Kiick, daughter of ex-NFL star, tackles pro tennis

Allie Kiick, the 18-year-old daughter of former
Miami Dolphins running back Jim Kiick, turned
pro in April. Photo by Paul Bauman

   REDDING, Calif. — Watching the television news in her New York hotel room on Aug. 20, Allie Kiick was shocked when her father appeared on the screen.
   Jim Kiick was among nearly three dozen members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only undefeated team in NFL history, being honored by President Barack Obama at the White House.
   "I got on the phone, and I'm like, 'Dad, did you want to tell me you went to the White House?' " Allie, 18, of Plantation, Fla., cracked today after winning her first-round singles and doubles matches in the $25,000 The Ascension Project Women's Challenger. "He was just telling me all about it, and he's like, '(Obama's) a great guy.' (The team members) really enjoyed getting together because they don't usually do that."
   The Dolphins went 17-0 in 1972, including three postseason games culminating in a 14-7 victory over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII in Los Angeles. Kiick, the starting running back, scored Miami's decisive touchdown on a one-yard run.
   Championship teams routinely are honored at the White House today, but that was not the case then. Also, President Richard Nixon was preoccupied with the Watergate scandal. Finally, the legendary Dolphins team was recognized. 
   "I know that some people may be asking why we are doing this after all these years," Obama deadpanned at the time. "My answer is simple: I wanted to be the young guy up here for once."
   Kiick traveled to New York last month for the U.S. Open. She lost in the first round of singles qualifying to 17-year-old Mayo Hibi, who won the $50,000 Sacramento Challenger in July, and in the opening round of women's doubles in her Grand Slam main-draw debut.
   Kiick and Sachia Vickery of Miramar, Fla., had earned a wild card in women's doubles at the U.S. Open by winning the title in the USTA Girls 18 National Championships in San Diego in early August. Vickery defeated Kiick in the singles final in three sets. 
   Seeded seventh in the Ascension Project Challenger, Kiick ended a five-match losing streak by holding off 17-year-old qualifier Anne-Liz Jeukeng of Boca Raton, Fla., 7-5, 7-6 (1) at Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness. Kiick came away with mixed feelings, though.
   "I got the win, which is always good, but I didn't feel I was playing my best tennis, unfortunately," lamented Kiick, who's ranked No. 297 in the world after turning pro in April. "It's tough getting used to the California conditions. The air is a lot thinner, so the ball will fly a lot. I was really having a hard time finding my strokes today."
   Kiick also struggled in the heat, which soared to 105 degrees (40.6 Celsius). Her match mercifully began at 10 a.m., but she said Northern California's dry heat is different than the heat and humidity in Florida.
   "When I don't sweat, I don't drink as much as I should, so that throws me off a bit. I kind of miss my humidity," Kiick said with a laugh. "Also the fact that we're playing on hardcourts (rather than clay) adds like another 15 degrees on the court, so it's like a sauna out here."
   Kiick will meet Despina Papamichail of Greece on Thursday in the second round. Papamichail, 19, outlasted Jelena Pandzic, 30, of Croatia 7-5, 2-6, 7-5. Pandzic lost to Jamie Hampton, now ranked 25th, in the 2010 final.   
   Another 17-year-old qualifier, Christina Makarova of San Diego, had more success than Jeukeng. Makarova knocked off eighth-seeded Sanaz Marand 6-3, 6-4. Marand reached the quarterfinals last year and won the doubles title with fellow American Jacqueline Cako, Kiick's partner this year.   
   Robin Anderson routed Krista Hardebeck 6-1, 6-1 in a matchup of Pacific-12 Conference stars last season. Anderson reached the NCAA doubles as a sophomore at UCLA, and Hardebeck helped Stanford win the NCAA team title.
   In doubles, Americans Elizabeth Lumpkin and Emily Harman surprised top-seeded Maria-Fernanda Alves of Brazil and Olivia Rogowska of Australia, 6-3, 6-3. Rogowska, also seeded first in singles, will open against Montserrat Gonzalez, 19, of Paraguay on Wednesday.
   Kiick has watched clips of her father, the fifth-leading career rusher in Dolphins history, on YouTube.
   "It's very funny to see his little hairdo and everything," Allie said of Jim's bushy hair and beard. "Gosh, I couldn't imagine him being like that. But yeah, I saw him play. I saw him score a touchdown in the Super Bowl or something like that, so it is really neat to see, actually."
   Naturally, Allie and her parents are avid NFL fans. Jim and Mary, who are divorced, actually favor the New York Giants because they grew up in New Jersey. Allie, tired of the Dolphins' losing ways, reluctantly converted to the Giants. 
   "When the Giants play, we are all glued to the TV," Allie said. "I'm not really a Giants fan, but since the Dolphins aren't very good and my parents love the Giants, I kind of go with them."
   Allie, 5-foot-7 (1.70 meters) and 135 pounds (61 kilograms), inherited considerable athletic ability not only from her father but her mother, who played professional softball. Allie wanted to compete in an individual sport "where if I win, I get all the credit." She tried swimming but didn't like it. Next was tennis, the 8-year-old was hooked.
   Jim taught Allie to throw a football, which she still does because the motion is similar to serving.
   Allie also inherited her parents' competitiveness.
   "My whole family is (intense), which is a good and a bad thing," Kiick said. "When we play sports together, it usually ends in an argument. Even if it's a card game, we all just want to win. It kind of ruins the purpose of having fun."
   "I'm a very competitive person. That's not necessarily a good thing. When I'm out on the court and I miss a few shots, I get mad. I want to be a perfectionist. I just want to beat everybody so badly, and that creates a bad attitude."
   Jim Kiick, the macho former pro football player, couldn't handle it when his 11-year-old daughter beat him 8-0 in tennis, so he quit playing. Nor does he attend Allie's matches much anymore because he gets too emotional.
   "He would scream at me when I was on the court, and I'd be like, 'Shut up, Dad.' " Allie said. "He'd yell back at me, and we'd have like a conversation arguing back and forth, and my mom would be like, 'Jim, stop!' "
   Mary now is married to Curtis Johnson, an ear, nose and throat doctor who financed Allie's tennis exploits until she turned pro.
   "He's awesome," Kiick said. "Without him, I probably wouldn't be where I am today."
   Kiick verbally committed to the University of Florida, the 2011 and 2012 NCAA champion, but changed her mind after a strong start this year. She qualified for the Sony Open in Miami on the WTA tour in March and reached the semifinals and final of two clay-court Challengers in the southern United States in April.
   "The deal with my parents was that if I turn pro, I have to pay for everything myself," Kiick said. "I kind of took a risk, but I'm doing pretty well right now."   

