From GBTG:

The dueling teenagers exchanged shot for shot, rally for rally, game for game in a fiercely contested championship match.

In the end, it was "experience" that won out, with 16-year-old Nina Pantic edging 15-year-old Yasmin Clarke 6-4, 7-5 in a wonderfully played championship of the Jaxon's $10,000 USTA Satellite Tournament at Tennis West Sports and Racquet Club.

There never was much difference between the precocious teens, and each player battled beautifully for every point, never conceding anything, never giving up on a single swing on this warm May Sunday morning, albeit a warm morning tamed a bit by a gentle breeze.

"I felt like I got a little edge when I started down 2-0 and then came back to go ahead 3-2," said Pantic, who now lives in Florida but still plays out of Canada. "She is such a strong player. I couldn't afford to let myself fall behind like I did in some of my other matches."

Clarke, who is from England, agreed with that special moment: "She played really well and she is a good player. I got an early lead in that first set. But then she came back and I was down 4-2. I managed to get back. But then I got down 3-1 in the second set. I managed to get that back to 3-3 ... but it just seemed like I was having to come back the whole match."

Pantic had lost the opening set in two of her matches this week and, when she dropped behind 2-0 in the very first set, it looked as if it would be a repeat.

But ...

Smiling, Pantic said, "I decided I didn't want to be down again, not to her. She's too good. I forced myself to get it together and really start playing."

And that she did.

Pantic roared back to take a 5-2 lead. Clarke held, cutting it to 5-4, then wiggled out from under a set point on Pantic's serve before breaking her. Now, just like that, Clarke was down 5-4 and serving to level the match. But Pantic was solid, steady and with fierce ground strokes -- just as she has been all week. She broke Clarke to take the opening set.

The two exchanged service breaks in the second set. With things even, Pantic held serve to go up 5-4. Then came the game of the tournament.

Clarke went up 30-love on her serve, then Pantic came back to get a match point. The two exchanged blasts in a long rally and, finally, Clarke's forehand hit the tape, popped up in the air and trickled over. Four deuces later, three Clarke advantages later, she held serve to even things at 5-all.

But Pantic would not be denied.

The young woman who has just finished the 11th grade -- via the Internet -- came right back with a stinging forehand winner, a big service winner and then a pair of two-fisted backhand winners down the line to go up 6-5. She then got two more match points on Clarke's serve and closed out the match with a sizzling backhand winner down the line.

Was she momentarily discouraged by the net cord that allowed Clarke to escape that first match point?

Laughing, Pantic said, "Oh, my God. I almost died. Could you believe it? On match point? But those things happen, and the only way it's bad is if you let it bother you."

Obviously, it did not bother Pantic.

Clarke played excellent tennis all week -- and a lot of it. She played through three matches in the qualifying rounds, then five matches in the main draw.

Smiling, Clarke said, "I feel good, considering I've played eight matches this week. I'm OK. That was a good match today. I had a few more unforced errors but I had a few more winners, too ... so it balanced out. I'm happy with my week."

Clarke turned professional at this tournament. Pantic remains an amateur, keeping her college options open a bit longer. But she will leave El Paso with her first professional championship trophy.

"It was a tough week," she said. "So many good players. I'm just excited I came out on top."

It was good tennis, teenagers or veterans, and the two young ball bashers had such good, graceful court coverage that one might think there was no such thing as putting a shot away.

But, finally, Pantic did do that ... closing out a very good match with some very good shots.