Play on Saturday at the $25,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships will start at 11 am with a doubles first round match between Diego Hidalgo of Ecuador and Juan Galarza of Argentina against Dragos Ignat of Romania and Maksim Tikhomirov of the USA. This match was postponed twice due to rain and also again Friday night due the late hour after Hidalgo won a three-hour three set quarterfinal against 17-year-old Eliot Spizzirri of Greenwich, Connecticut 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3. The match ended at 10:40 pm.
Hidalgo, a former University of Florida standout and a member of Ecuador’s Davis Cup team, graciously agreed to play his doubles match prior to his singles semifinal match against Sekou Bangoura of Bradenton, Florida. The other singles semifinal match between Paul Oosterbaan of Kalamazoo, Michigan and Dmitry Popko of Uzbekistan will start at Noon Saturday. The Bangoura-Hidalgo semifinal will start at an appropriate time after the conclusion of Hidalgo’s doubles match in the morning.
Oosterbaan advanced in the semifinals without striking a ball, earning a walkover over Nicolas Alvarez of Peru, who injured his ankle in his second round match of Nick Chappell of the USA. Alvarez realized in his warm-up prior to the match would not be able to play against the 6-foot-eight foot American
Popko, a member of Kazakhstan’s Davis Cup team, defeated No. 1 seed Pedro Sakamoto of Brazil 6-4, 6-3 in the feature Friday night match. Bangoura defeated Juan Galarza of Argentina 6-3, 6-4.
Play was delayed two separate times Friday after short rain bursts caused for hours of delays for the clay courts to dry. While rain has wreaked havoc on the latter stages of the tournament, nothing has deterred Dmitry Popko from his rocket-like rise up the ITF rankings in 2019.
Unlike the ATP Tour where there have been only two players with multiple titles this year (Roger Federer and Dominic Thiem), Popko, a Russian native playing for Kazakhstan, has dominated the new ITF World Tour circuit, winning six events in 2019, including three in Turkey, Naples, Sunrise and most recently Orange Park.
Popko was ranked No. 178th on the ATP computer in 2017 before a shoulder injury and change of coaches saw his rank plummet to No. 608. However, Popko is ranked 12th in the ITF. This new tour is designed to help young pros earn enough ranking points to get into the Top 200 so they could compete on the Challenger circuit, which is equivalent to Triple-A baseball, one step below the major leagues.
“I’m hungrier now and enjoying the wins,’’ said Popko, 22, who trains with his coach Ilya Drozdov in Boca Raton. “I don’t think that far into the future, but I just want no injuries and this year, and get to the Challenger level.’’
The quarterfinal between Oosterbaan and fifth-seeded Alvarez was finished before it started as Alvarez, a Peruvian who’s based in Buenos Aires, pulled out with a left ankle sprain. Alvarez, 22, is coming off a run to the finals in a $15,000 ITF event in Cancun and a title in a $25,000 ITF tournament in Palm Coast, where he defeated Bangoura in the final.
“It is upsetting,’’ said Alvarez, a former All-American at Duke, ranked 519th in the ATP and 74th in the ITF. “I hurt it during the second set of [Thursday’s straight-set victory over Nick Chappell].’’
Said Oosterbaan, “I saw he tweaked his ankle yesterday and unfortunately he couldn’t play. He’s a nice guy and it’s tough that’s happened, but it’s nice to get to the next round and not have to play two matches tomorrow.’’
Said Oosterbaan of his semifinal with Popko, “I played Popko before and he’s a pretty tough player. Tennis is trying something new. I can’t be too negative about it. It’s giving chances for players to play abroad but it makes it harder to get into some tournaments like in Turkey. Hopefully, it will work itself out.’’
Bangoura, ranked No. 213th in 2016, has dropped to No. 400, but is ranked 30th in the ITF. He won an ITF in Naples in January where he defeated Sakamoto; reached the semifinals in Bakersfield, Calif., in March and the finals of the aforementioned Palm Coast tournament.
“I’ve had ups and downs,’’ said Bangoura, 27, who trains in Saddlebrook Academy in Tampa. “The experience has been good. I’ve met a lot of people and traveled around the world. I’ve made the finals of three Challengers and got to 200. Almost qualified for the U.S. Open. … It’s a learning experience and hopefully I could get back there.’’
