Gibbs reaches Waco singles final, wins doubles title

Nicole Gibbs, playing in the U.S. Open
in September, will face Viktorija Golubic
in the final of the $50,000 Waco (Texas)
Challenger. Photo by Paul Bauman 

   Third-seeded Nicole Gibbs, a former Stanford star, beat fifth-seeded Julia Glushko of Israel 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 on Saturday to reach the singles final of the $50,000 Waco (Texas) Challenger.
   Gibbs, a 22-year-old resident of Marina del Rey in the Los Angeles area, will face unseeded Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland for the title. Golubic topped eighth-seeded Veronica Cepede Royg of Paraguay 1-6, 6-2, 6-1.
   Cepede Royg was coming off a 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (5) victory over top-seeded Anna Tatishvili of Boca Raton, Fla.
   Wild cards Gibbs and Vania King of Long Beach won the doubles title, defeating fourth-seeded Glushko and Rebecca Peterson of Sweden 6-4, 6-4.
   King, a two-time Grand Slam champion in women's doubles, returned to competition in August after missing almost one year with a herniated disc in her neck.
   Gibbs turned pro after winning her second straight NCAA singles title as a junior in 2013 and reached the third round of last year's U.S. Open. She has fallen from a career-high No. 84 in March to No. 128.
   Gibbs also won the 2012 NCAA doubles crown with Mallory Burdette.