King, Bolz march into Futures finals

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Globe/T. Rob Brown Sebastian Boltz of France serves the ball to opponent Dane Webb of Texas, USA, Saturday morning, July 21, 2012, during the semifinals of the USTA Freeman $10,000 Men's Futures tennis tournament at Millenium Tennis and Fitness Club in Joplin, Mo.
Globe/T. Rob Brown Dane Webb of Texas, USA, returns the ball to Sebastian Boltz of France Saturday morning, July 21, 2012, during the semifinals of the USTA Freeman $10,000 Men's Futures tennis tournament at Millenium Tennis and Fitness Club in Joplin, Mo. Boltz ended up winning the match.

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July 21, 2012

King, Bolz march into Futures finals

By Richard Polen Globe Sports Writer The Joplin Globe Sat Jul 21, 2012, 10:06 PM CDT

Fourth-seeded Darian King ousted No. 1 seed Sanam Singh 6-0, 7-6 (5) Saturday in the semifinals of the USTA Freeman $10,000 Futures.

King advanced to the championship match at 10 a.m. today against third-seeded Sebastien Boltz, who defeated Dane Webb 6-2, 6-1 in the second semifinal at Millennium Tennis and Fitness Club.

King, a 20-year-old from the island nation of Barbados, said his 6-0 victory in the first set was the key to winning the match.

“It was a great start,” he said. “You have to go in ready for battle against that guy.

“I didn’t get a chance to see him play because I’ve been playing singles and doubles,” he said. “I just really went out there to play my game.”

King, whose homeland is just north of the South American coast, advanced to the final of an ITF Pro Circuit event for the first time this summer. He has been playing primarily in Mexico, where he once advanced to the semifinals.

The time of today’s match was moved up one hour to 10 a.m. because of the heat wave. Early afternoon temperatures have been in the upper 90s all week with a high of 105 reported Thursday at Joplin Regional Airport.

“I wasn’t feeling well this week,” King said, “so I had to drink enough to keep sending me to the bathroom.”

Boltz, who has lost just one set in the tournament, swept past Webb in straight sets. Webb will be a sophomore at the University of Oklahoma this fall.

“I will give the best of myself,” Boltz said of his match against King. “We’ll find out tomorrow. I’m happy to win in two sets. I’ll be more fresh tomorrow.”

Boltz, from France, ended Webb’s run into the semifinals as a wild-card entry. Webb’s biggest victory came in the first round when he defeated fifth-seeded Gonzalo Lama, 6-4, 6-3.

“He doesn’t miss,” Webb said of Boltz. “He doesn’t give you anything for free. If you’re not playing your best that day, you’re going to struggle.

“I’ve gained some confidence,” he said. “I had some good matches, so that’s always good.”