Top Seeds Arconada, Swan, Fritz and Blumberg Reach ITF Asics Easter Bowl Second Round; 12s and 14s Finals Set

©Colette Lewis 2015--
Indian Wells, CA--

After having success on three different continents in recent weeks, four of the world's top juniors made their way to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden for the ITF Grade B1 Easter Bowl.

The most arduous journey was certainly that of Taylor Fritz, who flew from Chengdu China on Sunday, where he had played in the final of the inaugural ITF Tennis Masters. The world's No. 4 junior took the court against Caleb Chakravarthi not knowing what to expect from his body, but he managed to come away with a 7-5, 6-3 victory.

"I thought it was going to bad," said Fritz of his journey, "but I really didn't think it was going to be that bad. It was awful in the beginning. I've never done that or anything like that. I've always been like three days early at the latest before going anywhere. I'm always pretty early for everything. And then you can see, I got better as the match went on and I was lucky enough to get out of it."

Chakravarthi, who trains at the Taylor Dent Academy, more than held his own against Fritz, who lost his serve twice and looked a step slow when trying to track down the 16-year-old Chakravarthi's big forehands.

"I thought in the beginning of the match, he came out playing great. And that really scared me, because I'm not near my best, today especially," said the 17-year-old Fritz. "It didn't help that he was hitting winners off of everything in the first. I kind of just dealt with it, because I was hoping he couldn't do it the whole time."

At 5-5 in the opening set, Fritz headed to his chair after winning the 15-30 point, which sent his substantial number of supporters in the stands tittering, a mistake he did attribute to his mental and physical fatigue.  But Fritz did win the next point for the break, and served out the set at 40-30 with a good second serve Chakravarthi couldn't handle.

Fritz began to cut down his errors in the second set, and while Chakravarthi continued to hit some good shots and an occasional winner, Fritz's serve began to give him more free points.  After breaking in the third game of the second set, Fritz had a four-stroke hold, hitting four consecutive aces, one registering 124 mph on the live score board, and he couldn't suppress a smile.

"It just feels good to do that," said Fritz, who said he accomplished that feat three times before today.

After that game, Chakravarthi didn't show any signs of resignation, and he held his next two service games to keep Fritz's attention, but Fritz held for 5-3 and a crucial double fault at 30-30 in the final game gave Fritz his first match point, which he won when Chakravarthi netted a forehand.

Fritz will play 2013 14s Easter Bowl champion Connor Hance in the second round.

The second continent, South America, was the previous stop for No. 2 seed Will Blumberg and top seed Usue Arconada, who competed in Brazil prior to their appearance last week at the International Spring Championships in Carson.  Arconada, who won the Grade 1 Banana Bowl and Grade A Campeonato Internacional before losing in the quarterfinals in Carson, started her quest for another title with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Ashley Lahey, and will play 13-year-old Caty McNally in Wednesday's second round.

Blumberg, who reached the Grade A final and won last week in Carson, got a tough draw, playing Carson semifinalist Kalman Boyd, but he had no trouble advancing 6-1, 6-0.

"I've obviously been playing pretty well," Blumberg said. "I had a lot of confidence going from last week and Brazil, and that definitely helped me out. I was playing really aggressive and didn't really miss, barely any unforced errors the whole match. But the score did not reflect how the match was. It was a very tight match, it could have easily been 4 and 4, 5 and 5. I won a lot of close games, served myself out of tough positions, he missed a couple balls here and there, but I played a really solid match."

He will play Alexander Keyser in the second round Wednesday.

Great Britain's Katie Swan, who lives in Kansas and has immigration status to play in the ITF B1 Closed, won her first $10,000 ITF women's tournament in Egypt last month, but wanted to return to the Easter Bowl to try to win the title after losing in the final last year.

"I love it here," said Swan, who beat 13-year-old Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 6-2 Tuesday afternoon. "It's so beautiful. It's one of the nicest places I've ever played. Last year, it was such a good tournament for me, getting to the final and getting to play CiCi, and I just wanted to come back here and try and do the same if not better this year."

