Juan Benitez of Colombia won the singles title at the $15,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit event Sunday defeating Ricardo Rodriguez of Venezuela in a gripping 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 final at Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club.
The win for Benitez was the second on the “Futures” level of professional tennis, which is the equivalent of minor league baseball in tennis, after winning his first title in Morocco last year. He earned 18 ATP World Tour ranking points with the victory that will improve his current world ranking of No. 667.
“Amazing. Just every title, every week that you go undefeated is just amazing,” said Benitez. “I will always remember this week and this trophy. It’s been an unbelievable week for me here in Vero.”
The two hour and 28-minute battle between Benitez and Rodriguez saw 12 breaks throughout the match. Both players struggled to get a foothold early on in the match, as four of the 12 breaks in the match came in the first five games.
After the players settled in, break points came at a premium in the latter stages of the first set. Rodriguez had a look at one at with Benitez serving at 3-3, but the No. 5 seed held strong and won three points in a row to get the hold.
With Rodriguez serving at 5-6, he saved a break point at 30-40 to get the game to deuce, but Benitez fought hard to win the next two points to win the game and the set.
“Just one point at a time. He wasn’t giving many free points,” Benitez said of his strategy in the first set. “I had to work the point out, move him around, wait for him to miss pretty much.”
The second set was all Rodriguez as Benitez began to deal with soreness in his back. He was visited by the USTA trainer twice, and Rodriguez took advantage of the opportunity. He raced out to a 5-0 lead before Benitez showed signs of life to take two games late in the set. Rodriguez kept his nerve though and closed out the set 6-2.
“I had some physical issues that didn’t help me to move like I usually do,” said Benitez. “Sometimes I was being too passive and he was taking control of the point. I was either missing first, or he was making the winners.”
Benitez turned it back on in the third set though, jumping out to a 2-0 lead. Serving at 2-0 however, Rodriguez battled hard and capitalized on the second break point he saw in the game to get back on serve.
At 3-all, Benitez had a look at two break points to retake a lead, but Rodriguez continued to battle and won four points in a row to keep the match on serve. He turned the momentum from that game into two break points in the next game on Benitez’s serve, but the Colombian stayed resilient and eventually got the hold after a 10-point battle.
After a hold at love to go up 5-4, Benitez applied the pressure on Rodriguez’s serve and took advantage of the first and only match point he saw, forcing an error off the racquet of Rodriguez to claim the title.
“He’s been playing at a very high level throughout the week and I congratulate him,” Benitez said of Rodriguez. “It was a good battle.”
Benitez was especially proud of how he was able to fight through his struggles with injury throughout the match.
“You still gotta go out there and do everything in your power to win,” Benitez said. “I think I overcame those physical issues I had during the match and I’m very happy to get the win”
While Rodriguez didn’t get the win, he views his run in Vero Beach this week as a major positive for his career.
“I think it’s really good to be in a final again. It has been a little bit more than two years,” said Rodriguez, the all-time leading singles player on Venezuela’s Davis Cup team. “Finally I see a little bit of a light at the end of the tunnel. That gives me courage, that gives me strength, and even though I didn’t win today, I’ll try to build on it.”
Rodriguez, who is ranked No. 825 in the world, was once ranked as high as No. 282, but had to miss a significant amount of time from the tour with an ankle injury he suffered while playing paddle tennis in Spain.
His journey back to the highest levels of the tour has been a tough one, so tough that he almost gave up on trying to make a comeback.
“All my family, my team, my girlfriend, all the people who have been beside me in these dark times, whenever I step on court I just want them to feel proud of me. That’s my only objective,” Rodriguez said. “Without them, I would’ve quit a year and a half ago. They encourage me every day, they give me strength whenever I’m down.”
Rodriguez was not only complimentary of his team and family, but also of USTA Supervisor David Littlefield, tournament directors Randy Walker and Tom Fish, and the entire community of Grand Harbor.
“It makes one week for us easier than the rest,” Rodriguez said. “For us, the players, it’s great to feel appreciated and to feel welcomed, I think I’m talking on behalf of all the players.”
The doubles final was won by Junior Alexander Ore and Miles Seemann as they pulled off an impressive comeback from 6-4, 5-2 down to defeat Harrison Adams and Nick Chappell 4-6, 7-6(8), 10-6, saving three match points along the way.
The title for Ore and Seemann is their first in just their second tournament together. The pairing lost in the quarterfinals last week in Orange Park, and used that early exit to prepare for this event.
“After we lost early last week we just spent a lot of time learning each other’s games,” Ore said. “We worked on our chemistry, I think that was pretty big. I think that really helped out during this week.”
After coming out of the gates hot and holding a 3-0 double break lead, Ore and Seemann began to hit a rough patch as Adams and Chappell won 11 of the next 14 games.
“We knew it was just one break,” Seemann said of the 5-2 deficit in the second set. “We just kept fighting and we knew that if we keep fighting there might be a chance that we can comeback.”
After a comfortable hold to get it to 5-3, Ore and Seemann broke to get back on serve, but then had to fight off two match points while serving at 4-5 to get it back even. After leveling the set back up, the pairing’s confidence skyrocketed.
“Once we were at 5-all I knew we were going to win,” Ore said. “I just had a gut feeling.”
The duo got the second set to a tiebreak where they saved another match point en route to winning it 10-8.
In the match tiebreak, the Ore and Seemann raced out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back, eventually claiming the title with a decisive 10-6 scoreline.
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships is the USTA’s $15,000 Futures-level tournament played in Vero Beach since 1995 and 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 a U.S. Davis Cup standout.
