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Donald Young

Matthew Segura Advances Past Donald Young at Mardy Fish Futures

Randy Walker · October 22, 2021 · Leave a Comment

Vero Beach is Matthew Segura’s kinda town.

The great nephew of tennis Hall of Famer Pancho Segura advanced into the quarterfinals of the $15,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships Thursday night at The Boulevard, defeating former U.S. Olympian and Davis Cupper Donald Young after leading 6-3, 4-0, with Young abandoning the match with a left hamstring injury.

The win puts Segura into the quarterfinals of an ITF World Tennis Tour event for the first time in his career. His first-round win over 16-year-old Cooper Williams earned Segura his first career ATP ranking point. Segura’s run this week marks another chapter in his run of success through the years in Vero Beach. He is a three-time winner of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation annual “Wild Card” tournament at Sea Oaks, where the tournament awards a main draw wild card into this event. Segura lost in the first round of this event in 2018 and 2019 after winning the “wild card” event but last year when the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships was held as a Universal Tennis event (not awarding ATP ranking points) Segura was the singles runner-up. Since Segura won the 2020 wild card event but was unable to cash in on his “free entry” at the 2020 tournament (since any player can enter at Universal Tennis event and there is not cut-off), Mardy Fish Championships tournament directors Tom Fish and Randy Walker saved the wild card for Segura to be used for the 2021 event, where he would need help to get in the tournament since he had no ATP ranking.

“Each year was a learning experience for me,” said Segura in his post-match interview that you can see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fK9iGbD4QA&t=22s

His win over the top-seeded Young, the 32-year-old who reached the fourth of the U.S. Open twice, but now ranked No. 425, is his best win in his career to date.

“I just went out there and trusted my ability and my game,” said Segura after the win, that was highlighted by many wicked double-and-single-fisted winners from the baseline that had Young a bit shell-shocked.

Segura will next face former University of Illinois standout Ezekial Clark, the No. 7 seed from Tulsa Oklahoma, who defeated 17-year-old Michael Zheng of Montville, N.J. Thursday.

The match of the day on Thursday came when Ben Shelton, seeded No. 4 in Vero Beach this week, registered a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Blaise Bicknell of Jamaica. There seemed to be no love lost between the former teammates at the University of Florida. Despite winning an NCAA national team championship together under the guidance of Shelton‘s coach/father Bryan Shelton, Bicknell,  who went 32-0 in singles last year for Florida, transferred to Tennessee. Both players loudly celebrated winning shots as if it were playing against a hated rival in a heated college tennis match.. The slugfest turned early in the third said when Bicknell called for the trainer  to treat a thigh injury with a heavy wrap after losing his serve in the first game of the set. Shelton kept his composure against an injured for and closed out the match.

“It was definitely a good match,” said Shelton in his post-match press conference here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oonrh9t4osQ

“We played on the same court a lot together. It was a tough battle. I knew coming in it was going to be a battle. I’m glad I was able to make it through to the next round.”

Next up for the left-handed Shelton in the quarterfinals at Noon Friday will be fellow 19 year old, the sixth-seeded Liam Drexl of Canada, who eked out a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Loris Pourroy of France and Florida State University. The No. 477th-ranked Drexl attends the University of Kentucky, where he was last year’s top seed in the NCAA singles championship. Draxl and Shelton are also in the semifinals of doubles as a team.

