Embree pulls off incredible comeback in Redding

Lauren Embree, the fourth seed and 2014 runner-up in Red-
ding, beat 17-year-old Nicole Frenkel after trailing by a set
and 1-5. Photo by Paul Bauman

   REDDING, Calif. -- It's hard to say what was more shocking today, Lauren Embree's comeback or the mercifully cool weather.
   Embree, last year's singles runner-up and a two-time defending doubles champion, wore down Nicole Frenkel, a 17-year-old left-hander with a lethal forehand and deft volley, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (3), 6-1 in the first round of The Ascension Project Women's $25,000 Challenger.
   Frenkel served for the match at 5-1 in the second set at Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness. Embree, a 5-foot-7 (1.70-meter) counterpuncher, then became more aggressive and broke Frenkel at love.
   "At that point, I knew I had nothing to lose," the fourth-seeded Embree said. "I just wanted to make her close out the match and make it as tough on her as possible."
   Until then, Embree spent much of the match watching passing shots whiz by her. After that, she spent much of it watching Frenkel, playing with tendinitis in her left shoulder, commit unforced errors.
   Frenkel, from Winchester, Mass., politely declined an interview request as she hurriedly left the site.  
   A blatantly bad line call almost derailed Embree's comeback. With Embree serving at 4-5, 30-15 in the second set, Frenkel slugged a ball that landed clearly long. Embree did not play it, but the chair umpire called it good.
   "Are you serious?" Embree, a 24-year-old former University of Florida All-American living in Santa Monica, said incredulously. "How long does it have to be for you to call it out?"
   Embree, however, quickly regained her composure and won the next two points to hold serve.
   "I freaked out a little bit, but I tried not to let it get to me," she said. "I couldn't do anything about it at that point, so I just tried to get the next point."

Frenkel overcame two set points against
her to win the first set. Photo by
Paul Bauman

   Frenkel pulled off an impressive comeback of her own to steal the first set. Embree had two set points at 6-4, but Frenkel reeled off the next four points for the set.
   "I was just rushing and not really thinking about what I wanted to do, and it got away from me," Embree said.
   Even with a one-sided third set, the late-afternoon match lasted 3 hours, 10 minutes. Fortunately for the players, the temperature reached only 69 degrees (20.6 Celsius). The average for Sept. 15 in this city of 92,000 people is 90 degrees (32.2 Celsius).
   "I like this weather. It's a good change of (pace) for me," Embree, who grew up in Florida's heat and humidity, said with a laugh.
   The weather is expected to get even stranger on Wednesday. Rain is forecast, but Sun Oaks has indoor courts.
   Embree, ranked No. 247, will meet No. 583 Anna Zaja of Germany on Thursday. Zaja, 24, defeated qualifier Klara Fabikova, a Cal senior from the Czech Republic, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
   Fabikova was one of three Cal All-American qualifiers in action.
   Maegan Manasse, a junior from Redondo Beach, routed qualifier Ashley Kratzer, a 16-year-old left-hander from Newport Beach, 6-3, 6-1. Manasse then pulled out of her second-round match on Thursday against fifth-seeded Sherazad Reix of France.
   The reason for Manasse's withdrawal was not disclosed. She is scheduled to play singles and doubles in the inaugural Oracle/ITA Masters, a college tournament Friday through Sunday in Malibu.
   Denise Starr, a junior from Brooklyn, lost to Piia Suomalainen, 31, of Finland 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3.
   Meanwhile, Lauren Albanese defeated fellow American Robin Anderson 7-5, 6-3. Anderson, the 2013 singles runner-up to Adriana Perez of Venezuela and doubles champion with Embree, graduated from UCLA this year.
   Petra Rampre, 35, of Slovenia outlasted UCLA-bound Ena Shibahara, 17, of Rancho Palos Verdes 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Rampre wears a bandana because she lost all the hair on her body eight years ago. She has a rare disorder called alopecia universalis.
   In doubles, Anderson and Vania King crushed fourth-seeded Kaitlyn Christian and Reix 6-1, 6-0. King, a two-time Grand Slam champion in women's doubles, is playing in her fifth tournament after missing one year with a herniated disc in her neck.
   Christian won the 2013 NCAA doubles title as a USC junior with Sabrina Santamaria. 

THE ASCENSION PROJECT WOMEN'S $25,000 CHALLENGER

At Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness in Redding, Calif.

First-round singles

   Anna Zaja, Germany, def. Klara Fabikova, Czech Republic,4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

   Caitlin Whoriskey (6), United States, def. Ema Burgic Bucko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

   Petra Rampre, Slovenia, def. Ena Shibahara, United States, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.  

   Julia Jones, United States, def. Lisa Whybourn, Great Britain, 6-3, 6-1.

   Sherazad Reix (5), France, def. Laura Schaeder, Germany, 6-4, 6-3.