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. 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 for the 2018 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships are led by Presenting Sponsor PNC Bank and Grand Slam Sponsors Boston Barricade, George E. Warren Corporation, Jake Owen Foundation, Syde Hurdus Foundation / Fit For Life and Land Rover / Jaguar Treasure Coast, Backhand Sponsors Publix, Rossway Swan, Coastal Van Lines, White Orchid Spa, Foglia Contracting, Forehand Sponsors Steve and Karen Rubin, Willem and Marion de Vogel, Cravings, M&M Group – Keller / Williams Realty Vero Beach, Rosato Plastic Surgery, Riverside Café, Ocean Drive Elite Physiques, 14 Bones Barbeque, Gordon Food Service, Peter Bernholz, Swarovski, Soul Music, Minuteman Press and Elite Airways, Kit Fields Realtor / CharlotteTerry.com, Cabana Sponsors John’s Island, Gene Simonsen, Michael & Kathleen Pierce, William Barhorst CPA, Dan Holman, John Klein, Hadleigh Investments, TeamChristopher.com, Tom Collins, The Pitcher Family, Pene Chambers Group, Waldo and Candy Johnston, The Pappalardo Family, Mickey and Rob Stein, Lace and Bob Milligan and Drop Shot Sponsors Fresh Market, Brooklyn Bagel, Hutchinson’s Florist, Seaside Grill, A Pampered Life-Disney Spa, Avanzare, New Chapter Media, Smith & Company Landscaping, Center For Advanced Eye Care, Cast Electric, Citron of Vero Beach, Amerigas, Central Window of Vero Beach, Bill’s Audio and Video Innovations, ML Engineering, Capt. Bob’s Airboat Adventure, Busy Bee Lawn & Garden Center, Complete Restaurant Equipment, Wilco Construction, Nozzle Nolen, Southern Plumbing, Treasure Coast Sotheby’s, Jack’s Complete Tree Service, Complete Electric, Statewide Condominium Insurance, Abco Garage Door, O’Hair, Quinn, Casalino, Chartered, Rick’s Custom Care, Rich-Look Lawn Care, White Glove Moving & Storage, Coastal Comforts @ The Village Shops, Jimmy’s Tree Service, Thompsons Remodeling & Home Repairs, Summit Construction, Colton Williams & Reamy, Sunshine Furniture, Malesardi, Quackenbush, Swift, Aluma Tower Company, Alex MacWilliam, Inc., Charlotte Terry Real Estate, Ken’s Pool & Spa Repair, Vero Beach Orthopedics, Barker Air Conditioning & Heating, Treasure Coast Financial Planning, Engineered Services, Peter Bernholz, Deborah Benjamin, John & Faith Parker, Duke & Betty Foster, Paul & Linda Delaney, Timmy Wood Gary and Beth Williams, Don Moyle, Chuck Pollard, Stewart Dunn, Leslie London – LL Vinyl Designs, Dara, Hunter and Thom Morgan
Results from April 29
Singles Final
(5) Juan Benitez, Colombia d. Ricardo Rodriguez, Venezuela 7-5, 2-6, 6-4
Doubles Final
(4) Junior Alexander Ore, United States/Miles Seemann, United States d. (2) Harrison Adams, United States/Nick Chappell, United States 4-6, 7-6(8), 10-6.
Vero Beach
Rocket Forehand Propels Juan Benitez Into Saturday’s USTA Mardy Fish Futures Semifinals At Grand Harbor
Juan Benitez of Colombia won the anticipated “Colombian Clash” Friday night at the $15,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships defeating his countryman Nicolas Mejia 7-6 (5), 6-2 in a rousing quarterfinal match featuring powerful forehands, delicate drop shots and outstanding clay-court play at Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club.
The win in this U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit “Futures” event advances Benitez into Saturday’s singles semifinal against American Strong Kirchheimer of Cary, N.C. Top-seed Marcelo Thomas Barrios Vera, a member of Chile’s Davis Cup team, will face Venezuelan Davis Cup team member Ricardo Rodriguez in the first of the two semifinal matches starting at 1 pm Saturday.
Benitez ended the run of the 18-year-old Mejia, who advanced into the main draw via the qualifying rounds and was playing his seventh match in the last eight days. It was a run that Benitez himself accomplished two years ago in Vero Beach when the tournament was at the Boulevard Club. He won four matches in the qualifying tournament, then two more in the main draw before falling in a highly competitive quarterfinal against future star Denis Shapovalov of Canada.
Against Mejia, the No. 7 ranked junior player in the world, Benitez showcased his court speed, rocket forehand and high-energy playing style. Both players traded breaks twice and Mejia even had an opportunity to serve for the set with a 6-5 lead, but the ever-resilient Benitez battled back to break and force the tiebreak. In that tiebreak, Benitez raced out to a 3-1 advantage, but Mejia fought back to level it at 4-all. Benitez was able to take three of the next four points though to close out the set and take the tiebreak 7-5.
With the momentum of winning that first set tiebreak behind him, Benitez didn’t look back in the second set. Two breaks gave him a 5-1 advantage, eventually closing out second set 6-2 to win the match.
Benitez had nothing but praise for his young opponent on Friday night, who played the number of best-of-three set matches over the last eight days, including his four qualifying round wins, that players do over two weeks in Grand Slam tournaments.
“Nico, if he keeps playing this way, he’s not going to be playing much qualies any longer,” Benitez said.
Benitez’s next opponent will be Kirchheimer, a fellow former college tennis player. Kirchheimer played his college tennis at Northwestern, while Benitez played a year at Baylor and was an All-American.
“He’s a great competitor,” Benitez said. “He’s going to be pumped up. It’s going to be a great match. I’m just excited to come back here and keep fighting”
Being just two wins away from the title, Benitez knows what he needs to focus on if he wants to bring hit home.
“I just need to hit my forehand, regardless of who I have in front of me,” Benitez said. “It’s easy math right there.”
Kirchheimer broke the South American stronghold on the semifinals by defeating No. 8 seed Alejandro Tabilo of Chile 1-6, 6-4, 7-5.
“I just want to keep you guys entertained out here,” Kirchheimer said jokingly of losing a one-sided first set. “Figured I’d make it as tight as possible. I mean, credit to him, he’s played very, very well. I’m just glad to get through that one.”
Kirchheimer, a former standout at Northwestern University, felt as if he got off to a slow start, but he was able to quickly turn it around to take the second set before looking like he might roll through the third set as well. He quickly found himself up 3-0 in the third set, but when he served for the match at 5-3, he couldn’t convert.
Staying resilient though, Kirchheimer kept on fighting and eventually broke in the 12th game of the set to close out the match.
“We’ll see if tomorrow I can get off to a quicker start maybe,” said Kirchheimer, who turned 23 on Thursday.
Kirchheimer is still in search of his first professional title, and that could potentially come on Sunday afternoon as he has just two more matches to win.
Another tennis great played his college tennis at Northwestern, former world No. 4 and 1999 U.S. Open runner-up Todd Martin, whose grandparents once lived in Vero Beach..
“He came to one of our matches once. I talked to him a good bit,” Kirchheimer said. “He’s obviously one of the Northwestern greats, and all-time greats.”
For Rodriguez, it was a bittersweet moment in his 6-3, 6-3 quarterfinal win over Agustin Torre of Argentina. Rodriguez, the all-time leading singles player for Venezuela’s Davis Cup team, moved into his first semifinal at a Futures-level professional tennis event since last July, but it came at the expense of his friend and doubles partner, who suffered a right ankle sprain during the match.
“It’s kind of bittersweet,” Rodriguez said. “Obviously I’m happy that I won, but I didn’t want to win under these circumstances.”
Rodriguez was clearly concerned for Torre during and after the match, and that was partly because he had been in the exact position that Torre found himself in.
“I was injured from that same thing, I know how difficult it is,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t desire it to anybody, it’s a nightmare.”
