After Being Up in Final Set, 2-0, Tu Goes Down to Defeat

Meilen Tu’s plans to reach the final fell through Thursday when she lost to top-seeded Janet Lee of Rancho Palos Verdes in the quarterfinals of the United States Tennis Assn. National Junior Championships in San Jose.

Tu, 15, of Northridge, blamed herself after losing, 7-5, 1-6, 6-2, in girls’ 18 singles.

“She didn’t win the third set, I gave it to her,” said Tu, who led, 2-0, in the final set. “She wasn’t coming to the net. I was aggressive, but I was just missing.”

Fifth-seeded Tu was the last survivor of three local players who were seeded. Ania Bleszynski of Thousand Oaks and Krissy Hamilton of Agoura Hills lost Wednesday in the round of 16 and again Thursday in the consolation draw.

Tu, coming off a European tour with the U.S. Junior national team, didn’t blame back and ankle injuries. “I really wanted it; I really wanted the win,” Tu said. “I felt if I could win, I would get to the final.”

Jason Weiss of Calabasas is the only local singles player left in six national age-group events. Weiss, seeded 13th, upset No. 5 Hyon Yoo of Rockville, Md., 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, in boys’ 16 at Kalamazoo, Mich.

Eighth-seeded Mike Bryan of Camarillo lost at Kalamazoo and No. 16 Erin Boisclair of Agoura Hills was beaten in the girls’ 14 tournament at Fairburn, Ga.

Boisclair (finals) and Tu (semifinals) advanced in doubles. But Derek Pope of Ojai and Jakob Pietrowski of Huntington Beach, who won the recent National Clay Court Championships, lost in the semifinals at Kalamazoo.

Pope and Pietrowski lost 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to Ryan Juinio of Cerritos and Mike Mackay of Phoenix after leading, 4-0, in the first set.

“We were too loose in the first set,” Pope said. “We should have played tougher.”