Tournament Summary
Day Repeats, Brown Ascends at ITF Grade B1 Pan American Closed
by
Colette Lewis, 19 October 2016
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The champions at last week's International Tennis Federation Grade B1 Pan American Closed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, were on opposite ends of the world junior rankings spectrum. World No. 1 Kayla Day defended her title with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Ellie Douglas in the girls final, while No. 732 Alex Brown edged wild card Lukas Greif 6-4, 7-6(4) to win his first ITF junior title.
Day, who won the
USTA 18s national title in August and the
US Open junior title in September returned to Tulsa to defend her points, with an eye toward finishing 2016 as the ITF World Junior champion. Day turned 17 just a few weeks ago, so the additional number of WTA events she can play as a top junior are an important incentive given the age restrictions she faces until next September.
A bit rusty after a week of dealing with a stomach virus rather than preparing at the USTA's National Training Center in Carson, Day found her stride by the quarterfinals, beating No. 10 seed Abigail Desiatnikov, who held match points on Day in the 2015 semifinals, 6-3, 6-2. Against unseeded Ann Li in the semifinals, Day lost her only set of the tournament, but showed no panic in her 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 win.
The bottom half of the draw lost one of its top threats when No. 6 seed Carson Branstine was denied medical clearance to play due to a health issue that surfaced after her first round match. No. 2 seed Natasha Subhash lost to fellow 15-year-old Dalayna Hewitt, the No. 11 seed, in the quarterfinals, while No. 5 seed Douglas advanced to the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 13 seed Elysia Bolton and beat Hewitt 7-5, 6-4 to reach her second Grade B1 final of the year.
The Easter Bowl finalist had not been healthy most of the summer, but now feeling better physically, and with a new coach, 2005 French Open finalist Mariano Puerta of Argentina, Douglas was excited to play the world's top junior in the final.
"It's really a good opportunity to play my game and see where I am," Douglas said after her win over Hewitt. "I think I can do really well if I play how I've been practicing."
Unfortunately the weather for the final was less than ideal, with 15 mph winds gusting into the 20s, heavy clouds and an occasional mist, which did not interrupt play. Hitting the ball cleanly was difficult for both players, although Day thought she coped well.
