Bay Area's Volynets, Greenwald win big titles

Katie Volynets, who will turn 15 on Dec. 31,
won the girls 16 title in the Eddie Herr Inter-
national Championships. 2015 photo by
Paul Bauman

   Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek in the San Francisco Bay Area added another big singles title to her resume today.
   The seventh-seeded Volynets, who will turn 15 on Dec. 31, outclassed fourth-seeded Victoria Hu of Northborough, Mass., 6-3, 6-2 in the 16s on a hardcourt in the Eddie Herr International Championships in Bradenton, Fla.
   Volynets, ranked No. 2 nationally in the 16s behind Nicole Mossmer of San Diego and No. 1 in the 14s, lost only one set in the tournament. She beat 11th-seeded Angelica Blake of Boca Raton, Fla., 0-6, 7-5, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
   The Eddie Herr is one of the most prestigious junior tournaments in the world. Past competitors include Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, David Nalbandian, Maria Sharapova, Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic.
   Herr, the father of international junior tennis, died in 2000 at 93.
   Volynets also won the USTA National Championships last year in the 14s, saving five match points in the semifinals, and two years ago in the 12s. She reached the semifinals this year in the 16s in San Diego.
   Volynets' parents, Andrey and Anna, emigrated from Ukraine 20 years ago. Anna was a top swimmer there.
   In next week's prestigious Orange Bowl on clay in Plantation, Fla., the unseeded Volynets is scheduled to play qualifier Makayla Mills of Wilmington, N.C., in the first round.
   USTA National 40 Hard Court Championships in La Jolla, Calif. -- In an all-Bay Area matchup, sixth-seeded Jeff Greenwald of San Anselmo won the title over fourth-seeded Oren Motevassel of San Jose by walkover.
   Motevassel, 49, pulled out with a right knee injury.
   Greenwald, 50, equaled Motevassel with two singles titles in the tournament. He also won in 2009. Motevassel triumphed in 2011 and 2012.
   Since winning the title in 2009, Greenwald had met Motevaseel in the tournament on four occasions, including three times in the semifinals, and lost each encounter.
   Chase Helpingstine of San Francisco teamed with Ronald Keiger to capture the grandfather-grandson title. Seeded third, they demolished unseeded Bob Hoffman of West Hempstead, N.Y., and Christopher Schwab of Massapequa, N.Y. (Jerry Seinfield's hometown) 6-0, 6-0.