Altamirano loses in final of Boys 18 Nationals

Collin Altamirano fell short in his bid for a second straight
title in the USTA Boys 18 National Championships.
2013 photo by Paul Bauman

   Fifth seed and defending champion Collin Altamirano of Sacramento lost to third-seeded Noah Rubin of Rockville Centre, N.Y., 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 today in the final of the USTA Boys 18 National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich.
   Rubin, who won the Wimbledon boys singles title last month, earned a wild card into the men's main draw of the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. The year's last Grand Slam tournament begins Aug. 25.
   Both Rubin and Altamirano are 18.
   Altamirano last year became the first unseeded player in the history of the USTA Boys 18 National Championships, which began in 1943, to win the title. He then lost in the first round of the U.S. Open to 22nd-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-1, 6-3, 6-1.

Bellis, 15, to play in women's main draw at U.S. Open

CiCi Bellis, 15, of Atherton became the youngest winner of the
USTA Girls 18 National Championships since Lindsay Daven-
port, also 15, in 1991. Photo courtesy of JFS Communications

   CiCi Bellis is going to the U.S. Open.
   Not as a spectator, and not as only a junior.
   Bellis, 15, earned a wild card in the women's main draw at Flushing Meadows by winning the USTA Girls 18 National Championships in San Diego.
   The second-seeded Bellis, from Atherton in the San Francisco Bay Area, drubbed fifth-seeded Tornado Alicia Black, 16, of Boca Raton, Fla., 6-3, 6-1 on Saturday.
   Bellis won 12 of the last 13 games after trailing 3-0 in the first set. She became the youngest winner of the tournament since Lindsay Davenport, also 15, in 1991.
   Bellis and Black are ranked second and fourth, respectively, in girls singles in the world. Black had  routed Bellis on clay in both of their previous meetings, but the San Diego tournament is played on hardcourts.
   Bellis' eyes filled with tears after Saturday's match as she looked ahead to the U.S. Open, which begins on Aug. 25.
   "I was so emotional at the end of the match," Bellis told reporters. "It feels amazing. I've been dreaming about playing there since I was 7 years old. The fact that I'm going to be playing there n a week and a half is amazing. I'm so excited."
   (Here's a link to a profile of Bellis that I wrote two years ago: http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2012/06/little-bellis-gets-big-results.html)
  Meanwhile, Collin Altamirano of Sacramento will try to win the boys 18 title in Kalamazoo, Mich., for the second straight year today and earn another wild card in the men's main draw at the U.S. Open.
   Altamirano, seeded fifth, topped fourth-seeded Stefan Kozlov, 16, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals. Kozlov, the second-ranked junior in the world, reached the boys singles final at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year. 
   Altamirano will play third-seeded Noah Rubin of Rockville Centre, N.Y., in a matchup of 18-year-olds for the title. Rubin, who won the Wimbledon boys singles title last month, outlasted seventh-seeded Michael Mmoh of Temple Hills, Md., 7-6 (1), 2-6, 7-5.

USTA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

(Results of Northern Californians only)

Boys 18

In Kalamazoo, Mich.

Singles semifinals

   Collin Altamirano (5), Sacramento, def. Stefan Kozlov (4), Pembroke Pines, Fla., 6-4, 6-2.

Doubles semifinals

   Collin Altamirano, Sacramento, and Deiton Baughman (1), Carson, def. Tommy Paul, Coconut Creek, Fla., and Henrik Wiersholm (3), Kirkland, Wash., 7-6 (3), 6-2. 

Doubles final

   Stefan Kozlov, Pembroke Pines, Fla., and Noah Rubin (2), Rockville Centre, N.Y., def. Collin Altamirano, Sacramento, and Deiton Baughman (1), Carson, 6-2, 6-2.

Girls 18

In San Diego

Singles final

   Catherine (CiCi) Bellis (2), Atherton, def. Tornado Alicia Black (5), Boca Raton, Fla., 6-3, 6-1.

