Stanford-bound Rotsaert gains Eddie Herr quarters

   The Stanford men already have the top junior in the world, Axel Geller.
   Another top recruit will join the Cardinal next year as fourth-year coach Paul Goldstein continues to rebuild the traditional power.
   Sixth-seeded Alexandre Rotsaert of Boca Raton, Fla., reached the quarterfinals of the prestigious Eddie Herr International Championships with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over 12th-seeded Carlos Lopez Montagud of Spain today.
   Rotsaert, ranked 10th nationally in the 18s, will face top-seeded Timofey Skatov of Russia in the clay-court tournament in Bradenton, Fla. Skatov eliminated 16th-seeded Filip Cristian Jianu of Romania 7-5, 6-1.
   Two Northern Californians, meanwhile, advanced to the semifinals in the boys and girls 14s, respectively, on hard courts in Bradenton.
   No. 3 seed Aidan Mayo of Roseville in the Sacramento area outplayed No. 7 Joel Pierleoni of Great Britain 6-4, 6-2, and No. 2 Vivian Ovrootsky of San Jose beat Kyoka Kubo of Japan 7-6 (2), 6-3. Ovrootsky is ranked second nationally in the 14s.

EDDIE HERR INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

In Bradenton, Fla.

Doubles

Boys 18

Quarterfinals

   Adrian Andreev, Bulgaria, and Keenan Mayo, Roseville, Calif., def. Nicolas Mejia, Colombia, and Uisung Park (1), South Korea, 7-6 (3), 6-4.

Boys 14

Quarterfinals

   Alexander Bernard, Naples, Fla., and Aidan Mayo (1), Roseville, Calif., def. Fnu Nidunjianzan, China, and Ryota Kaneda, Japan, 6-1, 6-3.

Girls 14

Quarterfinals

   Hina Inoue, Los Gatos, Calif., and Vivian Ovrootsky (1), San Jose, def. Dasha Plekhanova, Canada, and Gavriella Smith, New Orleans, 7-5, 7-5.

Rotsaert reaches third round in Eddie Herr 18s

   Stanford-bound Alexandre Rotsaert, seeded sixth from Boca Raton, Fla., routed Allan Deschamps of France 6-2, 6-1 today in the second round of the boys 18s in the Eddie Herr International Championships.
   Rotsaert, who will enroll at Stanford next fall, will face 12th-seeded Carlos Lopez Montagud of Spain for a quarterfinal berth in the clay-court tournament in Bradenton, Fla. Lopez Montagud beat Dostanbek Tashbulatov of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-1.
   In the girls 18s, Clara Burel of France topped Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek in the San Francisco Bay Area 6-4, 1-6, 6-4. Volynets, who won the 16s last year, will turn 16 on Dec. 31. She is ranked No. 1 nationally in the 16s and No. 4 in the 18s.
  Meanwhile, Aidan Mayo of Roseville in the Sacramento area and Vivian Ovrootsky of San Jose reached the quarterfinals in the boys and girls 14s, respectively, on hard courts in Bradenton.
   Mayo, seeded third, beat 13th-seeded Maximo Lucentini Sanchez of Argentina 6-4, 6-1. Ovrootsky, seeded second, eliminated Chae Eun Yoo of Canada 7-5, 6-3. Ovrootsky is ranked No. 2 nationally in the 14s.

EDDIE HERR INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Doubles

Boys 18

Second round

   Adrian Andreev, Bulgaria, and Keenan Mayo, Roseville, Calif., def. Yeudy Villar, Dominican Republic, and Ivan Yatsuk, Bradenton, Fla., 4-6, 6-4 [10-5].

Girls 18

Second round

   Denisa Hindova, Czech Republic, and Oona Orpana, Finland, def. Kristina Novak, Slovenia, and Katie Volynets, Walnut Creek, Calif., 6-4, 6-4.
   Thasaporn Naklo, Thailand, and Naho Sato (7), Japan, def. Carolyn Campana, Hillsborough, Calif., and Abigail Forbes, Raleigh, N.C., 2-6, 6-0 [10-3].

