Rain ends $2,500 Rio del Oro tournament early

   The $2,500 Rio del Oro Open/Senior/NTRP, a Sacramento tournament featuring four current or former professional players, ended prematurely on Sunday because of rain.
   All three open doubles events were completed, but men's and women's open singles were halted in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, at the Rio del Oro Racquet Club. Tournament director Todd Stanley said work, school and tournament commitments prevent those draws from finishing.
   Advancing to the men's open singles quarters were No. 1 seed Alexios Halebian of Glendale, No. 2 Leonardo Kirche of Granite Bay, No. 4 Anton Stryhas, No. 5 Stefan Leustian of Mather, No. 5 Nitzan Ricklis of Sunnyvale, No. 5 Stevie Gould of Corte Madera, No. 5 Max Pham of Newport Coast and No. 9 Cambell Nakayama of San Francisco.
   Halebian, a 23-year-old left-hander, is ranked No. 686 in the world. He qualified for Washington on the elite ATP World Tour last August and lost to Lukas Lacko, a Slovakian now ranked No. 103 after reaching a career-high No. 44 in 2013, 6-3, 6-4 in the opening round.
   Kirche, a 33-year-old Brazil native, climbed to a career-high No. 196 in 2013. He played one Davis Cup match, beating Mauricio Echazu of Peru 6-2, 6-1 in the fifth match of Peru's 4-1 victory in 2004.
   Unseeded Dan Goldie, a 54-year-old resident of Los Gatos who peaked at No. 27 in the world in 1989, lost in the second round to ninth-seeded James Roberts of Sacramento 7-5, 5-7 [11-9].
   The semifinal matchups in women's open singles were No. 1 seed Oleksandra Andrieieva of San Jose against No. 4 Jillian Taggart of Fair Oaks and unseeded Maryia Hrynashka vs. unseeded Deimante Bulatovaite of Sacramento.
   Winning doubles titles were Halebian and Benjamin Keyser of Vienna, Va., Taggart and Elena Van Linge of Menlo Park, and Rajan Bhatia of Benicia and Allie Will of Modesto. Each team was seeded first. Will, 26, reached a career-high No. 98 in the world in women's doubles in 2014.

Ovrootsky, 12, wins girls 18s in Rio del Oro tourney

Vivian Ovrootsky has an "unbelievable" backhand, runner-up Shirley Hall
said. Photo by Paul Bauman

 SACRAMENTO, Calif.
-- It was hard to tell who was the 12-year-old and who was the 17-year-old in the girls 18 singles final of the Rio del Oro Junior Championships.
   Vivian Ovrootsky, 12, of San Jose is a compact 5-foot-5 3/4 (1.67 meters) and 125 pounds (56.7 kilograms). Shirley Hall, a 17-year-old Chico resident, is a slight 5-3 (1.6 meters) and 115 pounds (52.2 kilograms).
   The number that really matters, though, is two. That's Ovrootsky's national ranking in the 12s. She's also No. 8 in the 14s.
   Playing in the 18s of a tournament for the first time, the unseeded Ovrootsky wore down the fifth-seeded Hall 7-6 (3), 6-2 on Saturday at the Rio del Oro Racquet Club.
   "It was an easy decision," Ovrootsky said of playing the 18s. "I've been playing a lot of national tournaments, so I said, I'll play the 18s in my section."
   Ovrootsky has won two gold balls and one silver ball, all in the 12s. She swept the singles and doubles titles in the USTA Winter Nationals in Tucson, Ariz., in January and was the runner-up in the USTA Hardcourt Nationals last August in Alpharetta, Ga.
   Ovrootsky, who will turn 13 in July, put her Rio del Oro title in perspective.
   "It's really nice to win the 18s, but I still have a long way to go," she said. "I'll have plenty more chances to win the 18s in tournaments down the road."

Hall will be a guaranteed walk-on at UC Davis in the fall. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Both players survived long semifinals on Saturday morning, but Hall's was longer. Ovrootsky topped third-seeded Zlata Uzdenova of Granite Bay 6-4, 7-5. Hall overcame Margherita Andreassi of Santa Rosa 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-2.
   Ovrootsky had about 90 minutes between matches and Hall about an hour. Fortunately for them, the weather was unseasonably cool. Still, both players said fatigue was a factor.
   "Even though I didn't have my 'A' game, I fought through it and didn't let my emotions get me down," Ovrootsky said.
   Hall wasn't at her best, either, but it might not have made a difference.
   "Her backhand is unbelievable," conceded Hall, who will be a guaranteed walk-on at UC Davis in the fall. "Anywhere on the court, she can counterpunch and do a winner.
   "We had a close first set, and I got a little tired. Then I got more tired, she played better, and I started making a lot more unforced errors."  
   Ovrootsky was born in Los Gatos (near San Jose), but her father, Val, is from Ukraine, and her mother, Lea, is from Estonia. They work for a credit union and financial company, respectively.
   Ovrootsky said power is her biggest strength.
   "At age 12, a lot of girls don't have as much power as I do. I would say I'm consistent with it as well," she offered.

   The other singles finals in the boys and girls 18s, 16s and 14s tournament are scheduled for today at 9 a.m.

Priya Nelson, 11, reached the girls 16 final. Photo by
Paul Bauman

   In the boys 18s, third-seeded Stevie Gould of Corte Madera will face fourth-seeded Andre Xiao of Saratoga.
   Gould, a 16-year-old left-hander, beat top-seeded Issa Yoshida of Campbell 6-3, 6-4.
   "We started off holding serve," noted Gould, who's ranked No. 2 in the 16s and No. 13 in the 18s in NorCal, "and it was tough to get a break. Then I got a lead in the first set. In the second set, he started serve-and-volleying -- he's probably got the best hands in Northern California -- and it was all I could do to hold on and weather the storm."
   Gould, who's not related to legendary Stanford coach Dick Gould, and Yoshida are close friends and frequent doubles partners.
   "He's a really good player," said Yoshida, 17. "You have to be on your 'A' game to have a chance to win. My first serve didn't really work for me today. My first-service percentage was pretty low. He kept me behind the baseline. He hits a heavy ball, and it was tough for me to come in, which is what I like to do."
   Xiao downed second-seeded Nitzan Ricklis of Sunnyvale 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.
   In the girls 16 final, top-seeded Gabriela Tevez of San Jose will face unseeded Priya Nelson of Sacramento.
   Tevez defeated unseeded Canela Luna of Rocklin 1-6, 6-3, 5-2, default. Luna accidentally drilled Tevez in the head with the ball while intending to hit it into the net in frustration.
   Nelson, 11, beat unseeded Tiffany Boudagian of South San Francisco 6-1, 6-0 after losing to her 6-0, 6-1 in their only previous meeting two years ago in Fremont.
   "I knew what to do this time, and I wasn't intimidated," said Nelson, wearing her trademark Roger Federer cap autographed by Stan Wawrinka. "I wanted to move her and try to hit deep. She tried to hit winners, so I just tried to be patient. ... "
   Nelson's 15-year-old brother, Ravi, will take on top-seeded Milad Shafaie of San Carlos in the 16s final. Ravi Nelson, seeded fifth, outlasted unseeded Herrick Legaspi of Sacramento 2-6, 6-2, 7-5.