Swan's doubles partner, Carson champion Sonya Kenin, also took the court for the first time this tournament, and she had no trouble with Jaclyn Switkes, posting a 6-0, 6-0 victory.

The 12s and 14s finals are set for Wednesday, with their tournament beginning on Saturday.

In the girls 12s, top seed Gabriella Price will play unseeded Emma Jackson, and in the boys 12s, No. 2 seed Jameson Corsillo will play No. 6 seed Hunter Heck.

The 14s boys final will feature No. 3 seed Adam Neff against No. 10 seed Jaycer Calleros and the girls 14s final will be between top seed Alexa Noel and No. 14 seed Whitney Osuigwe.

The doubles finals in the 12s and 14s were played on Tuesday.

Heck and Corsillo also met in the 12s doubles final, with Heck and Karl Lee, the top seeds, defeating Corsillo and Martin Damm 8-3.

Calleros has also collected an Easter Bowl title before the singles final, with partner Govind Nanda. The No. 2 seeds beat Leighton Allen and Nathan Arimilli, the No. 7 seeds, 8-1.

In the girls doubles 12s final, No. 8 seeds Nina Gulbransen and Jamilah Snells win the title with an 8-6 decision over Jacque Dunyon and Kenadee Semenik, the No. 6 seeds. 

In the girls 14s doubles final, No. 4 seeds Sara Choy and Jillian Taggart, the No. 4 seeds, defeated Naomi Cheong and Sedona Gallagher 8-5 for the title.

Two of the singles finals will be live streamed at easterbowl.com

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Boys' 18 Singles (Round of 64)
Taylor Fritz (1) (Rancho Santa Fe, CA) def. Caleb Chakravarthi (Irvine, CA) 7-5, 6-3
Patrick Kypson (Greenville, NC) def. Alex Phillips (Peachtree City, GA) 6-1, 2-1 Ret (inj)
Nathan Ponwith (4) (Scottsdale, AZ) def. Jake DeVine (Los Altos Hills, CA) 6-4, 7-6(9)
Chase Colton (Pompano Beach, FL) def. Alexander Lebedev (Island Park, NY) 6-4, 6-4
Anudeep Kodali (12) (Durham, NC) def. Stephen Madonia (Bradenton, FL) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
Trent Bryde (Suwanee, GA) def. Johnathan Small (Zionsville, IN) 6-2, 6-0
Kyrylo Tsygura (North Potomac, MD) def. Michael Genender (Los Angeles, CA) 6-4, 6-3
Ulises Blanch (3) (Deerfield Beach, FL) def. Ryan Marker (Rancho Mirage, CA) 6-4, 6-1
Nicholas Borchenko (Studio City, CA) def. Ethan Young-Smith (Ventura, CA) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
William Blumberg (2) (Greenwich, CT) def. Kalman Boyd (Rancho Santa Fe, CA) 6-1, 6-0

