TV schedule, calendar

TV SCHEDULE

   Today
(All times Pacific Standard in United States)

   Sydney (women), final, Tennis Channel, 4-6 a.m. and 6-8 p.m. (repeat).
   Auckland (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 8 a.m.-noon (delay).
   Sydney (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, noon-4 p.m. (delay).
   Hobart (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 8 p.m.-midnight (delay). 

Saturday

   Auckland (men), final, Tennis Channel, 4-6 p.m. (delay), 10 p.m.-midnight (repeat).
   Sydney (men), final, Tennis Channel, 6-8 p.m. (delay).
   Hobart (women), final, Tennis Channel, 8-10 p.m. (delay).

Sunday

   AUSTRALIAN OPEN, first round, ESPN2, 4 p.m.-4 a.m. Monday (live).

CALENDAR

   Sunday (Monday in Australia)-Jan. 26 -- AUSTRALIAN OPEN, Melbourne, www.australianopen.com. 2013 champions: Novak Djokovic, Victoria Azarenka, Bob Bryan-Mike Bryan, Sara Errani-Roberta Vinci, Jarmila Gajdosova-Matthew Ebden.

   Tuesday -- College spring season begins. Pacific men at Stanford, 1:30 p.m. 

   Jan. 31-Feb. 2 -- Davis Cup, first round, Great Britain vs. United States in San Diego, www.daviscup.com.

   Feb. 8-9 -- Fed Cup, first round, defending champion Italy vs. United States in Cleveland, www.fedcupcom.

   Feb. 26 -- Champions Shootout (Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, James Blake), 7 p.m., Sleep Train Arena, Sacramento, Calif., www.powersharesseries.com.

   March 3-16 -- BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, Calif., www.bnpparibasopen.com. 2013 champions: Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Bob Bryan-Mike Bryan, Ekaterina Makarova-Elena Vesnina.

Rankings mover of the week: Maria Sanchez

Maria Sanchez
2013 photo by Paul Bauman

   Maria Sanchez jumped 35 places to No. 109 in the world in doubles, one spot below her career high, after winning her first career WTA title. 

   Sanchez, who was born and raised in Modesto, won the doubles crown in the $250,000 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, with Sharon Fichman of Canada.  

   Sanchez dropped one notch to No. 177 in singles. Her career high in that category also is No. 108.

   Chris Evert mentors Sanchez, a 24-year-old USC graduate, at the Evert Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Fla.

PRO RANKINGS

     Following are this week's world rankings of professional players with Northern California ties (change from last week in parentheses):

Men

   Bob Bryan, 35 years old, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- Career-high No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.

   Mike Bryan, 35 years old, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- Career-high No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Mardy Fish, 32 years old, Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis (2012-13) -- No. 371 in singles (+2), No. 125 in doubles (no change).
   Bradley Klahn, 23 years old, 2010 NCAA singles champion and 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- Career-high No. 95 in singles (+2), career-high No. 143 in doubles (+4).
   Scott Lipsky, 32 years old, 2002 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 32 in doubles (-1), unranked in singles.
   Sam Querrey, 26 years old, San Francisco native, Capitals (2012-13) -- No. 46 in singles (no change), No. 215 in doubles (+1).
   Ryan Sweeting, 26 years old, Capitals (2012-13) -- No. 668 in singles (-1), No. 1,115 in doubles (-3).
   Dmitry Tursunov, 31 years old, trains at Gorin Tennis Academy in Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay -- No. 32 in singles (-3), No. 128 in doubles (+11).

Women

   Mallory Burdette, 22 years old, NCAA singles runner-up in 2012 and NCAA doubles champion in 2011 and 2012 from Stanford -- No. 139 in singles (+1), No. 691 in doubles (-1).
   Nicole Gibbs, 20 years old, NCAA singles champion in 2012 and 2013 and NCAA doubles champion in 2012 from Stanford -- No. 185 in singles (no change), No. 438 in doubles (no change).

   Macall Harkins, Redding resident -- No. 289 in doubles (-2), No. 692 in singles (+2).
   Raquel Kops-Jones, 31 years old, 2003 NCAA doubles champion from Cal -- No. 24 in doubles (-1), unranked in singles.

   Megan Moulton-Levy, 28 years old, Capitals (2013) -- No. 57 in doubles (-1), unranked in singles.

   Maria Sanchez, 24 years old, Modesto product -- No. 109 in doubles (+35), No. 177 in singles (-1).

   Taylor Townsend, 17 years old, Capitals (2013) -- No. 195 in doubles (+2), No. 363 in singles (+2).