Ex-pro, 16-year-old win titles in Rio del Oro Open

Allie Will displays her trophy after winning the
women's open singles title at Rio del Oro in
Sacramento. Photo by Paul Bauman

   SACRAMENTO -- At the end of the 2014 season, Allie Will gave up a promising pro tennis career after only two years on the circuit.
   In her last singles match, the former University of Florida star lost to No. 376 Jasmine Paolini of Italy, 7-6 in the third set, in the first round of qualifying in the $50,000 Tennis Classic of Macon (Ga.).
   "I couldn't afford it," Will, a 25-year-old Fairfield resident, lamented Sunday. "Financially, it was really hard for me. I was kind of living week by week, and I think that was adding a little too much stress and took the fun out of the game for me. I rolled my ankle and was going to be out a little bit, I wasn't enjoying it as much, so I thought I'd go back and finish my education and go from there."
   Will didn't play in a tournament for 2 1/2 years (other than reaching the doubles quarterfinals in a $10,000 event in Gainesville, Fla., where the University of Florida is located, in March 2015).
   Last weekend, Will finally succumbed to the urge to play -- albeit at a much lower level. Seeded No. 1, she defeated No. 3 Muskan Mahajan, an impressive 14-year-old from San Ramon, 6-2, 6-1 Sunday to win the women's open title in the $2,500 Rio del Oro Open/Senior/NTRP at the Rio del Oro Racquet Club.
   Will lost only six games in four tournament matches.
   "It was just exciting to be out on a tennis court again after (2 1/2) years of not playing," said the 5-foot-10 (1.77-meter) Will, who did not play doubles. "It's just fun to be out here competing, and to end up with (the title) is exciting."

Jenson (J.T.) Brooksby, left, defeated Andrew Ton, right,
in a matchup of teenagers for the men's open singles title.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Meanwhile, two junior stars met in the men's open final. No. 2 seed Jenson (J.T.) Brooksby, 16, of Carmichael wore down No. 4 Andrew Ton, 17, of Milpitas 6-4, 6-1.
  Brooksby reached the boys 16s singles final in the USTA National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich., last August, and Ton won the 16s doubles title with Maximillian Wild of Murrieta, Calif.
   Brooksby is ranked second nationally in singles in the 16s.
   Will was born in San Mateo, grew up in San Carlos and moved to Boca Raton, Fla. After playing No. 1 on Florida's 2011 and 2012 NCAA championship teams, she gave up her senior year and turned pro.
   Will reached career highs of No. 280 in singles and No. 98 in doubles. Although she did not win any singles titles, she advanced to the final of the $25,000 Redding Challenger in 2012 and the semifinals of the $50,000 Sacramento Challenger in 2013. Will collected 11 ITF (minor-league) crowns in doubles.
   After earning a telecommunications degree at Florida, Will moved back to Northern California, where most of her family lives. She teaches at the Cello International Tennis Academy (CITA) in Fairfield.

Will beat Muskan Mahajan, an impressive 14-year-old,
in the final. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Will said she has no plans to return to pro tennis. But she doesn't rule it out, either.
   "I'm just trying to take it one day at a time, just trying to make sure I'm in shape," Will said. "If I really want to make that happen, I have to make sure my game is ready and I'm in the best shape I can be. Since getting older sometimes makes things harder, you have to make sure you take care of your body first."
  Brooksby, who has grown to 5-foot-9 (1.75 meters) and 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms), already has begun playing in professional tournaments as an amateur. He came within a tiebreaker of beating Argentina's Marco Trungelliti, ranked No. 153 in the world at the time, in the second round of qualifying in the $100,000 Stockton Challenger last July. Brooksby also qualified for $25,000 Futures tournaments in Berkeley last October and Long Beach last month before losing in the first round of the main draw each time.
   "It's fun," Brooksby, a home-schooled sophomore in high school, said of playing in pro tournaments. "It's good to compete against pros and see where you need to get."
   The biggest difference between the pros and juniors, according to Brooksby, is that the pros "won't give you any points. You have to earn everything."

Brooksby dominated in the second set
of the final with his impeccable ground-
strokes. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Brooksby broke Ton, a 5-foot-6 (1.68-meter) left-hander, in the last game of the first set before dominating with his impeccable groundstrokes.
   "I knew Andrew's game pretty well in advance," said Brooksby, estimating that he has played Ton five times, with mixed results, "but I felt I was hitting pretty big, running him off the court and backing him off the baseline. I knew he likes to come to the net a lot, so I was able to keep him back. I think I have the advantage there."
   Ton said his serve let him down in the match.
   "I've been a little injured the last couple days. That can't be an excuse. He played well, but I think it came down to the serve in the second set. The first set was really tight. Then in the second set, my serve just wasn't there," Ton admitted.
   Ton will play at Navy in Annapolis, Md., beginning in the fall, following in the footsteps of his 25-year-old sister Stephanie.
   "I wanted to get a great education while getting good competition in college tennis," Andrew explained. "I was also looking at the coaching staff and team. I wanted a place where they'll help me grow not only as a tennis player but as a person, and I've always wanted to serve my country. It's kind of been in my blood."
   Whether pro tennis is in Will's blood remains to be seen.