   Maegan Manasse, United States, def. Ashley Kratzer, United States, 6-3, 6-1.

   Piia Suomalainen, Finland, def. Denise Starr, United States, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3.

   Lauren Albanese, United States, def. Robin Anderson, United States, 7-5, 6-3.
   Lauren Embree (4), United States, def. Nicole Frenkel, United States, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (3), 6-1.

First-round doubles

   Ashley Weinhold and Caitlin Whoriskey (1), United States, def. Lauren Albanese and Sophie Chang, United States, 6-4, 7-5.

   Varatchaya Wongteanchai, Thailand, and Michelle Sammons (2), South Africa, def. Tory Parravi and Karina Kristina Vyrlan, United States, 6-4, 1-6 [10-7]..

   Robin Anderson and Vania King, United States, def. Kaitlyn Christian, United States, and Sherazad Reix (4), France, 6-1, 6-0.

   Darya Possokhova and Seriana Saltzen, United States, def. Hanna Chang and Carolyn Xie, United States, walkover.

Wednesday's schedule

Court 2

(Starting at 10 a.m.)

   Jovana Jaksic (3), Serbia, vs. Chiara Scholl, United States.

(Not before 11 a.m.)

   Jennifer Brady (1), United States, vs. Vania King, United States.

(Not before 12:30 p.m.)

   Varatchaya Wongteanchai, Thailand, vs. Ashley Weinhold, United States.

  (Not before 2 p.m.)

   Jennifer Brady and Caroline Doyle, United States, vs. Brynn Boren and Nadja Gilchrist, United States.

Court 1

(Starting at 10 a.m.)

   Paula Cristina Goncalves, Brazil, vs. Megan McCray, United States.

(Not before 11 a.m.)

   Nadja Gilchrist, United States, vs. Sophie Chang, United States.

(Not before 12:30 p.m.)

   Ema Burgic Bucko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Lauren Embree, United States, vs. Paula Cristina Goncalves, Brazil, and Jovana Jaksic (3), Serbia.

(Not before 2 p.m.)

   Laura Schaeder and Anna Zaja, Germany, vs. Lorraine Guillermo and Julia Jones, United States.

Court 3

(Starting at 10 a.m.)

   Amy Zhu, United States, vs. Klaartje Liebens, Belgium.

(Not before 11 a.m.)

   Heidi El Tabakh (8), Canada, vs. Alexandra Stevenson, United States.

(Not before 12:30 p.m.)

   Alexandra Facey and Kat Facey, United States, vs. Megan McCray and Morgan McCray, United States.

Pennetta nets first major title, will retire soon

Flavia Pennetta, shown at Indian Wells in March,
beat longtime friend and fellow Italian Roberta
Vinci 7-6 (4), 6-2 today to win the U.S. Open.
Pennetta, 33, then announced she will retire
after this season. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Flavia Pennetta is going out on top.
   After defeating longtime friend and fellow Italian Roberta Vinci 7-6 (4), 6-2 today in an unlikely U.S. Open final, Pennetta announced she will retire after this season.
   Pennetta, 33, became the oldest woman in the Open era, which began in 1968, to win a Grand Slam title for the first time. Both players appeared in their maiden Grand Slam final.
   It was also the first time since the inception of the WTA computer rankings in 1975 that both U.S. Open finalists were ranked outside the top 20. Pennetta was seeded 26th with the same ranking, and Vinci was unseeded at No. 43.
   "This is how I say goodbye to tennis," Pennetta said. "I couldn't think to finish in a better way."
   Vinci, 32, shocked Serena Williams in Friday's semifinals. Williams was trying to become the first player since Steffi Graf in 1988 to achieve a calendar-year Grand Slam.
   "I passed 24 hours with a lot of things on mind," Vinci said. "And I was a little big tight, especially in the first set."
   Pennetta and Vinci grew up 38 miles (61.2 kilometers) apart in southern Italy and have known each other since they were 10.  
   "We know each other since forever," Pennetta said. "We spend so much time together, we could write a book about our lives."
   No. 12 seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut became the first French pair to win a U.S. Open title in doubles, beating No. 8 Jamie Murray of Great Britain and John Peers of Australia 6-4, 6-4.
   Murray, Andy's older brother, and Peers suffered their second straight loss in a Grand Slam final. Neither has won a major title.
   Northern California connection -- No. 2 seed Mackenzie McDonald, a UCLA junior from Piedmont in the San Francisco Bay Area, defeated No. 4 Gonzales Austin, a recent Vanderbilt graduate, 6-2, 7-5 to win the American Collegiate Invitational.

