August 17, 2005

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Palo Alto Online

Improving their finish

by Nathan Kurz

The look of consternation on Daniel Goldstein's face after he lost the Boys' 18 doubles final Friday afternoon epitomized the day for locals at the Alpine Hills Junior Fall Classic.

It was, in a word, brutal.

Menlo's Goldstein and Alex Kaufman were beaten in straight sets, 2-6, 4-6 and Gunn's Alex Liu endured a similar fate in the Boys' 16 singles final, 4-6, 4-6.

In the big picture, the respective performances of the locals was an improvement over last year, when only two boys' players advanced past the round of 16.

That the players merely reached the final, though, wasn't of much consolation afterwards.

"My game was kind of off today," Liu said. "It was a disappointing performance. There's no excuse."

Liu, the Titans' no. 1 singles player as a rising sophomore, wasn't able to continue his stellar play from earlier in the tournament. He struggled mostly with a flurry of unforced errors, failing, for example, to put away several easy volleys right near the net.

Just as crucial to his success had been Liu's powerful serve, which had enabled him to overpower opponents throughout the week. But second-seeded Alex Chun broke Liu's serve six times, due in no small part to Liu's poor first-serve percentage. Chun's efficient game at the net and quick pace seemed to baffle Liu throughout the 90-minute match.

"My serves weren't on, and I couldn't pass people today," he said. "I just kept giving him shots."

The fifth-seeded Liu, who was ranked 59th in the latest Northern California rankings, reached the finals in his first year playing in the 16-year-old division. He advanced to the semi-finals in the Boys' 14 singles last summer.

"Most of the top players haven't played here, so maybe that's why I've done well," Liu joked. "They're all usually in Kalamazoo."

Liu certainly showed a great deal of resiliency in the tournament. In his semi-final match against Los Altos' Jeffrey Liu (no relation), he was routed in the first set 6-0 before rallying to take the next two sets 6-4, 6-4.

"I woke up late so I was kind of tired in that first set," Liu said of his semi-final match. "I made sure to get up today."

(The final was held at 9 a.m., but Liu said he was well-rested).

Such tournaments figure in Liu's plans to become a more consistent tennis player. He's spent the offseason working on his forehand -- what he believes will be the key to helping him get past the Central Coast Section qualifying round next spring.

"I really haven't improved as much as I'd like," he said. "But I want us to make CCS again and I want to get farther in singles."

The Menlo duo, meanwhile, gutted out a semifinal victory in three sets Thursday only to wilt in the afternoon sun a day later. Kaufman and Goldstein don't usually play together during the year at Menlo, but teamed up because they're "best friends," according to Goldstein.

The two seemed destined to fight their way back into the match after going up 3-1 in the second set. But things unraveled from there, as they had their serve broken twice and missed several key shots.

"To go up 4-1 would have given us momentum," Goldstein said. "But they played well from that point on. We just couldn't get back into it. They were just the better doubles team today."

San Jose's Simon Cheng won the 18-under singles title with a 7-6 (2), 6-2 victory over Sunnyvale's David Clark while Michael McGinnis defeated Shahin Malek, 6-0, 6-2, to win the 14-under and Eric Johnson bested Garrett Taylor, 6-1, 6-1, for the 12-under title.

The 18-under girls' title was won by Orinda's Kristin Fleming, who beat Fremont's Donna McCullough, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2, in the title match. Saratoga's Zoe De Bruycker downed San Jose's Tayler Davis, 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-3, for the 16-under championship; Melissa Kobayakawa beat Malavika Padmanabhan, 7-5, 6-1, for the 14-under title; and Lana Robins earned the 12-under title with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Kelly Chen.

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