Junior star Brooksby routs one of his coaches

Jenson (J.T.) Brooksby, ranked second nationally in the 16-and-
unders, eyes a forehand against Anton Stryhas, a former Sacra-
mento State star, on Saturday in the men's open quarterfinals at
Rio del Oro in Sacramento. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Jenson (J.T.) Brooksby hits with assistant coach Anton Stryhas several times a week at the JMG Tennis Academy at the Arden Hills Club & Spa in Sacramento.
   They met Saturday in the men's open quarterfinals of the $2,500 Rio del Oro Open/Senior/NTRP tournament.
   Brooksby, seeded second and ranked No. 2 nationally in the 16-and-unders, outslugged Stryhas, seeded fifth, 6-3, 6-1 at the Rio del Oro Racquet Club in Sacramento.
   Brooksby, a 16-year-old Carmichael resident who trains under JMG director Joseph Gilbert, reached the 16-and-under final in the USTA National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich., and the USTA National Clay Court Championships in Delray Beach, Fla., last summer. He won the 12-and-under title in the 2013 USTA National Championships in Little Rock, Ark.
   Stryhas, a Belarus native who lives in Fair Oaks, was named the 2008 Big Sky Conference MVP as a sophomore at Sacramento State.
   Brooksby will face ninth-seeded Karl Lee, an eighth-grader from Los Altos who also trains at JMG, today at 8 a.m. Lee outlasted Eric Hadigian, also seeded ninth, from Sacramento 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4.
   In the other semifinal at 8 a.m., fourth-seeded Andrew Ton of Milpitas will play unseeded Tam Duong of Rancho Cordova.
   The women's open semis also are scheduled for 8 a.m. No. 1 seed Allie Will of Modesto will meet No. 4 Madeline Almeida of El Dorado Hills, and No. 3 Muskan Mahajan of San Ramon will take on unseeded Klara Kosan of Carmichael.
   Will led Florida to the NCAA title in 2011 and 2012. She played briefly on the pro tour, reaching career highs of No. 280 in singles in 2013 and No. 98 in doubles in 2014.
   The men's and women's open singles finals are set for today at 11 a.m.

Top men's open seed defaults Rio del Oro match

   Between them, Eric Johnson and Allie Will won five NCAA team titles.
   They are seeded first in the men's and women's open divisions, respectively, in the $2,500 Rio del Oro Open/Senior/NTRP tournament, which began Friday and concludes Sunday at the Rio del Oro Racquet in Sacramento.
   Both Johnson, who helped USC win three NCAA championships (2012-14), and Will, who led Florida to NCAA crowns in 2011 and 2012, received first-round byes.
   But Johnson, from San Jose, did not show up for his second-round match and defaulted to Tam Duong of Rancho Cordova.
   Will, who lives in Modesto, is scheduled to open against Maria Gonzalez of Sacramento today at 8 a.m. in the round of 16.
   Carmichael's Jenson Brooksby, ranked No. 2 nationally in the 16-and-unders, is seeded second in the men's open draw. He is scheduled to meet ninth-seeded Stevie Gould of Corte Madera in the San Francisco Bay Area today at 8 a.m. in the round of 16.
   The men's and women's singles quarterfinals are set for today at 11 a.m., the semifinals for Sunday at 8 a.m. and the finals for Sunday at 11 a.m.

Batta, Taggart earn NorCal Junior Excellence titles

Amit Batta of Los Altos slugs a forehand during his
victory in the boys 18 final. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Amit Batta of Los Altos won the NorCal Junior Excellence boys 18 singles title for the second consecutive year on Sunday.
   The top-seeded Batta, who will attend the University of Washington in the fall, beat fourth-seeded Wilhelm Saiga of Belvedere Tiburon 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 at the Rio Del Oro Racquet Club in Sacramento.
   Unseeded Jillian Taggart, a hard-hitting 14-year-old Fair Oaks resident, topped fifth-seeded Elena Van Linge of Menlo Park, 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-1 for the girls 18 title.
   Van Linge eliminated top-seeded Katya Tabachnik of San Francisco in the semifinals and teamed with Taggart to win the doubles title.

NORCAL JUNIOR EXCELLENCE

At Rio Del Oro Racquet Club

In Sacramento, Calif.

Singles finals

   Boys 18 -- Amit Batta (1), Los Altos, def. Wilhelm Saiga (4), Belvedere Tiburon, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
   Boys 16 -- Cambell Nakayama (3), San Francisco, def. Steve Gould (1), Corte Madera, 5-7, 6-3, 6-0.

   Boys 14 -- Alex Lin (1), Gold River, def. Brandon Aprill (3), Mountain View, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5.
   Boys 12 -- John Kim (2), Sunnyvale, def. Ryan Torres, Pleasanton, 7-6 (4), 4-6 [12-10].

Jillian Taggart, 14, of Fair Oaks serves during her
win in the girls 18 final. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Girls 18 -- Jillian Taggart, Fair Oaks, def. Elena Van Linge (5), Menlo Park, 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-1.
   Girls 16 -- Connie Ma (3), Dublin, def. Klara Kosan (3), Carmichael, 6-2, 6-2.
   Girls 14 -- Monica Stratakos (1), Saratoga, def. Yuu Ishikawa (5), Mountain View, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.
   Girls 12 -- Anushka Khune (4), Palo Alto, def. Rhea Rai (3), Cupertino, 6-0, 7-5.

Doubles finals

   Boys 18 -- Amit Batta, Los Altos, and Randy Cory (1), Salinas, def. Arjith Jayaraman, Gold River, and Karthik Padmanabhan (2), Saratoga, 8-1.
   Boys 16 -- Stevie Gould, Corte Madera, and Issa Yoshida (2), Campbell, def. Ethan Carroll, Sunnyvale, and Makund Madabhushi (1), San Jose, 8-3.
   Boys 14 -- Aryan Chaudhary, Santa Clara, and Hugo Hashimoto (2), San Jose, def. Luke Casper, Santa Cruz, and Philip Martin (3), Los Altos, walkover.
   Boys 12 -- John Kim, Sunnyvale, and Herrick Legaspi (1), Sacramento, def. Jason Lew and Patrick Toman (4), Pleasant Hill, 8-6.
   Girls 18 -- Jillian Taggart, Fair Oaks, and Elena Van Linge, Menlo Park, def. Sarah Bahsoun, Los Gatos, and Abbie Mulbarger (1), Woodbridge, 9-7.
   Girls 16 -- Katherine Duong, Cupertino, and Connie Ma, Dublin, def. Sydney Lee, Oakland, and Alena Pruett (3), Mountain View, 8-2.
   Girls 14 -- Maribella Zamarripa and Allura Zamarripa (2), Saint Helena, def. Nora Lee, Oakland, and Amber Marie Lee (1), Orinda, 8-3.
   Girls 12 -- Maryia Hyrnashka, Rancho Cordova, and Anushka Khune (3), Palo Alto, def. Martina Marica, San Jose, and Kamila Wong (2), Palo Alto, 8-3.