Kukushkin eyes history vs. Baghdatis in Aptos final

   If Mikhail Kukushkin is going to make history today in Aptos, he'll have to beat a formidable opponent.
   Kukushkin will try to become the first No. 1 seed in the 27-year history of the $100,000 Comerica Bank Challenger to win the singles title.
   Standing in his way is No. 2 seed Marcos Baghdatis, the runner-up to Roger Federer in the 2006 Australian Open. Baghdatis ascended to a career-high No. 8 in the world later that year and was the only player to beat Federer and Rafael Nadal while they were No. 1 in 2010.
    Kukushkin, 26, of Kazakhstan and Baghdatis, a 29-year-old Cypriot, reached the final with straight-set victories on Saturday at the Seascape Sports Club.
   Kukushkin dismissed unseeded Rhyne Williams of Boca Raton, Fla., 6-2, 6-2, and Baghdatis eliminated fourth-seeded Go Soeda of Japan 6-4, 6-2.
   It was the ninth consecutive victory for Baghdatis, who won last week's $100,000 Vancouver Challenger. He will face Kukushkin for the first time.
   Kukushkin, though ranked 55th to Baghdatis' 106th, is the far less accomplished player. His best Grand Slam result is a fourth-round appearance in the 2012 Australian Open, and his career-high ranking, which he reached last month, is No. 48.
   Both players are rebounding from injuries. Kukushkin underwent surgery on both hips in late 2012. Baghdatis, a right-hander, was sidelined for six weeks with a right shoulder injury last season and retired from a match in June because of the shoulder. He said this week that it's still not 100 percent.

$100,000 COMERICA BANK CHALLENGER

At Seascape Sports Club in Aptos

Singles semifinals

   Mikhail Kukushkin (1), Kazakhstan, def. Rhyne Williams, United States, 6-2, 6-2.
   Marcos Baghdatis (2), Cyprus, def. Go Soeda (4), Japan, 6-4, 6-2.

Doubles semifinals

   Purav Raja and Sanam Singh (4), India, def. Austin Krajicek, United States, and John-Patrick Smith (1), Australia, 5-7, 7-5 [11-9].
   Ruben Bemelmans, Belgium, and Laurynas Grigelis, Lithuania, def. Marcus Daniell and Artem Sitak (3), New Zealand, 7-6 (5), 6-3.

Today's schedule

Center Court

(Starting at 1 p.m.)

   Purav Raja and Sanam Singh (4), India, vs. Ruben Bemelmans, Belgium, and Laurynas Grigelis, Lithuania.
   Mikhail Kukushkin (1), Kazakhstan, vs. Marcos Baghdatis (2), Cyprus.

Volynets wins girls 12 nationals; Bellis gains 18s final

   Top-seeded Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek won the USTA Girls 12 National Championships, dominating sixth-seeded Sedona Gallagher of Henderson, Nev., 6-0, 6-3 on Friday in Alpharetta, Ga.
   Volynets never lost more than three games in a set in her seven matches.
   In the USTA Girls 18 National Championships in San Diego, Catherine (CiCi) Bellis of Atherton advanced to the final with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 victory over 15th-seeded Sofia Kenin of Pembroke Pines in a matchup of 15-year-olds.
   Bellis will face fifth-seeded Tornado Alicia Black of Boca Raton, Fla., today. Black, 16, ousted top-seeded Louisa Chirico of Harrison, N.Y., 6-0, 4-6, 6-4. Chirico, a quarterfinalist in last month's $50,000 Sacramento Challenger, is the 219th-ranked woman in the world.
   Bellis and Black are the second- and fourth-ranked juniors in the world, respectively. But Black leads the head-to-head series 2-0, overwhelming Bellis twice on clay last year. The San Diego tournament is played on hardcourts.
   In the boys 18s in Kalamazoo, Mich., fifth-seeded Collin Altamirano, 18, of Sacramento and top-seeded Jared Donaldson, 17, of Glocester, R.I., renewed their rivalry in the quarterfinals. However, Donaldson retired with an abdominal injury while leading 4-2.
   Altamirano beat Donaldson 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 in last year's best-of-five-set final to become the first unseeded player in the tournament's 71-year history to win the title.
   But Donaldson routed Altamirano 6-2, 6-1 in the quarterfinals of the $15,000 Oklahoma City Futures in June en route to the title.
   Donaldson is the 309th-ranked man in the world, and Altamirano is No. 846.
   Altamirano will play fourth-seeded Stefan Kozlov, 16, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., for the first time today. Kozlov, the second-ranked junior in the world, reached the boys singles final at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year.
   The boys and girls champions in singles and doubles in the USTA National Championships will receive wild cards into the men's or women's main draws of the upcoming U.S. Open.
   Meanwhile, sixth-seeded Sam Riffice of Roseville lost a heartbreaker to top-seeded John McNally of Cincinnati 0-6, 6-2, 7-6 (5) in the boys 16 quarterfinals in Kalamazoo. Riffice led 4-0 in the third set in the battle of 15-year-olds.

