In the span of 24 hours, Denis Shapovalov played two of the most dramatic matches at the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships.
The 17-year-old from Canada withstood the spirited challenge from qualifier Juan Benitez of Colombia Friday advancing into the semifinals at The Boulevard Tennis Club with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win.
Against Benitez, Shapovalov took a 4-1 lead in the second set after dropping the first, but was not able to sustain his lead. He needed to grind out a service break in the 10th game of the second set, with Benitez showing signs of fatigue and cramping, to force the third set and stave off elimination.
“It was definitely massive,” said Shapovalov of breaking Benitez to close out the second set. “At that point I could already see that Juan was already starting to feel his calf a little bit. I knew that game was a very big turning point. I knew if he held serve there, it would have been very tough for me to win that set. I managed to hit a few big shots I played a very big point on break point and managed to win the set.”
Shapovalov cruised in the final set as Benitez suffered cramping in his legs and hands, playing the last three points left-handed as his right-hand cramped so badly that he could not hold the racquet.
“It was very courageous of him to finish the match,” said Shapovalov.
Thursday night, Shapovalov escaped in a third-set tiebreak, defeating another qualifier, Michael Zhu of Princeton, N.J., 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (1) to continue his impressive streak of success in pro tennis. Friday’s quarterfinal win for Shapovalov was his 13th singles win in his last 14 matches this month and his eighth in a row after winning the singles title last week in Orange Park, Fla., just outside Jacksonville. Since January, Shapovalov has won three “Futures” level minor league tournaments and has seen his ranking improve 678 spots to his current perch of No. 452.
In Saturday’s semifinals, Shapovalov will face Jonas Luetjen, a 25-year-old from Germany who was the last player directly accepted into the Vero Beach field. Leutjen defeated No. 2 seed Deiton Baughman of Carson, Calif., 6-3, 6-2 Friday.
Ranked No. 915 on the ATP World Tour computer, Luetjen was not originally a direct entry into the 32-player event, but slid into the field after a few players withdrew from the event, saving him from having to win four qualifying round matches just to enter the main draw of the tournament.
“Playing in the qualifying is brutal,” said Leutjen. “Even though you may win some of the matches easily, it drains you and hurts you in the main draw.”
After finishing his college career at the University of Mississippi in 2013, Luetjen played six months on the Futures and Challenger tour, before having cartigledge problems with his right knee that kept him off the courts for seven months. In early 2015, he then missed eight months of play due to a groin injury that required surgery. His pro career has taken as far as Iran and Sri Lanka in search of ATP points.
The other semifinal Saturday will feature Martins Podzus of Latvia against 17-year-old Vasil Kirkov of Tampa, Fla. Kirkov, who is a lucky-loser entry into the event after losing in the final-round of the qualifying tournament on Monday, defeated Ecuador Davis Cupper Roberto Quiroz 7-6 (5), 6-4. Kirkov has been a frequent visitor to Vero Beach training at The Windsor Club with Ivan Lendl, who is a coaching consultant for the USTA’s Player Development program.
Podzus defeated 18-year-old Chilean Juan Manuel Barrios Vera 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in Friday’s first quarterfinal.
“It was very tough match,” said Podzus of his quarterfinal victory. “I was sad to lose the first set from being up 2-0, 40-0. It was disappointing. The second set was also tough. I was lucky that I won in the third set.”
Podzus was a quarterfinalist in Vero Beach in 2013 and now, in his second appearance at this event, has advanced at least one round better by reaching the semifinals. He is in Vero Beach with his twin brother Janis, whom he partnered with in the doubles competition, losing in the semifinals. Martins is right-handed while Janis is left-handed, drawing some comparisons to another set of twins, the Bryan twins, Bob and Mike Bryan, the all-time greatest doubles team in tennis history.
“We are twins but we don’t look the same like the Bryans,” said Podzus. “Our height is almost the same He’s lefty. I am righty. Our parents gave us racquets when we were two years old and said ‘Go guys. Let’s play some tennis.’ I didn’t know any other sport. Just tennis was all.”
Saturday’s singles semifinals start at 1 pm with the second semifinal to follow, to start not before 2 pm. Sunday singles and doubles finals begin at 11 am.
Friday’s Quarterfinal Results
Martins Podzus, Latvia d. Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera, Chile 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
(LL) Vasil Kirkov, United States d. Roberto Qurioz, Ecuador 7-6(5), 6-4
(3) Denis Shapovalov, Canada d. (Q) Juan Manuel Benitez Chavarriaga, Colombia 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
Jonas Luetjen, Germany d. (2) Deiton Baughman, United States 6-3, 6-2
Saturday’s Schedule
Stadium (Starting at 1PM)
(3) Denis Shapovalov, Canada v. Jonas Luetjen, Germany
Not before 2PM
(LL) Vasil Kirkov, United States v. Martins Podzus, Latvia
Fans can follow news and developments on the tournament on Facebook and on Twitter at @VeroFutures and by going to the website www.TennisVeroBeach.com
Tournament match start times are as follows:
1 pm Saturday, April 30, Singles semifinals
11 am Sunday, May 1 (likely doubles championship match first, followed by singles championship match at 1 pm, depending on if a player is competing in both finals)
Starting in 2016, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation is the new operator of the $10,000 “Futures” tennis tournament in Vero Beach, one of the longest-running and best attended events on the U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit. The tournament, now called The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, benefits the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the non-profit tennis foundation benefiting children, named for Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, a former top 10 tennis star, U.S. Davis Cup hero and silver medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games. The event was managed for 20 years by Vero Beach tennis teaching professional Mike Rahaley, who made the annual Vero Beach stop one of the crown jewels on the USTA Pro Circuit. The 2016 tournament will be held April 22 through May 1 at The Boulevard Tennis Club.
