My Orange Bowl ITF J500 Recap; Tien Beats Fils, Meets Friend Michelsen in Semifinals at Next Gen ATP Finals; Pepperdine Women Name Interim Coach; ATP Announces $1.3 Million in Player Subsidies in New Program

My last recap of the year is out today at the Tennis Recruiting Network, as I review the ITF J500 Orange Bowl Championships. Andres Santamarta Roig joined Jordan Lee in winning the Florida Sunshine Double, the first time in the history that both 16s and 18s champions won both the IMG Academy/Eddie and the Orange Bowl titles in the same year. Tereza Krejcova came close to claiming both, reaching the final at the ITF J300 in Bradenton before flirting with disaster before coming through in a third-set tiebreaker at the Orange Bowl. 

Those of you who followed my daily coverage may not learn much from these recaps, but I find them very important to write, as I can look back on the week with a perspective that isn't always possible in the daily reports. They also serve as a historical record, which I reference each year a week or two before the tournament, to refresh my memory. 

With the Junior Orange Bowl finishing early this year and the USTA Winter Nationals still more than a week away, there isn't any junior tennis going on right now, which has given me an opportunity to follow the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah Saudi Arabia more than I have in previous years. The tournament, which began in 2017, was moved much later on the calendar this year than in previous editions, and the fact that three Americans, all of whom I've covered in the past two years on the USTA and ITF Junior Circuit (and in college), were in the eight-player field piqued my interest.

Two of them, 20-year-old Alex Michelsen and 19-year-old Learner Tien, will play in the semifinals, with the good friends and training partners meeting for the first time as professionals Saturday. They faced off in the quarterfinals of the ITF J300 Easter Bowl in 2022, with Michelsen winning that contest 6-4 ,7-5 after Tien had won the San Diego J300 (then J1) the week before. Michelsen went on to beat Nishesh Basavareddy 6-2, 6-3 in the final.

Michelsen, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, finished 3-0 in the red group, having a short day when Jerry Shang retired trailing 4-1, 1-1.  Tien, the No. 5 seed, avenged his four-set US Open loss to top seed Arthur Fils of France with a 4-2, 4-2, 3-4(4), 4-3(5) upset. After getting blitzed by an on-fore Joao Fonseca of Brazil in the first two sets in his round robin loss Thursday, the two-time Kalamazoo champion came out much more aggressive against Fils and sustained that level throughout the match. 

The eighth-seeded Fonseca, who beat No. 3 seed Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic in five tiebreakers 3-4(4), 4-3(8), 4-3(5), 3-4(4), 4-3(5) to go undefeated in the blue group, will face Luca van Assche of France, the No. 6 seed, who beat No. 7 seed Nishesh Basavareddy 3-4(2), 4-3(7), 4-2, 4-2 to make the semifinals of the event for the second year in a row.

The ATP's preview of the Michelsen-Tien semifinal here.

After Pepperdine's Per Nilsson was named women's head coach at Florida at the end of October, Pepperdine men's head coach Adam Schaechterle has been guiding the women's program while a replacement was found. The Waves didn't look far, with men's associate head coach Tassilo Schmid named interim women's coach for the upcoming dual match season in a release today. Schaechterle was also named Director of Tennis in the announcement.

The ATP announced the results of its new income guarantee Baseline program for Challenger-level players, installed this year. Twenty-six players received a total of $1.3 million dollars in an initiative designed to assist those outside the Top 100 in achieving some financial stability as they work their way up the rankings.  For more details on the three "pillars" of the program, and the plans for enhancing it for 2025, see this recent article from the ATP. 

My Orange Bowl 16s Recap; Michelsen Secures Semifinal Berth at Next Gen ATP Finals, Basavareddy and Tien Can Join Him with Wins Friday; Tennis Europe Names Junior Players of the Year; Brooksby Reveals Autism Diagnosis

Fourteen-year-old Jordan Lee has put together an outstanding year in 2024 and he closed it with 12 consecutive straight-sets victories to capture the 16s titles at the IMG Academy International Tennis Championships in Bradenton and the Orange Bowl in Plantation. Fifteen-year-old Xiaotong (Bella) Wang of China lost in the first round at IMG, to eventual champion Hanne Estrada of Mexico, but rolled through the draw at the Orange Bowl the following week. My recap of the Orange Bowl 16s tournament is available today at the Tennis Recruiting Network.

