Franklin's Carrie Casey rolled into the round of 16 in the Texas Summer Grand Slam with a trio of straight-set victories, but she had a tough time winning just one game against fifth-seeded Nan Porter of Amarillo on Monday at Sam Rayburn Middle School.
Porter cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 victory in less than an hour to reach the quarterfinals of the Girls 14 singles. Porter will play ninth-seeded Macy Vonderschmidt of McKinney at 2:20 p.m. Tuesday at Texas A&M. Vonderschmidt advanced with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Katie Davis of Houston.
Casey dropped into the consolation bracket's fourth round. She will play Caroline Turner of Frisco at 11:20 a.m. Tuesday at Texas A&M. If Casey wins that match, she will play again at 5 p.m. in the consolation quarterfinals.
The 13-year-old Casey struggled from the outset when she had trouble getting her first serve in
"Some of it was the wind," she said. "I've been kinda working on it."
Porter aggressively returned Casey's second serves, sometimes hitting them into the net or long. But she kept attacking with positive results.
"I could tell maybe she was maybe working on it a little bit," Porter said. "Everybody gets a little tentative when they get down. That happens to me a lot. But, I could tell she was giving 100 percent."
The serving woes allowed the 14-year-old Porter to run Casey from side to side, often hitting winners just out of Casey's reach. Porter, sporting a baseball cap, also complemented a powerful inside-outside forehand with a strong two-handed backhanded return.
"She was tough," said the smiling Casey. "I tried my hardest. She was just pretty tough."
The two well-behaved players only talked to each other once, when Casey ruled a passing shot by Porter out after both had come to the net early in the second set.
"Are you sure?" Porter asked in almost a whisper.
"Yea," Casey casually said as the girls went back to the baseline to continue what turned out to be the longest game of the match. Casey had a few chances to break, but Porter prevailed for a 3-0 lead.
Casey jumped to a 40-15 lead in the next game when Porter twice misssed on second serves. Porter shrugged off the lapses and reeled off four straight points to take the game. She had no problem closing out the last games of the set.
"I just try to give 100 percent no matter who I play, and try to have fun," Porter said.
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NOTES -- Also in 14 Girls Singles, Emily D. Draughon of Vernon defeated College Station's Kristina Raphael 6-4, 6-3 in a consolation Round 4 qualifier Monday at Sam Rayburn. Raphael had won two matches in the main draw. ... In 18 Girls Singles, fourth-seeded Ariel Morton of Houston defeated College Station's Anik Cepeda 6-1, 6-1 in the round of 16 at the Mitchell Tennis Center. Cepeda will play Kourtney Howell of Cypress, also a ninth seed, at 11:20 a.m. Tuesday at Texas A&M. ... Gregory Haugen of Austin defeated former Consol Tiger Nathan Cooner in third round consolation action, 6-1, 6-1. ... Angela Rachel of Katy defeated Franklin's Kendra Casey 6-4, 6-3 in third round of the Girls 18 Singles consolation.
TEXAS SUMMER GRAND SLAM
When: Through Sunday
Where: Courts throughout B-CS
Updates: http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/tournamenthome/tournament.aspx?T=71510