Eddie Herr Recap; Rain Prevents Orange Bowl Second Round from Finishing; Quarterfinals Set in 16s Division

©Colette Lewis 2019--
Plantation FL--

Rain has made a mess of the Orange Bowl this week, making everyone appreciate the great weather we had last week at the Eddie Herr even more. My Tennis Recruiting Network recap of the 12s, 14s and 16s divisions is available today, with the ITF recap coming on Friday.

Due to heavy rain Thursday morning, it was 4 p.m. before any Orange Bowl matches were played at the Frank Veltri Tennis Center, and there was only a little more than two hours of play before another shower caused a second delay, which ranged from one to two hours before a third storm resulted in play being cancelled for the day around 9 p.m.

Although the last match in the girls 16s third round was completed just minutes before the final deluge, the quarterfinals are set in the younger age division.

In the boys draw, Gabrielius Guzauskas will meet No. 5 seed Bruno Kuzuhara in an all-American quarterfinal after both prevailed after dropping the first set more than 24 hours before. Guzauskas beat Lucas Brown 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 and Kuzuhara downed Louis Cloud 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.  No. 3 seed Marc Ktiri of Spain, who finished his third round match Wednesday, will face Daniel Cohen, who beat Nicolas Godsick 6-1, 7-6(3). Another Spaniard, No. 7 seed Daniel Rincon, defeated No. 9 seed Azuma Visaya 6-3, 6-4 and will play qualifier Giulio Perego of Italy, who finished his match on Wednesday and did not play today.  No. 2 seed Jack Anthrop of the US will face qualifier Filippos Astreinidis of Greece, another player who did not play Thursday after winning in straight sets Wednesday. Anthrop, the Eddie Herr champion, won his ninth straight match over the past two weeks, beating No. 16 seed Gonzalo Bueno of Peru 6-4, 7-6(6).

Seven of the eight girls 16s quarterfinalists are Americans, with No. 10 seed Victoria Mboko of Canada the other quarterfinalist. Mboko, 13, will play No. 13 seed Vivian Ovrootsky, who won her third round match Wednesday. Mboko defeated No. 6 seed Qavia Lopez of the US 6-3, 7-6(3). Ashlyn Krueger, who beat top seed Rebecca Lynn yesterday before rain cancelled play for the day, will face unseeded Gracie Epps, who defeated No. 5 seed Chelsea Fontenel of Switzerland 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. Bridget Stammel defeated No. 2 seed Ava Krug 7-5, 6-2 and will play Alexis Blokhina, who beat Anushka Khune 7-5, 7-5 Thursday. No. 14 seed Clervie Ngounoue meets Midori Castillo Meza after both won third sets Thursday to advance. Ngounoue beat No. 4 seed Nevena Carton 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 and Castillo managed to close out Nikola Daubnerova of Slovakia 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(4) just minutes before rain ended play Thursday night.

All the 18s second round matches did start Thursday evening, although a few are just a few games into the first set after several court changes due to the condition of the green clay.

Four seeds lost in the six girls matches that were completed: Saki Imamura of Japan defeated Darja Semenistaja of Latvia 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; Julie Belgraver defeated No. 8 seed Savannah Broadus 7-5,6-1; Skyler Grishuk defeated No. 13 seed Yeon Woo Ku of Korea 6-3, 6-3 and qualifier Maya Pitts took out No. 6 seed Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva of Andorra 7-5, 6-4.

The 16-year-old Pitts, who reached the semifinals of a $15,000 tournament in Cancun last month, missed most of 2016 and 2017 with a broken foot that went undiagnosed for an extended period.

"It was a lot of trial and error," said Pitts, who trains with her father in Los Angeles. "It wasn't like I was out two years straight; I kept coming back and re-injuring myself. The doctors really didn't tell me and it took me like a year to get an MRI for them to see that there were cracks in my bones. It was hard, boring and in those two years, everybody gets so much better and you have to play catch up after that."

Pitts said she was confident when she returned to competition this past February, perhaps too confident.

"I didn't have any doubts. If anything I was probably overconfident," Pitts said. "I was away for so long, I was still thinking that I'm in the same place, but then I get back and it's humbling."

Pitts didn't know anything about Jimenez Katsintseva, a 14-year-old who won the Grade A in Mexico early this month and is now 26 in the ITF World Junior rankings.

"I'd never seen her before," Pitts said. "I stuck to my game plan; I figured out what would be a good game plan. I had confidence in myself and I believed I could do it. I had to stay solid during the big points and not stray from my plan."

Pitts, who is playing in her first Grade A, did not feel the win was an especially big one for her.

"For me, it's just another match," said Pitts. "I just look to play the best I can."

Nine boys second round matches are complete, and the eight seeds who finished Thursday all won their matches, including top seed Thiago Tirante of Argentina, who beat Max Westphal of France 6-2, 6-1.

No. 2 seed Martin Damm had dropped the first set to Lilian Marmousez of France 6-4 and it was 2-2 when rain halted play.

18s second round doubles matches were cancelled after the first rain delay this evening, and the 16s doubles did not get on court before the final rain shower. Short scoring is expected to be used in doubles Friday to try to get the tournament back on schedule.

