Querrey routs Smyczek for Napa Challenger title

Sam Querrey poses with tournament committee chairman Kevin Crossland, left,
and tournament director Chris Arns after winning the Napa Valley Challenger.
Photos by Paul Bauman

   NAPA, Calif. — It was great news for tournament director Chris Arns when Sam Querrey requested a late wild card for the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger.
   It wasn't so swell for Tim Smyczek.
   The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Querrey, a Davis Cup veteran who has been ranked as high as No. 17 in the world, overpowered the 5-foot-9 (1.75-meter) Smyczek 6-3, 6-1 today for the title of the second annual tournament.

Tim Smyczek displays his runner-up trophy with Todd Meginness,
the general manager of the Napa Valley Country Club, and Arns.

   The match between the 26-year-old Americans lasted only 54 minutes on a cloudy, cool day at the beautiful Napa Valley Country Club. He will climb from No. 54 in the world to No. 47 after his first Challenger since winning the title on clay in Sarasota, Fla., in April 2012
   Querrey was born in San Francisco and grew up in nearby Santa Rosa before moving to Las Vegas at 7 and Thousand Oaks in the Los Angeles area at 10. His father, Mike, is a mortgage banker, and his mother, Chris, is a housewife.
   Rather than travel to Asia to play on the elite ATP World Tour, Querrey chose the three-week Northern California swing through Napa, Sacramento and Tiburon on the lower-level Challenger tour.
   "I was (going to be) in the qualifying of Tokyo and Shanghai, not in the main draw," explained Querrey, who lives in Las Vegas. "I don't have a coach right now. David Nainkin and I (parted) ways earlier in the year. I didn't want to go all the way over there by myself.
   "I just knew that wasn't going to be the right decision for me. I'm comfortable here, there are some USTA coaches here, I've got family and friends here, and it just seemed like a better fit for me."

Querrey used his booming serve to rout Smyczek 6-3, 6-1
in 54 minutes for the title.

   Querrey used his devastating serve and forehand to improve to 3-1 against Smyczek (pronounced SMEE-check), who grew up in Milwaukee and trains in Tampa, Fla. The previous matches had been close, with Smyczek winning the last one. That came in the first round of an ATP grass-court tournament in Newport, R.I., last year.     
   This time, several factors conspired to doom Smyzcek in the one-sided match.
   Querrey has played well lately after falling to No. 175 James Ward in the United States' 3-1 upset loss to Great Britain in the first round of the Davis Cup in San Diego in February.
   In his last three competitions before Napa, Querrey reached the semifinals at Winston-Salem, N.C., for the third straight year, reached the third round of the U.S. Open before losing to top-ranked Novak Djokovic in straight sets and won both of his matches in a 5-0 victory over Slovakia in Chicago in the Davis Cup World Group playoffs.   
   Querrey blasted 10 aces to Smyczek's none, converted 71 percent of his first serves and won 80 percent of the points on his first delivery. He saved all three break points against him.
   "I'm feeling confident, feeling good," said Querrey, who has won seven career ATP singles titles. "I don't think (Smyczek) had his best day out here, but I felt like I kept the pressure on him and served really well. That's usually the key for me."
   Then there was Querrey's homecourt advantage.
   "I'm very comfortable here," he emphasized. "I love playing in California."

Top seeds Adil Shamasdin, second from left, and Peter Polansky
of Canada beat No. 2 Bradley Klahn and Smyczek 7-6 (0), 6-1
for the doubles crown.

   Smyczek, meanwhile, complained that "my game in general was not very sharp today. It might not have even mattered. Sam was serving at a really high percentage, and when he does that, he really makes it tough on guys. Today, he just played too (well)."
   Smyczek was coming off a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over 17-year-old Jared Donaldson, arguably the United States' top teenage prospect, in their first meeting.
   "Yesterday's singles match was not so much physically tiring as it was a little mentally tiring," said Smyczek, who will remain No. 99. "I had some nerves coming out, and that's normal playing a young kid who's as good as Jared is. It took a lot mentally for me to get through that match."
   Smyczek added that the 6-foot-2 (1.88-meter) Donaldson has "a lot of potential. He's got a couple of big weapons (the serve and forehand), but the main thing is he's so solid with everything he does. You don't see that very often in a player his age.
   "Usually, good players his age have a glaring weakness, and he doesn't. He could be a heck of a player. He already is. If he keeps working hard — he's got a great coach in Taylor Dent — the sky's the limit. He's a great talent."  
   Smyczek fought to a 2-2 tie in the first set of the final, but Querrey reeled off 10 of the last 12 games.
   "Early on, I had a tough service game at 2-all," said Querrey, who roomed with Smyczek at the Arnses' house during the week. "We were kind of back and forth. When I got through that, I gained a little confidence. Then I was able to swing out a little more and play a little more aggressively."
   Querrey could sweep the Napa, Sacramento and Tiburon titles.
   "I feel I've got a little momentum right now," he said. "I played well not only in this tournament but in the Davis Cup and U.S. Open. It's the best I've felt all year. Hopefully, I'll ride it out through the rest of the year and finish strong."
   Smyczek also lost in the doubles final for the second consecutive year. Top-seeded Peter Polansky and Adil Shamasdin of Canada defeated second-seeded Bradley Klahn, a former NCAA singles champion from Stanford, and Smyczek 7-6 (0), 6-1.   
   In last year's doubles final, Bobby Reynolds of Marietta, Ga., and John-Patrick Smith of Australia topped Steve Johnson of Orange, Calif., and Smyczek. Reynolds retired in July at 32.

Querrey, Smyczek reach Napa Challenger final

Sam Querrey, shown at Indian Wells in March, and Tim Smyczek
have several similarities. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Sam Querrey and Tim Smyczek wouldn't seem to have much in common.
   After all, Querrey is 6-foot-6 (1.98 meters), and Smyczek (pronounced SMEE-check) is 5-foot-9 (1.75 meters).
   Upon further examination, however, they have several similarities:
   --Querrey and Smyczek are seeded first and second, respectively, in this week's $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger.
   --They're both 26.
   --They're both American, although Querrey grew up in sunny Southern California and Smyczek in frigid Milwaukee.
   --And they both skipped college to turn pro.
   Querrey, ranked 54th in the world after climbing to a career-high No. 17 in early 2011, and Smyczek, ranked 99th, will meet today at 1 in the final at the Napa Valley Country Club after beating unseeded upstarts.
   Querrey, a native of nearby San Francisco, cruised past Alex Bolt, a 21-year-old left-hander from Australia, 6-2, 6-3 in 55 minutes. Bolt reached the Australian Open doubles quarterfinals with countryman Andrew Whittington in January.
   Smyczek overcame 17-year-old Jared Donaldson, perhaps the United States' top prospect, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Smyczek also lost the first set in his second-round victory over American Bjorn Fratangelo.
   Querrey leads the head-to-head series 2-1, but Smyczek won their last meeting 6-4, 7-6 (8) in the first round on grass at Newport, R.I., in 2013. Querrey also was seeded first there.

$50,000 NAPA VALLEY CHALLENGER

At Napa Valley Country Club in Napa, Calif.

Singles semifinals

   Sam Querrey (1), United States, def. Alex Bolt, Australia, 6-2, 6-3.
   Tim Smyczek (2), United States, def. Jared Donaldson, United States, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Doubles semifinals

   Bradley Klahn and Tim Smyczek (2), United States, def. Alex Bolt, Australia, and Frank Dancevic, Canada, 6-4, 6-3.

Today's schedule

Center Court

(Starting at 1 p.m.)

   Sam Querrey (1), United States, vs. Tim Smyczek (2), United States.
   Peter Polansky and Adil Shamasdin (1), Canada, vs. Bradley Klahn and Tim Smyczek (2), United States.

Baghdatis' streak ends in Napa Challenger

   It doesn't quite compare to Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak or Cal Ripken's 2,632 consecutive games played.

