Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Rankings, TV schedule, calendar

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, 36 years old, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- Career-high No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Mike Bryan, 36 years old, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- Career-high No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Bradley Klahn, 23 years old, 2010 NCAA singles champion and 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 65 in singles (-1), No. 154 in doubles (+1).
   Scott Lipsky, 32 years old, 2002 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 38 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Sam Querrey, 26 years old, San Francisco native, Sacramento Capitals (2012-13) -- No. 72 in singles (-3), No. 116 in doubles (-3).
   Dmitry Tursunov, 31 years old, trains at Gorin Tennis Academy in Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay -- No. 32 in singles (+2), No. 97 in doubles (-3).
Women
   Mallory Burdette, 23 years old, NCAA singles runner-up in 2012 and NCAA doubles champion in 2011 and 2012 from Stanford -- No. 296 in singles (-2), No. 1,141 in doubles (+1).
   Nicole Gibbs, 21 years old, NCAA singles champion in 2012 and 2013 and NCAA doubles champion in 2012 from Stanford -- No. 167 in singles (-3), No. 547 in doubles (-144).
   Macall Harkins, 28 years old, Redding resident -- No. 374 in doubles (-4), No. 714 in singles (-1).
   Raquel Kops-Jones, 31 years old, 2003 NCAA doubles champion from Cal -- No. 15 in doubles (no change), No. 1,097 in singles (+2).
   Maria Sanchez, 24 years old, born and raised in Modesto -- No. 100 in doubles (+5), No. 248 in singles (-1).
   Allie Will, 23 years old, born in San Mateo -- No. 107 in doubles (+2), No. 405 in singles (-40).
TV SCHEDULE
(All times in California)
Friday
   Oeiras (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, noon-4 p.m. (delayed).
   Munich (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 4-8 p.m. (delayed), 8 p.m.-midnight (repeat). 
Saturday
   Oeiras (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (delayed).
   Oeiras (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 2-6 p.m. (delayed).
   Munich (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 6-8 p.m. (delayed).    
Sunday  
   Oeiras (women), final, Tennis Channel, noon-2 p.m. (delayed), 6-8 p.m. (repeat).
   Oeiras (men), final, Tennis Channel, 2-4 p.m. (delayed), 8-10 p.m. (repeat).  
   Munich (men), final, Tennis Channel, 4-6 p.m. (delayed), 10 p.m.-midnight (repeat).    
CALENDAR
(All times in California) 
   Friday-Monday -- USTA National Men's, Women's and Mixed 30 Indoor Championships, Spare Time Indoor Tennis Center, Gold River, Calif. http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=140381.
   Saturday-Sunday -- Rio Del Oro Junior Excellence, Rio Del Oro Racquet Club, Sacramento, Calif. http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=144030
   May 9 -- NCAA Women's Championships, first round at Cal: Pepperdine vs. LSU, 10 a.m.; Cal vs. Fairleigh Dickinson, 1 p.m. http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=209484168
   May 9 -- NCAA Women's Championships, first round at Stanford: Tulsa vs. Long Beach State, 11 a.m.; Stanford vs. Quinnipiac, 2 p.m. http://www.gostanford.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30600&ATCLID=209484094
   May 9 -- NCAA Women's Championships, first round at UCLA: Sacramento State vs. UCLA, 1 p.m. http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/wten/2013-14/releases/20140429o2pjwy
   May 9-11 -- Maze Cup (Northern California juniors vs. Southern California), Berkeley Tennis Club, http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=151685
   May 10 -- NCAA Women's Team Championships, second round at Cal: Cal or Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Pepperdine or LSU, noon.
   May 10 -- NCAA Women's Team Championships, second round at Stanford: Stanford or Quinnipiac vs. Tulsa or Long Beach State, 1 p.m.
   May 10 -- NCAA Men's Team Championships, first round in College Station, Texas: Cal vs. Texas Tech, 7 a.m. http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=209484054
   May 10 -- NCAA Men's Team Championships, first round in Waco, Texas: Stanford vs. Tulsa, 9 a.m. http://www.gostanford.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30600&ATCLID=209483803
   May 11 -- NCAA Men's Team Championships, second round in College Station, Texas: Cal or Texas Tech vs. Texas A&M or Alcorn State, 11 a.m.
   May 11 -- NCAA Men's Team Championships, second round in Waco, Texas: Stanford or Tulsa vs. Baylor or Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 2 p.m.
   May 15-20 -- NCAA Men's and Women's Team Championships, Athens, Ga., www.ncaasports.com.    
   May 21-26 -- NCAA Men's and Women's Singles and Doubles Championships, Athens, Ga., www.ncaasports.com.
   MAY 25-JUNE 8 -- FRENCH OPEN. 2013 champions: Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Bob Bryan-Mike Bryan, Ekaterina Makarova-Elena Vesnina, Lucie Hradecka-Frantisek Cermak. www.rolandgarros.com.
   June 7-8, 14-17 -- NorCal Boys 18 and 16 Junior Sectional Championships, Rio Del Oro Racquet Club, Sacramento, Calif. http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=143226
   June 7-8, 14-17 -- NorCal Girls 18 and 16 Junior Sectional Championships, Arden Hills Resort & Spa, Sacramento, Calif. http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=148990
   June 7-8, 14-17 -- NorCal 14s Junior Sectional Championships, University of the Pacific, Stockton, Calif. http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=152438
   June 7-8, 14-17 -- NorCal 12s Junior Sectional Championships, Sunnyvale Tennis Center, Sunnyvale, Calif. http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=143956
   JUNE 23-JULY 6 -- WIMBLEDON. 2013 champions: Andy Murray, Marion Bartoli, Bob Bryan-Mike Bryan, Hsieh Su-Wei-Peng Shuai, Daniel Nestor-Kristina Mladenovic. www.wimbledon.org
   July 7-12 -- $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger, Gold River Racquet Club, Gold River, Calif. 2013 champions: Mayo Hibi, Naomi Broady-Storm Sanders. www.goldriverchallenger.com
   July 28-Aug. 3 -- Bank of the West Classic, Stanford. 2013 champions: Dominika Cibulkova, Raquel Kops-Jones-Abigail Spears. www.bankofthewestclassic.com
   Aug. 4-10 -- $100,000 Comerica Bank Challenger, Seascape Sports Club, Aptos, Calif. 2013 champions: Bradley Klahn, Jonathan Erlich-Andy Ram. www.seascapesportsclub.com

Stanford women to send full singles lineup to NCAAs

Stanford's Kristie Ahn is seeded third in NCAA women's singles,
May 21-26 in Athens, Ga. Tri Nguyen/TriNguyenPhotography.com
   Stanford women's coach Lele Forood has done quite a recruiting job.
   The Cardinal women will send their entire singles lineup to the NCAA Championships. The Stanford men, however, were shut out.
   The NCAA today announced the men's and women's fields in singles and doubles for the May 21-26 competition in Athens, Ga. The 64-player singles and 32-team doubles brackets will be released in two weeks.
   Kristie Ahn, a senior from Upper Saddle River, N.J., is seeded third. Joining Ahn in Athens will be junior Ellen Tsay of Pleasanton, sophomore Krista Hardebeck of Santa Ana and freshmen Taylor Davidson of Statesville, N.C., Caroline Doyle of San Francisco and Carol Zhao of Canada.
   Ahn, 26-3 at No. 1 singles, is ranked third nationally. Zhao is 23rd, Davidson 40th, Tsay 49th, Doyle 52nd and Hardebeck 54th.
   Cal, meanwhile, will send four singles players to the NCAA Championships. Anett Schutting, a senior from Estonia, is seeded 9-16. Also representing the Bears will be junior Zsofi Susanyi of Hungary, sophomore Lynn Chi of Weston, Fla., and freshman Denise Starr of Brooklyn, N.Y.
   Schutting is ranked 19th, Susanyi 20th, Chi 25th and Starr 31st. Susanyi reached the NCAA semifinals as a freshman. 
   Also receiving NCAA singles bids were Jenny Jullien of Saint Mary's and Katie Le of Santa Clara.  Jullien, a senior from France, is seeded 9-16.
   In contrast to the women, only one man from a San Francisco Bay Area school, Cal senior Ben McLachlan, earned an NCAA singles berth. Mackenzie McDonald, a freshman from Piedmont, will represent UCLA.
   The women's doubles draw features Ahn and Zhao, and USC's Giuliana Olmos of Fremont and Zoe Scandalis. The men's doubles field includes Cal's Gregory Bayane and Chase Melton, and the UCLA pair of Marcos Giron and McDonald.
   The NCAA released the brackets for the team competitions, May 9-20, on Tuesday. Among the women's teams are fourth-ranked Cal, No. 9 and defending champion Stanford, and unranked Sacramento State. The men's field includes No. 19 Cal and No. 27 Stanford. 
   The first two rounds of the team tournaments will be played at schools across the country. The final 16 men's teams and 16 women's squads will advance to Athens to determine the national champions.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Stanford, Cal women to open at home in NCAAs