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships is regarded as one of the best entry-level professional tennis tournaments in the world. Proceeds from the event benefit the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the non-profit tennis foundation benefiting children, named for Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, the former top 10 tennis star and the current U.S. Davis Cup captain. The event will be held April 29 – May 5 at The Boulevard tennis club in Vero Beach.
Tournament tickets and sponsorships for the event can be purchased at www.MardyFishChildrensFoundation.org Daily tickets for the April 29-May 5 are $20, with “night session” tickets starting at 5 pm from April 29 – May 4 costing $10. Season tickets for every session of the event are $100. Admission for children 18 and under is free. Fans can follow news and developments on the tournament on Facebook and on Twitter at @VeroFutures. Detailed sponsorship information can be obtained by emailing Tom Fish at Tfish10s@aol.com or Randy Walker at RWalker@NewChapterMedia.com Approximately 3,000 fans annually attend the event, which is seen as one of the best-attended entry-level professional events in the world.
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 world No. 50 player and teen sensation 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. Seven 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 and Frances Tiafoe.
Founded in 2007, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishChildrensFoundation.org and @MardyFishFound on Twitter) currently supports over 2,200 children in 15 elementary schools, six middle schools and two after school centers 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.
The tournament schedule is as follows:
Saturday, May 4
Singles Semifinals, Doubles 11 AM – The Boulevard Tennis Club, Noon, 5 pm
Sunday, May 5
Singles Final – The Boulevard Tennis Club, TBD
Doubles TBD
Tournament sponsors for 2019 include Presenting Sponsor PNC Bank, Grand Slam Sponsors Boston Barricade, George E. Warren Corporation and the Jake Owen Foundation, Cabana/Box Seat Sponsors John’s Island Real Estate, John Klein, Gene Simonsen, TeamChristopher.com, Dan Holman, Hadleigh Investments, Pene Chambers / Lynn Southerly, Lace and Bob Milligan / Mickey and Rob Stein, William Barhorst, CPA, Michael and Kathleen Pierce, The Pitcher Family, Shirley Becker, Scoreboard Sponsor Fit for Life / Syde Hurdus Foundation Backhand Sponsors Vero Beach Magazine, Rossway Swan, Nalzaro Music, Coastal Van Lines, Diamond Resorts International, Forehand Sponsors Karen and Steve Rubin, Mike and Meg Hickey / Premier Estate Properties, Shaklee / Suzie Sunkel, Indian River Animal Hospital – Charles B. Johnson, DVM, Marjorie Johnson, DVM, MS, DAVP, Serve Sponsors Cravings, Bistro Fourchette, Willem and Marion DeVogel, Foglia Custom Homes Topspin Sponsors Alex MacWilliam Real Estate, Eternal Water, Kit Fields Realtor, Patrick Williams / Tom Collins Insurance, Riverside Café, MinuteMan Press, Center Court Tennis Outfitters, Drop Shot Sponsors Treasure Coast Financial Planning, Inc., Peter and Judith Saidel, Deb Benjamin, Paul & Linda Delaney, Stewart Dunn, Susan Flannery (Aluma Tower), Tom Flannery (Malesardi, Quackenbush, Swift and Company LLC, Jim & Suzi Keegan, Don Moyle, Dee Patberg, Fran Smyrk (Treasure Coast Sotheby’s), Gary & Beth Williams, ABCO Garage Door Company, Inc., Barker Air Conditioning & Heating, Busy Bee Lawn & Garden Center, Coastal Comforts at the Village Shops, Colton, Williams & Reamy, CPAs, Complete Electric, Inc., Complete Restaurant Equipment, LLC, Glacier Clear Pool Service, Jack’s Complete Tree Service, Inc., Jimmy’s Tree Services, Ken’s Pool Service, ML Engineering, Inc., Nozzle Nolen, Inc., O’Haire, Quinn, Casalino, Chartered, Rich Look Lawn Care, Rick’s Custom Care, Statewide Condominium Insurance, Steve Supplee Construction LLC, Summit Construction of Vero Beach, LLC, Sunshine Furniture, White Glove Moving & Storage and Wilco Construction, Inc.