Boys 14

Second round

   Alexander Bernard, Naples, Fla., and Aidan Mayo (1), Roseville, Calif., def. Alexander Bravo, San Francisco, and Petar Teodorovic, Serbia, 6-0, 6-1.

Girls 14

Second round

   Hina Inoue, Los Gatos, Calif., and Vivian Ovrootsky (1), San Jose, def. Daniela Porges, Plantation, Fla., and Nika Vesely, Plano, Texas, 6-4, 6-3.

Mayo, Ovrootsky advance in Eddie Herr 14s

   Two Northern Californians beat Japanese players today in second round of the 14s in the Eddie Herr International Championships.
   But Aidan Mayo had a far easier match.
   The third-seeded Mayo, from the Sacramento suburb of Roseville, coasted to a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Ryota Kaneda in boys 14s of the hard-court tournament in Bradenton, Fla.
   On the girls side, second-seeded Vivian Ovrootsky of San Jose outlasted Remika Ohashi 3-6, 6-1, 7-5. Ovrootsky is ranked second nationally in the 14s.
   The second round of the boys and girls 18s on clay in Bradenton is scheduled for Wednesday. Stanford-bound Alexandre Rotsaert, seeded sixth from Boca Raton, Fla., will play qualifier Allan Deschamps of France, and Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek in the San Francisco Bay Area will meet Clara Burel of France.
   Volynets, who won the 16s last year, will turn 16 on Dec. 31. She is ranked No. 1 nationally in the 16s and No. 4 in the 18s.
   Past competitors in the Eddie Herr 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.

EDDIE HERR INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Doubles

Boys 18

First round

   Adrian Andreev, Bulgaria, and Keenan Mayo, Roseville, Calif., def. William Grant, Orlando, Fla., and Govind Nanda, Cerritos, Calif., 7-5, 7-5.

Girls 18   

First round

   Kristina Novak, Slovenia, and Katie Volynets, Walnut Creek, Calif., def. Nika Radisic, Slovenia, and Stefania Rogozinska Dzik (8), Poland, 7-5, 3-6 [10-4].
   Carolyn Campana, Hillsborough, Calif., and Abigail Forbes, Raleigh, N.C., def. Diae El Jardi, Morocco, and Anastasia Iamachkine, Peru, 6-3, 4-6 [10-8].
   Caty McNally, Cincinnati, and Whitney Osuigwe (1), Bradenton, Fla., def. Ana Geller, Argentina, and Niluka Madurawe, Sunnyvale, Calif., 6-2, 6-4.

Boys 14

First round

   Alexander Bernard, Naples, Fla., and Aidan Mayo (1), Roseville, Calif., def. Adi Dagan and Eytan Michaeli, Israel, 6-1, 7-5.

Girls 14

First round

   Hina Inoue, Los Gatos, Calif., and Vivian Ovrootsky (1), San Jose, Calif., bye.

Rotsaert, headed to Stanford, survives in Eddie Herr

   Stanford-bound Alexandre Rotsaert, seeded sixth from Boca Raton, Fla., edged Andrew Paulson of the Czech Republic 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (0) today in the first round of the 18s in the prestigious Eddie Herr International Championships in Bradenton, Fla.
   Rotsaert, who will join the Cardinal next fall, will meet the winner of the match between Seon Yong Han of South Korea and qualifier Allan Deschamps of France.
   Dostanbek Tashbulatov of Kazakhstan wore down Keenan Mayo, who grew up in the Sacramento suburb of Roseville, 6-1, 1-6, 6-0. Mayo will attend Illinois next fall.
   In the girls 18s, Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek in the San Francisco Bay Area defeated Himari Sato of Japan 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-0. Volynets, who won the 16s last year, will turn 16 on Dec. 31.
   Second-seeded Maria Lourdes Carle of Argentina dismissed wild card Carolyn Campana of Hillsborough 6-1, 6-0. Also, Victoriia Dema of Ukraine beat Niluka Madurawe of Sunnyvale 7-5, 6-1. Hillsborough and Sunnyvale also are Bay Area suburbs.
   Third-seeded Aidan Mayo, Keenan's brother, and second-seeded Vivian Ovrootsky, from San Jose, advanced in straight sets in the boys and girls 14s, respectively.
   Past competitors in the Eddie Herr 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.