  The Stanford and Cal women have a good chance to reach the round of 16 of the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga., next month.
   The men from both schools, however, and the Sacramento State women figure to lose early.
   The NCAA today released the Division I men's and women's brackets for the team championships, which begin May 9 at schools around the country. The last 16 in each bracket advance to Athens to compete May 15-20 for the national championship.
   The fields for the NCAA men's and women's singles and doubles tournaments, May 21-26 in Athens, will be announced Wednesday at www.ncaasports.com by 3 p.m. PDT.
   The Stanford and Cal women will play at home in the first round of the NCAA Team Championships, while their male counterparts and Sac State women will open on the road. Second-round matches are at the same sites, and the survivors will converge in Athens.
   The defending champion Stanford women (16-2), seeded 11th, will open against Quinnipiac (13-10) of Hamden, Conn., on May 9 at 2 p.m. at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium. The winner will face either Tulsa (17-5) or Long Beach State (20-2) on May 10 at 1 p.m.
   The Cal women (18-4), seeded sixth, will face Fairleigh Dickinson (13-4) of Hackensack, N.J., on May 9 at 1 p.m. at the Hellman Tennis Complex. The winner will take on either Pepperdine (18-4) or LSU (14-13) on May 10 at noon.
   The Stanford men (14-5) will play Tulsa (15-12) in Waco, Texas, on May 10 at 9 a.m. PDT, with the survivor probably meeting host and No. 5 seed Baylor (23-5).       
   The Cal men (15-7) will go against Texas Tech (13-10) in College Station, Texas, on May 10 at 7 a.m. PDT, with the winner likely facing host and No. 8 seed Texas A&M (24-6).
   The Sac State women (12-16) will visit top-ranked and No. 5 seed UCLA (21-2) on May 9 at 1 p.m.

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Sac State wins thriller for 13th straight Big Sky title

   GOLD RIVER, Calif. -- The Sacramento State women already lost one amazing streak this year.
   Olivia Boija didn't want to make it two.
   Saving two match points in the deciding contest, the Swedish sophomore edged Laurence Pelchat of Montana 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (5) at No. 4 singles on Sunday. That gave the Hornets their 13th consecutive title in the Big Sky Conference Championships and an automatic berth in the NCAA Championships.
   While Boija's teammates stormed the court to celebrate the third-seeded Hornets' pulsating 4-3 victory over the top-seeded Grizzlies at the Gold River Racquet Club, Pelchat repeatedly flung her racket in disgust.
   Depleted by injuries two weeks ago, Sac State suffered its first conference loss in 13 years. The Hornets fell to Montana 4-3 in Missoula, Mont., ending the Hornets' Big Sky-record conference winning streak at 112 matches. In the decider, Sac State freshman Deimante Bulatovaite of Lithuania had three match points in a 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (6) loss to Ashley Mackey at No. 5 singles.
   Sac State, with an all-international lineup, turned it around this time.
   "It means a lot since we were winning (the Big Sky tournament) 12 years in a row," said Boija (pronounced BOY-ya). "We wanted to continue the streak, and I know how hard the girls were fighting. Since we lost the (conference match) winning streak, it was revenge for us."
   As if Sac State needed additional incentive, the men's streak of Big Sky tournament titles ended at five on Saturday with a 4-1 loss to top-seeded Weber State. Second-seeded Montana routed the Wildcats 4-0 on Sunday for the championship.
  The Sac State women regained the services of Katharina Knoebl, a senior from Austria who won at No. 2 doubles and No. 6 singles. However, No. 1 singles player Jennifer Nguyen remains out after tearing two ligaments and the meniscus in her right knee during a match one month ago. The sophomore from Australia underwent surgery and attended Sunday's matches with a brace on her leg.
   Boija survived match points with Pelchat -- a junior from Quebec, Canada, who had beaten Boija 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 in Missoula -- serving at 5-4, 40-15 in the third set.
   "Tennis is so mental," Boija observed. "I just tried to play my normal game. If you think she has match points, you're going to feel the pressure. I tried to ignore it."
   Boija also fell behind 3-1 in the tiebreaker before reeling off five consecutive points. She converted her third match point with a runaround forehand passing shot.
   "I was really nervous (at 6-3 in the tiebreaker)," she conceded. "You know you only need one more point. I tried to ignore it, but it was hard. On the last one, I said, 'You just have to finish.' It was all up to me. She wasn't going to take any chances."
   Sac State (12-16) will learn its opponent for the NCAA Championships, which begin May 9 at sites around the country, when the bracket is announced Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. PDT. Montana ended its season at 16-8.
   See below for full results of Sunday's match.
   Pac-12 Championships in Ojai, Calif. -- Top-seeded Kristie Ahn and Carol Zhao of Stanford lost to unseeded Kaitlyn Christian and Giuliana Olmos of USC 6-3, 6-3 Sunday in the women's doubles final. Christian, a senior from Orange, won the crown for the third straight time, pairing with Sabrina Santamaria in 2012 and 2013.
   Olmos, a junior from Fremont in the San Francisco Bay Area, also won the invitational singles title with a 6-1, 6-2 decision over Klara Fabikova of Cal. Olmos was seeded third and Fabikova fifth.
   Unseeded Kassidy Jump, a freshman from Granite Bay in the Sacramento area, and Joanna Smith of Arizona State took the women's invitational doubles title. They topped third-seeded Brynn Boren and Zoe Scandalis of USC 8-6.
   Fifth-ranked UCLA knocked off No. 1 USC 4-2 for the men's championship.
   USTA Pro Circuit in Charlottesville, Va. -- Top-seeded Irina Falconi and Maria Sanchez, who was born and raised in Modesto, lost to second-seeded Asia Muhammad and Taylor Townsend 6-3, 6-1 in the final of the $50,000 Boyd Tinsley Clay Court Classic.
   Muhammad and Townsend played for the now-defunct Sacramento Capitals in World TeamTennis.
   Townsend also won the singles title as a wild card, outclassing qualifier Montserrat Gonzalez of Paraguay 6-2, 6-3.
   The professional titles were the first for Townsend, who turned 18 on April 16. In 2012, she became the first American in 30 years to hold the year-end No. 1 world ranking in junior girls singles.
   Sanchez continued to struggle in singles, falling to Elitsa Kostova of Bulgaria 6-2, 6-1 in the first round.
BIG SKY CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Gold River Racquet Club
Women's final
Sacramento State 4, Montana 3
Doubles
   1. Olivia Boija-Sophie Lohscheidt (SAC) vs. Haley Driver-Precious Gbadamosi 6-5, unfinished.
   2. Katharina Knoebl-Daria Savchenko (SAC) def. Sasha Carter-Laurence Pelchat 8-3.
   3. Diamante Bulatovaite-Alina Soltanici (SAC) def. Anabel Carbo Estruch-Ashley Mackey 8-4.
Singles
   1. Daria Savchenko (SAC) def. Haley Driver 7-6 (5), 6-2.
   2. Precious Gbadamosi (UM) def. Alina Soltanici 7-5, 1-6, 6-1.
   3. Sasha Carter (UM) def. Sophie Lohschiedt 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.
   4. Olivia Boija (SAC) def. Laurence Pelchat 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (5).
   5. Ashley Mackey (UM) def. Diamante Bulatovaite 6-3, 6-3.
   6. Katharina Knoebl (SAC) def. Maddy Murray 4-6, 6-3, 6-0. 
   Order of finish: Doubles (2, 3); singles (5, 1, 2, 6, 3, 4).

