Johnson Wins Pair of USTA Pro Circuit Titles

>’s to-return-or-not-to-return decision wasn’t complicated enough. The reigning NCAA singles titlist, weighing a pro career versus one last season with the back-to-back-to-back NCAA team champion Trojans, captured his first two $10,000 USTA Pro Circuit titles — the Sept. 12-18 Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center Pro Classic and the Sept. 19-25 Costa Mesa Classic.

Just weeks after pushing fellow American Alex Bogomolov Jr. to five sets at the U.S. Open — 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-3 — Johnson emerged victorious at the Claremont Club and the Costa Mesa Tennis Center, respectively, making a strong case for a push at the pros. But the 21-year-old from the City of Orange insists he hasn’t ruled out a return to school in the spring.

“Right now it’s still 50-50,” said Johnson. “When I get back to school, [head coach] Peter Smith and I will sit down with my family and have a talk. Peter wants what’s best for me. He’s not trying to hold me back. We’ve already talked about a plan. If I do come back, I’ll play Indian Wells qualies. I’ll play big tournaments, Challengers. It’s not just going to be college tennis for four months. I’ll try to balance it all.

Johnson’s first professional title came via a 6-2, 6-3 win over Darian King.

“It feels good to come back and do it here,” said Johnson, who began playing junior events at Claremont when he was six. “It’s fun to come back and see people I’ve known for a long time.”

Johnson started quickly with an early break and 3-0 lead, relying on his booming serve on big points.

“It was a new exposure to someone who serves so big and whose ball is so heavy,” said King.

The following week, Johnson upset top seed Denis Kudla in the quarters 6-3, 6-3 before downing Artem Sitak in the final by the same score.

“It’s been like being a pro for the past couple of months, really,” said Johnson. “Right now it’s eat, sleep and drink tennis. I wake up, to the gym by 9, practice, get lunch, hit again. If I were in school it’d be weights, class, practice, class and then try and run. Then it’s 9 o’clock at night and no one wants to do homework then.”

Johnson says he contemplated going pro on numerous occasions over the summer. “I was close, but not close,” he explained. “I mean, I win a round at the Open, then two, then maybe it’s different.”

He said a chat with John Isner — who attended the University of Georgia for four years – helped solidify his decision for good. “I got to talk to him about turning pro or coming back,” said Johnson, who was 24-0 in dual matches during his junior year and ended the season on a 35-match winning streak. “All the guys said the same thing: ‘You’re not too old.'”

Johnson said he’s also motivated to help the Trojans win four straight team titles, something that’s only been done once before since the team format was instituted. “I want to come back and set the history books for USC tennis by winning four straight national titles,” he said.

Only Stanford’s Paul Goldstein has accomplished the feat (‘95-‘98).