Day One of ITF JA Orange Bowl Washed Out; Horovitz Wins J5 in Costa Rica; Cressy Takes ATP Challenger in Italy

©Colette Lewis 2021--
Plantation FL--

Veltri Tennis Center Courts Monday afternoon

After ten days without rain at the Eddie Herr Championships, Monday's ITF JA Orange Bowl served as a reminder that not all major tournaments in Florida can count on the beautiful weather Bradenton boasts this time of year.

Yesterday's first day of main draw for 16s and the conclusion of 18s qualifying was delayed by several hours due to rain on Sunday, and not a single match was completed on Monday at the Veltri Tennis Center due to rain in the morning and then a heavy downpour early in the afternoon.

Sixteen matches in the 16s division did get underway shortly after noon, but none finished. They will go first at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, and with 23 courts available, seven other 16s first round matches will begin. In all, there are 28 16s matches that need to be played to before their first round is complete.

The 18s first round, which was to begin today, will be played on Tuesday, with all 64 singles matches on the schedule. All the first round 16s doubles matches will be played after singles Tuesday evening. The 18s doubles draw was released today, with Brenda and Linda Fruhvirtova the top girls seeds. Eddie Herr champions Diana Shnaider and Petra Marcinko of Croatia are seeded No. 2.

Bruno Kuzuhara and Croatia's Mili Poljicak are the top seeds in the boys doubles, with Gonzalo Bueno of Peru and Adolfo Daniel Vallejo of Paraguay the No. 2 seeds. Vallejo was a finalist in doubles last year at the Orange Bowl.

Fortunately the weather forecast for Tuesday does not call for any rain, and the Veltri Tennis Center does have lights, so there is reason to hope Tuesday's schedule will be completed.

Normally I don't have time to follow other tennis while I'm on this Florida junior tennis swing, but today's rainout allows me to provide an update on the results from the other ITF Junior Circuit. 

Roy Horovitz, who is playing the 16s Orange Bowl this week, won his first ITF Junior Circuit singles title Saturday at the J5 in Costa Rica. The 15-year-old from Florida, seeded No. 4, defeated 14-year-old Jacob Olar, the fifth seed, 6-4, 6-0 in the final. The unseeded team of Sophia Cedeno and Naomi Widiaman won the girls doubles title, beating the unseeded team of Aida Eissa and Canada's Sophie Stanton 4-1, 2-4, 10-5. It's the first ITF Junior Circuit title for both Cedeno and Widiaman.

At the ITF J5 in Nepal, No. 4 seeds Meethre Barot and Siddhartha Lama won the boys doubles title, beating No. 3 seeds Kabir Chhabria and Daksh Prasad of India 7-6(5), 7-6(7) in the final. It's the first ITF Junior Circuit title for both Barot and Lama.

This is the final week on the ITF Junior Circuit schedule, with the final 10 tournaments of 2021 taking place.

Since his tough loss to Diego Schwartzman in the second round at Indian Wells, former UCLA Bruin Max Cressy has played six consecutive weeks on the ATP Challenger Circuit in Europe. He has gone 18-5 in that stretch, reaching three finals, and yesterday at the ATP Challenger 80 in Forli Italy, the 24-year-old finally raised a winner's trophy. Cressy, the No. 2 seed, defeated unseeded Matthias Bachinger of Germany 6-4, 6-2 in the final, winning all five of his matches in straight sets. It's Cressy's third Challenger title, and brings his ATP ranking up to a career-high of 112. Today's rankings are the ones used for Australian Open entry, so it remains to be seen whether he will be in the main draw, or one of the top seeds in qualifying. Not one to rest, Cressy is the top seed at this week's Challenger 80 in Forli.

Linda Fruhvirtova Wins Eddie Herr J1 Title, with Sister Brenda Retiring in Final; Bielinskyi Claims Boys Title in Third Set Tiebreaker; Banerjee, Dmitruk Top Seeds at Orange Bowl JA

©Colette Lewis 2021--
Bradenton FL--

The ITF J1 Eddie Herr International finals were a study in contrasts, with the girls final between Czech sisters Brenda and Linda Fruhvirtova ending in Brenda's retirement after just two games, while Viacheslav Bielinskyi of Ukraine needed two hours and 30 minutes to defeat Kilian Feldbausch of Switzerland 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(0).

Brenda Fruhvirtova, the No. 5 seed, had mentioned a hand injury after her lengthy semifinal win over No. 2 seed Diana Shnaider of Russia Saturday, and her right arm was heavily taped below the elbow at the start of the match.  

Several dozen local fans had made the trek from the West Campus to the IMG Academy's Har-Tru courts, eager to see the third consecutive final between the two in the past three weeks, but the first in the United States. Yet the dynamics of a match between sisters, so familiar to tennis fans with the long careers of Venus and Serena Williams, made for an awkward atmosphere.

After their semifinals victories Saturday, Linda explained their feelings about playing in a final.

"It has two sides," Linda said. "First we're so happy that we're both in the final. The first time, I don't think we even believed it. Of course, on the other hand, it's tough to play your sister; you don't really feel like beating, and fighting, and shouting when it's your sister."

"We don't even say c'mon," said Brenda, who won the Eddie Herrs 12s as 10-year-old in 2017 and the 14s a year later. "We have such a good relationship, so it's not like playing against someone else, like today."

Usually animated and competitive on the court, both were subdued, showing no reaction, whether the point ended with winner or an error. Linda held to start, but Brenda, striking the ball tentatively, won only one point in that game and and none in her service game, retiring immediately after those four points.

As of today, both are planning to play the Orange Bowl, and they will make the trip to Plantation. They are seeded No. 3 and 4, and would not play until Tuesday.

The disappointed crowd took their folding chairs from the shaded porch and gathered around warm and sunny Court 3, with the boys final now the only game in town. 

Bielinskyi, the No. 2 seed, could not put any distance between himself and No. 16 seed Feldbausch, going up a break three times, and each time giving it right back. The rallies were not as lengthy as they had been in their respective semifinal matches, with Feldbausch beating top seed Bruno Kuzuhara 6-4, 6-3 and Bielinskyi defeating unseeded Dino Prizmic 6-2, 7-6(4), and the errors they had both avoided in those matches were commonplace as they struggled to hold serve.

