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Christina McHale wins Easter Bowl title.
© David Kenas
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By Steve Pratt, special to USTA.com
PALM DESERT, Calif. -- Christina Mchale was simply red hot on Saturday. There’s no better way to describe the 16-year-old’s play as she dominated top-seeded Lauren Embree to win her first Easter Bowl title, 6-0, 6-3, in the girls’ 18s ITF event at the 42nd annual national championships at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort.
McHale, the No. 4 seed from Englewood Cliffs, N.J. playing in her first junior tournament since the Australian Open Juniors in January, reeled off nine straight games for a 6-0, 3-0 lead before Embree finally got on the board. McHale was playing in her fifth Easter Bowl and said it was important to finally take home the title. “I always look forward to this tournament,” she said. “This was a little unexpected but definitely one of my biggest wins.”
Before the 18s final, Mackenzie McDonald dominated as much as McHale, taking out doubles partner Nikko Madregallejo in the boys’ 14s final, 6-4, 6-2.
“As I grow older the ability to play a good friend gets easier,” McDonald said after the match. The pair were the top-seeded team in the doubles final and came out on top over No. 9 seeded Roy Lederman and Ryan Smith, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 for more hardware to add to the trophy case.
McDonald assured the Easter Bowl crowd this wasn’t the last you would hear from him. “My goal is to be the best tennis player who ever played the game,” he said confidently.
Two Easter Bowl first-timers battled it out for the girls’ 14s final with No. 2 seeded Brooke Austin coming back to beat No. 1 Julia Elbaba, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. “I actually relaxed when the third set started,” said Austin, from Indianapolis. “I’m starting to get used to playing in front of big crowds.”
Austin likes to play a foot or two inside the baseline and takes the ball on the rise. “It was tough at first,” Elbaba said of Austin’s game. “I had to mix it up and just stay focused.”
Elbaba, who said she plans to play the 18s at her next national event, was awarded the American Airlines Award scholarship. She will receive a free airline ticket to anywhere American Airlines flies.
Embree teamed with Mallory Burdette to take the 18s doubles title by default over Kristie Ahn and Monica Puig.
In the girls’ 16s final on Sunday, the daughter of former NBA All-Star Mark Price, Caroline Price of Duluth, Ga., plays fellow Georgian No. 2 seed Whitney Kay of Alpharetta.
In the boys’ 16s the top seeds will meet each other as Shane Visant of Keller, Texas, takes on Marcos Giron of Thousand Oaks. Visant beat Giron last year in their last meeting in three sets. “He has a big game,” Visant said. “I expect him to play great in the final.”
Daily results will be posted on http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments (keyword Easter Bowl). The tournament IDs are:
USTA Boys/Girls 14s-16s: 651790209
Boys/Girls 18s: 651709309
Also, check out the tournament’s new website at www.easterbowl.com and sign up for the daily newsletter for the latest in results and schedules.
SATURDAY’S SCORES
Boys' 18 Singles (Semifinal Round)
Tennys Sandgren (2), Gallatin, TN def. Johannes Vanoverbeek (10), Boca Raton, FL 6-3, 6-1
Evan King (4), Chicago, IL def. Raymond Sarmiento, Fontana, CA 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
Girls' 18 Singles (Final Round)
Christina McHale (4), Englewood Cliffs, NJ def. Lauren Embree (1) Marco Island, FL 6-0, 6-3
Girls' 18 Doubles (Final Round)
Mallory Burdette / Embree Lauren (1) def. Kristie Ahn / Monica Puig (2) Wo (emerg)
Boys' 18 Doubles (Semifinal Round)