Marcos Baghdatis, the 2006 Australian Open runner-
up, practices at the Napa Valley Country Club on
Wednesday. Photo by Paul Bauman

   But Marcos Baghdatis' streak of consecutive Challenger victories this year was pretty impressive. It ended Thursday at 16 when the third-seeded Baghdatis retired from his second-round match in the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger with Australia's John Millman leading 6-2, 3-0 at the Napa Valley Country Club.
   Baghdatis reinjured his right ankle, which forced him to retire from his first-round match in the U.S. Open last month against eventual champion Marin Cilic. Baghdatis withdrew from the Sacramento and Tiburon Challengers in the next two weeks.
   Until Thursday, Baghdatis had been undefeated in 2014 Challengers. The 29-year-old Cypriot won the titles at Nottingham in June and Vancouver and Aptos in consecutive weeks in July and August.
   Baghdatis reached the final of the 2006 Australian Open, losing Roger Federer, and climbed to a career-high No. 8 in the world later that year. He is now No. 108.
   Millman, the 2010 Sacramento Challenger champion who has had his own injury issues, will face countryman Alex Bolt in today's quarterfinals. Bolt, an Australian Open doubles quarterfinalist this year, outlasted 20-year-old Dennis Novikov of San Jose 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
   The other quarterfinal in the top half of the draw will be an all-American encounter. Top-seeded Sam Querrey, a 26-year-old native of nearby San Francisco, will meet 36-year-old Michael Russell, seeded sixth.
   The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Querrey is 7-0 against the 5-foot-8 (1.73-meter) Russell.
   Querrey needed 2 hours, 20 minutes to defeat 18-year-old Elias Ymer of Sweden 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5), 6-3. Ymer was up a break at 4-3 in the second set.
   Russell topped American Rhyne Williams, a quarterfinalist in last year's inaugural Napa Valley Challenger, 4-6, 6-0, 6-1. 

$50,000 NAPA VALLEY CHALLENGER

At Napa Valley Country Club in Napa, Calif.

Second-round singles

   Michael Russell (6), United States, def. Rhyne Williams, United States, 4-6, 6-0, 6-1.
   Alex Bolt, Australia, def. Dennis Novikov, San Jose, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
   John Millman, Australia, def. Marcos Baghdatis (3), Cyprus, 6-2, 3-0, retired.
   Sam Querrey (1), United States, def. Elias Ymer, Sweden, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5), 6-3.

Doubles quarterfinals

   Bradley Klahn and Tim Smyczek (2), United States, def. Liam Broady, Great Britain, and Jordan Thompson, Australia, 6-2, 7-6 (4).
   Alex Kuznetsov, United States, and Nils Langer, Germany, def. Adam Hubble and John-Patrick Smith, Australia, 6-3, 6-4.
   Peter Polansky and Adil Shamasdin (1), Canada, def. Denis Kudla and Michael Russell, United States, 6-4, 3-6 [10-7].

Today's schedule

Center Court

(Starting at 11 a.m.)

   Julian Lenz, Germany, vs. Jared Donaldson, United States.
   Tim Smyczek (2), United States, vs. Liam Broady, Great Britain.
   Sam Querrey (1), United States, vs. Michael Russell, United States (not before 2 p.m.).
   Peter Polansky and Adil Shamasdin (1), Canada, vs. Alex Kuznetsov, United States, and Nils Langer, Germany.

Court 7

(Starting at noon)

   John Millman, Australia, vs. Alex Bolt, Australia.

Potential star Donaldson gains 'special' victory

Jared Donaldson, 17, beat injured Wayne Odesnik on Wednesday in Napa
to reach his first Challenger quarterfinal. Photo by Paul Bauman

    NAPA, Calif. -- They were two of the few Americans in a stadium far from home.
   The scene was the 5,500-seat Center Court at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club, known as the "Cathedral of Argentine Tennis" in a nation that has produced Guillermo Vilas, Gabriela Sabatini, David Nalbandian and Juan Martin del Potro.
   Wayne Odesnik, a lucky loser and the only U.S. player in the draw, was facing Nalbandian at night in the first round of the 2012 Copa Claro, a clay-court tournament on the ATP World Tour.
   In the stands was Jared Donaldson, an obscure 15-year-old player from that noted tennis hotbed of Rhode Island, with his father, Courtney. They recently had moved to Buenos Aires so the lanky Jared could train on clay and work on his movement and point construction.
   Two and a half years later, Donaldson faced Odesnik on the court Wednesday at the beautiful Napa Valley Country Club and advanced to his first Challenger quarterfinal.
   It won't go down as a classic. Donaldson converted only 35 percent of his first serves, and Odesnik retired with an inflamed left big toe with Donaldson leading 6-2, 3-1, 30-0. But it was poignant for Donaldson.

Odesnik, shown Wednesday, played a 2012
match in Buenos Aires that Donaldson attend-
ed as a 15-year-old. Photo by Paul Bauman

  Odesnik won the 2007 Sacramento Challenger at the Sutter Lawn Tennis Club but was suspended for one year in 2010 for importing human growth hormone into Australia.
   The 28-year-old left-hander from Florida might be the only American man or woman who lists clay as his or her favorite surface. He lost to Nalbandian, the 2002 Wimbledon runner-up and former world No. 3 who retired last year at 31 after numerous injuries, 6-2, 6-3 in Buenos Aires. 
   "It's funny, actually," Donaldson recalled. "When I was down there, I didn't know I was going to be as good as I am now or as good as I could be. I was just playing tennis and looking up to a lot of those guys playing down there and saying, 'Another American is in Argentina; he's playing.' I thought that was really cool. Now that I have the chance to play these guys, it's pretty special for me."
   Also advancing Wednesday was Liam Broady, a 20-year-old left-hander from Great Britain who defeated 2013 Napa semifinalist Alex Kuznetsov of Tampa, Fla., 7-6 (6), 6-4. Kuznetsov had a set point in the tiebreaker on Broady's serve and led 4-1 (one service break) in the second set.
   In Friday's quarterfinals, Donaldson will play hard-serving Julian Lenz, a 21-year-old German qualifier, and Broady will meet second-seeded Tim Smyczek of Tampa, Fla. The other quarterfinal matchups will be determined today.
   Under the tutelage of former top-25 player Taylor Dent, the 6-foot-2 (1.88-meter) Donaldson suddenly has emerged as perhaps the United States' top teenage prospect at 17. He and junior rival Collin Altamirano of Sacramento trained with Roger Federer for two weeks last December in Dubai, where the Swiss star has a residence.
   At No. 342 in the world, Donaldson is the third-youngest player in the top 350 after No. 140 Borna Coric of Croatia and No. 149 Alexander Zverev of Germany. Donaldson will turn 18 on Oct. 9, the 6-foot-1 (1.85-meter) Coric on Nov. 14 and the 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Zverev next April 20.
   Donaldson won three consecutive Futures titles (in four weeks) in June and qualified for his first main draw on the elite ATP World Tour in Washington, D.C., before losing to 30-year-old American  Rajeev Ram 6-7 (1), 6-4, 7-5 in the opening round.
   Donaldson turned pro last month just before the U.S. Open, allowing him to pocket $35,754 for losing to 20th-seeded Gael Monfils of France 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in the first round as a wild card at Flushing Meadows. Monfils advanced to the quarterfinals and had two match points against Federer in a five-set loss.
   Donaldson trained in Buenos Aires for 2 1/2 years and said it helped his game "tremendously." Andy Murray left his native Scotland at 15 and practiced on clay in sunny Barcelona, Spain, for the same amount of time.   
   Shortly after Donaldson returned to the United States early last year, he reached the final of the USTA Boys 18 National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich. Donaldson fell to Altamirano, who's 10 months older, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 in the title match but routed him in their next meeting less than a year later, 6-2, 6-1, en route to the title of the $15,000 Oklahoma City Futures.
   "At Kalamazoo, when I lost in the finals to him, it was really my breakout tournament. Same thing for him. I was never really the best (junior). I was good, but I wasn't the best or even close to it, to be honest. But I've been working really, really hard because I've always wanted to be really, really good," the candid Donaldson said of his turnaround against Altamirano.
   "My goal is to win Slams eventually, so I've been working really, really hard, and I've just been trying to be a professional my entire career. Even when I wasn't labeled a professional, I was training like one and had the mindset of a professional."
   Donaldson began working with Dent last November after attending his academy in Fountain Valley in the Los Angeles area.
   The affable Dent is the 33-year-old son of Australian Phil Dent, who lost to Jimmy Connors in the final of the 1974 Australian Open, and American Betty Ann (Grubb) Stuart, who reached the women's doubles final in the 1977 U.S. Open with transsexual Renee Richards. Taylor Dent is married to former WTA player Jennifer Hopkins.
   Dent, a rare serve-and-volleyer, reached a career-high No. 21 in the world in 2005 before undergoing three back operations. He returned to the top 100 in 2009 but retired the following year at 29.
   "He's helped me in a number of aspects," Donaldson said. "He's been a great influence on my serve. That's the real reason I went to him at first. My serve was a huge liability. Even though I didn't showcase it (Wednesday) as well as I would have liked, it has really become a strength in my game. Before, I never had confidence in it. Now, even when I don't have good days like (Wednesday), I still have confidence that I'm going to go up to the line and hit a really good first serve.
   "He's also helped me with my forehand, my backhand, my net game, my mental game, my defense, everything. He's been a huge influence on me on the court and also off the court. He was a 17-year-old, too, coming up and playing on the tour. Also, he's just a really, really nice person. I'm lucky that I have him around."
   Training with Federer in Dubai reinforced Dent's instructions about court positioning, opening up the court, accuracy on groundstrokes and serves, and defense.
   "I hadn't been working with him that long," Donaldson noted. "Not that I didn't believe him or have confidence in what he was saying, but I was still unsure. Look, I'm a pretty stubborn person. If someone tells me something, I don't just blindly accept it. I really need to understand it and believe it if I'm going to implement it into my game. I was a little hesitant about what he was saying. I didn't have full faith in it.
   "When I saw that Federer was doing the same things that I was trying to work on -- obviously he was doing it at a much higher level -- it gave me a lot of confidence in Taylor. I said, 'Taylor's right. He's telling me the truth. He's telling me what I need to hear.' "
   Donaldson began playing at 4 years old at the Kirkbrae Country Club in Lincoln, a suburb of Providence in the smallest state in area in the United States. The club has four hardcourts but, despite the snowy winters, none indoors.
   "My mom took my sister and me to the pool every single day," said Donaldson, whose father owned a construction company. "One day, I just wandered over to the tennis courts, picked up a racket and started playing. I played for five hours a day for a week in a row. My mom was like, 'Well, Jared, where do you go? I don't see you.' 'I go and play tennis.' 'Oh, really? For that long?'
   "My parents saw that I took an interest in tennis, and they started (paying for) private lessons. One thing led to another, and here I am."
   On the ATP World Tour web site, Donaldson says he'd be a poker player if he weren't a touring pro in tennis.
   "I really like playing poker, and I've studied the game pretty in-depth," he said.
   Donaldson attributes his interest to the "Moneymaker Effect."
   "When I was 6, I was watching ESPN, and I saw Moneymaker win the main event," Donaldson said. "I was like, 'Poker looks fun,' so I started playing."
   Will Donaldson reach tennis stardom? He's betting on it. 

