Zootennis


Schedule a training visit to the prestigious Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, MD by clicking on the banner above

Friday, April 18, 2008

USTA Announces Teams for ITF Junior Team Qualifying


The USTA has released the names of the players representing the U.S. in next month's regional qualifying taking place in Montreal.

The teams for the 14s World Junior Tennis competition are:
BOYS:
Alexios Halebian, Glendale, CA
Christian Harrison, New Braunfels, TX
Tyler Gardiner, Novi, MI
Coach: Kent Kinnear
GIRLS:
Madison Keys, Boca Raton, FL
Kyle McPhillips, Willoughby, OH
Grace Min, Lawrenceville, GA
Coach: Jai Dilouie

The 16-and-under teams for Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup qualifying are:
BOYS:
Jordan Cox, Duluth, GA
Evan King, Chicago, IL
Raymond Sarmiento, Fontana, CA
Coach: David Roditi
GIRLS:
Kristie Ahn, Upper Saddle River, NJ
Brooke Bolender, Delray Beach, FL
Beatrice Capra, Ellicott City, MD
Coach: Robin White

The format for both events is a four-team round robin, with the top two teams advancing to the 16-team international finals in August and September.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Boys 16 list. Not only does the USTA not spend the $$$ to develop players, as for the Boys 16s they onces again stick with the little group since the 12s. Overlooked-Jack Sock Easter Bowl champion. Bob Vanoverbeek, Denis Kulda. All who have had better overall record in the past year than Cox. Clearly favoritism here.

Anonymous said...

How can you find out who the other team rosters are in Montreal. I have looked at the ITF site and there does not seems to be any information.

Colette Lewis said...

The ITF usually doesn't have the nominations up until the week of the tournament, which is May 2-4.

Anonymous said...

Florida--

the 92 boys are an especially tough age group. denis kudla was highly considered and at one point was chosen because evan king could not go, but then things changed. and as for jack sock, note that easter bowl was his one big tournament, and that he has not done spectacular in the past year, although i do commend him for his big win. but the players were picked before easter bowl. also note that he played 16s, not 18s, and in my opinion, evan, raymond, and jordan could have all won the 16s had any one of them played. and as for bob, he is a great player, and i do believe that there was favoritism picked over him, so i would have to agree with you on that

Anonymous said...

t3tennis,

Agree that Sock is on a comeback but winning a major tournament like the Easter Bowl is tough no matter who is in the draw. Yes there are long list of top kids who could have played the 16s: Van Overbeek, King, Sarminto (he was signed up and pulled), Fowler, Seal, Buchanan, Cox, Kudla, Ore, Bangora, Domijan, Harrison, Sangrens, but they didn't. All I am saying, of the players chosen only King has had a solid track record over the past 12 months. The choices were predictable because USTA high performance tends to focus on a handful of players starting with the 12s. Same predictable group here and why not give other top players who have done well the opportunity to play junior davis cup for the US when this group essentially are all pretty much playing at the same level. Don’t think either Sock or VanOverbeek has even been invited to a USTA team event. The more opportunities that are given to more top players will benefit US player development. The gaol here should be to spread the opportunities. That's all I am saying.

Anonymous said...

The goal in these team events should be to send the best possible team. There is no way on gods green earth Sock should be included in that group. His name shouldn't even come up. Van Overbeek however should be include in that group.

Anonymous said...

I was stunned to just read that Jack Sock won the sportsmanship award for the Easter Bowl. Sock is a ferocious competitor and a potentially world class talent; however, a good sport he is not.I can't think of one player or parent in the entire tournament who would describe Jack as a good sport or even less a "nice guy." In this tournament alone, he got into more ugly arguments and line call disputes than just about any other player in the entire tournament. Many players complained about his line calls and antics.

How incompetent is the Easter Bowl to come up with this decision. Were the court umpires or the players even consulted? Was this decision some sort of satire?

Colette Lewis said...

Evan Song was given the boys 16s Easter Bowl sportsmanship award.
Sock did receive the round trip ticket on American Airlines, but it was not a sportsmanship award per se.

Anonymous said...

The fact that Jack Sock won any kind of award that includes a round trip ticket that came from the tournament has to be one of the greatest con pull offs of all time. Incredible!! It shows how little the tournament referees really pay attention to what is going on during matches.

jct0527 said...

Jack Sock - Comeback
It's amazing to see a kid come back from such injuries. Sock was clearly the best 12 year old ever winning 10 gold balls. Injuries have curtailed his efforts but now for the comeback. I know that some of the top players did not play at the Easter Bowl, but losing one match all year is impressive no matter who you play. Certainly, Sock has to be spoken with all of the top 16s in the country at this time.