Lipsky title, college tourney finals, USTA 30 Indoors

   Fourth-seeded Eric Butorac and Scott Lipsky of the United States edged top-seeded Lukasz Kubot and Marcin Matkowski of Poland 6-4, 3-6 [10-8] today to win the Millennium Estoril Open in Portugal.
   Both champions are 34-year-old doubles specialists with Northern California connections.
   Butorac, a left-hander living in Cambridge, Mass., won the first of his 18 ATP World Tour doubles titles in the SAP Open in San Jose in 2007 with Jamie Murray, Andy's older brother who's now ranked No. 1 in men's doubles. Butorac also played for the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis in 2008.
   The last SAP Open was played in 2013 after 125 years in Northern California under various names, and the Capitals were disbanded in 2014 after 28 years in Sacramento.
   Lipsky, a right-hander living in Irvine, Calif., led Stanford to the NCAA team title in 2000 and reached the 2002 NCAA doubles final with David Martin. Two of Lipsky's 15 ATP doubles titles came in San Jose (2008 with Martin and 2011 with Rajeev Ram).
   Entering Estoril, Lipsky was ranked 42nd and Butorac 48th.
   Lipsky won his second straight Estoril title and third overall. He triumphed with Butorac in 2009 and Treat Huey, a Washington, D.C., native who plays for the Philippines, last year.
   "I wish I new the secret of our success here, because then I could just do the same thing everywhere else," Lipsky said on atpworldtour.com. "I love the weather here. It reminds me of California, where I live. If we could do this every week, it'd be great."
   Butorac has won at least one doubles title in each of the past 10 years and Lipsky in each of the past nine. Estoril was their third title together; they also won Valencia last year.
   "Eric and I have been friends for a long time, and we played together for six or eight months back in 2009," Lipsky said. "We've talked about playing together again for a long time. After Wimbledon last year, we gave it a shot and have had good success. Being friends on and off the court helps a lot in doubles."
   Colleges -- The third-seeded UNLV women surprised top-seeded Fresno State 4-2 to win the Mountain West Conference Championships in Fort Collins, Colo.
   The Lady Rebels (24-1), ranked 72nd, earned an automatic bid in the NCAA Championships, which begin May 13 at campus sites. The Bulldogs (19-9), ranked 47th, could receive an at-large bid when the bracket is announced on Tuesday. The NCAA singles and doubles fields will be released on Wednesday.
   The top-seeded Weber State men and third-seeded Idaho women also earned automatic NCAA bids with titles in the Big Sky Conference Championships at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area.
   The Wildcats edged second-seeded Idaho 4-3, and the Vandals coasted past top-seeded Northern Arizona 4-0 for their second straight crown.
   USTA 30 Indoors -- No. 3 seed Tyler Browne, 30, of Walnut Creek defeated No. 1 Jan Tiilikainen, 44, of Reno 6-3, 6-4 in the men's semifinals of the USTA National Men's, Women's & Mixed 30 Indoor Championships at the Spare Time Indoor Tennis Center in Gold River.
   Tiilikainen has won the title six times, including the last two.
   Browne, a former Cal standout and now the associate head coach of the Bears men, will face No. 2 seed Calle Hansen of Newbury Park in the Los Angeles region for the title on Monday at 11 a.m.
   Hansen, a 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) former Pepperdine All-American, dominated unseeded Vittorio Fratta of Walnut Creek 6-0, 6-2.
   Hansen, 36, is playing in the USTA 30 Indoors for the first time since winning his second straight title in the tournament in 2013.
   On the women's side, No. 1 seed Evgenia Dockter of Atlanta and No. 2 seed and defending champion Marisue Jacutin-Mariona of Los Altos advanced to Monday's 9 a.m. final in contrasting fashion.
   Dockter crushed Brooke Biddle of Dallas 6-0, 6-1, while Jacutin-Mariona outlasted Francesca LaO of San Francisco 7-5, 4-6, 7-5.