Batta wins boys 18 title in Rio Del Oro tourney

Boys 18 singles champion Amit Batta, left, and
runner-up Ajai Shekhera. Photo by Paul Bauman

   SACRAMENTO -- Amit Batta has talked to the coaches at UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara and likes both schools.
   But the 16-year-old Los Altos resident has bigger aspirations.
   "My dream school is UCLA or Texas," Batta said Sunday after winning the boys 18 title at the Rio Del Oro Junior Excellence tournament at the Rio Del Oro Racquet Club. "I've always liked the combination of athletics and education, and I love their athletics and education.
   "Also, they're in great locations. Austin is a great city, and UCLA is in a nice part of Los Angeles. I have a ton of friends at UCLA."
   What about Stanford, just a lob away from Los Altos, or Cal across San Francisco Bay?
   "I'm very interested in them," conceded Batta, who lived in his parents' native India from age 10 to 15. "I'm hoping they reach out. I'm going to stop e-mailing them. I want them to want me."

   Batta does have one concern, though.

   "My friends say Cal is overcrowded," he said.

Girls 18 singles champion Rachel Eason, right, and
runner-up Jessi Muljat. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Batta, seeded second in the Rio Del Oro tournament, beat top-seeded Ajai Shekhera of Campbell 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 for the crown.
   In the girls 18 final, fourth-seeded Rachel Eason, 15, of Union City topped fifth-seeded Jessi Muljat, 14, of Sacramento 6-2, 6-4.
   Meanwhile, two tiny girls with immense talent, also playing up, breezed to titles.
   Third-seeded Katie Volynets, 13, of Walnut Creek overwhelmed unseeded Payton Saca of Sacramento, 6-0, 6-0 in the 16s.
   And top-seeded Connie Ma, 11, of Dublin, dominated unseeded Monica Stratakos of Saratoga 6-2, 6-1 in the 14s.
   Volynets, last year's USTA girls 12 national champion, is 4-foot-11 (1.5 meters) and 73 pounds (33.1 kilograms). Ma is 4-9 (1.45 meters) and 70 pounds (31.8 kilograms).

   Saca, who's 7 1/2 inches (19 centimeters) taller and 37 pounds (16.8 kilograms) heavier than Volynets, moderately praised her opponent.

Girls 16 singles champion Katie Volynets, left, and
runner-up Payton Saca. Photo by Paul Bauman

   "She's a good player when she hits the ball in her strike zone," offered Saca, who's also 13 but 6 1/2 months older than Volynets. "She's very competitive. She doesn't give up." 

RIO DEL ORO JUNIOR EXCELLENCE

At Rio Del Oro Racquet Club in Sacramento

Singles finals

   Boys 18 -- Amit Batta (2), Los Altos, def. Ajai Shekhera (1), Campbell, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
   Boys 16 -- Daly Meinert (1), Fresno, def. Andre Xiao (3), Saratoga, 6-3, 6-0.
   Boys 14 -- Aditya Gupta (1), Los Altos, def. Stefan Leustian (2), Mather, 7-6 (10), 5-7, 3-1, ret.
   Boys 12 -- Anas Abdelouahid (2), San Jose, def. Aryan Chaudhary (5), Santa Clara, 4-6, 6-2 [10-5].
   Girls 18 -- Rachel Eason (4), Union City, def. Jessi Muljat (5), Sacramento, 6-2, 6-4.

   Girls 16 -- Katie Volynets (3), Walnut Creek, def. Payton Saca, Sacramento, 6-0, 6-0.

Girls 14 singles champion Connie Ma, right, and
runner-up Monica Stratakos. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Girls 14 -- Connie Ma (1), Dublin, def. Monica Stratakos, Saratoga, 6-2, 6-1.
   Girls 12 -- Vivian Ovrootsky (2), San Jose, def. Claire Galerkin (1), San Francisco, 5-2, ret.

Doubles finals

   Boys 18 -- Donald Hall, Chico, and Max Yun (1), Walnut Creek, def. Amit Batta, Los Altos, and Ajai Shekhera, Campbell, 8-5.

   Boys 16 -- Daly Meinert, Fresno, and Andre Xiao (1), Saratoga, def. Kailas Shekar, Saratoga, and Dean Stratakos (4), Saratoga, 8-5.
   Boys 14 -- Stefan Leustian, Mather, and Zachery Lim (2), Fairfield, def. Aidan Mayo, Roseville, and Coby McCaig (4), Modesto, 9-8 (6).
   Boys 12 -- Aryan Chaudhary, Santa Clara, and Jake Vassel (1), Danville, def. Max Fardanesh, Albany, and Geoffrey Golan (2), San Jose, 8-4.
   Girls 18 -- Sara Choy, Palo Alto, and Catalina Rico (1), San Jose, def. Sarah Hu, Oakland, and Katya Tabachnik (2), San Francisco, 8-3.
   Girls 16 -- Hind Abdelouahid, San Jose, and Abbie Mulbarger (1), Woodbridge, def. Jacquie Tan (2), Elk Grove, and Jessica Tsukigi (2), San Jose, 8-6.
   Girls 14 -- Katherine Duong, Cupertino, and Connie Ma, Dublin, def. India Houghton, Tiburon, and Alena Pruett (4), Mountain View, 8-6.
   Girls 12 --Claire Galerkin, San Francisco, and Maryia Lucia, Roseville, def. Alisha Chulani, Los Altos, and Katherine Simone, Morgan Hill, 8-6.

Pro final delayed; Muljat, 14, wins women's open title

   Fifteen-year-old CiCi Bellis' Challenger final was postponed by rain, but 14-year-old Jessi Muljat won a women's open title on Sunday.
   The sixth-seeded Bellis, from Atherton in the San Francisco Bay Area, was scheduled to play  fourth-seeded Maria Sanchez, a 25-year-old Modesto product, for the first time on Sunday in the $25,000 Fresh Start Women's Open in the San Diego suburb of Rancho Santa Fe.
   The match between Sanchez, ranked No. 220 in the world, and Bellis, ranked No. 244, was rescheduled for 9 a.m. today. However, there's an 80 percent chance of more rain.
   Muljat, seeded fourth, outclassed fellow Sacramentan Eirene Granville, who was unseeded, 6-1, 6-2 in the $2,000 Rio del Oro Open at the Rio del Oro Racquet Club in Sacramento.
   Earlier Sunday, Muljat ousted top-seeded Haley Gay of San Ramon 6-2, 7-5. Fourteen women played in the women's open division.
   Muljat, an amateur, advanced to the second round of qualifying in the Fresh Start Women's Open in her first pro tournament.
   Second-seeded Kiryl Harbatsiuk, a 27-year-old resident of Orangevale in the Sacramento area, prevailed in the 57-player men's draw. He overpowered his fellow Belarus native and former Sacramento State teammate, top-seeded Anton Stryhas, 6-3, 6-3.
   Harbatsiuk was named the Big Sky Conference MVP for three consecutive years (2009-11) and briefly played on the professional tour, reaching a career-high No. 710 in the world in 2011.
   Colleges -- Cecilia Estlander outlasted Lindsay Kostas 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Court 6 to clinch a 4-3 victory for the No. 8 Cal women over No. 7 Stanford at Stanford.
   On Court 1, fourth-ranked Carol Zhao of Stanford edged No. 2 Maegan Manasse 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6). Estlander's victory gave the Bears (7-2) an insurmountable 4-2 lead.
   Stanford (7-2) suffered its first home loss of the season and only its sixth since 1999. Cal coach Amanda Augustus has been involved in three of those losses, including as a player in 1999.
   In other college matches, the No. 64 Saint Mary's women trounced Sacramento State 7-0 in Moraga, the host UC Davis women routed UC Riverside 6-1, and the Pacific men lost to Idaho 4-3 to finish sixth among eight teams in the Pacific Mountain Invitational in Stockton.