$25,000 THE ASCENSION PROJECT WOMEN'S CHALLENGER

At Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness

In Redding Calif.

First-round singles

   Jacqueline Cako, United States, def. Denise Muresan, United States, 6-2, 6-2.
   Allie Kiick, United States, def. Anne-Liz Jeukeng, United States, 7-5, 7-6 (1).
   Veronica Cepede Royg (4), Paraguay, def. Elizabeth Lumpkin, United States, 6-4, 6-3.
   Ksenia Pervak (2), Russia, def. Rosalia Alda, United States, 6-2, 6-0.
   Robin Anderson, United States, def. Krista Hardebeck, United States, 6-1, 6-1.
   Christina Makarova, United States, def. Sanaz Marand (8), United States, 6-3, 6-4.
   Despina Papamichail, Greece, def. Jelena Pandzic, Croatia, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5. 
   Lauren Embree, United States, def. Ashley Weinhold, United States, 6-2, 7-5.

First-round doubles

   Emily Harman and Elizabeth Lumpkin, United States, def. Maria-Fernanda Alves, Brazil, and Olivia Rogowska (1), Australia, 6-3, 6-3.
   Veronica Cepede Royg, Paraguay, and Adriana Perez (2), Venezuela, def. Denise Muresan and Caitlin Whoriskey, United States, 6-4, 6-0.
   Jacqueline Cako and Allie Kiick, United States, def. Rosalia Alda, United States, and Montserrat Gonzalez, Paraguay, 7-6 (7), 6-3.
    Erin Clark, United States, and Despina Papamichail, Greece, def. Jessica Perez and Katelyn Ross, United States,  6-2, 6-4.

Wednesday's schedule

(Starting at 10 a.m.)

