Northern California went 1 for 2 in Easter Bowl girls 16 finals today.
In doubles, No. 4 seeds Allura Zamarripa and Maribella Zamarripa of Saint Helena defeated No. 3 Amanda Chan of Pasadena and Chidimma Okpara of Bronxville, N.Y., 6-4, 6-4 at Indian Wells. The Zamarripa twins did not lose a set in their five tournament matches.
In singles, No. 11 seed Anessa Lee of San Marino beat unseeded India Houghton of Belvedere Tiburon 6-2, 6-3. Houghton had ousted No. 1 Gianna Pielet of El Paso, Texas, in the second round.
Meanwhile, Jenson Brooksby of Carmichael and Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek reached the final in boys and girls 18 singles, respectively. Both will play the top seed.
Brooksby, 17, dominated Siem Woldeab of La Mesa 6-1 6-3 in a matchup of unseeded players.
Brooksby has not lost more than five games in any of his five tournament matches. He will face Tristan Boyer of Altadena. Boyer topped unseeded Cannon Kingsley of Northport, N.Y., 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
The 15th-seeded Volynets, 16, beat unseeded Emma Navarro of Charleston, S.C., 6-2, 5-7, 6-2. Volynets will meet Alexa Noel of Summit, N.J. Noel routed No. 8 Gabriella Price of New City, N.Y., 6-3, 6-0.
Veteran journalist Paul Bauman, based in Sacramento, covers Northern California professional, collegiate and junior tennis. Contact him at norcaltennisczar@gmail.com and follow him on Bluesky @paulbauman.bsky.com.
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Stephens, Bryan brothers win Miami Open titles
It doesn't take long for Sloane Stephens to find her form.
In only her fifth tournament after undergoing foot surgery last year, the unseeded Stephens won the U.S. Open for her first Grand Slam championship.
A letdown was inevitable, but Stephens took it to extremes, losing her next eight matches. In her third tournament since then, she captured the Miami Open today.
Stephens, a 25-year-old Fresno product seeded 13th, beat Jelena Ostapenko, a 20-year-old Latvian seeded sixth, 7-6 (5), 6-1 for the second-biggest title of her career.
Like Stephens, Ostapenko won her first Grand Slam title last year as an unseeded player, taking the French Open crown.
Stephens improved to 6-0 in finals and will crack the top 10 for the first time on Monday, rising three spots to No. 9.
Stephens, who lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., converted 7 of 8 break-point opportunities and Ostapenko 5 of 8. The hard-hitting Ostapenko ripped 25 winners to Stephens' six but committed 48 unforced errors to Stephens' 21.
In the men's doubles final, fourth-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan topped unseeded Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev of Russia 4-6, 7-6 (5) [10-4].
The Bryans, ex-Stanford All-Americans who will turn 40 on April 29, won their fifth Miami championship, 37th Masters 1000 crown and 115th title as a team. However, it was their first title since Atlanta last July and first Masters 1000 crown since Rome in May 2016.
The Bryans have won a record 16 Grand Slam men's doubles titles but none since the 2014 U.S. Open.
Khachanov, 21, and Rublev, 20, were playing in their first final together.
In only her fifth tournament after undergoing foot surgery last year, the unseeded Stephens won the U.S. Open for her first Grand Slam championship.
A letdown was inevitable, but Stephens took it to extremes, losing her next eight matches. In her third tournament since then, she captured the Miami Open today.
Stephens, a 25-year-old Fresno product seeded 13th, beat Jelena Ostapenko, a 20-year-old Latvian seeded sixth, 7-6 (5), 6-1 for the second-biggest title of her career.
Like Stephens, Ostapenko won her first Grand Slam title last year as an unseeded player, taking the French Open crown.
Stephens improved to 6-0 in finals and will crack the top 10 for the first time on Monday, rising three spots to No. 9.
