Samantha Crawford opens defense of 18s title at International Spring Championships

April 4, 2012 08:07 AM
By Steve Pratt, special to USTA.com

CARSON, Calif. – Three wins in three days over Gabrielle Andrews, Grace Min and Madison Keys would do wonders for anyone’s confidence, especially an unseeded 16-year-old playing in her first big ITF tournament. 
 
That’s exactly what defending girls’ 18s champion Samantha Crawford of Atlanta, Ga., accomplished last year on her way to winning the USTA International Spring Championships, an ITF Grade 1 event taking place this week at the Home Depot Center.  
 
"Yeah, winning those matches last year gave me a ton of confidence," said Crawford, who beat 13-year-old qualifier Maria Shishkina, 7-5, 6-2, in the first round on Tuesday in the girls’ 18-and-under division. "I like playing here and coming to California."
 
Andrews is currently in the world top 35 ITF junior rankings, Min has a WTA world ranking of No. 256 and Keys is currently at No. 216 in the WTA. "It showed I could played with the best out there," added Crawford," who trains full-time at the USTA Training Center in Boca Raton, Fla. 
 
Crawford was impressed with the play of Shishkina, who won the Eddie Herr 14s in December. Shishkina signed a professional contract at age 11 with IMG and was soon after featured in ESPN The Magazine. "She’s good," Crawford said. "She was handling my pace and never gave up."
 
Last year’s ISC boys’ 16s champion Noah Rubin has transitioned well into the 18s this year. The No. 3 seeded player from Long Island, N.Y., currently holds down a No. 37 ITF world ranking. He beat wild-card entry Justin Butsch on Tuesday handily, 6-1, 6-1. 
 
Rubin trains at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy in New York and hits with the lefty legend himself, "two or three times a week" when the two are in town.
 
Rubin was joined in the second round by other top-seeded 18s winners on the day, including top-seeded Mitchell Krueger of Aledo, Texas, a 6-0, 6-3 winner over Charles Boyce. 
 
In the boys’ 16s, one of the world’s best 14-year-old’s Francis Tiafoe followed up his upset of No. 2 seeded Toshiki Matsuya of Japan on Monday by taking out American Michael Genender, 6-1, 6-3, on Tuesday.  
 
In the girls’ 16s, top-seeded Nicole Frenkel of Winchester, Mass., beat Carolyn Xie of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., 7-5, 7-5.
 
For a complete list of Tuesday’s scores and updated draws, log onto the website at: www.usta.com/isc
 
TUESDAY’S RESULTS
 
Boys' 18 Singles (First Round)
Murray, Jack Beverly Hills, MI, def. Arconada, Jordi Rio Piedras, PR, 7-5, 7-6(6)
Rubin, Noah (3) Rockville Centre, NY, def. Butsch, Justin Miami Beach, FL, 6-1, 6-1
Pura, Thomas Pacific Palisades, CA, def. Cevallos, Santiago, 6-4, 6-2
Wong, Chun Hun, def. Albanese, William Parkland, FL, 6-4, 7-5
Strobel, Trey Bradenton, FL, def. Celestine, Terrell Conyers, GA, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
Craig, Henry Murrieta, CA, def. Colautti, Thomas, 6-3, 6-2
Solomon, Grant Dallas, TX, def. Espindola, Gabriel, 6-4, 6-2
Gomez, Lucas San Ysidro, CA def. Hagar, Josh Austin, TX, 6-2, 6-3
Krueger, Mitchell (1) Aledo, TX, def. Boyce, Charles Cedar Hill, TX, 6-0, 6-3
Kozlov, Stefan Pembroke Pines, FL, def. Lipman, Maxx Nashville, TN, 6-4, 6-0
Mylnikov, Tommy Bradenton, FL, def. Pham, Tyler San Diego, CA, 6-4, 6-1
Escobedo, Ernesto West Covina, CA, def. Arem, Karim Houston, TX, 6-0, 6-0
 
