Top Two Seeds Breeze in Girls 18s, But Both Exit in Boys 18s at Plaza Cup

©Colette Lewis 2009--
Coral Gables, FL--

No. 1 seed Jackie Kasler and No. 2 seed Maria Belaya had no trouble in their opening two rounds of the USTA National Level 3 Plaza Cup Saturday on the green clay of Salvadore Park. But in the boys 18s, neither No. 1 seed Mark Schanerman nor No. 2 seed John Yetimoglu could survive past their opening matches.

In Saturday's ideal playing condition, Kasler, of Gulf Breeze Florida, lost only one game in her first two matches, while Melbourne Florida's Belaya lost seven. Third seed Bianca Sanon fell to unseeded Mary Clayton in an All-Florida battle in the second round, but with four seeds making the quarterfinals, the girls results were downright expected compared to the boys, where the final eight includes only two seeded players--No. 3 Andrew Butz and No. 4 Raleigh Smith.

Sixteen-year-old Zachary Katz of Boca Raton, Florida came back for a 2-6, 6-1, 10-8 win over N. Miami Beach's Schanerman in the second round, while 15-year-old Jeremy Efferding of Lake Worth was one of the many younger players advancing, taking down Miami's Yetimoglu 6-4, 4-6, 10-7. The 16-year-old Butz, of Vero Beach, survived a tiebreaker in lieu of a third set in the first round against John Cappabianca, and his quarterfinal opponent will be unseeded 15-year-old Spencer Newman of Miami. Unseeded Bjorn Fratangelo of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, also 15, took out Alexander Teppert , a fifth seed, in the first round and will meet Katz in the quarterfinals. The fourth seeded Smith meets unseeded Michael Alford in the fourth quarterfinal.

None of the girls 18s second round matches went to a tiebreaker in lieu of a third set, although the first round had its share of dramatic matches. In Sunday's quarterfinals, Kasler will play unseeded Sarah McLean of Miami; Plantation's Clayton, younger sister of Chris, Alex and Missy, takes on unseeded Sabrina Kierberg of Ft. Lauderdale; Belaya faces Kelsey Laurente of Miramar, who has lost only two games in her first two matches, and No. 4 seed Julia Sabacinski of Plantation will play No. 5 seed Brittany Dubins of N. Miami Beach.

For results in the other age divisions, visit the TennisLink site.

Tags: junior tennis, Zachary Katz, Tennis Plaza Cup, Colette Lewis

Boca Pro Circuit Semis Set; Plaza Cup Coverage Starts Saturday

©Colette Lewis 2009--
Coral Gables, FL--

I'm a bit out of my element at Pro Circuit events, and regular readers of ZooTennis know that I rarely cover more than one a year, and never from beginning to end. This is our second year that Paul is directing a site at the Plaza Cup, the Level 3 USTA event for 12s, 14s, 16s, and 18s, and it is the main reason for this trip.

But with the first Pro Circuit event of the year taking place in Boca Raton, we escaped the Michigan winter a few days early to see some of the juniors and former college players in action. We had planned on being there only Wednesday and Thursday, but when Chase Buchanan made the quarterfinals, we decided to wait to leave for Miami until after his match was completed.

He was second up, so I watched some of 2006 USTA National 18s Champion Lauren Albanese's 6-3, 6-4 win over qualifier Darya Kustova of Belarus, and also watched former Florida star Greg Ouellette against Serbian Nikola Ciric. Ouellette, who was cheered on by former Gator teammates Nestor Briceno and Jesse Levine, got off to a very slow start against the big-serving left-hander, who alternated booming serves with delicate drop shots to take the first set 6-3. The unseeded Ciric was up 5-2 in the second set, when wild card Ouellette made his comeback, winning four straight games to take a 6-5 lead. Ciric, who had made error after error in that four game stretch, got back on track to force a tiebreaker, and it was Ouellette who began to miss routine shots, falling behind 5-1, and losing a chance at a third set when Circi cracked an ace to end it 7-6(3).

