Casper sweeps NorCal Sectional boys 18 crowns

Luke Casper, shown last November, defeated Phillip Martin
4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in Sacramento to win the boys 18 singles title
in the NorCal Junior Sectional Championships. Photo by
Paul Bauman

   Luke Casper, a 16-year-old Santa Cruz resident, defeated Theodore Dean of Livermore twice Sunday to sweep the boys 18 singles and doubles titles in the NorCal Junior Sectional Championships.
   Casper, seeded fourth in singles, beat the fifth-seeded Dean 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 and teamed with Phillip Martin of Los Altos as the fourth seeds to outclass second-seeded Karl Collins of Richmond and Dean 6-2, 6-3 at the Natomas Sports Club in Sacramento.
   Casper is the fourth of seven children. The oldest, Caroline, reached the NCAA Division III semifinals as a sophomore at Pomona-Pitzer in 2017 and the NCAA quarterfinals in each of her other three years. The Caspers' father, Mark, played tennis at Santa Clara.
   In the girls 18 singles final at the Fremont Tennis Center, top-seeded Katherine Duong of Cupertino topped second-seeded Amber Marie Lee of Orinda 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.
   Lee gained revenge by defeating Duong in the doubles final. Second-seeded Lee and Sofia Zaprianov of Concord beat top-seeded Duong and Nora Lee of Oakland 6-4, 6-1.
   Following are results of the other NorCal Junior Sectional finals:

Boys 16

At Natomas Sports Club in Sacramento

Singles 

   Ryan Torres (1), San Ramon, def. Dylan Tsoi (4), El Dorado Hills, 6-2, 6-2.

Doubles

   Nicholas Chen, Oakland, and Ryan Torres (1), San Ramon, def. Aardash Tripathi, Pleasanton, and Emon van Loben Sels (2), Sacramento, 6-2, 6-2.

Girls 16

At Fremont Tennis Center

Singles 

   Makenna Thiel (4), Piedmont, def. Alisha Chulani (9), Los Altos, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.

Doubles

   Maryia Hrynashka, Rancho Cordova, and Tomi Main (4), Seaside, def. Makenna Thiel, Seaside, and Madison Weekley (3), Alamo, 6-2, 6-3.

Boys 14

At Arden Hills Athletic & Social Club in Sacramento

Singles 

   Cyrus Ahmad (2), Fremont, def. Mitchell Lee (1), Oakland, 6-1, 6-1.

Doubles

   Alex Fuchs, Los Altos, and Lleyton Okada-Alonzo (2), Marina, def. Krish Arora, San Jose, and Rithvik Katpelly (3), Fremont, 6-3, 3-6 [10-8].

Girls 14

At Arden Hills Athletic & Social Club in Sacramento

Singles 

   Anya Murthy (2), Fremont, def. Ava Martin (5), Menlo Park, 6-4, 6-4.

Doubles

   Ava Martin, Menlo Park, and Natasha Rajaram (1), Cupertino, def. Caroline Beard, Santa Rosa, and Privanka Shanker (3), Napa, 6-1, 7-6 (2).

Boys 12

At University of the Pacific in Stockton

Singles 

   Jack Satterfield (1), Lafayette, def. Arnav Bhandari (2), San Ramon, 6-2, 6-2.

Doubles

   Arnav Bhandari, San Ramon, and Jack Satterfield (1), Lafayette, def. Julian Morris, Alameda, and Leo Terman (4), Palo Alto, 8-4.

Girls 12

At University of the Pacific in Stockton

Singles 

   Bianca Brown (5), Folsom, def. Georgia McDougall (1), Redwood City, 6-3, 6-3.

Doubles

   Bianca Brown, Folsom, and Georgia McDougall (2), Redwood City, def. Annika Penikova and Kristina Penickova (4), Campbell, 8-3.

Despite soft serve, Rai claims Sectional girls 14 title

Rhea Rai, left, defeated Gayathri Krishnan to win the girls 14
title in the NorCal Junior Sectionals. Photo by Paul Bauman

   SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Give Rhea Rai credit for honesty.
   When asked after winning the NorCal 14s Junior Sectional Championships if she likes to mix up her serve, Rai said, "No, I just don't have a really good serve that goes in a lot, and the sun was in my eyes all the time over there, so I had to just (toss the ball low and softly slice it).
   "I've practiced that serve a lot, which is why it goes in. Otherwise, my serve isn't that good."
   Compensating with strong groundstrokes, the top-seeded Rai beat fifth-seeded Gayathri Krishnan 6-2, 6-2 today at the Arden Hills Resort Club & Spa in a matchup of left-handers from Cupertino (near San Jose). It was Rai's first sectional title.
   "I'm really happy because I (rarely) get first place," gushed Rai, ranked No. 8 in Northern California and No. 189 nationally in the 14s. "I usually get second or third place.
   "I've been training a lot recently. Last week, I did more than I usually do (to prepare for the Sectionals). And because summer (vacation) started, I want to start training more."
   Top-seeded Nicholas Chen of Oakland won the boys 14 title, outplaying third-seeded Dylan Tsoi of El Dorado Hills in the Sacramento area 6-3, 6-3. Chen also won the fall sectional crown two years ago in the 12s in Stockton.

Nicholas Chen, right, beat Dylan Tsoi for the
 boys 14 title. Photo by Paul Bauman

   In both of today's finals, the older, bigger, more powerful player won. Rai and Chen will be freshmen in high school in the fall, and Krishnan and Tsoi will be eight-graders.
   Like Rai, Tsoi was candid afterward.
   "(Chen) has a way bigger server than me, so breaking him is a lot harder and he can easily break me by just hitting my second serves," conceded Tsoi, ranked No. 14 in NorCal and No. 208 nationally in the 14s.
   Both champions said their final was closer than the score indicated.
  "I wouldn't call it easy," Rai said. "A lot of games went to deuce. I guess I was able to convert them. She's a really good player, though."
   The boys final featured many long, athletic rallies.
   "We had a ton of deuce games, so it could have gone either way," said Chen, ranked No. 3 in NorCal and No. 56 nationally in the 14s. "Even though it was 6-3, 6-3, it was pretty tight. Just a couple of games (made the difference)."
   The final was Chen's closest match in the tournament. Rai lost one set en route to the final.
   Rai said she does not know Krishnan well, "but she goes to the same school as my friend, and I played her once or twice (before). I've never practiced with her."
   Rai is getting to know Krishnan better, though. And working on her serve.

Boys 14

At Arden Hills Resort Club & Spa in Sacramento

Singles final

   Nicholas Chen (1), Oakland, def. Dylan Tsoi (3), El Dorado Hills, 6-3, 6-3.

Doubles final

   Nicholas Chen, Oakland, and Emon van Loben Sels (1), Sacramento, def. Jason Lew and Patrick Toman (2), Pleasant Hill, 6-4, 6-2.

Girls 14

At Arden Hills Resort Club & Spa in Sacramento

Singles final

   Rhea Rai (1), Cupertino, def. Gayathri Krishnan (5), Cupertino, 6-2, 6-2.

Doubles final

   Maryia Hrynashka (1), Rancho Cordova, and Lauren Joyce (1), Lodi, def. Ava Martin, Menlo Park, and Natasha Rajaram (4), Cupertino, 6-1, 6-4.

Boys 12

At University of the Pacific in Stockton

Singles final

   Kosei Ogata (1), Saratoga, def. Min Htun (5), Sacramento, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Doubles semifinals

   Nav Dayal, Roseville, and Karthikeya Gannavarapu (1), Pleasanton, def. Ted Nguyen, Elk Grove, and Daniel Wu (3), El Dorado Hills, 6-0, 6-2.
   Min Htun, Sacramento, and Luke Stratakos (2), Saratoga, def. Kosei Ogata and Somei Ogata (5), Saratoga, 7-5, 6-4.

