2003 Tournament News Archive
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Tenacious Theresa Wins in Three
By:  Alana Marcu
August 10, 2003

San Jose, CA---A new comeback queen is crowned as tenacious Theresa Logar dethroned defending champ, Alexandra Podkolzina in a stunning three-set final at the Almaden Valley Athletic Club, August 10, 2003.

It was a slow start for ninth seeded Logar who dropped the first set in a fury of unforced errors, missed first serves, and unreachable short angles which Podkolzina hammered off to win by a score of 6-2.  But as the second set finished, so too did Logar’s mistakes and Podkolzina’s smooth sailing.  Not only did Logar step her game up a notch by taking Podkolzina’s characteristic heavy topspin balls on the rise, she cut down on errors, began nailing the once out first serves, and dictated points to get floaters and make her way to net where she slammed swing volleys and winners to snatch the second set, 6-3.  As Logar leveled the match to one set apiece, she gained more momentum and more fire with each stroke while Podkolzina’s mannerisms seemed to become more slow and deliberate in between each point and her shots less consistent.  But the final was far from over, especially with that one wild card to the Open still up for grabs.

After Podkolzina opened the third and final set with a standard hold, Logar followed suit to once again even out the match 1-1.  Faced with two game points in Podkolzina’s favor, Logar decided to make her move in the third game of the third set to tie it up to deuce and finally break serve, to go up 2-1.  Podkolzina continued to stretch out her left leg in pain and Logar continued to push her level of play up as she gunned off aces and more winners to increase her lead to 3-1, 0-30.  But Podkolzina refused to hand the match over especially with the memory of victory through comebacks still fresh in her mind from the week.  She held serve with some aces and winners of her own and broke Logar to even the match once again at 3-3.  Neither one would be bested though as they exchanged another set of breaks, but once again it was Logar who came out on top at 4-4 to break Podkolzina back after being down in the game.  Logar would now serve for the match, championship, and wild card to the US Open at 5-4 in the third.  30-0 up, Logar missed a short forehand wide to send the score to 30-15 and send signs of nerves to her opponent.  But this was only a minor speed bump on her road to victory as Logar captured the match and title on her first of two championship points with one smooth, swift shot passed Podkolzina to bring spectators to their feet in applause and Logar into a frenzy of fist pumps and cheers.

Exuberant and ecstatic over the match and the win, Theresa said, “I got some fans out here…It was so nice to have people cheering for me…I knew I could do it.”  When asked about her straight set winning performance during the week, Logar said, “My coach told me yesterday that I’d lost only 22 games all week and that she (Podkolzina) had lost 47 but I hadn’t thought about it before and maybe I started to think about it too much before I fell asleep, but she (Podkolzina) still came out gunning and playing really well in the first set…but I knew I could do it even when people didn’t think so.”

An obviously disappointed and obviously injured Podkolzina said after the match, “I just wanted to play well in this tournament which didn’t happen…I played horribly, but props to Theresa who played great…I just was running on nothing in the third set and I just ran out of energy.”  However, this surely is not the last meeting for Logar and Podkolzina as the two are set to go to Stanford and UCal Berkley in the fall—a rivalry that has gone on for years.

The day was not over with the final match though, as awards, golden balls, bracelets, bouquets of flowers and a special guest speaker would take to the court in a closing ceremony.  Former 1949 Wimbledon Champion, 1941 Stanford alum, and six time Davis Cup participant Ted Schroeder from La Jolla, CA, shared some personal history and stories with the girls and spectators about his experiences through tennis and about playing tennis with Maureen Connolly.  Also, third place winner, Iris Ichim was awarded with the chairman sportsmanship award of the tournament as she graced the court with a class and presence that stood out all week along with Catrina and Christian Thompson who were also granted a USTA sportsmanship award.  Champion, Theresa Logar received the esteemed Maureen Connolly honor.  Mary Gambale, Polina Zarester, and Vania King were recognized for their fourth, fifth, and sixth place finishes.

With one great match after another, the final was a perfect way to sum up the excitement, thrillers, grit, fighting spirit, and stiff competition enveloping San Jose and the courts at the Almaden Valley Athletic Club all week, so thank you to all the girls, parents, coaches, volunteers, and all the people who made it happen once again because at this point it’s now on to play with the big dogs in the Big Apple.  Good Luck from everyone in San Jose! 