Bielinkskyi, an 18-year-old from Kiev, did manage to hold for a second time in the match to end the first set, but got off to a disastrous start in the second set, falling behind 5-0 before winning two games, only to lose his serve again.

The third set produced a better level of tennis than the second, but a hold of serve was a precious commodity.  Bielinskyi got one hold to take a 4-1 lead and broke Feldbausch for the third straight time, but a two-break lead was no guarantee, given the patterns throughout the match. Bielinskyi had two game points to go up 5-1, but Feldbausch hit winners both times, and Bielinskyi's forehand let him down late in the game to make it 4-2.

Feldbausch got his only hold of the set to make it 4-3, and it looked as if a 20-point rally he won at 40-30 to take that game might be a turning point in the match, particularly when he broke Bielinskyi in the next game. But the 16-year-old from Geneva was beginning to show signs of fatigue and he was broken at 15 to give Bielinskyi the chance to serve for the match at 5-4. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he was broken, but to no one's surprise, he broke Feldbausch again to go up 6-5.

Serving for the match a second time, Bielinskyi went up 40-0, throwing in a volley winner to earn the first of three match points. But the first was wasted when he netted a forehand. The second one was lost to a broken string, although he managed to keep the rally going by hitting 12 shots after it snapped before finally missing. After a tight backhand into the net on the third match point, Bielinskyi no longer looked confident, and two wild forehands sent the match into a tiebreaker.

It wasn't difficult for Bielinskyi to take control, as he was able to get first serves in, while Feldbausch could not get any energy behind his shots. Bielinskyi did not falter when given his fourth match point, hitting a drop shot winner to earn his second ITF J1 title.

Bielinskyi said he could tell Feldbausch was struggling physically as the tiebreak approached.

"He was tired, and maybe in tiebreak, he died," Bielinskyi said.

Feldbausch, who won his first four matches coming from a set down before beating Kuzuhara in just under two hours Saturday, admitted he had nothing left.

"At the end, I feel my legs very heavy," said Feldbausch, who is now 0-3 in J1 finals. "A bit of cramp. I tried to do my best and came back, but I lose at the end. It was a good match, an amazing week."

Bielinskyi said he was not frustrated, despite failing to convert those three match points due to errors and a broken string.

"It's ok, it's tennis," said Bielinskyi, who won the ITF JB1 European championships this summer. "I recover because I have good mentality."

Bielinskyi has been working with a sports psychologist for several years, and said he has learned from her how to cope with those disappointments.

"Three match points, we continuing playing, that's it," Bielinskyi said. "I'm very happy, it's an important tournament I win."

Bielinskyi and Feldbausch are both scheduled to compete in the Orange Bowl next week. Bielinskyi, playing in his final junior tournament, is the No. 4 seed. Feldbausch, who is unseeded, drew top seed Samir Banerjee, the reigning boys Wimbledon champion.

The draws for the JA Orange Bowl, which begins Monday, have been released. The top eight seeds are below:

1. Samir Banerjee(USA)

2. Bruno Kuzuhara(USA)

3. Mili Poljicak(CRO)

4. Viacheslav Bielinkskyi(UKR)

5. Jakub Mensik(CZE)

6. Leo Borg(SWE)

7. Adolfo Daniel Vallejo(PAR)

8. Gonzalo Bueno(PER)

1. Kristina Dmitruk(BLR)

2. Alexandra Eala(PHI)

3. Linda Fruhvirtova(CZE)

4. Brenda Fruhvirtova(CZE)

5. Diana Shnaider(RUS)

6. Petra Marcinko(CRO)

7. Solana Sierra(ARG)

8. Clervie Ngounoue(USA)

Qualifying was completed today, with three US girls and five US boys advancing to the main draw: Preston Stearns, Sebastian Sec, Alex Michelsen, Landon Ardila, Jelani Sarr, Maddy Zampardo, Bridget Stammel and 2020 girls 16s champion Valeria Ray.

The girls wild cards, all from the US, are: Tyra Grant, Sophie Llewellyn, Ariana Pursoo, Brooklyn Olson, Daniella Ben-Abraham, Ahmani Guichard and Tatum Evans.

The boys wild cards, all from the US, are: Learner Tien, Alexander Razeghi, Jonah Braswell, Kyle Kang, Alexander Visser, Sebastian Gorzny and Nicholas Godsick.

A portion of the first round of 16s singles was completed today, with top boys seeds Joseph Phillips and Alex Frusina of the US and top girls seeds Yichen Zhao of China and Alexia Jacobs of Canada advancing to the second round. 

For the draws and order of play, see the tournament website. I have been told that there will be no live scoring this year, and all matches will not be chaired, as they have been in the past.

Americans Sweep 12s and 16s Singles Titles at Eddie Herr International Championships; After Tough Semifinal Wins, Fruhvirtova Sisters Meet in Third Straight Final, Feldbausch Beats Top Seed Kuzuhara to Advance Against Bielinskyi in ITF J1

©Colette Lewis 2021--
Bradenton FL--

The Eddie Herr International Championships concluded for the 12s, 14s and 16s divisions on another bright and warm day at the IMG Academy, with Americans claiming four of the six singles titles on offer Saturday morning.

The quickest and most impressive performance of the day belonged to 15-year-old Californian Rudy Quan, who defeated fellow wild card Lorenzo Carboni of Italy 6-0, 6-1 in just over an hour.

Quan had a decided advantage against Carboni, who beat wild card Andrew Delgado 6-1, 7-6(1) in physical semifinal match, while Quan received a walkover from No. 2 seed Rei Sakamoto of Japan, giving him an opportunity to scout his finals opponent.

"I think it helped me, because frankly I was a bit tired going into Friday," Quan said. "And I was able to hang out with friends and study them. I learned some tendencies, I would say, but I knew they were both good players and ultimately I'd have to play with good intensity."

Quan won the Easter Bowl, Clay Courts, Nationals and Junior Orange Bowl 12s in 2018, but he was out most of 2019 with a stress fracture in his elbow.