Boys' 18 Doubles (Round of 32)
Taylor Fritz (Rancho Santa Fe, CA) / Catalin Mateas (1) (Braintree, MA) def. Alexander Keyser (Danville, CA) / Brenden Volk (Dix Hills, NY) 6-2, 6-2
Alafia Ayeni (San Diego, CA) / Nicholas Borchenko (Studio City, CA) def. Jesse Levitin (Manhasset, NY) / Eric Wagner (Roslyn Hts, NY) 6-3, 4-6, 10-5
Connor Hance (Torrance, CA) / Alexander Lebedev (Island Park, NY) def. Chase Colton (Pompano Beach, FL) / Daniel Gealer (Los Angeles, CA) 7-6(3), 7-6(4)
Jake DeVine (Los Altos Hills, CA) / Patrick Kypson (Greenville, NC) def. Sameer Kumar (Carmel, IN) / Vincent Lin (8) (Schaumburg, IL) 1-6, 6-3, 10-8
Cameron Klinger (Elk Grove, CA) / Nathan Ponwith (Scottsdale, AZ) def. Hady Habib (Bradenton, FL) / Anudeep Kodali (3) (Durham, NC) 7-5, 4-6, 13-11
John McNally (Cincinnati, OH) / Gianni Ross (La Grange, IL) def. Alex Phillips (Peachtree City, GA) / Abhin Sharma (Alpharetta, GA) 6-2, 6-7(6), 10-4
Vasil Kirkov (Tampa, FL) / Sam Riffice (6) (Roseville, CA) def. William Howells (Plantation, FL) / Johnathan Small (Zionsville, IN) 6-3, 6-2
Emanuel Llamas (El Paso, TX) / Jakub Wojcik (Delray Beach, FL) def. Konrad Kozlowski (Irvine, CA) / Joshua Ortlip (Irvine, CA) 6-4, 7-5
Caleb Chakravarthi (Irvine, CA) / William Genesen (Tulsa, OK) def. Michal Matusiak (Arlington, TX) / Andre Saleh (Newport Beach, CA) 6-0, 6-3
Ulises Blanch (Deerfield Beach, FL) / Liam Caruana (2) (New Braunfels, TX) def. Tyler Schick (Short Hills, NJ) / Oliver Sec (New York, NY) 6-3, 6-3
Pedro Fernandez del Valle (Wesley Chapel, FL) / Agustin Moreno def. Sebastian Mermersky (Chevy Chase, MD) / Kyrylo Tsygura (North Potomac, MD) 6-7(4), 6-4, 10-3
Zeke Clark (Tulsa, OK) / Nathan Perrone (7) (Bluffton, SC) def. Brian Tsao (Sparks Glencoe, MD) / Evan Zhu (Irvine, CA) 6-4, 3-6, 10-6
Trent Bryde (Suwanee, GA) / Emil Reinberg (5) (Atlanta, GA) def. Brandon Holt (Rolling Hills, CA) / Riley Smith (Long Beach, CA) 2-6, 6-2, 10-4
Zac Brodney (Los Angeles, CA) / Pietro Rimondini (Boca Raton, FL) def. Lubomir Cuba (Massapequa Park, NY) / Matthew Gamble (Webster, NY) 0-6, 7-6(3), 10-6
Alex Ross (La Grange, IL) / Eric Rutledge (Fort Worth, TX) def. John Jorgeson (Bradenton, FL) / Sami Kirberg (Ft Lauderdale, FL) 6-7(6), 6-0, 10-4
Mwendwa Mbithi (Deerfield Beach, FL) / Nicolas Moreno de Alboran (4) (London, Surrey) def. Jake Van Emburgh (Verona, WI) / Jeffrey Wolf (Cincinnati, OH) 6-2, 2-6, 10-6

Girls' 18 Singles (Round of 64)
Usue Arconada (1) (Rio Piedras, PR) def. Ashley Lahey (Hawthorne, CA) 6-2, 6-4
Claire Liu (12) (Thousand Oaks, CA) def. Mimi Levine (Santa Monica, CA) 6-1, 6-2
Chiara Lommer (skokie, IL) def. Kenya Jones (Memphis, TN) 6-4, 7-6(1)
Ingrid Neel (7) (Bradenton, FL) def. Hanna Chang (Fontana, CA) 6-2, 6-0
Raveena Kingsley (4) (Fulton, MD) def. Alexandra Sabe (Rye, NY) 6-0, 6-1
Caroline Dolehide (8) (Hinsdale, IL) def. Abigail Desiatnikov (Atlanta, GA) 6-0, 6-1
Katie Swan (2) (Wichita, KS) def. Amanda Anisimova (Hallandale Beach, FL) 6-2, 6-3
Jessica Ho (11) (Naples, FL) def. Anna Dollar (Lancaster, PA) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
Maddie Pothoff (Tucson, AZ) def. Kenadi Hance (Torrance, CA) 6-2, 6-1
Sofia Kenin (3) (Pembroke Pines, FL) def. Jaclyn Switkes (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) 6-0, 6-0
Michaela Gordon (5) (Saratoga, CA) def. Zoe Spence (Chicago, IL) 6-2, 6-1
Emma Higuchi (Los Angeles, CA) def. Gabrielle Schuck (Colorado Springs, CO) 6-1, 6-4
Andie Daniell (Douglasville, GA) def. Rebecca Weissmann (Loveland, CO) 3-6, 6-1, 6-3