Kops-Jones, Sanchez, Bellis, Muljat highlight big day

Raquel Kops-Jones, above, and Abigail Spears won the
doubles title in Qatar. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   From Qatar in the Middle East to Southern California to Northern California, it was an eventful day.
   Fourth-seeded Raquel Kops-Jones of San Jose and Abigail Spears of San Diego surprised top-seeded Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan and Sania Mirza of India 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday to win the Qatar Total Open, a Premier-level tournament on the WTA tour, in Doha.
   Kops-Jones, 32, and Spears, 33, have won 11 WTA doubles titles together, including seven at the Premier level. One came in the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford in 2013.
   Meanwhile, the $25,000 Fresh Start Women's Open in the San Diego suburb of Rancho Santa Fe will feature an all-NorCal final today.
   Fourth-seeded Maria Sanchez, a 25-year-old Modesto product, will face sixth-seeded CiCi Bellis, 15, of Atherton in the San Francisco Bay Area for the first time.
   Sanchez, who starred two hours up the freeway from San Diego at USC, topped unseeded countrywoman Sanaz Marand 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Bellis outplayed unseeded Ipek Soylu of Turkey 6-2, 6-4.
   In college action, the No. 37 Stanford men lost at No. 21 UCLA 5-2, the visiting Pacific women beat Cal State Fullerton 4-3, and the host UC Davis women lost to No. 46 Long Beach State 5-2.
   In the $2,000 Rio del Oro Open, 14-year-old Jessi Muljat reached the women's open semifinals at the Rio del Oro Racquet Club in her hometown of Sacramento.
   Muljat, seeded fourth, has not lost a game in two matches. She will face top-seeded Haley Gay, 23, of San Ramon today at 8 a.m. Second-seeded Sophie Lohscheidt will meet fellow Sacramento resident Eirene Granville in the other semifinal. The final is scheduled for 11 a.m.
   Muljat, an amateur, reached the second round of qualifying in the Fresh Start Women's Open in her first professional tournament.
   In the men's open semifinals at 8 a.m., top-seeded Anton Stryhas of Carmichael will play third-seeded Victor Pham of Saratoga, and second-seeded Kiryl Harbatsiuk of Orangevale will take on fourth-seeded Adrian Chamdani of Santa Clara. The final is set for 10:30 a.m.

Miller saves match point, wins NorCal Junior title

   SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Saving a match point, top-seeded Alaina Miller of Saratoga edged second-seeded Rachel Chong of Danville 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (6) today for the girls 18 singles title in the NorCal Junior Excellence tournament at the Rio Del Oro Racquet Club.
   Miller double-faulted to trail 6-5 in the tiebreaker. But the 15-year-old, who slugs the ball with two fists on both sides, pulled even with an inside-out forehand after a long rally.
   Miller, ranked fifth nationally in the 16s, won the next point with another inside-out forehand and closed out the match when Chong, 17, netted a forehand return of a soft first serve.
   Fourth-seeded Adrian Chamdani of Santa Clara won the boys 18 singles title when unseeded Andrew Gu of El Cerrito retired with a sore elbow while trailing 6-3, 4-1.
   Gu was coming off a long 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 victory over second-seeded Cameron Klinger of Elk Grove on Saturday.
   It was the third injury-related victory of the tournament for Chamdani, a hard hitter with a sensational one-handed backhand. Riley Scott of Salinas retired while trailing 6-3, 4-2 in the second round, and top-seeded J.T. Nishimura of San Jose defaulted in the semifinals with a back problem. Nishimura is headed to Cal in the fall.
   In addition to Klinger, Gu knocked off the No. 3 and No. 5 seeds. A win over Chamdani would have made it No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 for Gu, who has verbally committed to Santa Clara.
   Please see below for results of the singles and doubles finals in all age groups.
   USTA 30 Indoors -- Top-seeded Clayton Almeida of West Palm Beach, Fla., outlasted unseeded Brett Van Linge of San Luis Obispo 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the men's singles final of the USTA National Men's, Women's & Mixed 30 Indoor Championships at the Spare Time Indoor Tennis Center in the Sacramento suburb of Gold River.
   Almeida, 33, will play second-seeded Jan Tiilikainen of Reno for the title on Monday at 9 a.m. Tiilikainen, a four-time champion at 42, dominated third-seeded Michael Kwong of Woodland 6-1, 6-2.
   Heather Nobler of Lincoln, Neb., improved to 2-0 in women's round-robin singles with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Amy McCampbell (0-2) of Austin, Texas. In the other match, Marisue Jacutin-Mariona of Los Altos (1-1) defeated Petra Wallace (1-1) of Sacramento 6-3, 6-1.
   Play concludes on Monday at 9 a.m. with Nobler facing Wallace and Jacutin-Mariona meeting McCampbell.

NORCAL JUNIOR EXCELLENCE

At Rio Del Oro Racquet Club in Sacramento, Calif.

Finals

Boys singles

   18 -- Adrian Chamdani (4), Santa Clara, def. Andrew Gu, El Cerrito, 6-3, 4-1, retired. 
   16 -- Victor Pham (2), Saratoga, def. Conrad Russell (3), Palo Alto, 6-2, 6-2. 
   14 -- Jenson Brooksby (1), Sacramento, def. Stevie Gould (2), Corte Madera, 6-0, 6-2. 

   12 -- Stefan Leustian (2), Mather, def. Alex Lin (5), Granite Bay, 6-1, 7-6 (4). 