"Then covid came," Quan said. "My parents were very strict on me playing tournaments; we didn't want to get Covid and people are losing their lives. I played a lot of the Newport UTR tournaments, and as things opened up more later in the year, I played more."

When Quan arrived at the USTA's National Campus in Lake Nona a week before the Eddie Herr to prepare, he didn't have any hard court shoes, thinking the Eddie Herr 16s were played on clay.

"I brought only my clay shoes, so I had to buy hard court shoes from the store," said Quan, who will be using those clay shoes beginning Monday in the Orange Bowl 16s in Plantation. "But I feel pretty good on clay and I was able to play on clay at Carson (the USTA's West Coast Development Center), so I feel good about it."

Boys 16s final:

Rudy Quan[WC](USA) d. Lorenzo Carboni[WC](ITA)  6-0, 6-1

When Brooklyn Olson and Kate Kim were facing off frequently in Missouri Valley sectional tournaments years ago, they didn't imagine they would one day meet for the Eddie Herr girls 16s title.  It was Kim who came out on top in today's final 7-6(1), 6-3, with both girls pointing to Kim's adjustment at the end of the first set as a key to her victory.

"In the tiebreaker in first set, I started out really aggressive, hit multiple winners, and that really set the tone," said the fourth-seeded Kim, a 16-year-old who now trains at Team Anderson in Lake Worth Florida. "I started being more aggressive from then on, I had better court positioning and it just went well."

No. 3 seed Olson, who recovered from a 5-2 deficit in the first set, saw the same change.

"I started out pretty slow, then brought it back," said the 15-year-old, who now trains with the USTA at the National Campus. "Once it was 5-all, she stepped up her game, played really well. Her forehand was really good. Going into the match, I knew what her weakness was, but she did well covering it up, so good for her."

"At 5-all I just turned the gears up a little bit," Kim said. "I realized I was really far behind the baseline, wasn't being aggressive enough."

Kim, who will be unseeded in the Orange Bowl 16s next week, was delighted to earn the title.

"It's great," said Kim. "This is definitely my best tournament."

G16s final:

Kate Kim[4](USA) d. Brooklyn Olson[3](USAO 7-6(1), 6-3

The only age group that didn't produce American champions was the 14s, with No. 3 seed Timofey Derepasko of Russia defeating top seed Maxwell Exsted 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 and top seed Rositsa Dencheva of Bulgaria beating Eva Oxford 6-1, 6-1.

Derepasko needed three hours to subdue Exsted, who reached the 12s final two years ago, but he was happy with the way he played.

"I played my best tennis," said the 14-year-old from Moscow, who got an early break in the third and was able keep his lead. "It was a very hard second set, but in third set, I started to play better, I do the break, and I finish the match."

Derepasko, who will compete in the Junior Orange Bowl in two weeks in Miami, was pleased that he could play his best tennis in the last two matches of the week.

"Yesterday in semifinals against Italian guy (No. 2 seed Andrea de Marchi), very good play," Derepasko said. "Before that, not the best, but these two, very good. I come here 2019, I lose in the third round (second actually), so to win the this tournament, it's so amazing."

B14s final:

Timofey Derepasko[3](RUS) d. Max Exsted[1](USA) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2

Dencheva looked impressive in her 6-1, 6-1 win over Oxford today, but she had faced a serious challenge in the semifinal match, losing the first set to No. 3 seed Wakana Sonobe of Japan 6-0 before pulling out a 0-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory.

"The semifinal was really tough, I had some problems," said the 14-year-old, who agreed that the Eddie Herr title was the biggest of her career. "But I was able to motivate myself and to finish the match."

There was no such glitch against Oxford.

"I played really well; from the baseline my shots were really good, and my first serve was in most of the time. And my drive volleys were very good today," said Dencheva, who will be playing the Junior Orange Bowl in Miami in two weeks.

G14s final:

Rositsa Dencheva[1](BUL) d. Evan Oxford[2](USA) 6-1, 6-1

Teodor Davidov has become something of an internet sensation with his rare stroke production. The second-seeded 11-year-old, who defeated No. 4 seed Jordan Lee 6-4, 6-4 in todays 12s final, does not hit a backhand; instead he switches his racquet between his left and right hands as required. 

That novelty, which includes serving with his right hand in the deuce court and his left hand in the ad court, isn't a distraction for Lee, who has already played Davidov four times this year, winning once.

"It's like he has no weakness," said Lee. "He's really fast, and he's really strong. It kind of effects me, but not too much."

Davidov sees some of his own game in Lee's.

"He hits hard and flat and he's pretty aggressive," said Davidov. "He misses more than me; he checks out sometimes if there's a really long rally, so I just have to grind with him, and attack when I get an opportunity."

Davidov said he wasn't nervous, due to the familiarity of his opponent and the wins he had already recorded during the tournament.

"I was really happy with my results," said Davidov, who trains at the Inspiration Academy in Bradenton. "I've played him three times before, so I kind of know his game."

As for all the attention he received when my brief video of him at the Easter Bowl in March went viral on twitter, Davidov has found a way to avoid all the perils of social media.

"I don't have a phone or anything," said Davidov, who will be playing the Junior Orange Bowl 12s, on clay, in two weeks.

Teodor Davidov[2](USA) d. Jordan Lee[4](USA) 6-4, 6-4

No. 3 seed Kristina Penickova won the all-US girls 12s final, beating No. 5 seed Anita Tu 6-1, 6-2.

Penickova, who didn't lose a set all week, was particularly pleased with her level of play in the final.

"I felt like I played really good, and I attacked the ball very well," said the 12-year-old left-hander, who trains at the Los Altos Country Club with her father, Thomas Penicka, the club's director of tennis. "I felt really comfortable."

Penickova also exacted some revenge for her family, with her twin sister Annika losing to Tu in the third round in a match tiebreaker. 

"It's awesome to always have someone to hang out with and warm up with," Penickova said of her right-handed sister. "Someone you can always trust."

Penickova said she has yet to process winning the championship. 

