Missed forehand benefit for Lyman

Turning points in tennis matches are often easy to isolate.

Sometimes they're more subtle, like the one pinpointed by Hunter Roper 15 minutes after her 6-4, 6-0 loss to Katherine Lyman in the girls singles quarterfinals of the United States Tennis Federation Southern Closed Boys and Girls 16s Championships at Little Rock's Rebsamen Tennis Center on Thursday.

Roper, 16, of Jonesboro, sat at a concrete picnic table in the shade of Rebsamen's evergreens after her loss, out of sight from and beyond earshot of her family and friends. She said Lyman's service break in Game 2 of the second set might well have settled matters, but a missed opportunity late in the first set haunted her more.

With the set tied 4-4, Roper stepped between the service line and net for what she thought was a routine break-point forehand, but her shot landed out by nearly 3 feet. She lost that game and the next seven consecutive games.

"I set up that point perfectly," Roper said. "I had worked it and worked and worked it, and I had a short ball inside the service line and had any option I wanted.

"That would've put me up 5-4, and I would have been serving for the set. That definitely stung, that point and losing that game. I had that point on a silver platter. It was a simple forehand, my bread and butter, and I just missed it."

Lyman, 15, of Mount Pleasant, S.C., held serve to start the second set, but Roper took leads of 30-love and 40-15 in the second game. Lyman responded with four consecutive points to win that game and four more to advance to today's semifinals against Amber Fuller of Greensboro, N.C.

The other girls semifinal, to start at 10 a.m., matches Carly Briggs of Calhoun, Ga., and Erin Chratian of Duluth, Ga. The boys semifinals, also starting at 10 a.m., are between Colton Gromley of Duluth, Ga., and Tyler Stice of Atlanta, and Brandon McKinney of Marietta, Ga., and Maxwell Giddens of Sylacauga, Ala.

Lyman said a break of Roper's serve in Game 2 of the second set might have proven decisive.

"I knew if I could break her once, then all I'd have to do is hold my serves," she said. "I thought if I could win that game, I could win the match."

"That second game was big," Roper said. "When I got up 40-15, I was really confident, but not being able to close it out was tough. I think it definitely got to me a little bit more than I should've let it, and she took advantage of that."

Consolation for Roper came later with her semifinal doubles victory with Maddie McKee, also of Jonesboro. The two will play in the today's final against Anne Marie Adams and Angel Carney.

"I feel good about our chances," Roper said. "Now I'm really excited about the doubles."

Sports on 06/17/2016

Upcoming Events