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Chattanooga: Veterans dispatch Bartlett, Seal at TVOC

By: John Frierson
(Contact)

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Claire Bartlett

Experience ruled the day Saturday in the Tennessee Valley Open Championships at the Manker Patten Tennis Club, ending the tournament runs of local teenagers Claire Bartlett and James “Bo” Seal.

In the first women’s open singles semifinal, top-seeded Cory Avants overcame a strong start by the third-seeded Bartlett, a recent GPS graduate, and dominated the final two sets for a 2-6, 6-0, 6-2 win.

A former touring professional who hits with two hands on both sides, Avants used deep, powerful groundstrokes to push Bartlett well behind the baseline, allowing her to attack Bartlett’s short returns.

“The third set was kind of like the second,” Bartlett said. “I didn’t think I played too badly, actually. I probably could have made a few less errors, but I thought she played pretty well, which made it hard for me to get back in it.”

The three-time state high school champion and Virginia signee cruised through the first set in about 20 minutes before Avants found her game and dictated play the rest of the match.

“I just blew her away (in the first set), and then those last two sets she did the same to me,” Bartlett said. “It was kind of a flip-flop match and we both played well in spurts, I guess.”

No. 2 seed Amanda Taylor, a senior All-American at Vanderbilt this spring, routed fourth-seeded Connor Vogel, a junior at Tennessee, 6-1, 6-1. Avants and Taylor will meet in the women’s final at 9 this morning, which will be followed by the men’s final.

Seeded No. 4, Seal — the Chattanooga native who attends the Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Fla. — was outgunned by the bigger, stronger and more experienced Robbye Poole, the No. 2 seed. Poole, who recently wrapped up a solid career at Ole Miss, was able to attack the 17-year-old Seal’s serve and came through in all the big points for a 6-2, 6-2 win in the men’s open semifinals.

“I thought I could have served better,” Seal said. “I thought more first serves could have helped me out, but besides that off the ground I thought I played pretty well, and he played extremely well today.”

Top-seeded Travis Helgeson had no trouble advancing in the other open semifinal, routing ninth-seeded John Chesworth 6-2, 6-0. Helgeson, who played No. 1 on Georgia’s national championship team this spring and finished the year ranked No. 3 in the NCAA, hasn’t dropped a game in four of the eight sets he’s played in the tournament.

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