The order of play is not yet out for Friday, but will be available at the tournament website. Currently the forecast contains a 30% chance of rain for Friday.

Only Eight Matches Finish Wednesday at Orange Bowl with Rain Washing Out Play, but Eddie Herr Champion Krueger Ousts Top 16s Seed Lynn; Nakashima Turns Pro

©Colette Lewis 2019--
Plantation FL--

Day Three of the ITF Grade A Orange Bowl had barely begun when rain moved into the area, leaving just eight matches completed and 15 in progress. Rain continued for nearly four hours and around 3 p.m., with little chance the courts would be playable, all matches were cancelled for the day. 

Both 16s third round and 18s second round matches were first on, and each of the four draws did complete at least one match.

In the boys 18s, Inaki Montes-De La Torre of Spain defeated No. 3 seed Shunsuke Mitsui of Japan 6-1, 6-4.  In the girls 18s, Elvina Kalieva downed Gianna Pielet 6-4, 6-2 and No. 5 seed Robin Montgomery defeated Laura Hietaranta of Finland 6-1, 6-1. Eddie Herr semifinalist Kalieva and Montgomery will play in the third round, but not on Thursday, with the only girls 18s singles matches on Thursday the remaining 14 matches from the second round.

In the 16s, three boys have advanced to the quarterfinals, two of them qualifiers. Filippos Astreinidis of Greece defeated qualifier Adam Duan of the United States 6-4, 6-4 and Giulio Perego of Italy beat No. 4 seed Abedallah Shelbayh of Jordan 6-0, 6-1.  No. 3 seed Marc Ktiri of Spain took out No. 15 seed Hugo Hashimoto of the US 6-3, 6-2. The other five boys 16s singles matches were late in the second set or early in the third.

In the girls 16s, two matches were completed. No. 13 seed Vivian Ovrootsky avenged her Eddie Herr quarterfinal loss to Lan Mi of China, taking a 6-4, 6-0 decision. Eddie Herr champion Ashlyn Krueger continued her winning streak, beating top seed Rebecca Lynn, also of the US, 6-3, 6-3 only minutes before rain halted play.

Krueger said she is holding up well after her ninth win in the past ten days.

"My arms a little tired but I'm good," said the 15-year-old from Dallas, who also had to adjust from the Eddie Herr hard courts to the Plantation green clay. "The first match was a little tough, but hitting the day before helped. There isn't that much of a difference, but this clay isn't the best so it's a little harder."

Krueger had to work to get past Lynn, a 15-year-old from California who did not play the Eddie Herr last week.

"She's a good player," Krueger said. "I feel I had to really take control of the points, because if I didn't, she was going to. Moving up, stepping into the court, really placing my serve, that was going to help me."

Up 6-3, 3-0, Krueger lost three straight games before snapping back mentally.

"I had a little walkabout," Krueger said. "It was definitely mental; I was thinking too far ahead, but I got it back and pressed a little harder, kept the balls inside the court."

Krueger is not playing doubles this week, so she will get what is certainly a welcome day off on Thursday.

Play is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Thursday, with completion of the 16s third round and 18s second round in singles. The second round of 16s doubles is scheduled for Thursday, as well as the second round of 18s doubles, with half of the 18s doubles quarterfinals also on the schedule.

For Thursday's order of play, see the tournament website.

Although the official announcement from sports marketing agency GSE Worldwide has not yet been released, 18-year-old Brandon Nakashima will be giving up his final three years of college eligibility to pursue professional tennis. Nakashima, who played for the University of Virginia during the 2019 dual match season, had an ATP ranking of 942 at the beginning of September, but two Challenger semifinals and a quarterfinal helped his ranking rise to its current position of 370, a career high.

Nakashima spoke with Baseline Tennis about his decision to begin his pro tennis career in this article.

Parry Withdraws from Orange Bowl, Blanch Avenges Eddie Herr Loss, Broadus Grinds Out Three-Hour Win as First Round Concludes

©Colette Lewis 2019--

Plantation FL--

The second day at the ITF Grade A Orange Bowl started with the news that No. 1 seed Diane Parry of France, who has been at the site for a couple of days, withdrew due to injury. Lucky loser Lia Karatancheva of Bulgaria took her place at the top of the draw, but she was quickly dispatched 6-0, 6-1 by Barbora Palicova of the Czech Republic. Play was again delayed an hour due to wet courts, but all the remaining first round 18s matches were completed in daylight.

Six seeded girls lost in yesterday's first round matches, but today all five of the seeded girls in action picked up victories. None had a tougher time of it than No. 8 seed Savannah Broadus, who saw a 4-1 lead melt away in the first set, but managed to regroup for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Eddie Herr semifinalist Evialina Laskevich of Belarus.

"I was definitely really frustrated," said Broadus, a 17-year-old from Texas, who needed more than three hours to earn the win. "But I just told myself she has to win another set. To go up 4-1, I was playing really aggressive and solid and moving forward. To lose the set, I stopped doing that, got a little nervous. So in the second set, I just tried to stay aggressive but keep my margins pretty big. She was going to hit some good shots, but I just wanted to be able to stay more solid than she was."

Broadus is into her third week on the North American ITF Junior Clay circuit, and she made the finals in doubles both at the Grade A in Merida Mexico and at last week's Eddie Herr, winning the title in Bradenton. 