Napa Challenger results, schedule

$50,000 NAPA VALLEY CHALLENGER

At Napa Valley Country Club in Napa, Calif.

Second-round singles

   Tim Smyczek (2), United States, def. Bjorn Fratangelo, United States, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
   Liam Broady, Great Britain, def. Alex Kuznetsov, United States, 7-6 (6), 6-4.
   Julian Lenz, Germany, def. Daniel Nguyen, United States, 7-6 (4), 6-2.
   Jared Donaldson, United States, def. Wayne Odesnik, United States, 6-2, 3-1, 30-0, retired.

First-round doubles

   Denis Kudla and Michael Russell, United States, def. Wesley Koolhof, Netherlands, and Elias Ymer, Sweden, 4-6, 7-6 (3) [10-7].
   Peter Polansky and Adil Shamasdin (1), Canada, def. Bjorn Fratangelo and Marcos Giron, United States, 6-2, 6-3.
   Alex Kuznetsov, United States, and Nils Langer, Germany, def. James Cluskey and James McGee, Ireland, 7-6 (4), 6-3.
   Liam Broady, Great Britain, and Jordan Thompson, Australia, def. Julio Peralta, Chile, and Matt Seeberger, Los Altos, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (6) [10-7].

   Doubles quarterfinals

   Alex Bolt, Australia, and Frank Dancevic, Canada, def. Sekou Bangoura and Vahid Mirzadeh (3), United States, 7-6 (4), 1-6 [10-7].

Thursday's schedule

Center Court

(Starting at 11 a.m.)

   Michael Russell (6), United States, vs. Rhyne Williams, United States.
   Bradley Klahn and Tim Smyczek (2), United States, vs. Liam Broady, Great Britain, and Jordan Thompson, Australia.
   Marcos Baghdatis (3), Cyprus, vs. John Millman, Australia (not before 2 p.m.).
   Sam Querrey (1), United States, vs. Elias Ymer, Sweden (not before 4 p.m.).

Court 7

(Starting at noon)

   Dennis Novikov, San Jose, vs. Alex Bolt, Australia.
   Adam Hubble and John-Patrick Smith, Australia, vs. Alex Kuznetsov, United States, and Nils Langer, Germany.
   Peter Polansky and Adil Shamasdin (1), Canada, vs. Denis Kudla and Michael Russell, United States.

Ginepri, two seeds ousted early in Napa Challenger

Robby Ginepri lost to Liam Broady of Great Britain 6-4, 6-0
in the first round of the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger.
2013 photo by Paul Bauman

   Neither past accomplish- ments nor seedings meant much in the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger on Monday.
   Robby Ginepri, the only active American man to reach a Grand Slam singles semifinal, lost to Liam Broady of Great Britain 6-4, 6-0 in the first round at the Napa Valley Country Club.
   Both singles seeds in action Monday also fell. No. 4 Bradley Klahn, a former Stanford star, lost to fellow American left-hander Wayne Odesnik 6-4, 6-4. And No. 7 Denis Kudla succumbed to Alex Kuznetsov 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 in another all-American matchup.
   Ginepri, who lost to Andre Agassi in five sets in the semis of the 2005 U.S. Open, has reached the fourth round or better at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
   The 31-year-old right-hander won the Tallahassee Challenger on clay in May and earned a wild card into the French Open, where he was annihilated by eventual champion Rafael Nadal 6-0, 6-3, 6-0 in the first round.
   Broady, a 20-year-old left-hander, won the boys doubles titles at Wimbledon in 2010 and the Australian Open in 2012. His sister, 24-year-old Naomi, gained the Wimbledon mixed doubles quarterfinals this year with countryman Neal Skupski. Both Broadys are 6-foot-2 (1.89 meters).
   Kuznetsov advanced to the semifinals of last year's inaugural Napa Challenger, and Kudla and Klahn reached the quarterfinals. Kudla was seeded first.
   This year's No. 1 seed, 54th-ranked Sam Querrey, is scheduled to play today not before 1 p.m. in the first round against qualifier Frederik Nielsen of Denmark.
   The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Querrey, a native of nearby San Francisco, has battled injuries since climbing to a career-high No. 17 in 2011.
   Nielsen and Jonathan Marray of Great Britain in 2012 became the first wild cards to win the Wimbledon men's doubles title. Nielsen's grandfather, Kurt, advanced to the Wimbledon singles final in 1953 and 1955. 

$50,000 NAPA VALLEY CHALLENGER

At Napa Valley Country Club in Napa, Calif.

Final-round singles qualifying

    Nils Langer (1), Germany, def. Jose (Rubin) Statham, New Zealand, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.
    Julian Lenz, Germany, def. Cameron Norrie, Great Britain, 6-2, 6-1.
    Daniel Nguyen (3), United States, def. Alexios Halebian, United States, 3-6, 6-3, 6-0.
    Frederik Nielsen (6), Denmark, def. Cameron Norrie, Great Britain, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-5.

First-round singles

   Wayne Odesnik, United States, def. Bradley Klahn (4), United States, 6-4, 6-4.
   Alex Kuznetsov, United States, def.  Denis Kudla (7), United States, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.

   Bjorn Fratangelo, United States, def. Kyle Edmund, Great Britain, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-2.
   Liam Broady, Great Britain, def. Robby Ginepri, United States, 6-4, 6-0.

