Maybe it’s a little bit off, but the analogy fits. Willie Dann is tired of being a bridesmaid.
Dann, 33, finally won a semifinal match, ousting Miikka Keronen 6-4, 6-2 on Saturday to advance to the championship match of the 111th Colorado State Open at the Gates Tennis Center.
“It’s nice to finally break through, because a lot of it is mental,” said Dann, who played collegiately at Rice. “It’s not like I’m playing slouches. Plus, I’m giving up 10 to 12 years to a lot of the guys out there.”
Dann, who advanced to the the past two City Open semifinals and last year’s State Open semifinals, took a few games to get adjusted to Keronen’s slower pace and style. Once he adapted, the southpaw serve-and-volley player was in control of the match.
“I just had to be patient out there; my game is to kind of hit out, but I just have to keep the ball in play,” Dann said. “You have to realize we are playing at 5,200 feet, and sometimes the basics are difficult.”
The only break of serve in the first set went Dann’s way in the 10-minute fifth game. After failing on his previous two break chances in the game, Dann finally forced Keronen long to go up 3-2.
Dann, seeded No. 5, played a relatively clean second set, hitting 16 winners against two unforced errors.
“I try not to look too much into (my finals appearance). I try to play the ball, not the situation,” said Dann, who didn’t touch a racket for six years until picking one up again a year and a half ago. “It’s been a long time since I’ve played competitively, and this is all still very new to me even though I’ve played the game since I was 3 or 4.”
Dann will face his weekly hitting partner and three-time State Open champion Jeff Loehr in the final at 11 a.m. today. Loehr, the 1996, 1998 and 1999 champion, outlasted City Open champion Bart Scott of Colorado Springs 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5.
“You have to play about as well as you can play to beat Bart,” said Loehr, making his first trip back to the final since 1999. “(Bart) continues to put pressure on you, and you really have to step up on every point, otherwise he’ll squeak ahead and it’s over.”
Loehr took what looked to be a commanding 5-2 lead in the third set, only to watch Scott battle back to even. Scott fought off a match point in the 10th game. Loehr regained focus and came up with the big shots down the stretch. He hit two top-spin lobs in the final game before sending Scott diving to the ground on the final point.
On the women’s side, Alicia Salas wasted little time in her semifinal, disposing of the reigning Class 5A high school champion Tabatha Knop 6-2, 6-0.
She will face Aspen’s Laura Gordon in the final at 9:30 a.m. today. Gordon worked hard in the first set against Rhona Kaczmarczyk, then cruised in the second for 6-4, 6-0 victory.
“It took me a while to get used to her ball, and hopefully I’ll play a little bit better (today),” said Gordon, a senior-to-be at UCLA. “But match by match it has gotten better.”
Jon E. Yunt can be reached at 303-820-5446 or jyunt@denverpost.com.