"I'm a little tired, but not too bad," Broadus said. "That match was definitely really physical but I think I can take care of my body well enough so that I won't be too burnt out."

Eddie Herr champion Eva Lys of Germany, who played nine matches in nine days, got a day off on Monday, and extended her winning streak to 10 matches with a 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2 win over wild card Kimmi Hance. The second set was the first set Lys has lost in her seven main draw matches on the South Florida green clay.

Eddie Herr finalist Jana Kolodynska of Belarus took a 7-6(2), 6-1 decision from Tara Wurth of Croatia, and top seed Thiago Tirante of Argentina, who has won titles the past two weeks, kept his dream of year-end No. 1 alive with his 13th straight win. Tirante defeated Karl Kazuma Lee 6-1, 6-4 on Stadium Court today.

Tirante was one of eight seeded boys to win first round matches today, meaning only one of the top 16 seeds lost in the first two days of play. Several seeds had to come from behind: No. 6 seed Jeffrey Von Der Schulenburg of Switzerland beat Kokoro Isomura of Japan 5-7, 6-2, 6-1; No. 13 seed Felix Gill of Great Britain outlasted Andrew Dale 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 and No. 11 seed Tim Legout of France won the final four games of his 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-4 victory over wild card Cash Hanzlik.

No. 16 seed Dali Blanch, who reached the 16s final last year, had unpleasant flashbacks to last week, when he also met Roman Burruchaga of Argentina in the opening round in Bradenton, but this week he managed to turn the tables for a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 victory. 

"I was up a set and a break," said the 16-year-old Blanch of that Eddie Herr match, which he lost 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. "I was like, I did it once, let's not do it again."

Yet it appeared history would repeat itself when Blanch saw his 6-3, 5-2, 30-0 lead today turn into a 4-1 third-set advantage for Burruchaga, who went on to the Eddie Herr final last week.

This time it was Blanch who found the resources to finish off his opponent, taking the last five games of the match.

"At 6-3, 5-2 up, I relaxed a bit, he won the set," said Blanch, who practices frequently with Burruchaga in Argentina. "Didn't play as well throughout the third, he missed a few balls, I tried to make him miss more. I had chances and I took them. I have a lot of up and downs, I'm trying to work on that."

Burruchaga looked tired as Blanch caught and passed him.

"I knew he would be tired, but he played pretty well," Blanch said.

No. 2 seed Martin Damm started his Orange Bowl with a win, beating Mikolaj Lorens of Poland 6-3, 6-4.

The second round of 16s singles was completed on Tuesday with only three seeds, two girls and a boy, eliminated.  Top girls seed Rebecca Lynn beat qualifier Anne Moody 6-0, 6-2 and will play Eddie Herr 16s champion Ashlyn Krueger in the third round Wednesday.  Alexis Blokhina defeated No. 11 seed Violeta Martinez 6-3, 6-1 and Nikola Daubnerova of Slovakia defeated No. 8 seed Gabriella Broadfoot of South Africa 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. Lucas Brown defeated No. 14 seed Aidan Kim 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 under the lights at the Frank Veltri Tennis Center.

No. 2 seed Jack Anthrop had no trouble with qualifier Emilio Vila of Mexico, winning 6-1, 6-1, and No. 3 seed Marc Ktiri of Spain advanced with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Ryan Colby. Gabrielius Guzauskas, who beat top seed Marko Andrejic of Austria on Monday, advanced to the third round with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Michael Ross.

The first round of 18s doubles were played this evening, with top seeds Victoria Jimenez Kastinseva of Andorra and Ane Mintegi Del Olmo of Spain advancing. No. 2 seeds Robin Montgomery and France's Giulia Morlet also moved into the second round with a straight-sets win.

Top boys 18s seeds Tirante and Blanch defeated wild cards Leighton Allen and Spencer Brachman 6-1, 3-6, 10-4. No. 2 seeds Martin Krumich of the Czech Republic and Spain's Pedro Vives Marcos also advanced via a third set tiebreaker, beating alternates Jeffrey Fradkin and South Africa's Khololwam Montsi 4-6, 6-1, 10-5.

Draws and Wednesday's order of play as well as a link to live scoring is available at the tournament website.

Guzauskas Takes Down Top 16s Seed; 2018 Finalist Khan Advances During Long First Day at Orange Bowl

©Colette Lewis 2019--
Plantation FL--

A delay of over two hours due to overwatered courts led to a long day at the ITF Grade A Orange Bowl, with first round singles matches extending well past 9 p.m. at the Frank Veltri Tennis Center.

The 16s age division started off the day around noon, and by 2:30 there was already a major upset, with American Gabrielius Guzauskas taking out No. 1 seed and Eddie Herr finalist Marko Andrejic of Austria 6-1, 6-1.

Guzauskas had lost to Andrejic 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 in the quarterfinals of the Eddie Herr 16s last week, with Guzauskas suggesting the change of surface was one of the reasons he was able to avenge that loss.

"I'm more comfortable on clay," said the 16-year-old, who trains at the Tough Tennis Academy in Naples Florida. "Also, I was more aggressive, and I knew what to do, not like last time. I was nervous in the beginning, but I started to loosen up, got my first serves in, tried to keep the pressure on. I knew he was a little tired, because he got to the [Eddie Herr] finals, so I had a little advantage over him. I'm happy I won and I want to keep going."