Court 2

   Macall Harkins, United States, vs. Maria-Fernanda Alves, Brazil.
   Chanel Simmonds (3), South Africa, vs. Michelle Sammons, South Africa.
   Olivia Rogowska (1), Australia, vs. Montserrat Gonzalez, Paraguay.
   Macall Harkins and Sanaz Marand (4), United States, vs. Michelle Sammons, South Africa, and Sianna Simmons, United States.

Court 1

   Ivana Lisjak, Croatia, vs. Adriana Perez (5), Venezuela.
   Catherine Harrison, United States, vs. Angelina Gabueva, Russia.
   Robin Anderson and Lauren Embree, United States, vs. Roxanne Ellison and Sierra A. Ellison, United States.
   Anamika Bhargava and Ashley Weinhold, United States, vs. Ulrikke Eikeri, Norway, and Chanel Simmonds (3), South Africa.

Court 3

   Julia Boserup, United States, vs. Ulrikke Eikeri, Norway.
   Samantha Crawford (6), United States, vs. Anamika Bhargava, United States.
   Beatrice Capra, United States, vs. Caitlin Whoriskey, United States.
   Angelina Gabueva, Russia, and Ivana Lisjak, Croatia, vs. Ksenia Pervak, Russia, and Yasmin Schnack, United States.

Aussie Rogowska heads field in Redding Challenger

   Olivia Rogowska of Australia is seeded first in this week's The Ascension Project Women's Challenger in Redding, Calif.
   Main-draw play in the $25,000 tournament begins today at 10 a.m. at Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness. The temperature is predicted to reach 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4 Celsius) later in the day.
   Rogowska reached the second round of last year's Australian Open in her hometown of Melbourne. Now ranked No. 137, she will face 19-year-old Montserrat Gonzalez of Paraguay on Wednesday in the first round at a time to be determined.
   Seeded second is Ksenia Pervak, who climbed to a career-high No. 37 in 2011 after advancing to the fourth round at Wimbledon and winning the WTA tournament in Tashkent. Hampered by injuries this year, the 22-year-old left-hander from Russia has fallen to No. 142.
   Pervak will take on American qualifier Rosalia Alda today at 10 a.m.
   Also seeded, in order, are Channel Simmonds of South Africa, Veronica Cepede Royg of Paraguay, Adriana Perez of Venezuela, and Americans Samantha Crawford, Allie Kiick and Sanaz Marand.
   Simmonds, a 21-year-old left-hander, qualified for the recent U.S. Open before losing to countrywoman Chanelle Scheepers in the first round.
   Crawford won the U.S. Open girls singles title last year. Kiick reached the USTA girls 18 singles final and won the doubles title with Sachia Vickery last month in San Diego. Both Crawford and Kiick are 18.
   Kiick's father, Jim, was a running back on the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only undefeated team in NFL history. He scored a touchdown in Miami's 14-7 victory over Washington in the 1973 Super Bowl.
   President Barack Obama honored the 1972 Dolphins, including Kiick, last month at the White House.
   See below for today's full schedule in the Redding Challenger.

$25,000 THE ASCENSION PROJECT WOMEN'S CHALLENGER

At Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness

In Redding, Calif.

Final-round qualifying

   Catherine Harrison, United States, def. Piia Suomalainen, Finland, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
   Anne-Liz Jeukeng, United States, def. Leila Hodzic, United States, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4.
   Michelle Sammons (3), South Africa, def. Maia Magill, United States, 6-1, 6-3.
   Denise Muresan (4), United States, def. Trelsie Sadler, United States, 6-0, 6-1.
   Christina Makarova (5), United States, def. Jessica Perez, United States, 6-3, 6-2.
   Rosalia Alda (11), United States, def. Wendy Qi-Wen Shang (6), Canada, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
   Anamika Bhargava (7), United States, def. Sophia Bursulaya, United States, 6-1, 7-6 (4).
   Beatrice Capra, United States, def. Emily Harman (9), United States, 6-1, 6-2.

 Today's schedule

(Starting at 10 a.m.)

Court 1

   Anne-Liz Jeukeng, United States, vs. Allie Kiick (7), United States.
   Sanaz Marand (8), United States, vs. Christina Makarova, United States.
   Denise Muresan and Caitlin Whoriskey, United States, vs. Veronica Cepede Royg, Paraguay, and Adriana Perez (2), Venezuela.

