Former Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation pupil Emilio van Cotthem of Fort Pierce wowed crowds Friday with an inspiring 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 come-from-behind victory over Dejon Bivens of Charlotte, N.C. in the opening round of the qualifying tournament Friday at the $15,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships USTA Pro Circuit event at Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club.
Van Cotthem, 16, won just his second career qualifying match at the USTA “Futures” level pro event in his career with the win in front of family and friends and Tom and Sally Fish, the parents of tournament and foundation namesake Mardy Fish, the former U.S. Olympic silver medalist and U.S. Davis Cup hero.
Van Cotthem has been playing tennis since the age of 4 and participated in Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation clinics and events growing up. “That really helped motivate me to want to become a professional and work hard to try to pursue that dream,” van Cotthem said last year of his participation in Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation events. “Tom Fish helped a lot also with my strokes. It’s really been a big part of me.”
Van Cotthem will next play Vojtech Vlkovski of the Czech Republic not before 11:30 am on Saturday in the 128-player qualifying tournament. Van Cotthem will need to three more matches to qualify for the main draw of the event, where he will compete for ATP World Tour ranking points.
The three other local Vero Beach area participants in the qualifying were not as fortunate as Van Cotthem. Joseph Van Deinse of the Vero Beach Tennis Club and the tennis coach at St. Edward’s School, was defeated by 17-year-old Boris Kozlov of Pembroke Pines, Fla. James Van Deinse, Joseph’s younger brother, also was defeated in the first round, falling to Christopher Haworth of Oklahoma City, Okla., 6-2, 6-1. Fourteen-year-old Trey Olmstead, who is coached at Vero Beach High School by James Van Deinse, was defeated by Peru’s Vasco Belaunde 6-1, 6-1.
“That’s awesome. I didn’t know that,” Kozlov said after his 6-0, 6-1 win over Joseph Van Deinse when he learned of why there was a larger than usual local gathering for his match. “Obviously he can play, so I’m just happy to get through it.”
Kozlov, who will be attending Louisiana State University to play tennis next year, is the brother of Stefan Kozlov, a 20-year-old who is currently ranked No. 170 on the ATP World Tour. Kozlov hopes to follow in his brother’s footsteps and play professional tennis when he is done playing at LSU.
“My dream has always been to play professional tennis,” Kozlov said before discussing his tennis relationship with his brother. “It’s great. We practice together, he always gives me great advice. He’s been in my position and obviously much further, so it’s great having him there for me.”
Among the other notable winners Friday included Christian Vinck of Germany, who n the first round, defeating Seth Highnote 6-0, 6-0. Vinck is most well-known for defeating Andre Agassi in the final of the Las Vegas Challenger in 1997, as well as reaching the third round of Wimbledon in 2000.
Vinck spends most of his time in Germany, but he makes a point to come play in Vero Beach each year. After not having played professional tennis from 2005 to 2016, this is the third year in a row that he has participated in the event, but he wasn’t even sure if he would get in this year.
“It felt great,” Vinck said of the win. “Yesterday I didn’t know if I would get in qualifying, so for me the first success was to get in, as I was quite far out in the acceptance list.”
Vinck was the 69th alternate for the qualifying event, but he was able to get into the draw and is now into the second round for the third year in a row. Vinck makes two trips to Florida each year, and he said he plans one of those trips around this tournament.
“I plan [my vacation] around to come here and play. I really like the place and all the people here,” Vinck said.
“I’m still competitive of course. At 42, to play against the young guys, it’s great. It’s a competition for me.”
Irish Davis Cupper Julian Bradley also advanced by a 6-0, 6-0 scoreline over American Michael Allende.
Bradley, a 25-year-old from Dublin, is the No. 13 seed in the event, and is looking to improve his current ATP World Ranking of 1,879.
“You just go out and focus on what you can do. Just try to improve my game,” said Bradley of his strategy in his first round match.
Bradley attended dental school at Trinity University in Dublin for two years before coming over to the states and playing college tennis at the University of North Florida. At UNF, he played mostly in the No. 3 position for two years and totaled 27 singles wins.
Now that he is done with college and is playing professional tennis year-round, Bradley’s goals now focus on playing for Ireland’s Davis Cup team.
“My whole goal was always to play Davis Cup for Ireland. I got on the team this year so I was part of the team, but I didn’t actually get to play a match,” Bradley said. “It was a great moment but obviously when you get there you always want more.”