Come Back Queen vs. Straight Set Shooter
By:  Alana Marcu
August 9, 2003

San Jose, CA---Down 0-6, 0-2 in about 30 minutes, the come back queen, Podkolzina, digs herself out of a hole again to win in three in the semi-final round of the Girls’18 Super National Hard Court Championship.

Things did not look pretty at first for Podkolzina as number three, Iris Ichim, mercilessly unleashed winner after furious winner to take the commanding lead but with a little bit of patience and a whole lot of deep angles, Podkolzina managed to gain the momentum and eventually the match to advance to the final round for her second year in a row, 0-6, 6-4, 7-5.

An obviously upset Ichim said after the match, “I can’t say that I am disappointed about anything because I feel that I am at the top of my game right now and I have nothing to improve…she just got more patient and it came down to a couple of points.”

Facing Podkolzina in the final round will be number nine seed, Theresa Logar who has floated through the draw so far without losing a set.  Logar took care of 14-yr. old Mary Gambale of Billerica, MA, in the second semi-final of the day.  Instead of charging the net and attacking every ball in Logar fashion, she seemed to mix up strategies and rally from the baseline with backboard Gambale who in return appeared more winded and out of breath from the long, loopy points.  True to form, Gambale fought for every point, running down and retrieving everything in and out of reach but saving them too short as Logar closed out the match, 6-1, 6-3.

With the singles final decided, the all Southern California doubles’ final took to the court featuring number two seeds, Anne Yelsey and Riza Zalameda and number five seeds, Lindsey Nelson and Jessica Nguyen.  Evenly matched and equally pumped, these girls played some of the most exciting tennis of the tournament with the three year old team of Yelsey-Zalameda taking home the golden balls after finally closing it out on the ninth match point making this their sixth national doubles title together.  They won 7-6 (5), 6-2. 

When asked about the win,, Stanford-bound Yelsey replied, “There was a lot of pressure going into the match.  This meant so much to us…last year we had problems with tactics and lost in the quarterfinals…This was a new team but we knew they’d be good because we had played Lindsey in doubles before and we knew she was good.”  Partner Zalameda added, “We’re so excited to go to the US Open.”  As Zalameda has one more year of high school left, she said, “I’m looking to go to Stanford too.”

One final match remains before the Girls’ 18 Super National Hard Court Championship comes to another close and either come back queen, Alexandra Podkolzina or straight set shooter Theresa Logar will be hopping on a plane to head to the Big Apple with that coveted golden ball for a go before school starts at the last major Grand Slam of the year.  But for now, it’s still anyone’s game, and anything can happen.

Grinders
by:  Alana Marcu
August 8, 2003

San Jose, CA---Five three down in the third and two points away from elimination, defending champ Alexandra Podkolzina wasn’t ready to give up her title or another chance at the Open in the quarterfinals of the Girls’ 18 Super National Hard Court Championship, August 8, 2003.

With all eyes on court three Friday morning at the Almaden Valley Athletic Club, underdog Vania King almost pulled an upset as she yanked Podkolzina from side to side with short, loopy angles, dying drop shots, followed by near baseline lobs, and smooth passing shots.  Despite dropping the first set in a close 6-4, King rallied back to win the second 6-2 and cruised to 5-3, 30-love in the third.  Frustrated but not disparaged, Podkolzina muttered a few words in Russian to calm herself down and took her time in between points to remain focused but most importantly to remain in it just enough for Zalameda to feel the pressure of finishing the match off.  Podkolzina not only regained the lost points, she broke Zalameda, bringing the score to 5-4.  As the number one stepped up to serve, she faced game deja vu going down love-thirty immediately.  Once again, instead of folding, Podkolzina showed her number one seed status and came up with four dominating flat serves to set herself up and even the match out at five-all.  Zalameda may have dictated the next game to go up 6-5, but another flawless service game from Podkolzina sent the match to a third set tiebreak that left little doubt of who the defending champ was.  Podkolzina charged ahead 5-1 to eventually win the tiebreak and the match, 7-3.  Podkolzina faces fierce number three seed, Iris Ichim in the semi-finals who is yet to drop a set.