First-round doubles

   Alex Bolt, Australia, and Frank Dancevic, Canada, def. Nicolas Meister and Clay Thompson, United States, 6-4, 3-6 [11-9].
   Adam Hubble and John-Patrick Smith, Australia, def. Tennys Sandgren and Rhyne Williams (4), United States, 6-2, 6-3.
   Bradley Klahn and Tim Smyczek (2), United States, def. Matt Reid, Australia, and Jose (Rubin) Statham, New Zealand, 6-4, 6-3.
   Sekou Bangoura and Vahid Mirzadeh (3), United States, def. Sebastian Bader, Austria, and Erik Elliott, United States, 6-3, 1-6 [10-3].

Today's schedule

(Starting at 10 a.m.)

Center Court

    Michael Russell (6), United States, vs. Tennys Sandgren, United States.
    Ryan Harrison, United States, vs. Jared Donaldson, United States.
    Sam Querrey (1), United States, vs. Frederik Nielsen, Denmark (not before 1 p.m.).
    Marcos Baghdatis (3), Cyprus, vs. Marcos Giron, United States.

  Court 7

   James McGee, Ireland, vs. Elias Ymer, Sweden.
   John-Patrick Smith, Australia, vs. Julian Lenz, Germany.
   Tim Smyczek (2), United States, vs. Nils Langer, Germany (not before 1 p.m).
   Matt Reid, Australia, vs. John Millman, Australia.
   Liam Broady, Great Britain, and Jordan Thompson, Australia, vs. Julio Peralta, Chile, and Matt Seeberger, Los Altos.

Court 8

   Frank Dancevic (8), Canada, vs. Daniel Nguyen, United States.
   Rhyne Williams, United States, vs. Jordan Thompson, Australia.
   Dennis Novikov, San Jose, vs. Matt Seeberger, Los Altos (not before 1 p.m.).
   Peter Polansky (5), Canada, vs. Alex Bolt, Australia.

Former U.S. star to play today in Napa Challenger

Robby Ginepri lost to Andre Agassi in five sets in the
2005 U.S. Open semifinals. 2013 photo by Paul Bauman

   Robby Ginepri, the only active American man to reach a Grand Slam singles semifinal, is scheduled to play Liam Broady of Great Britain today in the first round of the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger.
   The match will begin not before 4:30 p.m. at the Napa Valley Country Club. Admission is $15 daily through Thursday and $20 daily from Friday through Sunday.
   Ginepri, who lost to Andre Agassi in five sets in the semis of the 2005 U.S. Open, has reached the fourth round or better at all four Grand Slam tournaments. The 31-year-old resident of Kennesaw, Ga., also has won three titles on the ATP World Tour, the major leagues of men's tennis.
   Ginepri, a right-hander, reached a career-high No. 15 in the world in 2006 but broke his left elbow in 2010 when he fell off his bicycle trying to avoid a squirrel. He is now ranked No. 213.
   Broady won the boys doubles titles at Wimbledon in 2010 and the Australian Open in 2012. Now 20, the left-hander is ranked No. 286.
   Two all-American matches will precede Ginepri vs. Broady on Center Court.
   Fourth-seeded Bradley Klahn will meet fellow left-hander Wayne Odesnik not before 11:30 a.m. Klahn won the 2010 NCAA title as a Stanford sophomore, and graduated in 2012 and advanced to the quarterfinals of last year's inaugural Napa Valley Challenger.
   After the Klahn-Odesnik encounter, seventh-seeded Denis Kudla faces a tough assignment against Alex Kuznetsov. They reached the Napa quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, last year. Kudla was the top seed.
   On Sunday, a pair of 2012 Wimbledon champions played separate matches in the second round of qualifying.
   Sixth-seeded Frederik Nielsen, a Dane who won the men's doubles title at the All England Club with Jonathan Marray, edged wild card Clay Thompson, a 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) UCLA All-American, 2-6, 7-5 7-6 (6).
   Eighth-seeded Andrew Harris, who took the Wimbledon boys doubles crown with Australian countryman Nick Kyrgios, lost to left-hander Alexios Halebian, a 20-year-old Florida native, 7-5, 6-4.

$50,000 NAPA VALLEY CHALLENGER

At Napa Valley Country Club in Napa, Calif.

Second-round singles qualifying

   Nils Langer (1), Germany, def. Kevin Kim, United States, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.
   Jose (Rubin) Statham, New Zealand, def. Spencer Papa, United States, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
   Cameron Norrie, Great Britain, def. Ben McLachlan, New Zealand, 6-2, 6-2.
   Frederik Nielsen (6), Denmark, def. Clay Thompson, United States, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (6).
   Daniel Nguyen (3), United States, def. Dane Webb, United States, 7-5, 6-2.
   Alexios Halebian, United States, def. Andrew Harris (8), Australia, 7-5, 6-4.
   Mico Santiago, United States, def. Vahid Mirzadeh, United States, 6-3, 6-0.
   Julian Lenz, Germany, def. Daniel Garza (7), Mexico, 6-4, 6-2.

Today's schedule

(Starting at 10 a.m.)

Center Court

   Daniel Nguyen (3), United States,vs. Alexios Halebian, United States (final-round qualifying).
   Wayne Odesnik, United States, vs. Bradley Klahn (4), United States (not before 11:30 a.m.).
   Denis Kudla (7), United States, vs. Alex Kuznetsov, United States .
   Liam Broady, Great Britain, vs. Robby Ginepri, United States (not before 4:30 p.m.).

Court 7

   Cameron Norrie, Great Britain, vs. Frederik Nielsen (6), Denmark (final-round qualifying).
   Bjorn Fratangelo, United States, vs. Kyle Edmund, Great Britain (not before 11:30 a.m.).
   Alex Bolt, Australia, and Frank Dancevic, Canada, vs. Nicolas Meister and Clay Thompson, United States (not before 1 p.m).
   Tennys Sandgren and Rhyne Williams (4), United States, vs. Adam Hubble and John-Patrick Smith, Australia (not before 2:30 p.m.; may move to Center Court).
    Matt Reid, Australia, and Jose (Rubin) Statham, New Zealand, vs. Bradley Klahn and Tim Smyczek (2), United States (not before 3:30 p.m.).

Court 8

   Nils Langer (1), Germany, vs. Jose (Rubin) Statham, New Zealand (final-round qualifying).
   Mico Santiago, United States, vs. Julian Lenz, Germany (final-round qualifying).
   Sekou Bangoura and Vahid Mirzadeh (3), United States, vs. Sebastian Bader, Austria, and Erik Elliott, United States (not before 1:30 p.m.).

Querrey enters next week's Napa Challenger

Sam Querrey, serving at Indian Wells in March, is seeded first
in the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Sam Querrey, ranked 52nd in the world, has accepted a wild card in the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger.
   The 26-year-old native of nearby San Francisco is seeded first in the second annual tournament at the Napa Valley Country Club. The main draw is scheduled for Monday through Sept. 28.
   Following Querrey in the seedings are, in order, Tim Smyczek, 2006 Australian Open runner-up Marcos Baghdatis, former Stanford star Bradley Klahn, Peter Polansky, Michael Russell, Denis Kudla and Frank Dancevic. 
   Querrey also is entered in the $100,000 Sacramento and Tiburon Challengers the following two weeks.
   The 6-foot-6 (1.98 meters) Querrey reached a career-high No. 17 in January 2011 but has battled injuries since then. He is coming off two singles victories in the United States' 5-0 triumph over Slovakia in the Davis Cup World Group playoffs last week in Chicago.
   Two of the three current or former Wimbledon champions in the Napa qualifying draw won their first-round matches on Saturday.
   Noah Rubin, who captured the junior boys singles title at the All England Club in July, lost to 21-year-old German Julian Lenz 6-4, 6-2.
   The 5-foot-9 (1.74-meter) Rubin, an 18-year-old product of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy in New York, recently began his freshman year at Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C.
   Sixth-seeded Frederik Nielsen, a Dane who won the 2012 Wimbledon men's doubles title with Jonathan Marray of Great Britain, dismissed wild card Victor Pham of Saratoga 6-2, 6-1. Pham has verbally committed to attend Columbia beginning next year.
   Eighth-seeded Andrew Harris, who took the 2012 Wimbledon boys doubles crown with fellow Australian Nick Kyrgios, routed former UC San Diego standout Erik Elliott 6-2, 6-0. 

$50,000 NAPA VALLEY CHALLENGER

At Napa Valley Country Club in Napa, Calif.