"It feels oddly weird," said Penickova, who will play the Junior Orange Bowl in two weeks. "It doesn't feel real. Now I know I can do what I want to do. It's the biggest title I've won, and I'm very happy about it." 

Tu, who had beaten top seed Lia Belibova of Moldova 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals, was impressed by Penickova's level.

"I could have played better, but my opponent played really good," said Tu, who trains at MGT Academy in Doral. "She was hitting a lot of winners from the baseline and she was attacking very well. Today she didn't miss anything."

Kristina Penickova[3](USA) d. Anita Tu[5](USA) 6-1, 6-2

While the Penickova twins did not arrive at a meeting this week thanks in part to Tu, the Fruhvirtova sisters will contest a final for the third week in a row after both won grueling semifinals to advance at the ITF J1.

Linda, 16, defeated No. 6 seed Solana Sierra of Argentina 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, and Brenda, 14, beat No. 2 seed Diana Shnaider of Russia 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(3), with the matches ending within a minute of each other.

Although this is becoming routine, playing each other will never resemble a championship match against another opponent.

"It has two sides," said Linda, who beat Brenda the J1 in Guadalajara two weeks ago 6-4, 7-6(5). "First we're so happy that we're both in the final. The first time, I don't think we even believed it. Of course, on the other hand, it's tough to play your sister; you don't really feel like beating, and fighting, and shouting when it's your sister."

"We don't even say c'mon," said Brenda, who beat Linda 7-5, 7-5 last week to earn the JA title in Merida Mexico. "We have such a good relationship, so it's not like playing against someone else, like today."

After each has played 29 matches in this three week stretch, today's semifinals seemed like a bridge too far, especially when both dropped tough first sets.

"I was really tired, and I was like, oh my god, I'm not sure I can do this," said Linda, who had beaten Sierra in straight sets in the third round last week. "But I just said, don't give up, try to fight for every point; I gave it everything I had. I was watching my sister at the same time and when we both lost the first set, I was like, third week in a row, it's too good to be true. But then, we started coming back, fighting back, and I'm so proud of us."

Brenda also had doubts.

"I didn't know if I was able to win today because I was really tired, and I'm kind of injured on my hand," Brenda said. "I was surprised, but I kept fighting to the last point, so I'm really happy I won today."

The boys final will feature No. 16 seed Kilian Feldbausch of Switzerland against No. 2 seed Viacheslav Bielinskyi of Ukraine, after Feldbausch defeated top seed Bruno Kuzuhara 6-4, 6-3 and Bielinskyi downed unseeded Dino Prizmic of Croatia 6-2, 7-6(4).

Although the scoreline doesn't suggest drama, Feldbausch and Kuzuhara played just short of two hours, with nearly every rally a long one and every game featuring a deuce. Free points on serve were non-existent with a dozen breaks in the match, with Feldbausch getting two key holds late in both sets.

Feldbausch had played three hours to secure his 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(7) semifinal win over No. 8 seed Edas Butvilas yesterday, and felt the effects of that today.

"I was a bit tired at the end, but I stayed focus, and I do what I can," said the 16-year-old from Geneva. "Today I play really good, a very good match, very offensive."

Feldbausch has now reached three J1 finals on clay since September, but is still seeking his first title. 

Bielinskyi, who is the ITF European 18s champion, has not lost a set this week, but his coach, Alexander Karpenko, does not put any stock in the disparity of the seedings.

"A final is always 50-50," Karpenko said. "Everyboday has chances. In the final, everybody are equal. There is no favorite in a final."

The ITF doubles champions were decided Saturday afternoon, with No. 4 seeds Aleksander Orlikowski and Olaf Pieczkowski of Poland defeated unseeded Americans Benjamin Kittay and Michael Zheng 7-5, 6-4.

Top seeds Diana Shnaider and Croatia's Petra Marcinko defeated the Fruhvirtova sisters, seeded No. 2, 6-3, 5-7, 11-9 to capture the girls doubles title.

Doubles champions for the younger divisions are featured below, with the results of the finals.

G14s: Lira Kosaka/Kiko Inoue(JPN)[6] d. Jo Leen Saw(MAS)/Rositsa Dencheva(BUL)[2] 6-4, 6-3

G16s: Noemi Basiletti/Vittoria Paganetti[3](ITA) d. My-Anh Holmes/Mia Yamakita(USA) 4-6, 6-2, 10-4

B14s: Maxwell Exsted/Maximus Dussault[1](USA) d. Benjamin Willwerth/Yubel Ubri(USA) 6-7(3), 6-0, 10-4

B16s: Tygen Goldammer/Ilyas Fahim[7](USA) d. Tanner Povey/Paris Pouatcha[2](USA) 5-7, 6-4, 10-6

B12s: Jae Jun Shin/Seung Jun Yu(KOR) d. Juan Miguel Bolivar(COL)/Naveet Raghuram(USA)[1] 1-6, 6-3, 10-4

G12s: Ji Yun Oh/Ye Sung Choo(KOR) d. Anita Tu(USA)/Bela Martinez(PUR)[2] 7-6(5), 7-6(3)    

November Aces; Kuzuhara Beats Williams, Sierra Ousts Top Seed Dmitruk at Eddie Herr ITF J1; Americans Face Off in G12s, B12s and G16s Finals; ITF JA Orange Bowl Qualifying Draws Released

©Colette Lewis 2021--

Bradenton FL--

Before I get to the recap of a busy day at the Eddie Herr International Championships at the IMG Academy, I wanted to post a link to my November Aces column at Tennis Recruiting Network. Sixteen players are featured, nearly evenly divided between current and recently graduated collegians and junior competitors. 

A heavy early morning fog Friday set back the 12 singles and doubles semifinal matches in the 12s, 14s and 16s division for about 90 minutes, but when it moved out, another perfect day of weather was in store.

The ITF J1 Eddie Herr Championships are played on Har-Tru, the green clay that is ubiquitous in Florida, which means they were not affected by any of the damp spots that delayed play on the hard courts.

