Unseeded Kim Wins Burbank Tournament

First, Kevin Kim pinned his opponent to the baseline.

Then the unseeded Kim, from Fullerton, pinned a 6-2, 6-4 loss on seventh-seeded Vince Spadea to claim the singles championship of the $25,000 U.S. Tennis Assn. Challenger of Burbank tournament Sunday at the Burbank Tennis Center.

Using a forehand that kept his opponent eight feet behind the baseline throughout, Kim took a 4-0 lead in the first set and never let up.

The players, who had never met previously, were on serve in the second set until Kim broke Spadea in the fifth game to go up, 3-2. Kim took a 4-2 lead when Spadea hit a forehand long to end the sixth game and he held in his last two service games to win.

“It was a good match,” Kim said. “I started off well, and that helped. I had a lot of confidence from there.”

The victory, completed in 85 minutes, was the first of his career for Kim, a Sunny Hills High graduate who is No. 178 in the ATP entry-system points rankings. Kim was making his second consecutive appearance in the Burbank final. He lost last year’s title match to Andy Roddick, 6-1, 6-2.

The team of Americans Chris Woodruff and Scott Humphries defeated Tuomas Ketola of Finland and Jeff Coetzee of South Africa, 7-5, 1-6, 6-4, in the doubles final.