by Josh Smith
US Women’s National Championship Report
On the first weekend in May, with spring in full bloom in Newport, the National Tennis Club hosted the US Women’s National Championship. 10 players were in action from five different clubs; Aiken, Boston, NTC, Philadelphia and Westwood.
In the Singles Championship, the top seeds would ultimately play in the final, but would have different roads to the championship match. Annie Clark was the strong pre-tournament favourite with more than 15 handicap points separating her from the other competitors. However, the next 6 players were separated by just 6 handicap points, making for plenty of hotly contested matches across the weekend.
Kadi Meldrum began her route to the final with a quarterfinal victory against Victoria Scott. In a clash of styles; the strong volleys and solid swing of Meldrum faced the racket head speed, kill shots and boasts of Scott. Meldrum started the better and raced ahead, before Scott adjusted to the court (a far cry from her home court in Philadelphia) and found the range on her shots. Scott’s best period came in the middle of the match; firing up her boasts and pacey kills, making for competitive games. Meldrum however, absorbed the pressure and made fewer errors, taking the match 6/3 6/3. Moving to the semifinal, Meldrum faced NTC newcomer Sam Martinelli. Martinelli, a D1 lawn tennis player (one of four on court throughout the weekend), won her quarterfinal against Ashley Fitz-Patrick in a two-hour, three-set battle. Martinelli started quickly, with Fitz-Patrick making some errors, before the match settled into a close-fought contest. The strong lawn tennis background of each player gave exciting athletic exchanges, particularly on the volley. Fitz-Patrick moved sharply around the court, with Martinelli cutting the ball off and powerfully attacking the tambour and dedans. Right down to the wire, Martinelli emerged the victor 6/2 5/6 6/5.
The Martinelli/Meldrum semifinal would prove to be a similarly tight affair; another three set match going over two hours. After Meldrum took the first set, Martinelli found her own momentum, stepping up the court and dictating play to take the match to the final set. Both players upped the pace, were evenly matched, and playing well. Most of the games went back and forth from deuce and advantage multiple times, much to the excitement of the packed dedans. There was virtually nothing between the players. Both had opportunities, playing excellent shots, finding the dedans and the grille multiple times, and it was Kadi Meldrum who won the two key back-to-back points and took the match 6/4 2/6 6/5.
On the other side of the draw, Annie Clark was clinical and dominant in her matches. Clark first faced Claire Voegele, who had previously beaten NTC’s Amy Wintersteen in a competitive two sets 6/5 6/4. Clark’s serves and returns had venom, starting the majority of the restes in the driver’s seat, following up with punishing cut shots for both strokes and chases. Too strong for Voegele, Clark won through 6/0 6/1, a scoreline that would be exactly repeated in the semifinal against Alexis Dorr. Dorr had won her quarterfinal against Kate Villiers in straight sets, despite Villiers starting well with a couple of quick games early on. Dorr settled into the court, moved well and hit the ball crisply; another player with a strong lawn tennis background. In the semifinal, Clark and Dorr were sharp and athletic on court, had exciting back and forth exchanges, but it was Clark that had a calmer presence around the walls, and consistently found clinical finishes with cut shots and winning targets. An exciting match to watch, but a one-sided scoreline, as Clark showed her quality and experience.
The final would see much the same patterns as Clark and Meldrum faced off. Meldrum took the fight to Clark, finding value with floor shots to the backhand corner on the return of serve. However, Clark quickly settled and found her rhythm in all areas of the court, quickly moving to press the game to her opponent. Meldrum flashed with some excellent returns, taking out one of Mr Carey’s cameras on the high backhand dedans, but Clark had all the answers in both attack and defense and decisively took the title in 45 minutes, 6/0 6/0. With excellent matches throughout the tournament, Annie Clark showed her development and took the singles title dropping only two games in three matches.