Novikov doubles title, college tourneys, USTA 30 Indoors

Dennis Novikov of Milpitas in the San Francisco Bay
Area won the doubles title in the Tallahassee (Fla.)
Challenger with Julio Peralta of Chile. 2015 photo
by Paul Bauman

   Dennis Novikov of Milpitas in the San Francisco Bay Area and Julio Peralta of Chile on Saturday won the doubles title in the $50,000 Tallahassee (Fla.) Challenger for the second consecutive year.
   The top-seeded pair edged unseeded Peter Luczak, a former Fresno State star, and Marc Polmans of Australia 3-6, 6-4 [12-10] in the final on green clay.
   Novikov also won the Maui Challenger doubles crown in January with Jason Jung, a Los Angeles-area native who plays for Taiwan.
   Quentin Halys of France won the Tallahassee singles title in a battle of top teenage prospects. Halys, 19, defeated Frances Tiafoe, 18, of Boca Raton, Fla., 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-2.
   Halys and Tiafoe reached the semifinals of the Tiburon and Fairfield Challengers, respectively, in Northern California last October.
   In the Estoril (Portugal) Open doubles semifinals, fourth-seeded Eric Butorac and Scott Lipsky, a former Stanford All-American, beat second-seeded Treat Huey, a Washington, D.C., native who plays for the Philippines, and Max Mirnyi of Belarus 6-4, 7-5.
   Butorac, who played for the now-defunct Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis in 2008, and Lipsky will take on top-seeded Lukasz Kubot and Marcin Matkowski of Poland.
   Huey and Lipsky won the 2015 title.
   Colleges -- The No. 1-seeded Fresno State women beat No. 4 San Jose State 4-2 to reach the final of the Mountain West Conference Championships in Fort Collins, Colo. The Bulldogs, ranked 47th, will face UNLV, seeded third and ranked 72nd, for the title.
   The No. 8-seeded Fresno State men lost to No. 4 UNLV 4-2 in the Mountain West semifinals in Las Vegas.
   The Pepperdine women, seeded first and ranked eighth, pounded third-seeded Saint Mary's 4-0 in Claremont, Calif., to win their fourth straight title in the West Coast Conference Championships.
   The host Sacramento State men and women lost in the semifinals of the Big Sky Conference Championships at the Gold River Racquet Club. The No. 5-seeded Hornets men fell to No. 1 Weber State 4-1, and the No. 2 Hornets women lost to No. 3 and defending champion Idaho 4-2.
   The Sac State women had reached the Big Sky final for 14 consecutive years, winning 13 straight titles before falling in last year's final.
   USTA 30 Indoors -- Vittorio Fratta of Walnut Creek upset fourth-seeded Thomas Morton of Citrus Heights 7-6 (5), 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the USTA National Men's, Women's & Mixed 30 Indoor Championships at the Spare Time Indoor Tennis Center in Gold River.
   In today's men's semifinals, Fratta will face No. 2 seed Calle Hansen, 36, of Newbury Park at 9 a.m., and No. 1 seed and two-time defending champion Jan Tiilikainen, 44, of Reno will play No. 3 Tyler Browne, 30, of Walnut Creek at noon.
   Browne, a former Cal standout and now the associate head coach of the Bears men, eliminated 2015 runner-up Ryan Sablan of Martinez 6-4, 6-2.
   Both women's semis are scheduled for 9 a.m. No. 1 seed Evgenia Dockter of Atlanta will face Brooke Biddle of Dallas, and No. 2 seed and defending champion Marisue Jacutin-Mariona of Los Altos will meet Francesca LaO of San Francisco.

Tiilikainen, Hansen top men's field in USTA 30 Indoors

Calle Hansen returns to the USTA National 30 Indoors
for the first time since winning his second straight title
in the tournament in 2013. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   Jan Tiilikainen is the men's top seed, the two-time defending champion and a six-time winner in the $2,000 USTA National Men's, Women's and Mixed 30 Indoor Championships.
   But the 44-year-old teaching pro from Reno is not the favorite in the tournament, which began Friday at the Spare Time Indoor Tennis Center in the Sacramento suburb of Gold River.
   That distinction goes to second-seeded Calle Hansen, 36, of Newbury Park in the Los Angeles area. The former Pepperdine All-American returns to the 30 Indoors for the first time since winning his second straight title in the tournament in 2013.
   The 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) Hansen, a Swedish native, defeated the 5-foot-11 (1.80-meter) Tiilikainen, originally from Finland, in the 2012 semifinals and 2013 final.
   Both competitors are scheduled to play in today's quarterfinals after receiving first-round byes. Tiilikainen will face Michael Kwong of Woodland at 11 a.m., and Hansen will meet Jordan Boyls of Folsom at 1 p.m.
   Tyler Browne, a 30-year-old former Cal standout from Walnut Creek, is seeded third.
   Women's singles begins with today's quarterfinals. Top-seeded Evgenia Dockter of Atlanta drew a first-round bye, and second seed and defending champion Marisue Jacutin-Mariona of Los Altos is scheduled to play Rachel Janssen of Farmers Branch, Texas, at 11:30 a.m.
   Matt Seeberger, a doubles specialist from Redwood City ranked No. 178 in the world, is seeded second with Kwong. They are scheduled to play Derek Acker of South Wales, N.Y., and Hansen in the first round (quarterfinals) today at 4 p.m.