Doubles final

   Min Htun, Sacramento, and Luke Stratakos (2), Saratoga, def. Nav Dayal, Roseville, and Karthikeya Gannavarapu (1), Pleasanton, 3-6, 6-1 [14-12].

Girls 12

At University of the Pacific in Stockton

Singles final

   Aspen Schuman (1), Menlo Park, def. Penelope Wong (9), Mountain View, 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles final

   Anushka Jaiswal, Fremont, and Aspen Schuman (1), Menlo Park, def. Varsha Jawadi, San Mateo, and Mila Mulready, Burlingame, 1-6, 7-6 (2) [10-6].

Chaudhary channels Nadal for Sectional boys 18 title

Aryan Chaudhary, left, beat Eric Hadigian 6-4, 6-0 for the
NorCal Boys 18 Junior Sectional singles title at the Natomas
Racquet Club in Sacramento. Photo by Paul Bauman

   SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- He's neither Spanish nor left-handed, and he doesn't have a corkscrew forehand.
   But Aryan Chaudhary (pronounced AH-ree-un CHOD-uh-ree) has some Rafael Nadal in him.
   Like Nadal, Chaudhary is tenacious.
   "I don't give up on any balls," Chaudhary asserted.
   Largely for that reason, the second-seeded Chaudhary dismantled top-seeded Eric Hadigian 6-4, 6-0 today to win the NorCal Boys 18 Junior Sectional singles title at the Natomas Racquet Club.
   Chaudhary, a 15-year-old resident of Santa Clara in the San Francisco Bay Area, won the last eight games.
   "It was pretty tough," insisted Chaudhary, adding that he has not lost a set in three matches against Hadigian (pronounced HAD-i-gun). "The guy hits the ball really deep. I just told myself I had to grind for every single ball, get every single ball back and do my best to put him under pressure. I just didn't give up on any ball. I think that worked out pretty well in the end."
   Another 15-year-old, Luke Casper of Santa Cruz, won the boys 16 title at Natomas. The top-seeded Casper overpowered fifth-seeded Mason Fung of San Francisco 6-2, 6-2.
   Hadigian, 6-foot-2 (1.88 meters) and 175 pounds (79.4 kilograms), repeatedly ripped flat groundstrokes into the corners during the final. And Chaudhary, 6 feet (1.83 meters) and 155 pounds (70.3 kilograms), repeatedly kept the ball in play until Hadigian made an error.

Aryan Chaudhary, playing great defense, won the last
 eight games of the final. Photo by Paul Bauman

   "He's a great side-to-side mover and made me hit a lot of balls," said Hadigian, an 18-year-old Sacramentan who's headed to the University of Arizona in the fall of 2019. "Looking back, it would have been nice when he was on defense if I closed the net a little better. Yeah, his defense is great."
   Hadigian, ranked first in Northern California and 65th nationally in the 18s, broke serve for the only time in the match to even the first set at 4-4. But Chaudhary, ranked second in the NorCal 18s and 16s and 22nd nationally in the 16s, broke right back when Hadigian netted a low backhand.
   Serving for the first set, Chaudhary trailed 0-40 but won the next five points.
   "I just told myself, I'm going to put a couple of first serves in and make him play; I'm not going to give him any easy errors," Chaudhary, the runner-up in last year's Easter Bowl 14s, said of the pivotal game. "Then I just ended up running for every single ball. I got a couple of unforced errors from his side, took control of the game and won the set."
   Hadigian lamented that he was "upset with myself for being undisciplined on a couple of those points at 0-40. On the 0-40 point, I went for a return I shouldn't have. That was tough. It would have been nice to get a break there."
   Chaudhary, who did not lose a set in six tournament matches, recorded his second service break of the second set to lead 3-0 on a point that typified the match. After he made a series of great gets, Hadigian slugged an overhead wide.

Luke Casper, left, defeated Mason Fung 6-2, 6-2 for the
boys 16 singles title. Photo by Paul Bauman

   On Chaudhary's first match point, Hadigian mis-hit a forehand that struck the opposite fence.

   "I was a little frustated with how I was playing (in the second set) and some of the errors I was making, but I gave it my all," Hadigian said. "He was playing too well and lifted his game as well, so this is a tough situation."
   Attending the match were Arizona coach Clancy Shields and his brother, Fresno State coach Luke Shields.
   Chaudhary, who will be a junior at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, eventually could face Hadigian, a senior who takes online classes, in the Pacific-12 Conference.
   "If I could get in, I would love to go to Stanford," Chaudhary said of the university located only 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Santa Clara. "That's always been my dream."
   Casper, playing aggressively, won the last four games of each set against Fung.
   "It seemed to work when I hit extremely hard and moved him around," said Casper, ranked fourth in NorCal and 72nd nationally in the 16s. "Then he gave me weak balls to put away."
   Whereas Casper did not lose more than three games in a set in his six tournament matches, Fung survived long three-set battles in the third round and quarterfinals. He overcame a 2-5 deficit in the third set and saved three match points in a 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (8) victory over third-seeded Hugo Hashimoto of San Jose in the quarters.

Luke Casper, playing aggressively, won the last four
games of each set in the final. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Fung, ranked 10th in NorCal and 224th nationally in the 16s, said those marathons took a toll on him in the final but weren't "the main factor. He just played really well."
   Casper, who will be a sophomore at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, is the fourth of seven children. The oldest, Caroline, represented the family at today's final.
   Caroline reached the NCAA Division III semifinals as a sophomore at Pomona College last year and the NCAA quarterfinals this year. Their father, a lawyer named Mark, played tennis at Santa Clara University.
   Fung, 16, will be a senior at St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco. He said he has not received any college scholarship offers and is looking at schools.
   Fung's brother Jayson plays at D-III Amherst in Massachusetts, but Mason said he could stay near home and play for one of his two coaches, Pablo Pires De Almeida, at the University of San Francisco or at Santa Clara.

NORCAL JUNIOR SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Sunday's results

Boys 18

At Natomas Racquet Club in Sacramento

Singles semifinals

   Eric Hadigian (1), Sacramento, def. Andrei Volgin (4), Fremont, 6-0, 7-5.
   Aryan Chaudhary (2), Santa Clara, def. Daniel Baturyn (3), San Leandro, 6-4, 6-2.

Singles final

   Chaudhary def. Hadigian, 6-4, 6-0.

Doubles final

    James Bell, Fremont, and Aryan Chaudhary (5), Santa Clara, def. Zachery Lim, Fairfield, and Daniel Papacica (1), Carmel, 7-5, 3-6 [10-7].

Boys 16

At Natomas Racquet Club in Sacramento

Singles semifinals

   Luke Casper (1), Santa Cruz, def. Philip Martin (9), Los Altos, 6-1, 6-2.
   Mason Fung (5), San Francisco, def. Theodore Dean (2), Livermore, 6-4, 6-1.

Singles final

   Casper def. Fung, 6-2, 6-2.

Doubles final

   Theodore Dean, Livermore, and Joseph Teh (4), San Jose, def. Luke Casper, Santa Cruz, and Philip Martin (2), Los Altos, 1-6, 6-1 [10-5].

Girls 18

At Copper River Country Club in Fresno

Singles final

   Anna Campana (3), Hillsborough, def. Muskan Mahajan, San Ramon, 6-4, 6-1.

Doubles semifinals

   Anna Campana, Hillsborough, and Jennamarie Gordon (1), Saratoga, def. Klara Kosan, Carmichael, and Jozephine Yen, Los Altos, walkover.
   Katherine Duong, Cupertino, and Stephanie Nguyen (2), Fremont, def. Taylor Gould, Los Altos, and Anna Yu, Palo Alto, walkover.

Doubles final

   Duong and Nguyen (2) def. Campana and Gordon, 6-3, 7-5.

Girls 16

At Copper River Country Club in Fresno

Singles final

   Allura Zamarripa (2), Saint Helena, def. Tomi Main (1), Seaside, 6-4, 7-6 (0).