In the Singles Back Draw, Amy Wintersteen looked comfortable on her home court, moving well and hitting crosscourt returns for excellent chases, as Kate Villiers tried to find some openings. Despite some excellent points and Villers pushing hard, Wintersteen won through 10/2 to play Ashley Fitz-Patrick. Fitz-Patrick had come through a tricky match against Victoria Scott who worked her way back into the match, after starting slowly and giving Fitz-Patrick a 6/1 lead. Scott warmed up to the court and cut out the unforced errors, battling hard to get the match back to 7 games all. In a key game, Fitz-Patrick hit two grilles and tight returns to go to 8/7 and didn’t look back from there, winning through 10/7. In the back draw final, Wintersteen and Fitz-Patrick would go right to the wire, in another match that was decided in the final game. Fitz-Patrick volleyed well and was moving smoothly around the court, but Wintersteen was keeping pace with more excellent cross court returns for good chases. With very little to split between the players, it was Fitz-Patrick who won the all important final game to take the match 10/9.
The Doubles Championship match saw the Westwood pair of Clark/Fitz-Patrick take on the Aiken team of Meldrum/Voegele. To book their spot in the final, Clark & Fitz-Patrick defeated the Philadelphia pairing of Alexis Dorr & Victoria Scott. The first set was full of competitive restes and games as the players battled to exert control. Clark & Fitz-Patrick found their quality at the business end of the first set, before then stamping their authority on the match and winning through 6/4 6/1. In the opposite semifinal, the crowded dedans saw plenty of action as Meldrum and Voegele battled against the longtime partnership of Amy Wintersteen and Helen Grassi Vest, for the maximum number of possible games played. Voegele took position at the back of the court, with Meldrum pressing up and playing the net. By contrast, Wintersteen and Grassi Vest alternate roles, Wintersteen hustling around the court, complemented by Grassi Vest’s classic and smooth swing style. The match was as close as it could be, with 6 match points between both pairs before the decisive stroke was won by Meldrum and Voegele in a 2 hour 20 epic – 5/6 6/5 6/5.
The Doubles Championship match saw Clark and Fitz-Patrick as favourites, but the Aiken pair would not go down without a fight. Meldrum was hitting with more positivity and power, and forcing the Westwood pair to defend the dedans and absorb pressure with powerful volleys attacking the tambour. The Westwood pair did indeed defend well, Fitz-Patrick played the net position with aplomb, punching volleys under the grille, and Clark attacking the tambour with cut shots and pace. In an exciting match with high intensity restes, and despite the Aiken team attacking with increasing punch, the Westwood pair found the quality finish at the right times, taking the trophy in straight sets, 6/1 6/3.
In the Doubles Back Draw, Alexis Dorr and Victoria Scott would get the win over Wintersteen and Vest, bringing an end to the tennis for the weekend. Scott played the back of the court, attacking the tambour with pace, with Dorr patrolling the net with excellent volley skills. Wintersteen and Vest put up a strong fight in front of the crowd, but the win went to the Philly pair by 10/7.
Overall, the NTC were delighted with a fantastic weekend and thanks the players for all of their efforts on court, with so many matches going right to the wire, many competitors fighting fatigue after some grueling battles. Our congratulations to our Champions Annie Clark (Singles and Doubles) and Ashley Fitz-Patrick (Doubles), and we hope to see all of these players continue to compete and push their own, and each other’s, tennis forwards.
Our sincere thanks to the USCTA, and to the USCTPF. The USCTPF provided significant support to the competitors and enabled an affordable entry price, removing obstacles and helping players from a range of clubs attend the tournament. To Ryan Carey, we continue to give our thanks for his tremendous efforts in showcasing our wonderful sport. From NTC we thank Amy Wintersteen for organising and supporting the event as Tournament Director, we thank our generous members that billeted the travelling players, and also thank those that came to support the players all through the weekend. Without any of these contributors, the event would not be the success it was.
Onward, and upward!
