Estonia’s Saar tops Crawley in girls’ 16s finals

Katriin Saar had more than a championship match weighing on her as the rain delay stretched to five hours Saturday at the Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships.

Saar was concerned about getting the Girls’ 16s final played and making her late-night flight home to Estonia.

“The next flight home would be on maybe Tuesday,” she said.

When the weather relented enough to begin play just after 3 p.m., Saar used an aggressive approach to take the title in straight sets against Texan Fiona Crawley, 6-3, 6-3.

It capped a rousing first trip to the United States for Saar, 15, who was seeded 13th, but approached the week like the favorite.

“Well, I didn’t come here to lose,” she said.

Saar wasn’t bothered by the temperature drop into the low 60s or gloomy skies that would have disappointed most European visitors to South Florida.

Nor was she put off by the long wait and uncertainty of whether rains would subside in time to enable play on the clay courts at Plantation Central Pari’s Veltri Tennis Center.

“It’s really tiring, but it’s tennis, so you’re used to it,” Saar said of the waiting game. “It’s not sunny today, so it’s perfect to play tennis, actually.

“I try to play my game, and that’s aggressive. I think I did that pretty well. I’m really happy right now.”

Saar, at home on her favorite surface, was in control most of the match. Crawley, from San Antonio, created some drama when she battled back from a 4-1 deficit in the second set to take back-to-back games on a service break and a hold.

“At 4-1, I thought that I was going to win, so I was not concentrating enough,” Saar said. “When it was 4-3, I was like, ‘come, get it together, finish the [match].’”

Crawley, who was unseeded, will use her strong week in the prestigious Orange Bowl event as inspiration at the upcoming USTA Winter Nationals in Orlando.

“Obviously, a great experience,” Crawley said. “Every match counts for more experience. You figure out other people’s games and you get better at your own game.”

Saar was looking forward to a triumphant reception at home in Estonia.

“I’m like, shaking,” she said. “To win the Orange Bowl, that was an amazing feeling, just to end the year here with such a high note.”

In an all-Romanian boys’ 16s final, No. 6 Nicholas Ionel rallied to upset No. 1 Nini Dica, 0-6, 7-5, 6-2.

The tournament will conclude today with the boys and girls’ 18s finals. Top-seeded Whitney Osuigwe, of Bradenton, rallied from 5-1 down in the first set against Joanna Garland of Chinese Taipei to advance to the girls’ final, 7-6 (5), 6-2.

Chloe Beck, the other American in the 18s semifinals, lost 6-1, 6-1 to Margaryta Bilokin of the Ukrane.