Stephens, who lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., converted 7 of 8 break-point opportunities and Ostapenko 5 of 8. The hard-hitting Ostapenko ripped 25 winners to Stephens' six but committed 48 unforced errors to Stephens' 21.
In the men's doubles final, fourth-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan topped unseeded Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev of Russia 4-6, 7-6 (5) [10-4].
The Bryans, ex-Stanford All-Americans who will turn 40 on April 29, won their fifth Miami championship, 37th Masters 1000 crown and 115th title as a team. However, it was their first title since Atlanta last July and first Masters 1000 crown since Rome in May 2016.
The Bryans have won a record 16 Grand Slam men's doubles titles but none since the 2014 U.S. Open.
Khachanov, 21, and Rublev, 20, were playing in their first final together.
NorCal's Houghton reaches Easter Bowl girls 16 final
Unseeded India Houghton of Belvedere Tiburon routed Hibah Shaikh of Teaneck, N.J., 6-1, 6-3 on Friday to reach the girls 16 final in the Easter Bowl at Indian Wells.
Houghton will play No. 11 seed Anessa Lee of San Marino on Saturday. Lee beat No. 8 Chidimma Okpara of Bronxville, N.Y., 6-2, 6-4.
Northern California also will have a representative in the girls 16 doubles final. No. 4 seeds Allura Zamarripa and Maribella Zamarripa of Saint Helena eliminated unseeded Rosie Garcia Gross of New York and Elizabeth Goldsmith of Chula Vista 6-3, 6-2.
The Zamarripa twins, who have not lost a set in the tournament, will meet No. 3 seeds Amanda Chan of Pasadena and Okpara.
In the boys 16 doubles semifinals, No. 1 seeds Keshav Chopra of Marietta, Ga., and Coy Simon of Charleston, S.C., defeated No. 4 Zachery Lim of Fairfield and Alex Lin of Gold River 7-5, 6-1.
Meanwhile, unseeded Jenson Brooksby of Carmichael and No. 15 seed Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek advanced to the boys and girls 18 singles semifinals, respectively.
Brooksby, 17, dominated No. 11 seed Brandon Nakashima of San Diego 6-2, 6-3. Brooksby will meet unseeded Siem Woldeab of La Mesa. Woldeab surprised No. 2 Drew Baird of Holly Springs, N.C., 6-7, 7-6, 6-3.
Volynets, 16, advanced by walkover against No. 11 Chloe Beck of Watkinsville, Ga. Volynets will play unseeded Emma Navarro, a resident of Charleston, S.C., who ousted No. 2 Margaryta Bilokin of New Canaan, Conn., 6-3, 6-4.
Houghton will play No. 11 seed Anessa Lee of San Marino on Saturday. Lee beat No. 8 Chidimma Okpara of Bronxville, N.Y., 6-2, 6-4.
Northern California also will have a representative in the girls 16 doubles final. No. 4 seeds Allura Zamarripa and Maribella Zamarripa of Saint Helena eliminated unseeded Rosie Garcia Gross of New York and Elizabeth Goldsmith of Chula Vista 6-3, 6-2.
The Zamarripa twins, who have not lost a set in the tournament, will meet No. 3 seeds Amanda Chan of Pasadena and Okpara.
In the boys 16 doubles semifinals, No. 1 seeds Keshav Chopra of Marietta, Ga., and Coy Simon of Charleston, S.C., defeated No. 4 Zachery Lim of Fairfield and Alex Lin of Gold River 7-5, 6-1.
Meanwhile, unseeded Jenson Brooksby of Carmichael and No. 15 seed Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek advanced to the boys and girls 18 singles semifinals, respectively.
Brooksby, 17, dominated No. 11 seed Brandon Nakashima of San Diego 6-2, 6-3. Brooksby will meet unseeded Siem Woldeab of La Mesa. Woldeab surprised No. 2 Drew Baird of Holly Springs, N.C., 6-7, 7-6, 6-3.
