Altamirano captures first Futures singles title

Collin Altamirano beat qualifier Emilio Gomez 6-1, 7-5 to win the $25,000
Long Beach (Calif.) Pro Futures Tournament. Photo courtesy of Steve Pratt

   Collin Altamirano of Sacramento won his first ITF Futures singles title today, defeating qualifier Emilio Gomez of Ecuador 6-1, 7-5 in a $25,000 tournament in Long Beach, Calif.
   The unseeded Altamirano, who turned pro last June after winning NCAA team titles in all three of his years at Virginia, triumphed despite converting only 46.3 percent of his first serves (37 of 80). He had eight aces and two double faults.
   The first-set score was deceptive, Altamirano told publicist Steve Pratt.
   "I wasn't feeling that good at all," said Altamirano, the runner-up to Marcos Giron last year. "I was nervous and tight. I was just so fortunate to pull it out so easily, and the score doesn't indicate how tough it was."
   Altamirano trailed 2-4 in the second set.
   "I was just getting so frustrated and finally let my anger out a little bit," said Altamirano, who became the first unseeded player to win the USTA boys 18 title in 2013. "That loosened me up a little bit, and I started playing better."
   Altamirano will soar from No. 791 in the world to a career high of about No. 675.
   Gomez, the 26-year-old son of 1990 French Open champion Andres Gomez, will improve from No. 514 to about No. 458. He attained a career high of No. 215 in 2014.
   Altamirano also played in the doubles final as an alternate with Alexander Lebedev, a Notre Dame junior from Island Park, N.Y. They fell to top-seeded Luke Bambridge of Great Britain and Hans Hach of Mexico 6-3, 6-2.
   Altamirano was seeking his second Futures doubles title. He won a $10,000 clay-court tournament in Boynton Beach, Fla., with Deiton Baughman of Carson in the Los Angeles area in 2014.