Bryans eliminated from ATP Finals

   The end of Bryan brothers' Hall of Fame career is approaching.
   It could come next year for the 39-year-old former Stanford stars. But not now with Mike Bryan and Canada's Daniel Nestor tied for the most doubles match victories with 1,056.
   Fifth-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan ended another disappointing season with a 6-4, 6-4 loss to alternates Oliver Marach of Austria and Mate Pavic of Croatia today in the ATP Finals in London. Marach and Pavic replaced Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Marcel Granollers of Spain because of an undisclosed injury.
   The Bryans, who grew up in Camarillo in the Los Angeles area and now live in the tax haven of Florida, finished 1-2 in round-robin play. They have won the title four times, most recently in 2014.
   In Saturday's semifinals, top-seeded Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Marcelo Melo of Brazil will face eighth-seeded Ryan Harrison of Austin, Texas, and Michael Venus of New Zealand, and second-seeded Henri Kontinen of Finland and John Peers of Australia will meet fourth-seeded Jamie Murray of Great Britain and Bruno Soares of Brazil.
   Each semifinal team except Murray and Soares won a Grand Slam title this year. Kontinen and Peers, the defending champions in the ATP Finals, triumphed in the Australian Open. Harrison and Venus took the French Open crown, and Kubot and Melo prevailed at Wimbledon.
   Third-seeded Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands and Horia Tecau of Romania went 0-3 in the ATP Finals. They won the U.S. Open.
   The Bryans, owners of a record 16 Grand Slam men's doubles titles, failed to win one for the third consecutive year. Their number of tour-level titles has declined in each of the last five years from 11 (tying their career high) to 10 to six to three to two. They have 112 overall.
   The Bryans led Stanford to NCAA team championships in both of their years there (1997-98). Bob Bryan won a rare Triple Crown in 1998, also claiming the NCAA singles and doubles titles (with Mike).

Bryans lose to top seeds in ATP Finals

   Top-seeded Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Marcelo Melo of Brazil beat fifth-seeded Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 6-4, 6-3 today in a round-robin match at the ATP Finals in London.
   Kubot and the 6-foot-8 (2.03-meter) Melo, this year's Wimbledon champions, improved to 2-0 in the Woodbridge-Woodforde group to clinch a berth in Saturday's semifinals.
   The 39-year-old Bryan twins, four-time champions, fell to 1-1. To advance, the ex-Stanford stars must defeat seventh-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Marcel Granollers of Spain on Friday, and Kubot and Melo must beat fourth-seeded Jamie Murray of Great Britain and Bruno Soares of Brazil.
   Murray and Soares routed Dodig and Granollers 6-1, 6-1 to improve to 1-1 in the tournament featuring the top eight teams of the year. Dodig and Granollers are 0-2.
   French Open champs Ryan Harrison of Austin, Texas, and Michael Venus of New Zealand lead the Eltingh-Haarhuis group at 2-0. 
   The Bryans won the ATP Finals in 2003 and 2004 in Houston and 2009 and 2014 in London. They have won a record 16 Grand Slam men's doubles titles but none since the 2014 U.S. Open.
   The Bryans grew up in Camarillo in the Los Angeles area and now live in Florida.