Americans went 2-1 in group play today at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah Saudia Arabia, with 20-year-old Alex Michelsen, who went winless in last year's event, earning a place in the semifinals with one more match remaining in group play. Michelsen, who had beaten 19-year-old Nishesh Basavareddy in the red group yesterday, defeated Luca van Assche of France 1-4, 4-2, 4-3(6), 4-3(5), while Basavareddy defeated Jerry Shang of China 3-4(4), 4-2, 4-2, 4-1. Basavareddy will face van Assche Friday, with the winner advancing to the semifinals along with Michelsen.

In the blue group, 18-year-old Joao Fonseca of Brazil, the youngest player in the field, advanced to the semifinals with a 4-0, 4-0, 1-4, 4-2 win over Learner Tien. Arthur Fils of France defeated Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic 4-2, 4-3(4), 4-2, eliminating Mensik. Fils and Tien will play for the second time this year (US Open main draw round 1) with the winner advancing to the semifinals. 

All matches are available on Tennis Channel.

Tennis Europe has announced its Junior Tour Players of the Year for 2024 in the 14s and 16s age divisions, with a team award for the 12s.

Jana Kovackova, who is No. 16 in the ITF junior rankings, didn't win Les Petits As or the European Championships, but she posted two Super Category titles in 14s, the Wimbledon 14U event, despite spending much of her time competing on the ITF Junior Circuit, not in Tennis Europe events.

The boys 14s Player of the Year is Scott Watson of Great Britain, who won the year-end Junior Masters and was runner-up at the European Championships.

The girls 16s Player of the Year is Tea Kovacevic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who played the 14s in the recently completed IMG Academy International and Junior Orange Bowl tournament. Kovacevic lost to Daniel Baranes of Israel in both events: the final in Bradenton and the round of 16 in Coral Gables.

The boys 16s Player of the Year is Goncalo Da Rosa Castro of Portugal, who won two Category 2 titles. I would have expected the award to go to Yannick Alexandrescou of Romania, the European 16s champion, who played No. 1 singles for the Junior Davis Cup finalists.

There were also awards for Overseas Player of the Year, Doubles Team of the Year and National Team of the Year. 

Jenson Brooksby, out for two years due to injuries and a suspension related to missing drug tests, is back training, participating in the USTA's preseason in Lake Nona. The 2018 Kalamazoo 18s champion spoke with Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press last week about living with autism, a diagnosis he first received as a toddler. Although he is now "on the very mild end of the spectrum" according to Michelle Wagner, a behavior analyst specializing in autism, she said he was a "severe" case when she first began working with him as a child. Brooksby explained why he decided to reveal this now, as he prepares to return to tennis competition in Australia next year. 

“I just want people to know me for who I am fully, and that’s just another part of me,” Brooksby said. “I’ve had a lot of time out of playing and a lot of thinking I’ve had to do.”

The AP article is here.

Davletshina Wins 12s Version of Sunshine Double at Junior Orange Bowl; China's Qi Hongjin Takes Both Florida Titles in B14s; Michelsen and Tien Win Openers at ATP Next Gen Finals; Australia's 18s and 16s National Championships Complete

This has been a banner year for dominating runs at the big junior events in South Florida, with four different players winning the younger set's version of the Sunshine Double this month. After Jordan Lee and Andres Santamarta Roig went back-to-back in the 16s and ITFs in Bradenton and Plantation, two more players added Junior Orange Bowl titles to the championships they had won earlier this month at the IMG Academy International Tennis Championships in Bradenton.

Top seed Nikol Davletshina of the United States swept the girls 12s titles, while Qi Hongjin of China took both titles in the boys 14s. Davletshina, who won the Easter Bowl 12s in March, played the 14s in the Clays and Hard Courts this summer, but with these two titles the 11-year-old is 18-0 this year in the 12s, winning three of the most prestigious tournaments held in the United States.

