Teen takes Tiburon tennis title

Tiburon Challenger pro tournament: Unseeded 19-year-old Zachary Svajda of La Jolla put on a show at the Tiburon Challenger last week, rallying 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the men’s singles final Oct. 9 to upset fourth-seed Ben Shelton, 20, to capture his first pro tennis title. Svajda beat No. 3-seed Michael Moh earlier in the week. ‘This is one of my favorite tournaments. … It’s a special place,’ he said after his championship victory. The local event at the Tiburon Peninsula Club is part of the American Tennis Professionals Challenger Tour for rising stars to earn points, move up in the rankings and advance to the top-tier ATP Tour. Leandro Riedi, 20, of Switzerland and Valentin Vacherot, 23, of Monaco won the doubles title the day before. Locals also had a chance to take the court, playing in a pro-am tournament over opening weekend, while Special Olympics athletes including Patrick Hulsbus of Tiburon played in an exhibition match with pros Oct. 8, and there were wheelchair-tennis and junior-tennis exhibitions on Oct. 9. A portion of the proceeds from the tournament was donated to the Rotary Club of Tiburon-Belvedere Foundation and the Special Olympics. (Frank Fennema photo / For The Ark)