Volynets, 16, advanced by walkover against No. 11 Chloe Beck of Watkinsville, Ga. Volynets will play unseeded Emma Navarro, a resident of Charleston, S.C., who ousted No. 2 Margaryta Bilokin of New Canaan, Conn., 6-3, 6-4.
Friday, March 30, 2018
In all-NorCal final, Quan wins Easter Bowl boys 12s
In an all-Northern California final, No. 2 seed Rudy Quan of Roseville beat No. 10 Raghav Jangbahadur of Palo Alto 6-1, 6-4 on Thursday to win the boys 12 championship in the Easter Bowl at Indian Wells.
Quan also won the boys 12 title in the USTA National Winter Championships at Tucson, Ariz., in January.
Meanwhile, Jenson Brooksby of Carmichael and 15th-seeded Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek advanced to the boys and girls 18 quarterfinals, respectively.
In the girls 16 quarterfinals, India Houghton of Belvedere Tiburon outlasted Kimberly Hance of Torrance 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Houghton, who ousted top-seeded Gianna Pielet of El Paso, Texas, in the second round, will meet Hibah Shaikh of Teaneck, N.J. Shaikh beat Allura Zamarripa of Saint Helena 6-1, 6-4.
Fourth-seeded Allura and Maribella Zamarripa downed Makayla Mills of Wilmington, N.C., and Anna Ross of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., 6-4, 6-1 in the doubles quarterfinals.
In the girls 14 doubles final, No. 3 seeds Ann Guerry and Kate Sharabura, both of Atlanta, beat No. 6 Anushka Khune of Palo Alto and Tomi Main of Seaside 6-2, 7-5.
No. 4 seeds Zachery Lim of Fairfield and Alex Lin of Gold River edged No. 7 Hunter Heck of Saint Paul, Min., and Maxwell McKennon of Newport Beach 5-7, 6-3 [10-8] in the boys 16 quarterfinals.
Lim and Lin will take on No. 1 seeds Keshav Chopra of Marietta, Ga., and Coy Simon of Charleston, S.C.
Quan also won the boys 12 title in the USTA National Winter Championships at Tucson, Ariz., in January.
Meanwhile, Jenson Brooksby of Carmichael and 15th-seeded Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek advanced to the boys and girls 18 quarterfinals, respectively.
In the girls 16 quarterfinals, India Houghton of Belvedere Tiburon outlasted Kimberly Hance of Torrance 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Houghton, who ousted top-seeded Gianna Pielet of El Paso, Texas, in the second round, will meet Hibah Shaikh of Teaneck, N.J. Shaikh beat Allura Zamarripa of Saint Helena 6-1, 6-4.
Fourth-seeded Allura and Maribella Zamarripa downed Makayla Mills of Wilmington, N.C., and Anna Ross of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., 6-4, 6-1 in the doubles quarterfinals.
In the girls 14 doubles final, No. 3 seeds Ann Guerry and Kate Sharabura, both of Atlanta, beat No. 6 Anushka Khune of Palo Alto and Tomi Main of Seaside 6-2, 7-5.
No. 4 seeds Zachery Lim of Fairfield and Alex Lin of Gold River edged No. 7 Hunter Heck of Saint Paul, Min., and Maxwell McKennon of Newport Beach 5-7, 6-3 [10-8] in the boys 16 quarterfinals.
Lim and Lin will take on No. 1 seeds Keshav Chopra of Marietta, Ga., and Coy Simon of Charleston, S.C.
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Stephens, Ostapenko to meet for Miami title
Sloane Stephens and Jelena Ostapenko, both of whom shockingly won Grand Slam singles titles last year, will meet for the first time in the Miami Open women's final on Saturday.
The 13th-seeded Stephens, a 25-year-old Fort Lauderdale, Fla., resident who grew up in Fresno, defeated wild card and two-time champion Victoria Azarenka 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 today. Azarenka was playing in only her second tournament since Wimbledon last July because of a custody battle involving her 1-year-old son, Leo.
