Worsnop wins title
Newport Beach resident Mackenzie Worsnop certainly had to work for the girls’ 18 singles title at her hometown tournament, the “War by the Shore.”
The No. 3-seeded Worsnop had to beat her friend, No. 2-seeded Layla Rodriguez, in a tight three-set semifinal match Thursday afternoon.
Less than 24 hours later, on late Friday morning, she fell into a 5-1 first-set hole against top-seeded Whitney Weisberg of Redlands in the title match.
“I just needed to adjust,” Worsnop said after the match. “I wasn’t adjusting fast enough to the circumstances, and how I was playing. I think she was playing decent, and I wasn’t hitting the ball the way I should. I needed to adjust faster in order to stay in that match.”
Worsnop did more than just stay in the match. She unleashed a furious rally and won the match, 7-5, 6-2, and the title.
It is the first War by the Shore singles title for Worsnop, who lost in the girls’ 16s final last year. And it was also a satisfying conclusion because she had lost in the finals of a couple of tournaments in recent weeks as well, including the OCCTA Santa Ana Junior Open Championships in Santa Ana and the Cerritos Junior Open.
Against Weisberg, Worsnop won 12 of the final 14 games played.
“It feels like a good accomplishment,” Worsnop said. “Last year it was hard to lose in the finals, especially because I knew who I was playing [CdM’s Danielle Willson]. It just showed me how hard I worked, that I was able to come to this tournament and win. It’s just the repercussions of working hard, trying to improve.”
Worsnop, who takes online school through Laurel Springs, will continue trying to get better. She posed for plenty of pictures after the match, including one of her parents, Peter and Kimberly, each giving her a kiss on the cheek.
Worsnop, who is ranked No. 55 in Southern California in the girls’ 16s, will be back in action at the Mary Brymer Memorial Junior Tournament, which begins in Irvine on July 18.
“I’m just excited to be playing more matches,” she said. “I just love playing.”
