Tennis: Van’t Hof, Holland wins singles titles

Joseph Boo

NEWPORT BEACH - The first set was easy, but the rest of the match

wasn’t. For the next hour and a half, Kaes Van’t Hof ran around

desperately trying to catch up to Michael McClune’s shots.

But No. 2 seed Van’t Hof, a 14-year-old from Newport Beach, hunted

down just enough shots and blasted just enough winners to pull out a 6-1,

2-6, 6-4 victory in the finals of the boys 14 singles tournament during

the Junior Tennis Classic 2000 at Balboa Bay Racquet Club. It is Van’t

Hof’s first singles tournament title.

McClune a 12-year-old from Irvine and the No. 4 seed, certainly gave

Van’t Hof all he could handle throughout the match. In fact, Van’t Hof

was down, 40-0, in the ninth game of the third and deciding and faced a

possible 5-4 deficit before he stormed back to win the game and the

match.

The match didn’t look like it would have an exciting finish as Van’t

Hof overpowered McClune in the first set. Up 3-1 at the halfway point,

Van’t Hof gave up just one point in winning the set’s last three games.

After dropping the first game of the second set, Van’t Hof won the

next two games easily in five points, and it seemed like McClune was

going to be overmatched.

But McClune starting producing smart shots that gave Van’t Hof

problems. He successfully scattered baseline shots all over the court. It

forced Van’t Hof to make some difficult shots, and he started hitting a

lot of unforced errors into the net.

McClune won the fourth game in deuce to tie the set, 2-2, and had the

full momentum. He didn’t lose a game from that point, including a long

sixth game in two deuces, to take the second set.

“He was playing really well,” Van’t Hof said. “He won a lot of deuces.

It seemed like all his shots fell for him in deuce.”

With the match tied at one set apiece, the momentum in the match

seemed to shift after every game. Down, 30-15, in the opening game, Van’t

Hof broke McClune’s serve. But McClune came back to win the next two

games.

Van’t Hof was struggling to hit the ball over the net, but he seemed

to be regathering his stroke in the third set. He tied it up, 2-2, by

blasting a winner down the left sideline. He then served two aces in the

next game to take a 3-2 lead.

“I was trying to get the ball in,” Van’t Hof said. “I was over-hitting

the ball. I thought it was going to be easy after the first set, and I

was just swinging at the ball.”

But McClune came out of the changeover and won the next eight points

to take a 5-4 lead. Van’t Hof tied the match at 4-4, but McClune raced

out to a 40-0 lead in the ninth game.

“I thought to myself, ‘Oh no,’ ” Van’t Hof said. “I didn’t want to

lose it here, not in my hometown.”

Facing a possible 5-4 deficit, Van’t Hof hit a deep baseline shot that

forced McClune to hit the ball in the net. McClune then double-faulted,

and he had a shot that went long on the next game to get into deuce.

With the comeback, Van’t Hof had the momentum and he didn’t relent. He

got the advantage and then smashed a winner down the left sideline to

wrap up his first singles tournament title.

About two hours after his singles title, Van’t Hof and Charlie Farmer

of Newport Beach, who form the top seed in boys 14 doubles, won the

championship with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over second seed Walter Lau and

Leland Buttle.

Playing up to girls 16 singles to get a tougher challenge, 14-year-old

Brittany Holland of Corona del Mar found competition few and far between.

She blasted second-seed Patti Kankwankij of Fullerton, 6-1, 6-3, to win

the title.

It is the second consecutive Junior Tennis Classic singles tournament

trophy Holland is taking home. She won the girls 14 singles title last

year. Holland breezed through the field dropping only one set in the

entire tournament.

Holland took the first set easily and raced out to a 3-1 lead before

Kankwankij came back and pulled herself into a 3-3 tie before Holland won

the last three games and the match.

“After I took a 3-1 lead, I was feeling a little tight,” Holland said.

“I dropped two games but I won the next three. It was a good match. She

was a tough opponent.”

It is Holland’s third tournament title, and her second in singles. She

will compete in the National hard court tournament in Georgia next week.

Three other locals competed in singles championships.

After dropping a tough first set, boys 10 singles top seed Ryan

Caughren of Newport Beach won the second set easily and seemingly had the

upper hand.

But No. 2 seed Florante Sarmiento Jr. of Carson closed Caughren out in

the third set to win the tournament title, 7-5, 1-6, 6-2.

A strong run for Newport Beach’s Vanessa Dunlap came to an end in the

girls 14 singles finals. She was overmatched by top seed Lindsay McBride

of Rancho Santa Fe, 6-0, 6-2.

To get to her first tournament finals, Dunlap upset three seeded

players in a row. But her fourth consecutive seeded opponent sprayed

powerful shots all over the court and proved to be very difficult to

beat.

McBride only dropped eight games in the first set. She won the first

two games before Dunlap tied the set at 2-2 with well-placed shots. But

McBride continued her near-flawless play and closed out the match.

Girls 10 singles’ No. 2 seed Alexandria Walters of Corona del Mar was

defeated by third seed Carissa Aboubakare of Orange, 6-2, 6-0.

Despite Walters’ advantage in power, Aboubakare committed few errors

and placed her shots effectively to keep Walters at a constant

disadvantage.

In doubles, Josh Stuart and Justin Ning, teammates on Corona del Mar

High’s boys tennis team, won the boys 16 title , 7-5, 6-4, over Robert

Ancona and David Quintero.

Corona del Mar resident Jake Fleming and McClune, the top-seeded boys

12 doubles team, captured their division title with a 6-1, 6-0 victory

over Krishna Kaliannan and Fabian Matthews.

JUNIOR TENNIS CLASSIC 2000

at Balboa Bay Racquet Club

BOYS 10 SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP

Florante Sarmiento def. Ryan Caughren, 7-5, 1-6, 6-2.

BOYS 12 SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP

Danny Desatnik def. Walter Lau, 6-3, 7-5.

BOYS 14 SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP

Kaes Van’t Hof def. Michael McClune, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.

BOYS 16 SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP

Sean Canullas def. John Mano, (default).

BOYS 18 SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP

Eric Aarnaes def. Alex Richter, 6-2, 6-3.

BOYS 12 DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP

Jake Fleming-Michael McClune def. Krishna Kaliannan-Fabian Matthews,

6-0, 6-1.

BOYS 14 DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP

Kaes Van’t Hof-Charlie Farmer def. Walter Lau-Leland Buttle, 6-3, 6-0.

BOYS 16 DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP

Justin Ning-Josh Stuart def. Robert Ancona-David Quintero, 7-5, 6-4.

GIRLS 10 SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP

Carissa Aboubakare def. Alexandria Walters, 6-2, 6-0.

GIRLS 12 SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP

Brittany Rosen def. Veronica Li, 6-3, 6-2.

GIRLS 14 SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP

Lindsay McBride def. Vanessa Dunlap, 6-0, 6-2.

GIRLS 16 SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP

Brittany Holland def. Patti Kankwankij, 6-1, 6-3.

GIRLS 18 SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP

Tracy Lin def. Celia Durkin, 6-4, 6-3.

GIRLS 12 DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP

Bianca Aboubakare-Carissa Aboubakare def. Pooja Desai-Veronica Li,

7-5, 6-4.

GIRLS 14 DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP

Lauren Harris-Jessica Rice def. Elizabeth Buckley-Meghan Ehlers, 6-2,

4-6, 6-1.

GIRLS 16 DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP

Kim Tran-Patricia Ruman def. Casey Knutson-Julie Litrich