Boys' 18 Doubles (First Round)
Bellamy, Robbie / Garcia, Gregory def. Betancourt Gonzalez, Patricio /  Forseck Plauchu, Jorge Andres  6-2, 4-6, 10-4
Murray, Jack / Philips, Bayo  def.  McBride, Matthew /  Nunez, Dylan  7-6(2), 4-6, 10-3
McClain, Brendan / Pura, Thomas  def.  Daigle, Jordan / Kozlov, Stefan (6)  3-6, 7-5, 10-8
McDonald, M. Mackenzie. / Strobel, Trey (2)  def.  Arconada, Jordi / Mylnikov, Tommy  6-4, 6-2
Gomez, Lucas / Medinilla, Ricardo (4)  def.  Oosterbaan, Paul /  Siegel, Austin  6-4, 6-7(3), 10-4
Lin, Carter / merzuki, mohd (8)  def.  Albanese, William /  Reyes, Nicholas  6-2, 6-2
Kwiatkowski, Thai / Redlicki, Martin (5)  def.  Arem, Karim / Nunez Aguilera, Alan  6-4, 7-6(3)
Gil, Jose Pablo / Ruiz Acevedo, Federico  def.  Donaldson, Jared / Shebshayevich, Daniel  7-5, 4-6, 10-6
Escobedo, Ernesto / Restrepo, Javier  def.  Celestine, Terrell / Remy, Lamar  6-4, 6-7(10), 10-6
Ianakiev, Milen / Munoz, Santiago  def.  Nava, Eduardo /  Wiersholm, Henrik  4-6, 6-1, 13-11
Halebian, Alexios / Krueger, Mitchell (1)  def.  Kerznerman, Daniel /  Madregallejo, Nikko  6-2, 6-3
Butsch, Justin / Mmoh, Michael  def.  Cevallos, Santiago /  Siller, Rogelio  7-5, 6-2
Colautti, Thomas / Hagar, Josh  def.  Craig, Henry /  Pham, Tyler  6-3, 6-7(6), 12-10
Bringold, Eduardo / Contreras, Ivar  def.  Rubin, Noah /  Samardzic, Ognjen (7)  6-2, 5-7, 10-4
Boyce, Charles / Schneider, Ronnie  def.  Espindola, Gabriel / Nava, Sebastian  6-2, 6-1
Lipman, Maxx / Richmond, John  def.  Wong, Chun Hun / Long Yeung, Pak  6-2, 2-6, 12-10
 
Boys' 16 Singles (Second Round)
Langmo, Christian (6) Boca Raton, FL  def.  Kaiser, Kial Saratoga, CA  6-4, 1-6, 6-4
Jiang, Aidan Ojai, CA  def.  Opelka, Reilly Palm Coast, FL  6-3, 6-3
Dennis, Yancy Reisterstown, MD  def.  Douglas, Jake Rolling Hills, CA  7-6(1), 7-6(5)
de Bruges, Ruadhan (1) Cherrybrook,  def.  Tsao, Brian Sparks Glencoe, MD  6-1, 6-3
Hance, Connor Torrance, CA  def.  MacKenzie, Darius Woodland Hills, CA  6-1, 6-2
Fisher, Carsten Hilton Head Island, SC  def.  Smith, Logan Carlsbad, CA  6-3, 6-2
Tiafoe, Francis College Park, MD  def.  Genender, Michael Los Angeles, CA  6-1, 6-3
Devine, Jake Boca Raton, FL  def.  Ramadan, Nikolas San Clemente, CA  4-6, 6-3, 6-3
Gozun, Alexandru (4) Sarasota, FL  def.  Shen, Ryan Newbury Park, CA  6-3, 6-2
Safiullin, Roman San Diego, CA  def.  Kodali, Anudeep Durham, NC  6-3, 6-0
Blumberg, William Greenwich, CT  def.  Tabrizi, Keivon Danville, CA  6-1, 7-5
Kumar, Sameer Carmel, IN  def.  Doehler, Stefan Santa Ana, CA  6-3, 6-2
Thirouin, Jean Houston, TX  def.  Klinger, Cameron San Jose, CA  6-2, 6-2
Levine, Robert Bedford, NY  def.  Janglin, Oscar Sarasota, FL  6-0, 6-2
Paul, Tommy Deerfield Beach, FL  def.  Rybakov, Alex (5) Coral Springs, FL  6-4, 6-2
 
