Pro Circuit Round-up: Wolf wins on home Buckeye turf

Throughout the "Big 3" era, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have had a knack for winning tournaments by peaking for the money rounds. JJ Wolf, a former Ohio State star who is increasingly staking his claim as one to watch for the next generation, followed that blueprint to win his fifth ITF title on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio.

The 21-year-old Cincinnati native was victorious on the Buckeyes' home courts, winning the ATP Challenger 80 event with a pair of straight-sets victories over the weekend. He took out former OSU teammate Mikael Torpegaard, 7-6, 7-6, in the semis, then dominated No. 5 seed Denis Istomin, 6-4, 6-2, in a 69-minute final in which he faced—and saved—just one break point. The result lifts him into the ATP's Top 150 for the first time, to a career high of No. 144.

“I tried my hardest in every point,” said Wolf, who improved his record in ITF finals to 5-1. “[I] stayed low, served well and tried to compete for every point. I think consistency and keeping a high level were essential for me this week. I played so many great players—there weren’t any easy matches. So, really staying on my game and staying focused is what pulled me through.”

Seeded sixth, Wolf grinded out a trio of three-set victories in the opening rounds, punctuated by an comeback win over No. 3 Cedrik-Marcel Stebe of Germany in the quarterfinals.

The Columbus doubles final featured a pair of Americans on opposing teams. Nathaniel Lammons took home the title with partner Treat Huey of the Philippines, as the No. 4 seeds topped Alex Lawson and Great Britain's Lloyd Glasspool, 7-6, 7-6.

There were also some strong American showings on the ATP and WTA tours at the Abierto Mexicano in Acapulco, Mexico. In the ATP 500 event, Taylor Fritz defeated John Isner in an all-American semifinal, before losing to Nadal in the championship match. Tommy Paul made the quarterfinals.

In the WTA International event, Christina McHale reached the singles last eight, while Desirae Krawczyk teamed with Mexico's Giuliana Olmos for the doubles title. 

Other notable American results on the ITF Circuit included:

Women:

• Hailey Baptiste reached the singles semifinals at the USTA Pro Circuit W25 event in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., where Jamie Loeb was a quarterfinalist. Sophie Whittle and Kayla Day teamed up to win the doubles title.
•  Jennifer Elie was a singles semifinalist at the ITF World Tennis Tour W25 event in Perth, Australia, where Asia Muhammad reached the quarters.
• Chiara Scholl reached the doubles final at the W25 event in Altenkirchen, Germany.
• Taylor Ng was a singles quarterfinalist at the W15 event in Monastir, Tunisia.

Men:

• Maxime Cressy reached the singles final at the ATP Challenger 80 event in Calgary, Canada, where Nathan Pasha and Max Schnur took the doubles title.
• Vasil Kirkov was a singles semifinalist at the ITF World Tennis Tour M15 event in Heraklion, Greece.
• Nicolas Moreno de Alboran reached the singles quarterfinals at the M15 event in Vale Do Lobo, Portugal.

Photo credit: Oracle Pro Series