The sixth-seeded Ostapenko, a 20-year-old Latvian, beat qualifier Danielle Collins of St. Petersburg, Fla., 7-6 (1), 6-3. Ostapenko saved a set point against the two-time NCAA singles champion and 2016 University of Virginia graduate.
Ostapenko and Stephens won the French Open and U.S. Open, respectively, last year as unseeded players. Ostapenko captured her first tour-level title at Roland Garros three days after turning 20. At Flushing Meadows, Stephens was playing in only her fifth tournament after undergoing foot surgery.
ESPN2 will televise the Miami women's final on Saturday at 10 a.m. PDT.
Also Saturday, ex-Stanford All-Americans Bob and Mike Bryan will play in their third consecutive doubles final. The fourth seeds and four-time Miami champions beat unseeded Ben McLachlan, a former Cal star, and Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany 7-5, 6-4.
McLachlan, a New Zealand native who plays for his mother's native Japan, and Struff advanced to the Australian Open final in January in their first tournament together.
The Bryan twins, who will turn 40 on April 29, will meet Karen Khachanov, 21, and Andrey Rublev, 20. The unseeded Russians dismissed Steve Johnson of Redondo Beach in the Los Angeles region and Sam Querrey, a San Francisco native living in Las Vegas, 6-3, 6-1 in 44 minutes.
The Bryans, runners-up at Acapulco and Indian Wells this month, seek their first Masters 1000 championship since the 2016 Italian Open and their first title of any kind since Atlanta last July.
The 13th-seeded Stephens, a 25-year-old Fort Lauderdale, Fla., resident who grew up in Fresno, defeated wild card and two-time champion Victoria Azarenka 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 today. Azarenka was playing in only her second tournament since Wimbledon last July because of a custody battle involving her 1-year-old son, Leo.
The sixth-seeded Ostapenko, a 20-year-old Latvian, beat qualifier Danielle Collins of St. Petersburg, Fla., 7-6 (1), 6-3. Ostapenko saved a set point against the two-time NCAA singles champion and 2016 University of Virginia graduate.
Ostapenko and Stephens won the French Open and U.S. Open, respectively, last year as unseeded players. Ostapenko captured her first tour-level title at Roland Garros three days after turning 20. At Flushing Meadows, Stephens was playing in only her fifth tournament after undergoing foot surgery.
ESPN2 will televise the Miami women's final on Saturday at 10 a.m. PDT.
Also Saturday, ex-Stanford All-Americans Bob and Mike Bryan will play in their third consecutive doubles final. The fourth seeds and four-time Miami champions beat unseeded Ben McLachlan, a former Cal star, and Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany 7-5, 6-4.
McLachlan, a New Zealand native who plays for his mother's native Japan, and Struff advanced to the Australian Open final in January in their first tournament together.
The Bryan twins, who will turn 40 on April 29, will meet Karen Khachanov, 21, and Andrey Rublev, 20. The unseeded Russians dismissed Steve Johnson of Redondo Beach in the Los Angeles region and Sam Querrey, a San Francisco native living in Las Vegas, 6-3, 6-1 in 44 minutes.
The Bryans, runners-up at Acapulco and Indian Wells this month, seek their first Masters 1000 championship since the 2016 Italian Open and their first title of any kind since Atlanta last July.
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Stephens routs Kerber in Miami quarterfinals
Sloane Stephens dominated a two-time Grand Slam champion for the second straight day.
But this time, there was a catch.
The 13th-seeded Stephens, who grew up in Fresno, dispatched 10th-seeded Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-2 today in 61 minutes in the Miami Open quarterfinals.
Kerber, who won the Australian Open and U.S. Open champion and reached No. 1 in 2016, had less than 24 hours to recover from her two-hour, 51-minute victory over qualifier Wang Yafan of China.