Doubles semifinals

   Allura Zamarripa and Maribella Zamarripa (1), Saint Helena, def. Mirabelle Brettkelly and Claire Galerkin, San Francisco, walkover.
   Tomi Main, Seaside, and Makenna Thiel (2), Piedmont, def. Madison Weekley, Alamo, and Sophia Zaprianov, Concord, 6-2, 6-1.

Doubles final

   Zamarripa and Zamarripa (1) def. Main and Thiel (2), 6-0, 6-2.

Boys 14

At Arden Hills Club & Spa in Sacramento

Singles semifinals

   Nicholas Chen (1), Oakland, def. Luke Bollinger (9), Napa, 6-1, 6-2.
   Dylan Tsoi (3), El Dorado Hills, def. Ryan Hoang (5), San Rafael, 6-3, 6-4.

Girls 14

At Arden Hills Club & Spa in Sacramento

Singles semifinals

   Rhea Rai (1), Cupertino, def. Emily Novikov (5), Campbell, 6-3, 6-3.
   Gayathri Krishnan (5), Cupertino, def. Emily Zhao (2), Cupertino, 6-3, 6-2.

Doubles semifinals

   Maryia Hrynashka (1), Rancho Cordova, and Lauren Joyce (1), Lodi, def. Gayathri Krishnan, Cupertino, and Kamila Wong, Palo Alto, 6-2, 7-5.
   Ava Martin, Menlo Park, and Natasha Rajaram (4), Cupertino, def. Sofia Daryaie, Los Gatos, and Emma Pell (2), San Rafael, 6-3, 4-6 [18-16].

Boys 12

At University of the Pacific in Stockton

Singles semifinals

   Kosei Ogata (1), Saratoga, def. Sterling Davies (3), El Dorado Hills, 6-3, 6-2.
   Min Htun (5), Sacramento, def. Karthikeya Gannavarapu (4), Pleasanton, 6-3, 6-3.

Doubles quarterfinals

   Nav Dayal, Roseville, and Karthikeya Gannavarapu (1), Pleasanton, def. Arnav Bhandari, San Ramon, and Jack Satterfield (5), Lafayette, 8-6.
   Ted Nguyen, Elk Grove, and Daniel Wu (3), El Dorado Hills, def. Ajay Ravichandran, Union City, and Elbert Said (5), San Ramon, 8-4.
   Kosei Ogata and Somei Ogata (5), Saratoga, def. Arin Pallegar, Granite Bay, and Tej Patil (4), San Jose, 8-6.
   Min Htun, Sacramento, and Luke Stratakos (2), Saratoga, def. Dhyey Patel, Napa, and Aryan Yenni (5), Fremont, 8-6.

Girls 12

At University of the Pacific in Stockton

Singles semifinals

   Aspen Schuman (1), Menlo Park, def. Clarissa Sutami (9), Folsom, 6-2, 6-2.
   Penelope Wong (9), Mountain View, def. Aoi Kunimoto (2), Palo Alto, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Doubles semifinals

   Anushka Jaiswal, Fremont, and Aspen Schuman (1), Menlo Park, def. Clarissa Sutami, Folsom, and Penelope Wong, Mountain View, 7-5, 6-3.
   Varsha Jawadi, San Mateo, and Mila Mulready, Burlingame, def. Rachel Hernandez and Sophie Hernandez (2), Los Gatos, 7-5, 6-1.

Hadigian tops fellow academy player in Sectionals

   Eric Hadigian and Zachery Lim know each other well.
   The players from the JMG Tennis Academy in Sacramento met today in the quarterfinals of the NorCal Boys 18 & 16 Junior Sectional Championships. The top-seeded Hadigian beat the fifth-seeded Lim 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 at the Natomas Racquet Club in Sacramento.
   Hadigian, a rising senior who has verbally committed to Arizona, is scheduled to face No. 4 Andrei Volgin of Fremont on Sunday at 10 a.m. Volgin outlasted unseeded Sam Gibson of Chico 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-4.
   In the other semifinal at 10 a.m., No. 2 seed Aryan Chaudhary of Santa Clara will meet No. 3 Daniel Baturyn of San Leandro. The final is set for 2 p.m.

NORCAL JUNIOR SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Sunday's schedule

Boys 18

At Natomas Racquet Club in Sacramento

Singles semifinals

   Eric Hadigian (1), Sacramento, vs. Andrei Volgin (4), Fremont, 10 a.m.
   Aryan Chaudhary (2), Santa Clara, vs. Daniel Baturyn (3), San Leandro, 10 a.m.

Singles final

   Players TBD, 2 p.m.

Doubles final

   Zachery Lim, Fairfield, and Daniel Papacica (1), Carmel, vs. James Bell, Fremont, and Aryan Chaudhary (5), Santa Clara, 5 p.m.

Boys 16

At Natomas Racquet Club in Sacramento

Singles semifinals

   Luke Casper (1), Santa Cruz, vs. Philip Martin (9), Los Altos, 8 a.m.
   Theodore Dean (2), Livermore, vs. Mason Fung (5), San Francisco, 9 a.m.

Singles final

   Players TBD, noon.

Doubles final

   Luke Casper, Santa Cruz, and Philip Martin (2), Los Altos, vs. Theodore Dean, Livermore, and Joseph Teh (4), San Jose, 3:30 p.m.

Girls 18

At Copper River Country Club in Fresno

Singles final

   Anna Campana (3), Hillsborough, vs. Muskan Mahajan, San Ramon, 8 a.m.

Doubles semifinals

   Anna Campana, Hillsborough, and Jennamarie Gordon (1), Saratoga, vs. Klara Kosan, Carmichael, and Jozephine Yen, Los Altos, 11 a.m.
   Katherine Duong, Cupertino, and Stephanie Nguyen (2), Fremont, vs. Taylor Gould, Los Altos, and Anna Yu, Palo Alto, 11 a.m.

Doubles final

   Teams TBD, 2 p.m.

Girls 16

At Copper River Country Club in Fresno

Singles final

   Tomi Main (1), Seaside, vs. Allura Zamarripa (2), Saint Helena, 8 a.m.

Doubles semifinals

   Allura Zamarripa and Maribella Zamarripa (1), Saint Helena, vs. Mirabelle Brettkelly and Claire Galerkin, San Francisco, 1 p.m.
   Tomi Main, Seaside, and Makenna Thiel (2), Piedmont, vs. Madison Weekley, Alamo, and Sophia Zaprianov, Concord, 1 p.m.

Doubles final

   Teams TBD, 3:30 p.m.

Boys 14

At Arden Hills Club & Spa in Sacramento

Singles semifinals

   Nicholas Chen (1), Oakland, vs. Luke Bollinger (9), Napa, 12:30 p.m.
   Dylan Tsoi (3), El Dorado Hills, vs. Ryan Hoang (5), San Rafael, 12:30 p.m.

Girls 14

At Arden Hills Club & Spa in Sacramento

Singles semifinals

   Rhea Rai (1), Cupertino, vs. Emily Novikov (5), Campbell, 11:30 a.m.
   Emily Zhao (2), Cupertino, vs. Gayathri Krishnan (5), Cupertino, 11:30 a.m.

Doubles semifinals

   Maryia Hrynashka (1), Rancho Cordova, and Lauren Joyce (1), Lodi, vs. Gayathri Krishnan, Cupertino, and Kamila Wong, Palo Alto, 3:30 p.m.
   Sofia Daryaie, Los Gatos, and Emma Pell (2), San Rafael, vs. Ava Martin, Menlo Park, and Natasha Rajaram (4), Cupertino, 3:30 p.m.

Boys 12

At University of the Pacific in Stockton

Singles semifinals

   Kosei Ogata (1), Saratoga, vs. Sterling Davies (3), El Dorado Hills, 9 a.m.
   Karthikeya Gannavarapu (4), Pleasanton, vs. Min Htun (5), Sacramento, 9 a.m.