Boys' 16 Singles (Round of 32)
Oliver Crawford (1) (Spartanburg, SC) def. Christian Alshon (Boca Raton, FL) 6-4, 6-4
Paul Barretto (12) (Tiburon, CA) def. Alex Mascioli (Wayne, PA) 6-3, 6-0
Matthew Lord (5) (Bloomfield, CT) def. Andrew Ton (Milpitas, CA) 6-2, 6-4
Danny Thomas (Pickerington, OH) def. Aleks Huryn (Alpharetta, GA) 6-2, 6-4
Daunte Harris (Lomita, CA) def. William Peters (4) (Duxbury, MA) 6-2, 6-2
Ajai Shekhera (16) (Campbell, CA) def. Jack Katzman (Seattle, WA) 6-4, 6-0
Sam Turchetta (14) (Pound Ridge, NY) def. Conrad Russell (Palo Alto, CA) 5-7, 6-3, 6-3
Chambers Easterling (Spartanburg, SC) def. Jourdan Kast (Boca Raton, FL) 6-2, 6-4
Brian Cernoch (11) (North Bethesda, MD) def. Charles Deng (Temple City, CA) 6-2, 6-1
Austen Huang (2) (Elk Grove, CA) def. Athell Bennett (Valley Stream, NY) 6-2, 6-2
Jason Lui (7) (Bellevue, WA) def. Mayson Xue (San Ramon, CA) 6-3, 6-4
William Woodall (Washington, DC) def. Steven Sun (Boca Raton, FL) 6-3, 6-4
Bryce Pereira (San Gabriel, CA) def. Matthew Rodriguez (9) (Highland Beach, FL) 6-3, 6-3
Abhijeet Joshi (6) (Millington, NJ) def. Luke Ross (Sewickley, PA) 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(6)
Jackson Suh (15) (Bellevue, WA) def. Dylan Levitt (Las Vegas, NV) 6-2, 7-6(1)
Sean Sculley (3) (Hilton Head Island, SC) def. Brady Draheim (Omaha, NE) 6-2, 7-5

Girls' 16 Singles (Round of 32)
Taylor Bridges (Mesa, AZ) def. Grace Joyce (1) (Newton, MA) 6-2, 6-1
Stephanie Schrage (Millburn, NJ) def. Janice Shin (9) (Houston, TX) 6-4, 6-4
Anna Brylin (Short Hills, NJ) def. Jessi Muljat (Sacramento, CA) 6-3, 7-5
Tatum Rice (Hot Springs, AR) def. Abigail Chiu (16) (Austin, TX) 6-2, 6-3
Victoria Flores (4) (Fort Dodge, IA) def. Jenna Moustafa (Los Angeles, CA) 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
Nicole Mossmer (La Jolla, CA) def. Madeline Meredith (13) (Vestavia, AL) 7-6(6), 2-6, 6-1
Victoria Emma (12) (Naples, FL) def. Jessica Aragon (Plano, TX) 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-3
Carolyn Campana (Hillsborough, CA) def. McCartney Kessler (Calhoun, GA) 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
Taylor Johnson (Redondo Beach, CA) def. Meg Kowalski (15) (La Grange, IL) 7-6(5), 6-3
Samantha Martinelli (2) (Denver, CO) def. Ivana Corley (Albuquerque, NM) 6-3, 6-3
Hannah Zhao (8) (San Diego, CA) def. Stevie Kennedy (Bonita Springs, FL) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
Natasha Subhash (Fairfax, VA) def. Andjelija Bozovic (Burr Ridge, IL) 6-2, 6-2
Isabella Lorenzini (10) (Clarendon Hills, IL) def. Caroline Dunleavy (Darien, CT) 6-4, 7-5
Salma Ewing (Long Beach, CA) def. Alexandra Belaya (Melbourne, FL) 6-4, 7-6(4)
Hannah Lairmore (14) (Mobile, AL) def. Rachel Eason (Union City, CA) 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
Delaney Nothaft (Tempe, AZ) def. Maria Ross (17) (Lakewood Ranch, FL) 6-2, 6-4