Boys' 16 Doubles (First Round)
Ge, Augustus / Thirouin, Jean  def.  Blumberg, William /  Levine, Robert  6-2, 6-3
Janglin, Oscar / Madonia, Stephen  def.  Gealer, Daniel / Pham, Victor  7-6(4), 3-6, 10-8
MacKenzie, Darius / Tabrizi, Keivon  def.  Cheng, Ryan / Marker, Ryan  6-3, 6-4
Ramadan, Nikolas / Samardzic, Nikola (5)  def.  Dardis, Alec /  Vincent, Garret  7-5, 6-4
Aragon, German / Smith, Riley  def.  Goulak, David / Hance, Connor  6-1, 6-3
Devine, Jake / Ponwith, Nathan  def.  Rapp, Austin / Yeoh, Brandon  7-6(4), 6-4
Jiang, Aidan / Schaefer, Fabian (6)  def.  Klinger, Cameron / Opelka, Reilly  7-6(4), 3-6, 13-11
Fisher, Carsten / Kodali, Anudeep  def.  Bondar, Kevin / Douglas, Jake  6-4, 1-6, 10-4
Barrere, Kimo / Mak, Garrett  def.  Brosnan, Riley / Tsao, Brian  6-3, 6-1
Dennis, Yancy / Tiafoe, Francis  def.  Cupino, Gabriel /  Lee, Anthony  6-4, 6-2
Kaiser, Kial / Smith, Logan (7)  def.  Jones, Blest / Turchetta, Sam  6-1, 6-2
Chen, Steven / Nguyen, Michael (8)  def.  Morton, Blake /  Zhu, Evan  6-3, 6-0
 
Girls' 18 Singles (First Round)
Nauta, Stephanie Bradenton, FL  def.  Chasovskikh, Kristina Boynton Beach, FL  6-1, 6-1
Brady, Jennifer (8) Boca Raton, FL  def.  Hristov, Stefania  6-3, 6-2
Norris, Marie Burdett, KS  def.  Doyle, Caroline San Francisco, CA  7-5, 6-1
Rodriguez, Victoria Mercedes, TX  def.  Vazquez, Cassandra Houston, TX  7-6(2), 6-3
Weissmann, Rebecca Loveland, CO  def.  Phagura, Shaan Castro Valley, CA  6-3, 3-6, 6-2
Blacker, Alicia Englewood, CO  def.  Chypyha, Devin Richmond Hill,  6-1, 6-1
Smith, Alyssa Laguna Niguel, CA  def.  Nguyen, Tamitha Ewa Beach, HI  6-0, 6-3
McPhillips, Kyle (2) Willoughby, OH  def.  Chirico, Louisa Harrison, NY  2-6, 6-4, 7-5
Makarova, Christina (6) San Diego, CA  def.  Dai, Ashley Temple City, CA  6-2, 7-6(1)
Krawczyk, Desirae Rancho Mirage, CA  def.  Riley, Sydney Dallas, TX  6-2, 6-1
Crawford, Samantha (5) Tamarac, FL  def.  Shishkina, Maria Bradenton, FL  7-5, 6-2
Andrews, Gabrielle (4) Pomona, CA  def.  Elbaba, Julia Oyster Bay, NY  6-2, 7-6(5)
Hibi, Mayo Irvine, CA  def.  Steffensen, Katrine Scarsdale, NY  7-6(3), 6-2
Austin, Brooke Indianapolis, IN  def.  Gong, Sarah Hermosa Beach, CA  6-1, 6-2
 
