Novikov falls in French Open qualifying; Bellis to play

   Dennis Novikov had a tough assignment in his French Open debut.
   The 21-year-old San Jose resident lost to No. 31 seed Facundo Arguello, who grew up playing on clay in Argentina, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 today in the first round of qualifying in Paris.
   American men, most of whom have little clay-court experience, won only two of eight completed matches.
   One of the victories was especially notable. Eighteen-year-old Jared Donaldson, who trained on clay in Buenos Aires for 2 1/2 years, demolished top-seeded Hyeon Chung of South Korea 60 61 in a matchup of top teenage prospects. Donaldson, a semifinalist in the Napa Challenger and quarterfinalist in the Sacramento Challenger last fall, is 18, and Chung is 19.
   Also, Jason Jung outlasted Andrej Martin of Slovakia 6-7 (2), 6-3, 7-5.
   Bjorn Fratangelo, a quarterfinalist in the Sacramento and Tiburon Challengers last October, led Alex Bolt of Australia 6-4 when play was suspended for the night. Fratangelo in 2011 joined John McEnroe (1977) as the only Americans in the Open era to win the French Open junior boys title.
   Besides Novikov, Americans who fell were 16th-seeded Austin Krajicek, 30th-seeded Denis Kudla, Jarmere Jenkins, Mitchell Krueger and Chase Buchanan.
   Women's qualifying begins on Wednesday. CiCi Bellis, a 16-year-old sensation from Atherton in the San Francisco Bay Area, is scheduled to face Veronica Cepede Royg of Paraguay. Also, Maria Sanchez, 25, from Modesto, is set to play Risa Ozaki of Japan.
   Bellis, who stunned 12th-seeded Dominika Cibulkova in the first round of last year's U.S. Open, is another exception to the clay-court rule for Americans. She lives near the Burlingame Country Club, which has one of the few clay courts in Northern California, and has trained extensively on clay in Florida.
   It will be Bellis' first women's match in the French Open. She reached last year's junior girls doubles final at Roland Garros with Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic. They lost to Romanians Ioana Ducu and Ioana Rosca 6-1, 5-7 [11-9].

Novikov to play 31st seed in French Open qualifying

   Dennis Novikov of San Jose will face 31st-seeded Facundo Arguello of Argentina for the first time today in the opening round of French Open qualifying in Paris.
   The 21-year-old Novikov is ranked a career-high No. 185. Arguello, 22, is No. 139.
   Novikov, 6-foot-4 (1.93 meters) and 200 pounds (91 kilograms), will make his French Open debut. Arguello, 5-foot-10 (1.78 meters) and 170 pounds (77 kilograms), will play in the tournament for the third straight year.
   Arguello lost to American Jack Sock in the final round of qualifying in 2013 and to Czech veteran Radek Stepanek in five sets in the first round of the main draw last year.

Altamirano helps Virginia reach NCAA final

One second after a teammate's victory, Collin Altamirano
of Sacramento clinched No. 3 Virginia's win over No. 2
and host Baylor. 2014 photo by Paul Bauman

   It happened within one second.
   Mitchell Frank and Sacramento's Collin Altamirano won match points in singles almost simultaneously to give the third-ranked Virginia men a 4-2 victory over No. 2 and host Baylor on Monday in Waco, Texas, in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.
   The Bears won the doubles point as Felipe Rios and Vince Schneider defeated Altamirano and J.C. Aragone 8-7 (5) on Court 3. 
   With the overall match tied 2-2, the 20th-ranked Frank defeated No. 35 Tony Lupieri 6-0, 2-6, 7-5 on Court 2. Then No. 77 Altamirano, a freshman and the 2013 USTA 18-and-under champion, beat No. 58 Max Tchoutakian 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Court 3 to clinch the victory.
   The Cavaliers (28-3), who had been 0-2 against the Bears (25-6) this season, will play top-seeded Oklahoma (29-2) today at 11 a.m. PDT for the title. The Sooners, who advanced with a 4-3 victory over No. 6 Texas Christian, beat Virginia 4-3 on March 10 in Norman, Okla.
   Virginia reached the final for the fourth time in five years and Oklahoma -- coached by John Roddick, Andy's older brother -- for the second straight year. The Cavaliers seek their second NCAA title, after winning two years ago, and the Sooners their first.
   The sixth-ranked UCLA women (23-4) will try to win their second straight crown when they face No. 4 Vanderbilt (24-6) today at 3 p.m. The Bruins topped No. 6 Georgia 4-1, and the Commodores knocked off No. 1 USC 4-0.
   The Trojans' Giuliana Olmos, a junior from Fremont, lost both of her matches on Court 2. The 19th-ranked team of Olmos and Zoe Scandalis fell to No. 18 Ashleigh Antal and Astra Sharma 8-6, and No. 14 Olmos dropped the clincher to No. 42 Sharma 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.