At the academy, Guzauskas works with 37-year-old Jesse Witten, the 2002 NCAA finalist, who still plays Naples area USTA Pro Circuit events occasionally, recently qualifying and winning a round at a $25,000 tournament in Naples this fall.

"I hit with him almost every day," Guzauskas said. "I can't beat him, I just hope to get one game against him."

Eddie Herr 16s champion Jack Anthrop, again the No. 2 seed this week, was able to make the transition from hard to clay, coming from 4-2 down in the first set to beat Jonah Braswell 6-4, 6-2.

Top 16s seed Rebecca Lynn had a long, tough battle with qualifier Adeliya Mukhutdinova of Russia, but the 15-year-old from Southern California came through by a score of 7-5, 1-6, 6-1.

The long wait to get on court was especially frustrating for seven seeds in the 18s, with six girls and one boys seeds eliminated today.

American girls took out four seeds, with wild card Reese Brantmeier, playing with an injured wrist on her left hand, defeating No. 10 seed Maria Timofeeva of Russia 6-1, 7-6(5) and wild card Eleana Yu closing out the singles competition under the lights with a 6-2, 6-2 win over No. 7 seed Ane Mintegi Del Olmo of Spain.  Gianna Pielet defeated No. 9 seed Dayeon Back of Korea 6-4, 6-1 and Hibah Shaikh beat No. 16 seed Darja Vidmanova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-3.

No. 12 seed Kristyna Lavickova of the Czech Republic lost to Lucia Nguyen Tan of France 6-4, 6-3 and No. 4 seed Melodie Collard was beaten by Celia Mohr of France 7-5, 6-4.

No. 10 seed Eliot Spizzirri, a wild card who did not play the Eddie Herr, lost to Santiago De La Fuente of Argentina 6-3, 6-4.

Another American wild card, No. 12 seed Zane Khan, has had an injury-plagued 2019, with hamstring and rib problems keeping him out of competition from June until September. Khan, the 2018 Orange Bowl finalist, had played only ITF World Tennis Tour events, as well as the Houston Challenger since September, making two quarterfinals in Cancun last month. He took a wild card into the Grade A in Merida two weeks ago, losing in the first round, but after beating Gian Luca Tanner of Switzerland 6-2, 6-4 today, Khan is looking forward to another junior match.

"I'm happy to win a match this time," Khan said. "I thought I was going to maybe lose first round again like I did in Merida. I don't expect to win the tournament; I just started playing again, having really played any junior tournaments, so I'm just happy to be out here and happy to play every match I can."

Khan was aware that Tanner had beaten top seed Martin Damm at the Eddie Herr last week, and knew he had to stay on the offensive to earn the win.

"I served pretty good," said Khan, who continues to work with his uncle Shariq Khan and Antonio Fernandez, as well as former ATP pro Sebastien Grosjean, who was at the match today. "I kept trying to dictate with my forehand and backhand, stay aggressive, not let him try to take over the points, because when he started to take over, he was pretty good."

The first round of 16s doubles was completed Monday night, and the second round of singles for the 16s is scheduled for Tuesday.

Top seeds Diane Parry of France and Thiago Tirante of Argentina will take the court on Tuesday for their first round matches in the 18s, with the first round of singles concluding Tuesday, with the first round of doubles on the schedule.  Tirante and Dali Blanch of the United States are the boys top seeds, with Mintegi Del Olmo and Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva of Andorra the girls top seeds.

Draws and Tuesday's order of play are available at the tournament website.

Qualifier Lys Takes Eddie Herr ITF Grade 1 Girls Title; Tirante Sets Sights on World No. 1 After Winning Boys Championship; Orange Bowl Begins Monday with Parry, Tirante Top Seeds

©Colette Lewis 2019--
Bradenton FL--

Eva Lys did not anticipate leaving Bradenton as the Eddie Herr ITF champion. Nine days and nine matches after she took the IMG Academy green clay courts as a 336th-ranked qualifier, the 17-year-old German defied her own expectations, beating unseeded Jana Kolodynska of Belarus 6-3, 6-3 for her first Grade 1 title.

"Actually I came here without hopes," said Lys, who has been dealing with a series of injuries throughout the year. "That sounds so sad, but I came here just to play. I almost lost in qualies, so I never thought I would go that far."

Lys began the match receiving and lost the first four points, attributing that start to the toll her previous eight matches had taken.

"I was so tight this match," Lys said. "I started this match not so good, lost four points in a row. I couldn't put a ball in because my legs were so tired, my arms everything, but I fought through it, I guess."

After holding serve, Lys began to use her forehand effectively, and converted her second break point to take a 2-1 lead. Kolodynska kept the set close with her uncanny defense, but she was having difficulty getting her first serve in play, and was forced to work hard to hold, while Lys didn't face a break point in the opening set.  With Kolodynska serving at 3-5, Lys again earned two break points and converted the second to take the set, also with a forehand winner.