Friday’s feature 6 pm night match will feature a rematch of the 2018 Mardy Fish final where Juan Benitez of Colombia defeated Ricardo Rodriguez of Venezuela. Benitez, who was given a wild card into the qualifying rounds of this tournament by Fish and Walker, defeated No. 5 seed Juan Galarza of Argentina 7-5, 6-4 while Rodriguez defeated Ben Kittay of Potomac, Md., 6-4, 6-4. Benitez and Rodriguez also played in the quarterfinals of last year’s Mardy Fish Universal Tennis event with Benitez registering a stirring comeback over Rodriquez 7-6 (5), 0-6, 7-6 (5) in three hours and 15 minutes that was actually 45 minutes longer than when they played in an epic final of this event in 2018, also won by Benitez 7-5, 2-6, 6-4. In that match Benitez trailed Rodriguez 5-1 in the final set and appeared resigned to defeat after losing 11 of the next 12 games after winning a first-set tiebreaker. Rodriguez, the all-time leading Davis Cup player for Venezuela, however, was not able to close out Benitez, despite serving for the match at 5-2 and 5-4 in the final set and holding a 4-1 lead in the final-set tiebreaker. Benitez also saved a match point at 3-5 in the final set, losing the point before with a whiffed overhead.

Watch Ricardo Rodriguez talk about his affection for Vero Beach here: https://youtu.be/PB7eu9NdNRg

The world’s leading junior player Juncheng Shang of China defeated William Bushamuka 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 39 minutes to advance to the quarterfinals where he will face No. 8 seed Duarte Vale, who beat qualifier Diogo Marques 6-3, 6-3 in an all-Portuguese battle.  Watch Walker interview Shang here:https://youtu.be/KYew7eOFtTI

Features Donald Young, Mardy Fish, Matthew Segura, Vero Beach

“Right Now, This Is My U.S. Open” Says Donald Young After Winning Vero Beach Opener

Randy Walker · October 21, 2021 · Leave a Comment

“Right now, this is my U.S. Open,” said former top 40 ATP star Donald Young after his 6-2, 7-5 win over American teenager Jack Anthrop Wednesday night in the opening round of the $15,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships at The Boulevard Tennis Club.

The win was the first in singles for the 32-year-old Young since April in the first round of qualifying at the Tallahassee Challenger. Prior to beating Anthrop, Young had lost has last nine pro singles matches. Once ranked as high as No. 38 in the world in 2017, Young, the former U.S. Olympic and Davis Cup team member has seen his ranking drop to No. 451, making it necessary to play at the $15,000 level on the ITF World Tennis Tour.

“This is awesome,” said Young after his emotional win Wednesday night in front of an appreciative Vero Beach crowd. “It’s nice to play in front of fans. Last year and earlier this year, there weren’t a lot of people allowed to watch. It’s an amazing feeling and makes it feel more normal.”

Young got on top early of the 17-year-old Anthrop, who does not have an ATP ranking but is ranked No. 26 in the ITF world junior rankings. Young appeared ready to close a relatively easy victory leading by a service break 4-3 in the second set, but suddenly made some unforced errors and hit some double faults and allowed Anthrop back in the match. Young held tough and broke Anthrop again at 5-5 before closing out the match.

“It got tense there,” admitted Young in his post-match interview that you can see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWFMQjeKCP8 “I haven’t won many matches (lately) and I got a little nervous there up a break, but he started to be a lot more aggressive and go for his shots and was playing big-boy tennis. For me, to get through that and not get to a third set and live on to play another day and get matches and real reps is important.”

Young will next play not before 6 pm on Thursday night against American wild card Matthew Segura, who defeated 16-year-old qualifier Cooper Johnson of New York City and Boca Raton, Florida 1-6, 6-3, 6-1. With the win Segura, the great nephew of tennis Hall of Famer Pancho Segura, earned his first ATP singles ranking point. Segura is familiar to many tennis fans in Vero Beach as he has won the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships “wild card” tournament at the Sea Oaks Club in 2018, 2019 and 2020. The COVID pandemic began shortly after Segura’s “wild card” win at Sea Oaks in February of 2020 and since the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships was held only as an open UTR event later that year, and not an official ITF World Tennis Tour event, tournament directors Tom Fish and Randy Walker decided to still honor the wild card that Segura earned in 2020. Last October, in lieu of playing an official ITF World Tennis Tour event, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation held their tournament as a Universal Tennis event for prize money, but not ATP ranking points. Segura also played in that event and reached the singles final before losing to Diego Hidalgo of Ecuador and earned his first-ever professional prize money paycheck.

