Nikki Yanez of Sarasota was also a national champion, capturing the USTA Girls’ 12s National Championship title, held in Alpharetta, Ga. The No. 17 seed, in the final Yanez defeated unseeded Rachel Arbitman of Hewlett, N.Y., 7-5, 7-6.
“In the round of 16 I was down a set and a break, then came back to win 12 of the next 14 games for the win,” Yanez said of a tournament that was filled with comebacks as she upended the No. 5, 4 and 1 seeds. “In the semifinals I was down 3-1 in the third set and then won five games in a row to win the match. In the finals I was down 5-1 in the first set then won six games in a row to win the set. Being 11 years old, this was only my second nationals tournament, but I made a few adjustments from the clay nationals last month and it paid off.”
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