The feature match on Court 1 today was the all-American quarterfinal between top seed Bruno Kuzuhara and unseeded Cooper Williams, and the dozens of fans watching from the soon-to-be demolished porch overlooking the court were treated to some excellent tennis from both players. Williams led 5-3 and had two set points in the first, but Kuzuhara raised his level to claim a 7-6(1), 6-2 victory.

Both players appeared nervous to start the match, with three straight breaks before Williams held for a 3-1 lead. He nursed that lead, using his forehand to keep Kuzuhara on defense for a 5-3 advantage, but with Kuzuhara serving at 3-5, 15-40, Williams did not take advantage of his opportunities. On the first set point, Kuzuhara hit a good first serve, but on the second set point, he failed to get a first serve in, yet didn't pay for that, with Williams putting a forehand return into the net. 

From that point on, Kuzuhara took control, with Williams losing his serve without getting to a set point to make it 5-all. In the tiebreaker, Williams couldn't get a first serve in, and Kuzuhara didn't waste that advantage, dictating those points to close out the set in just under an hour.

"I played my best tennis definitely towards the end of the first set," said the 17-year-old from Florida. "From breaking him at 5-4 through the breaker, I'd say I played really clean. I took my chances really well. I made the adjustment at the 5-4 game and it really paid off in the second."

Kuzuhara took a 4-1, two-break lead in the second set, with Williams pressing and Kuzuhara giving him no unforced errors. Serving at 4-1, Kuzuhara played a sloppy game to get broken, but Williams couldn't convert his 40-30 point in the next game to stay close, and Kuzuhara broke for the third time in the set to give himself additional breathing room.

"I started veering off my game plan, didn't play as well as I was, just mentally," Kuzuhara said. "But after I got broken, the light switch came back on."

In their previous encounter, five years ago, Kuzuhara had beaten Williams 6-0, 6-0 in a USTA 12-and-under tournament, a result they both refer to often.

"I remember that match very clearly," Kuzuhara said. "We still joke about it a lot. Cooper was 10, I was 11, and that score doesn't reflect how he's playing now."

In Saturday's semifinals, Kuzuhara will face No. 16 seed Killian Feldbausch of Switzerland, who defeated No. 8 seed Edas Butvilas of Lithuania 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(7) in a three-hour contest. Feldbausch, 16, and Kuzuhara have not played before.

In the bottom half, No. 2 seed Viacheslav Bielinskyi of Ukraine continued his march through the draw, defeating No. 9 seed Olaf Pieczkowski of Poland 6-4, 6-2. Bielinskyi will play unseeded Dino Prizmic of Croatia, who advanced when No. 3 seed Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic retired trailing 7-5, 1-1.  Mensik served for the first set at 5-4 and had two set points in the seven-deuce game, but once Prizmic earned that break, Mensik's play deteriorated, and he announced he could not continue. Then, while still on court, he immediately unwrapped all the physio tape he had wrapped around his torso before returning to his chair to pack up his bags. Prizmic and Bielinskyi are meeting for the first time on the ITF junior circuit.

While the boys top seed was able to advance, the girls No. 1, Kristina Dmitruk of Belarus, was not so fortunate. No. 6 seed Solana Sierra of Argentina, who had had nothing but drama in her second and third round matches, coming back from a set down in both, brought her A game to Friday's quarterfinal match with the US Open girls finalist to earn a 6-3, 7-5 victory. 

Using her backhand to dictate and finish points, Sierra was able to avoid the errors that had given her previous two opponents hope.

"I think I was down three match points in those two matches," said the 17-year-old, who is traveling with the ITF Junior Development team these two weeks, as she did for the 2021 junior slams. "I played very better. First set I feel very good with my game; she started playing very well in the second set, but I played good too."

Sierra said she needed to adjust her mindset after struggling in her previous matches.

"I think my mentality, my intensity, I changed that," Sierra said. "When I am intense on the court, I play better."

Dmitruk had an opportunity to put more pressure on Sierra after breaking to take a 4-3 lead in the second set, but she immediately lost her serve and could not come up with the winners that Sierra produced on the big points. At 5-6, 30-40, Sierra stepped into a big forehand that Dmitruk had no chance to return, to set up a third meeting with Linda Fruhvirtova of the Czech Republic in Saturday's semifinals.

The third-seeded Fruhvirtova, who defeated No. 12 seed Lucija Ciric Bagaric of Croatia 6-2, 6-1 in this afternoon's quarterfinal, defeated Sierra in straight sets in the first round of the French Open this year, and last week in the quarterfinals of the JA in Merida Mexico.

Brenda Fruhvirtova, the No. 5 seed, advanced to semifinals with a 7-6(3), 4-1 ret. victory over No. 16 seed Evialina Laskevich of Belarus. The 14-year-old from the Czech Republic will face No. 2 seed Diana Shnaider of Russia, who posted a quick 6-1, 6-1 victory over unseeded Mia Kupres of Canada. The two have not met previously on the ITF junior circuit.

The doubles finals are set for Saturday, with the top two seeds in the girls draw vying for the title.

Top seeds Shnaider and Petra Marcinko of Croatia defeated Ciric Bagaric and Johanne Christine Svendsen of Denmark 6-2, 6-2 to set up a final against the second-seeded Fruhvirtova sisters. The Fruhvirtovas avenged their loss last week in Merida to Kayla Cross and Victoria Mboko of Canada, the No. 8 seeds, 6-3, 5-7, 10-8 in the evening match that closed the ITF J1 action for the day.

The boys doubles final will feature the unseeded team of Michael Zheng and Benjamin Kittay, who beat Gianluca Ballotta of Peru and Leanid Boika, also unseeded, 6-1, 6-4, and No. 4 seeds Aleksander Orlikowski and Pieczkowski of Poland. Orlikowski and Pieczkowski defeated the wild card team of Juncheng Jerry Shang of China and Alex Frusina 6-3, 6-2 in this afternoon's semifinals.

Three Eddie Herr singles champions will be Americans, with the Boys 12s, Girls 12s and G16s finals to be contested by players from the United States. All six finals, which will be play simultaneously Saturday at 9:30 a.m., have a least one American player.

Below are the results of today's semifinals, with the matchups for Saturday afternoon's doubles finals also posted below. The complete draws can be found here.