Three other players earned their first ATP points with first round wins Wednesday, first by Diogo Marques of Portugal and Stetson University with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over former Texas A&M star A.J. Catanzariti. American wild card entry Benjamin Kittay defeated Credit Chaiyarin of Thailand 7-6(4), 6-4 to earn an ATP singles point and Michael Zheng of Montville, N.J., also a wild card entry, earned his first ATP singles point defeating Reece Falck of New Zealand 7-5, 6-1.

World No. 1 junior Jerry Shang of China upset the event’s No. 2 seed Damien Wenger of Switzerland 6-1, 6-4 in the opening match on Stadium court, which you can read about here: https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/sports/2021/10/20/shang-wins-mardy-fish-childrens-foundation-tennis-championships/8536351002/

Thursday’s schedule can be found here: https://www.itftennis.com/en/tournament/m15-vero-beach-fl/usa/2021/m-itf-usa-17a-2021/order-of-play/

Full results can be found below from Wednesday.

Juncheng SHANG (CHN) def. Damien WENGER (SUI) [2] 6-1 6-4

Ricardo RODRIGUEZ (VEN) def. Fletcher SCOTT (USA) 6-4 3-6 6-1

Diogo MARQUES (POR) A.J. CATANZARITI (USA) 2-6 6-3 6-3

Michael ZHENG (USA) def. Reece FALCK (NZL) 7-5 6-1

Ben SHELTON(USA) def. [4] Bruno KUZUHARA (USA) 7-5 7-6(9)

Liam DRAXL (CAN) [6] def. Alan KOHEN (ARG) 6-1 6-2

Loris POURROY (FRA) def. Federico BERTUCCIOLI (ITA) 6-4 6-0

Ezekiel CLARK (USA) def. JanMagnus JOHNSON (USA) 7-5 5-7 6-2

Duarte VALE (POR) [8] def. Toby MARTIN (GBR) 5-7 6-2 6-2

Juan Manuel BENITEZ (COL) def. Blu BAKER (GBR) 6-3 6-1

Blaise BICKNELL (JAM) def. Kiranpal PANNU (NZL) 7-5 6-1

Benjamin KITTAY (USA) def. Credit CHAIYARIN (THA) 7-6(4) 6-4

Donald YOUNG (USA) [1] def. Jack ANTHROP (USA) 6-2 7-5

Matthew SEGURA (USA) def. Cooper WILLIAMS (USA) 1-6 6-3 6-1

William BUSHAMUKA (USA) def. Tommaso CARNEVALE-MIINO (ITA) 6-3 7-5

Juan Ignacio GALARZA (ARG) def. Andres ANDRADE (ECU) 6-1 5-7 6-4

Donald Young and Jack Anthrop
Donald Young and Jack Anthrop

Features Donald Young, Mardy Fish, USTA, Vero Beach

Donald Young Added To Mardy Fish Tennis Field

Randy Walker · October 17, 2021 · Leave a Comment

Donald Young, the talented left-handed former U.S. Olympic and Davis Cup team member, has been added to the singles field at the $15,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships that begins Monday at The Boulevard Tennis Club. Young, who was ranked as high as No. 38 in the world, was added as a late wild card entry into Vero Beach’s annual pro tennis tournament, part of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Tennis Tour and U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit. Ranked as high as No. 38 in the world in 2017, Young is currently ranked No. 432 and will be the top-seed in this “minor league” pro tennis tournament. While Young was added to the Mardy Fish field, Ryan Harrison, also a former U.S. Olympian and Davis Cup team member and previously announced as the event’s headliner, withdrew from the event.

