Tournament Feature
Klahn and Oudin Take ITF Grade 1 International Spring Championships in California
Harrison and DeSimone Win 16s Titles
by
Colette Lewis, 10 April 2008
The clouds and chill that were prevalent all week at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California couldn't cool off two red-hot U.S. juniors, as Melanie Oudin and Bradley Klahn posted straight-set victories in the finals of last week's International Spring Championships. Number one seed Oudin topped unseeded Jacqueline Cako 6-3, 6-3. Klahn, the second seed, eased past No. 5 seed Jarmere Jenkins 6-1, 7-6 (1).
Although both Klahn, of Poway, Calif. and Oudin, of Marietta, Ga., lost only one set during their six-match championship runs, each was tested in the later rounds. Oudin, who saw a 6-1, 5-1 lead against No. 6 seed
Valeria Solovieva evaporate in the quarterfinals, trailed the 15-year-old Russian 5-3 in the third set before recovering for a 6-1, 6-7(5), 7-5 victory.
Klahn survived a match point in the second set tiebreaker against the heavy-hitting fourth seed Borut Puc of Slovenia to stay in their semifinal contest, escaping with a 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-3 win.
Across the net from Klahn in the final was friend and rival Jarmere Jenkins, the No. 5 seed, who had taken their most recent meeting, in the semifinals of Tulsa's ITF Pan American Closed last October, in three sets.