Court 2

   Denise Muresan, United States, vs. Jacqueline Cako, United States.
   Krista Hardebeck, United States, vs. Robin Anderson, United States.
   Maria-Fernanda Alves, Brazil, and Olivia Rogowska (1), Australia, vs. Emily Harman and Elizabeth Lumpkin, United States.

Court 3

   Elizabeth Lumpkin, United States, vs. Veronica Cepede Royg (4), Paraguay.
   Jelena Pandzic, Croatia, vs. Despina Papamichail, Greece.
   Rosalia Alda, United States, and Montserrat Gonzalez, Paraguay, vs. Jacqueline Cako and Allie Kiick, United States.

Court 4

   Rosalia Alda, United States, vs. Ksenia Pervak (2), Russia.
   Lauren Embree, United States, vs. Ashley Weinhold, United States.
   Erin Clark, United States,and Despina Papamichail, Greece, vs. Jessica Perez and Katelyn Ross, United States.

Academy makes waves with two national champs

Collin Altamirano, right, and Jenson Brooksby, left, won Super-
national titles last month under coach Joseph Gilbert, middle.
Photos by Paul Bauman

   SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In the late 1960s and the 1970s, taskmaster Sherm Chavoor churned out Olympic swimming champions at the Arden Hills Swimming and Tennis Club.
   Mark Spitz won nine gold medals and Debbie Meyer and Mike Burton three each. Spitz's seven gold medals in the 1972 Munich Olympics stood as the record until Michael Phelps broke it with eight in the 2008 Beijing Games.
   In all, disciples of the irascible Chavoor won 31 Olympic medals, including 20 gold, and set 83 world records and 131 American marks.
   Forty-one years after the peak of Chavoor's success, another disciplinarian could be starting a tennis dynasty at what is now the Arden Hills Resort and Spa. Training under Joseph Gilbert at his JMG Tennis Academy, Collin Altamirano and Jenson (J.T.) Brooksby won their first USTA Supernational titles on back-to-back days last month.

   Altamirano, 17, became the first unseeded player in the 71-year history of the USTA Boys 18 National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich., to capture the title. Past winners include International Tennis Hall of Famers Michael Chang, Stan Smith and Dennis Ralston.
   Brooksby, 12, justified his No. 1 seeding by winning the USTA Boys 12 National Championships in Little Rock, Ark.
   "A lot of kids fly to Florida, fly to Southern Cal, fly all over the nation looking for the best training," said the 35-year-old Gilbert, who opened the academy in January 2011. "This shows we can do it here. That was a goal of mine, to show, look, we can create players at the top national level right here in Sacramento. There was no reason why we couldn't before. That's why I broke off and did my own academy."   
   Another Sacramento teaching pro, however, was stunned that two players from California's sleepy capital, not to mention one club, won titles in the most prestigious age-group tournaments for Americans.
   "It's unbelievable. It's unfathomable," marveled the pro, who requested anonymity. "That happens in Florida and Southern California. People laugh at Northern California tennis. It's like a dream coming out of little cowtown Sacramento."
    By winning the 18 Supernationals, Altamirano earned an automatic wild card into the main draw of the U.S. Open, in which he lost to 22nd-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 in the first round.
   "Gilbert is the only coach in the area who could have taken (Altamirano) to the U.S. Open," said the teaching pro.
   Other top juniors at the JMG Tennis Academy are Brandon Sutter (boys 18s), Kassidy Jump (girls 18s), Ravi Nelson (boys 12s) and Jessi Muljat (girls 12s). Sutter and Jump are freshmen at Stanford and Arizona State, respectively, of the powerful Pacific-12 Conference.
   JMG, the teaching pro predicted, "will be one of the premier academies on the West Coast, like (Nick) Bollettieri's in Florida."

Sacramento's Arden Hills, founded in 1954, has morphed
from a modest club into a swanky facility.