Doubles quarterfinals

   Nav Dayal, Roseville, and Karthikeya Gannavarapu (1), Pleasanton, vs. Arnav Bhandari, San Ramon, and Jack Satterfield (5), Lafayette, 1:30 p.m.
   Ted Nguyen, Elk Grove, and Daniel Wu (3), El Dorado Hills, vs. Ajay Ravichandran, Union City, and Elbert Said (5), San Ramon, 1:30 p.m.
   Kosei Ogata and Somei Ogata (5), Saratoga, vs. Arin Pallegar, Granite Bay, and Tej Patil (4), San Jose, 1:30 p.m.
   Min Htun, Sacramento, and Luke Stratakos (2), Saratoga, vs. Dhyey Patel, Napa, and Aryan Yenni (5), Fremont, 1:30 p.m.

Girls 12

At University of the Pacific in Stockton

Singles semifinals

   Aspen Schuman (1), Menlo Park, vs. Clarissa Sutami (9), Folsom, 9 a.m.
   Aoi Kunimoto (2), Palo Alto, vs. Penelope Wong (9), Mountain View, 9 a.m.

Doubles semifinals

   Anushka Jaiswal, Fremont, and Aspen Schuman (1), Menlo Park, vs. Clarissa Sutami, Folsom, and Penelope Wong, Mountain View, 1:30 p.m.
   Rachel Hernandez and Sophie Hernandez (2), Los Gatos, vs. Varsha Jawadi, San Mateo, and Mila Mulready, Burlingame, 1:30 p.m.

Jackson beats heat, Chari for NorCal boys 18 title

Champion Ryder Jackson, left, and runner-up Siddharth Chari show the effects
of their marathon in brutal heat on Monday. Photo by Paul Bauman

   SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The final was sizzling in more ways than one.
   In a match as intense as the heat, Ryder Jackson rallied to edge Siddharth Chari 4-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4) in 3 hours, 23 minutes today to win the Northern California Boys 18 Junior Sectional Championships.
   Chethan Swanson, the top seed who lost to Jackson 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals, watched the grueling battle.
   "It was incredible," said Swanson, a friend of Chari's from Folsom in the Sacramento area. "I've been watching junior tennis obviously for so many years, and I can confidently say that was probably the tightest match I've ever seen. What I mean by that is nobody ever had a lead for more than a couple games for the entire match."
   The match at the Natomas Racquet Club began at 9:10 a.m. in 85-degree (29.4 Celsius) heat. By the time it ended at 12:33 p.m., the temperature had soared to 99 degrees (37.2) on the way to a record high of 107 (41.7).
   Can you say climate change?
   Chari, 6-foot-3 1/2 (1.92 meters) and only 160 pounds (72.6 kilograms), began cramping in both hamstrings while holding serve for 3-2 in the third set. At about the same time, his right (playing) forearm tightened up.

Ryder Jackson, left, rallied to edge Siddharth Chari
4-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4) in 3 hours, 23 minutes for the
Sectional boys 18 title. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Jackson, seeded fifth, then held serve despite soreness in his left leg. After the ninth-seeded Chari held serve for 4-3, he took a medical timeout and proceeded to break Jackson. With Chari serving for the match, Jackson broke back on a return-of-serve cross-court passing shot. 

   Jackson broke Chari again to lead 6-5, but Chari valiantly saved three match points in a game featuring several long, exhausting rallies to break back and send the match to a decisive tiebreaker. Chari survived two more match points before netting a down-the-line backhand on the sixth one.
   Jackson roared triumphantly, and the combatants shook hands at the net. Then Chari slumped in a chair in the shade next to the court and buried his head in his arms. Jackson sat next to Chari and grimaced in pain.

   "The heat was really tough," conceded the 6-foot-1 (1.85-meter), 141-pound (64.0-kilogram) Jackson, from Nicasio in Marin County north of San Francisco. "I play a lot in San Francisco, so I'm not really used to intense heat. But the adrenaline is going, you want to win, and you just push through. I was thankful I didn't have a major injury and was able to keep going."
   Jackson, 16, admitted he had extra incentive after losing to towering Keenan Mayo of Roseville in the Sacramento area 6-1, 6-1 in last year's boys 16 Sectional final at Natomas.
   "That was a rough match," sighed Jackson, who won a gold ball in 14-and-under singles in the 2015 USTA Winter Nationals in Tucson, Ariz. "I played as well as I could, but he played better than me. This year, I definitely wanted to do better than I did last year, and winning a Sectionals is a major accomplishment.
   "It's like the biggest tournament in all of NorCal, and it's 18s, too, so this is huge for me because I'm going to probably start traveling more and playing some high-level tournaments now that I've kind of cemented the NorCal with this win."

Ryder Jackson had extra incentive after losing in
the boys 16 final last year. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Chari, a 17-year-old resident of Saratoga (near San Jose), eventually withered in the heat.
   "My legs gave out of me when I was serving 5-3 (in the third set)," he allowed. "The heat was exhausting. I haven't been in this situation much, especially in this 100-degree heat. That really got to me."

   Jackson and Chari had met twice previously, both three-setters in the last month in high school matches. Jackson, then a sophomore at St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco, won the first time and Chari, then a junior at Menlo School in Atherton, the second.
   "I knew coming in it was going to be tough," said Chari, ranked 12th in Northern California and 116th nationally in the 18s. "I had a feeling it was going to be a three-setter."
   The final essentially pitted Chari's offense against Jackson's defense.
   Chari has a booming, high-kicking serve and powerful forehand, and moves well.
   "He moves really well, especially to his forehand," agreed Jackson, ranked first in NorCal and 13th nationally in the 16s and 18th in the NorCal 18s. "His running forehand I think is his best shot, besides his serve. He has an incredible running forehand. I always had to watch out for that. I couldn't hit it to the corner and think (the point) was over. I always had to be ready for the next ball."

Siddharth Chari will enroll at Yale in the fall of 2018.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Jackson countered with a strong return of serve, often getting back balls that bounced over his head, and consistency, frequently chasing down Chari's lasers.

  "I love my return of serve," Jackson gushed. "That's one of my best shots. That definitely helped a lot today, because he has a big serve and he's used to a lot of free points, so my goal was to try to make a lot of returns. It worked out great today."
   Jackson wore a soccer shirt to begin the match and switched to one advertising Etihad Airways of Abu Dhabi for the third set.
   "I always wear soccer jerseys and visors (for matches)," Jackson said. "I've been doing it since I was 10. That's kind of my look, my signature.
   "I like the World Cup, the big events. I like Real Madrid; Ronaldo is my favorite player. I played soccer when I was 11, then I quit to focus on tennis. I think I have like 25 (soccer shirts)."
   Both of Jackson's parents starred in college, Steve Jackson at Fresno State and Elizabeth Evans at Harvard. Steve is the director of tennis at the California Tennis Club in San Francisco.
   Ryder said he'll take online classes as a junior and perhaps return to St. Ignatius as a senior. He hopes to land a scholarship to a Division I school.
   Chari's father, Ranga, and mother, Vidya, are software engineers. Vidya stays home to travel with Siddharth, who will enroll at Yale in 2018. He plans to major in economics while playing on the tennis team.
   Said Swanson, who will play at UC Davis: "I'm really proud of him for getting a spot in an Ivy League school. It's going to be a great place (for him). He's really talented in tennis, and he's a genius, too, a really smart kid."

NORCAL JUNIOR SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Finals

At Natomas Racquet Club in Sacramento

Boys 18

Singles

   Ryder Jackson (5), Nicasio, def. Siddharth Chari (9), Saratoga, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4).

Doubles

   Stevie Gould, Corte Madera, and Issa Yoshida (1), Campbell, def. Nitzan Ricklis, Sunnyvale, and Dean Stratakos (2), Saratoga, 7-6 (4), 6-3.