SoCal dominates NorCal in college tourneys

   In a less-than-shocking development, Southern California dominated Northern California in college conference tournaments on Saturday.
   SoCal swept NorCal in the semifinals of the Pacific-12 Conference Women's Singles Championship in Ojai, Calif. Top-seeded Jennifer Brady of UCLA outplayed fifth-seeded Lynn Chi of Cal 6-4, 7-5, and sixth-seeded Zoe Scandalis of USC dispatched third-seeded Anett Schutting of Cal 6-3, 6-3.
   Meanwhile, top-seeded Pepperdine downed third-seeded Saint Mary's 4-2 in the final of the West Coast Conference Women's Championships in San Diego.
   Finally, third-seeded San Diego State beat sixth-seeded San Jose State 4-2 in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference Women's Championships in Fresno.
   NorCal has one more chance against SoCal. Top-seeded Kristie Ahn and Carol Zhao of Stanford will meet unseeded Kaitlyn Christian and Giuliana Olmos of USC today for the Pac-12 women's doubles crown. Ahn and Zhao eliminated No. 4 seeds Chi and Schutting 8-3.
   Christian has won the title for the past two years with Sabrina Santamaria. Olmos is from Fremont in the San Francisco Bay Area.
   Big Sky Conference Championship -- The third-seeded Sacramento State women will meet top-seeded Montana in today's final at 10 a.m. at the Gold River (Calif.) Racquet Club in the Sacramento area.
   The Hornets, seeking their 13th consecutive Big Sky tournament title, breezed past second-seeded Northern Arizona 4-0.
   On the men's side, five-time defending champion and No. 5 seed Sac State lost to No. 1 seed Weber State 4-1. The Wildcats will face second-seeded Montana for the title today at 2 p.m. 

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Cal's Schutting, Chi reach Pac-12 semifinals

   Two Cal women reached the singles semifinals of the Pacific-12 Conference Championships in Ojai, Calif.
   Third-seeded Anett Schutting and fifth-seeded Lynn Chi advanced in contrasting fashion on Friday. Schutting outlasted unseeded Desirae Krawczyk of Arizona State 3-6, 6-1, 7-5, and Chi routed fourth-seeded Carol Zhao of Stanford 6-1, 6-1.
   Krawczyk had ousted No. 8 seed and defending champion Kyle McPhillips of UCLA in the first round.
   In today's semifinals at 10:30 a.m., Schutting will face sixth-seeded Zoe Scandalis of USC, and Chi will play top-seeded Jennifer Brady of UCLA.
   In today's doubles semis at 9 a.m., top-seeded Kristie Ahn and Zhao will meet fourth-seeded Chi and Schutting, and Kaitlyn Christian and Giuliana Olmos of USC will take on Courtney Dolehide and Chanelle Van Nguyen of UCLA in a matchup of unseeded teams. Olmos is from Fremont in the San Francisco Bay Area.
   Men play as teams rather than individuals in the Pac-12 tournament. In Friday's semifinals, top-seeded and top-ranked USC dominated fourth-seeded Cal 4-1, and second-seeded UCLA whipped seventh-seeded Oregon 7-0. The Ducks had knocked off third-seeded Stanford in the quarterfinals.
WEST COAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
  In San Diego
Men's semifinals
   San Diego (1) def. Santa Clara (4), 4-2.
   Pepperdine (2) def. Pacific (7), 4-2.
Women's semifinals
   Pepperdine (1) def. Santa Clara (4), 4-0.
   Saint Mary's (3) def. BYU (2), 4-0.
BIG WEST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
In Indian Wells, Calif.
Men's semifinals
   Hawaii (1) def. UC Davis (4), 4-3.
Women's quarterfinals 
   UC Santa Barbara (5) def. UC Davis (4), 4-0.
   BIG SKY CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
At Gold River (Calif.) Racquet Club
(Friday's matches moved to Spare Time Indoor Tennis Center)
Men's quarterfinals
   Sacramento State (5) def. Montana State (4), 4-3.
Women's quarterfinals
   Sacramento State (3) def. Northern Colorado (6), 4-0.
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE 
At Sierra Sport & Racquet Club in Fresno
Women's quarterfinals
   San Jose State (6) vs. San Diego State (3), postponed by rain, rescheduled for today at 9 a.m.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Stanford men upset in Pac-12 tourney

   So much for momentum.
   The No. 27 Stanford men had won five straight matches, including last weekend's upset at No. 16 Cal, and jumped 25 places in the rankings in three weeks entering the Pacific-12 Conference Championships in Ojai.
   But the third-seeded Cardinal lost to seventh-seeded Oregon, ranked 49th, 4-2 on Thursday in the Pac-12 quarterfinals after receiving a first-round bye.
   In the clinching match, No. 78 Robin Cambier defeated No. 103 John Morrissey 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 at No. 1 singles.
   Meanwhile, fourth-seeded and 19th-ranked Cal coasted to a 4-0 victory over fifth-seeded and 59th-ranked Utah. The Bears will meet USC, seeded and ranked No. 1, today for a berth in the final.  
   Stanford (14-5), despite losing to Oregon, likely will receive an at-large berth in next month's NCAA Championships. The field will be announced Tuesday.
   The Cardinal has won a record 15 NCAA men's team titles (USC is next with eight) but none since 2000. Stanford lost in the first round of the NCAAs last year for the first time in its 35 appearances.
   Women in the Pac-12 Championships play as individuals in singles and doubles rather than as teams. Three players from Cal and one from Stanford each won two singles matches to reach the quarterfinals. Advancing for the Bears were third-seeded Anett Schutting, No. 5 Lynn Chi and No. 7 Denise Starr, and moving on for the Cardinal was No. 4 Carol Zhao.
   Both of last year's freshman finalists, champion Kyle McPhillips of UCLA and Krista Hardebeck of Stanford, lost in the first round. Hardebeck fell to second-seeded Chanelle Van Nguyen of UCLA 6-3, 7-5.  
   The Cardinal's Ellen Tsay and Taylor Davidson exited in the second round.
   UCLA's Robin Anderson, ranked second nationally, is not playing singles or doubles. Stanford's Kristie Ahn, ranked third, is playing doubles only. She is seeded first with Zhao.
   The doubles tournament begins today.
OTHER COLLEGE TOURNAMENTS
   West Coast Conference
Quarterfinals
   In San Diego
   Men: Pacific (7) def. Portland (3), 4-3; Santa Clara (4) def. USF (8), 4-0.
   Women: Saint Mary's (3) def. USF (6), 4-0; Santa Clara (4) def. San Diego (5), 4-3.
Big West Conference
Quarterfinals
In Indian Wells, Calif.
   Men: UC Davis (4) def. UC Irvine (5), 4-0.
   Women: UC Davis (4) vs. UC Santa Barbara (5), today, 11 a.m.
 Big Sky Conference
Quarterfinals
At Gold River (Calif.) Racquet Club
   Women: Sacramento State (3) vs. Northern Colorado (6), today, 10 a.m.
   Men: Sac State (5) vs. Montana State (4), today, 2 p.m. 
Mountain West Conference
Quarterfinals
At Sierra Sport & Racquet Club in Fresno
   Women: San Jose State (6) vs. San Diego State (3), today, 2 p.m.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Santa Clara men top rival in WCC tourney thriller

   The fourth-seeded Santa Clara men edged ninth-seeded Saint Mary's 4-3 today in a thrilling first-round match at the West Coast Conference Championships in San Diego.
   The 59th-ranked Broncos (16-6) trailed the Gaels (8-13) 3-2 before pulling out two three-set victories to advance. Ilya Osintsev outlasted Tuomas Manner 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 at No. 2 singles to tie the match, and John Lamble won it with a 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3 decision over Joakim Norstrom at No. 1 singles.
   Lamble, a senior from Saratoga, was named to the All-WCC first team in singles and doubles (with Osintsev) on Monday. Osintsev, a junior from Russia, made the second team in singles.
   Santa Clara will face another San Francisco Bay Area rival, USF, in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 9 a.m. (PDT). The eighth-seeded Dons (15-13) eliminated fifth-seeded Loyola Marymount 4-1.
   Seventh-seeded Pacific (12-11) defeated No. 6 BYU 4-2. The Tigers will meet No. 3 Portland, a 4-2 winner over No. 10 Gonzaga, at 9 a.m.
   No. 1 San Diego and No. 2 Pepperdine received byes into Friday's semifinals.
   The women's WCC tournament also is being held in San Diego. No. 3 Saint Mary's, No. 4 Santa Clara and No. 6 USF coasted to 4-0 victories in the first round. The Gaels ousted No. 10 Pacific.
   In Thursday's quarterfinals, No. 3 Saint Mary's (13-7) will play No. 6 USF (16-7), and No. 4 Santa Clara (11-9) will take on No. 5 San Diego. Both matches are scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m.
   No. 1 Pepperdine and No. 2 BYU earned byes into Friday's semis.
   In the Mountain West Conference Women's Championships in Fresno, sixth-seeded San  Jose State reached the quarterfinals with a 4-0 victory over 11th-seeded Colorado State.
   The Spartans (12-13) will meet third-seeded San Diego State on Friday.
   Meanwhile, San Jose State's Marie Klocker and Gaelle Rey -- freshmen from France and Switzerland, respectively -- were named to the 16-player All-Mountain West singles first team and the eight-team all-conference doubles squad. Rey, who went 19-12 playing primarily No. 2 singles, shared Freshman of the Year honors with Lizette Blankers of New Mexico.