   Arden Hills, founded by Chavoor in 1954, was very utilitarian in his day. It had a handful of courts and pools, and a modest clubhouse.
   Since then, Arden Hills has morphed into a swanky facility that bills itself as "Sacramento's Luxury Hotel, Wedding, Spa and Wellness Resort." It features 12 immaculate courts, four pools, a 50,000-foot health and wellness pavilion, an opulent five-room bed and breakfast, and even a hair salon. Academy players have access to top fitness trainers, nutritionists and sports psychologists.
   Chavoor sold Arden Hills in the mid-1980s, retired in 1990 and died of cancer at 73 in 1992. Now along comes Gilbert.
   "He's been my coach pretty much my whole life," said Altamirano. "He made my game very good and made me tough. He's the reason I'm here today, the reason I won that tournament."
   Brooksby gives Gilbert almost as much credit.
   "Joseph has really helped me mentally and game-wise," Brooksby said, "and I finally brought it out there for that whole tournament. I was doing it throughout every match back to back. I was staying calm and not getting upset."
   It hasn't been easy for Altamirano, who reached the junior boys quarterfinals at the U.S. Open this week, and Brooksby.
   "Joseph is almost paramilitaristic in the way he teaches," the teaching pro said. "You've got to have kids who are kind of like robots. He takes the wimp out of them. Whine, and he's going to make you run more. Eventually, you're not going to whine anymore. Collin was a brat on the court for many years, and (Gilbert) got that out of him.
   "It's a very good balance. Joseph has a harmonious relationship with his players, but at the same time, he's a ballbuster. Joseph has a talent with that."

* * *

   Gilbert and four other pros work with 25 to 30 serious players at the academy.
   "(Altamirano and Brooksby) got where they are because of their dedication," said Gilbert, who's not related to renowned coach and commentator Brad Gilbert. "We're not looking for huge numbers. We're looking for dedication."
   Gilbert personally tutors about half of the players, starting his day at 7 or 8 a.m. and finishing at 8:30 p.m.
   "I push; I'm tough," he admitted. "But they show up every day. They want it, which is great to see."
   The program is tailored to the player, and Gilbert declined to specify the range of fees. He has a system, though, emphasizing "a lot of individual time in comparison to most academies. I don't work with a lot of kids. I work with a handful of kids for a lot of hours, and I do believe in that. The philosophy is less kids, more hours.
   "I have extremely strong relationships with (Altamirano and Brooksby) because I've spent so much time with them. I've traveled with them, and Collin has lived with me, so that individual component of how much time we've spent together has made a huge difference."
   Altamirano said Gilbert has helped him "in so many ways, in life, just in general, how to be a good person, just a good kid. That was probably the most helpful thing, not even the tennis game, just being a smart individual and being able to take care of myself.
   "He trusts me to travel on my own. That was a big thing for him and me, too, because obviously it's not easy to do. It's tough to stay to a schedule when you're on your own and you can do whatever you want and there's no one there to help you."

Altamirano, 17, has a punishing forehand.

   Altamirano lived with Gilbert for five years until the coach and his wife had a baby six weeks ago. 
   "Him living with me was a big part to show how to discipline himself, like he was talking about traveling on his own," Gilbert said. "When he was younger, he had to set up a schedule on his own. I checked in on him, and if the schedule wasn't done right, he would get disciplined for it. If it was done right, he'd get rewards for it.
   "I definitely do believe in these guys being independent. I'm trying to get J.T. to start making more decisions on his own because that's how you prepare a professional, in my opinion. On the tennis court, you're out there on your own. There are no coaches, there's no help, so when you get out there, you need to be self-sufficient. Training these guys to do that is a lot of life lessons. Some of them are tough, but they've done a good job."
   Gilbert also likes to keep his players fresh.
   "I don't believe in an extreme amount of tournaments," he said. "I like players to enjoy a victory or grieve a loss. Giving them a certain amount of time to do that is important. If you go tournament after tournament after tournament, which a lot of players do, I think it becomes kind of mind-numbing whether you lose or win. It's not as much of a rush to play a tournament.
   "With both these guys, I've limited tournaments quite a bit. J.T. last year took off two or three months (from tournaments). Same with Collin throughout his years with me. We've taken off three or four months at a time to work on things mentally or in his game or just to give him a fresh start at playing tournaments again."
   Gilbert added that he "has noticed over the years that when (juniors) took a big break from tournaments, they have their best result the very next tournament they played. A lot of people would think the opposite, like, 'Oh, they're not tournament tough.' But every time they took two to three months of a break from tournaments, their very next tournament was a great result."