Tiilikainen wins sixth National 30 Indoor title

   The National 30 Indoor tournament is practically synonymous with Jan Tiilikainen.
   What Rafael Nadal is to the upcoming French Open, Tiilikainen is to the 30 Indoors.
   Tiilikainen, a 43-year-old Reno teaching pro from Finland, won the men's singles title in the USTA National Men's, Women's & Mixed 30 Indoor Championships for the sixth time today.
   The top-seeded Tiilikainen beat second-seeded Ryan ("Don't Call Me Nick") Sablan of Martinez 6-3, 7-5 at the Spare Time Indoor Tennis Center in the Sacramento suburb of Gold River.
   Tiilikainen, 5-foot-11 (1.80 meters) and 158 pounds (71.7 kilograms), also won the title in 2007 his tournament debut, 2008, 2010, 2011 and last year.
   Tiilikainen lost to 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) Calle Hansen in the 2012 semifinals and 2013 final. Hansen, a former Pepperdine All-American from Sweden, did not return last year or this year.
   Marisue Jacutin-Mariona of Los Altos defeated Laura McGaffigan of Folsom 6-1, 6-4 for the women's title.

USTA NATIONAL 30 INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Men's singles

Final

   Jan Tiilikainen (1), Reno, def. Ryan Sablan (2), Martinez, 6-3, 7-5.

Third place

   Vittorio Fratta, San Francisco, def. Thomas Morton, Citrus Heights, 6-1, 6-3.

Women's singles

Round robin

   Marisue Jacutin-Mariona, Los Altos, def. Laura McGaffigan, Folsom, 6-1, 6-4.
   Suzie Maciel, Sacramento, def. Noknoy Souliyonh, El Dorado Hills, 6-2, 6-2.

 Final standings

   Jacutin-Mariona 3-0, McGaffigan, 2-1, Maciel 1-2, Souliyonh 0-3.

Men's doubles

Final

   Tyler Browne, Walnut Creek, and Nicholas Brunner (1), Sacramento, def. Justin Garcia, Folsom, and Whit Livingston, Sacramento, 6-3, 6-1.

Third place

   Mark Fairchilds, Modesto, and Jan Tiilikainen, Reno, def. Vittorio Fratta, San Francisco, and Pablo Schurig, Walnut Creek, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-0.

Women' doubles

Final

   Lauren Barnikow and Francesca LaO (1), San Francisco, def. Isabella Kling, Orangevale, and Laura McGaffigan (2), Folsom, 7-5, 7-6 (2).

Third place

   Camille Benvenuti, Sacramento, and Stacey Griggs, Carmichael, def. Holly Jones, Rancho Cordova, and Laurie Smith, Elk Grove, walkover.

Mixed doubles

Final

   Tyler Browne, Walnut Creek, and Francesca LaO (1), San Francisco, def. Marisue Jacutin-Mariona, Los Altos, and Pablo Schurig (2), Walnut Creek, 6-4, 6-3.

Third place

   Lauren Barnikow, San Francisco, and Derek Fitzpatrick, San Jose, def. Dave Hagiwara and Laura McGaffigan, Folsom, 7-6 (5), 6-3.