Bryans eke out win in ATP Finals opener

   Fifth-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan edged fourth-seeded Jamie Murray of Great Britain and Bruno Soares of Brazil 7-5, 6-7 (3) [10-8] today in a round-robin opener at the ATP Finals in London.
   The 39-year-old Bryan twins, who seek their fifth title in the tournament, saved three set points in the first set. They will play top-seeded Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Marcelo Melo of Brazil on Wednesday.
   Kubot and Melo, this year's Wimbledon champions, beat seventh-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Marcel Granollers of Spain 7-6 (2), 6-4.
   The Bryans, ex-Stanford stars, won the ATP Finals in 2003 and 2004 in Houston and 2009 and 2014 in London. The owners of a record 16 Grand Slam men's doubles titles, they failed to win one for the third consecutive year in 2017.
    The doubles field in the ATP Finals consists of the top eight teams of the year. Each team plays three round-robin matches, and the top four pairs advance to Saturday's semifinals. 
    The Bryans led Stanford to NCAA team championships in both of their years there (1997-98). Bob Bryan won a rare Triple Crown in 1998, also claiming the NCAA singles and doubles titles (with Mike).

Stephens falls again, but U.S. ends title drought

CoCo Vandeweghe exhorts the crowd during the
Bank of the West Classic final at Stanford in Aug-
ust. Photo by Mal Taam

   Despite another loss by U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens, the United States won its first Fed Cup title in 17 years today.
   With the U.S. and host Belarus tied 2-2 after singles, Shelby Rogers and CoCo Vandeweghe defeated Aryna Sabalenka and Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-3, 7-6 (3) in the deciding match in Minsk.
   It was the Americans' 18th Fed Cup title, more than any other country. Next is the Czech Republic with 10.
   Vandeweghe, who cracked the top 10 in the world for the first time in the year-end rankings at No. 10, gave the United States a 2-1 lead in the two-day competition with a 7-6 (5) 6-1 victory over Sabalenka, ranked No. 78 at 19 years old. Vandeweghe, a two-time runner-up in the Bank of the West Classic final at Stanford (2012 and this year), trailed 1-4 in the tiebreaker.
   Sasnovich, ranked 87th, then edged the 13th-ranked Stephens 4-6, 6-1, 8-6 to set up the deciding doubles match. Stephens, who grew up in Fresno, is 0-6 since defeating countrywoman Madison Keys in September for her first Grand Slam title.
   "I'm just really thrilled for all four players (including Alison Riske, who did not play)," Kathy Rinaldi, who completed her first year as the U.S. Fed Cup captain, told reporters. "CoCo came out and just played unbelievable, Shelby stepped up, and Sloane -- my heart was broken for her, but she battled the whole weekend. She battled all the way to the end. I'm so proud of all four of them."
   Vandeweghe, 25, became the first player to win eight Fed Cup matches in a year since the current format began in 2005 and the first to win the maximum six singles matches since Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic in 2011.

   "It was a lot of work and a lot of dedication to the Fed Cup in each and every round," Vandeweghe said. "I dedicated my time and energy through my season to be able to perform the best I could for Team USA."
   Both teams were missing star players this weekend. For the United States, Serena Williams is on maternity leave, 37-year-old Venus Williams skipped the Fed Cup this year, Keys cited a wrist injury, and doubles specialist Bethanie Mattek-Sands is recovering from knee surgery. Belarus' Victoria Azarenka has child custody issues that also caused her to miss the U.S. Open.

Ex-Stanford star Zhao wins $100K Shenzhen

   One week after Kristie Ahn won the biggest title of her career, her former Stanford teammate Carol Zhao did the same.
   The unseeded Zhao, a 22-year-old Canadian, beat fourth-seeded Fangzhao Liu of China 7-5, 6-2 on an outdoor hard court today for the $100,000 Shenzhen (China) title.
   "It's been a long way here since January and I owe this to a small group of people whose belief in me never wavered even when mine did," Zhao tweeted. "There are still many, many more miles to go but I'm so so grateful for you, and for this."
   Zhao soared from No. 221 in the world to a career-high No. 150 with the title. Her only previous singles crown came in a $25,000 tournament in Nanao, Japan, in early September.
   Zhao, 5-foot-5 (1.65 meters), reached the NCAA singles final as a sophomore in 2015, losing to Jamie Loeb of North Carolina. Zhao turned pro in June 2016 after helping Stanford claim its 18th NCAA women's team title. Florida is next with seven.
   Ahn, a 25-year-old American, won last week's $80,000 RBC Pro Challenger in Tyler, Texas. 

