©Colette Lewis 2008--
Carson, CA--
Some highly-anticipated matches fail to live up to expectations, and although I didn't see it, I assume Serena Williams's 6-2, 6-0 thrashing of Justine Henin today at the Sony Ericsson Open falls into that category.
But some matches provide exactly the drama and competitive zeal you expect, and the first round match between Nicole Gibbs and Kristie Ahn at the International Spring Championships was all that. Gibbs was one point away from elimination three times, but survived to earn a 6-7 (1), 7-5, 6-1 victory in match that took over three hours.
With the 8 a.m. start, there weren't many spectators around for the opening games, and those there were warmly dressed due to the morning chill. The first two games of the match took nearly 20 minutes to complete, with Gibbs winning them both, and eventually going up 3-0. But Ahn took the momentum from Gibbs, at one stage winning 14 straight points to take a 4-3 lead, and was serving for the set at 6-5. Ahn had two set points in that game, but Gibbs's defense, countering Ahn's pace with deep top spin that reset the point, got her into the tiebreaker. It didn't take Ahn long to recover however, as she took control of the tiebreaker by forcing errors from Gibbs, who also chipped in with a double fault.
The second set saw the two settle into a classic baseline battle. Ahn isn't comfortable with overheads or finishing at the net, so often the rallies went longer than necessary even when Ahn had control of the point. But Ahn was able to hit behind Gibbs, holding the ball long enough to disrupt her anticipation, and that strategy, and several outright forehand winners, earned Ahn a 5-2 lead.
Serving a 2-5, Gibbs found herself facing a match point, but her forehand on the baseline produced a mishit from Ahn, and Gibbs went on to hold for 3-5.
Ahn, serving for the match at 5-3, couldn't get her normally reliable backhand in the court during that game, and quickly lost it. At 4-5, Gibbs couldn't find her forehand, and down 15-40, hitting a second serve, her prospects were not good. But Ahn had a forehand putaway that went long to make it 30-40, and Gibbs caught the far sideline with a forehand winner to make it deuce. She closed out the game, and Ahn, who committed a crucial double fault at 15-30 in the following game, was broken, giving Gibbs the chance to serve out the set, which she did.
Although Gibbs had been audibly disappointed in her play during the first two sets, there was never any negative body language on display, never any sense from her that defeat was inevitable. That is a strength beyond any single shot in her repertoire and in the third set, it overwhelmed Ahn, who had taken a bathroom break after the second set, but couldn't stem the tide. Some two and a half hours after the match had started, a measure of the power and pace had subsided by the third set, but there were still taut and exceptional points, and games, played. But it was Gibbs who won them, and when she got her first opportunity at a match point, she took it, hitting a backhand winner down the line to close it out. She will face top seed Melanie Oudin in the second round Wednesday.
While I was watching that match, I missed what had all the appearances of another outstanding contest in the girls 18s, when No. 4 seed Mallory Burdette defeated Nelly Radeva 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4).
There was one major upset on the boys 18s side, with No. 3 seed Matt Reid losing to qualifer Steven Henderson of Poway, Calif., 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (2).
The top two boys 16s seeds, Christian Harrison and Shane Vinsant, reached the third round with straight set wins Tuesday. In the girls 16s, second seed Caitlyn Williams fell to Sarah Lee.
For complete results, including doubles first round draws, see the usta.com website.
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