By Britten Gerrard, special to USTA.com
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Two 2010 Easter Bowl champions will square off against one another Saturday for another Easter Bowl title after advancing to the finals of the ITF girls’ 18s division on Friday at the 44th annual Easter Bowl USTA Junior Spring National Championships taking place at Rancho Las Palmas Resort.
The two 18s finalists did it in convincing, straight-sets fashion, as Kyle McPhillips, the No. 13 seed, defeated Allie Kiick, 6-2, 6-2, while No. 9 Gabrielle Andrews upset No. 1 seed Grace Min, 6-3, 6-4.
McPhillips won the girls’ 16s title last year, while Andrews claimed the girls’ 14s championship. The two play at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday morning.
McPhillips is excited for the challenge of facing Andrews, who has beaten her in three consecutive matches.
"I’m glad she won because I’ve wanted to play her," McPhillips said. "She’s a tough player, and I think if I play well I’ll have a chance."
Andrews, who finished 2010 as the No. 1 18s player in the USTA rankings, spoke highly of McPhillips’ recent progression in her game and is excited for another rematch.
"I accept the challenge," Andrews said. "Kyle has improved a lot in the last year, and she’s been hitting every shot when I’ve been watching her. I anticipate a tough match."
McPhillips is excited to reach her second consecutive Easter Bowl final.
"It means a lot to be in the finals here and be in the history books with all the great former American players, like John McEnroe and Tracy Austin," McPhillips said.
However, McPhillips knows she has a tough task in front of her.
"Mentally I have to stay focused against Gabrielle," McPhillips said. "In the past, I was all over the place and wasn’t focused, so I really have to concentrate the whole match."
Also on the girls' side, No. 1 seed Jamie Loeb advanced to the semifinals in the girls’ 16s with a hard-fought, come-from-behind 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2) victory over Louisa Chirico.
Loeb credited Chirico’s aggressiveness in the first set but stayed positive and battled back.
"I told myself to not give up and hung in there the whole match," Loeb said. "I gave it all I got in the tiebreak and took it to the next level and was able to pull through."
On the boys’ side, No. 1 seed Bjorn Fratangelo moved on to the semifinals in the ITF boys’ 18s with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over No. 8 seed Emmett Egger, a former Easter Bowl 14s singles champ. Fratangelo is eager to defend his boys’ 18s title, something that hasn’t been done at the Easter Bowl since Grey King won twice in 1971-72.
"I’ve actually never had to defend a title, so that would be really cool," Fratangelo said. The Pittsburgh native said having that target on his back is good experience for his future.
"In the juniors, you tend to focus on building points," Fratangelo said. "In the pros, it’s a different story. They have to defend titles, and in order to do that, they have to play consistent on a daily basis, so that’s what I’m trying to do."
Fratangelo will face Marcos Giron on Saturday in the semifinals. It will be a rematch of the Carson final last weekend, which Giron won 6-4 in the third. The future UCLA Bruin Giron won for the 16th consecutive time on Friday, beating Dennis Novikov, the No. 4 seed from Boca Raton, Fla., 6-3, 6-4.
To keep up with all the Easter Bowl news, visit the website at
www.easterbowl.com, and check out the tournament on
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Twitter (@easterbowl).
Boys’ 18s Singles Quarterfinals
Mac Styslinger (7) Birmingham, AL def. Alexios Halebian (2) Glendale, CA 6-4, 6-2
Marcos Giron Thousand Oaks, CA def. Dennis Novikov (4) Boca Raton, FL 6-3, 6-4
Shane Vinsant (3) Keller, TX def. Connor Farren (6) Hillsborough, CA 6-2, 6-3
Bjorn Fratangelo (1) Pittsburgh, PA def. Emmett Egger (8) Issaquah, WA 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Girls’ 18s Singles Semifinals