Stories receiving most hits in 2014, ever

Collin Altamirano practices with Ryan Harrison during the $100,000 Sacramento
Pro Circuit Challenger at the Natomas Racquet Club in October. Photo by Paul Bauman

MOST HITS IN 2014

   1. Altamirano to attend Virginia -- maybe (1,863 hits, May 8).
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2014/05/altamirano-to-attend-virginia-maybe.html
   (Editor's note: Altamirano will begin competing for Virginia next month.)
   2. Rankings mover of the week -- Maria Sanchez (1,071 hits, Feb. 19).
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2014/02/rankings-mover-of-week-maria-sanchez.html
   3. Querrey wins title but predicts top 10 for Kozlov (919 hits, Oct. 6).
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2014/10/querrey-wins-title-but-predicts-top-10.html
   4. Sacramento junior trains with Federer in Dubai (880 hits, Jan. 23).
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2014/01/sacramento-junior-reflects-on-training.html
   5. Owner of former Capitals team charged, jailed (824 hits, Feb. 23).
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2014/02/owner-of-former-capitals-team-charged.html
   6. Rankings mover of the week -- Maria Sanchez (808 hits, Jan. 9).
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2014/01/rankings-mover-of-week-maria-sanchez.html
   7. Rankings mover of the week -- Bradley Klahn (636 hits, Feb. 12).
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2014/02/rankings-mover-of-week-bradley-klahn.html
   8. Neighborly advice: Keep an eye on Roseville trio (612 hits, Aug. 24).
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2014/08/neighborly-advice-keep-eye-on-roseville.html
   (Editor's note: Sam Riffice this month joined Grigor Dimitrov, now ranked 11th in the world after reaching a career-high No. 8 in August, as the only players to sweep the boys 16 singles titles in the Eddie Herr International Championships and Orange Bowl. Brothers Keenan and Aidan Mayo last week won the boys 14 and 12 consolation singles titles, respectively, in the Junior Orange Bowl.)
   9. Kozlov, 16, escapes again to reach Sacramento final (553 hits, Oct. 5).
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2014/10/kozlov-16-escapes-again-to-reach.html
   10. Grueling workouts as teen pay off for 30 Indoors champ (529 hits, May 6).
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2014/05/grueling-workouts-as-teen-pay-off-for.html

MOST HITS EVER

(Web site launched on June 23, 2011)

   1. Why tennis is better than golf (4,881 hits, April 3, 2012).
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2012/04/why-tennis-is-better-than-golf.html
   2. Little Bellis gets big results (2,313 hits, June 24, 2012). 
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2012/06/little-bellis-gets-big-results.html
   3. Sac State coach: Azarenka wasn't kidding around (1,970 hits, March 5, 2012).
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2012/03/sac-state-coach-azarenka-wasnt-kidding.html
   4. Altamirano to attend Virginia -- maybe (1,863 hits, May 8, 2014).
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2014/05/altamirano-to-attend-virginia-maybe.html
   (Editor's note: Altamirano will begin competing for Virginia next month.)
   5. Zach Gilbert's background serves him well (1,349 hits, Sept. 26, 2012).
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2012/09/zach-gilberts-background-serves-him-well.html
   6. Modesto's Sanchez, with unusual past, wins title (1,305 hits, June 4, 2012).
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2012/06/modestos-sanchez-wins-gold-river.html
   7. Rankings mover of the week -- Maria Sanchez (1,071 hits, Feb. 19, 2014).
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2014/02/rankings-mover-of-week-maria-sanchez.html
   8. Academy makes waves with two national champs (1,020 hits, Sept. 8, 2013)
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2013/09/academy-makes-waves-with-two-national.html
   9. Querrey wins title but predicts top 10 for Kozlov (919 hits, Oct. 6, 2014).
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2014/10/querrey-wins-title-but-predicts-top-10.html
   10 (tie). Tursunov no longer thinks father committed fault (880 hits, Sept. 23, 2011).
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2011/09/tursunov-no-longer-thinks-father.html
   10 (tie). Sacramento junior trains with Federer in Dubai (880 hits, Jan. 23, 2014).
   http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2014/01/sacramento-junior-reflects-on-training.html

TOTAL WEB SITE HITS: 172,040

   Coming later today: The top 10 stories, plus honorable mentions, of 2014 in Northern California tennis as chosen by the czar.