USTA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

(Results of Northern Californians only)

Boys 18

In Kalamazoo, Mich.

Singles quarterfinals

   Collin Altamirano (5), Sacramento, def. Jared Donaldson (1), Glocester, R.I., 2-4, retired.

Doubles quarterfinals

   Collin Altamirano, Sacramento, and Deiton Baughman (1), Carson, def. Daniel Kerznerman, Brooklyn, N.Y., and Nathan Ponwith (6), Scottsdale, Ariz., 3-6, 6-3 [10-6].

   Michael Mmoh, Temple Hills, Md., and Francis Tiafoe (4), College Park, Md., def. William Griffith, Fresno, and JT Nishimura (5), San Jose, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5).

Girls 18

In San Diego

Singles semifinals

   Catherine Bellis (2), Atherton, def. Sofia Kenin (15), Pembroke Pines, Fla., 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.

Boys 16 

In Kalamazoo, Mich.

Singles quarterfinals

   John McNally (1), Cincinnati, def. Sam Riffice (6), Roseville, 0-6, 6-2, 7-6 (5).

Girls 12

In Alpharetta, Ga.

Singles final

   Katie Volynets (1), Walnut Creek, def. Sedona Gallagher (6), Henderson, Nev., 6-0, 6-3.

Baghdatis handles Belgian in rematch

   There was little drama this time.
   Second-seeded Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus outclassed unseeded Ruben Bemelmans of Belgium 6-3, 6-4 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the $100,000 Comerica Bank Challenger in Aptos.
   It was the eighth straight victory for Baghdatis, the 2006 Australian Open runner-up to Roger Federer. Baghdatis edged Bemelmans 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) last week in the semifinals of the $100,000 Vancouver Challenger en route to the title.
   Baghdatis will face fourth-seeded Go Soeda of Japan in a matchup of 29-year-old, 5-foot-10 (1.78-meter) veterans.
   Soeda, the Aptos runner-up in 2006, dispatched eighth-seeded Marton Fucsovics, the 2010 Wimbledon boys champion from Hungary, 6-2, 6-3.
   Baghdatis, ranked No. 106 after reaching a career-high No. 8 in 2006, is 2-0 against Soeda, ranked No. 117. In their last meeting, Baghdatis won 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 in the first round of last year's U.S. Open.
   In the other semifinal, top-seeded Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan will play unseeded Rhyne Williams of Boca Raton, Fla., for the first time.
   Kukushkin, ranked No. 55, topped fifth-seeded Somdev Devvarman of India 7-5, 4-6, 6-2. Devvarman, an Aptos semifinalist in 2009 and 2010, had needed 3 hours, 2 minutes to subdue Ze Zhang of China on Thursday.
   Williams, ranked No. 245, took out Juan Ignacio Londero of Argentina 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. 