First-round singles qualifying

   Nils Langer (1), Germany, def. Nick Chappell, United States, 6-3, 6-1.
   Kevin Kim, United States, def. Sebastian Bader, Austria, 6-4, 6-4.
   Spencer Papa, United States, def. James Cluskey, Ireland, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-0.
   Jose (Rubin) Statham, New Zealand, def. Sekou Bangoura (5), United States, 6-4, 6-4.
   Cameron Norrie, Great Britain, def. Nicolas Meister (2), United States, 7-5, 6-2.
   Ben McLachlan, New Zealand, def. Chris Wettengel, United States, 6-4, 6-4.
   Clay Thompson, United States, def. Reilly Opelka, United States, 7-6 (8), 6-7 (8), 6-4.
   Frederik Nielsen (6), Denmark, def. Victor Pham, Saratoga, 6-2, 6-1.
   Daniel Nguyen (3), United States, def. Tommy Paul, United States, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
   Dane Webb, United States, def. Adam Hubble, Australia, 7-5, 6-3.
   Alexios Halebian, United States, def. Oren Motevassel, San Jose, 6-3, 6-2.
   Andrew Harris (8), Australia, def. Erik Elliott, United States, 6-2, 6-0.
   Mico Santiago, United States, def. Tigre Hank (4), Mexico, 6-0, 6-2.
   Vahid Mirzadeh, United States, def. Trey Strobel, United States, 6-4, 7-5.
   Julian Lenz, Germany, def. Noah Rubin, United States, 6-4, 6-2.
   Daniel Garza (7), Mexico, def. Wesley Koolhof, Netherlands, 7-5, 1-6, 6-3.

Today's schedule

(Starting at 10 a.m.)

Center Court

   Nils Langer (1), Germany, vs. Kevin Kim, United States.
   Julian Lenz, Germany, vs. Daniel Garza (7), Mexico.
   Doubles qualifying match (not before 1 p.m.)

Court 7

   Alexios Halebian, United States, vs. Andrew Harris (8), Australia.
   Spencer Papa, United States, vs. Jose (Rubin) Statham, New Zealand.
   Cameron Norrie, Great Britain, vs. Ben McLachlan, New Zealand.

Court 8

   Daniel Nguyen (3), United States, vs. Dane Webb, United States.
   Mico Santiago, United States, vs. Vahid Mirzadeh, United States.
   Clay Thompson, United States, vs. Frederik Nielsen (6), Denmark.

Wimbledon champs set for Napa qualifying

   Three Wimbledon champions -- one present and two past -- highlight today's schedule in the first round of qualifying for the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger.

Noah Rubin, shown in last year's Sacramento Challenger, won
the Wimbledon boys singles title in July. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Noah Rubin, who won the Wimbledon boys singles title in July, is scheduled to play Julian Lenz of Germany. Rubin also won the singles and doubles titles at the USTA Boys 18 National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich., in August.
   An 18-year-old product of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy in New York, the 5-foot-9 (1.74-meter) Rubin just began his freshman year at Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C.
   Sixth-seeded Frederik Nielsen, a Dane who captured the 2012 Wimbledon men's doubles title with Jonathan Marray of Great Britain, will take on wild card Victor Pham of Saratoga.
   Nielsen, the grandson of two-time Wimbledon singles runner-up Kurt Nielsen, and Marray became the first wild cards to win the men's doubles title at the All-England Club.
   Pham, a high school senior, has verbally committed to Columbia.
   Eighth-seeded Andrew Harris, an Australian who won the 2012 Wimbledon boys doubles title with Nick Kyrgios, will play former UC San Diego standout Erik Elliott.

$50,000 NAPA VALLEY CHALLENGER
At Napa Valley Country Club in Napa, Calif.

Today's schedule

(Starting at 10 a.m.)

Center Court

   Nils Langer, Germany, vs. Nick Chappell, United States.
   Jose (Rubin) Statham, New Zealand, vs. Sekou Bangoura, United States.
   Erik Elliott, United States, vs. Andrew Harris, Australia.
   Noah Rubin, United States, vs. Julian Lenz, Germany.
   Chris Wettengel, United States, vs. Ben McLachlan, New Zealand.
   Victor Pham, Saratoga, vs. Frederik Nielsen, Denmark.

Court 7

   Kevin Kim, United States, vs. Sebastian Bader, Austria.
   Daniel Nguyen, United States, vs. Tommy Paul, United States.
   Oren Motevassel, San Jose, vs. Alexios Halebian, United States.
   Trey Strobel, United States, vs. Vahid Mirzadeh, United States.
   Clay Thompson, United States, vs. Reilly Opelka, United States.

Court 8

   James Cluskey, Ireland, vs. Spencer Papa, United States.
   Dane Webb, United States, vs. Adam Hubble, Australia.
   Tigre Hank, Mexico, vs. Mico Santiago, United States.
   Wesley Koolhof, Netherlands, vs. Daniel Garza, Mexico.
   Nicolas Meister, United States, vs. Cameron Norrie, Great Britain.

Querrey heads field for Sacramento Challenger

Sam Querrey waves to the sparse crowd after
his late-night win in the first round at Indian
Wells in March. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Sam Querrey, ranked 52nd in the world and fourth in the United States, is scheduled to make his first Challenger appearance in more than two years later this month in Sacramento.
   The 26-year-old San Francisco native heads the entry list for the $100,000 Sacramento Pro Circuit Challenger, Sept. 29 to Oct. 5 at the Natomas Racquet Club. The only other top-100 player in the field is No. 76 Adrian Mannarino of France.
   Other entrants include:
   --Marcos Baghdatis, the 2006 Australian Open runner-up from Cyprus.
   --Robby Ginepri, the only active U.S. man to have reached a Grand Slam singles semifinal (2005 U.S. Open).
   --Tim Smyczek, last year's Sacramento Challenger runner-up from Tampa, Fla.
   --Bradley Klahn, the 2010 NCAA champion as a Stanford sophomore.
   --Ryan Harrison, who reached the top 50 in the world two years ago at age 20.
   --Former Sacramento Challenger champions Wayne Odesnik (2007) of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and John Millman (2010) of Australia.
   --Peter Polansky, last year's Tiburon Challenger champion from Canada.
   All except Querrey and Mannarino also are scheduled to play in the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger, Monday through Sept. 28 at the Napa Valley Country Club.
   Donald Young, last year's Napa and Sacramento champion now ranked No. 50, is not entered in either tournament.
   The entry list for the $100,000 First Republic Bank Tiburon Challenger, Oct. 6-12 at the Tiburon Peninsula Club, has not been released.
   Querrey, 6-foot-6 (1.98 meters), and Mannarino, a 26-year-old left-hander, have played well recently. Both reached the third round of the U.S. Open, and while Querrey was winning both of his Davis Cup singles matches against Slovakia in Chicago last week, Mannarino was winning the $75,000 Istanbul Challenger on hardcourts.
   Querrey climbed to a career-high No. 17 in January 2011 but has battled injuries since then. Although he grew up in Las Vegas and the Los Angeles suburb of Thousand Oaks, he is very familiar with Northern California.
   He has played in the Sacramento Challenger three times, reaching the semifinals in October 2011 before losing to eventual champion Ivo Karlovic, a 6-foot-11 (2.11-meter) Croat, 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-4.
   In addition, Querrey played part-time for the Sacramento Capitals in 2012 and 2013 before the longest-running franchise in World TeamTennis at 28 years announced it was moving to Las Vegas. Less than three weeks later, team owner Deepal Wannakuwatte was charged with orchestrating a massive Ponzi scheme related to his medical supply business, and the franchise disbanded without playing a match as the Las Vegas Neon.  
   Querrey played annually in the SAP Open in San Jose on the ATP World Tour, advancing to the singles semifinals in 2010 and 2013 and winning the doubles title in 2010 with Mardy Fish. The tournament was replaced on the calendar by Rio de Janeiro beginning last February after 125 years in Northern California.
   Querrey made his professional debut at 18 in Yuba City, a one-hour drive north of Sacramento. He won the 2006 Challenger, defeating Sam Warburg of Sacramento in the final.
   The Yuba City Challenger was last held in June 2009, and Warburg retired that October at age 26.

