Day 7 of the USTA International Spring Championships

Written by: Staff on 11th April 2011

Day 7 of the USTA International Spring Championships |

Marcos Giron had plenty of incentive heading into the boys’ 18s final of the USTA International Spring Championships Sunday morning at Home Depot Center.

The 17-year-old from Thousand Oaks was hoping to succeed where a friend and future teammate had failed. UCLA freshman Clay Thompson lost in last year’s final and Giron, who will play for the Bruins next seasonl, was determined to have a better result.

“I just got a text from Clay because every year I’ve seemed to do the exact same as him,” Giron said after his 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-4 upset over top-seeded Bjorn Fratangelo of Pittsburgh. “Being from Southern California you don’t like losing in your home territory.”

The unseeded Giron needed nearly two hours and 25 minutes to avenge a straight-set loss in the quarterfinals of Kalamazoo in 2009, but the extra effort and sweat made his victory that much more rewarding.

“This is probably the biggest tournament I’ve won because some of the top players in the world were here,” said Giron, who will have one day to rest before playing his first match at the Easter Bowl in Rancho Mirage, a two-hour drive east from Carson. “[UCLA] Coach Billy Martin was here the whole tournament, too, so I’m glad I could play well.”

Fratangelo, the defending USTA National Clay Court Championships and Easter Bowl winner, entered the tournament No. 17 in the ITF world junior rankings. He fell behind 6-0 in the first-set tiebreaker before reeling off six straight points to level it.

“He played lights out those first six points and on the changeover I decided to just go for broke,” said Fratangelo, who struggled with his first serve throughout the match. “When I won the next three [points], I started feeling like I could come back.”

Fratangelo fought off his sixth set point when Giron hit long after a 22-stroke baseline rally. Fratangelo’s topspin lob landed inches beyond the baseline to give Giron another set point and this time Fratangelo hit a forehand approach long. Giron had saved a set point himself with an overhead winner in the 10th game.

“It was fun, it just sucks to come out on the losing end,” Fratangelo said. “My forehand is usually my best shot, but I was missing it today. I won the second set and really wanted to break him to start the third, but he was serving with new balls and won that game at love.”

Giron had a 4-1 lead in the third set, but Fratangelo came back to even it at 4-4. Giron held serve and had a 30-40 lead when Fratangelo sprayed a forehand wide on match point.

“We’re both know for hitting big,” Giron said. “I’ve been working on moving forward and shortening the points and I think it paid off in the third set.”

Like Giron, Samantha Crawford entered the tournament unseeded but played like the favorite throughout, winning her first Grade I title with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over third-seeded Madison Keys in the girls’ 18s final.

“I went out every match and just tried to play my best, have fun and not worry so much,” said the 16-year-old from Atlanta who now trains at the USTA Training Center in Boca Raton, Fla. “Today, I could’ve lost my serve at 1-1 and she could’ve taken the momentum but I thought I was setting up the points well and dictating the pace.”

Crawford took command early, breaking Keys in the fourth game and holding serve to take a 4-1 lead. Keys, who trains at the Evert Academy in Boca Raton, took a 10-minute medical timeout to get treatment for a stomach pull and was broken the next game. Crawford held serve to close out the first set when Keys netted a backhand return.

“I can’t say how much it affected her, but she was hitting more kick serves after the injury timeout,” said Crawford, whose notched her first Grade 1 win in the 16s at the Eddie Herr International Juniors in Bradenton, Fla. in December.

What makes Crawford’s resurgence so surprising is that she had knee surgery in February 2010, two months after losing in the first round of the 14s at Eddie Herr.

“I had to work really hard to get my strength and conditioning back, but I can definitely feel the improvement I’ve made,” she said. “My serve is harder and I’m able to stay in points longer.”

Keys double faulted to open the second set, lost her serve and was broken again in the third game. Crawford hit a clean winner up the line to take a 4-0 lead and broke Keys to end the match.

Crawford earned a wildcard into the 18s at the Easter Bowl and is scheduled to play her first match Monday. “It’s a lot of matches in a short time, yes, but this one was quick so hopefully I’ll be fresh enough to do well there.”

For more information on the tournament including scores and draws, log onto the website at www.usta.com/isc.

SUNDAY’S SINGLES RESULTS

Note: All singles players from United States unless if noted.

Boys’ 18s Final Marcos Giron def. Bjorn Fratangelo (1), 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-4

Girls’ 18s Final Samantha Crawford def. Madison Keys (3), 6-1, 6-1