Rodriguez won a drawn-out first set in one hour and 15 minutes as both South American clay court specialists exchanged fierce, top-spin exchanges from the baseline. Torre broke serve to open the second set and kept his service break advantage until his slip on the clay in the sixth game of the second set with Torre leading 3-2. After U.S. Tennis Association trainer taped Torre’s ankle during an injury timeout, the Argentine lost the last four games of the match.
Two hours after the singles match, Torre was able to play with Rodriguez in the doubles semifinals, but the duo lost to Americans Nick Chappell and Harrison Adams 6-1, 6-4
The 24-year-old Rodriguez will face Barrios Vera of Chile in the semifinals. Rodriguez and Barrios Vera played just last week in Orange Park, Florida just outside of Jacksonville, with Barrios Vera taking the win in straight sets 6-3, 6-2.
Rodriguez says he wouldn’t be at this stage of the tournament though if it weren’t for the hospitality of the community here in Vero Beach.
“You guys treated me like I was one of you guys. I really appreciate that,” Rodriguez said, recollecting on his first trip to Vero Beach last year. He then went on to specifically acknowledge Grand Harbor resident Pat Reynolds, who has been housing Rodriguez and his girlfriend this week.
“Without her, this wouldn’t be possible,” Rodriguez said.
Barrios Vera advanced into the semifinals with a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win over Junior Alexander Ore of Gaithersburg, Md.
The win didn’t come easy as Barrios Vera found himself down a break late in the first set, and Ore had a chance to serve it out to take the early lead. Barrios Vera stayed strong though, fought back to get the break, and then kept his momentum rolling to win the tiebreaker.
The second set was much more straightforward for the Chilean as he broke midway through the set for a 4-2 lead and held on to that break advantage to close out the match, closing it out in just under two hours. It marked the 20th win for Barrios in his 23 matches played.
Semifinal action at Grand Harbor will start at 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. The singles and doubles finals will be played Sunday starting at 1 pm. Tickets are $20 each day with children 18-and-under admitted free. For more information go to www.TennisVeroBeach.com
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships is the USTA’s $15,000 Futures-level tournament played in Vero Beach since 1995 and 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 a U.S. Davis Cup standout.
Tournament tickets and sponsorships are now on sale and can be purchased at www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com Tickets for the qualifying rounds from April 20 – April 23 cost $10, while tickets for the main draw of singles and doubles from April 24 – 29 are $20, with “night session” tickets starting at 5 pm from April 24-27 costing $10. Season tickets that include both the qualifying and main draw events cost $100. Admission for children 18 and under is free. Approximately 3,000 fans annually attend the event, which is seen as one of the best-attended events in the world on the “Futures” level of professional tennis tournaments.
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. 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 for the 2018 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships are led by Presenting Sponsor PNC Bank and Grand Slam Sponsors Boston Barricade, George E. Warren Corporation, Jake Owen Foundation, Syde Hurdus Foundation / Fit For Life and Land Rover / Jaguar Treasure Coast, Backhand Sponsors Publix, Rossway Swan, Coastal Van Lines, White Orchid Spa, Foglia Contracting, Forehand Sponsors Steve and Karen Rubin, Willem and Marion de Vogel, Cravings, M&M Group – Keller / Williams Realty Vero Beach, Rosato Plastic Surgery, Riverside Café, Ocean Drive Elite Physiques, 14 Bones Barbeque, Gordon Food Service, Peter Bernholz, Swarovski, Soul Music, Minuteman Press and Elite Airways, Kit Fields Realtor / CharlotteTerry.com, Cabana Sponsors John’s Island, Gene Simonsen, Michael & Kathleen Pierce, William Barhorst CPA, Dan Holman, John Klein, Hadleigh Investments, TeamChristopher.com, Tom Collins, The Pitcher Family, Pene Chambers Group, Waldo and Candy Johnston, The Pappalardo Family, Mickey and Rob Stein, Lace and Bob Milligan and Drop Shot Sponsors Fresh Market, Brooklyn Bagel, Hutchinson’s Florist, Seaside Grill, A Pampered Life-Disney Spa, Avanzare, New Chapter Media, Smith & Company Landscaping, Center For Advanced Eye Care, Cast Electric, Citron of Vero Beach, Amerigas, Central Window of Vero Beach, Bill’s Audio and Video Innovations, ML Engineering, Capt. Bob’s Airboat Adventure, Busy Bee Lawn & Garden Center, Complete Restaurant Equipment, Wilco Construction, Nozzle Nolen, Southern Plumbing, Treasure Coast Sotheby’s, Jack’s Complete Tree Service, Complete Electric, Statewide Condominium Insurance, Abco Garage Door, O’Hair, Quinn, Casalino, Chartered, Rick’s Custom Care, Rich-Look Lawn Care, White Glove Moving & Storage, Coastal Comforts @ The Village Shops, Jimmy’s Tree Service, Thompsons Remodeling & Home Repairs, Summit Construction, Colton Williams & Reamy, Sunshine Furniture, Malesardi, Quackenbush, Swift, Aluma Tower Company, Alex MacWilliam, Inc., Charlotte Terry Real Estate, Ken’s Pool & Spa Repair, Vero Beach Orthopedics, Barker Air Conditioning & Heating, Treasure Coast Financial Planning, Engineered Services, Peter Bernholz, Deborah Benjamin, John & Faith Parker, Duke & Betty Foster, Paul & Linda Delaney, Timmy Wood Gary and Beth Williams, Don Moyle, Chuck Pollard, Stewart Dunn, Leslie London – LL Vinyl Designs, Dara, Hunter and Thom Morgan
Results from April 27
Quarterfinal Singles
(1) Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera, Chile d. Junior Alexander Ore, United States 7-6(4), 6-3
Ricardo Rodriguez, Venezuela d. Eduardo Agustin Torre, Argentina 6-3, 6-3
(4) Strong Kirchheimer, United States d. (8) Alejandro Tabilo, Chile 1-6, 6-4, 7-5
(5) Juan Benitez, Colombia vs. (Q) Nicolas Mejia, Colombia 7-6(5), 6-2
Semifinal Doubles
(4) Junior Alexander Ore, United States/Miles Seemann, United States d. (1) Hunter Johnson, United States/Yates Johnson, United States 3-6, 6-3, 10-5
(2) Harrison Adams, United States/Nick Chappell, United States vs. Ricardo Rodriguez, Venezuela/Eduardo Agustin Torre, Argentina 6-1, 6-4
Schedule for April 28, Starting at 1 p.m.
Stadium
(1) Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera, Chile vs. Ricardo Rodriguez, Venezuela
Not Before 2 p.m.