Founded in 2007, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishFoundation.com and @MardyFishFound on Twitter) currently supports over 2,100 children in 15 elementary schools and six middle schools in Indian River County, Florida by providing after-school exercise, nutritional and enrichment programs in a safe environment to prepare them for healthy, productive and successful lives. The Foundation introduced the “Six Healthy Habits” in 2012 which are Get Sleep; Drink Water; Exercise Daily, Eat Healthy; Brush and Floss; Make Friends.” Mardy Fish recently completed his ATP professional tennis career at the 2015 U.S. Open, highlighted by a career-high ranking of No. 7, six ATP singles titles, eight ATP doubles titles and an Olympic silver medal in singles at the 2004 Olympics. He reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and was a mainstay on the U.S. Davis Cup team from 2002 to 2012.
Some of the past competitors in Vero Beach have gone on to succeed at the highest levels of professional tennis, winning major singles and doubles titles, Olympic medals and Davis Cup championships and earning No. 1 world rankings. Andy Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion who attained the world No. 1 ranking and helped the United States win the Davis Cup in 2007 competed in Vero Beach in 1999. Thomas Johansson of Sweden, who reached the second round of the Vero Beach Futures in 1995, won the Australian Open seven years later in 2002. Nicolas Massu, the 1998 singles runner-up in Vero Beach, won the singles and doubles gold medals at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, beating Fish in the gold medal singles match. Kyle Edmund, the 2013 champion in Vero Beach, helped Great Britain to the Davis Cup title in 2015. Other notable former competitors in Vero Beach include former world No. 2 Magnus Norman, former world No. 4 Tim Henman, 2016 Australian Open semifinalist Milos Raonic among others. Former Vero Beach competitors have combined to win 19 titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles at Grand Slam tournaments. Six former Vero Beach players have gone on to play Davis Cup for the United States – Roddick, Fish, Taylor Dent, Jared Palmer, Donald Young and Ryan Harrison.
Sponsors and supporters of the event are as follows:
Grand Slam Sponsors
SorensenRealEstate.com
Boston Barricade
Laser Spine Institute
George E. Warren Corp.
Indian River Medical Center
Syde Hurdus Foundation
PNC Bank
Backhand Sponsors
John’s Island Real Estate
Coastal Van Lines Storage
Indian River Press Journal / TCPalm.com
Barbara Ettinger
Dr. Larry Landsman
Dr. John Sarbak
Citrus Grillhouse
White Orchid Day Spa
Gene Simonsen
Michael & Kathleen Pierce
Center Court
Publix
Indian River Oxygen
Forehand Sponsors
Rosato Plastic Surgery Center
Kay C. Betancourt, DMD
Jeff & Rosanne Susi
Mello Financial
Jean Ueltschi
Sam & Susie Bell
Cravings
Sue Powell Rentals
William Barhorst
Peter Bernholz Family
Don & Linda Proctor
The Whole Person Project, Inc.
Ocean Drive Plastic Surgery
Ocean Drive Elite Physiques
Huryn Construction
Riverside Café
Barker Air Conditioning
Bill & Laurie Stewart
Steve McCloud / Wells Fargo Private Mortgage Banking
Coggin BMW of Ft. Pierce / Mercedes of Ft. Pierce
Twig Swim & Sportswear Shop
Osceola Bistro
Supporting Sponsors and Patrons
The Moorings Yacht & Country Club
New Leaf Designs
A Pampered Life / Disney Spa
Carpe Antiperspirant Hand Lotion
Robert Kowalczyk – Moorings Yacht & Country Club
Win Detergent
Calvetti & Company
NewChapterMedia.com
Steve Hardin – Twin Oaks Tennis Club
Aurelija Merrill – John’s Island Club
Carol Donnelly
Roy & Tish Wissel
Boast
Hutchinson’s Florist
Casey’s Restaurant
Chelsea’s Market
Tennis Resort at the ESPN Wide World of Sports at Disney
Sassy Boutique
Quail Valley Club
Bottle Shop
Busy Bee
Veranda
Avanzare
Maison Beach Gifts
Center for Advanced Eye Care
Diamond Resorts International
Monreal London
Rock City Gardens
Tina Simone Company
Pogues, Inc.
Kevin Healy, M.S., D.S.
Chiropractic Nutrition and Wellness
Treasure Coast Sports Commission
Saddlebrook Academy
Nailtiques
Sam Garcia – Quail Valley Club
Dr. Raymond Della Porta, D.M.D.
Yulin Day Spa
Pat Gorman – Bent Pine Golf Club
Frosting
Grind & Grape bar & grill
JMcLaughlin
Vero Beach Yoga Barre
Ken & Annette Krasnow
Indian River County School District
Body Network
Studio Gabriel
Quinn Hiaason
Tommy Falcone
Sandy Malone
Spring Hill Suites by Marriott
Vero Beach Inn & Suites
Seaside Grill
Swarovski Jewelry
Minuteman Press
Dr. Michele Maholtz
Jony Leitenbauer and Tom Fish – Windsor Club
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