U.S. OLYMPIC FESTIVAL : Bleszynski’s Lesson of the Day Is Application of Golden Rule

To Ania Bleszynski, an award-winning math and science scholar, the numbers did not add up.

At the end of last year, Tara Snyder was fifth-ranked among girls’ junior tennis players in the nation. Bleszynski was 10th.

So why all of a sudden, Bleszynski wondered, was she seeded No. 1 over Snyder in the Olympic Festival?

Now she knows.

Bleszynski, 17, from Thousand Oaks, trounced Snyder, 6-2, 6-1, Wednesday in the gold medal match at the Dwight Davis Memorial Tennis Center. “I don’t know how they knew that, but, yes, now I do feel like I should be No. 1,” Bleszynski said, referring to the event organizers who rated the players.

In their first-ever meeting, Snyder was no match for the Stanford-bound Bleszynski, who dispatched the 17-year-old from Wichita, Kan., in a little more than 50 minutes.

Bleszynski’s second gold medal-winning effort of the day--in mixed doubles--didn’t take much longer.

The former Harvard-Westlake High standout teamed with Mark Loughrin of Greendale, Wis., to rout Ry Tarpley of Milton, Mass., and Traci Green of Philadelphia, 6-2, 6-1.

Fatigue from Bleszynski’s earlier singles match was not a factor.

“I’ve never played with as good of a mixed doubles partner as Ania,” Loughrin said.

Tarpley was equally impressed. “They’re a great team,” he said of the pair, who first played together Friday. “There was not a lot we could do about it.”

Making short work of Snyder helped Bleszynski rebound for mixed doubles in temperatures and humidity that pushed the heat index to near 110 degrees.

Snyder, who routinely trains in such weather, hoped the blistering conditions might cause her opponent to wilt in the heat.

“I feel like I can play all day if I have to,” she said before the match.

In the first set, Snyder played a waiting game, seemingly content to let Bleszynski force the action.

Big mistake.

Bleszynski was uncharacteristically aggressive and charged the net to cut off Snyder’s passing lanes.

When patience didn’t work, Snyder turned the aggressor in the second set.

“She was trying to go for it more, trying to hit winners,” Bleszynski said.

That didn’t work, either.

“She tried to change her game, which I guess was smart,” Bleszynski said. “I don’t know if she changed it to the right game--obviously not. It worked out fine for me.”

The weather never became a factor. Bleszynski expressed concern about the heat after feeling weak during both of her matches Tuesday.

“I was really tired (Tuesday),” she said. “I didn’t feel like I was hitting strong, running strong or serving strong.

“I wasn’t sure I could last today, but I felt fine the whole match.”

The 6-foot-1, 155-pound Bleszynski appeared strong throughout, hammering away at Snyder with power and finesse.

“My first serve was a little off,” Bleszynski said. “I missed too many. But she had trouble with my second serve kicking to her backhand. So it didn’t really matter too much.”