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THIS WEEK IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA |
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Donald Young - USA |
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Photo by Adam Davis |
DONALD YOUNG BEATS MICHAEL RUSSELL TO
WIN THE USTA MEN’S PRO TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP OF CALABASAS
By Steve Pratt
CALABASAS, CA. – Unseeded Donald Young of Atlanta, Ga., captured
his first tournament title of the year and the third of his career with
a straight-set win over No. 2 seeded Michael Russell as the ninth annual
USTA Men’s Pro Tennis Championship of Calabasas came to a close on
Sunday.
Young, 20, remained steady and played the swirling, moderate wind and
the bigger points a little better to take the first set, 7-6 (4) before
amping up his game to take the second, 6-1, for the title and the $7,200
first-place prize money at the Calabasas Tennis & Swim Center.
“I know it came in the fall but it feels great to get my first
tournament win of the year,” said a smiling Young, who lost to Russell
back in February in Dallas. “Michael gets a lot of balls back. He
doesn’t ever give up so you just have to stay in there and be patient.”
Russell, who lives in Houston, is the USTA Pro Circuit’s all-time leader
in tournament wins with 20.
Young played great, especially the last four matches. After needing
three sets to beat qualifier Louk Sorensen in the first round, Young
gave up just 13 games over his next three matches including a convincing
straight-set win over former Top 25 player Taylor Dent.
Young said he’s been trying to work on his mental toughness the last few
weeks. “It’s something that I’ve lost over the past year and I’m trying
to get it back,” he said.
Russell, 31, earned $4,240 for his efforts and thanked the crowd, some
who remember watching him play in the first Calabasas Challenger. “Way
back in 1887,” Russell joked to the fans. “It’s a great event and I’m
happy to come back here and be in the final.”
Young also thinks Calabasas is nice. But he’s not particularly hoping
for a return trip here next year. He hopes to be coming off a successful
season on the ATP Tour. “I really like it here,” he said. “But I hope
the next time I come it’s just for a visit.”
In the doubles final, Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico and Simon Stadler of
Germany went the distance against third-seeded Treat Conrad Huey of the
Philippines and Harsh Mankad of India, eventually pulling out the
victory, 6-2, 5-7, 10-4. Huey and Mankad were coming off a win at last
week’s Tiburon $50,000 Challenger.
SUNDAY RESULTS - OCTOBER 25, 2009
Singles Final
Donald Young, United States, def. Michael Russell (2), United
States, 7-6 (4), 6-1
Doubles Final
Santiago Gonzalez, Mexico-Simon Stadler, Germany, Treat Conrad Huey,
Philippines-Harsh Mankad (3), India, 6-2, 5-7, 10-4 |
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This Week's Coverage
Website:
www.calabasaschallenger.com
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/calabasastennis
Singles and Doubles
Draw
USTA Pro Circuit
With 94 tournaments throughout the country and prize money ranging from
$10,000 to $100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open
and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players and a frequent
battleground for established professionals. Last year, more than 1,000
men and women from more than 70 countries competed on the USTA Pro
Circuit for approximately $3.2 million in prize money and valuable ATP
and WTA Tour ranking points. Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, James Blake,
Lindsay Davenport, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Jelena Jankovic are among the
top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit. The USTA Pro
Circuit is world-class tennis administered on the local level and played
on local tennis courts as part of the fabric of communities nationwide —
an opportunity for current and new fans to experience the excitement and
intensity of the professional game in their neighborhood.
Steve Pratt can be reached at
sprattt@aol.com For more information:
USTA Pro Circuit |
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SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA NEWS |
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Jack Kramer |
TENNIS ICON JACK KRAMER
MEMORIALIZED
By Kelly Richards
LOS ANGELES, CA - The last live
professional tennis tournament he saw was the one he created, the Los
Angeles Open.
Jack Kramer, perhaps the man most responsible for shaping modern
professional tennis, died Saturday September 12 from cancer of the
connective tissues. He was 88.
A pioneer, Kramer took players from amateurs paid under the table to
pros paid prize money.
In 1947, he won Wimbledon. In ’46 and’47, back-to-back U.S.
Championships, the precursor to today’s U.S. Open. Kramer also held
seven other Grand Slam doubles titles.
Before he went into his last U.S Championship final, Kramer decided to
turn pro because, quite frankly, he said he needed the money. The tennis
world had to sit up and take notice after his city-to-city tournaments
attracted better and better players and more and more fans. That was the
beginning of the ATP, the American Tennis Professionals.
And, in a backhanded way, Kramer is also responsible for the WTA, the
Women’s Tennis Association. He never thought the “ladies” could attract
as big of crowds as the men and therefore should not earn as much.
That’s when another legend, Billie Jean King, defected and started the
Virginia Slims Tennis Tour.
Kramer also led the way in sports endorsements. Practically an entire
generation of tennis players cut their teeth on the ‘Wilson Kramer”
racket. Selling more than 30 million, it became the most popular racket
ever made. Earning 2.5 percent of the profits, Kramer eventually
renegotiated the deal with the sporting goods giant because he said he
was making more than the company president.
He used some of that money to buy the Jack Kramer Tennis Club in Rolling
Hills, on the Palos Verdes Peninsula near Los Angeles, where tennis
greats like Pete Sampras and Tracy Austin grew up playing.
Born in Las Vegas, Kramer knew how to play the odds and used that in his
tennis game. He played “percentage” tennis; making the shots he had the
best chance of winning. Kramer was also known for his aggressive serve
and volley game.
Five sons survive him. One son, Bob Kramer, still runs the yearly summer
tournament his father started at UCLA. |
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