Brooksby, 17, ousts No. 2 seed in Buffalo Futures

Jenson Brooksby practices at the JMG Tennis Academy
in Sacramento last month. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Jenson Brooksby, a 17-year-old qualifier from Carmichael in the Sacramento area, knocked off second-seeded Emilio Gomez of Ecuador 6-1, 6-2 today in the first round of the Sargent & Collins, LLP Men's $25,000 Futures in Buffalo, N.Y.
   Gomez, at No. 525, is the fourth-highest-ranked player Brooksby has defeated. Last year, he beat No. 420 Takanyi Garanganga, No. 427 Garanganga and No. 457 Benjamin Lock. Both Garanganga and Lock are from Zimbabwe.
   Gomez, the 26-year-old son of 1990 French Open champion Andres Gomez, reached a career-high No. 215 in 2014.
   Brooksby, who has verbally committed to attend Texas Christian, is scheduled to meet No. 860 Markos Kalovelonis on Thursday at 8 a.m. PDT. Kalovelonis,  a 24-year-old native of Greece who plays for Russia, outclassed Collin Johns, from Columbus, Ohio, 6-4, 6-3.
   Brooksby lost in the first round of doubles with Alexander Knight, 5-7, 7-5 [11-9] to Patrick Daciek and Maksim Tikhomirov in an all-American encounter.

Azarenka enters Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose

Former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka is sched-
uled to play in the San Francisco Bay Area for
the first time in four years. 2014 photo
by Paul Bauman

   Maybe it should be called the Comeback Classic.
   Victoria Azarenka plans to join Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova in the inaugural Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic this summer at San Jose State, tournament officials announced today.
   All three players have been ranked No. 1 in the world. But for various off-court reasons, Azarenka has fallen to No. 86, Williams to No. 183 and Sharapova to No. 23.
   Because of pregnancy, the birth of her first child and a subsequent custody battle, Azarenka played in only two tournaments from June 2016 through February this year. She reached the semifinals of the Miami Open in April, losing to eventual champion Sloane Stephens, but lost in the first round of the French Open to eventual doubles champion Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic.
   Williams, who had her first child last
Sept. 1, has played in only three tournaments this year. She withdrew from her fourth-round match against Sharapova in the French Open with a chest muscle injury, but her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, said she should be ready for Wimbledon (July 2-15).
   Sharapova returned from a 15-month doping suspension in April last year. She had a strong clay-court season, advancing to the quarterfinals in Madrid, the semifinals in Rome and the quarterfinals of the French Open.
   Also entered in the Silicon Valley Classic, July 30-Aug. 5, are Madison Keys and CoCo Vandeweghe, the champion and runner-up, respectively, in last year's Bank of the West Classic. The tournament is moving to San Jose with a new sponsor after 21 years at Stanford. The full field will be announced on June 19.
   Azarenka, 28, of Belarus will make her fifth appearance in the San Francisco Bay Area and first since 2014. She withdrew from last year's Bank of the West Classic with a viral illness. In addition to beating Sharapova for the 2010 singles title at Stanford, Azarenka won the 2011 doubles crown with Maria Kirilenko of Russia.
   Azarenka has won 20 career singles titles, including the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013. She spent 51 weeks at No. 1 in 2012 and 2013 sandwiched around Sharapova's fifth stint at the top, a four-week stay.
   To purchase tickets to the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic, visit MubadalaSVC.com or call (866) 982-8497.

Nadal, Halep head French Open honor roll

RAFAEL NADAL
2016 photo by Paul Bauman

SIMONA HALEP
2014 photo by Paul Bauman

   Results of all French Open finals:

   Men's singles -- Rafael Nadal (1), Spain, def. Dominic Thiem (7), Austria, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

   Women's singles -- Simona Halep (1), Romania, def. Sloane Stephens (10), Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.

   Men's doubles -- Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut (6), France, def. Oliver Marach, Austria, and Mate Pavic (2), Croatia, 6-2, 7-6 (4).

   Women's doubles -- Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova (6), Czech Republic, def. Eri Hozumi and Makoto Ninomiya, Japan, 6-3, 6-3.

   Mixed doubles -- Latisha Chan, Chinese Taipei, and Ivan Dodig (2), Croatia, def. Gabriela Dabrowski, Canada, and Mate Pavic (1), Croatia, 6-1, 6-7 (5) [10-8].

   Boys singles -- Chun Hsin Tseng (4), Chinese Taipei, def. Sebastian Baez (1), Argentina, 7-6 (5), 6-2.

   Girls singles -- Cori Gauff (16), Delray Beach, Fla., def. Caty McNally, Cincinnati, 1-6, 6-3 7-6 (1).