Kyle McPhillips (13) Willoughby, OH def. Alexandra Kiick Plantation, FL 6-2, 6-2
Gabrielle Andrews (9) Pomona, CA def. Grace Min (1) Duluth, GA 6-3, 6-4
Boys’ 16s Singles Quarterfinals
JC Aragone (17) Yorba Linda, CA def. Spencer Papa (11) Edmond, OK 6-4, 6-2
Ronnie Schneider (2) Bloomington, IN def. Nikko Madregallejo (5) MONROVIA, CA 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2
Gregory Garcia (4) Poway, CA def. Trey Daniel (6) Leawood, KS 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
Gage Brymer (8) Irvine, CA def. Luca Corinteli (3) Alexandria, VA 6-4, 6-0
Girls’ 16s Singles Quarterfinals
Kimberly Yee (4) Las Vegas, NV def. Olivia Sneed (17) Prairie Village, KS 6-2, 6-2
Jamie Loeb (1) Ossining, NY def. Louisa Chirico (17) Harrison, NY 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(2)
Caroline Doyle (17) San Francisco, CA def. Katrine Steffensen (3) Scarsdale, NY 6-2, 6-2
Spencer Liang (2) Potomac, MD def. Sivan Krems (6) Thousand Oaks, CA 7-5, 6-1
Boys’ 14s Singles Semifinals
Henrik Wiersholm (1) Kirkland, WA def. Artemie Amari (17) New York, NY 5-7, 6-2, 6-3
Ernesto Escobedo (7) West Covina, CA def. Martin Joyce (4) Hinsdale, IL 6-4, 6-1
Girls’ 14s Singles Semifinals
Katerina Stewart (8) Miami, FL def. Julia O'Loughlin (6) Lighthouse Point, FL 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
Maria Shishkina (5) Bradenton, FL def. Chloe Ouellet-Pizer Chapel Hill, NC 6-2, 6-1
Boys’ 18s Doubles Quarterfinals
Casey Kay / Hunter Reese def. Connor Farren / Dennis Novikov (3) 6-2, 6-1
Bjorn Fratangelo / Alexios Halebian (1) def. Nicholas Naumann / Mitchell Polnet (7) 6-4, 2-6, 1-0(1)
Emmett Egger / Mac Styslinger (4) def. Richard Del Nunzio / Trey Strobel (6) 6-2, 6-3
Mitchell Krueger / Shane Vinsant (2) def. Alexander Petrone / Michael Redlicki (8) 6-0, 6-4
Girls’ 18s Doubles Semifinals
Gabrielle Andrews / Taylor Townsend (8) def. Jennifer Brady / Kendal Woodard 7-5, 4-6, 1-0(4)
Kyle McPhillips / Chanelle Van Nguyen (4) def. Lauren Herring / Stephanie Nauta (1) 7-5, 6-3
Boys’ 16s Doubles Semifinals
Gregory Garcia / Jonathan Poon (9) def. Trey Daniel / Thomas Pura (2) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
Christopher Vrabel / Anton Zykov def. Justin Chan / Stefan Menichella (5) 6-3, 6-3
Girls’ 16s Doubles Quarterfinals
Spencer Liang / Jamie Loeb (1) def. Shannon Hudson / Dasha Ivanova (6) 6-2, 6-4
Mariana Gould / Gabrielle Smith (9) def. Aryn Greene / Adi Milstein 6-1, 7-5
Caroline Doyle / Katrine Steffensen (3) def. Sarah Gong / Maegan Manasse (9) 6-1, 6-3
Olivia Sneed / Madison Westby (9) def. Caroline Brinson / Megen Cochran 6-3, 7-6(3)
Boys’ 14s Doubles Semifinals
Tommy Paul / Henrik Wiersholm (2) def. Artemie Amari / Robert Levine (9) 7-5, 6-3
Ernesto Escobedo / Eduardo Nava (1) def. Augustus Ge / Robert Seby (4) 6-3, 6-3
Girls’ 14s Doubles Final
Lauren Goodman / Emma Stein (9) def. Emma Higuchi / Amber Park (9) 6-1, 6-3
Girls’ 14s Doubles Playoff
Gabrielle Rodriguez / Katerina Stewart (9) def. Ally Miller-Krasilnikov / Julia O'Loughlin (7) 7-6(8), 6-2
Boys' 14 Singles (Silver Draw, 4th Round losers) (Final Round)
David Mitchell Castle Rock, CO def. Tommy Paul Greenville, NC 7-6(8), 7-6(4)
Boys' 14 Singles (Gold Draw, Quarterfinal losers) (Semifinal Round)
Logan Smith Carlsbad, CA def. Chase Colton Davie, FL 6-0, 6-1
Robert Seby Oro Valley, AZ def. Kial Kaiser Saratoga, CA Wo (inj)
Boys' 14 Singles (Gold Draw, Quarterfinal losers) (Final Round)
Logan Smith Carlsbad, CA def. Robert Seby Oro Valley, AZ 6-0, 6-1
Girls' 14 Singles (Silver Draw, 4th Round losers) (Final Round)
Ndindi Ndunda Burke, VA def. Jessica Ho Wexford, PA 4-6, 6-3, 1-0(3)
Girls' 14 Singles (Gold Draw, Quarterfinal losers) (Semifinal Round)
Rebecca Weissmann Loveland, CO def. Maia Magill Studio City, CA 6-4, 6-1
Alexandra Letzt Scottsdale, AZ def. Mehvish Safdar Mason, OH 6-2, 6-3
Girls' 14 Singles (Gold Draw, Quarterfinal losers) (Final Round)
Alexandra Letzt Scottsdale, AZ def. Rebecca Weissmann Loveland, CO 2-6, 6-2, 1-0(6)
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