The second set began with Kolodynska converting her first break point, and after saving a break point her first service game, the 16-year-old held with a forehand winner of her own. Down 2-0 and 0-30 in the next game, Lys looked headed for a third set for the first time in the main draw, but she held and broke, with Kolodynska throwing in a couple of uncharacteristic errors.

"Actually I couldn't really play my game with her," Lys said. "I was so afraid to make a mistake, because she doesn't make many. I was playing defensive and that's not my game, that's why the second set was a tough one."

After struggling in the early stages of the second set, Lys requested a coaching visit from her sister, Lisa Matviyenko, a 22-year-old who is currently playing the ITF World Tennis Tour and has a WTA ranking of 587. Despite going down a break again when losing the fifth game of the second set, Lys took her sister's advice, and used it to win the next four games.

"She told me to play my game," Lys said. "She said even if I make some mistakes at first, it's fine, because first you're going to make three mistakes, but then you're going to win eight. I tried to play by that thought and it worked."

After holding with an ace to go up 4-3, Lys took advantage of a Kolodynska double fault and a backhand error, and suddenly she was serving for the match. Up 40-15, she dumped a backhand on the first match point, but Kolodynska missed a return on the second match point and Lys had her title.

"It's incredible," said Lys, who is considering playing collegiate tennis in the United States, but probably not next year. "When I was up 40-15, I already started crying. But I said, ok, it's not the end, then I made such an easy mistake. I said, come on, you've got this and when I won the point, so many emotions. I can't describe it."

Kolodynska was disappointed in her performance, admitting that her three-hour and eight-minute win over Elvina Kalieva in Saturday's semifinal was a factor.

"I am really tired; it was a really hard match, three hours we play," Kolodynska said of the tense 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5) victory over the American. "Today, she played very aggressive, amazing. It was very good match for her. My serve today was not good and it's very important part of tennis. Today was not my day."

Both Lys, who received a special exemption, and Kolodynska are in the main draw at next week's Orange Bowl.

While Lys and Kolodynska both spoke of their fatigue, No. 2 seed Thiago Tirante did not mention his, although he was playing his second major final in two weeks, with just one day off in between. Showing no signs of wearing down, the 18-year-old from Argentina fought past unseeded compatriot Roman Burruchaga 6-4, 6-2 to claim a second title in eight days.

Although both are from Argentina, the pair had never played, although they were once on a 10-and-under team at the same time.

"But of course I know his game, and he knows mine," Tirante said.

Tirante earned the first break at at 2-all in the opening set, and began to take control of the match with another to go up 5-2. But Burruchaga broke back and held, putting the pressure back on Tirante, who fell behind 15-40 when serving for the set for a second time.

Burruchaga wasn't able to capitalize however, missing a volley and then failing to get a second serve return back in play, and four points later Tirante converted his second set point to take the lead.

"To win the first set in this match is very important for me," said Tirante, who did not drop a set all week. "When he breaks me, I don't make mistakes, he plays very good points, so I know that. But I say I have to stay more focused."

Tirante began to roll in the second set, eliminating any errors and dictating play with his forehand. Burruchaga tried to stay with him and came out ahead in several captivating rallies, but he couldn't find a way to consistently challenge the Tirante forehand.

"I think I just need to play more aggressive," said the 17-year-old Burruchaga, the son of soccer star Jorge Burruchaga, who scored the winning goal in Argentina's 3-2 World Cup final victory over Germany in 1986. "He take the court with his forehand and I just ran. When I take the court, it is better, but today it was impossible, because he has very good forehand. He play better than me today, but it was a great week, first [Grade 1] final. I play Orange Bowl, the last tournament of the year, and I want to enjoy next week."

Tirante, who won the Grade A in Mexico last Sunday night, heads to the Orange Bowl with a clear goal: ITF World Junior Champion for 2019.

"This means very much to me," Tirante said of the Eddie Herr title. "I stay close to Number 1 and next week if I go for semifinals, final at Orange Bowl I can be Number 1, so I try to do my best and go for everything."

Girls singles draw
Boys singles draw
Girls doubles draw
Boys doubles draw

Tirante is the No. 1 seed in Plantation, with Martin Damm seeded No. 2. Other seeded Americans are wild cards Eliot Spizzirri[10], last year's finalist Zane Khan[12] and Dali Blanch[16].

American boys who qualified today are Hunter Heck, Daniel Milavsky, JJ Tracy, JC Roddick, Max McKennon and Karl Kazuma Lee.

ITF World No. 1 girls junior Diane Parry is the only Top 10 player in the Orange Bowl field, and her ranking is not in danger, but she did not withdraw. French Open champion Leylah Fernandez of Canada, in the No. 3 position, was entered but withdrew in the past few days. Alexandra Eala of the Philippines is the No. 2 seed. The three seeded Americans are Alexandra Yepifanova[3], Robin Montgomery[5] and Savannah Broadus[8].

US girls who qualified today are: Fiona Crawley, Sophia Fornaris, Mary Stoiana, Maya Pitts and Amber McGinnis.

Draws and Monday's order of play is available at the tournament website.

