Johnson and Kovackova Capture Junior Orange Bowl 14s Titles; Baranes and Junseo Claim 12s Championships in Coral Gables

©Colette Lewis 2023--
Coral Gables FL--

Andrew Johnson was confident that he could win the boys 14s Junior Orange Bowl title if he stayed focused. That wasn't a problem for the 14-year-old from Southern California, with his 6-3, 6-0 win over Jerrid Gaines Jr. his seventh victory in the past four days, all in straight sets.

On a breezy Thursday at the Biltmore Tennis Center, the second-seeded Johnson used his court sense and variety to befuddle No. 6 seed Gaines, breaking open a close first set to claim the biggest title of his career in just over an hour.

While Johnson was efficiently dispatching his opponents throughout the compressed tournament, Gaines had two tough wins in Wednesday's quarterfinals and semifinal, with the latter finishing well after dark.

"I just had to keep putting on the pressure, making him move," said the Rancho Palos Verdes resident. "The rounds before, I saw that he had tough matches, so I had to keep him under more and more pressure. I played well. I played solid."

Johnson doesn't use power to control points, putting him at a disadvantage when a player like Gaines is in top form, but Johnson can turn counterpunching into lopsided wins if his opponent isn't executing his game.

"It's been pretty much the same strategy the whole tournament, mix it up, keep him off balance," said Johnson, who works with Peter Smith at the Jack Kramer Club, and began training at the USTA in Carson this summer. "That's me."

Gaines wasn't happy with the level he brought to the final. "I think I was focusing on the wrong things," said the 14-year-old Floridian, who trains at the IMG Academy in Bradenton. "He played a very high quality match and I wasn't focusing on the right things, so that's why I didn't play my best. But hopefully I can be back in a situation like this, so I can learn from these mistakes. It was a good accomplishment, I had some great matches and I'm proud about that. It's been a long tough week."

Johnson has one mantra that he has been repeating all week: focus.

"I stayed very focused and I think that's why I won this tournament," said Johnson, who will go into the USTA Winter Nationals 14s a week from now as the Junior Orange Bowl champion. "It feels really good winning this and I think it will help me with my confidence in the future. It's something to be proud about."

Johnson said he has no specific plans to celebrate the title, but will fly home for Christmas for three days before he heads to San Antonio for the Winters, which begin on December 28th. Gaines is expecting to play the Winter Nationals in the 16s division, which is in Lake Nona.

Jana Kovackova is no stranger to big occasions, with the 13-year-old from the Czech Republic arriving in Miami as the Junior Masters 14s champion, the season-ending event for the top Tennis Europe competitors held last month in Monte Carlo. 

Kovackova, a No. 9 seed, had no problem reaching the final, with all six wins coming in straight sets. Her opponent in the final, Floridian Welles Newman, also a No. 9 seed, had dropped only one set, and had looked equally strong in Wednesday's quarterfinals and semifinals, with both girls losing just three games in their two matches. 

Kovackova started the final, played on Salvadore Park's Har-Tru courts, with a break of serve, and earned another for a quick 5-2 lead, but Newman began processing the information gleaned from the first seven games and made adjustments.  Kovackova didn't get to set point serving at 5-2, double faulting at 30-40, but broke Newman with a forehand winner at 15-40 to secure the first set of her 6-3, 7-6(5) victory.

"She's very consistent, gets to everything, is super fast and has one of the best returns in 14-and-under tennis that I've ever seen," said Welles, a 13-year-old from Boca Raton. "She's a very difficult opponent, and I think I dealt with it pretty well. It did take me a little bit longer than I would have liked to find out what her weaknesses were. I'm happy I took it to a tiebreaker at least, and that just didn't go my way."

Kovackova had to save a break point in the opening game of the second set, and after Newman held in a three-deuce game for 1-1, she broke for her first lead. Kovackova broke right back, then broke again for a 4-2 lead, but the wind, gusting to over 20 mph, made every service toss an adventure. Newman used her slice well and caught Kovackova off guard with several drop shots to get back on serve, then saved two break points at 3-4 to pull even. At 5-all, a visibly frustrated Kovackova was broken, with her unforced error count beginning to rise, but she bore down and easily broke Newman serving for the set.

As it had been throughout the second set, holding serve was a challenge in the tiebreaker, with five of the first seven points going to the returner. Newman managed to stay with Kovackova until 5-all, when she missed a backhand, giving Kovackova a serve to take the match. She made a first serve, handled a good return at her feet from Newman, who then made an error to end the match.

Although this is a second significant title for the younger sister of ITF No. 20 junior Alena, she was not satisfied with her level of play in the final.

"She said it feels very good to win," said her mother Eva, speaking for Jana, who does not communicate in English. "I think she plays very good, but in her head, it's not so good. She is not so happy. Next time."

That next time will likely be at next month's Les Petits As, and Newman is hoping to get another crack at Kovackova.

"Maybe I'll get a rematch," said Newman, who won the USA Les Petits As Playoffs in early November. "In the final would be good."

Newman is not planning to play the Winter Nationals, and is targeting more matches against international competition for 2024.

"Next year, I know I'm going to be doing a lot more international tournaments," said Newman, who is coached by her mother and also trains at the USTA campus in Lake Nona. "I'll be able to play a lot more international girls, and maybe her again."

Kovackova is the first Czech girl to win the Junior Orange Bowl 14s title in the tournament's 62-year history. Linda Fruhvirtova won the 12s title in 2017.

Korea claimed its second consecutive boys 12s title, with Jang Junseo joining 2022 winner Donjae Kim on the list of Korean champions.

Junseo, seeded No. 4, defeated No. 7 seed Fu Wang Choi of Hong Kong 6-1, 7-5, to add the Junior Orange Bowl title to the Eddie Herr 12s championship he won earlier this month. Choi tried a variety of tactics in the first set, including dozens of net approaches, and was able to elevate his game in the second set, but Junseo managed to fight through the toughest set he played throughout the tournament.

The girls 12s title went to Israel's Daniel Baranes, a No. 9 seed, who defeated No. 7 seed Megan Knight of Great Britain 6-4, 6-1. Baranes broke Knight at 4-all in the first set and dropped only one game after that, an unexpected result given that their last match, in the final of the Tennis Europe Super Category tournament in Mallorca last month, went to Baranes 7-5, 6-7(2), 12-10.

Baranes, who did not lose a set in her seven victories, is the first girl from Israel to win a 12s title. Shahar Pe'er won the girls 14s title in 2001.

Third place results:

B12s:

Rafael Pagonis[3](GRE) d. Nicholas Du[2](USA) 6-0, 6-0

G12s: 

Sakino Miyazawa[8](JPN) d. Kathryn Cragg[3](USA) 6-2, 6-0

B14s:

Navneet Raghuram[9](USA) d. Jordan Lee[[9](USA) 3-0, ret.

G14s:

Charlie Celebrini[5](CAN) d. Raya Kotseva[17](BUL) 6-1, 6-1

Draws can be found here.

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