Veni, vidi, Vinci: Serena's bid for Slam ends

Serena Williams, shown in March, lost to unseeded Roberta
Vinci of Italy today in one of the biggest upsets in sports his-
tory. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Pressure and a crafty opponent finally got to Serena Williams.
   Roberta Vinci pulled off one of the biggest upsets in sports history today, ending Williams' bid for the first calendar-year Grand Slam since Steffi Graf's in 1988.
   The unseeded Vinci, playing in her first major semifinal at age 32, shocked the top-ranked Williams, who has won 21 Grand Slam singles titles, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
   Vinci had not won more than four games in a set in four matches against Williams. Afterward, in an on-court interview, ESPN's Tom Rinaldi told Vinci that she was a 300-1 long shot. In comparison, Buster Douglas was a 42-1 underdog when he knocked out Mike Tyson in Tokyo in 1990 in one of the biggest shockers ever.
   Rinaldi asked Vinci on the court what she thought made it possible when she woke up today to beat Williams.
   Replied the engaging Italian: "When I woke up today, I said, 'You're in the semifinals of the U.S. Open. Try to enjoy.' I don't think about (playing) Serena. But to win? No."
    Vinci apologized to Williams afterward. Why, asked Rinaldi?
   "For the American people, for Serena, the Grand Slam, everything," she said. "But today's my day. Sorry, guys."
   Williams, who will turn 34 on Sept. 26, was trying to tie Graf with 22 Grand Slam singles titles, second all-time behind Margaret Court's 24.
   Williams had won 11 three-set matches in majors this year, including two in the U.S. Open, and four consecutive Grand Slam titles.
   She led 2-0 in the third set against Vinci but double-faulted on break point in the next game. Williams double-faulted again when Vinci broke for 4-3.
   "I never felt that pressure to win here," insisted Williams, who earlier in the summer announced that she would no longer answer questions about her Grand Slam quest. "I said that from the beginning." 
   ESPN commentator and tennis legend Chris Evert saw it otherwise.
   "I saw a frozen, paralyzed Serena Williams," Evert said with her usual candor. "She succumbed to nerves. She's human."
   After Vinci broke serve for 4-3 in the third set, ESPN's Mary Joe Fernandez noted: "She's playing such a clever match. She's taking advantage of (Williams') nerves. She's sliced, diced and drop-shotted. ... She's made Serena hit that extra shot."
   And, in an impressive display of composure, Vinci served out the match at love. A lesser player would have crumbled and let Williams back in the match.
   Although Vinci is ranked 43rd in the world in singles, she didn't exactly come out of nowhere.
   Vinci has been ranked as high as No. 11 in singles and No. 1 in doubles. She owns a career Grand Slam in women's doubles with five major titles overall.
   Vinci's victory overshadowed another shocker as No. 26 seed Flavia Pennetta, another Italian, dispatched No. 2 Simona Halep of Romania 6-1, 6-3 in 59 minutes. Pennetta, 33, also will play in her maiden Grand Slam final (Saturday at noon PDT, ESPN), and it will be the first all-Italian final in a major.
   Vinci and Pennetta grew up 38 miles (61.2 kilometers) apart in southern Italy and have known each other since they were children.  
   Pennetta leads Vinci 5-4 in the head-to-head series, but they are 1-1 on hardcourts. In their last meeting, Pennetta won 6-4, 6-1 in the quarterfinals of the 2013 U.S. Open.
   Pennetta also has a psychological advantage, as Vinci has only 24 hours to refocus after what she called "the best moment of my life."
   Oh, yeah. Then came the men's semifinals.
   No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Roger Federer set up a blockbuster final with easy victories.
   Djokovic trounced No. 9 Marin Cilic, the defending champion, 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 in the most lopsided semifinal in New York in the Open era, which began in 1968. Cilic was hampered by a twisted right ankle, which he suffered in the fourth round.
   Federer whipped his Swiss Davis Cup teammate, fifth-seeded Stan Wawrinka, 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 to reach his first U.S. Open final since 2009. Federer, 34, has not lost a set in the tournament.
   Djokovic and Federer will meet on Sunday (1 p.m. PDT, ESPN) for the 42nd time, tying Djokovic-Rafael Nadal for the most in the Open era. Federer leads the series 21-20 after winning their most recent encounter, 7-6 (1), 6-3 last month on a hardcourt in the Cincinnati final.
   Northern California connection -- Fourth-seeded Martina Hingis of Switzerland and Leander Paes of India edged unseeded Bethanie-Mattek Sands of Phoenix and Sam Querrey, a San Francisco native living in Las Vegas, 6-4, 3-6 [10-7] for the mixed doubles title.
   As Williams did, Hingis and the 42-year-old Paes won three of the four Slams this year. They took the Australian Open and Wimbledon mixed doubles crowns but lost in the second round of the French Open to Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia and Horia Tecau of Romania. The winners of that tournament? Mattek-Sands and former Stanford star Mike Bryan.
   Querrey, who will turn 28 on Oct. 7, was playing in his first Grand Slam final. He reached the men's doubles semifinals in the U.S. Open with Southern California native Steve Johnson.
   In the American Collegiate Invitational, No. 2 seed Mackenzie McDonald of Piedmont in the San Francisco Bay Area reached the men's final. McDonald, a junior at UCLA, routed No. 3 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, a junior at reigning NCAA champion Virginia, 6-2, 6-2.
   McDonald will face No. 4 Gonzales Austin, a recent Vanderbilt graduate who nipped No. 1 Ryan Shane, the NCAA singles champion from Virginia, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6). 