Ex-Capitals owner to plead guilty, lawyer says

   Deepal Wannakuwatte, the former owner of the defunct Sacramento Capitals in World TeamTennis, apparently has changed his mind and will plead guilty in an alleged Ponzi scheme.
   The Sacramento Bee reported today that Wannakuwatte, who pleaded not guilty to bank fraud and other charges last month, has a "change of plea" hearing scheduled for May 1 in U.S. District Court in Sacramento.
   The hearing probably will be postponed, but "it's anticipated he's going to plead guilty," Wannakuwatte's lawyer, Donald Heller, said without elaborating.
   Said prosecutor Michael Beckwith, an assistant U.S. attorney: "The evidence in the case is very strong. I think that's a lot of what's driving this."
   Wannakuwatte, a 63-year-old native of Sri Lanka, was arrested on Feb. 20 in Sacramento after allegedly defrauding investors of millions in his medical supply businesses.
   According to the FBI, investment brochures for Wannakuwatte's International Manufacturing Group Inc. and RelyAid said sales reached $110 million in 2012, mostly from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
   In reality, the FBI said, sales to the VA totaled just $25,000 a year. Agents said Wannakuwatte usually repaid investors with funds from new investors.
   Wannakuwatte would become the second Capitals owner in the past 3 1/2 years to plead guilty to one or more crimes. Lonnie Nielson admitted to grand theft related to his real estate business in the fall of 2010 and was released from prison last summer.
   The owner between Nielson and Wannakuwatte, Sacramento real estate developer Bob Cook, declared bankruptcy after the 2011 season.
   The Capitals announced on Feb. 4 that they were moving to Las Vegas after 28 years because Sacramento lacks a permanent tennis facility. Shortly after Wannakuwatte's arrest, however, WTT terminated the franchise.
   The league will begin its 39th season on July 6 with seven teams. 
   The Capitals were the longest-running franchise in WTT at 28 years and won a record six league titles, including four straight (1997-2000).

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Jullien of Saint Mary's repeats as WCC Player of Year

   Jenny Jullien of Saint Mary's was named the West Coast Conference Women's Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, the league announced this week.
   Jullien, a senior from France, finished the regular season with a 16-2 record at No. 1 singles (7-1 in WCC play).
   Ranked ninth nationally, Jullien became the first competitor to repeat as the WCC Player of the Year since USF's Jenni Heinser earned the honor three times in a row from 2008 to 2010.
   Also named to the All-WCC women's first team in singles were Saint Mary's sophomore Jamie Pawid of Castro Valley, USF sophomore Andrea Ka of France and Santa Clara senior Katie Le of Milpitas. Thyra Taune of Sweden became the second straight USF player to earn WCC Freshman of the Year honors, following Ka.
   On the men's side, Santa Clara senior John Lamble of Saratoga and USF junior Bernardo Saraiva of Portugal were named to the All-WCC first team in singles. Pacific's Miguel Diaz of Castro Valley was chosen as the Freshman of the Year.
   The West Coast Conference men's and women's championships are scheduled for Wednesday through Saturday in San Diego.

Rankings, TV schedule, calendar

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.
   Bradley Klahn, 23 years old, 2010 NCAA singles champion and 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 64 in singles (+1), No. 155 in doubles (-20).
   Scott Lipsky, 32 years old, 2002 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 38 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Sam Querrey, 26 years old, San Francisco native, Capitals (2012-13) -- No. 69 in singles (+2), No. 113 in doubles (no change).
   Dmitry Tursunov, 31 years old, trains at Gorin Tennis Academy in Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay -- No. 34 in singles (-1), No. 94 in doubles (+1).
Women
   Mallory Burdette, 23 years old, NCAA singles runner-up in 2012 and NCAA doubles champion in 2011 and 2012 from Stanford -- No. 294 in singles (-2), No. 1,142 in doubles (-3).
   Nicole Gibbs, 21 years old, NCAA singles champion in 2012 and 2013 and NCAA doubles champion in 2012 from Stanford -- Career-high No. 164 in singles (+2), No. 403 in doubles (+2).
   Macall Harkins, 28 years old, Redding resident -- No. 370 in doubles (-1), No. 713 in singles (-2).
   Raquel Kops-Jones, 31 years old, 2003 NCAA doubles champion from Cal -- No. 15 in doubles (no change), No. 1,099 in singles (-2).
   Maria Sanchez, 24 years old, born and raised in Modesto -- No. 105 in doubles (-2), No. 247 in singles (-4).
TV SCHEDULE
(All times in California)
Wednesday
   Barcelona (men), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 4:30-10:30 a.m. (live), 1-10 p.m. (repeat).
Thursday
   Barcelona (men), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 5:30 a.m.-noon (live), noon-10 p.m. (repeat).    
Friday
   Stuttgart (women), Barcelona (men) and Bucharest (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 3:30 a.m.-2 p.m. (live).
   Stuttgart (women), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 2-6 p.m. and 10 p.m.-1 a.m. Saturday (repeat).
   Barcelona (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 6-10 p.m. (repeat). 
Saturday
   Stuttgart (women), Barcelona (men) and Bucharest (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 4:30 a.m.-noon (live).
   Barcelona (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, noon-5 p.m. (repeat).  
   Stuttgart (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 5-9 p.m. (repeat).
Sunday  
    Stuttgart (women), Barcelona (men) and Bucharest (men), finals, Tennis Channel, 5-10 a.m.  (live).
   Stuttgart (women), final, Tennis Channel, 10 a.m.-noon and 4:30-6:30 p.m. (repeat).  
   Barcelona (men), final, Tennis Channel, noon-2:30 p.m. and 6:30-9 p.m. (repeat).
   Bucharest (men), final, Tennis Channel, 2:30-4:30 p.m. (repeat).
CALENDAR
   Wednesday-Saturday -- West Coast Conference Men's and Women's Championships (Pacific, Saint Mary's, Santa Clara, USF), San Diego, www.wccsports.com.
   Wednesday-Sunday -- Pacific-12 Conference Men's and Women's Championships (Cal, Stanford), Ojai, Calif., www.pac-12.com.
   Wednesday-Sunday -- Mountain West Conference Men's and Women's Championships (San Jose State women), Fresno, Calif., www.themw.com.
   Thursday-Sunday -- Big West Conference Men's and Women's Championships (UC Davis), Indian Wells, Calif., www.bigwest.org.
   Friday-Sunday -- Big Sky Conference Men's and Women's Championships (Sacramento State), Gold River Racquet Club, Gold River, Calif., www.bigskyconf.com.
   Saturday-Sunday, May 3-4 -- Rio Del Oro Junior Excellence, Rio Del Oro Racquet Club, Sacramento, Calif. http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=144030
   May 2-5 -- USTA National Men's, Women's and Mixed 30 Indoor Championships, Spare Time Indoor Tennis Center, Gold River, Calif. http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=140381.
   May 9-11 -- Maze Cup (Northern California juniors vs. Southern California), Berkeley Tennis Club, http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=151685
   May 15-26 -- NCAA Men's and Women's Championships, Athens, Ga., www.ncaasports.com.   
   MAY 25-JUNE 8 -- FRENCH OPEN. 2013 champions: Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Bob Bryan-Mike Bryan, Ekaterina Makarova-Elena Vesnina, Lucie Hradecka-Frantisek Cermak. www.rolandgarros.com.
   June 7-8, 14-17 -- NorCal Boys 18 and 16 Junior Sectional Championships, Rio Del Oro Racquet Club, Sacramento, Calif. http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=143226
   June 7-8, 14-17 -- NorCal Girls 18 and 16 Junior Sectional Championships, Arden Hills Resort & Spa, Sacramento, Calif. http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=148990
   June 7-8, 14-17 -- NorCal 14s Junior Sectional Championships, University of the Pacific, Stockton, Calif. http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=152438
   June 7-8, 14-17 -- NorCal 12s Junior Sectional Championships, Sunnyvale Tennis Center, Sunnyvale, Calif. http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=143956
   JUNE 23-JULY 6 -- WIMBLEDON. 2013 champions: Andy Murray, Marion Bartoli, Bob Bryan-Mike Bryan, Hsieh Su-Wei-Peng Shuai, Daniel Nestor-Kristina Mladenovic. www.wimbledon.org
   July 7-12 -- $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger, Gold River Racquet Club, Gold River, Calif. 2013 champions: Mayo Hibi, Naomi Broady-Storm Sanders. www.goldriverchallenger.com
   July 28-Aug. 3 -- Bank of the West Classic, Stanford. 2013 champions: Dominika Cibulkova, Raquel Kops-Jones-Abigail Spears. www.bankofthewestclassic.com
   Aug. 4-10 -- $100,000 Comerica Bank Challenger, Seascape Sports Club, Aptos, Calif. 2013 champions: Bradley Klahn, Jonathan Erlich-Andy Ram. www.seascapesportsclub.com