Girls' 18 Doubles (First Round)
Arconada, Usue / Norris, Marie  def.  Phagura, Shaan /  Wierda, Anna  6-0  Ret (inj)
Crawford, Samantha / Kuhlman, Josie (4)  def.  Chypyha, Lauren / Chypyha, Devin  6-0, 6-3
Laurente, Kelsey / Morozova, Alexandra (8)  def.  Echeverria Alam, Nadia /  Lee, June  2-6, 6-4, 10-4
Jones, Mayci / Spearman, Cassidy  def.  Austin, Brooke /  Hristov, Stefania  1-6, 6-4, 10-5
Nauta, Stephanie / Scholl, Chalena (2)  def.  Generette, Kiah / Perez, Jessica  3-6, 6-4, 10-3
Bencic, Belinda / silva, eden  def.  Profit, Elizabeth / Weissmann, Rebecca  6-4, 6-0
Addison, Breaunna / Harrison, Catherine  def.  Knutson, Gabriela / Rodriguez, Victoria  6-3, 7-6(1)
Ivanova, Dasha / Loeb, Jamie  def.  Charoensirisutthikul, Peeraya /  Runglerdkriangkrai, Apichaya  6-4, 6-4
Brady, Jennifer / Woodard, Kendal (6)  def.  Krawczyk, Desirae /  Smith, Alyssa  6-3, 3-6, 10-7
Doyle, Caroline / King, Mia  def.  Elbaba, Julia /  Fuentes, Camila  1-6, 6-2, 10-7
Kiick, Alexandra / Okuno, Ayaka (3)  def.  Craft, Makenzie /  McPhillips, Kyle  6-4, 6-2
Blacker, Alicia / Renaud, Johnnise (7)  def.  Cisneros Gomez, Alejandra / Dai, Ashley  6-1, 7-5
Chirico, Louisa / Shankle, Blair  def.  Ante, Mariel / Dulski, Dominique  2-6, 6-2, 10-2
Makarova, Christina / Yee, Kimberly  def.  Asatrian, Rima /  Salazar, Valeria  6-1, 6-1
Andrews, Gabrielle / Townsend, Taylor (1)  def.  Riley, Sydney /  Vazquez, Cassandra  6-1, 6-1
Chasovskikh, Kristina / Zuhse, Jacqueline  def.  Starr, Denise /  Steffensen, Katrine (5)  5-7, 6-0, 10-8
 
Girls' 16 Singles (Second Round)
Hart, Jada Colton, CA  def.  Turner, Caroline Dallas, TX  7-6(5), 6-4
Fleming, Terri Alpharetta, GA  def.  Liu, Cindy Claremont, CA  6-2, 6-3
Ho, Jessica Wexford, PA  def.  Smith, Maria (6) Houston, TX  6-3, 6-2
Ruder-Hook, Mira Denver, CO  def.  Miller-Krasilnikov, Ally (2) Boca Raton, FL  2-6, 6-1, 7-6(3)
Critser, Emma Mountain View, CA  def.  Durkin, Savannah (3) Miramar, FL  6-1, 6-1
Daniell, Andie Douglasville, GA  def.  Berg, Hadley Greenbrae, CA  2-6, 6-3, 6-1
Moldovan, Bianca Livonia, MI  def.  Shibahara, Ena Rancho Palos Verdes, CA  6-0, 6-2
McCarthy, Kaitlyn (5) Cary, NC  def.  Martin, Tai Weston, FL  6-2, 2-6, 6-4
Frenkel, Nicole (1) Winchester, MA  def.  Xie, Carolyn Rancho Santa Fe, CA  7-5, 7-5
Zogg, Ellie Dallas, TX  def.  Antohi, Marjorie El Paso, TX  7-5, 7-6(3)
 
Girls' 16 Doubles (First Round)
Park, Amber / Xepoleas, Meredith  def.  Hamlin, Ellyse /  Kelly, Meghan  1-6, 7-6(5), 11-9
Maddox, Christine / Ringblom, Annika  def.  Schaefer, Dominique / Todd, Parris  6-4, 6-3
Da Silveira, Natalie / Shibahara, Ena  def.  Anderson, Rebekah /  Radeva, Anna  6-0, 6-3
Dolehide, Caroline / Martinelli, Samantha  def.  Van, Tracy /  Wong, Estelle  6-3, 6-3
Tedford, Madison / Wesbrooks, Camila (8)  def.  Aksu, Ayla / Critser, Emma  6-4, 6-2
Asami, Yuki / Oleynik, Ilana  def.  Fahey, Katharine / Zalewski, Joanna  1-6, 6-3, 10-8
Berg, Hadley / Heidenreich, Isabella  def.  Martin, Tai /  Smith, Maria  7-6(6), 6-4
Huckleby, Adorabol / Moldovan, Bianca  def.  Liu, Cindy / Pham, Yolanda Lan  6-4, 6-3
Hance, Kenadi / Pereira, Alexis  def.  De Chatellus, Daphne /  Ruder-Hook, Mira  6-4, 7-5
 
 

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