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Archive for the ‘USTA Nationals’ Category

2012 USTA Senior Women National Hard Court Championships

Saturday, May 19th, 2012

Hey Tennis Friends!

Earlier this week, I stopped by the USTA Senior Women National Hard Court Championships at the LaJolla Beach & Tennis Club in LaJolla, California. They had singles and doubles age divisions for the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and even the 90s! As usual, there was so much going on that I couldn’t have possibly included everything that was happening in this video report. This is why I always encourage you to get out to these events, to choose for yourself the matches that you want to watch!

CORRECTION:
I misspoke when recapping Tina Karwasky’s week. She had a bye in the first round, and bested her opponents without dropping a game in the next two rounds. In the interview, I indicated that she had only played one round.

The results for the matches that I featured in this video report are:

WOMEN’S 60s SINGLES SEMIFINALS (with seedings)
(1)Tina Karwasky d. (4)Molly Hahn 6-0, 6-1

(2)Mary Ginnard d. (3)Martha Downing 3-6, 6-4, 6-3

Ginnard’s doubles partner was also her opponent for the singles final: Tina Karwasky!
The 59-year-old Karwasky, who will turn 60 later this year, played on the women’s professional tennis tour in the 1980s. Playing at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club is a special experience for Karwasky. “This is one of the most beautiful spots in all of the United States,” she said. “I’ve been coming here ever since I was a little kid when my mother used to play senior tournaments and she used to leave me at the beach to build sand castles.”

WOMEN’S 60s SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP
(1)Tina Karwasky d. (2)Mary Ginnard 6-2, 6-2

WOMEN’S 70s DOUBLES SEMIFINAL
(4) Sally Huss / Sheila Palmer d.
(2) Uta Hegberg / Diane Willauer 7-5, 5-2 Retirement (injury)

The 72 year old Huss, then Sally Moore, became the number one player in Southern California at age 13 in her division; the number one player in the United States at age 15 and the number one junior player in the world at the age 18. Then at 19, she was a semi-finalist in the women’s division at Wimbledon in 1959!

WOMEN’S 70s DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP
(1) Charleen Hillebrand / Suella Steel d.
(4) Sally Huss / Sheila Palmer 6-3, 6-4

For more information about the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, follow this link:
La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club

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I’ll see you next time, with more tennis, . . . outside the lines!

- Marcus Tennis

Tags: Charleen Hillebrand, Diane Willauer, La Jolla, La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, Martha Downing, Mary Ginnard, Molly Hahn, Sally Huss, Sally Moore, Sheila Palmer, Southern California, Suella Steel, Tennis, Tina Karwasky, USTA, USTA Nationals, USTA.com, Uta Hegberg
Posted in Club & Park Profiles, Local Tennis Events, USTA Nationals | No Comments »

2012 Easter Bowl Ntl Spring Champs

Saturday, April 21st, 2012

Hey Tennis Friends!

Last weekend, I had the privilege, for the third year in a row, to emcee the
45th Annual USTA Junior National Spring Championships: The 2012 Easter Bowl.

I showed up the day before the weekend finals began, in order to bring you even MORE coverage from this great event:

Here are the scores for the matches that I featured:

BOY’S 18 SINGLES QUARTERFINAL
Alexios Halebian d. Stefan Kozlov 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-2
The 14-year-old Kozlov has played well the last couple weeks, reaching the boys’ 18s finals at the International Spring Championships in Carson. He couldn’t quite get over the hump against the 17-year-old Halebian, an experienced veteran on the junior tennis tour.

Halebian, who won the final two points in the second-set tiebreak to keep the match going, was impressed by the play of Kozlov and says he has a great career ahead of him.

“He moves on the court very well and has great hands and is pretty solid from both sides,” Halebian said. “His serve is not his best shot but he does a good job of spreading it around and he returns very well.”

Halebian was relieved to get through the match but says he has to do a better job of taking control to have a shot at winning the title.

“It’s extremely important that I stay aggressive and not lay off my forehand,” Halebain said. “I have to keep going after shots, serving well and dictating my forehand and backhand.”

BOY’S 18 SINGLES QUARTERFINAL
Thai Kwiatkowski v. Ronnie Schneider 3-6, 6-2, 5-5
suspended with Kwiatkowski serving at 15-40
What an amazing show of heart, and effort this match is. At 5-3, 40-30, Kwiatkowski was serving on match point in the third set, but he couldn’t convert, opening the door for his opponent. Schneider was originally down 1-4 in the third, and battled back to not only make it even, but to have two break points before the rain delay suspended play!