Another California crown puts Young in state of bliss

Posing with the winner's check of $7,200 in the inaugural Napa Valley Challenger
are (left to right) Napa Valley Country Club general manager Todd Meginness,
tournament director Chris Arns, champion Donald Young and tournament
chairman Kevin Crossland. Photos by Paul Bauman

   NAPA, Calif. -- The question caught Donald Young off-guard.
   "Red or white?" Chris Arns, the tournament director of the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger, asked Young in a postmatch interview on the court today.
   "You mean wine (preference)?" Young responded. "I don't really drink. I tried red once, so I guess I'll go with that."
   The 24-year-old Atlanta resident felt at home in wine country anyway, defeating Matthew Ebden 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to win the inaugural tournament at the Napa Valley Country Club. Ebden, a 25-year-old Australian, led by a service break in the second set.
   Five of Young's seven Challenger singles titles (all on hardcourt) have come in California. After breaking through in Aptos in 2007, he won Sacramento in 2008, Calabasas in 2009 and Carson in 2010.
   "The weather's good. It's calm," Young said of the Golden State. "I like it out here, to be honest. Can't tell you. I just like California."
   So much so that Young is thinking of buying a house in the Los Angeles area.
   "That's where most of the hitting and players are," he reasoned.
   Both Young and Ebden are scheduled to play in the Sacramento Challenger next week and the Tiburon Challenger, in the San Francisco Bay Area, the week after that.
   This is the first time in Young's 10-year professional career -- yes, the former child prodigy turned pro at 14 -- that he has won two Challengers in one year. He also triumphed in Leon, Mexico, in April.
   Once projected as the next great American, Young has never won a title on the ATP World Tour, the major leagues of men's tennis. But after struggling for years, the undersized left-hander appeared to be reaching his potential in 2011.
   Young reached the third round at Indian Wells as a qualifier, stunning then-No. 5 Andy Murray along the way, in March and gained the semifinals at Washington, D.C., in August. Then in consecutive tournaments, Young advanced to the fourth round of the U.S. Open and the final in Bangkok, losing to Murray each time.
   Young attained a career-high No. 38 in the world rankings in February 2012 but then went into a tailspin. He lost in the first round of 16 consecutive tournaments from February to August and went 5-24 for the year at the top level of men's tennis. 
   "It was mental," Young reflected. "I got (to No. 38); I thought some things might happen that didn't happen; you're not working as hard as you were to get there; I switched rackets, which wasn't a good idea. A lot of things happened, it spirals, and it takes you a while to get back, but now I feel I'm coming back."
   When pressed on what "things" happened after he reached No. 38, Young said: "I was the fourth-ranked American and maybe thought a few things would come with that, but they didn't. I don't want to get too into it because we're good now."
   Young probably was referring to the USTA. In any case, he has rebounded since plunging to No. 202 in February. By winning the Napa title, Young jumped 17 places to No. 125.

Matthew Ebden settled for the runner-up
trophy after leading by a set and a break
in the final.

   When Ebden broke for 3-2 in the second set, it appeared he was on his way to the title. Young immediately broke back, though, and broke again for the set with a backhand, cross-court passing shot on Ebden's high-kicking first serve.
   "It was close to being over," conceded Young, seeded sixth. "I started to play freer. I wasn't as free in the beginning as I wanted to be, but he was playing well. He was mixing it up, giving me a lot of different looks. It wasn't a lot of pace; I had to generate a lot. It was tough. So I just focused and started hitting out, and it started working a little bit."
   In the third set, both players held serve as Young took a 3-2 lead. Then Ebden, seeded eighth, mysteriously fell apart. He lost his serve at love -- double-faulting twice, including on break point -- to trail 4-2 and double-faulted again on Young's second championship point.
   Ebden, who won the Australian Open mixed doubles title with Slovakian-born Australian Jarmila Gajdosova in January, cited changing conditions for his downfall. After a week of sun, the final was played in partly cloudy, breezy weather with a high of 74 degrees (23 Celsius).       
   "I was up a set and a break," noted Ebden, who improved eight notches to No. 114 after reaching a career-high No. 61 last October. "I was playing quite well, and it was a little bit different suddenly. It was quite windy, and Donald is a left-hander. It's a bit different.
   "To play without the sun today was a little bit different. (The conditions) got really dead and slow, and Donald defended really well. Then he hit some good shots and a lot of lines when he needed to."
   Ebden also blamed the weather for his late double faults.
   "I didn't feel too comfortable with the racket," said Ebden, whose only other double fault game in his first service game. "The tension in the strings feels a lot different when it gets hot, and then it's cold and windy. It's not always that easy.

(Left to right) Meginness, doubles champions John-Patrick Smith and Bobby
Reynolds, Arns, runners-up Steve Johnson and Tim Smyczek, and Crossland.

   "It's one of those things. One or two doubles in the match came at the wrong time, I guess."
   In the doubles final, Bobby Reynolds and John-Patrick Smith defeated Steve Johnson and Tim Smyczek 6-4, 7-6 (2). All but Smith, an Australian, are Americans. Both teams were unseeded.
   Following are links to the completed singles and doubles draws in the Napa Valley Challenger:
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/singles_draw287.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/doubles_draw288.PDF
   Here are links to the singles qualifying draw, singles and doubles main draws and Monday's schedule in the $100,000 Sacramento Pro Circuit Challenger at the Natomas Racquet Club:
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/qualifying_draw289.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/singles_draw291.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/doubles_draw292.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/schedule292.PDF

Ebden, Young set up intriguing Napa Challenger final

Eighth-seeded Donald Young, shown in the Aptos Challenger
in July, ousted No. 2 seed Tim Smyczek to reach the final of
the Napa Valley Challenger. Photo by Paul Bauman

   The first Napa Valley Challenger final looks enticing.
   Sixth-seeded Matthew Ebden and eighth-seeded Donald Young, both trying to return to the top 100 in the world, have rolled through the draw in the inaugural $50,000 tournament at the Napa Valley Country Club.
   Young, ranked No. 142, ousted No. 2 seed Tim Smyczek of Tampa, Fla., 6-3, 6-2 in today's first semifinal. Ebden, ranked No. 122, dominated fourth-seeded Alex Kuznetsov of Tampa, Fla., 6-2, 6-0.
   In the recent U.S. Open, the 5-foot-9 (1.75-meter) Smyczek (pronounced SMEE-chek) reached the third round as a wild card and Young the second round as a qualifier. Ebden fell in the first round of qualifying at Flushing Meadows.
   Neither Young, a 24-year-old left-hander from Atlanta, nor Ebden, 25, of Australia, has lost a set in four matches in Napa. In Friday's quarterfinals, Ebden toppled No. 1 seed Denis Kudla of Arlington, Va., and Young dispatched No. 3 seed Rhyne Williams of Knoxville, Tenn.
   Sunday's final will be the first meeting between Young, who reached a career-high No. 38 in February 2012, and Ebden, who climbed as high as No. 61 last October.  
   Both players have won one singles title in one final this year.
   Ebden triumphed on grass in the Nottingham (England) Challenger in June. He also won the Australian Open mixed doubles title with Jarmila Gajdosova, a Slovakian-born Australian, in January.
   Young prevailed on hardcourt in the Leon (Mexico) Challenger in April.
   Here are links to the Napa singles and doubles draws and Sunday's schedule:
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/singles_draw287.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/doubles_draw288.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/schedule288.PDF
   Following are links to Sunday's qualifying schedule and the singles main draw in the $100,000 Sacramento Pro Circuit Challenger:
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/singles_draw291.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/schedule292.PDF