Grueling workouts as teen pay off for 30 Indoors champ

Second-seeded Jan Tiilikainen, left, used his outstanding fitness
to beat top-seeded Clayton Almeida for his fifth men's singles
title in the National 30 Indoors. Photo by Paul Bauman

   GOLD RIVER, Calif. — From age 15 to 18, Jan Tiilikainen endured workouts that make a North Korean labor camp look like Club Med.
   "We had a crazy coach in Finland," Tiilikainen, a 42-year-old Reno teaching pro from Helsinki, recalled Monday after winning his fifth singles title in the USTA National Men's, Women & Mixed 30 Indoor Championships. "We did 2 1/2 hours of conditioning five or six days a week in addition to tennis. He'd put a bucket in the corner of the field and say, 'Go throw up.'
   "We'd carry a guy piggyback 400 yards around a track. We'd run a lap, do 2,000 sit-ups, run a lap ... We'd do cross-country skiing pulling a sled filled with rocks uphill. Your thighs would be burning. We did whatever he'd come up with. You never knew what to expect."
   Tiilikainen continued: "If you didn't give 100 percent, you were out of the group. He'd get someone else. There were eight of us.
   "I was never kicked out. I was very self-motivated. I was usually the first guy out there and the last guy who left the gym."
   Considering that regimen — and other factors — it's not so surprising that it was the much younger, bigger and stronger Clayton Almeida rather than Tiilikainen who broke down in the final at the Spare Time Indoor Tennis Center.
   Almeida, the top seed from West Palm Beach, Fla., strained a groin and quadriceps muscle late in the second set of the second-seeded Tiilikainen's 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 victory. Clearly hurting, Almeida stopped moving in the third set of the 2-hour, 44-minute match. At times, the 33-year-old Brazil native bent over and winced between points.
   "It was a tough decision whether to keep playing or retire," conceded Almeida, who had cramped at the end of his 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 semifinal victory. "I've never retired in my life. Jani is a great guy. It definitely would have taken a little bit away from his title. It's just not a part of me."  
   Tiilikainen, meanwhile, looked as if he could run all day. He was playing at sea level rather than at Reno's 4,505-foot (1,373-meter) elevation, and he's accustomed to playing four matches a day (singles and doubles) in the heat in outdoor tournaments.
   "This is easy for me," proclaimed Tiilikainen, who played singles only in the 30 Indoors.
   Indeed, when asked what he considers his greatest strength, Tiilikainen blurted, "Fitness." 

Heather Nobler, middle, won the women's singles round robin. Marisue Jacu-
tin Mariona, left, finished second, and Petra Wallace, right, was third.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Heather Nobler of Lincoln, Neb., won the women's title by finishing 3-0 in round-robin play. The former University of Oklahoma standout coasted after outdueling Marisue Jacutin-Mariona 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (4) in Saturday's opening round.
   Almeida and Tiilikainen contrasted sharply in almost every way.
   Almeida, 6-foot-5 (1.96 meters) and 225 pounds (102.1 kilograms), looks more like a tight end or heavyweight boxer than a tennis player.
   Tiilikainen, 5-foot-11 (1.80) and 158 pounds (71.7), looks by comparison as if he could have ridden California Chrome to victory in Saturday's Kentucky Derby instead of demolishing Joshua Prager of Yuba City 6-0, 6-0 in the quarterfinals.
   Almeida has a powerful serve and sensational one-handed backhand. Tiilikainen employs a strong return of serve and slugs two-fisted backhands.  
   Both starred at U.S. colleges but in vastly different parts of the country. Almeida played at Winthrop in steamy Rock Hill, S.C., and Tiilikainen in the desert at Nevada.
   After winning the 30 Indoors title in his debut in 2007 and repeating in 2008, 2010 and 2011, Tiilikainen lost to former Pepperdine All-American Calle Hansen in the semifinals in 2012 and final last year.
   "It bugged me," Tiilikainen, whose brother Kim coaches 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist Jerzy Janowicz of Poland, said of the drought. "It was a long drive home. People were texting me wishing me good luck (this year), and it's always nicer to text back saying I won."
   In Almeida, Tiilikainen was playing a 6-foot-5, 33-year-old in the final for the second year in a row.
   "This guy had beaten Hansen in college," Tiilikainen noted. "I knew it would be a tough match."
   But Tiilikainen figured he could use Almeida's size against him.
   "I knew if I could keep him moving and stretching, I'd get him tired," Tiilikainen offered.
   Eventually, that's what happened.
   The first set was a titanic, 65-minute battle as the players traded vicious groundstrokes and displayed tremendous mental toughness. Almeida survived four set points to hold serve for 5-5 and broke Tiilikainen at love on a runaround forehand passing shot for 6-5. Tiilikainen saved five set points in the next game before uncharacteristically spraying a forehand wide to hand Almeida the set.
   Both players held serve for 3-3 in the second set, but Almeida was done. Tiilikainen won nine of the last 11 games.       
   "He chases everything down, hits solid and puts a lot of stress on your body," Almeida said. "I'll practice more for next year."
   Almeida, a teaching pro, is playing in the 30s for the first year as he prepares for the 35s. He won the  USTA 30 Hard Court Championships in Austin, Texas, in March for his first gold ball.
   "I love teaching and playing," Almeida gushed. "It's more about the competition than the gold ball. To know I can still play at this level at 33, it makes me happy at the end of the day."