Boys 16

Singles

   Aryan Chaudhary (1), Santa Clara, def. Daniel Papacica, Carmel, 6-3, 6-3.

Doubles

   Brandon Aprill, Mountain View, and Zachery Lim (3), Vacaville, def. Marshall Leung, Tiburon, and Andrei Volgin (5), Fremont, 6-3, 6-4.

At Copper River Country Club in Fresno

Girls 18

Singles

   Ashley Yeah (3), Los Gatos, def. Rachel Eason (1), Union City, 6-4, 6-1.

Doubles

   Anna Campana and Carolyn Campana (3), Hillsborough, def. Jillian Taggart, Fair Oaks, and Elena Van Linge (4), Menlo Park, 8-4.

Girls 16

Singles

   Vivian Ovrootsky (4), San Jose, def. Avantika Willy (5), Dublin, 6-0, 6-1.

Doubles

   Allura Zamarripa and Maribella Zamarripa (4), Saint Helena, def. Yuu Ishikawa, Mountain View, and Avantika Willy (3), Dublin, 8-2.

At Arden Hills Resort & Spa in Sacramento

Boys 14

Singles

   Brian Chong (2), Cupertino, def. Max Fardanesh (1), Albany, 7-5, 3-6 [12-10].

Doubles

   Luvdeep Bal, Yuba City, and Brian Bilsey, Belmont, def. Max Fardanesh, Albany, and Jake Vassel (1), Danville, 8-5.

Girls 14

Singles

   Anushka Khune (2), Palo Alto, def. Priya Nelson (4), Sacramento, 6-1, 6-1.

Doubles

   Tara Chilton, Reno, and Karis Kim, San Ramon, def. Audrey-Marie Rafols, Vallejo, and Isabel Santiago (3), Hayward, 8-3.

At Sunnyvale Tennis Center

Boys 12

Singles

   Raghav Jangbahadur (1), Palo Alto, def. Mason Nguyen (3), El Dorado Hills, 6-0, 6-2.

Doubles

   Mason Nguyen, El Dorado Hills, and Lleyton Okada-Alonzo (1), Marina, def. Mitchell Lee, Oakland, and Julien Simonian (2), Redwood City, 6-4, 6-2.

Girls 12

Singles

   Ria Bhakta (1), Saratoga, def. Lauren Joyce (3), Lodi, 6-4, 6-1.

Doubles

   Ria Bhakta, Saratoga, and Lauren Joyce (2), Lodi, def. Caroline Beard, Santa Rosa, and Anya Murthy (1), Fremont, 7-6 (11), 6-7 (6) [10-8].

Chaudhary, Willy earn Sectional 14 singles titles

No. 1 seed Aryan Chaudhary, left, of Santa Clara subdued No. 2
Marcus McDaniel of Vacaville for the boys 14 singles title in the
NorCal Junior Sectional Championships. Photo by Paul Bauman

   SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Aryan Chaudhary should have lost the first set.
   And the second set.
   Instead, he pulled out both to claim the boys 14 singles title in the NorCal Junior Sectional Championships.
   The top-seeded Chaudhary, from Santa Clara, overcame deficits of 3-5 in both sets and a set point against him in the second set to subdue second-seeded Marcus McDaniel of Vacaville 7-5, 7-6 (1) on Tuesday at the Arden Hills Resort Club & Spa.
   "I was making a lot more balls (than McDaniel)," the 13-year-old Chaudhary, ranked second in the 14s in Northern California, explained after the baseline battle in 91-degree (32.8 Celsius) heat. "He just wasn't (on) his game today. I wasn't playing too well, but I was able to force him to make some mistakes. That's how I was able to close out the match."
   McDaniel, ranked fourth in the NorCal 14s at 14 years old, agreed but added that he made a strategic mistake.
   "I just couldn't make that many balls," said the 5-foot-10 (1.78-meter), 130-pound (59-kilogram) McDaniel, who has a punishing forehand. "I played the wrong shot (of Chaudhary's). I should have played the other side. I played his backhand too much, and he's too solid on the backhand side."     
   On the adjacent court, second-seeded Avantika Willy of Dublin beat fifth-seeded Laura Sanders of El Cerrito 6-3, 7-5 for the girls 14 crown.

No. 2 seed Avantika Willy, above, of Dublin
beat No. 5 Laura Sanders of El Cerrito for
the girls 14 crown. Photo by Paul Bauman

   McDaniel served for both sets at 5-3 but surrendered the last four games of the first set and squandered a set point at 5-4 in the second set when he sailed a routine backhand long.
   "I was just starting to press too much, trying to keep pressure on him," McDaniel said. "I wasn't hitting the ball as well as I could, which led to me missing even more and led to me going downhill faster instead of letting him make the errors."
   The 5-foot-9 (1.75-meter), 140-pound (63.5-kilogram) Chaudhary, meanwhile, said he "started staying more calm and trying to reduce my errors and force him to make more errors."
   McDaniel still had a chance to force a decisive third set but dropped the last six points of the tiebreaker to end the match. During the stretch, he committed four unforced errors and a double fault and returned a first serve long.
   "I felt his ball was coming off the strings faster," McDaniel said of the tiebreaker. "He was kind of loose because he had the (first) set under his belt. ... I couldn't make my backhand. It's usually pretty solid."
   McDaniel strongly resembles Piedmont's Mackenzie McDonald, who turned pro this month after sweeping the NCAA singles and doubles titles as a UCLA junior, in several ways. Their first and last names are similar, they look alike facially, and both have slight builds.
   Chaudhary swept in singles and doubles, as he did last year in the 12s in Sunnyvale. Willy, however, won her first sectional title.
   "I just came out mentally prepared," said Willy, who will turn 14 on July 25. "(Sanders) is a great player. I was just really focused, and every point, I was mentally in it."
   Sanders, who was not available for comment, was coming off long three-setters in the quarterfinals and semifinals. But Willy said Sanders didn't appear tired.
   "She may have been, but I couldn't tell," Willy admitted.

NORCAL JUNIOR SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Tuesday's finals

At UC Santa Cruz

Girls 18

Singles

   Carolyn Campana (4), Hillsborough, def. Hind Abdelouahid (9), San Jose, walkover.

Doubles

   Hind Abdelouahid, San Jose, and Katie Volynets (3), Walnut Creek, def. Niluka Madurawe, Sunnyvale, and Katya Tabachnik (1), San Francisco, 7-5, 6-4.

Girls 16

Singles

   Connie Ma (2), Dublin, def. Angela Huang, Piedmont, 6-2, 6-0.

Doubles

   Katherine Duong, Cupertino, and Connie Ma (2), Dublin, def. Pamela Duke, San Jose, and Jacquie Tan (1), Elk Grove, 6-3, 6-4.

At Arden Hills Resort & Spa in Sacramento

Boys 14

Singles

   Aryan Chaudhary (1), Santa Clara, def. Marcus McDaniel (2), Vacaville, 7-5, 7-6 (1).

Doubles

   Aryan Chaudhary, Santa Clara, and Hugo Hashimoto (1), San Jose, def. Marcus McDaniel, Vacaville, 0-6, 7-6 (4) [10-2].

Girls 14

Singles

   Avantika Willy (2), Dublin, def. Laura Sanders (5), El Cerrito, 6-3, 7-5.

Doubles

   Allura Zamarripa and Maribella Zamarripa (1), Saint Helena, def. Tiffany Boudagian, South San Francisco, and Vivian Ovrootsky, San Jose, 6-2, 6-1.