Girls singles

   18 -- Alaina Miller (1), Saratoga, def. Rachel Chong (2), Danville, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (6). 
   16 -- Jillian Taggart, Fair Oaks, def. Niluka Madurawe, Sunnyvale, 6-4, 6-2.
   14 -- Katie Volynets (1), Walnut Creek, def. Stephanie Nguyen (5), Fremont, 6-1, 6-2.
   12 -- Muskan Mahajan (2), San Ramon, def. Azaria Hayes (1), Pinole, 1-6, 6-1 [10-4].

Boys doubles

   18 -- Adrian Chamdani, Santa Clara, and Andrew Gu (3), El Cerrito, def. Zachary Hewlin, Los Gatos, and Everett Maltby (1), Sunnyvale, 8-6.
   16 -- Joseph Conlin, Alameda, and Jayson Fung (1), San Francisco, def. Daly Meinert, Fresno, and Conrad Russell, Palo Alto, 8-2.
   14 -- Jenson Brooksby, Sacramento, and Aditya Singh (2), Cupertino, def. Scott Bout, Los Gatos, and Dean Stratakos (4), Saratoga, 8-3.
   12 -- Stefan Leustian, Mather, and Aidan Mayo (1), Roseville, def. Mason Fung, San Francisco, and Jason Holland-Morrison (2), Elk Grove, 8-6.

Girls doubles

   18 -- Paige Cline, Kentfield, and Darya Possokhova (3), San Francisco, def. Kristy Jorgensen, San Carlos, and Vanessa Nommensen (1), San Jose, 8-5.
   16 -- Jillian Taggart, Fair Oaks, and Elena Van Linge, Menlo Park, def. Carina Burdick, Los Altos, and Christine McCarthy (3), Menlo Park, 8-3.
   14 -- Nadia Ghaffari, Los Altos, and Jenna Schlatter (1), Saint Helena, def. Stephanie Nguyen, Fremont, and Julia Pham (2), Los Altos Hills, 8-6.
   12 -- Katherine Duong, Cupertino, and Molly Heber (1), Mill Valley, def. Azaria Hayes, Pinole, and Angela Huang (2), Piedmont, 8-4.

Top 30-and-overs, juniors to play this weekend

   Some of the top 30-and-overs and juniors in the nation will play in separate tournaments this weekend in the Sacramento area.
   On Saturday, the USTA National Men's, Women's and Mixed 30 Indoor Championships will begin at the Spare Time Indoor Tennis Center in Gold River, and the NorCal Junior Excellence tournament will resume at the Rio Del Oro Racquet Club in Sacramento. Admission to both is free.
   Eleven men and four women are entered in singles in the 30 Indoors. Play will begin at 9 a.m.
   The men's seeds -- No. 1 Clayton Almeida of West Palm Beach, Fla., No. 2 Jan Tiilikainen of Reno, No. 3 Michael Kwong of Woodland and No. 4 Robert Stang of San Francisco -- received first-round byes and will play in the quarterfinals at noon.
   Almeida, 33, won the USTA 30 Hard Court Championships in Austin, Texas, in March. Tiilikainen, 42, has won the 30 Indoor singles title four times, most recently in 2011.
   Competing in the women's round robin format will be Marisue Jacutin-Mariona of Los Altos, Amy McCampbell of Austin, Texas, Heather Nobler of Lincoln, Neb., and Petra Wallace of Sacramento. All are unseeded.
   Two-time defending champions Calle Hansen (men) and Romana Tedjakusuma (women) did not enter this year.
   The men's semifinals and final are scheduled for Sunday and Monday, respectively, at 9 a.m. The women will play at the same time.
   The men's doubles final and the last round of women's round-robin doubles are set for Monday at noon, followed by the mixed doubles final at 3 p.m.
   The NorCal Junior Excellence tournament features boys and girls 18, 16, 14 and 12 singles and doubles.
   In Saturday's boys 18 singles semis, top-seeded J.T. Nishimura of San Jose will face fourth-seeded Adrian Chamdani of Santa Clara at 12:30 p.m., and second seed and defending champion Cameron Klinger of Elk Grove will meet unseeded Andrew Gu of El Cerrito at 1 p.m.
   Klinger, 16, is ranked 46th nationally in the 18s. Chamdani is 54th and Cal-bound Nishimura 67th. Bears coach Peter Wright called Nishimura "one of the best ball-strikers in the country."
   In Saturday's girls 18 singles semis at 12:30 p.m., top-seeded Alaina Miller of Saratoga will play third-seeded Vanessa Nommensen of San Jose, and second-seeded Rachel Chong of Danville will take on fifth-seeded Kristy Jorgensen of San Carlos.
   Miller, 15, is ranked fifth nationally in the girls 16s. Nommensen, 16, and Chong, 17, are 64th and 98th, respectively, in the 18s.
   The girls and boys 18 singles finals are scheduled for Sunday at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., respectively.

Tursunov wins Munich doubles; Klinger takes junior title

Dmitry Tursunov, shown at Indian Wells
in March, won the doubles title in Munich
with Jarkko Nieminen. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Dmitry Tursunov has spent the past three months rebounding in singles.
   Now he's starting to do the same in doubles.
   Tursunov, a 30-year-old Russian based in the Sacramento area, and Jarkko Nieminen of Finland defeated Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus and Eric Butorac of Rochester, Minn., 6-1, 6-4 on Sunday to win the BMW Open on clay in Munich. Both teams were unseeded.
   "I think today both of us were so nervous and so tight," Tursunov said on atpworldtour.com. "We're just glad it's finally over. It wasn't the prettiest match for both teams, but we had some good points.
   "It helped us (this week) that the courts were a little bit slow with the weather and conditions, so we were able to hit a lot of groundstrokes. It's tough for the doubles guys; they're so used to high-paced shots. We were able to take our time and pick our spots."
   Tursunov and Nieminen upended top seeds Alexander Peya of Austria and Bruno Soares of Brazil in the Munich quarterfinals and No. 3 seeds Julian Knowle of Austria and Filip Polasek of Slovakia in the semifinals.
   With the sixth ATP World Tour doubles title of his career but first since late 2010, Tursunov skyrocketed 124 places in the rankings to No. 146. He reached a career-high No. 36 in 2008.
   In singles, Tursunov has improved from No. 122 to No. 57 this year. He has been as high as No. 20, in 2006, during his injury-plagued career.
   A right-hander with a two-handed backhand, Tursunov missed three months early last year with a left wrist injury and never got untracked in 2012. He also missed this past January to rest nagging back, left wrist and right shoulder injuries.
   Tursunov has won seven ATP singles titles. The Munich crown was his first on clay in singles or doubles. All of his doubles titles have come with different partners.     
   Ironically, Nieminen handed Tursunov probably the most heartbreaking loss of his career, prevailing 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-7 (6), 9-7 in the round of 16 at Wimbledon in 2006. It's the closest Tursunov has come to reaching the singles quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament.
   In doubles, Tursunov has advanced to the quarterfinals twice and semifinals once in the French Open with countryman Igor Kunitsyn from 2007 to 2009.
   Tursunov and Butorac both have played for the Sacramento Capitals in World TeamTennis. Tursunov was named the WTT Rookie of the Year in 2004 for Sacramento, and Butorac competed for the Capitals in 2008. They were teammates for one match in 2008.