(4) Strong Kirchheimer, United States vs. (5) Juan Benitez, Colombia
Nicolas Mejia Sets Up Friday Night Colombian Clash With Juan Benitez
Nicolas Mejia of Colombia is showing signs that he could perhaps become one of the next great South American tennis stars.
The eighteen-year-old from Bogota advanced into the quarterfinals of the $15,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championship USTA Pro Circuit event Thursday with a dramatic 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 upset win over No. 2 seed and No. 418 world-ranked Samuel Bensoussan of France.
Mejia, the No. 7 ranked junior player in the world, showed the poise of a veteran by adjusting to the ups and downs of the turbulent match. He blasted his Bensoussan off the court in an easy first set not losing a game and appeared headed to a relatively easy victory. Bensoussan, however, did not relent. After the Frenchman won the second set, Mejia trailed 3-1 in the final set, but rallied to win four games in a row and served for the match at 5-4.
Bensoussan kept himself alive in the match with the service break to tie the final set at 5-5, but was broken the very next game and Mejia did not falter on his second opportunity to serve out the match.
“It was a great battle,” said Mejia. “I knew it was not going to be easy. When you win the first set, no matter what the score is, it is just a set and you have to start again in the next set.”
By reaching at least the quarterfinals here in Vero Beach, Meija will return to the ATP World Tour rankings which will help him earn direct entries into other Futures and Challenger level tournaments in professional tennis. In Vero Beach, he had to win four qualifying matches to enter the main draw of the tournament. He still will be playing high-level international junior events for the rest of this year, including at the French Open, where he reached the quarterfinals last year, and Wimbledon and the U.S. Open before embarking on a full-time professional career.
Mejia will play the feature night match Friday night at 7 pm against fellow Colombian Juan Benitez, best known locally for his near win over Canadian upstart Denis Shapovalov two years ago at this event when held at The Boulevard club. Benitez defeated American qualifier Ryan Goetz of Long Island, N.Y. 6-4, 7-5.
Another South American, Eduardo Agustin Torre of Argentina, advanced into the quarterfinals in similar but more dramatic fashion, also hanging on after winning a “bagel” first set but needed a final-set tiebreaker to defeat Jordi Arconada of Argentina 6-0, 3-6, 7-6(4). Torre trailed 3-0 in the final-set tiebreaker before winning seven of the last eight points of the match.
“It was a tough match,” said Torre’s coach Luciano Cabeiro. “He knows that Jordi is a tough rival.”
The win for Torre puts him into the quarterfinals and continues a relative hot streak on the Futures circuit that has seen him win 17 of his last 23 matches. During Torre’s run, he has reached two semifinals and three quarterfinals at Futures events spanning from USA, to Chile, to Turkey.
“South Americans play a high level at these tournaments, the clay tournaments,” Torre said through his coach of the success of South Americans this week on the Grand Harbor clay.
Arconada had a great run of wins this week in Vero Beach, winning five matches, four in qualifying plus his first-round win that earned him an ATP world ranking point. The Texas A&M senior rushed to the airport following the loss to join his college teammates in Tuscaloosa, Alabama for their opener in the Southeastern Conference tennis tournament.
Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera of Chile, the No. 1 seed in this week’s event, also advanced to the quarterfinals as he defeated New Braunfels, Texas native Harrison Adams, 6-4, 6-4.
Barrios Vera, 20, is also on a hot streak, as he has won 18 of his last 21 matches, including making three finals in Futures events in Greece and winning one title just last week in Orange Park, just outside of Jacksonville. He also won a Futures event earlier this year in Weston, Fla. without dropping a set.
Junior Ore of Miami, Florida, a former standout at Texas A&M, also advanced into the quarterfinals in a final-set tiebreaker, outlasting No. 6 seed Santiago Rodriguez Taerna of Argentina 1-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6(4) in three hours and 15 minutes. Ricardo Rodriquez, the all-time leading singles player on Venezuela’s Davis Cup team, upset No. 3 seed Matias Zukas of Argentina 7-5, 6-1. Alejandro Tabilo of Chile, the No. 8, also won a nail-biting quarterfinal match, outlasting 17-year-old Nick Hardt, a Davis Cup team member from the Dominican Republic 7-6 (2), 1-6, 7-5.
“It was kind of a weird match as there was a lot of change in momentum” said Tabilo. “It was a struggle. It was a great match to win and pull through.”
Strong Kirchheimer of Cary, N.C. celebrated his 23th birthday with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over Juan Alejandro Hernandez Serrano of Mexico
Friday’s quarterfinal matches start at 1 pm with featured matches also at 5 pm and 7 pm. For more information go to www.TennisVeroBeach.com Saturday’s singles semifinals will start at 1 pm and Sunday’s singles final and doubles final will also start at 1 pm.
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships is the USTA’s $15,000 Futures-level tournament played in Vero Beach since 1995 and 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 a U.S. Davis Cup standout.
Tournament tickets and sponsorships are now on sale and can be purchased at www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com Tickets for the qualifying rounds from April 20 – April 23 cost $10, while tickets for the main draw of singles and doubles from April 24 – 29 are $20, with “night session” tickets starting at 5 pm from April 24-27 costing $10. Season tickets that include both the qualifying and main draw events cost $100. Admission for children 18 and under is free. Approximately 3,000 fans annually attend the event, which is seen as one of the best-attended events in the world on the “Futures” level of professional tennis tournaments.