USTA NATIONAL MEN'S, WOMEN'S & MIXED 30 INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Men's singles final

   Jan Tiilikainen (2), Reno, def. Clayton Almeida (1), West Palm Beach, Fla., 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.

Women's singles final round-robin standings

   1. Heather Nobler, Lincoln, Neb., 3-0.
   2. Marisue Jacutin-Mariona, Los Altos, 2-1.
   3. Petra Wallace, Sacramento, 1-2.
   4. Amy McCampbell, Austin, Texas, 0-3.

Men's doubles final

   Darrin Cohen, Lafayette, and Pablo Schurig, Walnut Creek, def. Derek Fitzpatrick, San Jose, and Marco Foelz, Campbell, 6-2, 6-4.

Women's doubles final round-robin standings

   1. Lauren Barnikow and Francesca LaO (2), San Francisco, 3-0.
   2. Amy McCampbell, Austin, Texas, and Heather Nobler (1), Lincoln, Neb., 2-1.
   3. Ditta Reed and Petra Wallace, Sacramento, 1-2.
   4. Camille Benvenuti, Sacramento, and Stacey Griggs, Carmichael, 0-3.

Mixed doubles final

   Francesca LaO, San Francisco, and Jason Pickett, San Carlos, def. Clayton Almeida, West Palm Beach, Fla., and Heather Nobler (1), Lincoln, Neb., 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Klinger wins battle of top Bay Area juniors for title

Cameron Klinger, right, defeated Lane Leschly to win the USTA
National Open boys 16s in Elk Grove. Photo by Paul Bauman

   ELK GROVE -- Cameron Klinger and Lane Leschly, nationally ranked 15-year-olds, live about 20 miles (32 kilometers) apart in the San Francisco Bay Area.
   So they've played each other since they were toddlers, right?
   Not exactly.
   Klinger and Leschly met for the first time Monday in the boys 16 singles final of the USTA National Open at the Laguna Creek Racquet Club.
   Klinger, ranked No. 34 in the 18s and No. 32 in the 16s, won the battle of hard-hitting baseliners 6-3, 7-5 for his second singles title in two weeks in the Sacramento area. He also took the 18s crown at the Rio del Oro Championships at the Rio del Oro Racquet Club in Sacramento. Leschly, ranked No. 23 in the 16s, breezed to the 16s title in that tournament.
   The best career results of both players came in the 14s of the USTA National Hardcourt Championships in San Antonio. Klinger swept the singles and doubles titles in 2011, and Leschly reached the singles quarterfinals and doubles final last summer.

Claire Liu, 12, left, beat Sarah Hu for the girls 16s title
in Elk Grove. Photo by Paul Bauman