The results from the Junior Orange Bowl finals today in Coral Gables:

G12s

Singles:
Nikol Davletshina[1](USA) d. Isha Manchala[2](USA) 6-0, 6-3

Doubles:
Ayul Kim and Seohyeon Kim[4](KOR) d. Ayaka Iwasa and Shina Okuyama[9](JPN) 7-6(4), 6-3

G14s

Singles:
Sakino Miyazawa[13](JPN) d. Sofiia Bielinska[9](UKR) 6-4, 6-1

Doubles:
Olivia De Los Reyes and Emery Combs[5](USA) d. Shristi Selvan and Vibha Gogineni[7](USA) 6-3, 6-0

B12s

Singles:

Novak Palombo[2](AUS) d. Max D Smith[32](USA) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4

Doubles:

Ethan Jake Frans(INA) and Mingeon Choi(KOR)[2] d. Max D Smith and Wyatt Markham(USA)[9] 6-2, 7-5

B14s

Singles:

Qi Hongjin[10](CHN) d. Taiki Takizawa[1](AUS) 7-6(0) 1-0, ret.

Doubles: Victor Pignaton and Gadin Arun[3](USA) d. Ruben Stanmore(GBR) and Har Abir Sekhon[5](AUS) 6-3, 6-3

Complete draws are available at the USTA's tournament page.

Very little tennis is being played this week around the world, so the attention is squarely on the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah Saudi Arabia, particularly here in the United States, which has three players competing: Alex Michelsen, Learner Tien(USC) and Nishesh Basavareddy(Stanford).

Michelsen, 20, and Basavareddy, 19, were drawn into the same round robin group, and played each other on opening day of the five-day event. Michelsen won 2-4, 4-3(5), 4-3(4), 4-2 and will play Luca Van Assche of France on day two. Van Assche defeated Jerry Shang of China 4-3(3), 2-4, 4-1, 4-3(5). Shang and Basavareddy will play in the other match in the red group.

Tien was drawn into the group with two ATP Top 50 players: No. 20 Arthur Fils of France and No. 48 Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic. The 19-year-old defeated Mensik today, saving a match point in the fifth-set tiebreaker in his 4-3(6), 4-3(3), 2-4, 2-4, 4-3(8) victory, despite Mensik's tournament record 20 aces. The two-time Kalamazoo 18s champion will face 18-year-old Joao Fonseca of Brazil in a rematch of last year's US Open Junior final, which Fonseca won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Fonseca posted an even bigger upset than Tien today, beating Fils for the second time this year, 3-4(9), 4-2, 4-1, 1-4, 4-1. Fils and Mensik will meet in the other blue group match Thursday, with the loser unlikely to advance to the semifinals.

For the explanation of the scoring being used, and other rules and format innovations, see this page on the tournament site.

There are match recaps for each of today's four matches on the ATP website. For a feature on the three Americans, see this article. Although Basavareddy did live and play in Southern California before he was 12, the vast majority of his competition and development took place in Carmel Indiana. Tien and Michelsen were much closer geographically during their development, and both trained  at Tier 1 Performance together for years.

Tennis Australia holds its 16s and 18s National Championships in December, and those events recently concluded in Bendigo Victoria. The 16s champions, who receive Australian Open Junior wild cards, are Ymerali Ibriami and Sarah Mildren. The 18s champions, who receive an Australian Pro tournament wild card, are Ava Beck and Lachlan McFadzean. The tournaments are not like those the USTA holds for its Level 1 National Championships, with the Australian events much smaller, with qualifying and main draw entries of 48 players, which are based on UTR and prize money in 18s, with players competing in round robin and knockout rounds. The Tennis Australia tournament page is here; a recap of the finals is here.

Division I Coaches Weigh in on NCAA's Decision to Award Tennis Championships to USTA National Campus in Lake Nona Through 2037

Last week's news that the NCAA had awarded the USTA's Lake Nona National Campus the Division I Tennis Championships for 2029-2037 took many in the college tennis community by surprise, although I had been hearing about the value of an Omaha model for tennis, based on the College Baseball World Series there, for more than ten years. I wrote an article for the Tennis Recruiting Network about this possibility back in 2022 after talking with coaches and players at the NCAAs in Champaign that year.

The obvious advantages of a permanent site were counteracted by a meaningful number of coaches who believed the tournament should be on a college campus, which had been the norm prior to the 2019 NCAA championships, held for the first time at the USTA's National Campus outside Orlando. Central Florida is the host, and plays its matches at the National Campus, but the university's campus is not nearby. 

The reviews from the three times the event was held in Lake Nona previously (2019, 2021, 2023) have been mixed, and the hopes that the Tennis Channel facility there would lead to more exposure for the tournament have not been realized. I have not personally attended any of those three NCAAs, but I did not feel the experience watching remotely did justice to what should be, by a wide margin, the crown jewel of collegiate tennis.