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. 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 for the 2018 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships are led by Presenting Sponsor PNC Bank and Grand Slam Sponsors Boston Barricade, George E. Warren Corporation, Jake Owen Foundation, Syde Hurdus Foundation / Fit For Life and Land Rover / Jaguar Treasure Coast, Backhand Sponsors Publix, Rossway Swan, Coastal Van Lines, White Orchid Spa, Foglia Contracting, Forehand Sponsors Steve and Karen Rubin, Willem and Marion de Vogel, Cravings, M&M Group – Keller / Williams Realty Vero Beach, Rosato Plastic Surgery, Riverside Café, Ocean Drive Elite Physiques, 14 Bones Barbeque, Gordon Food Service, Peter Bernholz, Swarovski, Soul Music, Minuteman Press and Elite Airways, Kit Fields Realtor / CharlotteTerry.com, Cabana Sponsors John’s Island, Gene Simonsen, Michael & Kathleen Pierce, William Barhorst CPA, Dan Holman, John Klein, Hadleigh Investments, TeamChristopher.com, Tom Collins, The Pitcher Family, Pene Chambers Group, Waldo and Candy Johnston, The Pappalardo Family, Mickey and Rob Stein, Lace and Bob Milligan and Drop Shot Sponsors Fresh Market, Brooklyn Bagel, Hutchinson’s Florist, Seaside Grill, A Pampered Life-Disney Spa, Avanzare, New Chapter Media, Smith & Company Landscaping, Center For Advanced Eye Care, Cast Electric, Citron of Vero Beach, Amerigas, Central Window of Vero Beach, Bill’s Audio and Video Innovations, ML Engineering, Capt. Bob’s Airboat Adventure, Busy Bee Lawn & Garden Center, Complete Restaurant Equipment, Wilco Construction, Nozzle Nolen, Southern Plumbing, Treasure Coast Sotheby’s, Jack’s Complete Tree Service, Complete Electric, Statewide Condominium Insurance, Abco Garage Door, O’Hair, Quinn, Casalino, Chartered, Rick’s Custom Care, Rich-Look Lawn Care, White Glove Moving & Storage, Coastal Comforts @ The Village Shops, Jimmy’s Tree Service, Thompsons Remodeling & Home Repairs, Summit Construction, Colton Williams & Reamy, Sunshine Furniture, Malesardi, Quackenbush, Swift, Aluma Tower Company, Alex MacWilliam, Inc., Charlotte Terry Real Estate, Ken’s Pool & Spa Repair, Vero Beach Orthopedics, Barker Air Conditioning & Heating, Treasure Coast Financial Planning, Engineered Services, Peter Bernholz, Deborah Benjamin, John & Faith Parker, Duke & Betty Foster, Paul & Linda Delaney, Timmy Wood Gary and Beth Williams, Don Moyle, Chuck Pollard, Stewart Dunn, Leslie London – LL Vinyl Designs, Dara, Hunter and Thom Morgan
Friday Schedule
Stadium Stating at 1 pm
Singles Quarterfinal – Ricardo Rodriguez (VEN) vs. Eduardo Agustin Torre (ARG)
To Follow, Not Before 2 pm
Singles Quarterfinal Alejandro Tabilo (CHI) vs. Strong Kirchheimer (USA)
Not Before 7 pm
Singles Quarterfinal – Nicolas Mejia (COL) vs. Juan Benitez (COL)
Grandstand
Not Before – 2:30 pm
Singles Quarterfinal – Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera (ARG) vs. Junior Ore (USA)
After Rest, Time TBA
Doubles Semifinal – Rodrigo Rodriguez/Eduardo Torre vs. Harrison Adams vs. Nick Chappell (USA)
After Rest, Time TBA
Doubles Semifinal – Yates Johnson / Hunter Johnson (USA) vs. TBD
Supportive and Vocal Crowd Not Enough To Pull Alford And Kowalczyk To Victory At Mardy Fish USTA Vero Beach Futures
Vero Beach’s Michael Alford and Robert Kowalczyk received more cheers than games Tuesday in their opening first-round doubles match at the $15,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships. The local duo fought hard behind a loud and encouraging crowd but their part-time careers as competitive tennis players was not enough to over-come full time touring professionals Julian Bradley of Ireland and Isaiah Strode of San Diego 6-1, 6-2 at Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club.
“This was more like a college match actually. It was really entertaining,” said Bradley, a member of Ireland’s Davis Cup team and a former standout at the University of North Florida. “It was really good fun, kind of like in college with all the crowd and everybody getting into it and a lot of cheering. Obviously we weren’t the favorites there but it was a good match, good fun.”
Alford and Kowalczyk received a main draw wild card invitation into the tournament by the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation for being the winner and runner-up, respectively, in the annual “King of the Hill” competition that is held each January and February at The Moorings club and determines the area’s best local tennis talent. It marked the third straight year that Alford has played in the doubles tournament at this event, while it was Kowalczyk’s first since 2013, but also 20 years since he played in the event in 1998 with his long-time pal and tournament namesake Mardy Fish.
Despite having the rowdy crowd behind them, Alford and Kowalczyk fell in straight sets, not being to convert on many of the “no-ad” points that are a signature of doubles play on the professional level.
“Yeah that was a lot of fun. We had a big crowd tonight,” Alford said. “Just wish some of those big points would’ve gone our way but they came up with some good stuff.”
“This is probably one of the best Futures in the world, I swear” Kowalczyk said. “I’ve played all over and nothing compares to what goes on around here.”
Just before Alford and Kowalczyk’s doubles match on Stadium Court, the match of the tournament concluded in a final-set tiebreaker that warmed up the Vero Beach crowd before the featured 7 pm night match. Karl Poling, the West Point, N.Y. native, son of Army coach Jim Poling, nephew of Vero Beach resident Christy Sturgess and a soon-to-be freshman at Princeton, N.J. was edged by No. 4 seed Strong Kirchheimer in a final-set tiebreaker 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4) in two hours, 51 minutes.
Two weeks ago, Poling won a 40-player “wild card” tournament at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Florida to earn an entry into the main draw of this event and last week, he won a doubles wild card event at The Boulevard club to also earn a main draw doubles wild card into the tournament.
Poling appeared down and out to the 22-year-old former Northwestern University standout trailing 6-3, 3-1, but rallied to win five of the next six games to force a third set. Poling then trailed 4-1 in the third set, but won four games in a row and served for the match at 5-4. Kirchheimer, however, stayed “strong” – like his name – and ripped a match-busting forehand winner at 5-4 in the final-set tiebreaker in the second-to-last point of the match.
“Credit to him. He played very well,” Kirchheimer said of Poling’s performance. “I was just trying to make sure I did all the right things.”
“I got off to a slow start in the second set as well but I just tried to stay solid. Tried playing my game,” Poling said.
For Poling, his entire experience with this year’s event has been a grind. It started in Orlando just two weeks ago as he won five rounds at a wild card tournament, including beating top American prospect Trent Bryde in a three-hour battle in the event final.
He’s disappointed that he couldn’t earn his first ATP point here in Vero Beach, but he is going to use his time at this tournament and the one in Orlando as a learning experience and confidence booster.
“He played well, played some good points. I played some good points. It was a solid match,” Poling said. “Past couple months I’ve been playing pretty well so we’ll see if I can use this as a springboard and just keep going up.”
For Kirchheimer, he was happy to get the win and used the motivation of the large crowd on hand to help him through.
“It’s awesome. We’ve got a great stadium here, a lot of people,” Kirchheimer said. “It always makes it a heck of a lot more fun to play with a crowd.”
In another All-American first round match Tuesday, Harrison Adams of New Braunfels, Texas defeated Mousheg Hovannisyan of North Hollywood, Calif. 6-1, 6-4.
Adams is at the peak of his young professional career with a career-high ranking of No. 775 in singles and No. 475 in doubles on the ATP World Tour computer and he’s looking to keep it rolling here in Vero Beach. The only thing that stalled him Tuesday was a two-hour match delay due to lightning.
“I got off to a good start. I felt like my serve was penetrating a lot, kicking up, getting high out of his strike zone,” Adams said. “I was kind of rolling in the beginning. Everything was clicking and then the lightning came. He came out really tough in the second,” Adams said before going into his mental strategy during the break.
