News

By J. Fred Sidhu, special to USTA.com

SAN DIEGO – Unseeded Jeff Williams of San Diego credited his consistency and a bit of luck in helping him win his opening match, as he defeated Jake Worseldine of Newport, R.I., 6-2, 6-2, in the first round of the USTA National Open Hard Court Championships at the Balboa Tennis Club.
 
On a cool, cloudy morning on Court No. 8, the 33-year-old Williams scored an early service break and later served for the first set with a 5-2 lead. On set point, the San Diegan blasted a down-the-line forehand winner to put away the first set.

After holding serve to open the second set, Worseldine broke Williams to take a 2-0 lead, but Williams used his consistent baseline game to wear down Worseldine and win the next six games in a row to close out the match.

"The key was the consistency. I was able to keep a few more balls in play than my opponent. I had a bit of luck at times on some break points," said Williams, who is a tennis teaching professional at San Diego’s Pacific Sports Resort.

"He made a few errors. If it had gone the other way, it would have probably changed the complexion of the whole match," Williams added. "Even though it was 2 and 2, it came down to one or two points here or there."

Top-seeded Alessandro-Damiano Ventre of Riverside, Calif., who is currently ranked No. 935 in the ATP World Tour rankings, received a first-round bye and will play his opening match at 9 a.m. (PDT) on Tuesday.

Click here for the current schedule and the latest scores and results.

Matches will begin at 9 a.m. (PDT) each day through the end of the tournament on Sunday, June 10.

The winners of each division will be awarded a USTA gold ball, while the runner-up will be awarded a USTA silver ball. There will also be a 3rd/4th place playoff for the USTA bronze ball. All draws will have consolation events.

Admission for spectators to the week-long tournament is free and open to the public. On-site parking is free. Lunch can be purchased at Babycakes Balboa Park, a California casual café located at the Balboa Tennis Club.

Former tournament champions include current American stars Jack Sock and CoCo Vandeweghe and former touring tennis professionals Gretchen Magers, Rosalyn Nideffer and Allison Bradshaw.

The USTA National Open Hard Court Championships was voted "2011 Tournament of the Year" by the San Diego District Tennis Association.
 
About The Balboa Tennis Club
In addition to the USTA National Open Hard Court Championships, the Balboa Tennis Club is the site for many prestigious tournaments throughout the year, such as the Maureen Connolly Balboa Open, the San Diego District Championships, the San Diego Metropolitan Tournament. The club boasts over 1,400 members and is visited by approximately 6,000-day pass visitors each year. As a non-profit organization, Balboa Tennis Club is dedicated to offering the finest facilities at an affordable price to help foster and develop the great game of tennis in San Diego. The history of the Balboa Tennis Club dates back to 1922, when a small group of tennis enthusiasts raised $5,000 among themselves and, with the cooperation from the City Recreation Department, constructed six tennis courts adjacent to the present War Memorial Building.

On April 24, 1924, the San Diego Tennis Association received a lease to operate the courts for the public. The following year, a small clubhouse with locker rooms was built, but it was not until June 1939 that Articles of Incorporation were drawn up, and the Balboa Tennis Club actually was formed as a public, non-profit corporation to foster and develop the game of tennis in San Diego and to encourage competitive play with other clubs of this and other communities.

The club flourished many years at its original location and aided many young players in developing their games. In June 1966, the club moved to its present location and in July 1983, assumed all the operational responsibilities of the Morley Field Tennis Complex. In 1989, Balboa Tennis Club was rated as America's Best Public Tennis Facility by the USTA. In 2000, the San Diego District Tennis Association named BTC as Club of the Year. In 2003, it received the Outstanding Tennis Facility award from the USTA for large facilities in the United States.

USTA National Open Hard Court Championships
June 4-10, 2012
Balboa Tennis Club
San Diego, Calif.
Surface: Hard—Outdoor

Monday, June 4, 2012 – RESULTS:

Men’s Singles - First Round
Kenneth Sabacinski, Plantation, Fla., def. Jawad Bisharat, La Jolla, 6-1, 6-0
Ramazan Nureev, Riverside, def. Tony Ybarra, Ramona, 6-1, 6-1
Jiaqi Duan, Carlsbad, def. Dustin Goldenberg, Birmingham, Mich., 4-6, 7-6, 6-4
Dylan Trent, Poway, def.  Oliver Thornton Los Angeles, 6-1, 6-2
Mario Becerra, Pembroke Pines, Fla., def.  Adrian Ortiz, Chula Vista, 6-3, 6-3
Patrick Guion, Carlsbad, def.  Trevor Donovan, San Diego, 5-7, 6-0, 6-0
Daniel Faierman, Del Mar, def.  Jacob Johnson Rancho Santa Fe, 6-2, 6-2
Eddie Sengendo-Kimera, San Diego, def.  Andrew Carlisle, Portola Valley, 6-1, 6-2
Robert Ferrante, Yorktown Heights, N.Y., def.  Mark Bloom San Juan Capistrano, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3
Tyler Hansen, Poway, def.  Horea Porutiu, Rancho Palos Verdes, 7-5, 6-2
Jason Welborn, San Diego, def.  Anish Manrai, Palatine, Ill., 6-1, 6-0
Jeff Williams, San Diego, def.  Jake Worseldine, Newport, R.I., 6-2, 6-2
Jack Barber, La Jolla, def. Michael Ahn, San Diego, 6-2, 6-1
James Dao, Laguna Beach, def.  Benjamin Ward, San Diego, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6
Garrett Stone, San Diego, def.  Ivan Smith, Chula Vista, 6-0, 6-3
Justin Wilson, Moreno Valley, def.  Enrique Mereles, San Diego, 6-4, 6-1
Donald Johnson, Rancho Santa Fe, def.  Pablo Santibanez Luna, Tucson, Ariz., 6-3, 6-4
Conrad McKinnon, Santa Monica, def.  Juan Garcia, San Diego, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3
Juan Cobas, Santee, def.  Thomas Cundy, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Default 
Chris Bryan, San Diego, def.  Rand Hogen, La Jolla, 6-4, 6-2
John Palacio, El Centro, def.  Omar Jimenez, San Diego, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
Rodrigo Santibanez Luna, Tucson, Ariz.,  def.  John Allgood, Irvine, 6-0, 6-0
Josue Calderon, El Centro, def.  Cezhan Ambrose, Encino, 6-3, 6-4
Danny Riggs, Pompano Beach, Fla., def.  Cameron Amyot, San Diego, 6-0, 6-1
Jordan Brown, San Diego, def.  Christopher Ruetten, Escondido, 6-1, 6-0
Eddie Acuna, Rancho Santa Fe, def.  Alex Abbuhl, La Jolla, 6-2, 2-0, Ret.
Kakhaber Maisuradze, San Diego, def.  Teo Ortuno, Chula Vista, 6-0, 6-3
Joseph Van Meter, Indianapolis, Ind. def.  Chris Palacio, El Centro, 6-2, 6-4
Zachary Northey, Lincoln, Neb., def.  Christopher Bloom, San Juan Capistrano, 6-0, 6-2
Ed Siefken, San Diego, def. Jared Thompkins, San Diego, 6-1, 6-4
Ryan Rosen, La Jolla, def.  Patrick Rost, Encinitas, 6-0, 6-4
Addison Appleby, La Jolla, def.  Yousef Benhamida, San Diego, 6-4, 7-6
Colin Foster, Wichita, Kan. def.  Alfredo Mendoza, San Diego, 6-0, 6-0