Tulsa University's Gray, San Diegan Bradshaw win National Open

 
The USTA's National Open Hard Court Championships should not be confused with the U.S. Open. The National Open has a purse of $3,600, a pittance compared to the millions offered at the National Tennis Center.

 The National Open, however, has an appeal that tennis players find irresistible -- an opportunity to win one of the gold balls that the USTA awards to national champions. In the event that concluded yesterday at the Balboa Tennis Club, the singles prizes went to William Gray, a Tulsa University player, and former WTA Tour player Allison Bradshaw of San Diego.

Gray outplayed Thomas Liversage, a USD junior from South Africa, 6-1, 6-1 in the men's final. In the women's final, Bradshaw had too much mastery of tactics and variety of stroke for Maria Sanchez, a 17-year-old from Modesto, while registering a 6-2, 6-2 triumph.

The tournament is a unique one in that it is sort of an all- skate with tennis rackets. Anyone can enter. In the field this time were players as young as 14 to players, Bradshaw among them, who have competed at the game's highest level.

The event would seem to be catching on. A year ago, there were 27 players in the women's singles draw. This time there were 52. The men's draw went from 93 to 100. Players from Brazil and France competed in what began as a tournament that attracted mostly area players.

Tournament director Colleen Clery said she anticipates that the National Open will continue to grow. "Yes," she said, "especially if I can get a larger sponsor."

Gray said it was the chance of claiming one of those gold balls that brought him to San Diego. "My only ambition," he said. "In junior tennis in the United States, getting a gold ball is the Holy Grail."

Gray had been competing in a USTA Futures event in Loomis, Calif., near Sacramento, when he became aware that a gold ball could be mined here. Learning that, he said he decided to forsake two other Futures events in the Sacramento area and come to San Diego.

The Tulsa resident has been ranked as high as No. 34 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's singles rankings. He was not extended by an out-of-sorts Liversage, whose frustrations resulted in him being imposed a point penalty for racket abuse and later a game penalty for an audible obscenity.

"I'm tired," Liversage said. "I haven't been training. It wasn't good tennis."

Gray was a No. 13 seed, Bradshaw a No. 9 seed. She had not played competitively since she competed in the qualifying for last year's Acura Classic at the La Costa Resort and Spa, but winning a gold ball also had an appeal to her. She said she had won only one other - - when she paired with Abigail Spears of Valley Center to capture the doubles in the national girls 18s.

Bradshaw, 26, teaches tennis at the Lake Murray Tennis Club and at Fairbanks Ranch, where she has worked with 15-year-old Coco Vandeweghe of Rancho Santa Fe, whom she got past 6-4, 6-2 in the National Open semifinals. Vandeweghe was the No. 1 seed.

Winning as convincingly as she did is not going to tempt Bradshaw to return to the WTA Tour. "This is for fun, to run a little bit and hit my shots," she said. "There's no pressure, just go out and hit it. It's real loose out here."

Bradshaw won $500. The reward for the men's champion was $750, but as an amateur Gray can accept only that part of it that equals his expenses. Vandeweghe went home with a bronze ball after defeating Micaela Hein of Mission Viejo 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 for third place.

The veteran team of Gretchen Magers of San Diego and Kathy May Fritz of Rancho Santa Fe took the women's doubles with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Sanchez and Hein.

The San Diego Union - Tribune - San Diego, Calif.

Author: Jerry Magee

Jun 18, 2007