   Gilbert was born in Louisiana but grew up in Southern California After an impressive junior career, he played at Boise State for two years as the Broncos reached No. 2 in the nation, Fresno State for one year and Sacramento State for one year.        

   Gilbert said he left Boise State because his coach, Greg Patton, accepted a position with the United States Tennis Association and Gilbert's father died.
   "I had friends at Fresno State, and it was near Southern California," Gilbert explained. After a year, I was not a huge fan of Fresno. I liked the school and the team. I was a little burned out."
   Gilbert -- who had lived in Sacramento as a teenager with his coach, Paul Hubbard -- then enrolled at Sacramento State. After completing his eligibility, Gilbert taught at the Rio Del Oro Racquet Club in Sacramento for 10 years before starting his academy. JMG stands for Joseph Morris Gilbert.
   Gilbert learned much of his system from Hubbard, who died in a car accident 10 years ago at 31.
   "Training national-level kids takes a lot of time," Gilbert observed. "There's only so many kids you can work with. Paul opened my mind to that individual training philosophy ... the relationship, the trust, spending so much time together.
   "Paul by the end of it could tell me to 'sit on the bench and look at the stars (in the sky) — that'll make you better,' and I kind of believed him. I feel like we're getting to a point with these two that they believe in what I'm preaching to them. They trust me."

* * * 

   Sitting at an indoor cafe table at Arden Hills after returning from the Supernationals, Altamirano and Brooksby contrasted sharply. Altamirano, 6-foot-2, resembles a teen idol with his piercing eyes and dark, flowing hair. Brooksby, 5-foot-3, looks like a mini-surfer dude with his blond, flowing hair and puka shell necklace. Both, however, wear braces.
   Altamirano and Brooksby also have similar playing styles based on outstanding groundstrokes.
   "I hit a really heavy ball with a lot of spin (on both sides)," Altamirano said. "It really pushes my opponents back, and I'm able to do it over and over and over and over again. I'm very consistent with it. I can hit a ball that gives me a short ball and never miss.
   "I never felt like anyone could out-rally me (in Kalamazoo). They couldn't really attack my ball as long as I hit it clean. It calmed me down, (and) made me loose and have confidence in winning."
   Gilbert agreed, except for the part about never missing.
   "I do see him miss on occasion," Gilbert cracked.

Brooksby, 12, is adept at finding
angles to finish points, Gilbert said.

   Brooksby said his strengths are "basically the same" as Altamirano's.
   "We've been taught really similar. (Hit a) heavy ball that (opponents) can't attack, run them around, move them from side to side. On offense, hit the angles, get them off the court and then finish off the point," Brooksby said.
   Brooksby has a more offensive game than he gets credit for, according to Gilbert.
    "A lot of people think his strength is his defense and getting the ball in play a lot, which it is," Gilbert said. "But in my opinion what sets him apart — because there's a lot of kids that can do that at his age — is when he gets (on) offense, he finds the angles that can finish off points a lot easier than other 12-year-olds.
   "Usually, 12-year-olds have a hard time finishing off points because they're not big enough and strong enough to muscle through anybody yet. He knows how to work the court a lot better than most 12-year-olds."
   Altamirano's unseeded status in the nationals was deceiving. He has played primarily in men's professional and open tournaments, limiting his opportunities to earn junior ranking points.
   "My goal was to win (the Supernationals)," Altamirano said. "I knew I could. I've played against higher levels. In the pro events, I've played against guys 200, 300 in the world. I see weaknesses out there. I've seen a bigger ball. Juniors didn't scare me anymore. I was used to it, and it came easier to me."