It’s fun to come to these events to see the the new faces of the future of United States tennis. Plus, it’s at the price we like here at GroundsPass.net: Absolutely FREE!

Additional information in this report was provided by the Easter Bowl PR Press Aide, Steve Pratt.

Be sure to share GroundsPass.net with your other Tennis Friends using the social networking buttons, below.

Subscribe for FREE to this site, my Twitter feed, and/or friend me on FaceBook.

I’ll see you next time, with more tennis, . . . outside the lines!

- Marcus Tennis

Tags: 2012, Alexios Halebian, Coachella Valley, Easter Bowl, Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa, Rancho Mirage, Ronnie Schneider, Southern California, Stefan Kozlov, Steve Pratt, Tennis, Thai Kwiatkowski, USTA Juniors
Posted in ITF Juniors, USTA Juniors, USTA Nationals | No Comments »

2011 USTA 40 Hard Court Nationals

Saturday, December 10th, 2011

Hey Tennis Friends!

Last weekend, I was invited to yet another local tennis event that had so much going on, that I couldn’t have possibly included everything that was happening in this video report. This is why I always encourage you to get out to these events, to choose for yourself the matches that you want to watch!

This tournament also featured the National 40 Mixed, Father/Son, and Grandfather/Grandson tournaments.

There was way too much to try to fit into this report. However, I did get to sit courtside, right on the court, on Court 2, and watch a very exciting match featuring Rowe/Rowe versus Ginepri/Ginepri! That’s right, current ATP Tour player Robbie Ginepri entered the tournament with his dad, Robert, and put on an amazing show for the appreciative crowd.

The results for the matches that I featured in the video report are:

WOMEN’S 40 SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP
Jennifer Dawson d. Dina McBride 3-3, retired

Dina McBride was unseeded, and Jennifer Dawson was the #2 seed.

MEN’S 40 SINGLES SEMIFINAL
Oren Motevassel d. Jeff Greenwald 3-6, 6-3, 6-1

Jeff Greenwald, seeded #3, had reached an ATP Tour career high of 796 in 1990.
Oren Motevassel, seeded #2, had reach an ATP Tour career high of 161 in 1997.

WOMEN’S 40 DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP
Alissa Finerman / Erika Smith
d. Gretchen Magers / Ros Nideffer 6-4, 6-3

Here is a press report from the Sunday finals:

In a singles final featuring two former touring professionals, second-seeded Oren Motevassel of Sunnyvale, Calif., defeated defending champion and top-seed Jeff Tarango of Manhattan Beach, Calif., 6-4, 6-3, to win the USTA National 40 Hard Court Championships men’s singles title.

It was a year ago when these same two left-handed players met in the tournament final as Tarango dropped the first set of the 2010 title match before coming back to win the next two sets and capture the championship.

In this year’s final, which was played on Court No. 1, Tarango and Motevassel each fought off break points early in the first set, but with the scored tied at 3-3, Tarango hit two straight double faults to lose serve and give Motevassel a 4-3 lead.

Two games later, Motevassel served for the set and at 40-15 Tarango smacked a crosscourt forehand long to give Motevassel the first set in 59 minutes.

Despite losing his serve to open the second set, Tarango came back to take a 2-1 lead but Motevassel, playing solid, steady tennis from the baseline broke Tarango twice and won four straight games to take a 5-2 lead.

Tarango got one of the breaks back when Motevassel’s crosscourt forehand passing shot landed wide to make the score 5-3. As Tarango served to stay in the match and get back on serve, he fell behind 15-40 and faced two match points.

On the first match point, Tarango approached the net, but Motevassel responded with a near perfect lob which Tarango pushed wide with a high backhand to end the match in one-hour and 45 minutes.

After being awarded a USTA gold ball for winning the national championship, Motevassel spoke about the difference between losing last year’s three-set final and winning the title this year.

“After last year I was kind of upset. I had the match. I was up a set and I was up a break. I just lost a little focus.
I was playing too defensive from the back and allowed him (Tarango) to dictate. I played too tentative last year,” he said.

“I was focused today. I had a good game plan and it worked fine,” Motevassel said. “I took the ball a little earlier. I put him on the defense more. Getting the ball more on the rise helped me a lot today.”

Motevassel plans to return to the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club to defend his title next year. “I plan to come back. I like coming here. It’s a nice place and a good venue. It’s fun to play here,” he said.