"I was really feeling a little bit tired today," Kerber, who has reached the quarterfinals or better in all six of her tournaments this year, admitted on wtatennis.com. "I mean, of course it was windy, it was tricky, but I have played so many matches in the last three months that I was feeling it a little bit today in my body. ... I was always one step too far away from balls, and then I make the mistakes."
Meanwhile, the 12th-ranked Stephens reached her first semifinal since winning the U.S. Open last September for her first Grand Slam title. The 25-year-old resident of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will crack the top 10 for the first time on Monday.
"Finally. Oh my God," Stephens, who climbed to a career-high No. 11 in October 2013, said with a laugh. "I'm so tired of (tournament emcees) being like, "Career-high ranking, No. 11.' Like, finally I can move in there.
"It's awesome. Obviously something I have wanted to do for a while, and ... it's really not easy. Getting to No. 11 was hard, and so getting into the top 10 is pretty special. I'm super excited about that."
Only one month ago, Stephens trudged to Acapulco with eight consecutive losses since her stunning run to the U.S. Open title. She proceeded to reach the Acapulco quarters and then the third round at Indian Wells, losing to eventual runner-up Daria Kasatkina.
In the fourth round at Miami, Stephens beat third-seeded Garbine Muguruza 6-3, 6-4 in one hour, 28 minutes on Monday. Over the past 12 months, Stephens has gone 22-5 in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and 0-9 elsewhere.
Stephens will meet another two-time Grand Slam champion, wild card Victoria Azarenka, in Thursday's semifinals. Azarenka -- who won the Miami in 2009, 2011 and 2016 -- beat fifth-seeded Karolina Pliskova 7-5, 6-3.
Azarenka, formerly ranked No. 1, is playing in only her second tournament since Wimbledon last July because of a custody battle over her 1-year-old son, Leo.
The 6-foot (1.83-meter) Azarenka, who's five inches (12.7 centimeters) taller than Stephens, leads their head-to-head series 3-1. But Stephens won the last meeting 6-1, 7-5 in the second round at Indian Wells this month. Each of Azarenka's victories has come in straight sets in the Australian Open.
The other women's semifinal matchup will be determined Wednesday. No. 4 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine is scheduled to face No. 6 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia at 10 a.m. PDT, and No. 8 Venus Williams of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., will meet qualifier Danielle Collins of St. Petersburg, Fla., at 4 p.m. ESPN2 will televise both matches.
Williams won the Miami title in 1998, 1999 and 2001.
Men's Futures -- Four Europeans who starred at Northern California universities met in the doubles final of the $25,000 USTA Men 's Pro Tennis Championships of Calabasas in the Los Angeles area on Sunday.
Unseeded former Cal teammates Andre Goransson of Sweden and Florian Lakat of France topped second-seeded Bernardo Saraiva (University of San Francisco) of Portugal and Sem Verbeek (Pacific) of the Netherlands 6-2, 7-6 (3).
The singles final featured an all-Los Angeles area matchup. No. 7 seed J.C. Aragone of Yorba Linda beat No. 4 seed and 2014 champion Marcos Giron of Thousand Oaks 6-2, 6-4.
But this time, there was a catch.
The 13th-seeded Stephens, who grew up in Fresno, dispatched 10th-seeded Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-2 today in 61 minutes in the Miami Open quarterfinals.
Kerber, who won the Australian Open and U.S. Open champion and reached No. 1 in 2016, had less than 24 hours to recover from her two-hour, 51-minute victory over qualifier Wang Yafan of China.
"I was really feeling a little bit tired today," Kerber, who has reached the quarterfinals or better in all six of her tournaments this year, admitted on wtatennis.com. "I mean, of course it was windy, it was tricky, but I have played so many matches in the last three months that I was feeling it a little bit today in my body. ... I was always one step too far away from balls, and then I make the mistakes."
Meanwhile, the 12th-ranked Stephens reached her first semifinal since winning the U.S. Open last September for her first Grand Slam title. The 25-year-old resident of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will crack the top 10 for the first time on Monday.