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Mike Bryan wins 100th ATP doubles title

   Mike Bryan today became the first player to win 100 ATP World Tour doubles titles.
   Bryan and twin brother Bob, the top-ranked doubles team, edged third-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Marcelo Melo of Brazil 6-3, 3-6 [10-8] for their fourth Monte Carlo title and 98th as a team.
   “It's amazing to hit triple digits,” Mike Bryan said on atpworldtour.com. “It's a great milestone to say that you have a hundred, to be the first player to hit a hundred titles. Kind of snuck up on us pretty quick.
   "Last few years, we've been really hot. We always wanted to beat the Woodies' (Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde's) record of 61. Then trying to clip Todd Woodbridge's 83 titles. All of a sudden, I’m at 99.
   “It will feel a lot better when we do it as a team. We've always looked at our career as team titles, doing it together. That's the huge goal for this year, to do it together.”
   Bob added, “Hopefully [we’ll do it] before (the French Open). We've got two tournaments or three coming up before the French. It's incredible to see what he's done. I guess I'm knocking on the door.”
   The 35-year-old Bryans, former Stanford All-Americans originally from Camarillo in the Los Angeles area, won their fifth straight title and extended their winning streak to 21 matches. Since losing to Australian Open runners-up Eric Butorac and Raven Klaasen in the Memphis final in February, the Bryans have won Delray Beach, Indian Wells, Miami and Houston in addition to Monte Carlo.
   The Bryans also won Monte Carlo in 2007, 2011 and 2012. In last year's final, they failed to convert seven match points and lost to Julien Benneteau and Nenad Zimonjic.
   Dodig and Melo lost to the Bryans in last year's Wimbledon final.

No. 10 Cal women rout No. 5 Stanford

   The 10th-ranked Cal women trounced No. 5 Stanford 6-1 on Saturday at Stanford to win the Pacific-12 Conference title.
   The Cardinal lost for only the fifth time at home since 1999, including a 4-3 setback to UCLA on April 4.
   Cal ended the regular season at 10-0 in the Pac-12 and 18-4 overall. Stanford finished at 8-2 and 16-2. Both teams will play in next week's Pac-12 Championships in Ojai and next month's NCAA Championships. Stanford will defend its NCAA title.
SATURDAY'S COLLEGE RESULTS
Women
   No. 10 Cal 6, No. 5 Stanford 1
   San Jose State 4, UC Davis 3
   Santa Clara 4, Pacific 0
Men
   No. 37 Stanford 4, No. 16 Cal 2
   No. 24 Boise State 4, USF 1
   No. 60 Santa Clara 4, Pacific 0

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Emotional Jullien leads Saint Mary's over Santa Clara

   Jenny Jullien, playing her last home match, defeated Katie Le 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 at No. 1 singles to lead No. 46 Saint Mary's over Santa Clara 5-2 on Friday in Moraga.
   Jullien is ranked 12th nationally and Le 27th.
   "It was very emotional coming into today," Jullien, from France, said on smcgaels.com. "This morning, I woke up, and I could feel the emotions. It's a bittersweet feeling, I would say, especially playing against Katie because we are rivals in the conference and it's always very tight between us, so I knew I had to bring my 'A' game. I'm glad I did."
   Saint Mary's, which finished its regular season at 12-7 overall and 6-2 in the West Coast Conference, will be seeded third in next week's WCC Championships in San Diego. Santa Clara (9-9, 4-4) will end its regular-season schedule today at Pacific before heading to the WCC tournament.
FRIDAY'S COLLEGE RESULTS
Women
   No. 46 Saint Mary's 5, Santa Clara 2
  San Jose State 5, Nevada 2
  USF 6, Pacific 1
Men
   No. 60 Santa Clara 4, Saint Mary's 0

Friday, April 18, 2014

Challenger champ Hibi changes mind, turns pro

Mayo Hibi won the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's
Challenger at 17 last July. Photo by Paul Bauman
   Mayo Hibi, who won a $50,000 Challenger in the Sacramento area last July at 17 years old, has decided to turn professional rather than attend UCLA as planned.
   UCLA spokesman Danny Harrington confirmed Hibi's decision on Wednesday. Hibi, a junior girls semifinalist at the U.S. Open last September and the top female recruit in the nation, signed a letter of intent with the Bruins last November.
   Only 5-foot-5 (1.65 meters) and 117 pounds (53 kilograms), Hibi is ranked No. 201 in the world. She plays for her native Japan but has lived in California since she was 2 1/2, first in the San Francisco suburb of Foster City and for the past 12 years in Irvine in Southern California. 
   Unseeded in the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger last July, Hibi beat fifth-seeded Madison Brengle 7-5, 6-0 in the final. Hibi trailed 4-0 and 5-1 in the first set and saved nine set points.
   After the match, Brengle said she had been throwing up all day and "ran out of gas (in the second set of the final), to say the least."
   Hibi turned 18 on April 3.
THURSDAY'S COLLEGE RESULT
Women
   No. 10 Cal 7, Sacramento State 0: http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=209471173 

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Rankings mover of the week: Sam Querrey

Sam Querrey defaulted his semifinal in Houston with a pinched
nerve in his back. Photo by Paul Bauman
   Sam Querrey can't seem to get a break.
   Just when the 26-year-old San Francisco native and former Sacramento Capital in World TeamTennis finally had a good tournament, he got injured.
   Querrey reached the semifinals of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston last week to improve 11 places to No. 71 in the world. However, he defaulted against third-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain with a pinched nerve in his back. It's uncertain when Querrey will return to the tour.
   Querrey, 6-foot-6 (1.98 meters), had plunged from No. 19 last July to No. 82. He climbed to a career-high No. 17 in January 2011.
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.
   Bradley Klahn, 23 years old, 2010 NCAA singles champion and 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 65 in singles (no change), No. 135 in doubles (+1).
   Scott Lipsky, 32 years old, 2002 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 38 in doubles (+1), unranked in singles.
   Sam Querrey, 26 years old, San Francisco native, Capitals (2012-13) -- No. 71 in singles (+11), No. 113 in doubles (+2).
   Dmitry Tursunov, 31 years old, trains at Gorin Tennis Academy in Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay -- No. 33 in singles (-1), No. 95 in doubles (no change).
Women
   Mallory Burdette, 23 years old, NCAA singles runner-up in 2012 and NCAA doubles champion in 2011 and 2012 from Stanford -- No. 292 in singles (-3), No. 1,139 in doubles (+5).
   Nicole Gibbs, 21 years old, NCAA singles champion in 2012 and 2013 and NCAA doubles champion in 2012 from Stanford -- Career-high No. 166 in singles (+2), No. 405 in doubles (+2).
   Macall Harkins, 28 years old, Redding resident -- No. 369 in doubles (+2), No. 711 in singles (no change).
   Raquel Kops-Jones, 31 years old, 2003 NCAA doubles champion from Cal -- No. 15 in doubles (no change), No. 1,097 in singles (-3).
   Maria Sanchez, 24 years old, born and raised in Modesto -- No. 103 in doubles (-1), No. 243 in singles (+1).
TODAY'S COLLEGE RESULT
Men
   USF 4, Saint Mary's 3: http://www.smcgaels.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=101589&SPID=12530&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=209469153&DB_OEM_ID=21400