Improvements the USTA has said it will implement at the NCAA's behest (as noted in the release below)--an additional indoor facility, with adequate seating in the existing facility, more shade, better scoring infrastructure and a better student-athlete experience--are the key for many of the coaches I spoke to about this announcement at the Orange Bowl last week. I talked with many coaches about it, not all of them were willing to go on the record, but here are the comments from five who were. 

Brett Masi, USC men's head coach:

It sounds like a good opportunity if the right resources as they're saying will be presented and put forth for the cause. There's a lot of great facilities that we have across the country on college campuses that we've always looked forward to going to, so if the USTA can actually put that stamp and landmark like an Omaha has, then sure. 

I've always said that Ojai, for example, is so special to me, it's a great spot in Southern California yes, but it's the people around it who come and support it every year for a hundred-plus years. Those are the things that make it great. Why was Georgia so great for so many years before they started to rotate it? It's the people who always volunteered, always helped, it was always such a great venue. Obviously Georgia has a great tennis facility too, but it's the people around it who supported it. So as long as we have the support, the people in the community can make it a special thing, sure why not have an Omaha in Orlando?

It will be interesting to see if they go with sixteen (teams at the final site) again or if it's going to stay at eight. Who knows if we're going to go back to a spring national championships for individuals as well. If all that stuff is in place, maybe they do have the right facility for it. 

Jordan Szabo, Auburn women's head coach:

"I'm personally excited for it because I really like it in Orlando. From a coach's perspective, we've been down there so many times and there's so many practice courts. That's the biggest thing for me. I know that sounds crazy, but I just love the resources to be able to practice and do what you need to do to prepare for a main event. 

You can play matches simultaneously with both sides (of the collegiate facility) the same. Generally you have pretty good weather. The indoor factor there is a little strange, not having parents watch players there is really tough. 

I personally think it's a good result, I do think it's weird that Central Florida gets to host it for ten years, a school gets to host it, but it does feel very much like a neutral site. Personally, if the USTA does what they say they are going to do, hopefully they can make it a bigger and better event and having some continuity of going there I think will be a good result.

Billy Pate, Princeton men's head coach:

Talking about it either on the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) board or op com, different groups, we talked about the idea of an Omaha, if that would be the best thing to promote college tennis, having the consistency of knowing where you're going every year and then build on that. I think it's very good from that standpoint, but I know there are lot of people, I think there's a romance with Georgia. Coaches and spectators I think would agree that was the best site for a long time, but when people started to bid and build new facilities, the NCAA felt they had to move it around. I hear the arguments for Georgia, but if you're only going to have it there once every four years, you lose that consistency.

Clearly, in my opinion, the biggest criticism is the indoor situation. They've been quite fortunate not to have rain a few times and we all know if you had to go to the current indoor and had any kind of crowd support, it would be extremely limited. They are making that effort to build a new indoor that would have spectator seating and make a great fan environment, and that's a huge plus and I'm excited to see what will happen. 

The other question is will it be televised? Tennis Channel has a studio there and that's a big component that brings added value as well. I also think as the community around Lake Nona--I don't think of it as much as Orlando, but more of a suburb, a smaller community--builds up the infrastructure, more shops, more restaurants, more hotels, I think that's going to add more flavor to the event as well. And it's close to the airport, which is really a plus.

I think the relationship the USTA has with the ITA has never been better and I think that's a positive. Obviously the USTA has the resources to promote this if they choose do to so, and it can be a win-win.

Per Nilsson, Florida women's head coach:

I think they should have done this a long time ago. It gives the location the time to build it up, sort of like Georgia did back in the day. The reason it worked there was the community got behind it, people got used to it, and I think the USTA is wanting to do the same thing. 

We did a few years there and it got better each year until we moved away and went somewhere else. But now, with the commitment they are doing, they can build it into something special. I'm sure there will be schools who think it's far away, but they have the infrastructure, everything we want to be able to do it. I'm really hoping they step up and it sounds like they will. 

They've outlined all the things we've been concerned about, and I like that they put in there that if this (fall individuals) pilot program doesn't go through, they are willing to do the individuals. Because I think it's a disaster to have it in the fall.

Drake Bernstein, Georgia women's head coach:
(Georgia is hosting the NCAAs in 2026 and 2027)

We are all interested in elevating college tennis  and hopefully we can build some of that momentum in Athens the next two years. 