“You’ve really got to try to keep your focus, but at the same time stay relaxed because you don’t want to wear yourself out and think too much,” Adams said.
Adams was able to weather the storm, eventually breaking Hovhannisyan in the final game to clinch the match.
The battle between these two was also a battle of former college stars. Adams played at Texas A&M, while Hovhannisyan played at Pepperdine.
“It’s awesome,” said Adams of seeing other former college players on tour. “Some guys I’ve battled against in dual matches for four years, and then I come out on tour and we’re battling again. I love to see the college guys.”
Alejandro Tabilo, a 20-year-old lefty from Chile, also won on Tuesday as he defeated John Lamble of Saratoga, Calif., 7-6(8), 6-4.
Being a left-hander from Chile, Tabilo has drawn comparisons to former world No. 1 Marcelo Rios.
“I’ve grown up watching videos of him on YouTube so it’s nice being compared to him,” Tabilo said. “We’ve worked together a little bit also and he helps me.”
Tabilo is the No. 8 seed in this year’s tournament and ranked just outside the Top 800, but he he isn’t content and hopes to keep improving.
“Gotta get my ranking up a little bit,” Tabilo said. “So hopefuly I do my best here.”
The continuation of first round singles and doubles play begins Wednesday at noon, with feature night matches at 5 pm and 7 pm.
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships is the USTA’s $15,000 Futures-level tournament played in Vero Beach since 1995 and 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 a U.S. Davis Cup standout.
Tournament tickets and sponsorships are now on sale and can be purchased at www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com Tickets for the qualifying rounds from April 20 – April 23 cost $10, while tickets for the main draw of singles and doubles from April 24 – 29 are $20, with “night session” tickets starting at 5 pm from April 24-27 costing $10. Season tickets that include both the qualifying and main draw events cost $100. Admission for children 18 and under is free. Approximately 3,000 fans annually attend the event, which is seen as one of the best-attended events in the world on the “Futures” level of professional tennis tournaments. More info on the event can be found at www.TennisVeroBeach.com
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. 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 for the 2018 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships are led by Presenting Sponsor PNC Bank and Grand Slam Sponsors Boston Barricade, George E. Warren Corporation, Jake Owen Foundation, Syde Hurdus Foundation / Fit For Life and Land Rover / Jaguar Treasure Coast, Backhand Sponsors Publix, Rossway Swan, Coastal Van Lines, White Orchid Spa, Foglia Contracting, Forehand Sponsors Steve and Karen Rubin, Willem and Marion de Vogel, Cravings, M&M Group – Keller / Williams Realty Vero Beach, Rosato Plastic Surgery, Riverside Café, Ocean Drive Elite Physiques, 14 Bones Barbeque, Gordon Food Service, Peter Bernholz, Swarovski, Soul Music, Minuteman Press and Elite Airways, Kit Fields Realtor / CharlotteTerry.com, Cabana Sponsors John’s Island, Gene Simonsen, Michael & Kathleen Pierce, William Barhorst CPA, Dan Holman, John Klein, Hadleigh Investments, TeamChristopher.com, Tom Collins, The Pitcher Family, Pene Chambers Group, Waldo and Candy Johnston, The Pappalardo Family, Mickey and Rob Stein, Lace and Bob Milligan and Drop Shot Sponsors Fresh Market, Brooklyn Bagel, Hutchinson’s Florist, Seaside Grill, A Pampered Life-Disney Spa, Avanzare, New Chapter Media, Smith & Company Landscaping, Center For Advanced Eye Care, Cast Electric, Citron of Vero Beach, Amerigas, Central Window of Vero Beach, Bill’s Audio and Video Innovations, ML Engineering, Capt. Bob’s Airboat Adventure, Busy Bee Lawn & Garden Center, Complete Restaurant Equipment, Wilco Construction, Nozzle Nolen, Southern Plumbing, Treasure Coast Sotheby’s, Jack’s Complete Tree Service, Complete Electric, Statewide Condominium Insurance, Abco Garage Door, O’Hair, Quinn, Casalino, Chartered, Rick’s Custom Care, Rich-Look Lawn Care, White Glove Moving & Storage, Coastal Comforts @ The Village Shops, Jimmy’s Tree Service, Thompsons Remodeling & Home Repairs, Summit Construction, Colton Williams & Reamy, Sunshine Furniture, Malesardi, Quackenbush, Swift, Aluma Tower Company, Alex MacWilliam, Inc., Charlotte Terry Real Estate, Ken’s Pool & Spa Repair, Vero Beach Orthopedics, Barker Air Conditioning & Heating, Treasure Coast Financial Planning, Engineered Services, Peter Bernholz, Deborah Benjamin, John & Faith Parker, Duke & Betty Foster, Paul & Linda Delaney, Timmy Wood Gary and Beth Williams, Don Moyle, Chuck Pollard, Stewart Dunn, Leslie London – LL Vinyl Designs, Dara, Hunter and Thom Morgan
Results from April 24
First Round Singles
Harrison Adams, United States d. Mousheg Hovhannisyan, United States 6-1, 6-4
(8) Alejandro Tabilo, Chile d. John Lamble, United States 7-6(8), 6-4
(4) Strong Kirchheimer, United States d. (WC) Karl Poling, United States 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4)
First Round Doubles
(1) Hunter Johnson, United States/Yates Johnson, United States d. Juan Benitez, Colombia/Jesse Flores, Canada 7-6(5), 6-4
(WC) Tim Kopinski, United States/Tam Trinh, United States d. Pablo Irigary Guarne, Spain/Matias Zukas, Argentina 6-3, 6-7(5), 10-6
Julian Bradley, Ireland/Isaiah Strode, United States d. (WC) Michael Alford, United States/Robert Kowalczyk, United States 6-1, 6-2
Ricardo Rodriguez-Pace, Venezuela/Eduardo Agustin Torre, Argentina d. (3) Raleigh Smith, United States/Alejandro Tabilo, Chile 3-6, 7-6(5), 10-8
Samuel Bensoussan, France/Santiago Fa Rodriguez Taverna, Argentina d. John Lamble, United States/Jody Maginley, Antigua & Barbuda 6-2, 5-7, 10-4
(2) Harrison Adams, United States/Nick Chappell, United States d. Edward Bourchier, Australia/Rowland Phillips, Jamaica 6-2, 6-2
Final Round Qualifying Results
Juan Alejandro Hernandez Serrano, Mexico d. (13) Julian Bradley, Ireland 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
Jordi Arconada, United States d. Rowland Phillips, Jamaica 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5)
Axel Nefve, United States d. Zandrix Acob, United States 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Schedule for April 25, Matches Starting at Noon
Stadium
(Q) Nick Hardt, Dominican Republic vs. (WC) Alexander Rotsaert, United States
Not Before 1 p.m.