Ichim has blown through the competition with her fast, anticipating feet, saving near winners and creating openings and angles with her deep, penetrating groundstrokes, and following them to net to finish off the points with her effortless, unretrievable volleys.

The bottom semi-final features number nine, Stanford bound Theresa Logar, who, similar to Ichim has not lost a set and number eight New Englander, Mary Gambale who grinded her way back to beat alpha seed Lindsey Nelson.  After being down one set, 2-6 she won the second 8-6 in a tiebreak and came from behind yet again in the third from 0-3 to win six games in a row and finally the match by a score of:  2-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3.

The doubles final will be played on Saturday, August 9, 2003, showcasing number five seeds Lindsey Nelson and Jessica Nguyen and number two seeds Anne Yelsey and Riza Zalameda who ousted the Thompson twin duo in the semis, 6-4, 6-4.

With two more rounds to go, and that one wild card within reach, it’s all about heart at this point, so may the best player win.

San Jose, CA---As the eight remaining seeds breeze through the round of 16 by turning up the heat and fine tuning their games, the backdraw sizzles with intense three-setters and heartbreaking thrillers at the Almaden Valley Athletic Club, August 7, 2003.

Maybe it was because of yesterday’s upset spree, maybe it was because the wind died down, or maybe it was because each girl came more focused and more determined to best each other on day five of the Super National.  Whatever the reason was for Thursday’s turn around, it didn’t seem to matter as everyone sat on the edge of their seats enjoying the great tennis and watching the girls duke it out on the courts.

Number one, Alexandra Podkolzina, laid down the law on Riza Zalameda as she forced uncharacteristic mistakes and nailed passing shots on the alpha seed to win in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1.  She faces fifteenth seed, Vania King in the quarters who also rocketed through her match against unseeded Elizabeth Lumpkin, 6-1, 6-3.  Iris Ichim continued to look dangerous as she painted the lines and charged the net to win another two-setter against eleventh seed Anne Yelsey 6-4, 6-4.  She will meet number 16, Megan Falcon who upset sixth seed, Krysty Marcio, 6-4, 7-5.  Clay court champ Audra Cohen matches up against ninth seed Theresa Logar whose opponent, Andrea Remynse had to retire after one game due to a rolled over ankle.  Lolita Frangulyan came up short in her fifth match as she tried to take down yet another seed.  Lindsey Nelson strolled through Frangulyan winning, 6-2, 6-1.  Nelson is set to play eighth seed, Mary Gambale who dismantled Preethi Mukundan, 6-1, 6-1.

The consolation rounds saw some of the best tennis yet as matches crossed three-hour thresholds and girls refused to give up.  Local girls Lejla Hodzic and Jenna Long battled with Hodzic prevailing 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.  Natalie Frazier stayed strong against a tough and relentless Lauren Albanese who saved impossible angles and mistaken winners.  She won, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.  Other three-setters included Shadisha Robinson winning over Monica Wiesener 6-2, 2-6, 6-1; Polina Zarester defeating Celia Durkin, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3; and Kristi Miller over Brook Buck 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.  

As day six hits San Jose, stakes aren’t the only things running high anymore, emotions are about to hit the roof.

Wacky Wednesday
by:  Alana Marcu
August 6, 2003 

San Jose, CA---A shaky three-set performance from number one, early exits for numbers two and four, dominating alpha seeds throughout the draw, and an inspirational guest speaker for the annual kids’ day served up a buzz of high energy and high emotion at the Almaden Valley Athletic Club, August 6, 2003.

Wednesday at the Super National began in regular fashion with a busload of inner city kids rolling in to the Open Bible Church behind the club to hear co-director Jennifer Pitzen go over the event and the sport of tennis itself.  As always, one of the players in this year’s tournament was invited to talk to the kids and tell them a little bit about her path to the Hard Court tournament.  This year’s girl was spunky seventeen-year old Alisha Talbot, representing Pembroke Pines, FL, who despite hyper-extending her knee in her second round match against Kelsey Linville of Columbus, OH, she continued to play it to completion and show her fighting spirit and hard working character.  Talbot not only beamed with love of the sport, she provided fun and interesting stories for the kids to listen to. 