$100,000 COMERICA BANK CHALLENGER

At Seascape Sports Club in Aptos

Singles quarterfinals

   Go Soeda (4), Japan, def. Marton Fucsovics (8), Hungary, 6-2, 6-3.
   Rhyne Williams, United States, def. Juan Ignacio Londero, Argentina, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
   Mikhail Kukushkin (1), Kazakhstan, def. Somdev Devvarman (5), India, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.
   Marcos Baghdatis (2), Cyprus, def. Ruben Bemelmans, Belgium, 6-3, 6-4.

Doubles quarterfinals

   Purav Raja and Sanam Singh (4), India, def. Andrea Collarini, Argentina, and Cesar Ramirez, Mexico, 7-6 (4), 6-2.

Today's schedule

Center Court

(Starting at 11 a.m.)

   Austin Krajicek, United States, and John-Patrick Smith (1), Australia, vs. Purav Raja and Sanam Singh (4), India.
   Mikhail Kukushkin (1), Kazakhstan, vs. Rhyne Williams, United States.
   Marcos Baghdatis (2), Cyprus, vs. Go Soeda (4), Japan.
   Marcus Daniell and Artem Sitak (3), New Zealand, vs. Ruben Bemelmans, Belgium, and Laurynas Grigelis, Lithuania.

Belgian to face Baghdatis again in Aptos Challenger

   It didn't take long for Ruben Bemelmans to get a shot at revenge against Marcos Baghdatis.
   Six days, in fact.
   Bemelmans, a 26-year-old left-hander from Belgium, upset sixth-seeded Ante Pavic of Croatia 6-2, 7-6 (2) on Thursday in the second round of the $100,000 Comerica Bank Challenger in Aptos.
   Baghdatis, seeded second, advanced with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Andrea Collarini of Argentina.
   Bemelmans and Baghdatis, 29, of Cyprus will meet in this evening's featured match not before 5:45 at the Seascape Sports Club.
   Baghdatis, the runner-up to Roger Federer in the 2006 Australian Open, edged Bemelmans 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) last Saturday in the semifinals of the $100,000 Vancouver Challenger en route to the title.
   Also Thursday, fifth-seeded Somdev Devvarman of India outlasted Ze Zhang of China 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), 7-5 in 3 hours, 2 minutes.
   Devvarman, an Aptos semifinalist in 2009 and 2010, will face top-seeded Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan today not before 2:30 p.m.

$100,000 COMERICA BANK CHALLENGER

At Seascape Sports Club in Aptos

Second-round singles 

   Mikhail Kukushkin (1), Kazakhstan, def. James Ward, 6-3, 6-4.
   Somdev Devvarman (5), India, def. Ze Zhang, China, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), 7-5.
   Ruben Bemelmans, Belgium, def. Ante Pavic (6), Croatia, 6-2, 7-6 (2).
   Marcos Baghdatis (2), Cyprus, def. Andrea Collarini, Argentina, 6-1, 6-1.

Doubles quarterfinals

   Austin Krajicek, United States, and John-Patrick Smith (1), Australia, def. Alex Bogomolov Jr., Russia, and James Cerretani, United States, 5-7, 6-3 [10-8].
   Marcus Daniell and Artem Sitak (3), New Zealand, def. Gonzalo Lama, Chile, and Juan Ignacio Londero, Argentina, 6-2, 6-4.
   Ruben Bemelmans, Belgium, and Laurynas Grigelis, Lithuania, def. Kevin King, United States, and Divij Sharan (2), India, 7-5, 6-3.

Today's schedule

Center Court

(Starting at 11 a.m.)

   Go Soeda (4), Japan, vs. Marton Fucsovics (8), Hungary.
   Juan Ignacio Londero, Argentina, vs. Rhyne Williams, United States.

(Not before 2:30 p.m.)

   Mikhail Kukushkin (1), Kazakhstan, vs. Somdev Devvarman (5), India.
   Purav Raja and Sanam Singh (4), India, vs. Andrea Collarini, Argentina, and Cesar Ramirez, Mexico.

(Not before 5:45 p.m.)

   Marcos Baghdatis (2), Cyprus, vs. Ruben Bemelmans, Belgium.