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

TV schedule, college result, calendar

TV SCHEDULE
(All times in California)
Wednesday
   Monte Carlo (men), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 1:30-9:30 a.m. (live), 2 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Thursday (repeat).
Thursday
   Monte Carlo (men), round of 16, Tennis Channel, 1:30-9:30 a.m. (live), 2 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Friday (repeat).
Friday
   Monte Carlo (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 1:30-9:30 a.m. (live), 11 a.m.-7 p.m. (repeat).
   Fed Cup, semifinals, Germany at Australia, Tennis Channel, 7-11 p.m. (live).
Saturday
   Monte Carlo (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 5:30-8 p.m. (delay).
   Fed Cup, World Group playoff, France at United States, Tennis Channel, 1:30-5:30 p.m. (live). 
   Fed Cup, semifinals, Germany at Australia, Tennis Channel, 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Sunday (live).
Sunday
   Fed Cup, France at United States, World Group playoff, Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (live) and 7:30-9:30 p.m. (repeat).
   Monte Carlo (men), final, Tennis Channel, 5-7:30 p.m. (delay) and 9:30 p.m.-midnight (repeat). 
TUESDAY'S COLLEGE RESULT
Men
   No. 37 Stanford 4, Saint Mary's 0
CALENDAR
   Saturday-Sunday -- Fed Cup semifinals, World Group playoffs (United States vs. France in St. Louis), www.fedcup.com.
   April 23-26 -- West Coast Conference Men's and Women's Championships, San Diego, www.wccsports.com.
   April 23-27 -- Pacific-12 Conference Men's and Women's Championships, Ojai, Calif., www.pac-12.com.
   April 23-27 -- Mountain West Conference Men's and Women's Championships, Fresno, Calif., www.themw.com.
   April 24-27 -- Big West Conference Men's and Women's Championships, Indian Wells, Calif., www.bigwest.org.
   April 25-27 -- Big Sky Conference Men's and Women's Championships, Gold River Racquet Club, Gold River, Calif., www.bigskyconf.com.
   April 26-27, May 3-4 -- Rio Del Oro Junior Excellence, Rio Del Oro Racquet Club, Sacramento, Calif. http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=144030
   May 2-5 -- USTA National Men's, Women's and Mixed 30 Indoor Championships, Spare Time Indoor Tennis Center, Gold River, Calif. http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=140381.
   May 9-11 -- Maze Cup (Northern California juniors vs. Southern California), Berkeley Tennis Club, http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=151685
   May 15-26 -- NCAA Men's and Women's Championships, Athens, Ga., www.ncaasports.com.   
   MAY 25-JUNE 8 -- FRENCH OPEN, Paris. 2013 champions: Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Bob Bryan-Mike Bryan, Ekaterina Makarova-Elena Vesnina, Lucie Hradecka-Frantisek Cermak. www.rolandgarros.com.
   June 7-8, 14-17 -- NorCal Boys 18 and 16 Junior Sectional Championships, Rio Del Oro Racquet Club, Sacramento, Calif. http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=143226
   June 7-8, 14-17 -- NorCal Girls 18 and 16 Junior Sectional Championships, Arden Hills Resort & Spa, Sacramento, Calif. http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=148990
   June 7-8, 14-17 -- NorCal 14s Junior Sectional Championships, University of the Pacific, Stockton, Calif. http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=152438
   June 7-8, 14-17 -- NorCal 12s Junior Sectional Championships, Sunnyvale Tennis Center, Sunnyvale, Calif. http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=143956

Monday, April 14, 2014

Bellis wins girls 18 title in Easter Bowl

CiCi Bellis topped Katie Swan 6-3, 6-1
for the girls 18 title in the Easter Bowl.
2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   Fourth-seeded CiCi Bellis of Atherton outclassed 11th-seeded Katie Swan of Wichita, Kan., 6-3, 6-1 Sunday to win the girls 18 title in the prestigious Easter Bowl in Indian Wells.
   Bellis reached the final of the 14s in 2012 and won the 16s last year. She turned 15 on Tuesday, and Swan did the same on March 24.    
   Two other Northern Californians, Keenan Mayo of Roseville and Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek, lost in the finals.
   The second-seeded Mayo fell to No. 1 Steven Sun of Glen Cove, N.Y., 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 in the boys 14s, and the sixth-seeded Volynets was stopped by No. 9 Kacie Harvey of Braintree, Mass., 6-2, 6-1 in the girls 12s.
   Fifth-seeded Paul Barretto of Tiburon and Timothy Sah of San Diego won the boys 14 doubles crown, beating unseeded Cody Lin of Thousand Oaks and Kento Perera of Santa Barbara 8-2.
SUNDAY'S COLLEGE RESULTS
Women
   No. 6 Cal 4, Oregon 0: http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=209465197
   Santa Clara 4, Gonzaga 3: http://www.santaclarabroncos.com/sports/w-tennis/2013-14/releases/20140413u1dc8q
   Saint Mary's 4, Loyola Marymount 0: http://www.smcgaels.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=101598&SPID=12531&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=209465188&DB_OEM_ID=21400
   Northern Arizona 6, Sacramento State 1: http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/wten/2013-14/releases/20140413x890re
   UC Davis at Hawaii, suspended by rain: http://www.ucdavisaggies.com/sports/w-tennis/spec-rel/041314aab.html
Men
   Portland 4, No. 64 Santa Clara 3: http://portlandpilots.com/news/2014/4/13/MTEN_0413140353.aspx
   Fresno State 5, Sacramento State 0: http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/mten/2013-14/releases/20140413fi4m0t