Jackson, Yeah win Fall Sectional singles titles

   Ryder Jackson and Ashley Yeah won the boys and girls 18 titles, respectively, in the NorCal Junior Fall Singles Sectional Championships last weekend at the Broadstone Racquet Club in the Sacramento suburb of Folsom.
   The second-seeded Jackson of Nicasio beat unseeded Aryan Chaudhary of Santa Clara 6-3, 6-4. The top-seeded Yeah of Los Gatos outplayed second-seeded Rachel Eason of Union City 6-4, 6-2.
   Here are the results of other finals in the singles-only Sectionals:

16s

At Broadstone Racquet Club in Folsom

Boys

   Kush Patel (2), Cupertino, def. Sidharth Jangbahadur (1), Palo Alto, 6-2, 6-2.

Girls

   Allura Zamarippa (5), Saint Helena, def. Alexis Johnson (9), Fair Oaks, 6-1, 6-4.

14s

At Fremont Tennis Center

Boys

   Alex Koong (2), Los Altos, def. Lucca Liu (5), Palo Alto, 6-3, 6-4.

Girls

   Tomi Main (1), Seaside, def. Arushi Malik (5), Cupertino, 6-1, 6-1.

12s

At UC Santa Cruz

Boys

   Mitchell Lee (2), Oakland, def. Siddharth Moturi (1), Monterey, 8-6.

Girls

   Natasha Rajaram (2), Cupertino, def. Michela Moore (9), Monte Sereno, 8-2.

Stephens upset; U.S. tied 1-1 in Fed Cup final

   The United States recorded one victory on the opening day of the Fed Cup final.
   But it didn't come from U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens.
   CoCo Vandeweghe, who cracked the top 10 for the first time in the year-end rankings at No. 10, defeated 87th-ranked Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-4, 6-4 in today's first match in Minsk, Belarus.
   But the 13th-ranked Stephens, who grew up in Fresno, lost to 19-year-old Aryna Sabalenka, ranked 78th, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. Stephens, 24, is 0-5 since beating countrywoman Madison Keys for her first Grand Slam title.
   The best-of-five series will continue on Sunday with the reverse singles matches followed by doubles. The United States has won 17 Fed Cup titles, more than any other team, but none since 2000. The U.S. is playing in its first Fed Cup final since 2010 and Belarus its first ever.
   Vandeweghe, 25, reached her second Bank of the West Classic final at Stanford in August, losing to close friend and countrywoman Madison Keys.
   As always in the Fed Cup and Davis Cup, the series between the United States and Belarus is as noteworthy for who's missing as for who's playing. Absent are Serena Williams (maternity leave), 37-year-old Venus Williams (skipping Fed Cup this year), Keys (wrist) and Bethanie Mattek-Sands (knee surgery) for the United States and Victoria Azarenka (child custody issues) for Belarus.
   Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Azarenka are former world No. 1s in singles with multiple Grand Slam titles. The same goes for Mattek-Sands in doubles.

Sac State's Losbergs sweeps Invitational titles

Sacramento State's Mikus Losbergs, a junior from Latvia, swept the singles
and doubles titles in the Pacific Men's Tennis Invitational. Photo courtesy
of Sacramento State

   Sacramento State's Mikus Losbergs swept the singles and doubles titles in the recent Pacific Men's Tennis Invitational in Stockton.
   Losbergs, seeded second in singles, outlasted sixth-seeded Tadiwa Chinamo of Pacific 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4 in the final. In the doubles final, top-seeded Losbergs and Kasparas Zemaitelis defeated Connor Garnett and Kamran Khan 8-3.
   "This tournament was the best tennis I have ever seen Mikus play," Sac State assistant coach Kevin Kurtz said of the junior from Latvia on hornetsports.com. "He's always been a great player, but he was in a zone during the entire tournament. I don't think you could play a better weekend of tennis, and for him to win three matches on the final day was extremely impressive and showed a lot of heart."
   The nine-team field also included Fresno State, Saint Mary's, Cal Poly and UC Davis.
   Sac State ended its fall season in the tournament. The Hornets will open their spring season on Jan. 19 at Saint Mary's. Sac State's home opener is scheduled for Jan. 21 against Cal Poly. All home matches will be played on campus.