Live scoring is available at
http://orangebowltennis.smtinternetservices.com/Default.aspx

Qualifier Lys, Unseeded Kolodynska in Eddie Herr Girls ITF Final; Argentina's Tirante and Burruchaga Meet for Boys Title; Broadus and Collins Take ITF Girls Doubles; Anthrop and Krueger Claim 16s Titles

©Colette Lewis 2019--
Bradenton, FL--

When qualifier Eva Lys of Germany and unseeded Jana Kolodynska of Belarus meet Sunday morning in the first ITF Grade 1 final for both, Lys will have had the advantage of needing only an hour to defeat Evialina Laskevich of Belarus 6-1, 6-1 in today's semifinal, while Kolodynska took more than three hours to get past American Elina Kalieva 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5). But Lys will be playing her ninth match since last Saturday, so that advantage may be limited.

Lys, who had lost 6-4, 6-1 to Laskevich in an ITF Grade 2 in October, was confident that she would perform better in the rematch.

"I had many injuries this year and I was recovering," said the 17-year-old from Hamburg. "That was my first tournament after the injury and I wasn't very fit. She played good, but I couldn't run. I felt very, very good on court today and I played how I'm supposed to play. She was playing fine, she was playing good, but I just didn't give her a chance to do something that would make me stop playing the way I was playing."

With all her injuries this year, Lys had a different perspective on this tournament.

"I think it easier for me to play, because I don't have anything to lose," said Lys, who last made a Grade 1 semifinal 18 months ago in Morocco. "My ranking is 300 and I'm just enjoying to be here, so I had a very great day."

Fortunately for Lys, she has not lost a set in the main draw this week, keeping her court time to a minimum, and she knows there is just one more match to go.

"I am pretty tired, and I will probably go to the physio and try to relax there, but I am happy to be playing the finals tomorrow," Lys said.

Kolodynska was up 6-4, 4-2 against Kalieva when the American caught fire, winning four straight games to even the match. The third set was a grind for both players, with Kalieva unable to overpower Kolodynska, who would get ball after ball back in play, often using high, heavy, deep balls to reset the point after a Kalieva attack.

Kalieva had an opportunity to break and serve for the match with Kolodynska down 15-40 at 3-4, but Kolodynska won the next four points and broke Kalieva at love to earn a chance to serve out the match herself. After not missing a ball for several games, Kolodynska suddenly looked vulnerable, with a double fault and a forehand error putting Kalieva back in the match.

"I played a very bad game," said the 16-year-old right-hander, who was broken at 15-40. "I must play aggressive but I am very nervous, because it's semifinal Eddie Herr; it's the best tournament of my life and it's very important for me to win today."

Kalieva picked up her game then, hitting four winners to go up 6-5 and it was Kolodynska who then faced the pressure of serving for a tiebreaker. At 30-30, a rally of over 30 balls eventually went Kolodynska's way and after a Kalieva shot was called good by the line judge but disputed by Kolodynska, the chair looked at the mark and called it out, putting the match in a tiebreaker.

Kalieva had mostly contained her frustration with Kolodynska's relentless defense, but after another long rally that she could not control in the third point of the tiebreaker, she seemed to unravel, shouting "holy sh*t, how does that happen?" after Kolodynska hit three or four lines after retrieving potential Kalieva winners. Coded for an audible obscenity, Kalieva found herself down 6-2 before she regrouped, getting back on serve by winning three straight points. But on match point No. 4, Kolodynska came up with a short-angle forehand winner after a brief rally to end Kalieva's hopes of another comeback.

Lys and Kolodynska have not met before, but Kolodynska was adamant that she will play more aggressive and less tentatively than she did today.

"I won't play nervous, I will play with my head," Kolodynska said.

Argentina will have its first boys ITF champion since Luciano Vitullo in 2000 after Sunday's final, when No. 2 seed Thiago Tirante of Argentina faces Roman Burruchaga.  Tirante, who is now No. 4 in the ITF World Junior rankings, earned his second win over Arthur Cazaux of France in the past seven days, having beating Cazaux in three sets in the ITF Grade A Merida final and 6-4, 6-2 in today's semifinal. Tirante attributed the easier win today to the change in several conditions from the Mexico and Florida tournaments.

"I think the other one in Mexico was more slow and that's why [that match] was longer," said the 18-year-old from La Plata. "At Mexico we play with Head championship balls, so it was more faster than here. I was ready for a longer match, and in the beginning I play a little bit nervous, a little bit not good. I won the first set, very tough, and I think in the second set he don't play good, he lost focus in the match, so I play more and more aggressive."

Tirante decided to try for the ITF World Junior Top 4 in order to get special exemptions into three $25,000 World Tennis Tour events in 2020, and by winning the Grade A last week, he is still in the hunt for the No. 1 ITF Junior Circuit year-end ranking.

"I was 7 before, and I have to finish 4 in the rankings," Tirante said. "I come here to get the 4. But if I win this tournament and the other one, I take the No. 1. I play good tennis, I am confident, so I think have to try to do that."

Burruchaga, a year younger than Tirante, trailed No. 8 seed Timo Legout of France 4-1 in the second set, but won six of the next seven games for a 7-6(1), 7-5 win and a place in a Grade 1 final for the first time.

Tirante said he doesn't mind playing Burruchaga in the final.

"I know him so much, both of us know so much," Tirante said. "But I play good, stay to play my game and I will play point by point."