   Altamirano demolished top-seeded Gage Brymer of Irvine 6-0, 6-1 in the semifinals.
   "I played really well that day," Altamirano explained with a laugh. "His game didn't really fit mine, at all. He wanted to hit hard and blast right through me, and I was perfectly OK with taking a step behind the baseline, hitting heavy and watching him make errors."
   Gilbert taught Altamirano's mother, Anne, and stepfather, Wes Barber, and Brooksby's parents, Glen and Tania. Collin first picked up a racket at 2 and began playing seriously at 5. Jenson, who also goes by J.T. because his middle name is Tyler, started at 4.
   Altamirano lives with his grandparents in the Sacramento suburb of Elk Grove. His father, Frank, resides in Yuba City, 42 miles (68 kilometers) north of Sacramento, and his mother and stepfather live in Santa Barbara in Southern California.
   "My mom was the main (tennis) influence," Altamirano said. "She was a very good player. She wanted me to have big goals in tennis. She got me passionate about it.
   "She's in love with this game. It baffles me how much she loves this game. I go home, and Tennis Channel is running 24-7 at her house. It drives me nuts. She just wants her life to be around tennis."
   Explaining her love of tennis, Anne said Collin "was 1 year old when I got interested, and I got addicted to it. It's a good workout, and it's like a chess match. There's a lot of technique to try to perfect. I love competing, too. I've always been a competitive person."
   Anne made the UC Santa Barbara team at 30 years old but was ruled ineligible before participating in any matches because she had played in community college more than five years beforehand.
   Collin, a home-schooled senior, said he hasn't decided whether to go to college or turn professional.
   "I'm not too worried about it, to be honest with you. I have a year to make that decision," said Altamirano, adding that he has received scholarship offers from reigning NCAA champion Virginia, Illinois, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and Washington. "This next year is going to be fun, and I'm looking forward to it."
   Brooksby said he defeated his mother, a 4.0 player, 6-0, 6-0 when he was 8 and first topped his father, a 4.5 competitor, at 10.
   "Now I beat my dad 95 percent of the time," crowed Jenson, a home-schooled seventh-grader.
   Glen Brooksby, a Sacramento anesthesiologist, has attended the prestigious BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells for the past 20 years, except one year when he had Achilles' tendinitis. Jenson accompanied him for the first time — other than when he was 1 or 2 — last year.
   With Gilbert's help, maybe Altamirano and Brooksby eventually will play in the BNP Paribas Open.  
   "We're such a young academy," he said. "We're only 2 or 3 years old, and we're producing this. Most academies are 25 years old and not having the same results.
   "Give us some time. We're going to keep doing really great things. Maybe people will fly here to train rather than our kids leaving to go other places."

Gold River champ Hibi loses in U.S. Open girls semis

Mayo Hibi, seeded 11th, fell to No. 2
Ana Konjuh of Croatia 6-3, 6-3.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Second-seeded Ana Konjuh of Croatia defeated 11th-seeded Mayo Hibi of Japan 6-3, 6-3 today in the junior girls semifinals of the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
   Hibi, 17, won the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger in the Sacramento area in July. She was born in Japan but has lived in California, first in Foster City in the San Francisco Bay Area and now in Irvine, since she was 2 1/2.
   Konjuh, who won the Australian Open girls singles and doubles titles in January, will play wild card Tornado Alicia Black of Boca Raton, Fla., for the title on Sunday in a matchup of 15-year-olds.
   Black downed seventh-seeded Antonia Lottner of Germany 7-5, 6-3. Lottner had ousted top-seeded Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in the quarterfinals.
   Bencic, 16, won this year's French Open and Wimbledon girls titles, defeating Lottner and Taylor Townsend, respectively, in the finals. Townsend, 17, played for the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis in July.
   Sylvester Black, an African American, hopes to mold his daughters, Ali and 12-year-old Tyra, into the next Venus and Serena Williams. Sylvester nicknamed Alicia "Tornado Ali" because of her quick feet and Tyra "Hurricane Tyra" for her aggressive style.

Donations sought to resurrect Sacramento Open

   Ken Selby is trying to resurrect the Sacramento Open after a one-year absence.
   Selby hopes to attract more players by offering $1,000 or more in prize money. Therefore, he seeks donations of $25, $50 or $100.
   Checks can be made out to Friends of McKinley Park Tennis (Attn: Sac Open Expenses) and mailed to Dave Brooks, Volleys Tennis Shop, 130 G Street, Suite C, Davis, CA, 95616.
   