"Finally. Oh my God," Stephens, who climbed to a career-high No. 11 in October 2013, said with a laugh. "I'm so tired of (tournament emcees) being like, "Career-high ranking, No. 11.' Like, finally I can move in there.
"It's awesome. Obviously something I have wanted to do for a while, and ... it's really not easy. Getting to No. 11 was hard, and so getting into the top 10 is pretty special. I'm super excited about that."
Only one month ago, Stephens trudged to Acapulco with eight consecutive losses since her stunning run to the U.S. Open title. She proceeded to reach the Acapulco quarters and then the third round at Indian Wells, losing to eventual runner-up Daria Kasatkina.
In the fourth round at Miami, Stephens beat third-seeded Garbine Muguruza 6-3, 6-4 in one hour, 28 minutes on Monday. Over the past 12 months, Stephens has gone 22-5 in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and 0-9 elsewhere.
Stephens will meet another two-time Grand Slam champion, wild card Victoria Azarenka, in Thursday's semifinals. Azarenka -- who won the Miami in 2009, 2011 and 2016 -- beat fifth-seeded Karolina Pliskova 7-5, 6-3.
Azarenka, formerly ranked No. 1, is playing in only her second tournament since Wimbledon last July because of a custody battle over her 1-year-old son, Leo.
The 6-foot (1.83-meter) Azarenka, who's five inches (12.7 centimeters) taller than Stephens, leads their head-to-head series 3-1. But Stephens won the last meeting 6-1, 7-5 in the second round at Indian Wells this month. Each of Azarenka's victories has come in straight sets in the Australian Open.
The other women's semifinal matchup will be determined Wednesday. No. 4 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine is scheduled to face No. 6 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia at 10 a.m. PDT, and No. 8 Venus Williams of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., will meet qualifier Danielle Collins of St. Petersburg, Fla., at 4 p.m. ESPN2 will televise both matches.
Williams won the Miami title in 1998, 1999 and 2001.
Men's Futures -- Four Europeans who starred at Northern California universities met in the doubles final of the $25,000 USTA Men 's Pro Tennis Championships of Calabasas in the Los Angeles area on Sunday.
Unseeded former Cal teammates Andre Goransson of Sweden and Florian Lakat of France topped second-seeded Bernardo Saraiva (University of San Francisco) of Portugal and Sem Verbeek (Pacific) of the Netherlands 6-2, 7-6 (3).
The singles final featured an all-Los Angeles area matchup. No. 7 seed J.C. Aragone of Yorba Linda beat No. 4 seed and 2014 champion Marcos Giron of Thousand Oaks 6-2, 6-4.
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Cal men upset Arizona State for BNP title
Two British freshmen lifted the third-seeded Cal men to a 4-3 victory over top-seeded Arizona State on Sunday in the final of the BNP Paribas Open Collegiate Tennis Challenge at Indian Wells.
With 39th-ranked Cal trailing 3-2, Ben Draper defeated William Kirkman 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 on Court 5. Then Jack Molloy beat Tim Ruehl of 26th-ranked Arizona State 6-4, 6-4 on Court 3.
The tournament coincided with the last three days of the BNP Paribas Open professional tournament at Indian Wells. Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina won the men's title, and 20-year-old Naomi Osaka of Japan took the women's crown.
Cal (8-4) improved to No. 30 in the updated rankings, and Arizona State (10-6) dropped to No. 34.
With 39th-ranked Cal trailing 3-2, Ben Draper defeated William Kirkman 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 on Court 5. Then Jack Molloy beat Tim Ruehl of 26th-ranked Arizona State 6-4, 6-4 on Court 3.
The tournament coincided with the last three days of the BNP Paribas Open professional tournament at Indian Wells. Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina won the men's title, and 20-year-old Naomi Osaka of Japan took the women's crown.
Cal (8-4) improved to No. 30 in the updated rankings, and Arizona State (10-6) dropped to No. 34.
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