Modesto native Sanchez earns her first WTA title

Maria Sanchez teamed with Sharon Fichman
to win the doubles title in Auckland.
2013 photo by Paul Bauman

   Maria Sanchez got off to a great start this year with the first WTA title of her career.
   The unseeded team of Sharon Fichman of Canada and Sanchez, who was born and raised in the sleepy Northern California city of Modesto, edged third-seeded Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic and Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands 2-6, 6-0 [10-4] on Friday in the $250,000 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand.
   It was also Fichman's first crown on the WTA tour, the major leagues of women's tennis. She and Sanchez each earned $6,150 for the title.
   Fichman and Sanchez had knocked off top-seeded Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Safarova, both of the Czech Republic, in the quarterfinals and fourth-seeded Mona Barthel of Germany and Megan Moulton-Levy of Washington, D.C., in the semifinals.
   Moulton-Levy made her World TeamTennis debut for the Sacramento Capitals last July.
   Hlavackova and Hradecka won the women's doubles title in the 2011 French Open and last year's U.S. Open.
   Krajicek's older brother, Richard Krajicek, won the 1996 Wimbledon men's singles title.
   The 24-year-old Sanchez, mentored by Chris Evert at the Evert Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Fla., lost in the first round of singles qualifying in Auckland.
   Sanchez was named the 2011 Pacific-10 Conference Women's Player of the Year as a senior at USC. She won the singles title and reached the doubles final in the inaugural FSP Gold River Women's Challenger in the Sacramento area in 2012. 

Year-end rankings; TV schedule; calendar

PRO RANKINGS

     Following are the year-end world rankings of professional players with Northern California ties (change from last week in parentheses):

Men

   Bob Bryan, 35 years old, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- Career-high No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.

   Mike Bryan, 35 years old, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- Career-high No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Mardy Fish, 32 years old, Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis (2012-13) -- No. 373 in singles (+1), No. 125 in doubles (no change).
   Bradley Klahn, 23 years old, 2010 NCAA singles champion and 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- Career-high No. 97 in singles (no change), No. 147 in doubles (no change).
   Scott Lipsky, 32 years old, 2002 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 31 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Sam Querrey, 26 years old, San Francisco native, Capitals (2012-13) -- No. 46 in singles (no change), No. 216 in doubles (no change).
   Ryan Sweeting, 26 years old, Capitals (2012-13) -- No. 667 in singles (-1), No. 1,112 in doubles (-3).
   Dmitry Tursunov, 31 years old, trains at Gorin Tennis Academy in Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay -- No. 29 in singles (no change), No. 139 in doubles (-1).

Women

   Mallory Burdette, 22 years old, NCAA singles runner-up in 2012 and NCAA doubles champion in 2011 and 2012 from Stanford -- No. 140 in singles (no change), No. 690 in doubles (-2).
   Nicole Gibbs, 20 years old, NCAA singles champion in 2012 and 2013 and NCAA doubles champion in 2012 from Stanford -- No. 185 in singles (no change), No. 438 in doubles (-1).

   Macall Harkins, Redding resident -- No. 287 in doubles (-1), No. 694 in singles (no change).
   Raquel Kops-Jones, 31 years old, 2003 NCAA doubles champion from Cal -- No. 23 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.

   Megan Moulton-Levy, 28 years old, Capitals (2013) -- No. 56 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.

   Maria Sanchez, 24 years old, Modesto product -- No. 144 in doubles (no change), No. 176 in singles (-1).

   Taylor Townsend, 17 years old, Capitals (2013) -- No. 197 in doubles (-1), No. 365 in singles (-3).

TV SCHEDULE

   Friday
(All times PST)

   Brisbane (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 2:30-4:30 a.m. (live), 7-11 a.m. (replay).
   Brisbane (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (delay).
   Auckland (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 5-7 p.m. (delay).
   Chennai (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 7-11 p.m. (delay).

Saturday

   Brisbane (women), final, Tennis Channel, 9-11 a.m. (repeat).
   Brisbane (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (delay).
   Auckland (women), final, Tennis Channel, 3-5 p.m. (delay).
   Hopman Cup, United States vs. Czech Republic, women's singles, 5-7 p.m. (delay); men's singles, 7-9 p.m. (delay); mixed doubles 9-10:30 p.m. (delay).  

Sunday

   Chennai (men), final, Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (delay).
   Brisbane (men), final, Tennis Channel, 1-3  p.m. (delay).
   Hopman Cup, final, women's singles, 5-7 p.m. (delay); men's singles, 7-9 p.m. (delay); mixed doubles 9-10:30 p.m. (delay). 

CALENDAR

   Jan. 13-26, 2014 -- AUSTRALIAN OPEN, Melbourne, www.australianopen.com. 2013 champions: Novak Djokovic, Victoria Azarenka, Bob Bryan-Mike Bryan, Sara Errani-Roberta Vinci, Jarmila Gajdosova-Matthew Ebden.

   Jan. 14 -- College spring season begins. Pacific men at Stanford, 1:30 p.m. 