   Boys doubles -- Ondrej Styler, Czech Republic, and Naoki Tajima, Japan, def. Ray Ho and Chun Hsin Tseng (5), Chinese Taipei, 6-4, 6-4.

   Girls doubles -- Caty McNally, Cincinnati, and Iga Swiatek, Poland, def. Yuki Naito and Naho Sato (3), Japan, 6-2, 7-5. 

NorCal's Altamirano cracks top 500 for first time

Collin Altamirano of Sacramento slugs a forehand during his victory over
Ecuador's Emilio Gomez, the son of 1990 French Open champion Andres
Gomez, in the final of the $25,000 Long Beach (Calif.) Futures in January.
Photo courtesy of Steve Pratt

   As expected, Collin Altamirano of Sacramento cracked the top 500 in the world for the first time today after winning a $15,000 Futures tournament in Singapore two weeks ago.
   Altamirano, 22, leaped 71 places to No. 491 in the latest rankings. The former University of Virginia standout also soared 102 spots in doubles to No. 652 after capturing the Singapore title with Francis Casey Alcantara of the Philippines.
   At the end of 2017, Altamirano was ranked No. 762 in singles and No. 1,551 in doubles.
   Altamirano turned pro last June after his junior year, forgoing a chance to join Stanford's Paul Goldstein and USC's Steve Johnson as the only men to win four NCAA team titles.
   Without 2017 NCAA singles champion Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, standout JC Aragone and Altamirano, the Cavaliers lost to Columbia, with Victor Pham of Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area and Austen Huang of Elk Grove in the Sacramento region, in the second round of the NCAAs last month.
   In 2013, Altamirano became the first unseeded player to win the USTA boys 18 title.

Nadal tops Thiem for 11th French Open title

Rafael Nadal, playing at Indian Wells last year, joined Margaret Court as the
only players to win a single Grand Slam tournament 11 times. Photo by Mal Taam

   Other than an NFL player getting arrested, it's the surest bet in sports.
   With his punishing groundstrokes and trademark tenacity, Rafael Nadal outslugged Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 today in Paris to improve to 11-0 in French Open finals.
   The top-ranked Nadal overcame cramps in his left hand at 2-1 in the third set and converted his fifth championship point to improve to 86-2 at Roland Garros.
   Nadal joined Margaret Court as the only players to win a single Grand Slam tournament 11 times. Court earned 11 Australian Open crowns between 1960 and 1073.
   Martina Navratilova won Wimbledon nine times (1978-90), and Roger Federer will try to equal that feat next month.
   Federer, 36, holds the record of 20 Grand Slam men's singles titles, and Nadal, 32, is second with 17. They have combined to win the last six majors.
   Thiem, a 24-year-old Austrian, will rise one spot to No. 7 in the world after his first Grand Slam final.
   Sixth-seeded Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova, both 22-year-old Czechs, claimed their first major women's doubles title with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over unseeded Eri Hozumi and Makoto Ninomiya of Japan.
   Krejcikova and Siniakova won their first three matches in three sets, including a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (6) decision over ninth-seeded Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands and Johanna Larson of Sweden in the third round.
   Krejcikova and Siniakova also knocked off third-seeded Andreja Klepac of Slovenia and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals and second-seeded Andrea Sestini Hlavackova and Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals.
   Siniakova reached last year's U.S. Open final with compatriot Lucie Hradecka.
   Hozumi and Ninomiya became the first all-Japanese pair to reach a Grand Slam final in women's doubles. They ousted top-seeded Timea Babos of Hungary and Kristina Mladenovic of France in the quarterfinals.

Romanian reverses role, rallies to win Roland Garros

Simona Halep poses with the trophy and Romanian
flag after winning the 2015 BNP Paribas Open at
Indian Wells. Photo by Paul Bauman

