Reigning NCAA Singles Champ Steve Johnson Wins First – Round Match

Written by: Staff on 15th September 2011

Reigning NCAA Singles Champ Steve Johnson Wins First - Round Match |

POMONA VALLEY HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER USTA PRO CLASSIC

CLAREMONT, CA * SEPTEMBER 12-18, 2011

Site: The Claremont Club, Claremont, CA Main Draw: (32 singles, 16 doubles)

Surface: Hard/Outdoor Prize Money: $10,000

Website: (www.procircuit.usta.com)

REIGNING NCAA SINGLES CHAMP STEVE JOHNSON WINS FIRST-ROUND MATCH AT

16^th ANNUAL POMONA VALLEY HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER USTA PRO CLASSIC

Turn pro or not to turn pro. It’s a question that’s weighed heavily on the mind of USC senior Steve Johnson for four months although he says he’s settled for the next best thing: Taking the fall semester off.

“It’s been like being a pro for the past couple of months, really,” said the top-seeded Johnson, after needing three tense sets to defeat former junior rival Kyle McMorrow, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4, in the first round at the 16^th annual Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center USTA Pro Classic being played at the Claremont Club. “Right now it’s eat, sleep and drink tennis. I wake up, to the gym by 9, practice, get lunch, hit again. If I were in school it’d be weights, class, practice, class and then try and run. Then it’s 9 o’clock at night and no one wants to do homework then.”

The reigning NCAA champion says he contemplated going pro on numerous occasions over the summer. “I was close, but not close,” said Johnson, who is from the City of Orange in Southern California. “I mean, I win a round at the Open, then two, then maybe it’s different.”

He said a chat with John Isner — who went to Georgia for four years — at the Cincinnati ATP event before the Open (where he lost in five set to Alex Bogomolov Jr.) helped solidify his decision for good. “I got to talk to him about turning pro or coming back,” said Johnson, who was 24-0 in dual matches during his junior year and ended the season on a 35-match winning streak. “All the guys said the same thing: ‘You’re not too old.’ “

Johnson said he’s also motivated to help the Trojans win four NCAA team titles, something that’s only been done once before since the team format was instituted. “I want to come back and set the history books for USC tennis by winning four straight national titles,” he said. “It’s a goal (teammate) Daniel (Nguyen) and I have.”

Only Stanford’s Paul Goldstein has accomplished the feat (1995-98).

Johnson dropped the first set against the big-serving McMorrow but was able to rally back in front of his college coach Peter Smith of USC, who saw Johnson beat McMorrow dropping just five games during a dual match at the beginning of April.

“Today I didn’t play my best tennis but played well enough to win,” Johnson said. “I felt fine but just felt off. I haven’t had many days where I’m totally off and today the serve felt good but the forehand was a little off, the backhand a little off and the volley a little off. Everything was just kind of hit and miss.”

Also on Wednesday, a wild card (Mousheg Hovhannisyan) and three qualifiers (Alexandre Lacroix, Timothy Kpulun and Thomas Shubert) posted wins during the first round.

Wednesday’s First-Round results

Singles

Vladimir Obradovic, Serbia, (4) def. Partik Pohlmann, Germany (q), 6-3, 7-6 (5)

Sanam Singh, India, def. Raymond Sarmiento, U.S. (wc), 6-2, 6-3

Dennis Novikov, U.S., def. Dennis Lajola, U.S., 6-3, 6-2

Rudolph Siwy, Czech Republic (6), def. Vignesh Peranamallur, India, 6-1, 6-2

Steve Johnson, U.S. (1), def. Kyle McMorrow, U.S. (q), 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4

Mousheg Hovhannisyan, U.S. (wc), def. Emmett Egger, U.S. (q), 6-4, 5-7, 6-4

Alexandre Lacroix, France (q), def. Boris Bakalov, Bulgaria (5), 6-1, 6-1

Timothy Kpulun, Sierra Leone (q), def. 6-3, 7-6 (5)

Thomas Shubert, U.S. (q), def. Adam Hubble, Australia (q), 7-6 (3), 6-2

Doubles Quarterfinals

Joshua Graves, U.S.-Rudolph Siwy, Czech Republic, def. Emmett Egger, U.S.-Kyle McMorrow, U.S. (wc), 6-3, 6-2

Vladimir Obradovic, Serbia-Vignesh Peranamallur, India, def. Christian Harrison, U.S.-Terence Nugent, Ivory Coast (3), 7-5, 7-6 (2)

Alexandre Lacroix, France, def. Sanam Singh, India (4), def. Luke Saville, Australia-Andrew Whittington, Australia, 6-3, 6-2

Dennis Mrktchian, U.S.-Dennis Novikov, U.S., def. Jeremy Hunter Nicholas, U.S.-Javier Pulgar-Garcia, Spain, 6-4, 6-2

For more information, check on the web at:www.procircuit.usta.com, www.claremontclub.com; Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Claremont-Club/236147226396

Community Events:

Friday, Sept. 16 – Free High School Clinic and Coaches Workshop.

Recent Claremont Champions

Year Singles Winner Singles Runner-up Doubles Champions

2010 Gary Sacks Devin Britton Taylor Fogleman-Chris Kearney

2009 Matej Bocko Bradley Klahn Brett Joelson-Ashwin Kumar

2008 Tigran Martirosyan Adriano Biasello Marcus Fugate-Nima Roshan

2007 Carsten Ball Robert Yim Nikita Kryvonos-Michael McClune

2006 Dudi Sela Sascha Kloer Ryler DeHeart-Dennis Zivkovic

2005 Benedikt Dorsch Tyler Cleveland K.C. Corkery-James Pade

2004 Bobby Reynolds Huntley Montgomery Nick Rainey-Brian Wilson

2003 Glenn Weiner Jimy Szymanski K.C. Corkery-James Pade

2002 Dmitry Tursunov Raven Klaasen Chris Magyary-Mirko Pehar

Points, Prize Money for $10,000 Futures Tournaments

Singles Doubles

Points Prize $ Points Prize $

Winner 17 $1,300 17 $630

Finalist 9 $900 9 $330

Semifinalist 5 $480 5 $260

Quarterfinalist 2 $290 2 $180

Round of 16 1 $200 1 ——

Round of 32 0 $117.50 – ——

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