Sunday, April 13, 2014

John McEnroe Q&A: U.S. tennis needs athletes

John McEnroe talked to reporters at the Champions Shootout
in Sacramento in late February. Photos by Paul Bauman
   John McEnroe may be a nightmare for chair umpires, but he's a dream for journalists.
   Talkative, knowledgeable, outspoken and funny, McEnroe long has been perhaps the best interview in sports. Just ask a question, sit back and enjoy the show. 
   Before playing in the Champions Shootout on Feb. 26 in Sacramento, McEnroe fielded questions from a small group of reporters in the bowels of Sleep Train Arena. At one point, a public relations man implored the journalists, "Just a couple more minutes with John." Eleven and a half minutes later, McEnroe was still going strong. If the PR guy hadn't cut off the interview to usher McEnroe to another appointment, the legend would have happily continued holding court.
   Shortly afterward, McEnroe took the court.  In the one-set semifinals, he defeated Jim Courier, and James Blake topped Pete Sampras. Blake then beat McEnroe in the one-set final.
   McEnroe grew up in New York, but the left-handed wizard is no stranger to Northern California. He won the 1978 NCAA singles title in his only year at Stanford and captured five ATP singles titles in the San Francisco Bay Area, tied with Andre Agassi for the most in the Open Era (since 1968).
   Known for his shotmaking artistry and volatile temper, McEnroe won 17 Grand Slam titles (seven in singles, nine in doubles and one in mixed doubles) and played on five Davis Cup championship teams.
   McEnroe won 77 singles and 78 doubles titles overall (fourth and tied for fifth, respectively, in the Open Era) and holds U.S. Davis Cup records for total victories (59) and singles wins (41). He was inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1999.
   McEnroe, who turned 55 on Feb. 16, looks older with his gray hair but plays remarkably well with his still-magical hands. In addition to competing against other legends in the PowerShares Series, a 12-tournament circuit in the United States in February and March, he works as a highly renowned tennis commentator for ESPN and runs a junior tennis academy in New York that he founded in 2010.
   McEnroe has five children -- three with his first wife, actress Tatum O'Neal, and two with his current wife, singer Patty Smyth -- and one stepchild.
   ESPN announced in February that McEnroe would expand his role beyond tennis on television and radio. He made headlines last December when he suggested eliminating doubles, which struggles to attract singles stars and fans, and giving the prize money to lower-ranked singles players.
   Following are highlights of the interview with McEnroe:
   Q: Can you see yourself in a coaching situation where you're traveling like Stefan Edberg (who's working with Roger Federer)?
   A: I suppose it's not impossible in a supporting role or part-time. That would be ideal.
   Q: Billie Jean King said recently that tennis is a kind of art form that shapes time and space ...
   A: That's very heavy.
   Q: You're known so much for your touch. Do you enjoy the feel of the game and the artistry of it?
   A: Yeah, of course. It's sort of what my thing was. Seeing what I see now (on the tour), it's a lot different.
   Q: Is there a real gap in the game now?
   A: Because of the rackets, the technology, the size of some of these guys and the strings ... if you have better control when you swing harder, that seems counterintuitive. But the harder you swing, the more the ball dips. Before, the harder you swung, the more chance you took.
   I don't get that, but that's the way it is, so you see guys taking crazy swings. Because the string is so stiff, you don't have that feel at the net that maybe you had. That's part of why you don't see guys coming in, in addition to the fact they hit it so much harder.
   Q: Regarding the state of the American game, there are three or four theories: the internationalization, we're not getting the athletes, the entitlement culture and cycles. What do you think is the most important?
   A: Athletes.
   Q: You're working on this a lot in New York. How can we get them from football and other sports?
   A: I think about that a lot, and I haven't come up with a good enough answer. With the women, it's different because the playing field is so much more level in tennis. Actually, the first sport maybe girls would go into is tennis. They don't play football. There's no baseball. In basketball, they get 1/50th of the money. So it seems like in tennis you would get better (female) athletes.
   Two of the best athletes in the history of women's tennis are the Williams sisters. They're so far above what I've seen. It's pure athleticism. They're learned more as time's gone on how to play.   
   Q: Does it depress you that we're so down? The Bryans said to Sam Querrey, "Hey, you got to the third round of the Australian Open," as if that were a good result.
   A: I try not to get too down or too angry, because I was somewhat of an expert on at least one of them. (We can't) pretend we don't have issues. Tennis is healthy in Europe, and there's a lot of money to be thrown around in certain parts of the world, like the Middle East and China. But that doesn't mean there's a thriving tennis community. I don't think more kids are playing. I'm pretty sure that the studies are showing there's less tennis being played. That's not a good thing to me.
   One of the reasons I did the tennis academy was I felt I had been given a lot. I've gotten better perspective, so it would be nice if I could leave the sport in a great place, too. Right now, I feel like I'm not doing a very good job.
   And then I get people asking me about this doubles thing, like (when I said the players) are slow. Then it's like, "My God, I made some great revelation. Doubles guys are slower than singles guys! Did you hear that? That's amazing!" That's what we focus on.
   (U.S. athletes choosing other sports) is a really tough thing to try to overcome. I'm willing to try anything and everything to try to figure out a way to get people to (play tennis). I was lucky. Now I look back, and I'm like, "The '70s, '80s, this is unbelievable." I was blessed to be a part of that. I look at it now, and I'm like, "I'm sorry. We have arguably the two greatest players who ever lived, and the other one (Novak Djokovic) is in there." And yet, we're sort of, "Where are we right now?"
   Q: You have so much going -- the new ESPN thing and your incredible play as a senior ... 
   A: (You could be) my PR guy.
   Q: Just talk about being John McEnroe.
   A: Being John McEnroe is pretty good. I've been pretty lucky that my second wife helped make me a better person, blessed me with a couple more kids, been the glue with my other kids and helped me be a good husband and father.
   It's an ego trip in a way. Let's face it. I come out here, and it's 2,000 or 5,000 or 6,000 people, and I get a chance after just turning 55 to try to do my thing. Obviously, it's better (to play) a set or short period of time. If one of us can inspire a couple kids, we've won in that way. So we have an excuse because we're sort of searching and trying to keep some interest, and we get our egos massaged a bit.
   I like having a tennis academy. I like to get out there and play with the kids. I've always been a big sports fan, (but) my main goal with this ESPN thing is to get people to want to talk tennis a lot. In the meantime, I'm no expert on other sports, but I know something about what it's like to be out there. I just love sports in general, so it would be nice to spread my wings a little bit. We'll see what happens.
   Q: But your role is not necessarily commentating about tennis. You're doing other things.
   A: Having me at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open was probably more important than whether I did a stint on "First Take." At the same time, it would be fun to do some of this other stuff. But there are other (tennis) events. We'll see if I get mixed into Australia. Hopefully, at some point that will work for both of us and tennis. We'll do everything we can. They have a lot of coverage of tennis.
   There are different ways of doing it. I don't want to be at every tournament, and they've got other guys. They've got my brother (Patrick).   
   Q: Will Rafael Nadal, who has 13 Grand Slam singles titles at age 27, eventually break Federer's record of 17 and go down as the greatest player of all time?
   A: I don't know. Once he loses the French -- he may never lose one at this point -- but if he does, it'll be tough to win another, even if he's Rafa Nadal, because of that edge you get. And then health is an issue. But if he stays healthy and he's still into it ... there's a very, very short list of people who can beat him on clay, maybe one that I see right now. That would be (Novak) Djokovic. I don't know about Stan "The Man" Wawrinka on clay, although Stan "The Man" pulled it off in Australia.
   That would be a story that hopefully people will find interesting that we can talk about, because that's a legitimate question. There's a definite argument. I remember when I said Nadal has a real argument to be the greatest player ever, and after he lost in the first round at Wimbledon (last year), people said, "What are you talking about? How can you even say that?" And now, it doesn't look quite as bad. All of a sudden, it looks a little more feasible.
   Q: Does Nadal at least have to tie Federer?
   A: I wouldn't say he has to tie, because he has such a one-sided head-to-head (23-10). I would be pretty pleased with either one of those guys. ... One person says it's Nadal, and the other guy says it's Federer. It's like, "My god, I'd be happy to be talked about in that light."
   Q: The dominance over Federer is amazing, plus (Nadal's) singles gold medal in the 2008 Olympics ...
   A: And (four) Davis Cups. No one cares about Davis Cup. Well, to me it meant something. I'd like to be mentioned as part of five Davis Cup (championship) teams or whatever, but I don't sit there and go, "How dare they not say I won five Davis Cups?"
   Then they say I'm short-changing doubles. I'm the one guy that played doubles. That's the funny part. It's like, "McEnroe attacks doubles." No one gives a rat's ass (about doubles), and all of a sudden, I try to say, "Well, we've got to do something here."
   Q: What gives you more pride, being a singles player, doubles player, commentator or senior player?
   A: The combination is pretty good. I hate to say this -- this is going to ruin the story -- but singles. As much as I love doubles, I would go with singles. 

Bellis, Mayo, Volynets reach Easter Bowl finals

   Three Northern Californians will play for singles titles today in the Easter Bowl, one of the top junior tournaments in the United States.
   Advancing Saturday in Indian Wells were fourth-seeded CiCi Bellis of Atheron in the girls 18s, second-seeded Keenan Mayo of Roseville in the boys 14s and sixth-seeded Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek in the girls 12s.
   Seventh-seeded Michaela Gordon and 11th-seeded Alexander Keyser of Danville lost in the semifinals of the girls 18s and boys 16s, respectively.   
   Bellis rallied to beat top-seeded Sofia Kenin of Pembroke Pines, Fla., 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to reach her third straight Easter Bowl final. Bellis, who turned 15 on Tuesday, won the last four games of the match.
   “I had to stay really focused and try not to give away any free points,” Bellis, who reached the 14s final in 2012 and won the 16s last year, said on easterbowl.com. “I was really scared being down 4-2. And nervous.”
   Bellis will face 11th-seeded Katie Swan of Wichita, Kan., in the final. Swan, who moved to the United States from Bristol, England, a year ago and turned 15 on March 24, ousted the 14-year-old Gordon 6-0, 6-4.
   Mayo outlasted unseeded Kento Perera of Santa Barbara 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 to earn a matchup with top-seeded Steven Sun of Glen Cove, N.Y. Sun overcame unseeded Andrew Fenty, the son of former Washington, D.C., mayor Adrian Fenty, 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3.
   Volynets routed 11th-seeded Amy Huang of San Diego 6-1, 6-2, setting up a match against ninth-seeded Kacie Harvey of Braintree, Mass. Harvey coasted to a 6-2, 6-1 win over 12th-seeded Amanda Chan of Pasadena.
   Keyser fell to ninth-seeded John McNally of Cincinnati 6-3, 7-6 (1).
   Fifth-seeded Paul Barretto of Tiburon and Timothy Sah of San Diego reached the doubles final in the boys 14s. 
   Bryans win another title -- Top-ranked Bob and Mike Bryan won the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship for the fifth time.
   The former Stanford All-Americans, originally from Camarillo in the Los Angeles area, edged second-seeded David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco of Spain 4-6, 6-4 [11-9] in Houston.
   After a slow start this year, the 35-year-old Bryan twins have won four straight tournaments (Delray Beach, Indian Wells, Miami and Houston) and 22 of their last 23 matches. They have 97 career titles.
SATURDAY'S COLLEGE RESULTS
Women
   No. 6 Cal 4, No. 47 Washington State 1: http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=209462356
   No. 28 Pepperdine 4, No. 43 Saint Mary's 0: http://www.smcgaels.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=101598&SPID=12531&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=209463563&DB_OEM_ID=21400
   Santa Clara 6, Portland 1: http://www.santaclarabroncos.com/sports/w-tennis/2013-14/releases/20140412ynm9w0
   USF 7, Gonzaga 0: http://usfdons.com/news/2014/4/13/WTEN_0413141538.aspx
   UC Davis at Hawaii, suspended by rain: http://hawaiiathletics.com/news/2014/4/12/WTEN_0412143007.aspx?path=wten
   Loyola Marymount 5, Pacific 2: http://pacific.prestosports.com/sports/w-tennis/2013-14/releases/20140412l7uxqi
Men
   No. 19 Cal 4, Washington 0: http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=209463487
   No. 43 Stanford 4, No. 39 Oregon 2: http://www.gostanford.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=749967&SPID=127021&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=30600&ATCLID=209462508
   No. 47 Pepperdine 4, Saint Mary's 1: http://www.smcgaels.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=101589&SPID=12530&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=209463521&DB_OEM_ID=21400
   USF 4, Portland 1: http://usfdons.com/news/2014/4/12/MTEN_0412140238.aspx
   Cal Poly 4, UC Davis 3: http://www.ucdavisaggies.com/sports/m-tennis/recaps/041214aaa.html
   Pacific 5, Loyola Marymount 2: http://pacific.prestosports.com/sports/m-tennis/2013-14/releases/2014041280gjji