   Jan. 31-Feb. 2 -- Davis Cup, first round, Great Britain vs. United States in San Diego, www.daviscup.com.

   Feb. 8-9 -- Fed Cup, first round, defending champion Italy vs. United States in Cleveland, www.fedcupcom.

   Feb. 26 -- Champions Shootout (Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, James Blake), 7 p.m., Sleep Train Arena, Sacramento, Calif., www.powersharesseries.com.

   March 3-16 -- BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, Calif., www.bnpparibasopen.com. 2013 champions: Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Bob Bryan-Mike Bryan, Ekaterina Makarova-Elena Vesnina.

Staggs rallies for boys 18 title in Winter Nationals

   Renowned coach Brad Stine once lauded Logan Staggs for his "tenaciousness" and "court smarts."
   So Staggs, who lives in Tracy (near San Francisco), didn't panic when he was drubbed in the first set of today's boys 18 final in the USTA National Winter Championships.
   The fifth-seeded Staggs simply regrouped and dismantled second-seeded Thomas Fawcett of Winnetka, Ill., 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 in Scottsdale, Ariz.
   Staggs -- a 5-foot-7 (1.70-meter), 135-pound left-hander -- ironically will attend college near Fawcett's hometown. Staggs signed a letter of intent in November to play at Northwestern, a member of the Big Ten Conference in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Ill.
   "What stands out about Logan ... is just what a tenacious competitor he is," Stine, who coached International Tennis Hall of Famer Jim Courier and has worked with Staggs, told tennisrecruiting.net. " ... What he lacks in size, he makes up with his tenaciousness and competitiveness and court smarts. He is such a smart competitor on the court."
  Mike Staggs, an attorney and tennis fanactic, introduced his son to tennis when Logan was 2. At 8, Logan appeared in a television commercial with Andre Agassi and former top-25 player Taylor Dent. Playing the role of Agassi's son, Jaden, Staggs wowed Dent with his strokes.

Staggs gains boys 18 final in Winter Nationals

   Fifth-seeded Logan Staggs of Tracy beat 17th-seeded Felix Corwin of Elm Grove, Wis., 6-2, 6-4 today to reach the boys 18 final in the USTA National Winter Championships at Scottsdale, Ariz.
   Staggs -- a 5-foot-7 (1.70-meter), 135-pound (61.2-kilogram) left-hander who has signed with Northwestern -- will meet second-seeded Thomas Fawcett of Winnetka, Ill., on Thursday for the title. Fawcett wore down seventh-seeded Aron Hiltzik of Wilmette, Ill., 6-4, 6-0.
   In Tucson, Ariz., two doubles teams featuring Northern Californians lost in Winter National finals.
   Third-seeded Trent Bryde of Suwanee, Ga., and Danny Thomas of Pickerington, Ohio, topped Randy Cory of Salinas and Andrew Ton of Milpitas 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the boys 14s.
   Top-seeded Gianna Pielet of El Paso, Texas, and Caty McNally of Cincinnati routed unseeded Isabella Harvison of Cardiff and Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek 6-0, 6-3 in the girls 12s.

Staggs reaches boys 18 semis in Winter Nationals

   Fifth-seeded Logan Staggs of Tracy defeated 15th-seeded Walker Duncan of Atlanta 6-4, 6-1 on Tuesday to reach the boys 18 semifinals in the USTA National Winter Championships in Scottsdale, Ariz.
   Staggs -- a 5-foot-7 (1.70-meter), 135-pound (61.2-kilogram) left-hander who's headed to Northwestern -- will play 17th-seeded Felix Corwin of Elm Grove, Wis., today. Corwin beat Robert Seby, a resident of Oro Valley, Ariz., also seeded 17th, 7-5, 6-3.  
   Third-seeded William Griffith of Fresno lost to seventh-seeded Aron Hiltzik of Wilmette, Ill., 7-6 (8), 6-4 in the boys 18 quarterfinals. Griffith signed a letter of intent last month to attend Cal.
   Two doubles teams featuring Northern California players reached Winter National finals in Tucson, Ariz.
   In the boys 14s, ninth-seeded Randy Cory of Salinas and Andrew Ton of Milpitas topped Ryan Seggerman of Coronado and Sangeet Sridhar of Simi Valley 7-5, 6-1. Seggerman and Sridhar also were seeded ninth.
   Cory and Ton will meet third-seeded Trent Bryde of Suwanee, Ga., and Danny Thomas of Pickerington, Ohio, today for the title.
   In the girls 12s, unseeded Isabella Harvison of Cardiff and the appropriately named Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek downed fourth-seeded Amanda Chan of Pasadena and Amy Huang of San Diego 6-2, 7-5.
   Harvison and Volynets will take on top-seeded Gianna Pielet of El Paso, Texas, and Caty McNally of Cincinnati for the crown.