San Jose's Motevassel falls in National 40 final

Tony Bujan and Dina McBride won singles titles in the USTA
National 40 Hard Court Championships today in La Jolla.
Photos courtesy of JFS Communications

   Second-seeded Tony Bujan of Tustin retained his title in the USTA National 40 Hard Court Championships, defeating top-seeded Oren Motevassel of San Jose 6-2, 6-4 today in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla.
   "It just feels great to play well," Bujan, a 44-year-old teaching professional based in Orange County, said in a news release. "I love playing, and I love competing. Tennis has done so much for me.
   "(Motevassel) doesn’t overpower you, but he doesn’t miss. He’s crafty with his backhand. I just tried to stay aggressive and dictate and keep him off-balance."
   Motevassel, 47, won the title in 2011 and 2012.
   Third-seeded Dina McBride of Stevenson Ranch won the women's title, beating top-seeded Jennifer Dawson of Carlsbad 6-4, 6-2.
   McBride, a 43-year-old teaching pro in Valencia, overcame an undisclosed injury early in the tournament.      
   "I won it on just faith and believing," she said. "Coming in, I felt great, but I got injured in the first round and didn’t think I was going to be able to pull through. I just took it one match at a time.
   "Every year, you never know how you’re going to feel. I had to seize the moment because these opportunities don’t come around too often. I love tennis. I love the game, and I love competing. It’s just fun."  
   McBride lost the 2011 singles final to Dawson when she retired because of a leg injury in the first set. McBride captured the 2012 title by beating former world No. 15 Ros (Fairbank) Nideffer.