Boys' 14 Singles (Semifinal Round)
Jaycer Calleros (10) (San Antonio, TX) def. Joshua Xu (5) (Chandler, AZ) 6-2, 6-0
Adam Neff (3) (Bradenton, FL) def. Brandon Nakashima (2) (San Diego, CA) 6-3, 6-0

Boys' 14 Doubles (Final Round)
Jaycer Calleros (San Antonio, TX) / Govind Nanda (2) (Redlands, CA) def. Leighton Allen (Austin, TX) / Nathan Arimilli (7) (Austin, TX) 8-1

Boys' 14 Doubles (Playoff)
Robert Cash (New Albany, OH) / Anand Saluja (5) (Brookfield, WI) def. Ryder Jackson (Nicasio, CA) / Max Motlagh (Richardson, TX)
9-8(4)

Girls' 14 Singles (Semifinal Round)
Whitney Osuigwe (14) (Bradenton, FL) def. Kacie Harvey (6) (Braintree, MA) 7-6(7), 6-2
Alexa Noel (1) (Summit, NJ) def. Katie Volynets (4) (Walnut Creek, CA) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4

Girls' 14 Doubles (Final Round)
Sara Choy (Palo Alto, CA) / Jillian Taggart (4) (Fair Oaks, CA) def. Naomi Cheong (Las Vegas, NV) / Sedona Gallagher (Henderson, NV) 8-5

Girls' 14 Doubles (Playoff)
Michelle Deng (Temple City, CA) / Rena Lin (Northridge, CA) def. Vivian Cheng (Santa Monica, CA) / Britt Pursell (Oceanside, CA) 8-4

Boys' 12 Singles (Semifinal Round)
Hunter Heck (6) (New Brighton, MN) def. Aidan Mayo (1) (Roseville, CA) 7-5, 6-4
Jameson Corsillo (2) (Boca Raton, FL) def. Martin Damm (Bradenton, FL) 7-6(2), 6-3

Boys' 12 Doubles (Final Round)
Hunter Heck (New Brighton, MN) / Karl Lee (1) (Los Altos, CA) def. Jameson Corsillo (Boca Raton, FL) / Martin Damm (Bradenton, FL) 8-3

Boys' 12 Doubles (Playoff)
Hugo Hashimoto (San Jose, CA) / Alex Lin (4) (Granite Bay, CA) def. Maxwell McKennon (Newport Beach, CA) / JJ Tracy (2) (Ann Arbor, MI) 8-4

Girls' 12 Singles (Semifinal Round)
Gabriella Price (1) (Montebello, NY) def. Nina Gulbransen (3) (Boca Raton, FL) 6-3, 6-4
Emma Jackson (LA Grange Park, IL) def. Savannah Broadus (2) (Carrollton, TX) 6-4, 6-1

Girls' 12 Doubles (Final Round)
Nina Gulbransen (Boca Raton, FL) / Jamilah Snells (8) (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) def. Jacque Dunyon (South Ogden, UT) / Kenadee Semenik (6) (Las Vegas, NV) 8-6

Girls' 12 Doubles (Playoff)
Gabriella Price (Montebello, NY) / Maya Pitts (3) (Los Angeles, CA) def. Savannah Broadus (Carrollton, TX) / Katherine Petty (1)
(Dallas, TX) 8-1