Campana tops Volynets to gain Sectional girls 18 final

   No. 4 seed Carolyn Campana of Hillsborough defeated No. 2 Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek 6-2, 6-3 on Monday at UC Santa Cruz to reach the girls 18 final in the NorCal Junior Sectional Championships.
   Campana is ranked 33rd nationally in the 16s, and Volynets is first in the 14s.
   Campana will face No. 9 seed Hind Abdelouahid of San Jose for the title today at 10 a.m. Abdelouahid topped No. 9 Abbie Mulbarger of Woodbridge 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
   Also at 10 a.m. at UC Santa Cruz, No. 2 seed Connie Ma of Dublin will play unseeded Angela Huang of Piedmont in the 16 final. Huang routed No. 1 Stephanie Nguyen of Fremont 6-2, 6-1.
   The boys and girls 14 singles finals are scheduled for today at 11 a.m. at the Arden Hills Resort & Spa in Sacramento.
   No. 1 seed Aryan Chaudhary of Santa Clara will meet No. 2 Marcus McDaniel of Vacaville for the boys' title, and No. 2 Avantika Willy of Dublin will play No. 5 Laura Sanders of El Cerrito for the girls' crown.

  NORCAL JUNIOR SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Monday's semifinals

At UC Santa Cruz

Girls 18

Singles

   Hind Abdelouahid (9), San Jose, def. Abbie Mulbarger (9), Woodbridge, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
   Carolyn Campana (4), Hillsborough, def. Katie Volynets (2), Walnut Creek, 6-2, 6-3.

Doubles

    Hind Abdelouahid, San Jose, and Katie Volynets (3), Walnut Creek, def. Rachel Eason, Union City, and Jessica Tsukiji, San Jose, 6-3, 7-5.
  Niluka Madurawe, Sunnyvale, and Katya Tabachnik (1), San Francisco, vs. Madeline Almeida, El Dorado Hills, and Neha Gupta, Elk Grove, late.

Girls 16

Singles

   Angela Huang, Piedmont, def. Stephanie Nguyen (1), Fremont, 6-2, 6-1.
   Connie Ma (2), Dublin, def. Katherine Duong (3), Cupertino, 6-4, 7-5.

Doubles

   Katherine Duong, Cupertino, and Connie Ma (2), Dublin, def. Nora Lee, Oakland, and Leslie Ligier (3), Cupertino, 6-2, 6-1.
   Pamela Duke, San Jose, and Jacquie Tan (1), Elk Grove, vs. Angela Huang, Piedmont, and Stephanie Ren (4), Saratoga, on Tuesday.

At Arden Hills Resort & Spa in Sacramento

Boys 14

Singles

   Aryan Chaudhary (1), Santa Clara, def. Nino Sabella (5), Milpitas, 6-1, 6-1.
   Marcus McDaniel (2), Vacaville, def. Aidan Mayo (3), Roseville, 6-3, 7-6 (5).

Doubles

   Aryan Chaudhary, Santa Clara, and Hugo Hashimoto (1), San Jose, def. Aidan Mayo, Roseville, and Milad Shafaie (3), San Carlos, walkover.
    Marcus McDaniel, Vacaville, and Jonah Tran (4), Folsom, def. Luke Casper, Santa Cruz, and Philip Martin (2), Los Altos, 4-6, 6-3 {10-7].

Girls 14

Singles

   Laura Sanders (5), El Cerrito, def. Yuu Ishikawa (1), Mountain View, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (3).
   Avantika Willy (2), Dublin, def. Allura Zamarripa (4), Saint Helena, 6-4, 6-1.

Doubles

   Allura Zamarripa and Maribella Zamarripa (1), Saint Helena, def. Amber Marie Lee, Orinda, and Avantika Willy (3), Dublin, 6-1, 6-4.
   Tiffany Boudagian, South San Francisco, and Vivian Ovrootsky, San Jose, def. Mirabelle Brettkelly, San Francisco, and Sravanthi Dandamudi, Cupertino, 6-1, 6-2.

Paul Barretto, Keenan Mayo repeat in Sectionals

   Paul Barretto and Keenan Mayo won their second consecutive NorCal Junior Sectional boys 18 and 16 singles titles, respectively, on Sunday at the Natomas Racquet Club in Sacramento.
   The No. 2-seeded Barretto, a 17-year-old Tiburon resident, beat No. 9 Jenson Brooksby, 15, of Carmichael 6-4, 6-3. The No. 1-seeded Mayo, a Roseville resident who turned 16 last month, dominated No. 9 Ryder Jackson of Nicasio 6-1, 6-1.
   In the quarterfinals of the girls 18s at UC Santa Cruz, No. 4 seed Carolyn Campana of Hillsborough ousted No. 5 Rachel Eason, the defending champion from Union City, 6-4, 6-2.
   Also, No. 2 Katie Volynets, 14, of Walnut Creek dismissed No. 4 Jessi Muljat, 15, of Sacramento 6-3, 6-1. Volynets is ranked first nationally in the 14s.
   Volynets avenged a 6-4, 7-5 loss to Muljat in the 16s final of the USTA International Spring Championships in Carson, Calif., in April.
   No. 1 seed Herrick Legaspi of Sacramento and No. 3 Anushka Khune of Palo Alto won the boys and girls 12 titles, respectively, at the Sunnyvale Tennis Center.
   The quarterfinals of the boys and girls 14s are scheduled for today at 11 a.m. at the Arden Hills Resort & Spa in Sacramento, followed by the semifinals at 3 p.m.

NORCAL JUNIOR SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Finals

At Natomas Racquet Club in Sacramento

Boys 18

Singles

   Paul Barretto (2), Tiburon, def. Jenson Brooksby (9) Carmichael, 6-4, 6-3.

Doubles

   Arjith Jayaraman, Gold River, and Andrew Ton (4), Milpitas, def. Siddharth Chari, Saratoga, and Randy Cory, Salinas, 6-4, 1-6 [11-9].

Boys 16

Singles

   Keenan Mayo (1), Roseville, def. Ryder Jackson (9), Nicasio, 6-1, 6-1.

Doubles

   Sam Gibson, Chico, and Stevie Gould (4), Corte Madera, def. Ryder Jackson, Nicasio, and Zachery Lim (8), Fairfield, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

At Sunnyvale Tennis Center

Boys 12

Singles

  Herrick Legaspi (1), Sacramento, def. Raghav Jangbahadur (4), Palo Alto, 6-2, 6-0.

Doubles

   John Kim, Sunnyvale, and Herrick Legaspi (1), Sacramento, def. Liam Carpenter, Greenbrae, and Patrick Toman (3), Pleasant Hill, 6-2, 6-1.

Girls 12

Singles

   Anushka Khune (3), Palo Alto, def. Georgia Beard (1), Santa Rosa, 6-3, 6-2.

Doubles

   Anushka Khune, Palo Alto, and Madison Weekley (2), Alamo, def. Martina Marica, San Jose, and Kamila Wong (3), Palo Alto, 6-0, 6-2.

Paul Barretto, Keenan Mayo seek Sectional repeats

   Paul Barretto and Keenan Mayo will play for their second consecutive NorCal Junior Sectional boys 18 and 16 singles titles, respectively, today at the Natomas Racquet Club in Sacramento.
   The second-seeded Barretto, from Tiburon, outlasted ninth-seeded Andrew Ton of Milpitas 7-6 (4), 1-6, 7-5 in Saturday's semifinals. The top-seeded Mayo, from Roseville, downed third-seeded Stevie Gould of Corte Madera 6-1, 7-5.
   Barretto, 17, will face ninth-seeded Jenson Brooksby, 15, of Carmichael today at 9:30 a.m. Brooksby beat ninth-seeded Andre Xiao of Saratoga 6-4, 6-1.
   Xiao had ousted top-seeded Kevin Ma of San Ramon 7-6 (9), 6-3 earlier Saturday in the quarterfinals.
   Mayo, who turned 16 last month, will meet ninth-seeded Ryder Jackson of Nicasio today at 9:30 a.m. Jackson outplayed ninth-seeded Karl Lee of Los Altos 6-1, 6-4.