The 128-player qualifying tournament will determine the final eight entrants into the 32-player main draw singles tournament that runs Tuesday, April 24-29. Play is expected to run through 8 pm on Friday and Saturday and until about 3 pm on Monday. Main draw play begins Tuesday, April 24 at noon and is highlighted by two more locals, 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
First Round Qualifying Results
(1) Matias Zukas, Argentina d. Daniel Paty, Czech Republic 6-4, 6-2
Siem Woldeab, United States d. Patrick Davidson, United States 6-0, 6-1
Tam Trinh, United States d. Justin Lunn, Bahamas 6-3, 6-3
Trey Hilderbrand, United States d. Andrew Ely, United States 6-1, 6-1
Joseph Cadogan, Trinidad and Tobago d. Evan Shamlian, United States 7-6(3), 6-3
Luis Nicolau Costa Macedo, Brazil d. Brian Glassmoyer, United States 6-0, 6-0
Henry Patrick Cacciatore, United States d. Michael Atlesonn Staff, Norway 6-1, 6-0
Andres Golindano, Venezuela d. Alexander Gasson, Great Britain 7-5, 6-3
(2) Lukas Greif, United States d. Coner McMann, United States 6-3, 6-0
Juan Alejandro Hernandez Serrano, Mexico d. Daniel Krulig, United States 6-3, 6-2
Vasco Belaunde, Peru d. (WC) Trey Olmstead, United States 6-1, 6-1
Peter Bleach, South Africa d. Avery Samuel, United States 6-0, 6-0
Marcelo Sepulveda Garza, Mexico d. Yang Liu, China 6-2, 6-2
(WC) Philipp Storjohann, Germany d. Charles Silva, Brazil 6-3, 6-1
Shoichiryu Kozuki, Japan d. (WC) Carl Solik, United States 6-2, 6-2
(13) Julian Bradley, Ireland d. Michael Allende, United States 6-0, 6-0
Juan Bianchi, United States d. (3) Jody Maginley, Haiti 3-6, 7-5, 6-2
Ryan Goetz, United States d. Mark Stewart Meyer, United States 6-0, 6-1
Drew van Orderlain, United States d. Jordan Nickerson, United States 7-5, 6-3
Hillel Rousseau, Haiti d. Lawrence Sciglitano, Australia 7-5, 6-4
Matthew Kandath, United States d. Zvonko Bencedic, Great Britain 6-4, 6-4
Ronald Hohmann, United States d. Viju George Jr., United States (walkover)
Leonard Ivic, Croatia d. Alexandru Gasca-Silva, Romania 6-1, 3-6, 6-1
(10) Jared Pratt, United States d. Leighton Allen, United States 6-1, 6-1
(4) Edward Bourchier, Australia d. Jonathan Sorbo, Canada 6-0, 6-2
Rowland Phillips, Jamaica d. Harrison Horton, United States 6-1, 6-0
Boris Kozlov, United States d. Joseph van Deinse, United States 6-0, 6-1
Thomas Tomczak, United States d. Gregg I. Malawer, United States 6-2, 6-1
Nicholas Mora, United States d. Rohan Bansal, United States 6-4, 6-3
Kohlman Lawrence, United States d. Juan Pablo Rodas, Colombia 6-4, 6-2
Jordi Arconada, United States d. Phillip Katta, United States 6-0, 6-1
(11) A.J. Catanzariti, United States d. Aslan Drashev, Turkmenistan 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
(5) Tao Mu, China d. Rodrigo Reyna, Mexico 6-1, 6-0
Andrew Blair, United States d. Jake Rabani, United States 6-0, 6-0
Daniel Fainblum, Canada d. Yevgeniy Korolev, Kazakhstan 6-2, ret.
(WC) Nick Hardt, Dominican Republic d. Nevin Arimilli, United States 6-2, 6-3
Vojtech Vlkovsky, Czech Republic d. Kahaka’ioikamalie Companion, United States 6-2, 6-2
Emilio van Cotthem, United States d. Dejon Bivens, United States 3-6, 6-4, 6-0
Kirac Bekisoglu, Turkey d. Alexander Kiefer, United States 6-2, 6-1
(14) Washi Gervais, Canada d. Akash Gandhi, India 6-0, 6-0
(6) Christopher G. Haworth, United States d. James van Deinse, United States 6-2, 6-1
Axel Nefve, United States d. Jamie Vance, United States 6-1, 6-0
Yovan Lambros, United States d. Michael Paty, Czech Republic 6-2, 6-1
Jack Lee, United States d. Thomas Krcma, Czech Republic 6-1, 6-0
Noah Schachter, United States d. Jacob Beasley, United States 6-4, 6-2
(WC) Keenan Mayo, United States d. Leonel Vivas, Venezuela 6-2, 6-3
Zandrix Acob, United States d. Tommaso Carnevale-Miino, Italy 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
(15) Tim Kopinski, United States d. Kozuki Matsuno, Japan 6-2, 6-1
(7) Richard Torres, United States d. Tomas Kopczynski, United States 6-3, ret.
