Behrens Wins Second Consecutive Title

Orange’s Bill Behrens defended his men’s open singles title at the 38th Annual Adoption Guild Charity Tennis tournament Sunday, but he had a tough time doing it.

Andy Stewart, of Huntington Beach, rallied in the second set--overcoming two match points--and took Behrens to a third set before falling, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5 at the Newport Beach Tennis Club.

Behrens, 28, won last year’s title when top-seeded Scott Davis defaulted due to an injury. This year, fifth-seeded Stewart gave second-seeded Behrens all he could handle.

It was the fourth time the two had faced each other. Stewart has yet to defeat Behrens, who was at one time ranked 50th in the world in doubles and made a third-round appearance in Wimbledon doubles.

“This was definitely my best run at him,” Stewart, 28, said. “His serve is really tough for me. It is so hard for me to return.”

Stewart, who played on the pro circuit for five years and now teaches tennis at the Costa Mesa Tennis Club, was on his last leg in the second set. Down a break at 5-4, he finally got a handle on Behrens’ serve and broke him with a passing shot down the line to tie the set, 5-5. The set went to a tiebreaker, where Stewart took a 4-1 lead, before putting it away.

In the third set, five games went to deuce, with both players getting a break to stay on serve, until Behrens went up, 5-3, with his second break of the set.

Again Stewart battled back, down two match points, he won four straight points to take the game and close to 5-4. After he held serve at 5-5, the two played to deuce again, but a shot down the line by Behrens, that Stewart called out, was overruled by chair umpire Bjorn Bork, giving Behrens the advantage and then the game.

Behrens, though visibly tired, rallied from a 30-0 deficit in the final game to win the match.

“I had a lot of friends here that helped me pull it out,” said Behrens. “[Stewart] played really good today.”

Behrens, who gives tennis lessons in Mission Viejo, received $3,000 for his victory.

The tournament is the largest charity tournament in the United States, with all proceeds going to Holy Family Services, a nondenominational agency that provides adoption placement services, as well as counseling and child care.