No small feat: Volynets, 13, could surpass Bellis

NorCal Sectional Girls 16 champion Katie Volynets, left, and runner-up Jillian
Taggart pose with tournament director Martin Kosan. Photo by Paul Bauman

   SACRAMENTO — Three years ago, CiCi Bellis of Atherton won the girls 18 singles title in the NorCal Junior Sectional Championships at only 13 years old.
   Bellis stood only 5-foot-3 1/2  (1.61 meters) and weighed just 85 pounds (38.6 kilograms) at the time. She has gone on to stun Australian Open women's runner-up Dominika Cibulkova in the first round of U.S. Open last August, end last year as the No. 1 junior in the world and climb to No. 170 in the women's world rankings as an amateur.
   Now, along comes an even smaller 13-year-old phenom from the San Francisco Bay Area.
   The appropriately named Katie Volynets, a Walnut Creek resident who's all of 5 feet (1.52 meters) and 80 pounds (36.3 kilograms), won the 16-and-under title today in the NorCal Girls' 18 & 16 Junior Sectional Championships at Arden Hills Resort & Spa.
   Seeded third, Volynets outlasted fourth-seeded Jillian Taggart of Fair Oaks in the Sacramento region 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the final on a day when the temperature reached 93 degrees (33.9 Celsius).  
   Bellis and Volynets share more than their Sectional titles at an early age, small size and Bay Area residences. Both won USTA girls 12-and-under national hardcourt championships (although Bellis added the clay-court title in the same age group). Bellis was ranked fourth nationally in the 14s when she won the Sectionals; Volynets is sixth.
    Volynets' coach, Richard Tompkins, said he saw Bellis play at age 13.   
    "I feel a little uncomfortable saying this because I'm friends with the Bellis family and I've known Lori (CiCi's mother) for over 20 years — and I'm a little biased — but Katie is better at 13 than CiCi was, in my opinion," Tompkins said on the telephone from Fremont. "CiCi at 13, even though she was winning a ridiculous amount of matches, was playing more of a counterpunch style and grinding players down. Between 13 and 15, those were huge development years for CiCi. She developed more weapons and (improved at) controlling points.
   "Katie's game is more developed than CiCi's was at 13. Katie is playing more aggressively off both sides. She's hitting the ball a little bit harder than CiCi was at 13, so she has better offensive skills than CiCi did at 13."   
   Another precocious Tompkins disciple, 15-year-old Rachel Eason of Union City, captured the 18-and-under Sectional title. Eason dismantled talented but erratic Jenna Friedel, a 17-year-old Mill Valley resident, 6-1, 6-3 in the tournament featuring Northern California's best juniors.

   Tompkins lauded Volynets and Eason as "fierce competitors. I'd rather have a fiercely competitive athlete than an athlete who's talented but not as competitive. Competitiveness and a strong work ethic will take you really, really far. Both those girls are fierce competitors and work probably harder than any other kid in Northern California, and that's why they're both achieving the success that they are." 

Volynets, 5 feet and 80 pounds, won the last six games in
her 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Taggart. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Volynets, though, is anything but volatile on the court. She is amazingly mature, never getting too high or too low. There are pros who could learn from her businesslike approach. Volynets even works on her game between points, taking practice swings in slow motion to simulate perfect technique.
   "She's obviously a very gifted athlete," Tompkins said, "but there's a lot of gifted athletes who never even come close to maximizing their potential because of either their work ethic or their internal drive or level of focus. ...
   "(Volynets) pushes herself so hard, whether it's in practice or tournaments. Even when she's exhausted, she'll continue to push and push and push. She has a will that just won't stop."
   Volynets has met Bellis, now listed at 5-foot-6 (1.68 meters) and a whopping 110 pounds (50 kilograms), once.
   "A couple of years ago, I was invited to her house, and we hit together," Volynets said. "We still keep in touch (by text) and have been trying to get together."
   Volynets' parents emigrated from Ukraine — where her mother, Anna, was a top swimmer —19 years ago. Katie, an articulate eighth-grader-to-be at Walnut Creek Intermediate, said her goal in tennis is "to be a top professional. I need to continue focusing on tennis and school as much as possible, and then we'll see what's going to happen."
   All that Volynets seems to lack is size.
   "Is Katie going to have to grow between now and 17?" Tompkins said. "Of course, because unfortunately professional tennis has become such a power sport. The little guy is almost becoming extinct.
   "Katie doesn't have the luxury of having any weaknesses. She has to move faster than her competition, and she needs to become smarter than her competition. She has to develop her whole game. That's the approach right now, learning to hit every single shot out there and becoming one of the most intelligent players out there."
   So far, so good. When asked how she routinely beats older, bigger players, Volynets said, "A big factor is stepping inside the baseline whenever I get a shorter ball ... attacking it and making sure I place the balls."

  Taggart, 5-foot-8 (1.73 meters) at 14 years old, became so mentally drained in the final that she dropped the last six games of the match.
   "I got a little tired and lost my focus mentally," explained Taggart, who double-faulted meekly into the net on Volynets' first match point. "And she was steady the whole time, so congrats to her."
   It wasn't the heat that got to Taggart. It was Volynets.
   "She's probably the mentally toughest person here," Taggart asserted. "She doesn't give you any free points; you have to earn every point. You know it's going to be a battle."

   Taggart, ranked 14th nationally in the 14s, played with her left wrist taped because of an inflamed tendon that had sidelined her for six weeks. She admitted that the wrist hurt on her two-handed backhand but didn't want to use it an excuse.
   "It wasn't really a factor today," she said before going swimming with Volynets at Arden Hills, where Olympic multiple gold-medal swimmers Mark Spitz and Debbie Meyer trained in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Girls 18 champion Rachel Eason, right, and runner-up Jenna Friedel pose
with Kosan. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Eason, 5-foot-7 (1.70 meters), has a strong first serve and dangerous flat forehand. Pinning Friedel to the baseline with deep shots and outsteadying her, Eason captured the biggest title of her life. She had lost in the Sectional 12- and 14-and-under singles finals but won the doubles crowns in those age groups.
   Winning the 18-and-under singles title "means a lot to me," Eason gushed. "It's the worst to lose in the finals because you're so close."

   Eason also avenged a 6-4, 6-3 loss to Friedel in last year's Sectional 16-and-under semifinals. Friedel went on to win the title.

   "I believed in myself more than I did last time, and I kept fighting and going for it," said Eason, who's ranked 81st nationally in her first year in the 16s. I've been playing better lately. 
   "I guess I've been taking my mental skills more seriously — after losing a point, calming myself down. Usually, I just get mad and it translates to the next point, and it keeps going from there."
   Friedel can relate. She was as emotional as Volynets was stoic, berating herself after her frequent misses, swatting one ball against the fence and, to pump herself up, yelling "C'mon" after winners.

Eason earned the biggest title of her life. Photo by Paul Bauman

  Friedel was so disappointed in her forehand that she held an impromptu practice session after the first set, dropping balls in front of her and hitting them to the other side of the court. After a USTA official told her she couldn't use match balls, Friedel ran over to her racket bag, pulled out a few practice balls and returned to the baseline for her self-taught clinic.
   "I didn't know what she was doing," marveled Eason, adding that she had never seen such a stunt during a match. "I know she's kind of fiery. I knew anything could happen, so I was kind of prepared for it."
   Eason will be a sophomore at James Logan High School. No home-schooling for her.
   "School is a good experience for you," she declared. "School to me is a lot more important. I take school more seriously than tennis."
   That's saying something.
   Said Tompkins: "One of the things I try to teach — which probably only 10 percent of the students I coach are totally on board with, although they agree with the philosophy — is you don't have to be a professional tennis player to do the things that pro tennis players do.
   "This is something that Rachel Eason and Katie Volynets have bought into. They practice and prepare just like a tennis professional. The only things that separate them are they don't hit the ball quite as accurately and they're not making money. But they take their tennis seriously."            