The ITF doubles champions were decided Saturday afternoon, with unseeded Savannah Broadus and Kylie Collins of the United States defeating No. 5 seeds Giulia Morlet of France and Diana Shnaider of Russia 6-3, 7-6(6).

Morlet and Shnaider, both left-handers, served for the second set at 5-4 and 6-5, but Broadus and Collins won both games, the latter on a deciding point to send it to a tiebreaker. At 5-all in the tiebreaker, Collins crushed a backhand winner to give her team a match point, but Morlet saved it with a well-executed forehand volley. Broadus earned a second match point with a backhand volley winner, and Morlet double faulted to end the match.

"I thought in this match we played really solid," said the 17-year-old Broadus, the 2019 Wimbledon girls doubles champion. "A couple of games every now and then we got a little tight, but we worked through it."

"I think our communication was good all throughout the tournament," said Collins, who turned 17 on Wednesday. "Our energy, the more we picked it up the better we started playing, so it was perfect."

Broadus and Collins, who saved a match point in their 6-7(6), 7-6(4), 10-2 semifinal win over Americans Reese Brantmeier and Allie Gretkowski, had played together previously and gotten to finals, but this was their first title as a team.

"The whole match, we knew how we wanted to play and it was just going out and executing it," Collins said.

Collins and Broadus will be playing together at next week's Orange Bowl.

The boys doubles title went to No. 5 seeds Jeffrey Von Der Schulenburg of Switzerland and Alexander Hoogmartens of Belgium, who defeated No. 3 seeds Arthur Fery and Felix Gill of Great Britain 7-6(3), 6-2.

Von Der Schulenburg and Hoogmartens were playing together for the first time, after Von Der Schulenburg had admired Hoogmartens' doubles game when he was an opponent at the ITF Grade A in Osaka this fall.

"I lost to him in doubles and I thought he played quite well, so I asked him if he would like to play with me," said Von Der Schulenburg.

It didn't take long for the pair to realize that they had a chance at the title.

"We had never played together and in the first round we played two quite good Germans and we won easily," the 17-year-old Von Der Schulenburg said. "We played a really good match, and you know it just clicked."

They were tested in the final, with very little separating the two teams.

"The first set was tough, really close," said Hoogmartens, also 17. "It's a little bit difficult, when it's a lefty and a righty, always changing up."

"So maybe it took us a few games to get used to how to play," Von Der Schulenburg said. "The first set could have gone either way. It was so important. In the second set, Alex played a really good service game and then we're 3-0 up and you don't really relax, but you feel a bit more comfortable."

Von Der Schulenburg and Hoogmartens will also be playing the Orange Bowl as a team.

Sunday's order of play
Boys singles draw
Girls singles draw
Boys doubles draw
Girls doubles draw

The finals in the 12s, 14s, and 16s divisions were played Saturday, with Americans sweeping the singles titles in the 16s.

Jack Anthrop, the No. 2 seed, defeated top seed Marko Andrejic of Austria 6-3, 6-1 to claim the boys 16s title.

Trailing 2-0 in the first set, Anthrop decided a change was in order.

"He was playing very well in the beginning," said Anthrop, who turned 16 last month. "He came out firing forehands and backhands, both corners and I was playing a little bit more defense than I would have liked. I realized I had to start hitting the ball a bit bigger, moving more into the court or I was not going to win this match."

Anthrop had lost to Andrejic early this year at the Grade 1 in Costa Rica, so he had that history to draw on.

"I realized I was up for a challenge and I knew what to expect," said Anthrop, a resident of Orlando Florida. "So I think I did very well today to prepare to come battle."

Anthrop, who did not lose more than four games in a set all week, could have played qualifying in the 18s based on his ITF ranking of 218, but with the ITF limits on tournaments one of the factors, he decided to play 16s instead.

"I'm actually almost maxed out in the ITFs I can play this year," said Anthrop, who will also be playing 16s at the Orange Bowl. "It was probably the best decision, since I age out of 16s next year. I'm very, very pleased that I managed to win this tournament in my last year in the 16s."

Ashlyn Krueger received a wild card into the 16s tournament, and the 15-year-old from Texas made the best of it, taking the title with a 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 7 seed Qavia Lopez, also from the United States.

Krueger, the No. 8 seed, has been playing a combination of Pro Circuit events and ITF events, but she decided to set her sights on a title this week.

"I started slow this week, but towards the end, I really upped my game," said the 6-foot-1 Krueger, who has been working with Dave Licker at the Lakes Tennis Academy in Frisco for the past several months. "I feel like I'm an all-court player, but I also like to hit big from the baseline and look for my opportunity to come to the net. Today I had to [do that] because she's a good baseliner, so winning points at the net was how I was going to win."

Krueger fell behind 3-0 to start the final, but although she admitted to some nerves, she didn't panic.

"I am a slow starter, so I just had to stay calm," said Krueger, who ended the 20-match Eddie Herr winning streak of 12s and 14s champion Brenda Fruhvirtova of the Czech Republic in the semifinals. "It was hard, because she's one of my friends, but it came down to mental and physical. She played really well, so I just had to up my game and play better."

Lopez was not entirely satisfied with her performance in the final.