Eddie Herr singles semifinals results:

B16s:

Lorenzo Carboni[WC](ITA) d. Andrew Delgado[WC](USA) 6-1, 7-6(1)

Rudy Quan[WC](USA) d. Rei Sakamoto[2](JPN) walkover, pc

B14s:

Max Exsted[1](USA) d. Shion Itsusaki[12](JPN) 6-3, 6-1

Timofey Derepasko[3](RUS)d. Andrea de Marchi[2](ITA) 6-2, 6-3

B12s:

Jordan Lee[4](USA) d. Navneet Raguram[1](USA) 6-4, 4-6, 10-2

Teodor Davidov[2](USA) d. Cho Minhyuk(KOR) 6-1, 7-5

G16s:

Brooklyn Olson[3](USA) d. Piper Charney[1](USA) 7-6(4), 6-1

Kate Kim[4](USA) d. Reya Coe[10](USA) 6-1, 6-3

G14s:

Rositsa Dencheva[1](BUL) d. Wakana Sonobe[3](JPN) 0-6, 6-1, 6-4

Eva Oxford[2](USA) d. Maya Iyengar[4](USA) 6-3, 7-6(4)

G12s: 

Anita Tu[5](USA) d. Lia Belibova[1](MDA) 6-4, 6-4

Kristina Penickova[3](USA) d. Ana Avramovic[11](USA) 6-1, 3-0, ret. inj

Doubles finals:

B16s:

Tygen Goldammer/Ilyas Fahim[7](USA) v. Tanner Povey/Paris Pouatcha[2](USA)

B14s:

Maxwell Exsted/Maximus Dussault[1](USA) v Benjamin Willwerth/Yubel Ubri(USA)

B12s: Juan Miguel Bolivar(COL)/Naveet Raghuram(USA)[1] v Jae Jun Shin/Seung Jun Yu(KOR)

G12s:

Ji Yun Oh/Ye Sung Choo(KOR) v Anita Tu(USA)/Bela Martinez(PUR)[2]

G14s:

Lira Kosaka/Kiko Inoue(JPN)[6] v Jo Leen Saw(MAS)/Rositsa Dencheva(BUL)[2]

G16s: My-Anh Holmes/Mia Yamakita(USA) v Noemi Basiletti/Vittoria Paganetti[3](ITA)

Qualifying for ITF JA Orange Bowl begins Saturday, with the draws now posted. Brayden Shick, the NC State sophomore, received a wild card and is the No. 1 seed. The girls qualifying draw did not fill, and while the boys did not have any byes, several players without ITF junior rankings got in. 2020 Orange Bowl 16s champion Valeria Ray did not receive a wild card into the 18s, and is the No. 8 seed in qualifying. Draws can be found here.

Kuzuhara Meets Williams for Spot in Semifinals at ITF J1 Eddie Herr Championships; US Girls 16s Champion Guaranteed with Semifinals Set for 12s, 14s, and 16s; Orange Bowl 16s Qualifying Draws Released

©Colette Lewis 2021-- 

Bradenton FL-- 

One of the two Americans to reach the quarterfinals of the ITF J1 Eddie Herr International Championships will be eliminated Friday, when top seed Bruno Kuzuhara and unseeded Cooper Williams meet for the first time since the 12s.  The 16-year-old Williams is looking for a better showing this time around.

"I think I got beat 0 and 0, or 0 and 1," Williams said. "It was over in like 35 minutes. Hopefully I'll do better this time."

Williams was happy with his level in his third round match today, which was played on the Academy Park courts, a tram-ride from the main tennis area at the IMG Academy. Williams defeated unseeded Maxim Shin of Uzbekistan, who had taken out No. 7 seed Alexsander Orlikowski of Poland in the second round, 6-0, 6-2.

"He had a good win yesterday," said Williams, who won the first 10 games of the match. "I just came out playing solid, making the guy uncomfortable, attacked his backhand the first couple of games and kind of ran with the match. I played solid, didn't make a lot of errors, came forward well, dropshotted well, used my forehand to his backhand. I played a near perfect match."

Williams, who played the J1 in Guadalajara and last week's Grade A in Merida, losing to the finalists in both tournaments, had closed out second round opponent Lennon Roark Jones of Japan 6-0 in the second set, an indication of his dominance this week.

"I've come into my own on clay," said Williams, a high school junior who recently gave a verbal commitment to Harvard. "I came here pretty confident with the way I was playing. I've definitely performed pretty well and am looking forward to keeping it up."

Like Williams, Kuzuhara has also been impressive in his first three matches. The 17-year-old cruised past No. 14 seed Adam Jurajda of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-2.

Williams is one of two unseeded boys to reach the quarterfinals, with the other Dino Prizmic of Croatia, a semifinalist at last week's JA in Merida. Prizmic will face No. 3 seed Jakub Mensik of the Czerch Republic, who needed three hours to beat wild card Sebastian Gorzny 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-6(3).  Gorzny led 4-2 in the final set, but Mensik's drop shot proved to be the difference. Mensik could not find a way through Gorzny with his serve or groundstrokes, but his drop shots were successful throughout the late stages of the third set and in the tiebreaker.

No. 16 seed Kilian Feldbausch of Switzerland took out No. 4 seed Leo Borg of Sweden 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-2 in another lengthy third round match. He will face No. 8 seed Edas Butvilas of Lithuania, who beat No. 12 seed Bor Artnak of Slovenia 6-4, 7-6(6).

No. 2 seed Viacheslav Bielinskyi of Ukraine defeated wild card Michael Zheng 6-2, 6-4 and will face No. 9 seed Olaf Pieczkowski of Poland, who beat Merida champion Mili Poljicak of Croatia 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Only one unseeded girl reached the quarterfinals, with Mia Kupres of Canada earning another routine win. Kupres defeated Kristyna Tomajkova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-1 and will meet No. 2 seed Diana Shnaider of Russia for a spot in the semifinals. Shnaider prevented an all-Canadian quarterfinal when she defeated No. 15 seed Victoria Mboko 6-1, 3-6, 7-5.

