Special from
Zoo Tennis
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After the pandemic hiatus in 2020, the ITF Grade 1 spring tournament in Southern California returned to the schedule in a new city, producing both a surprise champion and an expected one.
Top seed Alexandra Yepifanova defeated No. 10 seed Reese Brantmeier 7-6(7), 6-2 to claim her first Grade 1 title Saturday, while wild card Ethan Quinn downed No. 5 seed Samir Banerjee 6-1, 6-4 in his debut at a top-level ITF event.
Alexandra Yepifanova Won the Girls Singles Title
© Zoo Tennis
The tournament, known as the International Spring Championships from its inception in 2005, was renamed the International Open of Southern California and is now a part of the USTA Southern California section’s Signature Series. Moving south to San Diego from its usual location in Carson due to Covid-19 restrictions in Los Angeles County, the tournament found a home at the Barnes Tennis Center, familiar to many of the girls as the venue for the USTA 16s and 18s National Championships.
Finalist Brantmeier, who won the 16s National title at Barnes in 2019, had eliminated No. 2 seed Elvina Kalieva in the quarterfinals and No. 12 seed Kayla Cross of Canada in the semifinals, both in three sets. Yepifanova, in contrast, had not dropped a set en route to the final, taking out No. 9 seed Clervie Ngounoue in the quarterfinals and putting an end to the seven-match winning streak of qualifier Elisabeth Jones in the semifinals.
Yepifanova came close to losing her first set of the tournament in the final, played on a clear and cool morning in front of a small crowd of coaches, parents and competitors, all wearing masks and jackets. Brantmeier, who had lost her previous three meetings with Yepifanova, served for the opening set at 5-4, then earned two set points at 6-4 in the tiebreaker, yet was unable to close out the 2019 U.S. Open girls finalist.