Stanford's Geller tops world junior boys rankings

   From the pros to college to the juniors, it was a sensational two days for Stanford.
   On Sunday, ex-Cardinal star Kristie Ahn won the $80,000 Tyler (Texas) Challenger for the biggest title of her career. Also, sophomore Emily Arbuthnott and freshman Michaela Gordon won the women's doubles title in the ITA National Fall Championships in Indian Wells, Calif.
   On Monday, freshman Axel Geller of Argentina rose to No. 1 in the ITF world junior boys rankings. It's uncertain if or when another college player has achieved that distinction.
   Geller reached the Wimbledon and U.S. Open junior finals this year, losing to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain and Wu Yibing of China, respectively. Geller won the Wimbledon doubles title with Hsu Yu Hsiou of Taiwan.
   Stanford, coached by alumnus and former world top-60 player Paul Goldstein, will open its dual-match season against San Francisco on Jan. 19 at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium.

Ahn nears top 100 after winning $80K Tyler title

Kristie Ahn, left, and Danielle Collins shake hands after Ahn's victory in
the quarterfinals of the $60,000 Sacramento (Calif.) Challenger in July.
Ahn beat Collins again on Sunday to win the $80,000 Tyler (Texas)
Challenger. Photo by Rob Vomund

   After winning the biggest title of her career, Kristie Ahn is close to cracking the top 100 in the world for the first time.
   The former Stanford star, seeded fourth, beat unseeded Danielle Collins 6-4, 6-4 in an all-American matchup on Sunday in the final of the $80,000 RBC Pro Challenger in Tyler, Texas.
   Ahn, only 5-foot-5 (1.65 meters), rose nine places to a career-high No. 106 and took the lead in the Australian Open Wild Card Challenge.
   If Ahn, 25, wins the Challenge, gains direct entry into the Australian Open or qualifies, it will be her second appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament and first in nine years.
   At 16, the product of Upper Saddle River, N.J., qualified for the 2008 U.S. Open before losing to Dinara Safina 6-3, 6-4. Safina was ranked seventh at the time and climbed to No. 1 the following year.
   Numerous injuries followed, but Ahn helped Stanford win the 2013 NCAA team title and graduated the following year as a four-time All-American.
   Ahn improved to 2-0 against Collins, the NCAA singles champion in 2014 and 2016. Ahn won 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the $60,000 Sacramento (Calif.) Challenger in July. 

Stanford pair win ITA National Fall doubles title

Michaela Gordon eyes a forehand in the singles qualifying event of the
$60,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger in the Sacramento area in
July. Photo by Rob Vomund  

   Playing only their second tournament together, Stanford's Emily Arbuthnott and Michaela Gordon won the inaugural ITA National Fall Championships.
   Arbuthnott, a sophomore from England, and Gordon, a freshman from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, beat Alexa Bortles and Arianne Hartono of Mississippi 6-4, 6-1 today in Indian Wells, Calif. Both teams were unseeded.
   Arbuthnott and Gordon won the first three of their five tournament matches in super tiebreakers. They ousted third-seeded fifth-seeded Rosie Johanson and Meghan Kelley of Virginia in the quarterfinals and third-seeded Kelly Chen and Samantha Harris of Duke in the semifinals.
   Arbuthnott and Gordon ended the fall season with an 8-1 record. They reached the doubles semifinals in the ITA Northwest Regional Championships last month at Stanford.
   Gordon earned her second collegiate title and Arbuthnott, who played No. 1 doubles with then-senior Taylor Davidson last season, her first. Gordon won the singles crown in the Northwest Regionals.