Top seed eliminated in Napa Challenger

   Sixth-seeded Matthew Ebden of Australia beat top-seeded Denis Kudla of Arlington, Va., 6-3, 7-5 today in the quarterfinals of the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger at the Napa Valley Country Club.
   It was the first meeting between Ebden, a 25-year-old South Africa native, and the 21-year-old Kudla, who moved from his native Ukraine to Fairfax, Va., on his first birthday.
   Ebden is ranked No. 122 in the world after reaching a career-high No. 61 last October. He and Jarmila Gajdosova, a Slovakian-born Australian, won the Australian Open mixed doubles title this year as wild cards. Ebden also has won three doubles titles on the ATP World Tour, the major leagues of men's tennis.
   Kudla, ranked No. 99, was the only top-100 player in the Napa singles field.
   Ebden will meet fourth-seeded Alex Kuznetsov of Tampa, Fla., in Saturday's second semifinal. Kuznetsov, ranked No. 130, topped unseeded Michael Venus of New Zealand 6-2, 7-6 (3).
   Ebden and Kuznetsov have split two matches against each other. Kuzentsov won the last meeting, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the first round of the $100,000 Dallas Challenger in February.
   In Saturday's first semifinal at 11:30 a.m., second-seeded Tim Smyczek of Tampa will face eighth-seeded Donald Young of Atlanta.
   Smyczek, who reached the third round of the recent U.S. Open, topped fifth-seeded Bradley Klahn 1-6, 6-1, 6-2. Klahn was playing 81 miles (130 kilometers) north of Stanford, where he starred from 2009 to 2012.
   Young, who climbed to a career-high No. 38 in February 2012, eliminated No. 3 seed Rhyne Williams of Knoxville, Tenn., 6-2, 7-5. 
   Young is 6-3 against Smyczek. However, Smyczek has won the last two meetings, most recently 7-5, 7-6 (3) in the third round of qualifying at Atlanta on the ATP World Tour in July.
   Here are links to the singles and doubles draws and Saturday's schedule:
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/singles_draw287.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/doubles_draw288.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/schedule288.PDF
   Here are links to the qualifying draw for the $100,000 Sacramento Pro Circuit Challenger at the Natomas Racquet Club and Saturday's schedule:
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/qualifying_draw289.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/schedule292.PDF

Michael Venus scores upset again in Napa

   Michael Venus pulled off his second consecutive upset in the inaugural Napa Valley Challenger.
   The 25-year-old New Zealander nipped Robby Ginepri of Kennesaw, Ga., 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) today in the second round of the $50,000 tournament at the Napa Valley Country Club.
   Venus, the only unseeded player in the quarterfinals, and Ginepri, who also was unseeded, are ranked No. 364 and No. 229 in the world, respectively. Ginepri had won their only previous meeting 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of the Binghamton (N.Y.) Challenger last year.
  Ginepri, 30, is the only active U.S. man to have reached a Grand Slam singles semifinal, losing to Andre Agassi in five sets in 2005.
   Ginepri has reached the fourth round or better at all four Grand Slam tournaments and won three titles on the ATP World Tour, the major leagues of men's tennis. The right-hander climbed to a career-high No. 15 in the world in 2006 but broke his left elbow in September 2010 when he fell off his bicycle trying to avoid a squirrel. He missed 10 months.
   Venus, a former LSU All-American who surprised seventh-seeded Steve Johnson of Orange, Calif., in the first round, will meet fourth-seeded Alex Kuznetsov of Tampa, Fla., on Friday at 1 p.m. on Court 6.
   The other quarterfinal matchups, in order on the Stadium Court beginning at 11:30 a.m., are No. 3 Rhyne Williams of Knoxville, Tenn., against No 8 Donald Young of Atlanta, No. 1 Denis Kudla of Arlington, Va., vs. sixth-seeded Matthew Ebden of Australia and No. 2 Tim Smyczek of Tampa against No. 5 Bradley Klahn of Poway in the San Diego area.
   Neither Kudla nor Smyczek (pronounced SMEE-chek) has lost more than two games in a set in his two matches at Napa. The 5-foot-11 (1.80-meter) Kudla, ranked No. 99, is the only top-100 player in the singles draw. Smyczek, only 5-foot-9 (1.75 meters), gained the third round of the recent U.S. Open.
   Klahn is playing 81 miles (130 kilometers) north of Stanford, where he starred from 2009 to 2012. He won the 2010 NCAA singles title as a sophomore, underwent surgery for a herniated disc as a junior and graduated in economics last year. In his last three years, Klahn reached the quarterfinals or better in NCAA singles and doubles.
   Here are links to the singles and doubles draws and Friday's schedule:
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/singles_draw287.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/doubles_draw288.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/schedule288.PDF

Ex-Stanford star survives another challenge in Napa

Former Stanford star Bradley Klahn, seeded fifth, will meet
fellow American Tim Smyczek, seeded second, on Friday
in the quarterfinals at Napa. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   Bradley Klahn already has had a tough draw in the inaugural Napa Valley Challenger.
   It's about to get tougher.
   The former Stanford All-American, seeded fifth, turned back 17-year-old qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 today to reach the quarterfinals of the $50,000 tournament at the Napa Valley Country Club.
   Kokkinakis reached the boys singles final of the Australian Open and U.S. Open and won the boys doubles title at Wimbledon this year.
   Klahn, a 23-year-old left-hander from Poway in the San Diego area, outlasted Daniel Evans of Great Britain 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in the first round at Napa. Evans, also 23, advanced to the third round of the recent U.S. Open as a qualifier.
   Klahn will face another player who reached the third round at Flushing Meadows, second-seeded Tim Smyczek of Tampa, Fla., in Friday's quarterfinals. The 5-foot-9 (1.75-meter) Smyczek (pronounced SMEE-chek), 25, has lost only six games in his two Napa matches.
   Klahn won the 2010 NCAA singles title as a sophomore, underwent surgery for a herniated disc as a junior (but reached the NCAA singles quarterfinals and doubles final), and graduated in economics last year.
   He is 3-2 against Smyzcek, including 1-1 this year. In their last meeting, also on hardcourt, Klahn won 6-3, 7-5 in the quarterfinals of the $50,000 Winnetka (Ill.) Challenger in July. 
   In the other quarterfinal in the bottom half of the Napa draw, third-seeded Rhyne Williams will meet fellow American and eighth seed Donald Young for the first time. Young dismissed Australian Samuel Groth, who owns the world's fastest serve (163.4 mph or 263 kph), 6-3, 6-1.
   An American is guaranteed to play in Sunday's final. The quarterfinalists in the top half of the draw will be determined today, with one American playing in each of the four matches.
   All four doubles seeds lost in the first round. Eliminated were No. 1 Groth and countryman Chris Guccione, No. 2 Tennys Sandgren of the United States and Williams, No. 3 Klahn and New Zealand's Michael Venus, and No. 4 Denys Molchanov of Ukraine and Matt Reid of Australia.
   Here are links to the singles and doubles draws and Thursday's schedule:
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/singles_draw287.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/doubles_draw288.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/schedule288.PDF

Klahn outlasts Evans in rematch of Aptos final

Bradley Klahn, a former Stanford star, beat Daniel Evans of
Great Britain in a tight match in Northern California for the
second month in a row. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   The match lived up to expectations.
   In a battle of 23-year-olds, fifth-seeded Bradley Klahn topped Daniel Evans 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 today in the first round of the inaugural Napa Valley Challenger at the Napa Valley Country Club.
   Klahn, a former Stanford star from Poway in the San Diego area, also outlasted Evans of Great Britain 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 last month in Aptos, Calif., for his first Challenger title. Evans lost after holding one or more championship points for the second straight week. He had one against Klahn and three the previous week against Vasek Pospisil of Canada in the Vancouver Challenger.
   Evans reached the third round of the recent U.S. Open as a qualifier, stunning 11th-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan and 2011 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Bernard Tomic. Evans lost to 19th-seeded Tommy Robredo, who then eliminated five-time champion Roger Federer in straight sets before falling to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals.
   Klahn, a wild card at Flushing Meadows, advanced to the second round for the second consecutive year. He defeated 6-foot-8 (2.03-meter) Kenny De Schepper of France but lost to 23rd-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain. All three players are left-handed.
   Klahn will meet Thanasi Kokkinakis, a 17-year-old qualifier from Australia, on Wednesday in the second round of the $50,000 Napa tournament. Kokkinakis, the U.S. Open and Australian boys runner-up and Wimblebon boys doubles champion this year, edged 30-year-old qualifier Jesse Witten of Naples, Fla., 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4) in 2 hours, 42 minutes.
   Witten reached the third round of the 2009 U.S. Open as a qualifier before falling to Novak Djokovic.
   Robby Ginepri, the only active American man to have reached a Grand Slam singles semifinal, thrashed Nicolas Barrientos of Colombia 6-1, 6-1.
   Ginepri, who lost to Andre Agassi in five sets in the 2005 U.S. Open semis, will face Michael Venus of New Zealand of Thursday. Venus, a former LSU All-American, upset seventh-seeded Steve Johnson of Orange, Calif., in the opening round.
   Here are links to the singles and doubles draws and Wednesday's schedule:
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/singles_draw287.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/doubles_draw288.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/schedule288.PDF

