McDonald gains final of 25K Los Angeles

Wild card Mackenzie McDonald slugs a backhand during
his loss to qualifier Jan Satral of the Czech Republic in
the first round of the U.S. Open last August. Photo by
Paul Bauman

   No. 5 seed Mackenzie McDonald, a San Francisco Bay Area product, defeated No. 4 Yannick Hanfmann of Germany 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 today in the semifinals of the USC/Los Angeles $25,000 Tennis tournament.
   McDonald, who was born in Berkeley and grew up in Piedmont, turned pro in June after sweeping the NCAA singles and doubles titles as a UCLA junior. He became the first man to accomplish the feat since Matias Boeker of the University of Georgia in 2001.
   Hanfmann, 25, starred at USC from 2011 to 2015.
   McDonald will face No. 8 Carl Soderlund of Sweden for the title. Soderlund, a freshman at two-time defending NCAA champion Virginia, outlasted No. 6 Evan King, a former Michigan All-American, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (6), 6-2.
   McDonald, 21, seeks his second ITF singles title and Soderlund, 19, his third.
   Both finalists have beaten Sam Groth, a former top-60 player from Australia. Groth holds the unofficial record for the world's fastest serve, 163.7 mph (263.4 kph) in the 2012 Busan (South Korea) Challenger.