We hope to give the student-athletes the experience of a lifetime in the couple years of the tournament being on campus for a while.

USTA NATIONAL CAMPUS AWARDED 10-YEAR BID TO HOST

NCAA DI MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Orlando facility cemented as home of college tennis; USTA commits to major infrastructure enhancements by 2028

ORLANDO, Fla., December 9, 2024 – The NCAA today announced that it has approved a bid to award the USTA National Campus the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships for a 10-year period beginning in 2028. This landmark agreement will cement Orlando and the USTA National Campus as the home of college tennis, and aims to replicate the successful model set forth by the Men’s College World Series and Women’s College World Series, held annually in Omaha, Neb., and Oklahoma City, respectively.

The USTA plans to make a number of infrastructure enhancements that will not only elevate the Championships for both student-athletes and fans, but also create a lasting impact on the Orlando community. Included in these capital projects are the addition of six indoor courts (bringing the total number of available indoor courts to 12) with improved viewing areas for all 12 indoor courts; permanent shade structures at the Collegiate Center, which contains 12 outdoor competition courts; and enhanced student-athlete amenities and scoring infrastructure.

“This is a momentous day for the USTA and for college tennis,” said Lew Sherr, CEO and Executive Director, USTA. “Supporting college tennis is a growing priority for the USTA as it is not only the aspirational dream of youth tennis players across the country, but is also an increasingly vital part of the elite player development pathway. We are proud to bring this event to Orlando for years to come and are excited to work alongside the NCAA and all of our local partners to elevate this event and give college tennis the platform it so richly deserves.”

In addition to the infrastructure investments, the USTA has committed to work with the NCAA and other college tennis stakeholders to raise the profile of the Championships. This includes both increased on-site fan engagement, as well as a commitment to supplement existing NCAA broadcast agreements.

"We are excited about this agreement with the USTA and UCF to serve as long-term hosts for the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Tennis Championships," said John Bugner, NCAA director of championships and alliances. "The existing track record of hosting successful NCAA tennis championships, along with the continued improvements to the USTA National Campus were integral to our decision-making process. With this commitment from both the USTA and NCAA, we're looking forward to what can be achieved in growing and enhancing the student-athlete and fan experience over the 10 years of the agreement."

The NCAA previously announced that the USTA National Campus was awarded the 2028 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships. That year’s event will now mark the first of 10 consecutive years, concluding in 2037, that the Orlando facility will host the final three rounds of the season-ending team championships. Should the individual singles and doubles championships, which are currently being held in the fall as part of a two-year pilot program, move back to the spring, the USTA National Campus will also host those events each year.

“We are thrilled to partner with the USTA as co-hosts for the NCAA Division I Tennis Championships,” said UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics, Terry Mohajir. “This is a testament to our community’s passion for sports and our commitment to providing an unforgettable experience for athletes and fans from all over. Being able to host prestigious events such as this over a 10-year period continues to shine the spotlight on Orlando as a premier sports destination while also strengthening our college athletics brand.”

G14s Semifinals Set at Rain-Plagued Junior Orange Bowl, Two Rounds of Singles in B12s and 14s Scheduled for Tuesday

I spent the day traveling, so just a brief post with some information on the Junior Orange Bowl 12s and 14s which began Thursday at three sitese in Miami. I am in not covering the tournament in person this year, so my information is nothing more than what I can glean from the website, but it's obvious that rain has been a problem again this year, after rain prevented the tournament from beginning for several days last year. 

Last year doubles was canceled entirely; this year some doubles have been played, with the B14s now in the quarterfinals, while the other divisions have not progressed that far.

The G14s are the closest to being on schedule, with their quarterfinals completed today. The schedule had the B12s, who did not play on the first day due to an administrative error in the draw that caused it to be redone, were to play twice today, but only got one round completed. A match remains unfinished in the G12s quarterfinals. Below are the results as of tonight (with player countries!); This is the message on the USTA tournament website:

All matches for Tuesday have been scheduled and are on the draw sheets. Rain is expected again tomorrow and possibly overnight. We will update the homepage at 6:30am to let everyone know the conditions of the courts and if the schedule will be played. Fingers crossed...