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Sac State women's 13-year streak ends; Easter Bowl

The Sacramento State women's tennis team, coached by Dima Hrynashka (front left)
poses after winning the 2012 Big Sky Conference tournament. Photo by Paul Bauman
   The Sacramento State women went 13 years without losing a Big Sky Conference match.
   Then they lost two in one day.
   Short-handed Sac State fell to Montana 4-3 in Missoula, Mont., ending the Hornets' Big Sky-record 112-match conference winning streak, and Montana State by the same score in Bozeman, Mont., on Friday.
   In the deciding match against Montana, freshman Deimante Bulatovaite of Lithuania lost to Ashley Mackey 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (6) at No. 5 singles after holding three match points at 5-4 in the third set.
   With just five healthy players, Sac State (9-14, 7-2) forfeited two matches against Montana State (7-10, 4-4).
   The loss to Montana (12-7, 7-0) was the Hornets' first in conference play since a 4-1 setback to Weber State on April 14, 2001, in the Big Sky tournament. The streak was the longest by a team in any sport in Big Sky history and is believed to be the longest ever in NCAA Division I tennis.
   Sac State played without injured Jennifer Nguyen (No. 1 singles) and Katharina Knoebl (No. 4-5) in both matches Friday and lost Alina Soltanici (No. 1-3) and Daria Savchenko (No. 2-3) to injuries against Montana.
   Easter Bowl in Indian Wells -- Five Northern Californians reached the singles semifinals in various age groups in the prestigious junior tournament.
   Advancing were fourth-seeded CiCi Bellis of Atherton and seventh-seeded Michaela Gordon of Saratoga in the girls 18s, 11th-seeded Alexander Keyser of Danville in the boys 16s, second-seeded Keenan Mayo of Roseville in the boys 14s and sixth-seeded Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek in the girls 12s.
   Bellis, who turned 15 on Tuesday, will meet No. 1 seed Sofia Kenin of Pembroke Pines, Fla., today.
FRIDAY'S COLLEGE RESULTS
Women
   Montana 4, Sacramento State 3 and Montana State 4, Sac State 3
   No. 7 Stanford 4, Oregon 0
   No. 28 Pepperdine 4, Pacific 0
   No. 74 Fresno State 5, San Jose State 2
   USF 6, Portland 1
   Hawaii Pacific 5, UC Davis 2
Men
   No. 19 Cal 4, Oregon 0
   No. 43 Stanford 4, Washington 3
   Saint Mary's 4, Loyola Marymount 0
   USF 5, Gonzaga 2
   UC Santa Barbara 5, UC Davis 2
   Pepperdine 4, Pacific 1

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Notes: NorCal Hall of Fame to add Maze, others

UC Davis women's coach Bill Maze, left,
talks with an official during a match last
year. Photo by Paul Bauman
   The USTA Northern California Tennis Hall of Fame recently announced the addition of five members.
   Bill Maze, John Hubbell, Susan Mehmedbasich Wright, Rich Anderson and Bob Walsh  will be inducted on Thursday, July 31, during the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford. Tickets will be available at www.ustanorcal.com in early June.
   Maze, the 58-year-old son of California legend George Maze, progressed from junior standout to Stanford All-American to professional player. He won two ATP doubles titles, both with former Stanford teammate John McEnroe, and reached career highs of No. 87 in the world in doubles and No. 153 in singles.
   Maze is in his 19th season as the women's head coach at UC Davis. Previously, he spent five years as the women's head coach at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.
   Hubbell, one of the top teaching pros in the country, has tutored junior, collegiate and professional players. As a coach on the Junior Davis Cup team, he worked with future pros Brad Gilbert, Ricky Leach, Patrick McEnroe, Paul Annacone, MaliVai Washington, Matt Anger and Jim Grabb.
   Wright won a USTA 16s national doubles title and joined the pro tour at 17. Two years later, she left competitive tennis and didn't return for a quarter century.
   Since joining the USTA and ITF senior circuits in 2003, Wright has become one of the world's top 50-and-over players. By 2013, she had won at least 59 senior national singles and doubles titles. Wright has risen as high as No. 2 in singles.
   Anderson starred at San Jose State and built a top program at Canada College in Redwood City. From 1971 through 1983, Canada won 11 conference titles, eight NorCal championships and eight state crowns.
   Walsh's volunteer activities have brought improvements to USTA NorCal and to the Napa Valley for more than 20 years. He has helped extend league play to seniors and spurred the construction and maintenance of courts. At 88, Walsh still serves as an adult league coordinator.
   Stanford -- The No. 4 Cardinal women suffered their first loss in nearly one year and only their fourth at home since 1999, falling 4-3 to No. 3 UCLA on Friday.
   Jennifer Brady outlasted Krista Hardebeck 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 at No. 2 in the clinching match to end Stanford's 19-match winning streak, which included last year's NCAA championship run. The Cardinal hadn't lost since a 4-3 decision at Cal on April 19, 2013.
   Stanford rebounded with a 4-0 home victory over No. 13 USC on Saturday. The Cardinal improved to 14-1 overall and 6-1 in the Pacific-12 Conference.
   Meanwhile, the No. 2 USC men whipped No. 52 Stanford 7-0 in Los Angeles on Friday to snap the Cardinal's six-match winning streak, its longest since a 13-match stretch in 2011. Stanford fell at No. 3 UCLA 4-0 on Saturday.
   Cal -- No. 43 Lynn Chi edged No. 40 Kyle McPhillips 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) at No. 4 to give the No. 12 Bears (7-0, 14-4 Pac-12) a 4-3 victory over UCLA on Saturday in Berkeley. Cal had trailed 3-1.
   The host Bears trounced USC 4-0 on Friday.
   The No. 18 Cal men (12-5, 2-2) lost at UCLA 4-1 on Friday and USC 4-0 on Saturday.
   International Spring Championships in Carson -- CiCi Bellis of Atherton in the San Francisco Bay Area won the girls 18 singles title on Sunday, two days before her 15th birthday.
   Bellis, seeded fifth, routed ninth-seeded Raveena Kingsley, 15, of Fulton, Md., 6-3, 6-0. Kingsley had beaten Bellis in their only prior meeting in the USTA Spring Nationals 12s in 2011.  

Rankings mover of the week: Nicole Gibbs

Nicole Gibbs is close to reaching her career high of No. 166
in the world in singles. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman
   Nicole Gibbs, who turned pro last June out of Stanford, is approaching her career-high singles ranking.
   The 21-year-old resident of Santa Monica in the Los Angeles area rose 14 places to No. 168 in the world after reaching the second round in Monterrey, Mexico, on the elite WTA Tour last week. She attained a career-high No. 166 last July.
   Gibbs defeated Andrea Hlavackova, a two-time Grand Slam women's doubles champion from the Czech Republic, in the first round in Monterrey before losing to eighth-seeded Monica Puig of Puerto Rico.
   In Gibbs' previous tournament, she advanced to the final of a $25,000 Challenger in Innisbrook, Fla., falling to countrywoman Grace Min.
   Gibbs gave up her senior year at Stanford after winning the last two NCAA singles titles. She also captured the 2012 NCAA doubles crown with Mallory Burdette.
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.
   Bradley Klahn, 23 years old, 2010 NCAA singles champion and 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 65 in singles (no change), No. 136 in doubles (-1).
   Scott Lipsky, 32 years old, 2002 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 39 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Sam Querrey, 26 years old, San Francisco native, Capitals (2012-13) -- No. 82 in singles (-8), No. 115 in doubles (no change).
   Dmitry Tursunov, 31 years old, trains at Gorin Tennis Academy in Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay -- No. 32 in singles (no change), No. 95 in doubles (+1).
Women
   Mallory Burdette, 23 years old, NCAA singles runner-up in 2012 and NCAA doubles champion in 2011 and 2012 from Stanford -- No. 289 in singles (-51), No. 1,144 in doubles (-1).
   Nicole Gibbs, 21 years old, NCAA singles champion in 2012 and 2013 and NCAA doubles champion in 2012 from Stanford -- No. 168 in singles (+14), No. 407 in doubles (-2).
   Macall Harkins, 28 years old, Redding resident -- No. 371 in doubles (-3), No. 711 in singles (+1).
   Raquel Kops-Jones, 31 years old, 2003 NCAA doubles champion from Cal -- No. 15 in doubles (no change), No. 1,094 in singles (-3).
   Maria Sanchez, 24 years old, born and raised in Modesto -- No. 102 in doubles (-3), No. 244 in singles (no change).