against Gibbs, only 5-foot-6 (1.68 meters) and 130 pounds (59 kilograms).
   "I stayed really solid when I needed to," Chirico said. "I needed to cut down on errors and make more first serves. That's what I did, and I think that was the difference."
   Although Gibbs is ranked a career-high No. 145, she fell apart in the third set and was beside herself with frustration. Gibbs struggled with her serve, getting broken all four times, and hardly could hit a ball in the court. By the last game, she could only laugh at her ineptitude.
   "We both had a lot of trouble serving," said Gibbs, who turned pro last summer after winning her second straight NCAA singles title as a junior. "It was a back-and-forth match. Early in the third set, I felt my strings were going to break, that the tension was off. I switched rackets and then switched back and couldn't get any rhythm. I was hitting everything out."
   Gibbs said her goal is to crack the top 100 but admitted that "it will take a much better effort than today."

$50,000 FSP GOLD RIVER WOMEN'S CHALLENGER

At Gold River Racquet Club

In Gold River, Calif.

Second-round singles 

   Julia Boserup (7), United States, def. Jennifer Elie, United States, 7-5, 6-2.

   Danielle Lao, United States, def. Samantha Crawford, United States, 6-4, 6-1. 

   Nao Hibino (8), Japan, def. Laura Pigossi, Brazil, 6-1, 6-2.

   Madison Brengle (3), United States, def. Storm Sanders, Australia, 7-5, 6-1.

   Sachia Vickery (6), United States, def. Chiara Scholl, United States, 6-1, 6-0.

   Louisa Chirico, United States, def. Nicole Gibbs (4), United States, 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-1.

   Jamie Loeb, United States, def. An-Sophie Mestach (2), Belgium, 6-1, 6-2.
   Olivia Rogowska (1), Australia, def. Peggy Porter, United States, 7-6 (5), 6-3.

  Doubles quarterfinals

   Jacqueline Cako and Danielle Lao (3), United States, def. Jessica Lawrence, United States, and Alina Soltanici, Moldova, 6-2, 6-3.

   Daria Gavrilova, Russia, and Storm Sanders, Australia, def. Samantha Crawford and Sachia Vickery, United States, 6-3, 6-3.

Thursday's schedule

(Starting at 1 p.m.)

Stadium

   Olivia Rogowska (1), Australia, vs. Sachia Vickery (6), United States.

   Nao Hibino (8), Japan, vs. Jamie Loeb, United States.

   Julia Boserup (7), United States, vs. Louisa Chirico, United States (6:30 p.m.).

   Jamie Loeb and Allie Will, United States, vs. Maria Sanchez and Zoe Scandalis, United States. 

Court 3

   Madison Brengle (3), United States, vs. Danielle Lao, United States.

   Macall Harkins and Peggy Porter, United States, vs. Natalie Pluskota and Keri Wong (2), United States.