   In Monday's girls 16 singles final, second-seeded Claire Liu routed third-seeded Sarah Hu of Oakland 6-0, 6-3. Liu, from Thousand Oaks in the Los Angeles area, will turn 13 on May 25. She defeated CiCi Bellis of Atherton to win the 12s singles crown at the prestigious Orange Bowl in Coral Gables, Fla., in 2011.
   Klinger, from urban San Jose, is eight months older than Leschly, of wealthy Atherton near Stanford University. Klinger will turn 16 on Aug. 1; Leschly turned 15 on April 2. Also, Klinger has trained out of the area, according to Leschly's mother, Darcy. Klinger was not available after Monday's match. The players did team up in doubles in the USTA National Open, winning the title on Sunday.
   Both Klinger and Leschly possess strong serves and topspin groundstrokes and employ two-handed backhands. That's where the similarities end, though. Klinger, 6-foot-2 (1.88 meters), has more firepower than Leschly, 5-9 (1.75 meters), and is far more emotional on the court.
   After hitting winners, Klinger almost invariably pumped his fist. After breaking serve, he yelled "C'mon!" And after committing errors, he swatted the ball against the fence, dropped his racket in frustration or berated himself aloud.
   Leschly, meanwhile, remained stoic throughout the match. He even smiled after netting an easy overhead on match point. When is the last time you saw that?
   "I try to keep my composure on the court," Leschly, who knocked off top-seeded Kalman Boyd in the first round, explained afterward. "That's one of the main things my dad tells me. As long as I keep my composure, I feel it's a good match."
   Mark Leschly, a managing partner of a venture capital firm and Lane's coach, attended Monday's match with Darcy. Mark, the son of Danish Davis Cup veteran Jan Leschly, reached No. 22 in the college rankings as a Harvard junior in 1989 and briefly played professionally before a rotator cuff injury ended his career.
   Monday's match featured many long baseline rallies, and one game in the first set lasted 24 points. Leschly served for the second set at 5-4.
   "I thought we both played well (in the match)," Leschly said. "Cameron stepped it up and played a great game when I was serving at 5-4. He went up 40-0. Kudos to him."
   Leschly was coming off a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (6) victory over fifth-seeded Jonathan Li of Cupertino in the semifinals.
   "I was a bit sore in the morning, but it had no effect in the (final)," said Leschly, who was broken early in the first set. "I got loosened up and was fine. Cameron played better than me today."
  USTA National Open boys 14s in Alameda -- Third-seeded Sean Hill of Berkeley topped second-seeded Alafia Ayeni of San Diego 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 for the title at the Harbor Bay Club.
   National 30 Indoors in Gold River -- Top seeds Calle Hansen of Newbury Park in the Los Angeles area and Romana Tedjakusuma of Tracy retained their singles titles at the Spare Time Indoor Tennis Center.
   The 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) Hansen, a 33-year-old native of Sweden and former Pepperdine All-American, beat second seed and four-time champion Jan Tiilikainen of Reno 7-5, 6-2.
   The 5-foot-2 (1.57-meter) Tedjakusuma, a 36-year-old native of Indonesia, dominated Francesca LaO of Bellevue, Wash., 6-2, 6-0. Tedjakusuma peaked at No. 82 in the world at 17 in 1994 but later suffered burnout and quit to attend Nicholls State in Thibodaux, La.

OTHER FINALS

USTA National Open

At Laguna Creek Racquet Club in Elk Grove

Boys 16 doubles

   Cameron Klinger, San Jose, and Lane Leschly, Atherton, def. Andrew Gu, El Cerrito, and Jonathan Li (3), Cupertino, 8-3.

Girls 16 doubles

   Kelly Chen, Cerritos, and Claire Liu, Thousand Oaks, def. Jessica Livianu, Brooklyn, N.Y., and Ally McKenzie, Glendale, 8-2.

At Harbor Bay Club in Alameda

Boys 14 doubles

   Alafia Ayeni, San Diego, and Stefano Tsorotiotis (3), Libertyville, Ill., def. Nate Eazor, Dallas, and Kailas Shekar (4), Cupertino, 8-5.

National 30 Indoors

At Spare Time Indoor Tennis Center in Gold River

Men's doubles

   Calle Hansen, Newbury Park, and Sherif Zaher (1), Folsom, def. Ryan Sablan, Martinez, and Jeff Thomsen, Newport Beach, 6-3, 6-4.

Women's doubles

   Marisue Jacutin-Mariona, Los Altos, Romana Tedjakusuma (1), Tracy, def. Michelle Chapple, Rancho Murieta, and Isabella Kling (2), Orangevale, 6-1, 6-3.

Mixed doubles

   Tedjakusuma and Zaher (1) def. Sarah Ansboury, Portland, Ore., and Monty Basnyat, Sacramento, 6-1, 6-0.