FORMER ATP TOUR STAR FRANCISCO CLAVET OF SPAIN CONTINUES
IMPRESSIVE PLAY AT USTA NATIONAL 40 HARD COURT CHAMPIONSHIPS
Hiromi Sasano to Face Amanda Parson Siegel in Saturday’s Women’s Singles Final
LA JOLLA, Calif. – (December 6, 2019) – Former ATP Tour star Francisco Clavet of Spain continued his impressive play at the USTA National 40 Hard Court Championships as he moved into the semifinals with a hard-fought 6-3, 6-2 victory over former three-time singles champion Tony Bujan of Santa Ana, Calif.
On a cool, cloudy morning on Court No. 1 at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, Clavet and Bujan were locked in a thrilling baseline duel that featured a high level of play and few unforced errors.
Clavet, seeded fifth, eventually took control and won the first set when Bujan dumped a backhand volley in the net on set point. After Bujan held serve to open the second set, Clavet continued his steady play and went on to win six of the next seven games to close out the quarterfinal match in one-hour and 45 minutes.
“This tournament has a very high level of players. It’s difficult. I’ve had to concentrate and be very focused. Bujan is a very good player and there are more players like him,” Clavet said. “The competition is going to be tough until the end when we know who will be the champion.”
Clavet admitted that the match against Bujan was his toughest test of the tournament so far. The 51-year-old Spaniard, who helped Spain capture the Fred Perry Cup at the International Tennis Federation Senior World Championships this past August, credited his experience in his win over the third-seeded Bujan.
“The score doesn’t show how tough the match was. I had to fight for every game. It was a very physical match. There were long rallies from the baseline,” Clavet added. “I had more experience in the key moments and that’s what made the difference in the end.”
Clavet will take on another former three-time singles champion in the semifinals on Saturday. He will play second seeded Jeff Greenwald of San Anselmo, Calif.
In the top-half of the men’s draw, fifth-seeded Samuel Schroerlucke of Memphis, Tenn., ousted top seed and defending champion Stuart Duncan of Laguna Hills, Calif., 6-4, 7-6 (4) in an entertaining match on Court No. 2 that took two-hours and 12 minutes.
Schroerlucke will face fourth-seeded Brett Masi of Long Beach, Calif., in the semifinals. Masi is the men’s head tennis coach at the University of Southern California.
Saturday’s women’s singles championship will feature a rematch of last year’s final as three-time defending champion and top seed Hiromi Sasano meets second-seeded Amanda Parson Siegel of Santa Ana, Calif. Sasano, a San Diego resident, defeated Parson Siegel 6-2, 7-5 in the 2018 final.
The 44-year-old Sasano overcame a slow start in her semifinal match on Friday against third-seeded Dina McBride of Valencia, Calif., and went on to advance with a 6-4, 6-3 win in one hour and 33 minutes.
McBride, who won the tournament singles title in 2012 and 2014, scored an early service break in the first set and took a 3-0 lead. However, Sasano found her groove and came back to win six of the next seven games to secure the opening set.
With the momentum in her favor, Sasano broke McBride twice early in the second set and took a 3-0 lead. Later, as Sasano served for the match at 5-2, McBride broke back when the top seed pushed a crosscourt backhand volley wide to drop serve.
McBride served to stay in the match at 3-5 in the second set, but at deuce she netted a forehand and then sent a backhand wide on match point.
In the other women’s singles semifinal, Parson Siegel posted an impressive 6-0, 6-2 victory over unseeded Mariko Atoji of San Diego.
Tournament officials are finalizing starting times for Saturday’s men’s semifinals and women’s singles championship. The times will be available here after 9:30 p.m. (PST) this evening.
The starting times for the final weekend of the tournament are as follows:
9 a.m. – Saturday, December 7 and Sunday, December 8
(All times are PST)
La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club welcomes tennis spectators to the tournament with free admission. Onsite parking is available for a nominal fee.
The USTA National Father/Son and Grandfather/Grandson Hard Court Doubles Championships began play at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club on Friday, and will continue through Sunday, December 8. The Father/Son Championship has been held continuously at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club since 1959, and attracts the top father and son tennis teams in the nation. The Grandfather/Grandson Championship is a relatively new competitive division that started at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club in 2003.
Fans can tune-in to RadioTennis.com at 9 a.m., Saturday, December 7 and Sunday, December 8 to listen to live audio play-by-play of the day’s matches on Court No. 1. Tennis broadcaster Ken Thomas will provide live web cast commentary at https://radiotennis.com/.
Designated one of the Top 100 Tennis Resorts in the world by Tennis Resorts Online, the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club’s reputation as a top tennis destination started in 1942, when it attracted its first major tournament, the Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship. The Club will be hosting the 131th edition of this popular tournament March 5-8, 2020, as well as both the USTA National Hard Court Championships for Womens’ 50-90 age groups and the 47th Annual Men’s Senior Championships May 11-17, 2020.
About the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, Inc. – The La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club is a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated company dedicated to the operation of a 14-acre beachside resort. The resort includes three properties, including the exclusive La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, the 128-room La Jolla Shores Hotel and The Marine Room restaurant. Resort amenities include 14 championship tennis courts, a nine-hole par-3 golf course, two swimming pools, two additional oceanfront restaurants and cocktail lounges, and one of Southern California’s only private beaches. For more information, visit www.LJBTC.com.
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Men’s Singles
Quarterfinals
Francisco Clavet (5), Madrid, Spain, def. Tony Bujan (3), Santa Ana, Calif., 6-3, 6-2
Jeff Greenwald (2), San Anselmo, Calif., def. Ramin Pejan (5), Laguna Beach, Calif., 6-3, 6-2
Samuel Schroerlucke (5), Memphis, Tenn., def. Stuart Duncan (1), Laguna Hills, Calif., 6-4, 7-6 (4)
Brett Masi (4), Long Beach, Calif., def. Dan Hiddleson (5), Corte Madera, Calif., 6-1, 6-0
Women’s Singles
Semifinals
Hiromi Sasano (1), San Diego, def. Dina McBride (3), Valencia, Calif., 6-4, 6-3
Amanda Parson Siegel (2), Santa Ana, Calif., def. Mariko Atoji, San Diego, 6-0, 6-2
For complete scores and results, click here.
