Nationals Feature
Wiersholm Prevails in All-Washington Marathon Finals
by
Ali Jones, 18 August 2009
A mere 20 days after Henrik Wiersholm flew home with the doubles gold ball from the 2009 National Claycourt Championships, he added another two: both singles and doubles gold from the Boys 12s National Hardcourt Championships in North Little Rock, Arkansas.
Blue-chip recruit and third-seed Henrik defeated fellow Washington state native and sixth-seed
Spencer Furman 7-5, 5-7, 7-6, in a match that lasted almost four hours.
In the doubles finals, Henrik and Cameron Klinger (San Jose, CA) went three against fourth-seeds Tommy Paul (Greenville, NC) and Kenneth Tao (San Jose, CA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in another marathon match.
This is the second year in a row that the singles champion in Arkansas walked off with the doubles crown. Spencer Papa of Edmond, Oklahoma, won both titles last year.
Henrik (Kirkland, WA) felt right at home as he walked on Stadium Court at 8:30 a.m. The 27-court tennis center, nestled in the lush rolling hills of Burns Park, is reminiscent of his hometown scenery. The week's weather wasn't the typical summer scorcher in Arkansas: it was a bit balmy but temps hovered in the high 80s. Also familiar to Henrik was the opponent on the other side of the net: Spencer Furman (Woodinville, WA).
Henrik began play with the thought that the match was for the coveted gold ball, started strong and got up 5-3 in the first set. But it was only on the tenth set point that he finally took the set 7-5.
In the second set Henrik again started aggressively and quickly rolled off four games in succession, got up 4-0, 30-love. At this point the tournament officials thought that the match was all but over and started setting up for the awards ceremony.
"I became complacent, lost focus," Henrik said, "and Spencer is a real fighter."