While things went according to plan in the church, things outside couldn’t have seemed more atypical starting at the top and slowly infecting the rest of the draw all the way to the bottom.  Number one and defending champ, Alexandra Podkolzina dug her way out of a 1-6 deficit to finally bounce back and win, 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 over alpha seed, Melissa Mang of Mertaire, LA.  As Sasha pulled herself out of the rut to advance to the round of 16, thirteenth seed, Alexandra Liles of Pompano Beach, FL, could not reciprocate the win against alpha seed, Riza Zalameda of Los Angeles, CA.  Zalameda’s versatile style and wide repertoire of shots proved to be too much for the two-handed fireball, Liles, as she sliced and set up shots to work her way to the net where she flawlessly executed her text book volleys and punishing overheads.  Zalameda won 6-2, 6-4.

Another brutal attack came from the number three seed, Iris Ichim of Woodland Hills, CA, as she steam rolled through alpha seed, Kristi Miller from Marysville, MI, 6-1, 6-0, making her pay for each short ball and dictating play throughout the match.  Plantation, FL, native and Clay Court champion, Audra Cohen remained steady as she prevailed against number four seed, Shadisha Robinson of South Ozone Park, NY, 7-6 (1), 6-1.  As Robinson struggled with wind and unforced errors, so did her doubles partner and future teammate at the University of Georgia, number twelve seed Natalie Frazier, just one court over bowing to alpha seed, Lindsey Nelson, 6-3, 6-1.

But perhaps the most shocking match of the day came from Lolita Frangulyan of Bradenton, FL, who dismantled number two seed, Whitney Deason in three sets after already taking down alpha seed, Elizabeth Exon earlier on in her second round match.  The final score:  6-4, 4-6, 6-2.  One other point worth noting is unseeded threat, Elizabeth Lumpkin, of Naperville, IL, who is silently floating through the draw to advance to the final sixteen.  With all the events and surprises of the past four days at the Super National in San Jose, there’s no telling what’s in store for four more, except that one of these girls is heading to New York with that one wild card to the Open.

San Jose, CA---Four seeds ousted and two teetered on the edge on day two of the Girls’ 18 Super National Hard Court Championship. 

Just as the sun broke through the clouds and just in time for 8:00 am play, Charlotte Tansill of Great Falls, Virginia, managed to break through as well, besting number five seed Julia Cohen of Weston, Florida.  The first set however, seemed to be in question as the players stretched it to a tiebreak limit.  But it didn’t take long before Tansill came out on top allowing Cohen to win one point before claiming the tiebreak on her road to upset victory.  Mentally and physically worn out by the first set battle, Cohen soon bowed down in the second as well, to end the match with a final score of 7-6 (1), 6-2.  Cohen later withdrew from the backdraw due to tendonitis of the knee. 

Other top girls who felt the heat included , alpha seed, Yvette Hyndman of Bradenton, Florida, who lost to Elizabeth Lumpkin of Naperville, Illinois, in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3; alpha seed, Tracy Lin from Anaheim, Ca, fought harder before folding to Christine Kansky of Mountain Top, Pa, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; and Lolita Frangulyan of Bradenton, FL, put some extra pace on her ball to knock off alpha seed Elizabeth Exon of Irvine, Ca, 7-6 (5), 6-2.

Two other suspense builders of the day were:  seventh seed, Andrea Remynse of Battle Creek, Michigan, against Amanda Taylor of Richland, Washington, and alpha seed Preethi Mukundan of Folsom, CA, versus Lauren Osborne of St. Thomas, Virginia.  Both matches extended to nail-biting three sets and well over a two and a half hour time frame with the expected seeds prevailing. 

While defending champ, Podkolzina breezed through her first day of play, her road to the final may have widened even more as three of the four fallen seeds dropped from her quarter. 

Not only does the field seem to be running deeper than ever this year, the girls look fiercer, more fit, and hungrier for that one wild card to the Open and they are each eager to prove it in the week to come—seeded or not.

San Jose, CA---No upsets, no surprises, and no down time on day one of the Super National as 108 singles and doubles matches finally took over the hard courts of the Almaden Valley Athletic Club and the Los Gatos Swim and Racquet Club on Sunday, August 3, 2003.