“It’s so exciting for our tournament that a player with the resume of Donald Young will be competing this year,” said Tom Fish, President Emeritus of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation and the father of Mardy Fish. “It’s not every day that a player of Donald’s stature plays at this level of tournament, but it shows the dedication of love of the game that Donald has to return to the top levels of the sport. It’s very admirable of him. It’s a bit reminiscent when Andre Agassi dropped down to minor league events before he returned to the top of the game. We hope that Vero Beach can be a springboard for Donald for the future. I know fans in Vero Beach will appreciate having the opportunity to see him play.”

Young, 31, reached the fourth round twice at the U.S. Open, in 2011 and 2015, defeating future U.S., Australian and French Open Stan Wawrinka in a memorable and high-charged five-setter in 2011. He represented the U.S. at the Olympic Games in 2012 and was named to the U.S. Davis Cup team in 2014 and 2015. He reached two ATP singles finals, falling to Andy Murray in the Thailand Open final in 2011 and losing to Ivo Karlovic in the Delray Beach Open final in 2015.

Due to COVID protocols, limited seating is available via reserved tickets and sponsorships. No daily tickets are being sold. Those interested in reserved tickets or sponsorships can contact Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Executive Director Lynn Southerly at LSouth1072@gmail.com The tournament is traditionally held in late April but was postponed to October due to COVID-19.

Play beings Monday at Noon with the start of the qualifying round. Main draw doubles play begins Tuesday and main draw singles play starts Wednesday.

Some of the past competitors at the USTA Vero Beach Futures 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 Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic and most recently new top 10 start Denis Shapovalov, who played in Vero Beach in 2016. Former Vero Beach competitors have combined to win 19 titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles at Grand Slam tournaments. Eight former Vero Beach players have gone on to play Davis Cup for the United States – Roddick, Fish, Taylor Dent, Jared Palmer, Donald Young, Ryan Harrison, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul.

Founded in 2007, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishChildrensFoundation.org and @MardyFishFound on Twitter) currently supports over 2,400  children in 15 elementary schools, six middle schools,  and several other community organizations in Indian River County, Florida by funding 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.

Leading tournament sponsors for 2021 include Presenting Sponsor: PNC Bank, Grand Slam Sponsors: Boston Barricade, George E. Warren Corporation, The Jake Owen Foundation, John’s Island Real Estate, Tom Collins Insurance, Cabana/Box Seat Sponsors: Michael and Kathleen Pierce, Gene Simonsen, John and Charlotte Klein, Peter and Maureen Lee, John’s Island Real Estate, Wilmington Trust, Bob and Lace Milligan, Micky and Rob Stein, Bob and Emilie Burr, Lynn Southerly, John and Sara Marshall, John and Marie McConnell, Shirley Becker, Hadleigh Investments and Supporting Sponsors: Syde Hurdus Foundation, Mike and Meg Hickey/The M&M Group, Nalzarro Music, Flat Rock Global, LLC, Hoskins, Turco, Lloyd & Lloyd, Kitchens by Design, Diamond Resorts, Center Court Outfitters, Foglia Contracting, Offfutt, Barton, Schlitt, Inc, Joe and Gloria Papalardo, Dave and Nina Piacquad, Baerbel O’Haire, Dr. Curtis Dalili, Line Ory, Rebecca Emmons, Linda Johnson, Pene Chambers, Felicia Payton, Kaye Manly, Kathy Silloway, Willem and Marion DeVogel, Ron Chesley, Dr. Collin Kitchell and Minuteman Press.

Donald Young
Donald Young

Features Donald Young, Mardy Fish, USTA, Vero Beach

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Power outage in South Vero Beach on the island?!?

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Cooper Williams Winning Aussie Open Boys' Doubles Title Gives 2023 Mardy Fish Competitors Three Junior Boys' Doubles Majors https://tennisverobeach.com/index.php/2023/01/29/cooper-williams-winning-aussie-open-boys-doubles-title-gives-2023-mardy-fish-competitors-three-junior-boys-doubles-majors/ via @tennisverobeach

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Overhead view of the Vero Beach Tennis & Fitness Club, site of the 2023 @VeroFutures

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