Altamirano to face rival in USTA boys 18 quarters

Collin Altamirano of Sacramento will face
Jared Donaldson in a rematch of last year's
USTA Boys 18 National Championships final.
File photo by Paul Bauman

   Collin Altamirano will renew his rivalry with Jared Donaldson today in the USTA Boys 18 National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich.
   The fifth-seeded Altamirano, 18, of Sacramento, and the top-seeded Donaldson, 17, from Glocester, R.I., reached the quarterfinals with straight-set victories on Thursday.
   Altamirano clobbered 31st-seeded Yancy Dennis of Reisterstown, Md., 6-2, 6-0, and Donaldson outplayed 11th-seeded Logan Smith of Carlsbad in the San Diego area 6-4, 6-2.
   Altamirano beat Donaldson 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 in last year's best-of-five-set final to become the first unseeded player in the tournament's 71-year history to win the title.
   But Donaldson routed Altamirano 6-2, 6-1 in the quarterfinals of the $15,000 Oklahoma City Futures in June en route to the title.
   Donaldson is ranked No. 309 in the world among men, and Altamirano is No. 846.
   In the girls 18 quarterfinals in San Diego, second-seeded Catherine "CiCi" Bellis of Atherton advanced, but No. 17 Michaela Gordon of Saratoga lost. Both are 15.
   Bellis, the second-ranked junior in the world, trounced 14th-seeded Ena Shibahara of Rancho Palos Verdes 6-2, 6-1. Gordon fell to top-seeded Louisa Chirico, a Harrison, N.Y., resident ranked No. 219 in the world among women, 6-1, 6-4.
   Meanwhile, top-seeded Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek reached the girls 12 final in Alpharetta, Ga., with a 6-0, 6-2 win over 13th-seeded Charlotte Owensby of Boca Raton, Fla.
   Volynets will face sixth-seeded Sedona Gallagher of Henderson, Nev., in the final.

USTA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

(Results of Northern Californians only)

Boys 18

In Kalamazoo, Mich.

Singles round of 16

   Collin Altamirano (5), Sacramento, def. Yancy Dennis (31), Reisterstown, Md., 6-2, 6-0.

Doubles round of 16

   Collin Altamirano, Sacramento, and Deiton Baughman (1), Carson, def. Walker Duncan and Emil Reinberg (13), Atlanta, 6-0, 6-4.

   William Griffith, Fresno, and JT Nishimura (5), San Jose, def. Michael Genender, Los Angeles, and Vincent Lin, Schaumburg, Ill., 7-6 (1), 4-6 [10-6].

Girls 18

In San Diego

Singles quarterfinals

   Louisa Chirico (1), Harrison, N.Y., def. Michaela Gordon (17), Saratoga, 6-1, 6-4.

   Catherine Bellis (2), Atherton, def. Ena Shibahara (14), Rancho Palos Verdes, 6-2, 6-1.

Boys 16

In Kalamazoo, Mich.

Singles round of 16

   Sam Riffice (6), Roseville, def. Evan Zhu, Greenbelt, Md., 6-3, 6-2.

   Victor Pham, Saratoga, def. Patrick Kypson (3), Greenville, N.C., 6-1, 6-3.

   Alexander Keyser (14), Danville, def. Anudeen Kodali (32), Durham, N.C., 6-4, 2-6, 6-1.

Singles quarterfinals

   Connor Hance (9), Torrance, def. Victor Pham, Saratoga, 6-1, 6-3.

   Oliver Crawford, Spartanburg, S.C., def. Alexander Keyser (14), Danville, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.  

Doubles round of 16

   Robert Loeb, Hilton Head, S.C., and Alex Phillips (3), Peachtree City, Ga., def. Alexander Keyser, Danville, and Srevas Kolachalam, Campbell, 6-4, 6-2.

Girls 12

In Alpharetta, Ga.

Singles semifinals

   Katie Volynets (1), Walnut Creek, def. Charlotte Owensby (13), Boca Raton, Fla., 6-0, 6-2.