Tim Smyczek, the fourth seed, who has won seven matches since last Friday's qualifying began, was much steadier than the flashy qualifier Adriano Biasella of Italy, taking a 6-3, 5-2 ret. win. He will play No. 2 seed Jose De Armas of Venezuela, who downed No. 6 seed Jesse Witten, the former Kentucky Wildcat, 6-3, 6-4.

In the last quarterfinal match, top seeded Romanian Gabriel Moraru, who had somehow survived being down a set and 5-0 to Stefan Ianni of Italy in a three hour and forty minute second round match Thursday, showed no sign of fatigue against Buchanan, taking the first set 6-2. Buchanan wasn't finding the range on his backhand, with many of them hitting the net, while Moraru was missing infrequently and serving well.

The second set saw Buchanan raise his level and he stayed with the 26-year-old, who is ranked 294 by the ATP. Leading 5-4 in the second set, Buchanan got his only break points of the set when Moraru fell behind 15-40. The Romanian saved one by pinning Buchanan deep into the backhand corner and forcing an error, but he didn't get a first serve in at 30-40 and Buchanan pounced, blasting a backhand return winner to even the match.

Buchanan lost his serve to open the third set, and again had two break points on Moraru's opening serving game, but when he didn't convert either of those, he seemed to lose his edge. Serving at 1-3, Buchanan made four straight unforced errors, and after that, the result wasn't in doubt, with Moraru taking the third set 6-1.



In the women's semifinals, Albanese will meet qualifier Gabriela Paz of Venezuela, who disposed of Heidi El Tabakh of Canada 6-0, 6-1 in a match played after we left. The other semifinal will feature No. 5 seed Ahsha Rolle, a 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3 winner over No. 4 seed Tetiana Luzhanska of Ukraine, against unseeded Sharon Fichman of Canada. Fichman dismissed No. 8 seed Anna Floris of Italy 2-6, 6-2, 6-1.

I had an opportunity to sit in with Ken Thomas of radiotennis.com, who began his coverage of the event today. He will be there through the finals, so for free internet streaming of the play-by-play, go to radiotennis.com.

For complete results of the Champion Porsche Pro Circuit events, see the results page at usta.com.

For the Plaza Cup draws, see the TennisLink site.

Tags: college tennis, junior tennis, Champion Porsche Pro Circuit Event of Boca Raton, Lauren Albanese, Plaza Cup, Colette Lewis

Buchanan Advances to Quarterfinals in Boca Futures; Smyczek Downs Domijan in Two Tiebreakers

©Colette Lewis 2009--
Boca Raton, FL--

It might not have been the weather the hundred or so spectators were hoping for, but the cool and cloudy conditions that greeted Thursday's competitors in the Champion Porsche Pro Circuits events at the Swim and Racquet Center were ideal for long and dramatic matches. The top seed in the men's $10,000 Futures, Gabriel Moraru of Romania, survived a three hour and forty minute test, trailing throughout the entire match, until he won it, 6-7(5), 7-6(3), 7-6(3), over Stefano Ianni of Italy. Ianni was up 5-0 in the second set and 5-2 in the third, and although I didn't watch it carefully enough to count exactly, he must have served for the match at least five times. Late in the tiebreaker, the good-natured Italian, who had required at least two visits from the trainer, let loose with a long shout in Italian, and from the grabbing of his neck, I took it to refer to choking, a comment few in the mostly full show court bleachers would disagree with. Moraru, on the other hand, looked calm and unperturbed throughout the ordeal, and looked fit enough at the end of the match to play another three hours if necessary.

The 26-year-old top seed's opponent in the quarterfinals will be 17-year-old Chase Buchanan, who had a rollercoaster of a match with Simeon Ivanov of Bulgaria before recovering for a 6-1, 0-6, 7-5 victory. Buchanan lost the first game, on his serve, then reeled off the next six to take the first set. I took the opportunity to look in on the Kim Couts - Lauren Albanese match a few courts away, and when I returned, with Albanese leading 4-3 in the first set, in a match that started at the same time as Buchanan - Ivanov, Buchanan was double faulting to give Ivanov the second set. He then lost his seventh and eighth games in a row to go down 2-0 in the third, got back even, then broke Ivanov to take a 5-4 lead. Buchanan didn't come close to serving it out however, but got a second chance with a break in the next game, and made no mistake that time.