Stanford duo to play for doubles title in Fall Nationals

Michaela Gordon volleys in the singles qualifying event
of the $60,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger in
the Sacramento area in July. Photo by Rob Vomund

   After pulling off their second consecutive upset, Stanford's Emily Arbuthnott and Michaela Gordon will play for the doubles title in the ITA National Fall Championships.
   The unseeded pair knocked off third-seeded Kelly Chen and Samantha Harris of Duke 6-1, 7-5 today in Indian Wells, Calif.
   Arbuthnott, a sophomore from England, and Gordon, a freshman from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, won all three of their previous tournament encounters in match tiebreakers. They surprised fifth-seeded Rosie Johanson and Meghan Kelley of Virginia in the quarterfinals.
   Arbuthnott and Gordon will play Mississippi's Alexa Bortles and Arianne Hartono, who beat Paige Hourigan and Kenya Jones of Georgia Tech 6-2, 7-6 (5) in a matchup of unseeded teams. Bortles is a sophomore from Alpharetta, Ga., and Hartono is a senior from the Netherlands.

Stanford pair reach doubles semis in Fall Nationals

   Stanford's Michaela Gordon and Emily Arbuthnott lost to unseeded players today in the third round of the ITA National Fall Championships in Indian Wells, Calif.
   However, they reached the doubles semifinals together.
   The 12th-seeded Gordon, a freshman from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, fell to Bianca Turati of Texas 6-2, 7-6 (7). Arbuthnott, a sophomore from England, succumbed to Marie Leduc of Clemson 6-1, 6-2.
   Unseeded in doubles, Arbuthnott and Gordon edged fifth-seeded Rosie Johanson and Meghan Kelley of Virginia 3-6, 7-6 (5) [10-4].
   Arbuthnott and Gordon, who have won all three of their encounters in match tiebreakers, will play third-seeded Kelly Chen and Samantha Harris of Duke. Chen and Harris beat Elena Christofi and Morgan Coppoc of Georgia 6-4, 7-6 (4).

Stanford's Arbuthnott upsets seed in Fall Nationals

   Emily Arbuthnott of Stanford ousted sixth-seeded Katarina Jokic of Georgia 6-1, 2-6, 6-1 today in the second round of the ITA National Fall Championships in Indian Wells, Calif.
   Arbuthnott's teammate, 12th-seeded Michaela Gordon, advanced with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Shiori Fukuda of Ohio State.
   Arbuthnott, a sophomore from England, is scheduled to face unseeded Marie Leduc of Clemson for a quarterfinal berth. Leduc surprised 15th-seeded Maya Sherif of Pepperdine, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. Sherif, a senior, transferred from Fresno State after sophomore season.
   Gordon, a freshman from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, will meet unseeded Bianca Turati of Texas. Turati knocked off fourth-seeded Ena Shibahara of UCLA 7-6 (4), 6-2. Shibahara tops the preseason national rankings.
   Both the third round and quarterfinals are set for Friday.
   Top-seeded Anna Danilina of Florida and third-seeded Karla Popovic of Cal lost in the first round on Wednesday. Second-seeded Ashley Lahey of Pepperdine remains alive.
   Arbuthnott and Gordon also reached the doubles quarterfinals, beating Gabrielle Andrews and Jada Hart of UCLA 7-5, 4-6 [11-9]. Arbuthnott and Gordon will play fifth-seeded Rose Johanson and Meghan Kelley of Virginia.
   All men with Northern California connections have been eliminated in singles and doubles.
  Victor Pham, a Columbia junior from Saratoga, lost to ninth-seeded Alfredo Perez of Florida 7-6 (3), 6-4. Logan Staggs, a UCLA senior from Tracy, fell to 10th-seeded JJ Wolf of Ohio State 6-3, 6-1.