No. 4 seed Petra Marcinko of Croatia withdrew from singles with an illness, giving No. 16 seed Evialina Laskevich of Belarus a walkover. Laskevich, a semifinalist at the 2019 Eddie Herr as a 15-year-old, will take on 14-year-old Brenda Fruhvirtova of the Czech Republic, who came back to defeat No. 11 seed Laura Hietaranta of Finland 0-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Top seed Kristina Dmitruk of Belarus has dropped just nine games in her three matches, beating Baylor freshman Alina Shcherbinina of Russia 6-2, 6-0 in today's third round. Dmitruk's quarterfinal opponent will be No. 6 seed Solana Sierra of Argentina, who beat No. 10 seed Celine Naef of Switzerland 5-7, 7-5, 6-3. Naef served for the match at 5-4 in the second set, but Sierra, who had pulled off a similar comeback in the second round yesterday, found her way to victory once again.

No. 3 seed Linda Fruhvirtova blanked Mao Mushika of Japan to advance to a meeting with No. 12 seed Lucija Ciric Bagaric of Croatia, who took out No. 7 seed Mirra Andreeva of Russia, a Eddie Herr 12s finalist in 2019, 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-2.

The doubles semifinals are set for Friday, with three unseeded teams still alive for the boys title.

Gianluca Ballotta of Peru and Leanid Boika got a walkover from No. 6 seeds Luka Mikrut of Croatia and Borg, due to a Borg injury.  They will face Benjamin Kittay and Zheng, who defeated France's Paul Inchauspe and Feldbausch 6-4, 7-5.

Wild cards Alexander Frusina and ITF World No. 1 junior Juncheng Jerry Shang of China advanced to the semifinals with a 7-6(4), 6-4 win over No. 8 seeds Prizmic and Vilius Gaubas of Lithuania. Frusina and Shang will play No. 4 seeds Orlikowski and Pieczkowski, who beat No. 5 seeds Butvilas and Jordan's Abedallah Shelbayh 6-2, 6-7(5), 10-7.

All four girls doubles semifinalists are seeded, and only the 6-4, 6-7(4), 10-6 win by No. 8 seeds Kayla Cross and Mboko over No. 3 seeds Dimitruk and Hietaranta kept the top four seeds from advancing.

Marcinko recovered enough to play doubles, pairing with Shnaider, and they defeated No. 6 seeds Laskevich and Shcherbinina 6-4, 3-6, 12-10. Their opponents in the semifinals will be No. 4 seed Ciric Bagaric and Johanne Svendsen of Denmark, who beat No. 5 seeds Andreeva and Annabelle Xu of Canada 1-6, 7-5, 10-8.

Cross and Mboko, the Merida JA champions, will play the second-seeded Fruhvirtova sisters in the semifinals. They defeated the Czech pair in the quarterfinals last week.

The semifinals are set in the 12s, 14s and 16, all for 8 a.m. Friday morning.  After two rounds of singles today in the Girls 16s, all semifinalists are Americans, and whoever claims the title will be the fifth straight US girl to do so.  Below are the results from today's quarterfinals, in draw order.  Complete draws are available here.

B16s:

Lorenzo Carboni[WC](ITA) d. Juan David Velasquez Ariza[1](COL) 6-2, 6-2 

Andrew Delgado[WC](USA) d. Asror Ismoilov[13](USA) 6-2, 6-0

Rudy Quan[WC](USA) d. Lucas Silva[9](BRA) 5-7, 6-1, 6-2

Rei Sakamoto[2](JPN) d. Amir Milushev[5](UZB) 4-6, 7-5, 6-3

B14s:

Max Exsted[1](USA) d. Avner Wong[13](USA) 6-4, 6-4

Shion Itsusaki[12](JPN) d. Benjamin Saltman[10](USA) 6-4, 6-1

Timofey Derepasko[3](RUS) d. Shu Ota(JPN) 6-2, 7-5

Andrea de Marchi[2](ITA) d. Alaa Trifi[9](FRA) 6-3, 6-1

B12s:

Navneet Raghuram[1](USA) d. Juan Miguel Bolivar[6](COL) 6-3, 6-0

Jordan Lee[4](USA) d. Jerrid Gaines[5](USA) 6-3, 6-2

Cho Minhyuk(KOR) d. Vihaan Reddy[3](USA) 7-5, 1-6, 11-9

Teodor Davidov[2](USA) d. Mark Mrcela[WC](USA) 2-6, 6-3, 10-4

G16s:

Piper Charney[1](USA) d. Vittoria Paganetti[13](ITA) 7-6(4), 6-3

Brooklyn Olson[3](USA) d. Mayu Crossley[7](JPN) 7-5, 6-0

Kate Kim[4](USA) d. Brooke Lynn Schafer[16](USA) 6-2, 6-0

Reya Coe[10](USA) d. Kinaa Graham[2](USA) 6-3, 1-6, 6-3

G14s:

Rositsa Dencheva[1](BUL) d. Tahlia Kokkinis[7](AUS) 6-3, 6-3

Wakana Sonobe[3](JPN) d. Ichino Horikawa[13](JPN) 6-3 6-1

Maya Iyengar[4](USA) d. Jo Lee Saw(MAS) 6-2, 4-6, 5-1, ret. inj.

Eva Oxford[2](USA) d. Maria Aytoyan(USA) 6-2, 6-1 

G12s:

Lia Belibova[1](MDA) d. Joyce Geng[8](CAN) 6-1, 6-3

Anita Tu[5](USA) d. Ann Bugaienko[4](USA) 6-4, 6-3

Kristina Penickova[3](USA) d. Ye Sung Choo(KOR) 6-3, 6-2 

Ana Avramovic[11](USA) d. Bela Martinez[7](PUR) 6-4, 6-4

The qualifying for the 16s Orange Bowl begins Friday morning in Plantation, with draws now posted at the tournament site.

Four US Boys, No US Girls Advance to Eddie Herr J1 Round of 16, Top Seeds in Boys Doubles Ousted; Quarterfinals Set for 12s, 14s, 16s Divisions

©Colette Lewis 2021--

Bradenton FL--

The top seeds continued to progress through the draw Wednesday at the ITF J1 Eddie Herr International Championships, with 13 of the 16 girls seeds and 10 of the 16s boys seeds advancing to Thursday's third round.