Top-seeded Brett and Brian Joelson of Beaverton, Ore., the eight-time defending Father and Son National Hard Court champions saw their eight-year winning streak come to an end as they dropped a thrilling 6-7 (9), 7-6 (5), 7-5 decision in the semifinals to fourth-seeded Peter and Tanner Smith of Los Alamitos, Calif. before a large crowd on Court No. 2.

Peter Smith, the head coach of the University of Southern California men’s tennis team, and his 16-year-old son Tanner, fell in the Father and Son final to third-seeded Travis Rettenmaier of Las Vegas, Nev. and Tom Rettenmaier of Fountain Valley, Calif., 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

MEN’S SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP
Oren Motevassel d. Jeffrey Tarango 6-4, 6-3

FATHER/SON DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP
Travis Rettenmaier / Tom Rettenmaier
d. Peter Smith / Tanner Smith 6-4, 3-6, 6-4

For more information about the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, follow this link:
La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club

Be sure to share GroundsPass.net with your other Tennis Friends using the social networking buttons, below.

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I’ll see you next time, with more tennis, . . . outside the lines!

- Marcus Tennis

Tags: 2011, Alissa Finerman, Bill Kellogg, Dina McBride, Erika Smith, Gretchen Magers, Jeff Greenwald, Jennifer Dawson, La Jolla, La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, Oren Motevassel, Robbie Ginepri, Robert Ginepri, Ros Nideffer, Southern California, Tennis, USTA, USTA Open
Posted in Club & Park Profiles, Local Tennis Events, USTA Nationals | 4 Comments »

2011 Easter Bowl Ntl Spring Champs II

Saturday, April 30th, 2011

Hey Tennis Friends!

A couple of weekends ago, I had the privilege to, once again, emcee the
USTA Junior National Spring Championships: The 2011 Easter Bowl!

In addition to my duties, I was able to gather content for GroundsPass.net for the second, and final, day of this year’s championships:

It’s always entertaining to see some of the American juniors that just might be making their last stop at this level, before moving on up to the pros.

Here are the scores for the matches that I featured:

GIRL’S 16 SINGLES
Caroline Doyle d. Kimberly Yee 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
Later in the day, Doyle also won the doubles with partner Katrine Steffensen.

“It’s starting to sink in,” said Doyle. “It feels good.”

The unseeded Doyle, playing in just her second USTA National event, credited her move to Boca Raton and the work of her coach Kathy Rinaldi at the USTA Training Center Headquarters. Rinaldi was on hand to witness both titles Sunday.

“I definitely had it in my mind before the tournament that I could win but you never really expect it to happen,” she said.

BOY’S 18 SINGLES
Marcos Giron d. Mac Styslinger 6-1, 7-5
UCLA-bound Marcos Giron, who comes from the same Southern California city as one of America’s top pros, Sam Querrey, won his 18th consecutive match to capture the ITF boys’ 18s title.

Coincidentally, Thousand Oaks’ Giron became the first boy since Querrey to win both the Carson International Spring Championships and Easter Bowl titles, a feat accomplished by Querrey in 2005.

“That would be unbelievable to have the same career as Sam,” Giron said. “To be No. 20 in the world wouldn’t be so bad. Let’s see how this summer goes and then at UCLA. But I’m ready to start playing some Challengers right now. I couldn’t be more confident.”

Giron admitted fitness was a key ingredient to his success on Sunday.
“It really pays off in the end,” he said. “When your coach is yelling at you to go harder, go harder; this is when it pays off.”

He added: “I’m just so happy to go back-to-back: Carson and Easter Bowl. They’re such great tournaments with so many good players.”

BOY’S 16 SINGLES
Gage Brymer d. Ronnie Schneider 6-1, 3-6, 6-2
After losing the first game of the match, Brymer reeled off six straight games to win the set.

“It’s great to win the Easter Bowl because of all the greats who have come through here,” said Brymer, who is coached by his father Chuck at the Woodbridge Tennis Club.

BOY’S 18 DOUBLES
Mitchell Krueger / Shane Vinsant
d. Emmett Egger / Mac Styslinger 6-2, 7-5

Once again, one of the finalists had to come back onto center court, after adequate rest, and play another final in the 100º heat!

It’s fun to come to these events to see the the new faces of the future of American tennis. Plus, it’s at the price we like here at GroundsPass.net: Absolutely FREE!

Additional information in this report was provided by the Easter Bowl PR Press Aide, Steve Pratt.

I’ll see you next time, with more tennis, . . . outside the lines!