Cameron Klinger, 15, of San Jose won
the boys 18 singles title at the Rio del
Oro Junior Championships in Sacra-
mento. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Juniors -- Cameron Klinger of San Jose defeated Nikita Matveyko of Kirkland, Wash., 7-5, 6-2 to win the boys 18 singles title at the Rio del Oro Junior Championships in Sacramento. Both players were unseeded.
   Matveyko served for the first set at 5-4.
   "I played a couple good games to win the set," said Klinger, whose height (6-foot-2) and power belie his age (15). "I think that hurt him mentally (in the second set)."
   Klinger, who swept the USTA national boys 14 singles and doubles titles in 2011, was playing in his first tournament in two months.
   "I was burned out," he explained. "I spent three or four months (playing) in Florida. I feel a lot better now."
   Klinger recently began working with Fresno-based Brad Stein, the former coach of International Tennis Hall of Famer Jim Courier.
   In the girls 18 final, unseeded Emma Critser of Mountain View in the San Francisco Bay Area beat fifth-seeded Karina Vyrlan of Sacramento 6-2, 6-4. Critser is a high school junior; Vyrlan, a 14-year-old freshman, has been home-schooled since fourth grade.
   Fifth-seeded Jessi Muljat (pronounced Mul-yat), 12, of Gold River in the Sacramento area topped unseeded Maria Kozyreva of Granite Bay 6-4, 6-4 to win the girls 16 singles title.
   Following are results of the other Rio del Oro finals:
   Boys 16 singles -- Lane Leschly (8), Atherton, def. Trenton Neild (9), La Selva Beach, 6-1, 6-2.
   Boys 14 singles -- Keenan Mayo (2), Roseville, def. Austen Huang (1), Elk Grove, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.
   Boys 12 singles -- Stefan Leustian (6), Mather, def. Aidan Mayo (3), Roseville, 7-5, 6-2.
   Girls 14 singles -- Jillian Taggart, Fair Oaks, def. Ashley Yeah (5), Los Gatos, 6-1, 6-0.
   Girls 12 singles -- Muskan Mahajan (4), San Ramon, def. Jennamarie Gordon (1), Los Altos Hills, 6-4, 6-1.
   Boys 18 doubles -- Wyatt Kershaw, Clovis, and Deric Wanland (1), Sacramento, def. Arshak Ghazaryan, Granite Bay, and Nikita Matveyko, Kirkland, Wash., 8-5.
   Boys 16 doubles -- Joseph Conlin, Alameda, and Jayson Fung, San Francisco, def. Peter Shin, Dublin, and Satyajit Simhadri (1), Saratoga, 8-2.
   Boys 14 doubles -- Austen Huang, Elk Grove, and Keenan Mayo (1), Roseville, def. Randy Cory, Salinas, and Andrew Ton (2), Milpitas, 9-8.
   Boys 12 doubles -- Mason Fung, San Francisco and Ryder Jackson (1), Nicasio, def. Ryan Ali, Mill Valley, and Ilan Leventhal (4), San Mateo, 8-3.
   Girls 18 doubles -- Bridget Guenard, Elk Grove, and Stephanie Lin (1), Pinole, def. Paige Cline, Kentfield, and Isabella Heidenreich, Napa, 8-6.
   Girls 16 doubles -- Darya Possokhova and Katya Tabachnik (1), San Francisco, def. Rebecca Li, Pleasanton, and Seriana Saltzen (2), Cameron Park, 8-6.
   Girls 14 doubles --Jenna Schlatter, Saint Helena, and Jillian Taggart, Fair Oaks, def. Niluka Madurawe, Sunnyvale, and Jacquie Tan, Elk Grove, 8-5.
   Girls 12 doubles -- Julia Owens, Los Altos, and Monica Stratakos (1), Saratoga, def. Alexandra Accinelli, Sacramento, and Jasjot Sandhu, Rancho Cordova, 8-2. 

Vyrlan, 14, and Muljat, 12, post big upsets

Karina Vyrlan, 14, overwhelmed top-seeded Mariska Chamdani
6-0, 6-0 in the girls 18 quarterfinals. Photo by Paul Bauman

   SACRAMENTO -- Keep an eye on Karina Vyrlan and Jessi Muljat.
   Playing way up, the 14-year-old Vyrlan and the 12-year-old Muljat (pronounced Mull-yat) knocked off No. 1 seeds Saturday in the Rio del Oro Junior Championships at the club by the same name.
   The fifth-seeded Vyrlan, from Sacramento, crushed Mariska Chamdani of Santa Clara 6-0, 6-0 in the girls 18 quarterfinals. The fifth-seeded Muljat, from Gold River in the Sacramento area, outsteadied Darya Possokhova of San Francisco 6-4, 6-2 in the girls' 16 semifinals.
   Chamdani, a high school senior and four-star recruit on tennisrecruiting.net, has verbally committed to Brown University, an Ivy League school in Providence, R.I.
   Vyrlan will face unseeded Sara Choy of San Francisco in the 18s semis today at 8 a.m., with the winner advancing to the 11:30 a.m. final.

Jessi Muljat, 12, knocked off No. 1 seed
Darya Possokhova 6-4, 6-2 in the girls 16
semifinals. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Muljat will play unseeded Maria Kozyreva of Granite Bay for the 16s title today at 8 a.m. Kozyreva downed fifth-seeded Stephanie Nguyen of San Jose 7-5, 6-2.

   Not to be outdone, Cameron Klinger, 15, of San Jose demolished Justin Sun of Fremont 6-0, 6-0 in a matchup of unseeded players in the boys 18 semifinals. Sun had ousted top-seeded Manpreet Tiwana of Cupertino 6-3, 0-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.
    Klinger will meet unseeded Nikita Matveyko of Kirkland, Wash., for the title today at 9 a.m. Neither player has lost a set en route to the final.
   The long-legged Vyrlan, 5-foot-9, earned her first WTA ranking point in March.
   "That was so cool," she said with a big smile.
   Vyrlan qualified for a $10,000 tournament in Metepec, Mexico, and won her first-round match in the main draw before losing to Slovakia's Lenka Wienerova, 10 years older, 6-1, 6-2 in the second round. Wienerova is ranked No. 415 after reaching a career-high No. 128 in 2009.

