Two players who helped their respective college teams win conference championships this spring squared off in an exciting women’s open division singles final at the 80th Santa Barbara Open on Sunday morning.
Top-seeded Natalie Da Silveira of UCSB used her quickness and variety of shots to battle back from early deficits and defeat recent Westmont graduate Lauren Stratman, 7-6, 7-5, in the final at the Municipal Courts.
Da Silveira was a key member of a Gauchos team that won the Big West title and beat Kansas for the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament victory. She is going into her junior year.
Stratman, a NAIA All-American and the Player of the Year in the Golden State Athletic Conference for the third straight year, led Westmont to the conference regular season and tournament championships.
In each set, Da Silveira recovered from early Stratman service breaks and rallied from 3-0 down in the first set and 3-1 in the second.
“I was most worried about being able to pull through the entire match,” said Da Silveira, who has been busy attending summer school. “We had a great first set, very competitive. She’s a great player; she has a big forehand, so I kept trying to stay more on her backhand side.”
Da Silveira did a nice job of mixing up her shots, using sharp slices and passing shots down the line.
“I was trying to make her move because I was really tired and I didn’t want to be the one moving,” she said. “I just tried mixing it around: short, deep, cut side. I like variety and I usually play with variety. I try to open up the court so I can attack.”
Da Silveira said she shortened her swing and used the pace of Stratman’s ball to dictate her shots.
Stratman, who graduated from Westmont in May, said she was missing that edge that comes with playing in competitive matches.
“I think I’m just not match tough right now,” she said. “I haven’t played any matches since the beginning of May, since I played at nationals. I’ve been on the court teaching and doing camps and I’m on my feet all day, so it’s tough getting back into match mindset mode. But (the match) was tough, and she’s a tough player. I needed to be all there to beat her. I told my dad afterward, ‘I hate losing.’”
In men’s open division play, Connor Hudson, a former Pomona-Pitzer College star, pulled off a pair of upsets, knocking off top seed Stefan Menichella in the quarterfinals, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, and beating fourth seeded Alex Yaftali in the semifinals, 7-5, 6-4.
Hudson will play No. 2 seed Nathan Eshmade in next Saturday’s final at Tennis Club of Santa Barbara. UCSB’s Eshmade defeated Elliot Markowitz in the quarterfinals, 6-0, 6-3, and outlasted Spencer Simon in the semifinals, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Miles Baldwin of Dos Pueblos High won the men’s open consolation championship. He beat David Perez in the quarterfinals and Justin Hill in the final.
In the men’s open doubles, Hudson and Graham Maassen upset top-seeded Menichella and Simon, 6-3, 6-1.
Da Silveira won a second title on Sunday, combining with fellow Gaucho Eshmade to defeat Christian Mathis and Stratman, 6-3, 7-5, in the open mixed doubles final.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.