Keri Wong Takes Girls 16s Title at Easter Bowl; Alexander and Embree Win Doubles Championship

©Colette Lewis 2006
Palm Springs, CA--

After days of wind-blown tennis, the final day of the Easter Bowl dawned calm and stayed that way, leaving the focus on the tennis, not on the weather.

Keri Wong, the second seed in the girls 16s, used a strong serve and lots of variety in her 6-2, 6-0 victory over fourth seed Aeriel Ellis, and will return to Texas with her first gold ball.

"I've been working on getting more pop on my first serve, and more kick on the second," said Wong, a student at the Newcombe Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels. "It seemed to work today."

Ellis agreed.



"I think she served really well today," said the fifteen-year-old from Northern California. "She was really smart; because I have a one-handed backhand, she kept a lot of high balls to my backhand off her serve. She gets a lot of kick on it, and there wasn't too much I could do."

Wong's ability to hit every shot was on full display, and Ellis' pace didn't present the problem for her that it did for Ellis' previous opponents. In fact Wong had no true challengers in the 16s; she never lost more than four games in any of the seven matches she won. But with two silver and two bronze balls, Wong was determined to get that elusive gold, an accomplishment that leaves her with no "what ifs" as she leaves the 16s age division.

"I was going to play the 18s," said the sixteen-year-old Wong, who had lots of family members and friends watching her matches throughout the week, "but I thought if I gave it another try in the 16s, maybe I could win a gold ball."

It was the second gold ball by a Jackson Mississippi resident this week. Before moving to Texas, Wong learned the game at the same club as boys 16 doubles winner Devin Britton.

"That's where I learned most of my mechanics and strategy," Wong said. But her rapid improvement this year (she lost in the first round in the 16s in last year's Easter Bowl) she credits to her work at Newcombe's.

"Ever since I've been at Newk's I've been able to play more, so just everyday practice is helping me."


Wong and partner Asia Muhammad, the top seeds, took silver balls in the girls doubles, as second seeds Jessica Alexander and Lauren Embree took top honors with a 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3) victory Tuesday afternoon.