Stanford's Gibbs falls again in USTA national final

   Nicole Gibbs, a Stanford sophomore from Santa Monica, lost in the final of the USTA Girls 18 National Championships in San Diego for the second consecutive year Sunday.

   Gibbs, seeded fourth, fell to top-seeded Lauren Davis of Gates Mills, Ohio, 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-4 after losing to Shelby Rogers of Daniel Island, S.C.,  last year by the even more agonizing score of 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (4).

  As a Stanford freshman in May, Gibbs reached the NCAA semifinals on her home courts before losing to top-ranked and eventual champion Jana Juricova, a Cal junior at the time. 

   The 5-foot-2 Davis made her professional debut at the Australian Open in January, losing to fifth-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia 6-1, 6-1 in the first round. Since then, Davis has improved from No. 444 in the world to No. 331.  

    "You've never seen a competitor like this," John Evert, Chris' brother and one of Davis' coaches at the Evert Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Fla., told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "She's raw, but she's got heart and has gone from not ranked in the ITF (juniors) to (a career-high No. 3 last December)."

   In Kalamazoo, Mich., top-seeded Jack Sock of Lincoln, Neb., won his second consecutive boys 18 singles title and teamed with Jackson Withrow of Omaha, Neb., to take the doubles crown. Sock, who turned pro two weeks ago, and Withrow were seeded No. 1.

   The boys and girls 18 singles and doubles champions earned wild cards in the main draws of the U.S. Open, Aug. 29 through Sept. 11 in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

   Northern California juniors won four USTA national titles, all in the lower age groups. Cameron Klinger of San Jose swept the boys 14 singles and doubles crowns, Catherine Bellis of Atherton took the girls 12 singles title, and Sam Riffice of Roseville won in boys 12 doubles.

   Interestingly, no Southern Californians won titles.

   Following are the results of all finals in the USTA junior national championships:

In Kalamazoo, Mich.

   Boys 18 singles -- Jack Sock (1), Lincoln, Neb., def. Mitchell Frank (2), Annandale, Va., 6-3, 6-0.
   Boys 18 doubles -- Sock and Jackson Withrow (1), Omaha, Neb., def. Frank and Junior Ore (5), Gaithersburg, Md., 7-6 (5), 6-3.
   Boys 16 singles -- Ronnie Schneider (2), Bloomington, Ind., def. Luca Corinteli (4), Alexandria, Va., 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-2.
   Boys 16 doubles --Yale Goldberg, Beachwood, Ohio, and Schneider (1) def. Joseph Di Giulio, Newport Beach, and Gregory Garcia (5), Poway, 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-3.

 In San Diego

   Girls 18 singles --  Lauren Davis (1), Gates Mills, Ohio, def. Nicole Gibbs (4), Santa Monica, 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-4.
   Girls 18 doubles --Samantha Crawford, Tamarac, Fla., and Madison Keys (2), Boca Raton, Fla., def. Jennifer Brady, Boca Raton, Fla., and Kendal Woodard, Stockbridge, Ga., 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
   Girls 16 singles -- Peggy Porter (3), Dallas, def. Alyssa Smith (15), Laguna Niguel, 7-6 (8), 6-4.
   Girls 16 doubles -- Mariana Gould, Boise, Idaho, and Spencer Liang (2), Potomac, Md., def. Dasha Ivanova, Beaverton, Ore., and Mia King (3), Hendersonville, N.C., 4-6, 6-0, 6-4.

In San Antonio

   Boys 14 singles -- Cameron Klinger (2), San Jose, def. Jake Devine (14), Boca Raton, Fla.,  7-6(8), 4-6, 6-1.
   Boys 14 doubles -- Klinger and Tommy Paul (1), Greenville, N.C., def. Ryan Dickerson, Marlton, N.J., and Kyle Seelig (7), Hatfield, Pa., 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-1.

In Peachtree City, Ga.

   Girls 14 singles -- Lauren Goodman (1), Fort Wayne, Ind., def. Mia Horvit (6), Parkland, Fla., 6-2, 6-2.
   Girls 14 doubles -- Andie Daniell, Douglasville, Ga., and Karina Traxler (3), Rockwall, Texas, def. Helen Altick, Monroe, La., and Kaitlyn McCarthy (5), Cary, N.C., 6-1, 0-6, 6-4.

In North Little Rock, Ark.

   Boys 12 singles -- Alexander del Corral (2), Doral, Fla., def. Nathan Perrone (1), Mount Laurel, N.J., 6-2, 6-2.
   Boys 12 doubles -- Sam Riffice, Roseville, and Noah Schachter (2), Steilacoom, Wash., def. Patrick Kypson, Greenville, N.C., and del Corral (1),  6-2, 3-6, 7-5.

In Alpharetta, Ga.

   Girls 12 singles -- Catherine Bellis (1), Atherton, def. Michaela Gordon (5), Los Altos Hills, 6-1, 6-1.
   Girls 12 doubles -- Samantha Martinelli, Denver, and Delaney Nothaft (4), Tempe, Ariz., def. Kayla Day, Santa Barbara, and Gordon (2), 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4).