Serena -- who else? -- picked as WTA Player of Year

Serena Williams had one of the greatest years in
women's tennis history. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   There hasn't been this little suspense since the Harlem Globetrotters last played the Washington Generals.
   After one of the best seasons in women's tennis history, Serena Williams was named the WTA Player of the Year for the second straight time and fifth overall on Friday.
   Also, Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci were chosen as the WTA Doubles Team of the Year for the second consecutive time.
   Williams collected 78 match wins, the most since Kim Clijsters won 90 in 2003, against four losses. Her 11 WTA titles, including her second French Open and fifth U.S. Open, were the most since Martina Hingis won 12 in 1997. Williams' first French Open crown came in 2002.
   Williams earned $12,385,572 in prize money, shattering the previous record of $7,923,920 set by Victoria Azarenka last year, and became the oldest world No. 1 in February at age 31. The Los Angeles-area product turned 32 on Sept. 26.
   "The French Open was probably the thing that stands out most," Williams -- also the Player of the Year in 2002, 2008 and 2009 -- said on the WTA's web site. "I really wanted to win that for a number of years now, so that was definitely something exciting. Being undefeated on clay was pretty exciting, too. So my results on clay this year definitely stand out.
   "Overall, I'll remember the wins, but I also want to learn from my mistakes so I don't repeat them."
   Only two other women have been named the Player of the Year at least five times: Steffi Graf (eight) and Martina Navratilova (seven).
   Williams skipped the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford this year after winning the title in 2011 and 2012.
   The Doubles Team of the Year was less clear-cut than the singles award, as four different teams won Grand Slam titles. But Errani and Vinci, in addition to capturing the Australian Open, ended the year as the top-ranked pair.
   Neither has played in the Bank of the West Classic.
   Friday's announcements complete this year's WTA awards. Eugenie Bouchard of Canada was selected as the Newcomer of the Year on Wednesday. Alisa Kleybanova of Russia and Simona Halep of Romania were honored as the Comeback Player of the Year and Most Improved Player of the Year, respectively, on Thursday.

WTA PLAYER OF THE YEAR
(Since 1995)

1995--Steffi Graf, Germany
1996--Steffi Graf, Germany
1997--Martina Hingis, Switzerland
1998--Lindsay Davenport, United States
1999--Lindsay Davenport, United States
2000--Venus Williams, United States
2001--Jennifer Capriati, United States
2002--Serena Williams, United States
2003--Justine Henin-Hardenne, Belgium
2004--Maria Sharapova, Russia
2005--Kim Clijsters, Belgium
2006--Amelie Mauresmo, France
2007--Justine Henin, Belgium
2008--Serena Williams, United States
2009--Serena Williams, United States
2010--Kim Clijsters, Belgium
2011--Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic
2012--Serena Williams, United States
2013--Serena Williams, United States

WTA DOUBLES TEAM OF THE YEAR

(Since 1995)

1995--Gigi Fernandez, United States, and Natasha Zvereva, Belarus
1996--Jana Novotna, Czech Republic, and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Spain
1997--Gigi Fernandez, United States, and Natasha Zvereva, Belarus
1998--Martina Hingis, Switzerland, and Jana Novotna, Czech Republic
1999--Martina Hingis, Switzerland, and Anna Kournikova, Russia
2000--Serena Williams and Venus Williams, United States
2001--Lisa Raymond, United States, and Rennae Stubbs, Australia
2002--Virginia Ruano Pascual, Spain, and Paola Suarez, Argentina
2003--Virginia Ruano Pascual, Spain, and Paola Suarez, Argentina
2004--Virginia Ruano Pascual, Spain, and Paola Suarez, Argentina
2005--Lisa Raymond, United States, and Samantha Stosur, Australia
2006--Lisa Raymond, United States, and Samantha Stosur, Australia
2007--Cara Black, Zimbabwe, and Liezel Huber, United States
2008--Cara Black, Zimbabwe, and Liezel Huber, United States
2009--Serena Williams and Venus Williams, United States
2010--Gisela Dulko, Argentina, and Flavia Pennetta, Italy
2011--Kveta Peschke, Czech Republic, and Katarina Srebotnik, Slovenia
2012--Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, Italy
2013--Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, Italy