Unseeded Bradley Klahn, a former NCAA singles champion from Stanford, will meet third-seeded Taylor Fritz for the first time on Sunday in an all-Southern California final.
Klahn, a 27-year-old left-hander, outlasted qualifier Christian Garin of Chile 6-3, 0-6, 6-4 today in the $150,000 Oracle Challenger Series Newport Beach (Calif.). Fritz, 20, defeated countryman and best friend Reilly Opelka, 6-foot-11 (2.11 meters), 6-3, 7-6 (6).
Both Klahn and Fritz were born and raised in the San Diego area and now live in the Los Angeles region.
Klahn, a former top-70 player fighting back from his second back operation, seeks his sixth Challenger singles title but first since 2014. His initial Challenger crown came in Aptos, an hour drive south of Stanford, in 2013.
Fritz has won three Challenger titles, including back-to-back crowns in Sacramento and Fairfield at age 17 in 2015.
In the Oracle women's final, U.S. wild card Danielle Collins will face 18-year-old qualifier Sofya Zhuk of Russia.
Collins, a former two-time NCAA singles champ from Virginia, beat seventh-seeded Ajla Tomljanovic of Croatia 6-4, 6-3. Zhuk survived 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4 against qualifier Mayo Hibi of Japan. Hibi ousted second-seeded Alison Riske, a Pittsburgh native, in the opening round.
Veteran journalist Paul Bauman, based in Sacramento, covers Northern California professional, collegiate and junior tennis. Contact him at norcaltennisczar@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @norcaltenczar.
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