No. 7 seed Johnson falls in Napa Challenger

Seventh-seeded Steve Johnson lost to Michael Venus of New
Zealand in the first round of the Napa Valley Challenger.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Michael Venus of New Zealand upset seventh-seeded Steve Johnson of Orange, Calif., 7-6 (4), 6-4 today in the first round of the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger at the Napa Valley Country Club.
   Johnson, who won two NCAA singles and four team titles at USC from 2009 to 2012, had beaten Venus 6-1, 6-4 in the second round of the $50,000 Winnetka (Ill.) Challenger in July in their only previous meeting.
   Venus, a 25-year-old former LSU All-American, will meet the winner of Tuesday's match between Robby Ginepri of Kennesaw, Ga., and Nicolas Barrientos of Colombia.
   Ginepri, 30, is the only active U.S. man to have reached a Grand Slam singles semifinal, losing to Andre Agassi in five sets in 2005.
   Ginepri, who climbed to a career-high No. 15 in the world in 2006, has plunged to No. 229. The right-hander broke his left elbow in September 2010 when he fell off his bicycle trying to avoid a squirrel and missed 10 months.
   The top three seeds in the Napa Valley Challenger -- Americans Denis Kudla, Tim Smyczek and Rhyne Williams, respectively -- won easily in the first round. Williams dispatched Collin Altamirano, a 17-year-old wild card from Elk Grove in the Sacramento area, 6-2, 6-2.
   In the final round of qualifying, former Sacramento State star Kiryl Harbatsiuk lost to third-seeded Jesse Witten of Naples, Fla., 6-4, 6-1. Witten avenged a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 loss to Harbatsiuk, a native of Minsk, Belarus, living in Sacramento, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the final round of qualifying in the 2010 Tiburon Challenger.
   Here are links to the Napa singles, doubles and qualifying draws and Tuesday's schedule:
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/singles_draw265.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/doubles_draw288.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/qualifying_draw285.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/schedule288.PDF   

Ex-Sac State star advances in Napa qualifying

   Wild card Kiryl Harbatsiuk of Sacramento defeated seventh-seeded Chris Wettengel of Las Vegas 7-6 (4), 6-4 Sunday to reach the final round of qualifying in the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger at the Napa Valley Country Club.
   Harbatsiuk, a 25-year-old native of Minsk, Belarus, was named the Big Sky Conference MVP for three consecutive years (2009-11) at Sacramento State. He will play third-seeded Jesse Witten, 30, of Naples, Fla., on Monday.
   Witten, who reached the third round of the 2009 U.S. Open as a qualifier, beat Dane Webb, a junior at the University of Oklahoma from Richardson, Texas, 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1.
   The top three seeds in the main draw -- Americans Denis Kudla, Tim Smyczek and Rhyne Williams, respectively -- will play on Monday in the first round. Williams will face wild card Collin Altamirano, 17, of Elk Grove in the Sacramento area.
   Altamirano won the USTA Boys 18 National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich., last month to earn an automatic wild card at the U.S. Open in the main draw of men's singles. He lost to 22nd-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in the first round but reached the boys singles quarterfinals.
   Harbatsiuk is 1-0 against Witten, winning 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the final round of qualifying for the 2010 Tiburon Challenger. Harbatsiuk then lost to second-seeded Donald Young of Atlanta 6-1, 6-0 in the first round of the main draw.
   Two other Northern California wild cards, Anthony Tsodikov and Matt Seeberger, lost in the second round of qualifying in the Napa Valley Challenger.
   Fifth-seeded Alex Blumenberg of Brazil edged Tsodikov, a Stanford sophomore from San Francisco, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
   Sixth-seeded Greg Ouellette of Ormond Beach, Fla., held off Seeberger, an ex-UC Santa Cruz star, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3. Seeberger won a record eight NCAA Division III titles (two team, three singles and three doubles).
   Ouellette, a former All-American at the University of Florida, will play Mico Santiago of Corvallis, Ore. Santiago, 19, knocked off top seed Daniel Smethurst of Great Britain 7-5, 6-1.
   Here are links to the singles, doubles and qualifying draws and Monday's schedule:
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/singles_draw287.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/doubles_draw288.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/qualifying_draw285.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/schedule288.PDF

Aptos finalists to meet in first round at Napa

Bradley Klahn, far right, beat Daniel Evans, far left, in the final of the $100,000
  Comerica Bank Challenger in Aptos, Calif., last month.

    Last month, Bradley Klahn saved a championship point and defeated Daniel Evans in Aptos, Calif., for his first Challenger title.
   Early next week, they will meet in the first round of the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger at the Napa Valley Country Club.
   The draw for the inaugural tournament was held Saturday. Monday's schedule will be released today.
   Klahn, a 2012 Stanford graduate from the San Diego suburb of Poway, is seeded fifth with a world ranking of No. 133. Evans, from Great Britain, is unseeded at No. 152. Both players are 23 years old.
   Evans reached the third round of the recent U.S. Open, stunning 11th-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan and 2011 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Bernard Tomic, to earn $93,000. Klahn advanced to the second round at Flushing Meadows for the second consecutive year, pocketing $53,000.
   Americans Denis Kudla and Tim Smyczek are seeded first and second, repectively, in Napa. Kudla, ranked 95th, will face No. 345 Edward Corrie of Great Britain. Smyczek, ranked 104th, will meet No. 446 Vijayant Malik of India.
   Two wild cards with Northern California ties will play seeds from the United States in the first round. Collin Altamirano, 17, of Elk Grove in the Sacramento area will take on third-seeded Rhyne Williams. Ben McLachlan, a senior at Cal from New Zealand, will go against fourth-seeded Alex Kuznetsov.
   In an intriguing first-round qualifying match on Saturday, Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia subdued Mitchell Frank of Annandale, Va., 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
    Kokkinakis, 17, reached the boys singles final at this year's U.S. Open and Australian Open and won the boys doubles title at Wimbledon with countryman Nick Kyrgios in July.
   Frank returned to the University of Virginia for his junior year after giving the Cavaliers  4-3 victory over UCLA in May for their first NCAA team title in tennis. Frank overcame a championship point to win the decisive match at No. 3 singles.
   In a matchup of wild cards from Stanford, sophomore Anthony Tsodikov of San Francisco dismissed senior Jamin Ball of Palo Alto 6-3, 6-2.
   Matt Seeberger, a former UC Santa Cruz star, coasted past fellow wild card Robert Stineman, a Stanford junior from Winnetka, Ill., 6-1, 6-2.
   Here are links to the main draw, qualifying draw and Sunday's schedule:
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/singles_draw287.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/qualifying_draw285.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/schedule288.PDF  

College, junior stars to meet in Napa qualifying

   Mitchell Frank will face Thanasi Kokkinakis on Saturday in a matchup of top young players in the first round of qualifying for the inaugural $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger at the Napa Valley Country Club.
   The match will follow the 10 a.m. encounter between wild cards Robert Stineman of Stanford and Matt Seeberger, a former UC Santa Cruz star, on the Stadium Court.
   Frank gave the University of Virginia its first NCAA team title in tennis last May. Now a junior, the Annandale, Va., resident saved a championship point in a 0-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory over Adrien Puget of UCLA at No. 3 singles.
   Kokkinakis, 17, of Australia this year reached the boys singles final in the Australian Open and U.S. Open and won the boys doubles title at Wimbledon with countryman Nick Kyrgios.
   Frank's teammate, sophomore Mac Styslinger, will play in the next match on the Stadium Court. Styslinger, who won the NCAA doubles title with Jarmere Jenkins, will play wild card Philip Holbrook of Napa.
   At 10 a.m. on Court 7, Stanford teammates Jamin Ball and Anthony Tsodikov will meet. Both are wild cards.
   Seeberger won a record eight NCAA Division III titles (two team, three singles and three doubles) at UC Santa Cruz.
   Here are links to the qualifying draw and Saturday's schedule:
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/qualifying_draw285.PDF
   http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/schedule288.PDF