Stanford women fall in NCAA quarterfinals

   The Stanford women's magic ran out.
   The 14th-ranked Cardinal lost to No. 7 Georgia 4-1 today in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament in Waco, Texas.
   Freshman Kennedy Shaffer provided the clincher, holding off junior Krista Hardebeck 6-3, 0-6, 6-4 on Court 4.
   Stanford (18-6) had won 10 of its last 11 NCAA matches as the lower seed. The Cardinal won the 2010 NCAA championship as the No. 8 seed and two years ago became the lowest-seeded team at No. 12 to win an NCAA title, the school reported on gostanford.com.
   The Stanford women have won 17 NCAA team titles, almost three times more than second-place Florida (six). The Cardinal's six losses are its most since a 20-6 finish in 1983.
   In Monday's semifinals, Georgia (24-6) will face No. 6 and defending champion UCLA (22-4), and No. 1 USC (25-2) will meet No. 4 Vanderbilt (23-6).
   The Trojans, with Giuliana Olmos of Fremont, defeated No. 9 and host Baylor 4-1.  

No. 7 Georgia 4, No. 14 Stanford 1

Doubles

   1. No. 11 Lauren Herring and Ellen Perez (Georgia) def. No. 2 Taylor Davidson and Carol Zhao 8-2.
   2. No. 10 Caroline Doyle and Ellen Tsay (Stanford) vs. No. 43 Garcia/Shaffer, abandoned.
   3. Mariana Gould and Hannah King (Georgia) def. Krista Hardebeck and Lindsey Kostas 8-2.
   Order of finish: 1, 3

Singles

   1. No. 2 Carol Zhao (Stanford) vs. No. 5 Lauren Herring, abandoned.
   2. No. 19 Taylor Davidson (Stanford) def. No. 63 Ellen Perez 6-2, 6-4.
   3. No. 94 Silvia Garcia (Georgia) def. No. 25 Caroline Doyle 6-2, 6-2.
   4. No. 59 Kennedy Shaffer (Georgia) def. No. 92 Krista Hardebeck 6-3, 0-6, 6-4.
   5. No. 88 Hannah King (Georgia) def. No. 106 Ellen Tsay 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.
   6. Lindsey Kostas (Stanford) vs. No. 104 Caroline Brinson, abandoned.
   Order of finish: 3, 2, 5, 4

Altamirano, Virginia face battle in NCAA semifinals

Collin Altamirano of Sacramento and No. 3 Virginia
will face No. 2 Baylor, playing on its home courts,
in Monday's NCAA semifinals in Waco, Texas.
2014 photo by Paul Bauman

   The picnic is over for Sacramento's Collin Altamirano and the Virginia men.
   The third-ranked Cavaliers have won all four of their NCAA Tournament matches 4-0. On Monday, however, they will face second-ranked Baylor, playing on its home courts, in the semifinals in Waco, Texas.
   Baylor is 2-0 against Virginia this season, winning 4-3 in February in the quarterfinals of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Chicago and 5-2 in March in Waco.
   "We are looking forward to the opportunity to play Baylor in the semifinals," Virginia coach Brian Boland said on virginiasports.com. "They are a great team, which we saw in the two matches earlier this season when they beat us.
   "They are the No. 2 team in the nation, playing on their home courts in front of their fans and should be the favorites. We embrace the underdog role."
   Virginia (27-3), the 2013 NCAA champion, reached the semis for the sixth consecutive year by dismissing fifth-ranked Texas A&M (24-5) on Saturday.
   Altamirano, a freshman, and J.C. Aragone defeated AJ Catanzariti and Arthur Rinderknech 8-5 at No. 3 doubles.
   Altamirano trailed Rinderknech, a freshman from France, 1-6, 6-1, 0-1 at No. 3 singles when the match was abandoned because Virginia clinched the overall victory. Altamirano is ranked No. 77, and Rinderknech is No. 84.
   Baylor (25-5) eliminated eighth-ranked USC (25-5), the defending champion, 4-2. In the other semifinal, No. 1 Oklahoma (28-2) will face No. 6 Texas Christian (25-7).  
   In the women's quarterfinals, 14th-ranked Stanford (18-5) will play No. 7 Georgia (23-6) today at 10 a.m. PDT.