"It definitely wasn't my best tennis," said the 14-year-old from Milwaukee. "I think she played pretty solid the whole match and was a bit more steady than I was. I needed to play more inside the court rather than be on more defense, that was something I definitely could have done"

Lopez admitted that the occasion could have been a factor.

"I don't know if it was nerves; I've never been in a final of a tournament this big before, especially not in 16s," Lopez said. "But the week overall was a good week: good tennis, good players."

Lopez and Krueger will both be playing the 16s Orange Bowl next week.

The 14s titles went to the No. 1 seeds, with Kayla Cross of Canada defeating No. 13 seed Sara Saito of Japan 6-3, 6-1 and Mihai Coman of Romania downing No. 12 seed Benjamin Kreynes of the United States 6-3, 7-6(3).

Cross, who needed barely an hour to take the title, has been dominant all week, losing just 15 games in her six victories.

"I had a good game plan and I executed it really well today," said Cross, 14. "I was really motivated every point and I didn't miss random shots. I made sure I was focused every single shot, no matter what the score was."

Cross, who lost in the second round at the Eddie Herr last year, admitted that she was nervous, but got her emotions under control early.

"Going in the as the first seed was a lot of pressure," Cross said. "In the finals, I was nervous, but I was really excited to be playing on that court, being able to show people how much I've improved."

Nathalie Tauziat, the 1998 Wimbledon women's finalist, who has coached for Tennis Canada since her retirement, supported Cross throughout the week.

"She just starting coaching me about a month ago," Cross said. "I think for 15 weeks she's coming to help us out. She's been helping me a lot because I'm one of the older ones there. I get to hit with her a lot and she's really good to travel with, she gives really good feedback. I love coming to the net, so she always encourages me, where some coaches don't like that."

Cross is going back home to Canada for five days, but will return to play the Junior Orange Bowl in Coral Gables.

Coman looked to be in control in the final against Kreynes at 6-3, 5-3, but Kreynes made him work for the title.

"At 5-4, match point, I guess I was a little bit nervous to finish the set and to win the tournament," said Coman, 14. "Fortunately I managed my emotions good and finished in two sets, not three sets."

Kreynes couldn't quite get the points he needed to put pressure on Coman.

"He played well today, and I couldn't really do much," said Kreynes, a 13-year-old who trains at the Sanchez-Casal Academy in Naples Florida and its sister academy in Spain. "I had chances at 6-5, but I was returning so I couldn't really do anything."

Kreynes was happy with his tournament this week, considering he wasn't in top form until recently.

"A couple of months back I wasn't playing very well, but a month back I stared playing better, so I'm glad that I could make the final," said Kreynes, who is planning to play the Junior Orange Bowl.

Coman, who is playing both the 16s Orange Bowl and the Junior Orange Bowl, gives credit to the ITF Junior Grand Slam Development 14U Team for helping him on this trip.

"Without them I couldn't be here," Coman said. "It's a good feeling to win this tournament, I'm very nervous right now. But if you win the Eddie Herr it doesn't mean you'll be an ATP player. You have to work, maybe harder than you worked before."

In the 12s, No. 4 seed Manas Dhamne became the first player from India to win an Eddie Herr singles title, beating No. 3 seed Max Exsted of the United States 3-6, 6-0, 10-6.

Dhamne knew after the first set he had to change tactics.

"The way he was playing, I needed to take the balls in front, not give him more time," said Dhamne, who trains in Pune. "The first set I made mistakes and he was not missing, so the second set I was taking the ball early, not giving him time."

Exsted, the 2019 USTA 12s champion, admitted that he ran out of energy in the second set, with his semifinal win over top seed Alejandro Arcila of Colombia taking its toll.

"He started being a lot more aggressive and I missed a lot more," said Exsted, who is from Savage, Minnesota.  "I think physically and mentally, the day before took a lot out of me."

In the girls 12s, No. 2 seed Alina Korneeva took the title in an all-Russia final, beating doubles partner and top seed Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-3. It was just the third loss of the year for Andreeva, who had won four Category 1 tournaments in Europe this year and last lost a match in February.

The doubles champions were crowned in the 12s, 14s and 16s, with the winners pictured and the results in the captions.

Ozan Colak(USA) & Aidan Kim(USA)[2] d.

Gonzalo Bueno(PER) & Felipe Lopez(CHI) 7-6(5), 6-2

Sarah Hamner(USA) & Vivian Ovrootsky(USA)[1] d. 

Ava Krug(USA) & Qavia Lopez(USA)[6] 6-1, 6-4

Michael Kouame(FRA) & Fabio Nestola(GBR) d.

Juan Prado(BOL) & Lucas Silva(BRA)[2] 2-6, 7-6(4), 10-4

Kayla Cross(CAN) & Nikola Daubnerova(SVK)[1] d.

Ena Koike (USA) & Sara Saito(JPN) 6-4, 6-1

Se Hyuk Cho(KOR) & Minsoek Maeng(KOR)[6]) d.

Manas Dhamne(IND) & Aarav Samrat Hada(NPL)[2] 7-6(5), 6-2

Mirra Andreeva(RUS) & Alina Korneeva(RUS)[1] d. 

JaiYi Wang(CHN) & Yifei Huang(CHN)[7] 6-2, 6-3

For complete draws, see the TennisLink site