Altamirano falls to another German in U.S. Open

Collin Altamirano of Elk Grove in the Sacramento
area lost to top-seeded Alexander Zverev of Ger-
many 6-4, 6-4 in the junior boys quarterfinals at
the U.S. Open. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Collin Altamirano has seen about enough of German players for a while.
   After losing to 22nd-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first round of men's singles in the U.S. Open last week, Altamirano of the Sacramento area fell to top-seeded Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-4 today in the junior boys quarterfinals in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Altamirano is 17 years old and Zverev 16.
   Zverev's father, Alexander Sr., played Davis Cup for the Soviet Union in the 1980s and moved to Germany in the early 1990s to coach. Alexander Jr.'s brother, 26-year-old Mischa, is ranked No. 136 in the world. He reached the final of the $100,000 Sacramento Challenger last October.
   Altamirano, 6-foot-2 (1.88 meters), won the USTA Boys 18 National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich., last month to earn an automatic wild card in men's singles at the U.S. Open. He lost to Kohlschreiber 6-1, 6-3, 6-1.
   Altamirano trains under Joseph Gilbert at the Arden Hills Resort & Spa in Sacramento and lives with his grandparents in the suburb of Elk Grove. His father, Frank, resides in Yuba City, 42 miles (68 kilometers) north of Sacramento, and his mother and stepfather, Anne and Wes Barber, live in Santa Barbara in Southern California.
   In today's junior girls quarterfinals at the U.S. Open, 11th-seeded Mayo Hibi of Japan topped third-seeded Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 7-5. Both players are 17.
   Hibi, who won the $50,000 Gold River Challenger in the Sacramento area in July, will play second-seeded Ana Konjuh of Croatia in Saturday's semifinals. Konjuh, 15, handled 10th-seeded Louisa Chirico of Harrison, N.Y., 6-3, 6-2.
   Hibi was born in Japan but has lived in California, first in Foster City in the San Francisco Bay Area and now in Irvine, since she was 2 1/2.

Ex-Capital Davenport nominated for Hall of Fame

Lindsay Davenport, playing for the Newport Beach Breakers
against the host Sacramento Capitals in World TeamTennis
last year, reached No. 1 in the world in singles and doubles.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Lindsay Davenport, a former Sacramento Capitals star in World Team Tennis, and six other luminaries were nominated Thursday for enshrinement in the International Tennis Hall of Fame at Newport, R.I., next year.
   Also on the ballot are former players Mary Pierce and Conchita Martinez, wheelchair player Chantal Vandierendonck, coach Nick Bollettieri, executive Jane Brown Grimes, and British broadcaster and author John Barrett.
   Voting will take place over the next several months, and the Class of 2014 will be announced early next year. An international media panel, consisting of tennis journalists and authors, will cast ballots on the players. An international masters panel, comprised of Hall of Famers and tennis historians, will vote on the contributors. Candidates in either category must receive 75 percent affirmative votes for induction.  
   Davenport, 6-foot-2 (1.89 meters), reached No. 1 in the world in singles and doubles. The 37-year-old resident of Laguna Beach in Southern California won six Grand Slam titles, three in singles (1998 U.S. Open, 1999 Wimbledon and 2000 Australian Open) and three in doubles (1996 French Open with Mary Joe Fernandez, 1997 U.S. Open with Jana Novotna and 1999 Wimbledon with Corina Morariu). Davenport also earned the singles gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
   Playing for the Capitals, Davenport was named the WTT Female Rookie of the Year at 17 years old in 1993 and the Female MVP in 1997. She competed on three of Sacramento's record six WTT championship teams -- in 1997, 1998 and 2007.
    Davenport also was known for her down-to-earth personality and unfailing cooperation with the media. 
    Pierce, 38, of France captured four Grand Slam titles, two in singles (1995 Australian Open and 2000 French Open), one in doubles (2000 French Open with Martina Hingis) and one in mixed doubles (2004 Wimbledon with Mahesh Bhupathi).
    Martinez, 41, remains the only Spanish woman to win Wimbledon, having stunned nine-time champion Martina Navratilova in 1994.
   ITA to honor Crawford -- Roger Crawford, 52, of Granite Bay in the Sacramento area will receive the 2013 Intercollegiate Achievement Award today in New York.
   Crawford, a renowned motivational speaker and author, was born with four impaired limbs. He has one finger on his right hand, two fingers on his left hand, three toes on his right foot and a prosthetic left leg. Yet he played Division I college tennis at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles.