By Steve Pratt, special to USTA.com
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Kyle McPhillips just has to be in "tennis mode," and everything will be OK.
The 16-year-old from Willoughby, Ohio, was definitely there on Thursday, ousting unseeded Ellen Tsay, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, at the 44th annual Easter Bowl USTA National Spring Championships, taking place at Rancho Las Palmas Resort.
McPhillips last played Tsay just three months ago at a $25,000 ITF event in Plantation, Fla., and lost 6-0, 6-2. The big difference in the turnaround? Focus, focus, focus.
"Sometimes I think of rhinos, and sometimes I think of hippos out there," said McPhillips, after beating the Stanford-bound Tsay. "You wouldn’t believe some of the things I think about when I’m out there on the court. But I have to stay in my tennis mode. That’s the biggest thing. I have to stay focused.
"We don’t eat, drink and sleep tennis," McPhillips continued. "We do other things. I have a sleep mode, I have a bunch of different modes besides tennis. But there are times during the matches when I think about when I’ll see my next movie or what I’ll have for dinner or breakfast the next day. But I have to keep my focus on tennis. My focus was much better today."
Maria Shishkina, the No. 5 seed, had that singular focus on Thursday, as she reached the semifinals of the girls’ 14s by defeating No. 17 seed Rebecca Weissmann, 6-1, 6-1.
Shishkina, just 12 years old, signed with IMG four years ago, and her agent is none other than Max Eisenbud, the agent for Maria Sharapova.
Shishkina trained with legendary coach Robert Lansdorp at an early age and was able to make the connection with Eisenbud, she said. Lansdorp was at the Easter Bowl on Sunday watching the young prodigy.
"I would love to win the Wimbledon title and become the No. 1 player in the world," Shishkina said. "I love Wimbledon because it is so classy, and a lot of great players have won there."
Shishkina understands she has a long way to go to reach her goal, and an Easter Bowl title would be a big launching pad to her tennis career.
"This is one of the biggest junior tournaments, and it would mean a lot for me to win," Shishkina said. "I just have to play consistently and keep my opponents moving and stay aggressive."
In the boys’ 18s, No. 1 seed Bjorn Fratangelo moved on with a 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory over Michael Redlicki. The semifinals are set in the girls’ 18s, as Gabby Andrews, McPhillips, Allie Kiick and top-seeded Grace Min all won matches.
In the upset of the day, the No. 1 seed in the boys’ 16s, T.J. Pura, was beaten 7-6 (6), 6-4 by No. 11 seed Spencer Papa. After being down set point (6-5) in the first-set tiebreak, Pura missed a backhand, and Papa closed it out on his serve.
"I felt relieved after winning that first set," Papa said. "A lot of my nerves went away, and it gave me the confidence I needed to win the second set."
Papa said his serve was the difference maker for beating the No. 1 seed.
"I knew coming into the match that all the pressure would be on him since he’s the top-ranked player," Papa said. "But at the same time, I’ve played him before, and I knew my serve would give me a chance, and it worked out well."
Papa is excited to reach the quarterfinals but says he doesn’t want to get ahead of himself.
"I just have to take one match at a time," Papa said. "Today I played well and was a little lucky, but tomorrow could be a whole different story. I just have to rest up and prepare for my match tomorrow."
The semifinals are set in the boys’ 14s, as Ernesto Escobedo, top-seeded Henrik Wiersholm, Martin Joyce and Artemie Amari all won matches. Shishkina is joined in the semifinals by Katerina Stewart, Julia O'Loughlin and Chloe Ouellet-Pizer.
To keep up with all the Easter Bowl news, visit the website at
www.easterbowl.com, and check out the tournament on
Facebook and
Twitter (@easterbowl).
Boys’ 18s Round-of-16 Singles
Emmett Egger (8) Issaquah, WA def. Thai Kwiatkowski Charlotte, NC 7-5, 6-1
Connor Farren (6) Hillsborough, CA def. Alexander Petrone (11) Staten Island, NY 7-5, 6-1
Shane Vinsant (3) Keller, TX def. Anton Kovrigin Rockville, MD 6-1, 6-1
Alexios Halebian (2) Glendale, CA def. Andrew Adams South Richmond Hill, NY 6-4, 6-4
Marcos Giron Thousand Oaks, CA def. Mitchell Krueger (5) Aledo, TX 6-4, 6-2
Dennis Novikov (4) Boca Raton, FL def. Anthony Tsodikov San Francisco, CA 6-4, 6-4
Mac Styslinger (7) Birmingham, AL def. Michael Rinaldi (9) Palm City, FL 6-3, 6-1
Bjorn Fratangelo (1) Pittsburgh, PA def. Michael Redlicki Hawthorn Woods, IL 6-3, 7-6(5)
Girls’ 18s Quarterfinal Singles
Gabrielle Andrews (9) Pomona, CA def. Stephanie Nauta (4) Bradenton, FL 6-1, 7-5
Kyle McPhillips (13) Willoughby, OH def. Ellen Tsay Pleasanton, CA 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Alexandra Kiick Plantation, FL def. Kelsey Laurente (12) Miramar, FL 6-3, 6-0
Grace Min (1) Duluth, GA def. Samantha Crawford Tamarac, FL 6-2, 6-4
Boys’ 16s Round-of-16 Singles
Gregory Garcia (4) Poway, CA def. Edward Covalschi (15) Shelby Township, MI 7-5, 6-4
Gage Brymer (8) Irvine, CA def. Jack Murray (13) Beverly Hills, MI 6-3, 6-0
Spencer Papa (11) Edmond, OK def. Thomas Pura (1) Pacific Palisades, CA 7-6(6), 6-4
Ronnie Schneider (2) Bloomington, IN def. Drew Dawson Irvine, CA 6-1, 6-2
Nikko Madregallejo (5) Monrovia, CA def. George Goldhoff (9) Woodlands, TX 6-4, 6-1
Trey Daniel (6) Leawood, KS def. Stefan Menichella (12) Irvine, CA 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
Luca Corinteli (3) Alexandria, VA def. Abraham Hewko (10) Palm Desert, CA 6-2, 7-6(4)
JC Aragone (17) Yorba Linda, CA def. Brandon Sutter (17) El Dorado Hills, CA 6-4, 7-6(7)
Girls’ 16s Round-of-16 Singles
Katrine Steffensen (3) Scarsdale, NY def. Sarah Gealer (16) Los Angeles, CA 6-3, 6-1
Sivan Krems (6) Thousand Oaks, CA def. Alanna Wolff (11) Deerfield Beach, FL 6-3, 7-6(4)
Kimberly Yee (4) Las Vegas, NV def. Lindsey Hodge Roswell, GA 6-0, 6-0
Olivia Sneed (17) Prairie Village, KS def. Quinn Gleason (7) Mendon, NY 7-6(5), 7-5
Jamie Loeb (1) Ossining, NY def. Francis Dean Arcadia, CA 1-0 Ret (inj)
Caroline Doyle (17) San Francisco, CA def. Sarah Gong (17) Hermosa Beach, CA 6-2, 3-0 Ret (inj)
Louisa Chirico (17) Harrison, NY def. Jana McCord (8) San Diego, CA 6-2, 7-6(4)
Spencer Liang (2) Potomac, MD def. Dasha Ivanova (15) Beaverton, OR 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
Boys’ 14s Quarterfinal Singles
Ernesto Escobedo (7) West Covina, CA def. Robert Seby (2) Oro Valley, AZ 6-2, 6-3
Henrik Wiersholm (1) Kirkland, WA def. Logan Smith (6) Carlsbad, CA 6-3, 6-4
Martin Joyce (4) Hinsdale, IL def. Kial Kaiser (10) Saratoga, CA 7-6(4), 6-2
Artemie Amari (17) New York, NY def. Chase Colton Davie, FL 6-3, 6-3
Girls’ 14s Quarterfinal Singles
Katerina Stewart (8) Miami, FL def. Mehvish Safdar (17) Mason, OH 6-3, 7-5
Maria Shishkina (5) Bradenton, FL def. Rebecca Weissmann (17) Loveland, CO 6-1, 6-1
Julia O'Loughlin (6) Lighthouse Point, FL def. Alexandra Letzt (16) Scottsdale, AZ 6-3, 6-4
Chloe Ouellet-Pizer Chapel Hill, NC def. Maia Magill (17) Studio City, CA 7-5, 6-4
Boys’ 18s Round-of-16 Doubles
Emmett Egger / Mac Styslinger (4) def. Austin Ansari / Sean Karl 6-3, 6-2
Bjorn Fratangelo / Alexios Halebian (1) def. Karim Arem / Alex Fennell 6-4, 6-3
Nicholas Naumann / Mitchell Polnet (7) def. Marcos Giron / Andrew Korinek 4-6, 7-6(2), 1-0(7)
Mitchell Krueger / Shane Vinsant (2) def. Anthony Delcore / Austin Smith 6-2, 6-4
Connor Farren / Dennis Novikov (3) def. John Pearce / Alex Sidney 6-2, 6-2
Casey Kay / Hunter Reese def. William Kwok / Michael Rinaldi (5) 6-4, 6-3
Richard Del Nunzio / Trey Strobel (6) def. Brandon Clark / Seth Stolar 6-3, 6-1
Alexander Petrone / Michael Redlicki (8) def. Tyler Gardiner / Thai Kwiatkowski 6-2, 6-3
Boys’ 14s Quarterfinal Doubles
Artemie Amari / Robert Levine (9) def. Kial Kaiser / Logan Smith (3) 6-4, 3-6, 1-0(3)
Ernesto Escobedo / Eduardo Nava (1) def. Spencer Furman / Sameer Kumar (7) 7-5, 7-5
Augustus Ge / Robert Seby (4) def. Yancy Dennis / Francis Tiafoe (5) 6-2, 6-4
Tommy Paul / Henrik Wiersholm (2) def. Josiah Collins / Nikita Kardivar 6-3, 6-4
Girs’ 14s Semifinal Doubles
Lauren Goodman / Emma Stein (9) def. Ally Miller-Krasilnikov / Julia O'Loughlin (7) 7-5, 4-6, 6-2
Emma Higuchi / Amber Park (9) def. Gabrielle Rodriguez / Katerina Stewart (9) 6-4, 7-6(5)
Boys' 14 Singles (Silver Draw, 4th Round losers) (Quarterfinal Round)
Catalin Mateas Braintree, MA def. Kyle Seelig Hatfield, PA 7-6(5), 6-3
Eduardo Nava Woodland Hills, CA def. Kyle Mautner Greenwich, CT 6-2, 6-4
David Mitchell Castle Rock, CO def. Sameer Kumar Carmel, IN 6-3, 6-4
Tommy Paul Greenville, NC def. Reilly Opelka Palm Coast, FL 6-1, 3-6, 1-0(4)
Boys' 14 Singles (Silver Draw, 4th-Round losers) (Semifinal Round)
Tommy Paul Greenville, NC def. Eduardo Nava Woodland Hills, CA 6-4, 6-7(5), 1-0(8)
David Mitchell Castle Rock, CO def. Catalin Mateas Braintree, MA 0-6, 6-3, 1-0(5)
Girls' 14 Singles (Silver Draw, 4th-Round losers) (Quarterfinal Round)
Mia Horvit Parkland, FL def. Peyton Gollhofer Cartersville, GA 6-3, 6-1
Ellie Halbauer Daniel Island, SC def. Andie Daniell Douglasville, GA 6-1, 6-2
Jessica Ho Wexford, PA def. Meredith Xepoleas Newport Beach, CA 6-3, 6-1
Ndindi Ndunda Burke, VA def. Kenya Jones Memphis, TN 6-1, 6-3
Girls' 14 Singles (Silver Draw, 4th-Round losers) (Semifinal Round)
Jessica Ho Wexford, PA def. Ellie Halbauer Daniel Island, SC 1-6, 6-0, 1-0(5)
Ndindi Ndunda Burke, VA def. Mia Horvit Parkland, FL 6-3, 6-3
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