Sure, there were some three-setters, a couple of hard fought battles under the hot San Jose sun, and in front of all those intimidating college coaches hovering over the courts but that was no novelty to these pre-college veterans.  They knew what they were getting themselves into long before they sent in their applications for the tournament.  So what did stand out on day one?

For starters, five out of nine Northern California girls advanced to the second round. Tiffany Lee from Cupertino disarmed SoCal’s, Lindsey Nash, 6-3, 6-1; Alexandra Borowicz of Santa Rosa breezed through Georgia Peach, Katie McMiller, 6-2, 6-1; Fremont native, Jenna Long took down Charlotte, North Carolina’s, Michelle Alexander, 6-1, 6-0; Catherine Rentschier from Hamilton, Ohio, folded in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2 to San Francisco’s Yulia Rivelis; and in the gritty nail biter of the day, Robin Guier of Alamo defeated Kristin Messmer, of Lutherville, Maryland, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.

But Northern California wasn’t doing all the work on day one.  Sisters seemed to be grinding away as well.  Successful sister acts included:  Christina and Janet Kim of Palisades Park, New Jersey, who not only ousted their opponents in singles but doubles as well to advance to the round of 32 where they will face fourth seeded twin terrors, Christian and Catrina Thompson who served up perfect bagels to their opponents in the first round.   

Lastly, another stand out, even though she may not be a familiar name to most at this point, was Alison Riske of McMurray, Pennsylvania.  Besides winning her first round in a tight two sets, 7-5, 6-4 over Jessica Baron, Miami, FL, she is only thirteen!  Did somebody forget to tell her that the Girls’ 14 Super National is going on in Atlanta right now?  Riske faces another Floridian, seventeenth seed, Stacia Fonseca next as we dive straight into an always exciting, always anticipated, day two.

San Jose, CA---Another full day, another full plate for workers and 200 of the nation’s top tennis players alike, as the 2003 Girls’ 18 Super National Hard Court Championship kicked off it’s 19th consecutive year at the Almaden Valley Athletic Club, Saturday, August 2. 

As grunts and sneaker squeaks echoed throughout AVAC, drowning out the usual workout music, there was no question about it—nationals had officially arrived!  With registration tables dressed in usual blue linens, topped by bouquets of floral arrangements, and armed with a staff of veteran volunteers ready to handle every question, problem, and change, the headquarters room seemed prepared to take on every player, parent, coach, sibling or pet for that matter that came their way to check into the most prestigious junior tournament in the country. 

The Open Bible Church at the back of the club transformed itself as well, with mini circus tents, rows of tables, and festive balloons lining the grass for over 59 colleges and 80 coaches ready to meet with the girls in order to set up important recruiting visits for potential scholarship offers.  Participant Lindsey Goldstein of Highland Park, IL, comments, “The forum’s good.  That’s when you get most of your dates for your recruiting visits set up.  That’s the most important thing.” 

And while the club buzzed with people (young tennis playing girls mostly), the courts did too as players filtered in and out trying to get one last hit or two in before matches begin bright and early, Sunday, August 3, promptly at 8:00 am.  

The poolside came to life when tournament directors, Jennifer Pitzen and Andrea Norman held the mandatory player’s meeting discussing pressing issues such as code violations, point penalties, and dress codes…so let’s try to wear a shirt over those sports bras girls and keep the daisy dukes to a minimum!  Also, this year’s guest speaker featured 1992 doubles hard court champion, four time All-American Stanford graduate and 1997 NCAA team champion, as well as 1997 Stanford University Woman of the year, Katie Schlukebir.  Katie shared everything from her similar junior experiences, as well as her college lifestyle as a student-athlete that most of the girls are about to embark on, to her pro days and present point as a USTA Women’s high-performance coach.  After, the players, guests, and parents enjoyed a complimentary, pre-match meal filled with lasagna, chicken, salad, garlic bread, and cake by San Jose’s own Malibu Grill.

This year’s competition may be stiffer than ever as the tournament features 19 of the top 20 girls in the nation, including Northern California’s own returning champion, Alexandra (Sasha) Podkolzina who will try and defend her title and wild card spot to the US Open.  The last players to do so were past champions, Laura Granville, 1998, 1999 and before her, Tracy Austin, 1977, 1978.  While there are no guarantees at this point and Sasha tries to go down in history, one thing’s for sure, over 200 girls will be hungry to stop her.