Meanwhile, Albanese had taken the first set from Couts, but Couts was leading in the second set, and after nearly two hours, it looked as if a split was inevitable. But the third seeded Albanese dug out from a 5-3 deficit and took the subsequent tiebreaker to claim a 6-4, 7-6(5) victory that took more than two-and-a-half hours to complete.

While that battle was raging, qualifier Gabriela Paz of Venezuela was grinding down Aurelie Vedy of France 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Although I could hear the pair, with Paz's distinctive squeal usually audible, I couldn't see them, as I was perched outside court 5 watching the Tim Smyczek - Alex Domijan match. I joined with wild card Domijan serving at 5-6 in the first set, and he held to force a tiebreaker, which Smyczek, a qualifier, but the No. 4 seed, would go on to dominate, winning the last five points to take it 7-6(1). Smyczek broke Domijan to start the second set, but the hard-hitting 17-year-old got it back immediately, and then broke Smyczek in the sixth game for a 4-2 lead. Smyczek got that break right back and a much different tiebreaker decided the match.


Domijan had a set point serving at 6-5, but a Smyczek shot landing right on the baseline handcuffed him. He didn't get another opportunity, although he did fight off two match points, before Smyczek, who had some success bringing Domijan in and passing him, forced a wild forehand volley from Domijan to end it.

Smyczek, who turned 21 last month, will face former USC Trojan Adriano Biasella of Italy, who handily defeated Phillip Simmonds 6-2, 6-1. Biasella, 28, is a qualifier.

Croatia's Alja Tomljanovic, who had upset top seed Angela Haynes on Wednesday, was outlasted by Heidi El Tabakh of Canada 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 Thursday afternoon.

For complete results, visit the Pro Circuit home page at usta.com.

Tags: college tennis, junior tennis, Champion Porsche Pro Circuit events, Tim Smyczek, Chase Buchanan, Colette Lewis

Britton to Ole Miss; Cecil to Duke; Seven U.S. Women Advance in AO Qualifying

Before the start of the Boca Raton Futures today, I'm linking to my weekly story at The Tennis Recruiting Network, which is Devin Britton's commitment announcement to University of Mississippi. Another longtime Bollettieri student, Mallory Cecil of South Carolina, has joined the Duke Blue Devils for the 2009 spring season. Her announcement came via goduke.com.

In Australia, the women's first round of qualifying is complete, with seven of the eight U.S. women advancing to the second round: Carly Gullickson, Alexandra Stevenson, Julie Ditty, Melanie Oudin, Varvara Lepchenko, Madison Brengle and Vania King. Alexa Glatch suffered the only loss of the day for the U.S. For the complete AO qualifying draw, see the official website.

Tags: college tennis, junior tennis, Devin Britton, Mallory Cecil, Australian Open, The Tennis Recruiting Network, Colette Lewis

Tomljanovic Upsets Top Seed Haynes; Domijan and Buchanan Advance In Boca Raton Futures

©Colette Lewis 2009--
Boca Raton, FL--

Juniors and qualifiers made their presence felt on Wednesday, with the completion of the first round of play at the $25,000 women's and $10,000 men's Champion Porsche Pro Circuit events at the Racquet and Swim Club of Boca Raton.

Chief among them was Ajla Tomljanovic, the 15-year-old Croatian qualifier, who took out top seed Angela Haynes of the U.S., the WTA's 140th ranked player, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-1. I watched the end of the first set, when Tomljanovic twice had an opportunity to serve for it, but couldn't convert either time, and ended up needing a tiebreaker. Even there, she was unable to make it easy on herself, letting two set points slip away at 6-4, but Haynes, who seemed uncomfortable on the clay, contributed enough unforced errors, including a set-ending backhand wide, to give Tomljanovic the first set. I didn't watch the second set, but at the start of the third, Tomljanovic took control and fashioned a quick 4-0 lead to rob the final set of any drama.

