Downing excels at winter nationals

Corona del Mar High freshman Chaz Downing won the boys’ 14 singles “North” consolation draw at the United States Tennis Assn. Winter Junior Nationals, completed Monday in Tucson, Ariz.

Downing was unseeded in the tournament. But, after losing his round of 64 match to No. 30-seeded Taylor Fritz, he won five straight consolation matches. These included a victory over No. 19-seeded Max Pham of Newport Coast.

In the “North” consolation final, Downing was tied with Andrew Gu, 6-6, before Gu was forced to retire at Reffkin Tennis Center.

Downing was ranked No. 5 in Southern California by the USTA in the December boys’ 14s rankings. Pham is the top-ranked player in SoCal.

— Matt Szabo