The only seeded girl to lose today was No. 14 seed Alexis Blokhina, who retired to Mao Mushika of Japan trailing 6-0, 1-0.  Only four US girls had reached the second round, and all four lost today; in addition to Blokhina, Elisabeth Jones, Ariana Pursoo and Gracie Epps lost in straight sets.

Top seed Kristina Dmitruk of Belarus defeated wild card Sayaka Ishii of Japan 6-3, 6-3, and No. 2 seed Diana Shnaider of Russia beat Anastasiya Lopata of Ukraine 6-4, 6-1. The girls seed in the biggest trouble was No. 6 Solana Sierra of Argentina, who eked out a 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 win over University of Arizona recruit Reece Carter of Canada.

While all US girls have been eliminated, four American boys remain in contention for the Eddie Herr title: top seed Bruno Kuzuhara, wild cards Michael Zheng and Sebastian Gorzny, and unseeded Cooper Williams.

Kuzuhara defeated Luka Mikrut of Croatia 6-3, 6-3 to set up a round of 16 encounter with No. 14 seed Adam Jurajda of the Czech Republic. Williams took out Lennon Roark Jones of Japan 6-3, 6-0 and Gorzny defeated Alexander Blockx of Belgium 6-3, 6-1. Zheng, who eliminated No. 15 seed Gerard Campana Lee of Korea 7-6(3), 6-2, said he got stronger as the first set was drawing to a close.

"It was a tough first set, very back and forth," said Zheng, a 17-year-old from New Jersey. "We were both breaking each other a lot, it was tough to hold. In the tiebreak, the beginning was close and then I started pulling away, hit a few good shots."

Zheng, who recently made a verbal commitment to Stanford for 2022, then took control.

"In the second set, I got an early break and he had chances to break back, but I just played solid," said Zheng, who didn't drop serve in the second set.

Zheng said he practiced on indoor clay prior to this tournament, but admitted that adjustments were still necessary once he got to the Har-Tru courts of the IMG Academy. 

"The clay here is really, really slow and the balls don't help here either," Zheng said. "The balls don't really help; they get super fluffy in the second set and the ball doesn't go anywhere. I'm used to playing indoor hard, fast, but it's good for me, just to get into longer rallies and use my legs a little bit more. I've had pretty good results on clay, so I'm not really complaining."

Zheng will face No. 2 seed Viacheslav Bielinskyi of Ukraine Thursday for a place in the quarterfinals.

"I heard he's very solid, obviously a very good player, highly ranked," Zheng said. "I haven't had a chance to see him play, but I'll talk to the coaches and players and get their feedback. It's always fun playing these highly ranked players."

Campana Lee was one of three seeds to lose today. Dino Prizmic of Croatia, a semifinalist last week at the JA in Mexico, defeated Vilius Gaubas of Lithuania 6-3, 6-0 and Maxim Shin of Uzbekistan beat No. 7 seed Aleksander Orlikowski of Poland 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

There was a major surprise in the second round of boys doubles, with top seeds Kuzuhara and Croatia's Mili Poljicak falling to Leanid Boika and Peru's Gianluca Ballotta 3-6, 7-6(4), 11-9.

Wild cards Zheng and Benjamin Kittay closed out the day's action as the sun set over the IMG campus, beating No. 7 seeds Bor Artnak and Sebastian Dominko of Slovenia 7-6(5), 4-6, 11-9.

In girls doubles, only one unseeded team advanced to Thursday's quarterfinals, with Qavia Lopez and Switzerland's Chelsea Fontenel defeating No. 7 seeds Celine Naef of Switzerland and Amelie Van Impe of Belgium 3-6, 7-6(5), 10-4.

The quarterfinals are set for Thursday in five of the six younger divisions, with the matchups below:

The girls 16s, which fell behind due to early morning wet courts on Monday, will catch up with two rounds on Thursday. All the top 8 seeds listed below have advanced to the round of 16; in fact, 15 of the 16 seeds are still alive.

Complete draws are here.

B16s:

Juan David Velasquez Ariza[1](COL) v Lorenzo Carboni[WC](ITA)

Asror Ismoilov[13](USA) v Andrew Delgado[WC](USA)

Lucas Silva[9](BRA) v Rudy Quan[WC](USA)

Amir Milushev[5](UZB) v Rei Sakamoto[2](JPN)

B14s:

Max Exsted[1](USA) v Avner Wong[13](USA)

Benjamin Saltman[10](USA) v Shion Itsusaki[12](JPN)

Shu Ota(JPN) v Timofey Derepasko[3](RUS)

Alaa Trifi[9](FRA) v Andrea de Marchi[2](ITA)

B12s:

Navneet Raghuram[1](USA) v Juan Miguel Bolivar[6](COL)

Jordan Lee[4](USA) v Jerrid Gaines[5](USA)

Cho Minhyuk(KOR) v Vihaan Reddy[3](USA)

Mark Mrcela[WC](USA) v Teodor Davidov[2](USA)

G16s:

Round of 16 and Quarterfinals on Thursday

Top 8 seeds:

1. Piper Charney, USA

2. Kinaa Graham, USA

3. Brooklyn Olson, USA

4. Kate Kim, USA

5. Noemi Basiletti, ITA

6. Claire An, USA

7. Mayu Crossley, JPN

8. Krisha Mahendran, USA

G14s:

Rositsa Dencheva[1](BUL) v Tahlia Kokkinis[7](AUS)

Wakana Sonobe[3](JPN) v Ichino Horikawa[13](JPN)

Jo Lee Saw(MAS) v Maya Iyengar[4](USA)

Maria Aytoyan(USA) v Eva Oxford[2](USA)

G12s:

Lia Belibova[1](MDA) v Joyce Geng[8](CAN)

Ann Bugaienko[4](USA) v Anita Tu[5](USA)

Ye Sung Choo(KOR) v Kristina Penickova[3](USA)

Bela Martinez[7](PUR) v Ana Avramovic[11](USA)