(Q) Nicolas Mejia, Colombia vs. (WC) Matthew Segura, United States
Not Before 3 p.m.
(1) Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera, Chile vs. Isaiah Strode, United States
Not Before 7 p.m.
(WC) Christian Alshon, United States vs. Ricardo Rodriguez, Venezuela
Grandstand
Junior Alexander Ore, United States vs. (Q) Richard Torres, United States
Not Before 1 p.m.
(2) Samuel Bensoussan, France vs. Nick Chappell, United States
Not Before 3 p.m.
(WC) Boris Kozlov, United States/Karl Poling, United States vs. Adam El Mihdawy, United States/Collin Johns, United States
Not Before 5 p.m.
(5) Juan Benitez, Colombia vs. Pablo Irigary Guarne, Spain
Court 2
(Q) Jordi Arconada, United States vs. Collin Johns, United States
Not Before 1 p.m.
(7) Jorge Montero, Chile vs. Eduardo Agustin Torre, Argentina
Not Before 3 p.m.
Raleigh Smith, United States vs. (Q) Ryan Goetz, United States
Not Before 4:30 p.m.
(4) Junior Alexander Ore, United States/Miles Seemann, United States vs. Nick Hardt, Dominican Republic/Nicolas Mejia, Colombia
Court 3
(Q) Juan Alejandro Hernandez Serrano, Mexico vs. Adam El Mihdawy, United States
Not Before 1 p.m.
(6) Santiago Fa Rodriguez Taverna, Argentina vs. Tyler Mercier, United States
Not Before 3 p.m.
(3)(Q) Matias Zukas, Argentina vs. (Q) Axel Nefve, United States
Islanders And An Irish Davis Cupper Win Sunday At USTA Mardy Fish Futures, Poling-Kozlov Win Doubles Wild Card
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships at Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club in Vero Beach is having a bit of a the feel of the islands.
Players from Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica advanced into the final round of the 128-player qualifying draw with victories Sunday.
Rowland Phillips, a member of Jamaica’s Davis Cup team, defeated Boris Kozlov of Pembroke Pines, Fla. 6-3, 6-2 while Joseph Cadogan of Trinidad and Tobago defeated Henry Patrick Cacciatore of Tampa, Fla., 6-1, 6-1.
Phillips, 24, is a former college standout at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and just recently fell out of the ATP World Tour Rankings in singles. He is still ranked in doubles and is staying positive as he grinds through the qualifying tournament.
“I still have doubles, thank goodness,” Phillips said. “It does add a little bit more pressure, you really want to get those [ranking] points back. So you fight a little harder.”
With a win over Texas A&M student athlete Jordi Arconda Monday in the final round of qualifying and Phillips will have an opportunity to play in the 32-player main draw of this entry-level professional tournament, where a first-round victory will earn him an ATP singles point.
Phillips is back in Vero Beach for the third year in a row and gave some high praise to the tournament.
“I really love this tournament. They treat the players fantastic,” Phillips said. “The facilities are awesome. It’s run really well. I really like playing this one.”
Cadogan, 29, is American but represents Trinidad and Tobago due to his parents being natives of the country. He was ranked as high as No. 969 back in 2011, but hasn’t played a tournament since January of 2017, and has played only two events in all since January of 2016. His go-for-broke attitude paid off well for him in his one-sided win over Cacciatore.
“He’s a really good player and normally a guy like that kills me 0 and 0,” Cadogan said. “So I just happened to have a good day.”
“No goals whatsoever,” he continued. “I’m just out here playing and we’ll see how it goes. I’m tired of expectations right now. Just gonna go play.”
Irish Davis Cupper Julian Bradley won perhaps the match of the tournament Sunday beating Marcelo Sepulveda Garza of Mexico in a three hours and 40 minutes 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-3.
“It was a bit of a grind,” Bradley said. “I was just bringing as much energy as can to every single point and then see what happens. That’s what I tried to do and got lucky in the end.”
The marathon match was played in front of a loud and appreciative crowd on one of the outer field courts at Grand Harbor and it didn’t go unnoticed by Bradley.
“It’s pretty nice, because especially in a qualifying match you don’t really get so many people,” Bradley said. “But I have to say this tournament is, of all the Futures I’ve been to, it’s definitely one of the best run. So I really wasn’t surprised that there were so many people watching, but yeah it’s obviously nice to have loads of people cheering you on.”
The No. 13 seed will now play Juan Alejandro Hernandez Serrano of Mexico in the final round on Monday.
Arconada, with his Texas A&M coach Steve Denton, the former two-time Australian Open singles finalist, and tennis legend and Vero Beach resident Ivan Lendl watching, defeated Kohlman Lawrence 6-2, 6-2. Zandrix Acob of Hawaii, with his fruit decorated bucket hat, also got another win as he took down Keenan Mayo of Bradenton, Fla., 6-4, 6-3 while 42-year-old German Christian Vinck was defeated by former University of Miami standout Jesse Flores of Canada 4-6, 6-0, 6-3.
Another highlight on Sunday came during the match between young Americans Jaycer Lyeons and Jared Thompkins.
At one point in the second set, Thompkins hit one of the most athletic shots of the tournament, leaping over the net to chase down a slice that bounced back to his opponent’s side of the court.
For Lyeons, he was disappointed that the point didn’t go in his favor, but he gave credit to Thompkins and compared the shot to something Michael Jordan would do.
“All I saw was Air Jordan jumping up and hitting an overhead,” Lyeons said laughing. “Good shot by him.”
Lyeons, the 17-year-old Houston native, eventually got the win in straight sets, but it wasn’t easy.
“The guy is an unbelievable talent,” Lyeons said. “Huge serve, huge off of both sides, so I just had to be a wall.”
Lyeons is currently the No. 1 ranked player in Texas in the 2019 class by Tennis Recruiting, but he’s taking his time when it comes to putting thought into college tennis. He’s currently focused on improving his rankings on the ATP World Tour and on the International Tennis Federation juniors circuit.
“This year maybe just trying to crack the top 1000, top 800 [in the ATP World Tour Rankings,” Lyeons said. “And I’m going to play some more ITF’s, trying to crack the top 20.”
Lyeons will try to improve his ITF juniors ranking by traveling to Europe to play in the Junior French Open and Junior Wimbledon in a couple of months.
Sunday also marked the end of the special wild card doubles tournament that was held at The Boulevard, where 16 teams played to earn one main draw spot in the doubles tournament. Kozlov made up for his singles loss earlier in the day by teaming with Karl Poling of West Point, N.Y. to beat the American-Australian duo of Axel Nefve and Lawrence Sciglitano 4-3(5), 4-2 in a match using a “FAST4” style of scoring in which sets are shortened, requiring only four games to win.
