Lutkemeyer Obregon, Lim dominate ISC 16s finals

Anne Lutkemeyer Obregon and Zachery Lim left no doubt in a pair of all-American 16s finals at the USTA International Spring Championships, dropping just six games between them in Saturday's championship matches in Carson, Calif. 

In the girls' event, the unseeded Lutkemeyer Obregon lifted the title in her native California with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over No. 5 Maryam Ahmad.

The 13-year-old champion received a wild card into the 16s draw, and made her presence felt by dismissing four seeds on her way to the trophy, including No. 2 Lauren G. Anzalotta-Kynoch in the semifinals. 

No. 3 Lim was even more efficient in his final victory, racing past No. 5 Maxwell McKennon, 6-0, 6-2, to win the tournament without dropping a set. 

Lim, of Fairfield, Calif., followed up his semifinal upset of No. 1 Spencer Brachman with another steady performance in the title round. The 16-year-old scored a 6-0 opening set in both the semifinal and final rounds.

Hurricane Tyra Black (pictured) made sure there would be at least one American in the girls' 18s final, as she thwarted Ukranian Margaryta Bilokin, the No. 1 seed, in a three-set semi, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. 

Black, 17, is comfortable on the big stage, having already appeared in five junior Grand Slam tournaments after making her debut at the 2015 US Open. The Boca Raton, Fla., resident also reached the ISC semifinals last year.

Her final opponent will be Ireland's Georgia Drummy, who also dropped the opening set in her semi before recovering for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 win against No. 7 Hailey Baptiste.

The finalists share a Boca Raton connection, as the fifth-seeded Drummy trains at the Chris Evert Academy in the south Florida city. 

The boys' 18s semifinals were both decided in straight sets, as No. 2 Tristan Boyer got past No. 8 Tyler Zink, 6-3, 6-3, while No. 13 Brandon Nakashima beat the unseeded Stefan Dostanic, 6-3, 7-5.

Boyer finally ended his run of seven consecutive three-set matches, dating back to the Easter Bowl, with the efficient victory. Nakashima, on the other hand, has not dropped a set in his ISC run, highlighted by a third-round upset of No. 1 Drew Baird.

The California natives will battle it out in Sunday's final, after Black and Drummy play for the girls' 18s crown.

Finally, in the 18s doubles competitions, a pair of teams that partnered for the first time at last week's Easter Bowl lifted trophies. Emilio Nava and Axel Nefve won the boys' title with a 7-5, 6-0 victory over No. 3 Boyer and Eliot Spizzirri. The girls' crown was won by Natasha Subash and Katie Volynets, who scored a 6-3, 6-3 result over Drummy and Alexandra Vagramov.

To follow Sunday's 18s singles finals, and for complete draws and schedules from the 2018 USTA International Spring Championships, click here.