Rodrigo Oliveira, Brazil d. Rohit Navelkar, United States 6-0, 6-3
Benton Benalcazar, United States d. Edward Lewis, United States 6-3, 6-2
Louis Siegler, United States d. Pavel Ognev, Russia 6-0, 6-4
Preston Brown, United States d. Damien Nezar, South Africa 6-2, 6-1
Christian Vick, Germany d. Seth Highnote, United States 6-0, 6-0
Jack Vance, United States d. Nicolas Pinzon Moreno, United States 6-4, 6-2
(9) Jesse Flores, Canada d. Lazar Markovic, United States 6-2, 6-0
(8) Vlad Andrei Dancu, Romania d. Will Rose, United States 6-0, 6-0
Erroll Lawrence, United States d. Lonnie Nickelberry, United States 6-0, 6-0
Nicolas Mejia, Colombia d. Eric Ahren Moonga, United States 4-6, 6-0, 61
Tomas Gonzalez, Colombia d. John Tierney, United States 7-6(4), 6-1
(WC) Caspar Schuetze, Germany d. Matthew Walton, Great Britain 6-1, 6-4
Jared Thompkins, United States d. Sasha Pachnev, Canada 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-4
Zurab Zhvania, Georgia d. Kevin Gardner, Antilles 6-0, 6-0
(12) Jaycer Lyeons, United States d. Diego Riviere Padilha, Brazil 6-2, 6-2
Second Round Qualifying Schedule for April 21
Starting at 9 a.m.
(4) Edward Bourchier, Australia vs. Rowland Phillips, Jamaica
Henry Patrick Cacciatore, United States vs. Andres Golindano, Venezuela
Vasco Belaunde, Peru vs. Peter Bleach, South Africa
(10) Jared Pratt, United States vs. Leonard Ivic, Croatia
Boris Kozlov, United States vs. Thomas Tomczak, United States
Yovan Lambros, United States vs. Jack Lee, United States
(9) Jesse Flores, Canada vs. Jack Vance, United States
Preston Brown, United States vs. Christian Vinck, Germany
Not Before 10 a.m.
Caspar Schuetze, Germany vs. Jared Thompkins, United States
Tam Trinh, United States vs. Trey Hilderbrand, United States
(15) Tim Kopinski, United States vs. Zandrix Acob, United States
(2) Lukas Greif, United States vs. Juan Alejandro Hernandez Serrano, Mexico
Not Before 10:30 a.m.
(11) A.J. Catanzariti, United States vs. Jordi Arconada, United States
Juan Bianchi, United States vs. Ryan Goetz, United States
(5) Tao Mu, China vs. Andrew Blair, United States
(1) Matias Zukas, Argentina vs. Siem Woldeab, United States
Not Before 11:30 a.m.
Daniel Fainblum, Canada vs. Nick Hardt, Dominican Republic
Vojtech Vlkovsky, Czech Republic vs. Emilio van Cotthem, United States
(14) Washi Gervais, Canada vs. Kirac Bekisoglu, Turkey
Joseph Cadogan, Trinidad and Tobago vs. Luis Nicolau Costa Macedo, Brazil
Not Before 12 p.m.
Noah Schachter, United States vs. Keenan Mayo, United States
(12) Jaycer Lyeons, United States vs. Zurab Zhvania, Georgia
Marcelo Sepulveda Garza, Mexico vs. Philipp Storojohann, Germany
(7) Richard Torres, United States vs. Rodrigo Oliveira, Brazil
Not Before 1 p.m.
Matthew Kandath, United States vs. Ronald Hohmann, United States
Benton Benalcazar, United States vs. Louis Siegler, United States
(13) Julian Bradley, Ireland vs. Shoichiryu Kozuki, Japan
(8) Vlad Andrei Dancu, Romania vs. Erroll Lawrence, United States
Not Before 1:30 p.m.
Tomas Gonzalez, Colombia vs. Nicolas Mejia, Colombia
Drew van Orderlain, United States vs. Hillel Rousseau, Haiti
Nicholas Mora, United States vs. Kohlman Lawrence, United States
Christopher G. Haworth, United States vs. Axel Nefve, United States
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