USTA Boys’ 12-and-Under National Championships : Hausman Puts Some Distance Between Himself and Top Rival

When Joshua Hausman and Ry Tarpley arrived from Massachusetts this week to compete in a national tennis championship, they already knew each other very well.

They had played each other five times. Hausman of Waban, Mass., had won three times, but the two were tied for the No. 1 ranking in the New England region.

But after Hausman defeated Tarpley, of Milton, Mass., 6-4, 6-2, in the final of the United States Tennis Assn. boys’ 12-and-under championship Sunday at Morely Field, he may have reason to claim his region’s top ranking.

“I think (Hausman) will have the advantage because he beat me in the (national) clay courts,” Tarpley had said even before this meeting.

In a match that lasted a little more than an hour, Hausman gave credence to Tarpley’s words with his victory.

“I wasn’t playing my best,” he said, “but I was playing well enough to win.”

“I don’t think I was playing my best,” said Tarpley, holding his runner-up plaque.

The match was tied at three games apiece in the opening set, when Hausman broke serve, then held his for the 5-3 lead.

Tarpley held his serve to pull to 5-4, but Hausman, serving, closed out the set with an overhead into a wide-open court.

In the second set, the turning point came with Hausman leading, 3-2, and serving what would be the longest game of the match.

After reaching deuce three times, Tarpley was one point away from breaking serve and evening the set, but Hausman took advantage of two unforced errors by Tarpley, then hit a forehand winner into the back corner for the 4-2 lead. He took the next two games with little fight from Tarpley, who appeared to tire.

“I felt I needed to win that game,” said Hausman, who himself was fatiguing.

“I didn’t feel so strong today,” he said. “I didn’t eat breakfast. I was a little nervous.”

The players held serve in only nine of the 18 games.

Said Hausman, who held serve six times: “When the sun was in my eyes, it was tough to serve.”

“I don’t know what was going on with my serve,” said Tarpley, who only managed to hold serve three times.

Next week could mark their seventh meeting if both make the finals of the New England Lawn Tennis Assn.’s sectional tournament, beginning Tuesday at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.

Notes

In the doubles final, top-seeded B.J. Stearns of Seminole, Fla., and Scott Humphries of Greeley, Colo., defeated unseeded Tom Brownlie of Stoneridge, N.Y. and Ian Enverga of Copiague, N.Y., 6-2, 6-4. . . . The USTA Sportsmanship Award, presented by the tournament committee, went to Humphries. Humphries was recognized for playing a singles match in the morning, volunteering to be a ball boy for the singles final, then playing his doubles match that afternoon. . . . According to tournament director Jean Kremm, the Southern California Tennis Assn. won’t know until September whether San Diego will host next year’s 12s national championship, the final event of its kind. The SCTA has put out a bid to host the girls’ 14s nationals, but may be awarded the boys’ 12s instead. . . . . . . . . . Michael Jessup of Saratoga defeated Stearns, 6-4, 6-3, for third; Humphries defeated Glenn Weiner of Long Beach, 6-0, 6-0, taking fifth.