   One year ago, Simona Halep led by a set and an early service break before losing in the French Open final.
   Reversing her role, the 26-year-old Romanian beat Sloane Stephens 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 today at Roland Garros for her first Grand Slam title. Halep had been 0-3 in major finals.
   "When I was down a set and a break, I said everything is gone," the top-ranked Halep said in an on-court interview. "I start to relax and enjoy the match."
   Halep, the champion of the 2015 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, became the first Romanian woman to capture the French Open since Virginia Ruzici 40 years ago. Ruzici, who manages Halep, attended today's final.
   Halep also overcame big, early deficits in the first round against Alison Riske of Nashville, Tenn., in the first round and 12-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany in the quarterfinals. Halep lost the first five games against Riske and the first four against Kerber before prevailing in three sets each time.
   In last year's final, Halep led then-20-year-old Jelena Ostapenko by a set and a break with three break points for 4-0 in the second set and also 3-1 in the third set before succumbing 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
   Stephens, a 25-year-old Fresno product seeded 10th, lost in a tour-level final for the first time in seven matches. She won last year's U.S. Open for her first Grand Slam title in only her fifth tournament after having foot surgery.
   Both Halep and Stephens were 0-1 in the Bank of the West Classic, which ended a 21-year run at Stanford last year. Halep lost to Sabine Lisicki of Germany in the first round in 2011, and Stephens fell to Heather Watson of Great Britain in the opening round the following year.
   The Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic, which replaces the Bank of the West Classic, is scheduled for July 30-Aug. 5 at San Jose State.
   In today's men's doubles final, sixth-seeded Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut of France beat second-seeded Oliver Marach of Austria and Mate Pavic of Croatia 6-2, 7-6 (4).
   Herbert, 27, and Mahut, 36, won their third Grand Slam men's doubles title but first in the French Open. Marach, 37, and Pavic, a 24-year-old left-hander, won the Australian Open in January for their first major crown.
   On Sunday, top-ranked Rafael Nadal will seek his 11th French Open singles title when he faces seventh-seeded Dominic Thiem at 6 a.m. PDT on NBC. It will be the first Grand Slam final for Thiem, a 24-year-old Austrian.
   Nadal is 6-3 against Thiem, with all of the matches coming on outdoor clay. Thiem won the last encounter 7-5, 6-3 in the Madrid quarterfinals last month, but in the previous two matches, Nadal romped 6-0, 6-2 in the Monte Carlo quarters in April and 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 in last year's French Open semifinals.
   Nadal, who turned 32 last Sunday, has not lost a set to Thiem in two Grand Slam matches. In their first career meeting, Nadal won 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 in the second round of the 2014 French Open.
   Thiem will try to become only the second man outside of the "Big Five" (Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovie, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka) to win a major title since 2009. Marin Cilic took the 2014 U.S. Open crown.

Nadal, Thiem advance to French Open final

Rafael Nadal, shown at Indian Wells in 2017, will seek his 11th French Open
singles title on Sunday. Photo by Mal Taam 

   There might be tougher tasks in life than to beat Rafael Nadal at the French Open.
   Watch television for five minutes without seeing Flo in a Progressive Insurance commercial? 
   Listen to Barry Manilow?
   Get speedy service at the post office?
   But defeating Nadal at Roland Garros in Paris is right up there. Juan Martin Del Potro was the latest player to attempt the next-to-impossible, losing to Nadal 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 in today's semifinals.
   Mind you, Del Potro grew up on clay in Argentina, won the 2009 U.S. Open and is ranked sixth in the world.
   No matter. Nadal, who turned 32 on Sunday, advanced to his 11th French Open final and improved to 85-2 at Roland Garros. The only players to beat him there are Robin Soderling of Sweden in the fourth round in 2009 and Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals in 2015.
   The only other man in the Open era to reach 11 finals in a single Grand Slam tournament is Roger Federer, who has won eight titles in 11 title matches at Wimbledon.
   The top-ranked Nadal will seek his 11th French Open singles title when he faces Dominic Thiem, seeded seventh and ranked eighth, on Sunday at 6 a.m. PDT on NBC.
   Thiem, a 24-year-old Austrian, eliminated unseeded Marco Cecchinato of Italy 7-5, 7-6 (10), 6-1 to reach his first Grand Slam final. Both players have sensational one-handed backhands.
   Nadal is 6-3 against Thiem, with all of the matches coming on outdoor clay. Thiem won the last encounter 7-5, 6-3 in the Madrid quarterfinals last month, but in the previous two matches, Nadal romped 6-0, 6-2 in the Monte Carlo quarters in April and 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 in last year's French Open semifinals.
   Nadal has not lost a set to Thiem in two Grand Slam matches. In their first career meeting, Nadal won 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 in the second round of the 2014 French Open.
   Thiem will try to become only the second man outside of the "Big Five" (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka) to win a major title since 2009. Marin Cilic captured the 2014 U.S. Open.
   Del Potro, who almost quit tennis after undergoing four wrist operations in recent years, will rise two spots and equal his career high of No. 4 in the world rankings on Monday.
   In Saturday's women's final, top-ranked Simona Halep will face 10th-seeded Sloane Stephens at 6 a.m. PDT on NBC.
   Halep, 26, is 0-3 in Grand Slam singles finals, including losses in the 2014 and 2017 French Opens.
   Stephens, a 25-year-old Fresno product, is 1-0 in major finals. Unseeded, she won last year's U.S. Open in only her fifth tournament after undergoing foot surgery.
   Stephens will attempt to become the first U.S. woman other than Serena Williams to win the French Open since Jennifer Capriati in 2001.