Barretto has banner day in NorCal Boys Sectionals

Paul Barretto, left, and Keenan Mayo won the 18s
and 16s, respectively, in the NorCal Junior Sectional
Championships. Photo by Paul Bauman

   SACRAMENTO -- Paul Barretto's 18-and-under singles title meant so much to him that he took the tournament banner home.
   With permission, of course.
   The fifth-seeded Barretto, from Tiburon, wore down third-seeded Austen Huang of Elk Grove 6-4, 6-1 on Monday in the NorCal Boys' 18 & 16 Junior Sectional Championships at Sacramento State.
   From 4-4 in the first set, Barretto won eight of the last nine games.
   "I just really wanted (the title)," said the 16-year-old Barretto, who appropriately wore a shirt depicting a tiger. "I fought hard with a little injury. I had the mindset to win today."
   Barretto said he had cramped in his legs and hips in his three-set semifinal victory over unseeded Mayson Xue, who had toppled No. 1 seed Lane Leschly in the second round, No. 9 Dominic Barretto (Paul's brother) in the third round and No. 5 Gabriel Owens in the quarterfinals.   
   Paul Barretto added that he did not cramp in the final. He earned his first sectional singles title, although he has won the doubles in the 18s, 16s and 14s with Dominic, who's 11 months older.
   Paul Barretto also avenged a 6-3, 7-6 (3) loss to Huang in the semifinals of the Junior Fall Sectionals last September at the Broadstone Racquet Club in nearby Folsom.
   Barretto -- a 5-foot-11 (1.80-meter), 150-pound (68-kilogram) counterpuncher -- said his greatest strength is his mentality.
   "I do get down on myself, but put me on a back court at Sac State in 110-degree (43.3 Celsius) heat, and I still want to be out there. It's never an easy match," said Barretto, who's ranked 38th nationally in the 16s to Huang's 14th.
   While Huang pounded away in the final, Barretto scrambled for balls from several feet behind the baseline and often managed to throw up lobs to stay in points.   
   "My game plan was to work him around and get a short ball," Barretto said. "I let him dictate the point until I was forced to hit a passing shot. That's a good element of my game. I'm able to do both things."
   Barretto also played the big points better than Huang, who had not lost more than two games in any of his tournament matches.
   Barretto led 3-0 and 4-1 in the first set, but Huang fought back for 4-4. After Barretto held serve for 5-4, Huang double-faulted to give his opponent set point but saved it with a service winner.
   Huang then missed his first serve. On his second, he swatted a short forehand that should have been a putaway, but the ball clipped the net and sailed long to give Barretto his second set point.
   After Huang missed his first serve again, Barretto slugged a backhand crosscourt passing shot for the set and roared in exultation.
   Barretto bolted to a 4-0 lead in the second set and promptly closed out the match.
   "I felt Austen was rushing," said Joseph Gilbert, Huang's coach and the founder and owner of the JMG Tennis Academy at the Arden Hills Resort & Spa in Sacramento. "He was trying to end the point too quickly instead of trying to set up the point.
   "He (had) played with the lead the whole tournament. This was the first time he was down, and he was trying to get it back really fast. He hadn't had any battles."

Katie Volynets -- a 5-foot, 80-pound
phenom -- will play for the girls 16 title.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   In the boys 16 final, third-seeded Keenan Mayo of Roseville used his one-foot (30.5-centimeter) height advantage to defeat top-seeded Andrew Ton, a left-hander from Milpitas, 6-4, 6-4.
   "I was trying to hit heavier, get the ball high on him, and I was getting some points off that," said the 6-foot-4 (1.93-meter) Mayo, who trains under Vahe Assadourian at the USTA center in Carson. "On my serve, I was trying to get the ball out of his strike zone. He does well for his size."
   Both players won 14-and-under titles in last year's USTA National Clay Court Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Mayo in singles and Ton in doubles with Brandon Nakashima of San Diego.  
   The top seeds in the girls 18s and 16s also lost in the semifinals at Arden Hills. Fifth-seeded Jenna Friedel of Mill Valley dismantled Camille Favero of Sacramento 6-2, 6-3 in the 18s, and fourth-seeded Jillian Taggart of Fair Oaks overwhelmed Ashley Yeah of Los Gatos 6-0, 6-3 in the 16s.
   In today's finals at noon, the 17-year-old Friedel will meet fourth-seeded Rachel Eason, 15, of Union City, and Taggart will take on third-seeded Katie Volynets, 13, of Walnut Creek.
   Volynets -- a 5-foot (1.52-meter), 80-pound (36.3-kilogram) phenom -- won last year's USTA girls 12 national hardcourt title.  

NORCAL JUNIOR SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Boys 18 finals

At Sacramento State

Singles

   Paul Barretto (5), Tiburon, def. Austen Huang (3), Elk Grove, 6-4, 6-1.

Doubles

   Dominic Barretto and Paul Barretto, Tiburon, def. Gabriel Owens, Los Altos, and Mayson Xue, San Ramon, 6-3, 6-1.

Girls 18
At Arden Hills Resort & Spa in Sacramento
Singles semifinals

   Jenna Friedel (5), Mill Valley, def. Camille Favero (1), Sacramento, 6-2, 6-3.

   Rachel Eason (4), Union City, def. Jessi Muljat (5), Sacramento, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.

Doubles final

   Darya Possokhova and Katya Tabachnik (1), San Francisco, def. Seriana Saltzen, Cameron Park, and Emily Zheng (2), Fremont, 6-1, 6-1.

Boys 16 finals

At Sacramento State

Singles

   Keenan Mayo (3), def. Andrew Ton (1), 6-4, 6-4.

Doubles

   Randy Cory, Salinas, and Andrew Ton (1), Milpitas, def. Armaan Kalra, Tiburon, and Wilhelm Saiga, Belvedere Tiburon, 6-3, 6-3.

Girls 16
At Arden Hills Resort & Spa in Sacramento
Singles semifinals

   Jillian Taggart (4), Fair Oaks, def. Ashley Yeah (1), Los Gatos, 6-0, 6-3.

   Katie Volynets (3), Walnut Creek, def. Niluka Madurawe (2), Sunnyvale, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.

Doubles final

   Niluka Madurawe, Sunnyvale, and Jacquie Tan (2), Elk Grove, def. Hind Abdelouahid, San Jose, and Abbie Mulbarger (1), Woodbridge, 6-1, 2-6 [10-7]. 

Boys 14 finals

At Fremont Tennis Center
Singles 

   Stefan Leustian (3), Mather, def. Ryan Ali (5), Mill Valley, 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-2.

Doubles

   Stefan Leustian, Mather, and Zachery Lim (2), Fairfield, def. Ryder Jackson, Nicasio, and Rian Ta (1), Fremont, 6-3, 7-5.

Girls 14 finals

At Fremont Tennis Center

Singles

   Connie Ma (2), Dublin, def. Muskan Mahajan (5), San Ramon, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Doubles

   Katherine Duong, Cupertino, and Connie Ma (2), Dublin, def. Muskan Mahajan, San Ramon, and Laura Sanders, El Cerrito, 6-4, 6-1.

Boys 12 finals

At Sunnyvale Tennis Center

Singles

   Aryan Chaudhary (2), Santa Clara, def. Max Fardanesh (3), Albany, 6-1, 6-2.

Doubles

   Aryan Chaudhary, Santa Clara, and Jake Vassel (1), Danville, def. Luke Casper, Santa Cruz, and Geoffrey Golan (2), San Jose, 6-2, 6-0.

Girls 12 finals
At Sunnyvale Tennis Center
Singles

   Claire Galerkin (2), San Francisco, def. Vivian Ovrootsky (1), San Jose, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. 

Doubles

   Georgia Beard, Santa Rosa, and Vivian Ovrootsky (1), San Jose, def. Claire Galerkin, San Francisco, and Maryia Lucia (2), Roseville, 7-5, 7-5.