Cameron Klinger, 15, trounced Justin Sun 6-0, 6-0
in the boys 18 semifinals. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Gary Muljat, meanwhile, said of his daughter: "The neat thing is she never had to be pushed to play. She always wanted to play, then take lessons, then play tournaments. She has always driven the process. Neither my wife nor I play."
   The 6-foot-2 Klinger, a home-schooled sophomore, hopes to turn pro or play in NCAA Division I after high school.  
   "I want to keep both options open," said Klinger, who swept the USTA boys 14 singles and doubles titles in 2011.

   Klinger favors USC or UCLA over Stanford, about 20 miles up the freeway from home, or Cal.
   "(USC and UCLA) are a lot higher ranked (in tennis) right now," he explained. "I kind of want to get out of Northern California but stay in California."    

Farren advances in USTA boys 16s

  Top-seeded Connor Farren of Hillsborough defeated ninth-seeded Spencer Papa of Edmond, Okla., 6-1, 7-6 (7) Wednesday to reach the 16-and-under singles quarterfinals at the USTA Boys National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich.
  Farren, coached by ex-Stanford star and former world No. 7 Sandy Mayer, next faces 13th-seeded JC Aragone of Yorba Linda.
   In boys 18 singles, top-seeded Jack Sock of Lincoln, Neb., beat 10th-seeded Emmett Egger of Issaqua, Wash., 6-1, 6-1 in the round of 16. Egger won the West Coast Junior Championships last month at the Rio del Oro  Racquet Club in Sacramento.
   In San Diego, 10th-seeded Ellen Tsay of Pleasanton reached the round of 16 in 18-and-under singles at the USTA Girls National Championships. Tsay, who's also in the doubles quarterfinals with Robin Anderson of Matawan, N.J., next meets fourth-seeded Nicole Gibbs of Santa Monica in singles.
   Gibbs reached the NCAA singles semifinals, falling to top-ranked and eventual champion Jana Juricova of Cal in three sets, in May as a Stanford freshman.
   In 16-and-under singles, unseeded Mary K. Closs of Menlo Park lost to Emma Alderman of Hingham, Mass., 6-4, 6-1 in the round of 16.
   In San Antonio, second-seeded Cameron Klinger of San Jose breezed into the boys 14 singles semifinals. As the top seeds in doubles, Klinger and Tommy Paul of Greenville, N.C., will face seventh-seeded Ryan Dickerson of Marlton, N.J., and Kyle Seelig of Hatfield, Pa., today for the title.
   In North Little Rock, Ark., eighth-seeded Sam Riffice of Roseville fell to top-seeded Nathan Perrone of Mount Laurel, N.J., 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the boys 12-and-under quarterfinals. Second-seeded Riffice and Noah Schachter of Steilacoom, Wash., have reached the doubles quarterfinals. 
   In Alpharetta, Ga., top-seeded Catherine Bellis of Atherton and fifth-seeded Michaela Gordon of Los Altos Hills gained the girls 12-and-under semifinals. Both are in the doubles semifinals on separate teams.

 

Junior champions span West Coast

   The USTA West Coast Junior Championships lived up to its name in boys and girls 18 singles.
   Emmett Egger of Issaquah, Wash., near Seattle, and Christina Makarova of San Diego, took the titles Tuesday at the Rio del Oro Racquet Club in Sacramento. Both players were seeded No. 1.
   Egger, ranked fourth nationally in the 18s, wore down his good friend, second-seeded Connor Farren of Hillsborough, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the final. Farren is No. 2 in the United States in the boys 16s.
   Egger and Farren recently returned to the United States after traveling to European tournaments together for seven weeks.
   In the first set of the final, "there was a little nervous tension after spending that much time together," said Egger, 18. "I hit some key serves at good times (in the match), which helped me because Connor has such good returns."
   Makarova, ranked second nationally in the girls 16s, outsteadied unseeded Alison Ho, a left-hander from Thousand Oaks, 6-4, 6-3 for the title.
   "She gave me a lot of free points by hitting too hard," said Makarova, 15.
   Like Egger, Makarova admitted to being nervous in the first set, which had been tied 4-4. She resorted to hitting moonballs.
   "I was trying to be aggressive, but I guess I got tight because it was a final and fell into that," she said.
   Egger's parents, recreational players, introduced him to tennis when he was 7. He said growing up in the rainy Pacific Northwest did not hurt his tennis development because he has spent most of his time at academies in Florida, Texas and California since he was 14.
   Egger, who studied at an online high school, will play on scholarship at the University of Washington in Seattle beginning in the fall.
   "I liked the coach, Matt Anger," Egger said of the former touring pro who reached a career-high No. 23 in the world in 1986. "That's what sold me. I like the way he coaches and what he thought about my game. He changes (his style according) to the player. He's definitely not 'one size fits all.' He (talked about) mixing it up and keeping it deep, and he's helping me with my volley."
   If Egger becomes a successful pro player, as he hopes, he will not be the first from Washington.
   Tom Gorman of Seattle reached the semifinals at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the French Open in the early 1970s and coached the U.S. Davis Cup team to titles in 1990 and 1992.             
   Patrick Galbraith of Tacoma reached No. 1 in the world in doubles in 1993, and Jan-Michael Gambill of the Spokane area in eastern Washington climbed to No. 14 in singles 10 years ago.
   Makarova was born in Montreal to Russian parents and moved with her family to San Diego when she was 4 because of her father's job. Michael Popkov is a scientist. Christina's mother and coach, Luda, was once the highest-ranked woman in the Soviet Union.
   Makarova, who will be a sophomore at an online high school in the fall, will either turn pro in the next few years or attend college.            
   "It depends on how things go," she said.
   Champions from Northern California in the West Coast Junior Championships were:
   --Eighth-seeded Sarah Hu of Oakland in girls 16 singles.
   --Unseeded Katya Tabachnik of San Francisco in girls 14 singles.
   --Second-seeded Richard Pham of Saratoga and Brandon Sutter of El Dorado Hills in boys 18 doubles.
   --Unseeded Kristy Jorgensen of San Carlos and Christi Tain of Milpitas in girls 16 doubles.
   --Top-seeded Grace Lin of South San Francisco and Karina Vyrlan of Sacramento in girls 14 doubles.