Poling also won a singles wild card tournament at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona two weeks ago and will now play in both the singles and doubles main draw. Poling’s aunt, Christy Sturgess, just recently moved to Vero Beach providing for some additional family time while playing in Vero Beach.
All eight final-round matches of the qualifying tournament will be played at 10 am Monday at Grand Harbor. Main draw play begins Tuesday, April 24 at noon and is highlighted by two locals, Michael Alford, the teaching pro at the Quail Valley Club, playing with long-time Vero Beach resident Robert Kowalczyk, who owns Vero Beach’s Man-O-War Fishing Company, competing in the doubles competition. Alford and Kowalczyk will play Tuesday’s feature 7 pm match.
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships is the USTA’s $15,000 Futures-level tournament played in Vero Beach since 1995 and 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 a U.S. Davis Cup standout.
Tournament tickets and sponsorships are now on sale and can be purchased at www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com Tickets for the qualifying rounds from April 20 – April 23 cost $10, while tickets for the main draw of singles and doubles from April 24 – 29 are $20, with “night session” tickets starting at 5 pm from April 24-27 costing $10. Season tickets that include both the qualifying and main draw events cost $100. Admission for children 18 and under is free. Approximately 3,000 fans annually attend the event, which is seen as one of the best-attended events in the world on the “Futures” level of professional tennis tournaments. More info on the event can be found at www.TennisVeroBeach.com
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. 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 for the 2018 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships are led by Presenting Sponsor PNC Bank and Grand Slam Sponsors Boston Barricade, George E. Warren Corporation, Jake Owen Foundation, Syde Hurdus Foundation / Fit For Life and Land Rover / Jaguar Treasure Coast, Backhand Sponsors Publix, Rossway Swan, Coastal Van Lines, White Orchid Spa, Foglia Contracting, Forehand Sponsors Steve and Karen Rubin, Willem and Marion de Vogel, Cravings, M&M Group – Keller / Williams Realty Vero Beach, Rosato Plastic Surgery, Riverside Café, Ocean Drive Elite Physiques, 14 Bones Barbeque, Gordon Food Service, Peter Bernholz, Swarovski, Soul Music, Minuteman Press and Elite Airways, Kit Fields Realtor / CharlotteTerry.com, Cabana Sponsors John’s Island, Gene Simonsen, Michael & Kathleen Pierce, William Barhorst CPA, Dan Holman, John Klein, Hadleigh Investments, TeamChristopher.com, Tom Collins, The Pitcher Family, Pene Chambers Group, Waldo and Candy Johnston, The Pappalardo Family, Mickey and Rob Stein, Lace and Bob Milligan and Drop Shot Sponsors Fresh Market, Brooklyn Bagel, Hutchinson’s Florist, Seaside Grill, A Pampered Life-Disney Spa, Avanzare, New Chapter Media, Smith & Company Landscaping, Center For Advanced Eye Care, Cast Electric, Citron of Vero Beach, Amerigas, Central Window of Vero Beach, Bill’s Audio and Video Innovations, ML Engineering, Capt. Bob’s Airboat Adventure, Busy Bee Lawn & Garden Center, Complete Restaurant Equipment, Wilco Construction, Nozzle Nolen, Southern Plumbing, Treasure Coast Sotheby’s, Jack’s Complete Tree Service, Complete Electric, Statewide Condominium Insurance, Abco Garage Door, O’Hair, Quinn, Casalino, Chartered, Rick’s Custom Care, Rich-Look Lawn Care, White Glove Moving & Storage, Coastal Comforts @ The Village Shops, Jimmy’s Tree Service, Thompsons Remodeling & Home Repairs, Summit Construction, Colton Williams & Reamy, Sunshine Furniture, Malesardi, Quackenbush, Swift, Aluma Tower Company, Alex MacWilliam, Inc., Charlotte Terry Real Estate, Ken’s Pool & Spa Repair, Vero Beach Orthopedics, Barker Air Conditioning & Heating, Treasure Coast Financial Planning, Engineered Services, Peter Bernholz, Deborah Benjamin, John & Faith Parker, Duke & Betty Foster, Paul & Linda Delaney, Timmy Wood Gary and Beth Williams, Don Moyle, Chuck Pollard, Stewart Dunn, Leslie London – LL Vinyl Designs, Dara, Hunter and Thom Morgan
Third Round Qualifying Results
(1) Matias Zukas, Argentina d. Trey Hilderbrand, United States 3-6, 7-5, 6-0
Joseph Cadogan, Trinidad and Tobago d. Henry Patrick Cacciatore, United States 6-1, 6-1
Juan Alejandro Hernandez Serrano, Mexico d. Vasco Belaunde, Peru 5-1 ret.
(13) Julian Bradley, Ireland d. Marcelo Sepulveda Garza, Mexico 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-3
Ryan Goetz, United States d. Hillel Rousseau, Haiti 6-4, 6-1
(10) Jared Pratt, United States d. Matt Kandath, United States 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
Rowland Phillips, Jamaica d. Boris Kozlov, United States 6-3, 6-2
Jordi Arconada, United States d. Kohlman Lawrence, United States 6-2, 6-2
Nick Hardt, Dominican Republic d. (5) Tao Mu, China 3-6, 6-2, 7-5
Kirac Bekisoglu, Turkey d. Vojtech Vlkovsky, Czech Republic 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
Axel Nefve, United States d. Jack Lee, United States 6-0, 6-1
Zandrix Acob, United States d. Keenan Mayo, United States 6-4, 6-3
(7) Richard Torres, United States d. Louis Siegler, United States 7-5, 6-0
(9) Jesse Flores, Canada d. Christian Vinck, Germany 4-6, 6-0, 6-3
Nicolas Mejia, Colombia d. (8) Vlad Andrei Dancu, Romania 6-3, 6-2
(12) Jaycer Lyeons, United States d. Jared Thompkins, United States 6-2, 7-5
Final Round Qualifying Schedule for April 23
Starting at 10 a.m.
(1) Matias Zukas, Argentina vs. Joseph Cadogan, Trinidad and Tobago
Juan Alejandro Hernandez Serrano, Mexico vs. (13) Julian Bradley, Ireland
Ryan Goetz, United States vs. (10) Jared Pratt, United States
Rowland Phillips, Jamaica vs. Jordi Arconada, United States
Nick Hardt, Dominican Republic vs. Kirac Bekisoglu, Turkey
Axel Nefve, United States vs. Zandrix Acob, United States
(7) Richard Torres, United States vs. (9) Jesse Flores, Canada
Nicolas Mejia, Colombia vs. (12) Jaycer Lyeons, United States