Frederick Saba / Jack Sock def. Mitchell Frank / Junior Ore (4) 7-6(3), 7-6(3)
Denis Kudla / JT Sundling (3) def. Tennys Sandgren / Johannes Vanoverbeek (2) 6-2, 6-4
Girls' 16 Singles (Semifinal Round)
Whitney Kay (2), Alpharetta, GA def. Giuliana Olmos (4), Fremont, CA 6-4, 7-5
Caroline Price (5), Duluth, GA def. Kristen Dodge (7), Barrington, IL 6-3, 6-1
Girls' 16 Singles Consolation (Quarterfinal Round)
Lynda Xepoleas (14), Gold River, CA def. Shayne Austin, Oak Park, CA Wo (inj)
Caitlyn Williams (8), Knoxville, TN def. Kirsten Lewis, Odenville, AL 4-6, 6-0, 6-0
Kaitlin Ray, Little Rock, AR def. Lorraine Guillermo (6), Walnut, CA 7-6(5), 6-1
Skylar Morton, Bethesda, MD def. Belinda Niu (1), Portland, OR Wo (inj)
Girls' 16 Singles Consolation (Semifinal Round)
Lynda Xepoleas (14), Gold River, CA def. Skylar Morton, Bethesda, MD 6-3, 6-1
Girls' 16 Singles Consolation (Semifinal Round)
Caitlyn Williams (8) Knoxville, TN def. Kaitlin Ray Little Rock, AR 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(2)
Lynda Xepoleas (14) Gold River, CA def. Skylar Morton (17) Bethesda, MD 6-3, 6-1
Girls' 16 Doubles (Semifinal Round)
Lorraine Guillermo / Desirae Krawczyk (3) def. Ashley Dai / Riko Shimizu (9) 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4)
Whitney Kay / Price Caroline (1) def. Jasmine Minor / Giuliana Olmos (4) 6-3, 6-0
Boys' 16 Singles (Semifinal Round)
Shane Vinsant (1), Keller, TX def. Jeremy Efferding, Lake Worth, FL 6-2, 6-2
Marcos Giron (2), Thousand Oaks, CA def. Spencer Newman (4), Miami, FL 6-0, 2-2 Ret (inj)
Boys' 16 Singles Consolation (Quarterfinal Round)
Hunter Harrington, Spartanburg, SC def. Dennis Mkrtchian (7), Reseda, CA 6-4, 6-2
Chase Curry, Wichita Falls, TX def. Gregory Scott, Manhattan Beach, CA 6-3, 0-1 Ret (inj)
Billy Pecor (11), Ojai, CA def. Richard Del Nunzio, Forest Hills, NY 6-2, 6-2
Evan Song (3), Henderson, NV def. Brandon Fickey, Knoxville, TN 7-6(4), 6-4
Boys' 16 Singles Consolation (Semifinal Round)
Chase Curry (17) Wichita Falls, TX def. Billy Pecor (11) Ojai, CA 4-6, 6-3, 6-0
Evan Song (3) Henderson, NV def. Hunter Harrington Spartanburg, SC 6-4, 6-4
Boys' 16 Doubles (Final Round)
Eric Johnson / Calvin Mark def. Jeremy Efferding / Bjorn Fratangelo (4) 6-1, 7-6(2)
Boys' 16 Doubles (Playoff)
Andrew Korinek / Martinez Jose (9) def. Robbie Mudge / Ashok Narayana (8) 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3
Boys' 14 Singles (Final Round)
Mackenzie McDonald (3), Piedmont, CA def. Nikko Madregallejo (4), Duarte, CA 6-4, 6-2
Boys' 14 Singles Consolation (Final Round)
Thai Kwiatkowski (9), Charlotte, NC def. Spencer Papa, Edmond, OK 6-2, 6-0
Boys' 14 Singles (Playoff)
Trey Daniel (1), Leawood, KS def. Luca Corinteli, Alexandria, VA 6-3, 6-4
Boys' 14 Doubles (Final Round)
Nikko Madregallejo / Mackenzie McDonald (1) def. Roy Lederman / Ryan Smith (9) 7-5, 4-6, 6-4
Boys' 14 Doubles (Playoff)
Jose Gracia / Stefan Kozlov def. Grayson Goldin / Alexander Saltiel 6-3, 7-6(3)
Girls' 14 Doubles (Final Round)
Julia Elbaba / Smith Alyssa (1) def. Spencer Liang / Jamie Loeb (2) 6-4, 6-4
Girls' 14 Doubles (Playoff)
Alexandra Morozova / Alanna Wolff (5) def. Kiah Generette / Jessica Perez 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-2
Girls' 14 Singles (Final Round)
Brooke Austin (2), Indianapolis, IN def. Julia Elbaba (1), Oyster Bay, NY 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
Girls' 14 Singles Consolation (Final Round)
Spencer Liang (6), Potomac, MD def. Jamie Loeb (3), Ossining, NY 6-0, 7-5
Girls' 14 Singles (Playoff)
Alyssa Smith (4), Laguna Niguel, CA def. Kimberly Yee, Las Vegas, NV 6-2, 7-6(3)
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Boys' and girls’ 14s kick off first day at Easter Bowl
2009 Easter Bowl Preview
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