Newman captures USTA Senior doubles title

   Judy Newman of Scotts Valley and Lisa Naumu of La Quinta won the 50-and-over doubles title in the USTA National Senior Women's Hard Court Championships.
   The third-seeded pair upended top-seeded Eleanor Hammargren and Jennifer Lyons of San Clemente 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-1 on Saturday in La Jolla.
   No. 1 seed Ros (Fairbank) Nideffer, 54, of San Diego won the singles title for the third time in four years. The two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist beat second-seeded Frances Chandler of Jackson, Tenn., 6-4, 6-0.
   Fortunately for Newman and the rest of the doubles field, Nideffer did not enter that event. Nideffer won two women's doubles titles in the French Open (1981 and 1983). 
   Top-seeded Tina Karwasky of Glendale captured her fourth straight 60-and-over singles title, outlasting second-seeded Carolyn Nichols of Rancho Santa Fe 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5 in 3 hours, 12 minutes.

USTA NATIONAL SENIOR WOMEN'S HARD COURT CHAMPIONSHIPS

In La Jolla
(Divisions with remaining Northern California players only)

50-and-over singles

Third place

   Judy Newman (5), Scotts Valley, def. Tracy Houk (4), Montara, walkover. 

50-and-over doubles

Third place

   Mary Dailey, Delray Beach, Fla., and Erika Smith (2), Oakland, def. Mariana Hollman, Walkertown, N.C., and Tracy Worley Hagen (4), Tustin, 6-4, 6-2.

60-and-over singles

Third place

   Rita Giles (5), Falls Church, Va., def. Martha Downing (3), Shingle Springs, walkover.

90-and-over doubles

Round robin

   Catherine Hall, Newport Beach, and R. Elaine Mason, Fresno, def. Elizabeth Cookson, San Mateo, and Betty Eisenstein, Washington, D.C., 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-1.

   Final standings: 1. Hall and Mason, 2-0; 2. Cookson and Eisenstein, 1-1; 3. Jane Howard, San Diego, and Lucille Trefzger, Lake Oswego, Ore., 0-2.

Stanford women upset Cal to reach NCAA quarters

Second-ranked Carol Zhao clinched Stanford's victory
over Cal by defeating No. 4 Maegan Manasse 6-2, 5-7, 6-1.
2014 photo by Tri Nguyen/TriNguyenPhotography.com

   The Stanford women tend to play their best in the NCAA Tournament.
   The 14th-ranked Cardinal did it again on Friday, ousting No. 3 Cal 4-3 in Waco, Texas, to reach the quarterfinals. Cal (22-4) had won 10 consecutive matches and swept Stanford (18-5) in two regular-season meetings.
   Stanford has won 10 of its last 11 NCAA Tournament matches when seeded lower than its opponent, the school reported on its web site. The Cardinal won the 2010 NCAA championship as the No. 8 seed and two years ago became the lowest-seeded team at No. 12 to win an NCAA title. 
   This was the second straight year that Stanford has defeated Cal 4-3 in the NCAA round of 16 as the lower seeded team in a match that was moved indoors because of rain. Last year's tournament was held in Athens, Ga., although the Stanford-Cal match was shifted to nearby Atlanta.
   With Friday's match tied 3-3, second-ranked Carol Zhao defeated fourth-ranked Maegan Manasse 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 on Court 1.
   Stanford will face No. 7 Georgia (23-6) on Sunday at 10 a.m. PDT. The Bulldogs beat No. 11 Michigan 4-2.
   Top-ranked USC (24-2), with Giuliana Olmos of Fremont, will play No. 9 and host Baylor (28-6) in another quarterfinal. Also, No. 2 North Carolina will meet No. 6 UCLA in a rematch of last year's final, won by the Bruins.

No. 14 Stanford 4, No. 3 Cal 3

Doubles

   1. No. 2 Taylor Davidson and Carol Zhao (Stanford) def. No. 7 Maegan Manasse and Denise Starr 8-6.
   2. No. 10 Caroline Doyle and Ellen Tsay (Stanford) def. No. 5 Klara Fabikova and Zsofi Susanyi 8-4.
   3. Lynn Chi and Karla Popovic (Cal) def. Krista Hardebeck and Lindsey Kostas 8-1.
   Order of finish: 3, 2, 1

Singles

   1. No. 2 Carol Zhao (Stanford) def. No. 4 Maegan Manasse 6-2, 5-7, 6-1.
   2. No. 19 Taylor Davidson (Stanford) def. No. 18 Klara Fabikova 6-4, 6-0.
   3. No. 25 Caroline Doyle (Stanford) def. No. 44 Denise Starr 6-4, 6-4.
   4. No. 43 Zsofi Susanyi (Cal) def. No. 92 Krista Hardebeck 6-1, 6-1.
   5. No. 50 Lynn Chi (Cal) def. No. 106 Ellen Tsay 6-7 (2), 6-0, 6-1.
   6. No. 103 Karla Popovic (Cal) def. Lindsey Kostas 6-1, 6-0.
   Order of finish: 6, 4, 2, 3, 5, 1