B12s quarterfinals:

Max D Smith[32](USA) v Haruto Tamaki[14](JPN)

Nanato Agui(JPN) v Sebastian Lavorato[11](AUS)

Camelot Carnello[12](USA) v James Borchard[10](USA)

Georgii Abushenko(RUS) v Novak Palombo[2]((AUS)

B14s quarterfinals:

Taiki Takizawa[1](AUS) v Anay Kulkarni[14](USA)

Dongjae Kim[3](KOR) v Daniil Berezin[13](USA)

Qi Hongjin[10](CHN) v Hruthik Katakam[16](IND)

Gadin Arun[5](USA) v Ethan Domingo[2](AUS)

G12s quarterfinal results:

Nikol Davletshina[1](USA) d. Christina Li[13](USA) 6-2, 6-4

Ayul Kim[22](KOR) d. Shangran Cai[17](CHN) 7-6(8), 6-2

Seohyeon Kim[7](KOR) v Josephine Zhou[27](USA) (Tuesday 9 a.m.)

Isha Manchala[2](USA) d. Ana Maric[11](AUS) 6-4, 6-2

G14s quarterfinal results:

Sakino Miyazawa(JPN)[13] d. Daniel Baranes[30](ISR) 6-4, 6-0

Tori Russell[14](AUS) d. Jinling Shi[5](CHN) 6-4, 1-6, 6-4

Sofiia Bielinska[9](UKR) d. Teaghan Keys [23](USA) 6-3, 6-2

Sim Siyoen[7](KOR) d. Caroline Shao[2](USA) 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3

Santamarta Completes Sunshine Double with Orange Bowl Title; Krejcova Averts Disastrous Finish by Winning Third Set Tiebreaker in Girls Final

©Colette Lewis 2024--
Plantation FL--

Andres Santamarta Roig of Spain and Tereza Krejcova of the Czech Republic arrived in Plantation a week ago with confidence and motivation, after competing  the finals of the J300 in Bradenton on the same green clay as the Orange Bowl's Veltri Tennis. Santamarta was aiming for the rare Sunshine double as the IMG Academy champion, while Krejcova was hoping to build on her appearance in the final. 

The strong and gusty winds that plagued the last four days of the Orange Bowl didn't allow them to showcase their highest level during the tournament's final stages, but Santamarta and Krejcova raised the champion's crystal bowl of oranges Sunday, with Santamarta defeating Moise Kouame of France 7-5, 6-2 and Krejcova securing a fraught 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(5) victory over Elizara Yaneva of Bulgaria.

Kouame, who was attempting to claim the title of youngest Orange Bowl boys champion from Frances Tiafoe, served for the first set at 5-4 after coming from 3-1 down, but double faulted twice in a row to spoil any chance at grabbing the lead.

Santamarta then picked up his level, which had been uneven in the first nine games, although calling any shot an unforced error in the face of the swirling 25 mph winds would be unkind. After holding easily for 5-all, Santamarta had two break points in the next game, with Kouame showing signs of frustration, tossing his racquet after losing the 30-all point. Santamarta couldn't capitalize on his first break point, but went up 6-5 when Kouame's forehand produced two errors in succession.

Kouame had his opportunities to force a tiebreaker with Santamarta serving at 6-5, and at 30-40 Kouame thought he had done so, but the chair confirmed a mark as out, on a shot Kouame had celebrated as a winner. Neither could seize the moment in the subsequent three deuces, with Santamarta missing out on his first set point and Kouame failing to convert two more break points. 

A short delay for a rain shower in the middle of the first set was duplicated at the set break, but the players did not leave the court area either time and continued play within six or seven minutes of stopping.

Kouame started poorly in the second set, losing his serve at love in the first game. After Santamarta held, Kouame chose a more aggressive style, but missed several balls early in rallies or didn't execute his volleys on net approaches. 

Soon it was 4-0 Santamarta, but Kouame held to get on the board, raising hopes that he could fight back, a scenario he never doubted.

"It's not even a question," said Kouame, who turns 16 in March. "From the first to the last point I thought I was about to win, had confidence in my game. No, I never doubt about me. I just try to continue what I am doing the best. Today, it didn't work, but I hope in my next tournament it will work through all the tournament. But I'm really happy the level I had throughout the tournament."

Santamarta confessed that his good start and 4-0 and 5-1 leads put thoughts of the championship in his mind a bit early.

"I started the second set with a lot of energy and he didn't play his best; he started missing a bit," Santamarta said. "When it's second set and you're 4-1 up, playing really good, yeah, I was thinking, I'm going to win the match. I try not to, but you can not help it."