- Marcus Tennis

Tags: 2011, Caroline Doyle, Coachella Valley, Easter Bowl, Emmet Egger, Gage Brymer, Kathy Rinaldi, Katrine Steffensen, Kimberly Yee, Kimmie Yee, Mac Styslinger, Marcos Giron, Mitchell Krueger, Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa, Rancho Mirage, Ronnie Schneider, Shane Vinsant, Southern California, Steve Pratt, Tennis, USTA Juniors
Posted in ITF Juniors, USTA Juniors, USTA Nationals | 1 Comment »

2011 Easter Bowl Ntl Spring Champs

Saturday, April 23rd, 2011

Hey Tennis Friends!

This past weekend I had the privilege to, once again, emcee the
USTA Junior National Spring Championships: The 2011 Easter Bowl!

In addition to my duties, I was able to gather content for GroundsPass.net and present this report:

CORRECTION: In the video, I misspelled Maria Shishkina’s name on the name info graphics by leaving out the first “h”.

It’s always entertaining to see some of the American juniors that just might be making their last stop at this level, before moving on up to the pros.

Here are the scores for the matches that I featured:

BOY’S 14 SINGLES
Ernesto Escobedo d. Henrik Wiersholm 6-4, 6-1
The game of the match came at 3-1 Escobedo. “Once I won that game I knew it would be over soon,” he said.

What does winning the Easter Bowl mean to him? “I think it will help me get more sponsors,” he said, adding, “This is a big win for me!”

Said Wiersholm, obviously distraught after the match: “That was very tough to lose (that game at 3-1). I had my chances too. There was a game I was up 40-love, but I wasn’t able to break his serve.

GIRL’S 18 SINGLES
Kyle McPhillips d. Gabrielle Andrews 6-4, 6-4
McPhillips, who won the girls’ 16s titles last year in both singles and doubles, was up 5-4 in the second set and faced seven match points on her serve before pulling out the victory in 100-plus heat.

“I got a little lucky in that last game it was pretty intense and nerve-racking, McPhillips said. “She did a good job of hitting winners down the line but I did a good job of staying calm. Overall, I thought I served well and kept the ball in play and my focus was there the entire match unlike in the past.”

Andrews, who won the girls’ 14s Easter Bowl title last year, was disappointed in the result but spoke highly of McPhillips’ play. “From the warm up I could tell she was confident and she didn’t make a lot of unforced errors and was very consistent,” Andrews said. “She was just too good today.”

The tournament was a success for Andrews, who moved up to the 18s at just 14 years of age after finishing 2010 as the No. 1 18s player in the USTA rankings.

GIRL’S 14 SINGLES
Maria Shishkina d. Katerina Stewart 6-1, 6-4

12-year-old Shishkina, the No. 5 seed from Bradenton, Florida, was excited to reach the finals after falling in the quarterfinals last year.

“I wanted to win so badly after losing last year,” said Shishkina, who had lost to Stewart 7-6 (6) in the third in the semifinals of the 14s National Open in Florida. “I liked the way I played today. I served much better and was very consistent with my strokes.”

GIRL’S 18 DOUBLES
Gabrielle Andrews / Taylor Townsend
d. Kyle McPhillips / Chanelle Van Nguyen 2-6, 6-2 [11-9]

At last year’s Easter Bowl, Gabby and Taylor won the championship in the girl’s 14 doubles.

It’s fun to come to these events to see the the new faces of the future of American tennis. Plus, it’s at the price we like here at GroundsPass.net: Absolutely FREE!

Additional information in this report was provided by the Easter Bowl PR Press Aides, Britten Gerrard and Steve Pratt.

I’ll see you next time, with more tennis, . . . outside the lines!

- Marcus Tennis

Tags: 2011, Britten Gerrard, Chanelle Van Nguyen, Coachella Valley, Easter Bowl, Ernesto Escobedo, Gabby Andrews, Gabrielle Andrews, Henrik Wiersholm, Katerina Stewart, Kevin Connolly, Kyle McPhillips, Maria Shishkina, Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa, Rancho Mirage, Southern California, Steve Pratt, Taylor Townsend, Tennis, USTA Juniors
Posted in ITF Juniors, USTA Juniors, USTA Nationals | 2 Comments »

Archive for the ‘USTA Nationals’ Category

2012 USTA Senior Women National Hard Court Championships

2012 Easter Bowl Ntl Spring Champs

2011 USTA 40 Hard Court Nationals

2011 Easter Bowl Ntl Spring Champs II

2011 Easter Bowl Ntl Spring Champs

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