Mateusz Kecki Snares First ITF Grade 1 Win

Mateusz Kecki Snares First ITF Grade 1 Win--
©Colette Lewis 2005--
Carson CA--

Fresh from a Chanda Rubin tournament win in College Station last month, Mateuz Kecki arrived in Carson full of confidence, and even down a set and 4-1 to Jonathan Boym, he kept the faith. His patience and determination resulted in a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory, and the fifteen-year-old from Sacramento had his first ITF Grade 1 win.
Asked what turned the match in his favor, "He got a little sloppy, and I started putting away shots I missed in the first set."

Once things started clicking for Kecki, he ran off five straight games to take the second set, and was even able to dig himself out of a love 40 hole at 2-3 in the third set. Boym found himself in the same love 40 predicament at 5 all, but he couldn't extract himself and Kecki fought off one break point in the final game before holding for the match.

Having seen Kecki lose at the Jr. Orange Bowl in the 14s last December, I was impressed by the maturity he has gained since then. Several times in Tuesday's match, he refused to let line calls ruffle him and even a time violation warning at 4-5 in the third failed to distract him. And although the match was played on a back court, a trio of USTA High Performance coaches were there observing--David Nainkin, Mike Sell, David DiLucia--and Eliot Teltscher, Director of Tennis Operations, was in attendance as well. What they saw was speed, footwork, a notable forehand and the tenacity to win a match that could have been lost.

Next up for Kecki is the 4th seed Alex Clayton, a 17-year-old with many of the same qualities as Kecki and years more of junior tennis experience. "It's going to be tough," said Kecki. " So many of these guys hit such a big ball."

And Kecki will be seeing them with regularity from now on. Last year he won the 14s Easter Bowl Championship-- this year he will skip the 16s division and go straight to the 18s to test his game against the best American juniors. But today's win demonstrates just how quickly he is catching on.