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In the last major junior championship of 2010, three Californians and a New Yorker left Arizona with top honors. In the Girls 18s, No. 1 Gabrielle Andrews beat Kyle McPhillips, and in the 16s Jamie Loeb took both sets over No. 2 Christina Makarova. No. 8 seed Thomas Pura upset No. 1 Sean Karl in the Boys 16s, while No. 15 Eric Johnson, losing the first set at love, came back to win the 18s over No. 17 Anthony Tsodikov.

Girls 18s: Gabrielle Andrews

Gabrielle Andrews rang in 2011 as she did in 2010: she pocketed two USTA gold balls.

Girls 18s Champion Gabrielle Andrews
© Doug Wrege, TennisRecruiting.net

"I was a little tight at the beginning of the [singles] match and was also trying to get a feel for Kyle and how she was playing me," Andrews said after her victory. "I think the turning point of the match came with the player who secured the first break. This time it just happened to be me."

The top-ranked Californian continued her thoughtful, deliberate play as she dismantled McPhillip's aggressive game plan.

"I just tried to counter her strength and pace she was putting on the ball," the champion said. "She attempted to mix up the pace as well - we would be in the middle of a nice rally, then all of a sudden, she would give me a heavy top spin or a high lob. Kyle also has a great slice ball which was a challenge for me as well."

The 14-year-old Andrews arrived in Scottsdale with a lot of confidence after a stellar performance at the Dunlop Orange Bowl. She clocked victories over No. 4 seed Russian Irina Khromacheva and a top American player, Madison Keys, who has a win over Serena Williams.

In Arizona, Andrews said she didn't think she started out well at the beginning of the tournament, but as she rolled along, she relaxed and played better.