The Racquet and Swim Club is a public facility, although it has the feel of an exclusive private club, with the the well-groomed landscaping, the comfortable lawn chairs for seating and excellent courts for viewing and playing (no lets from other courts, as each court is separately fenced). To begin the day, which was a bit chilly to start, but soon was warm and sunny, with negligible wind, I stood between the two courts featuring Tim Smyczek of the U.S. on one, and Alex Domijan, another Saddlebrook resident, on the other. Smyczek was forced to qualify due to a late entry, but he won his four matches and his ranking of 348 gave him the No. 4 seed in the main draw. He looked sharp and match tough in taking out Roman Vogeli of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-2. Domijan actually had secured his first set against fellow wild card Robert Verzaal even more quickly than Smyczek did his, but then things got much tougher for the 6-foot-6 17-year-old. He lost a 10-deuce game early in the second set, but eventually Domijan's power and his ability to attack Verzaal's second serve led him to a 6-1, 6-3 victory and a spot opposite Smyczek in the next round.

Chase Buchanan took Smyczek's place on court 5, and after five close games with fellow qualifier Goran Tosic of Montenegro, the future Ohio State Buckeye got a break, and held for the first set, 6-3. In the second set, Buchanan, who won a Futures event on Florida clay last May, got a break in the third game, and eased to a 6-2 second set win.

One of the day's best matches saw 2008 Wimbledon and U.S. Open Junior Champion Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria go up against Stefano Ianni, with the 27-year-old Italian taking a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5) win. Despite the closeness of the match, there was little of the pressure-cooker atmosphere that often accompanies a Futures contest, and both players seemed to be enjoying themselves on the court. Ianni conceded a point to Dimitrov when the chair umpire had made an out call when Ianni half volleyed on the baseline, and racquet claps were regular occurences. Ianni saved his best for 5-3 in the tiebreaker, when he made a dive stab volley at the net, giving him Har-Tru-stained shorts and three match points. He needed them all, as Dimitrov got an exceedingly fortunate net cord to make it 6-4, and Ianni double faulted for 6-5. But Dimitrov missed a forehand just long in the final rally, and Ianni had earned his chance at top seed Gabriel Moraru of Romania.

For complete draws, visit the Pro Circuit results page at usta.com.

Tags: junior tennis, college tennis, Boca Raton Champion Porsche Futures, Alja Tomljanovic, Colette Lewis

Shake-up at Bollettieri's Tennis Academy; Australian Men's Qualifying Draw; Pro Circuit Opens 2009 in Boca Raton

First, I want to welcome Lynn Berenbaum back to the world of tennis blogging at her site Off The Baseline, and thank her for drawing my attention to this story in the Sarasota Herald Tribune about the firings of four IMG employees at the Bollettieri Academy, including director of tennis Gabe Jarmillo. Given the length of employment of those let go and their direct relationship with Nick, it seems shocking, but there is little in the story to explain it, other than an implication that it was a cost-cutting move, with the possibility that it relates to a sale.

The Australian Open men's qualifying draw has been posted, and there are nine Americans vying for spots in the main draw: Amer Delic, Brendan Evans, Zach Fleishman, Scoville Jenkins, Kevin Kim, Wayne Odesnik, Rajeev Ram, Ryan Sweeting and Michael Yani. I was surprised to see Sam Warburg, Jesse Levine and Donald Young missing from the list of U.S. competitors. An interesting first round match pits Indians Prakash Amritraj and Somdev Devvarman. In many junior tournaments, the draw is structured so players from the same country don't play each other in the first round (the same goes for USTA sections), but that's obviously not a consideration in a Grand Slam.

We did make it to Florida, and tomorrow will be checking in on the first Pro Circuit Futures of the year in Boca Raton. Wild card Alex Domijan and qualifiers Chase Buchanan and Rhyne Williams are playing their first round matches on Wednesday. For complete draws, see the Pro Circuit draw and schedule page at usta.com.

Tags: junior tennis, IMG/Bollettieri Tennis Academy, Australian Open, Pro Circuit Boca Raton, Colette Lewis