Deficits overcome highlighted both singles finals at the United States Tennis Association's Southern Closed Boys and Girls 16s Championship at Rebsamen Tennis Center in Little Rock on Saturday.
The winners in the boys and girls matched each trailed 3-1 in the first set, but Gavriella Smith rebounded for a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Kida Ferrari in the girls final. Likewise, Alejandro Moreno Latorre returned to win the first set 7-6 (6) in the boys final, after which his opponent David Saye retired because of back pain.
Ferrari, 16, of Fairhope, Ala., lost twice in straight sets to Smith, 16, of New Orleans, in 2017. Though she was the No. 1 seed, Ferrari said she knew Smith, seeded second, was favored by most to win.
"She is so good," Ferrari said. "Playing her, you have to be extremely patient. She's a very patient player who gets to everything. Playing her is just a patience battle."
Ferrari took command early.
Smith served to start the first set, but Ferrari returned for four consecutive points to go up 1-0. Smith broke back to tie the set, and Ferrari responded to win the next two games.
"She was hitting winners past me," Smith said. "I just wasn't there. I might have been a little bit overconfident, but I was tired, too. I respect her completely. It wasn't like, 'Oh, I'm going to dominate her.' She just came out playing better than I did."
Fatigue from eight days of playing was a burden to all involved, and it was particularly evident in the first set's fifth game for Smith and Ferrari.
Smith served to lead 30-love, but Ferrari won the next three points. Down 30-40, Smith forced the first of six deuce points. With the advantage, Smith hit a backhand just out of Ferrari's reach to pull within 3-2.
"The second I sat down from that game, I was like, 'OK, calm down. You're still up 3-2. You still have a little bit of room,' " Ferrari said. "But I knew she could be so powerful, and I know she's very resilient. Knowing that, I knew I had to stay on my game, but with all those long points, it was hard to get moving again."
Smith won the next four games to take the first set 6-3 and a 3-0 lead in the second.
"I knew I had to win that game," Smith said. "After it was over, I think psychologically it kind of affected her, and it kind of hyped me up. In tennis, like in all sports, a lot of it is mental. I'm sure if I had gone down 1-4, I would have been really frustrated."
The boys finalists began hampered by injuries -- Moreno Latorre, 16 of Knoxville, Tenn., with a painful right shoulder and triceps, and Saye, 14, of Charlotte, N.C., with back pain that would eventually end the match.
Moreno Latorre said he faced his 3-1 first-set deficit without pressure.
"When I'm behind, I don't tighten up," he said. "I still had to play really good to come back against a good player, and I think that helped."
He won four consecutive games to lead 5-3, but Saye came back to tie the set at 6-6. The subsequent seven-point tiebreak mirrored the start of the set.
Saye led 6-2, a point away from a victory. Moreno Latorre scored the next 6 points to win the tiebreak 8-6, a run that included a penalty point awarded for inappropriate language by Sayes.
Saye retired immediately thereafter.
"I can't play two more sets," Sayes said.
"I was concerned on that tiebreak. I really was," Moreno said. "But I just decided just to hit the ball, not focus on the score, and take it one point at a time."
Sports on 06/16/2019