Closing out a major title is never easy, even the second one in two weeks, and Kouame held, then saved two match points with Santamarta serving at 5-2, 40-15. But a good first serve gave Santamarta a third match point, and his backhand deep in the corner forced the error that gave him his 12th straight victory and the junior Sunshine Double.

Reflecting on his Bradenton/Orange Bowl run, last accomplished by Argentina's Thiago Tirante in 2019, Santamarta admitted did not expect to leave Florida with both titles.

"I came here for these two weeks to end the year with a better ranking, so next year I could play more tournaments without playing so many juniors," said the 17-year-old, who trains with Sergio Gallego at the GTennis Academy in Valencia. "I came here with energy, motivated, but I didn't know I was going to win both of them."

With his junior ranking bolstered, Santamarta will now concentrate on the ITF men's World Tennis Tour, although he is planning to compete in the Australia Open Junior championships and in the other three 2025 junior slams. The first Spanish boys champion since Alberto Martin in 1996, Santamarta said his accomplishment could garner some attention when he returns home.

"Maybe they will notice, I think so, because of the social media," Santamarta said.

Kouame is not yet sure whether his 2025 plans will include the Australian Open Junior championships.

"For now, we're not yet set with the team; this is something we're discussing about," said Kouame, who reached the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, the only junior slam he has played, in June. "Juniors are our first options of course. We'll see with the pros, if I have too many tournaments I'll for sure get injured. Australia is a possibility, we're not sure yet."

If Santamarta was wary of thinking too far ahead when up in the second set, girls champion Krejcova was Exhibit A in the perils of leading.

After coming back to force a third set against ITF J500 Merida champion and fifth seed Yaneva, Krejcova was up 4-1 and 5-2 serving in the third set and served for the match three times, at 5-2, 5-4 and 6-5.

The No. 8 seed didn't get to match point in any of those games, with deuce as close as she could get to the finish line. Nerves and the subsequent errors were a factor, as was the wind, with Krejcova catching her ball toss so often she deemed an apology warranted.

The 100-odd fans gathered around Veltri's two show courts were dividing their attention between the simultaneous finals, but once Santamarta secured his title, Krejcova's struggles took center stage. When she netted a forehand to lose her third consecutive game, the crowd's murmurs grew louder, but Krejcova broke again, with Yaneva contributing two double faults and Krejcova pounding two forehand winners.

That shot let Krejcova down serving at 6-5, with two unforced errors after the second of the game's deuces sending the match to the tiebreaker.

Again Krejcova took a lead, with two forehand winners putting her up 5-2, only to have another shower interrupt play. Just four minutes passed, but Yaneva won the first point after resumption, with Krejcova's forehand landing wide. On the next point, Yaneva thought she had pulled within a point on Krejcova's return, but the chair ruled it caught the line, giving the Czech her first three match points, with two serves to come.  She lost them both on forehand errors, but when Yaneva missed her first serve at 5-6, Krejcova moved halfway to the service line for the second serve. She retreated before Yaneva struck the ball, but after a short rally hit a forehand deep in the corner to force the error from Yaneva that gave her the title.

"It was a very difficult match," said Krejcova, a 16-year-old from Karlsbad, playing in her first J500 final. "She plays very good, but it was tough, mentally. I try to stay in the match, but I barely win."

After coming all the way back to reach the tiebreaker, Yaneva, who had won her semifinal over Ksenia Efremova of France in a third-set tiebreaker, was on the verge of tears after the match.

"I couldn't play well in this match," the 17-year-old said. "She played well, I mean, some points I also played well, but I made more mistakes. Of course I'm upset, 7-5 in the tiebreak, it's not like it was 6-1, 6-2. It was the final, and I couldn't play how I want in the important points."

Krejcova's loss in the Bradenton J300 final made this dramatic championship victory even sweeter. 

"I'm so proud of me, so grateful for this title," said Krejcova, who is coached by Simona Heinova and David Kunst, who did not make the trip to the United States. "It's a very special moment for me, for my team and my family."

Krejcova, the first Czech girl since Nicole Vaidisova in 2003 to claim the Orange Bowl title, is planning to compete in the Australian Open Junior championships next month, before beginning to play ITF women's World Tour events more regularly.

As for her plans to celebrate, Krejcova is contemplating a time-honored tennis tradition.

"I like champagne, so maybe that, and I will spend Christmas with my family," Krejcova said.