David Crisovan found himself in a tight spot Tuesday morning at the Champions Club, but not for long.

The No. 1 boys’ seed in the USTA National Open 12s was down a mini-break early in the first-set tiebreaker against No. 3 seed Sunay Bhat of Knoxville, and for a short while it appeared that the top seeds in both draws could lose in the semifinals.

Instead, Crisovan raised his game, winning the final four points of the tiebreaker to take the first set and coasting in the second set for a 7-6 (3), 6-0 win. He will play in today’s 9 a.m. final against ninth-seeded Ziqi Wang.

“I was a little shaky in the beginning and he was running down every shot, so that first set was really tough,” said Crisovan, from Hallandale Beach, Fla.

His game is powered by a solid forehand, but what makes Crisovan stand out among his peers is his one-handed backhand, a rarity in junior tennis because most players aren’t strong enough to hit it, especially in the 12- and 14-under age divisions.

Tennis legend Pete Sampras switched to a one-hander in his early teens, a move that had people buzzing in the early 1980s, but the 11-year-old Crisovan said he’s never used a two-handed backhand.

“I’ve always used a one-handed backhand; you have more reach with the one-hander,” he said. “I’ve never seen anybody my age with a one-handed backhand.”

Wang had his two-hander, and every other part of his game, working against No. 2 seed David Parker — who hits with two hands off both sides — and dominated the other semifinal for a 6-2, 6-1 victory. Ranked No. 69 nationally, Wang said he knew he would have to play well to beat the 14th-ranked Parker, who had won their previous three meetings. But he never expected the match to unfold the way it did.

“This was probably the best match I played this year,” said Wang, from Birmingham. “I thought it was going to be a really close match.”

There were no close matches on the girls’ side. Third-seeded Taylor Townsend easily dispatched top seed Andie Daniell, 6-2, 6-0, and No. 2 seed Jessie Lynn Paul breezed past ninth-seeded Carlee Petro, 6-3, 6-0.

Daniell ended her day on a high note, teaming up with Paul to win the doubles title by beating Brooke Broda and Meredith Laskey 8-6 in the final. Crisovan and Victor Gurevich rallied from a 6-3 hole to beat Bhat and Wang 8-6 in the boys’ final.

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