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Top Junior Nico Godsick, ATP Dallas Open Player Liam Krall Added To Mardy Fish Tennis Field

Randy Walker · April 20, 2023 · Leave a Comment

Nico Godsick, one of the world’s top junior players who reached the second round of doubles at the 2022 U.S. Open, and Liam Krall, a main draw participant at this year’s ATP Tour Dallas Open, have been added to the singles field at the 2023 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships April 24-30 at the Vero Beach Tennis & Fitness Club at Timber Ridge.

Godsick entered the event via a special “junior reserve” position, set aside for the world’s top junior player to gain entry into ITF World Tennis Tour U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit events. Godsick is the son of two-time Olympic gold medalist and ESPN television commentator Mary Joe Fernandez and Tony Godsick, the agent of Roger Federer and the co-founder of the Laver Cup competition. Godsick won the USTA National Boy’s 18s doubles championship last year with Ethan Quinn, last year’s Mardy Fish singles finalist, and with Quinn reached the second round of the main draw in doubles at the U.S. Open, losing to former Wimbledon, U.S. and Australian Open doubles champions Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic. Godsick, who has signed to go to Stanford University next year, also played last year in Vero Beach, losing in the first round of singles and the quarterfinals of doubles.

Krall impressed the pro tennis community in February at the ATP Tour Dallas Open where he nearly upset world former top 40 pro Radu Albot in the first round as a wild card entry, falling by a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 scoreline. Krall, from Bronxville, N.Y., is a junior at Southern Methodist University where he plays No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles for the Mustangs. Krall received a main draw wild card into the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Association by the USTA.

Bruno Kuzuhara, the 2022 Australian Open junior champion, withdrew from the event this week and will not compete this year in Vero Beach.

Play at the 2023 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships begins Monday, April 24 at the Vero Beach Tennis & Fitness Club with the start of the two-round singles qualifying event. The main draw of doubles will start on Tuesday and the main draw of singles will start on Wednesday. Play begins each day at 11 am through Friday, April 28 with a feature match each evening at 5:30 pm.

Tickets for the event can be purchased at www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com On site offerings include the Tasteful Express Food Truck, American Icon Bar Service, Yami’s Ice Cream Shop, Fisher’s Island Spiked Lemonade as well as other local vendors and artists.

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships has been held in Vero Beach since 1995 and, since 2016, has benefitted the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the non-profit foundation benefiting children named for Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, a former top 10 tennis star, U.S. Davis Cup hero and silver medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games.

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, 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist Denis Shapovalov, 2022 U.S. Open semifinalist France Tiafoe, 2023 Australian Open semifinalist Tommy Paul and new rising star and 2022 NCAA singles champion Ben Shelton. 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.

Affectionately known as “Timber Ridge” to locals, the Vero Beach Tennis & Fitness Club has been a staple in the community for over 30 years and has been owned and run since 2016 by James and Joseph van Deinse. The club boasts 14 Har-Tru tennis courts, a pickleball court, pool and clubhouse with fitness center and bar. The facility previously hosted a $25,000 women’s USTA Pro circuit event in 2014 that featured future major tournament champions Naomi Osaka and Sofia Kenin, future top 10 star Jennifer Brady and future major doubles champions Nicole Melichar, Laura Siegemund and Gaby Dabrowski. The club is also the original home of the “King of the Hill” tennis competition, hosting the first seven editions of Vero Beach’s popular doubles competition from 1996 to 2002. The Vero Beach Fitness & Tennis Club will be the third different venue to host the tournament after being held at Grand Harbor Club for 17 years from 1995 to 2009 and in 2017 and 2018 and at The Boulevard where it was held for 11 years from 2010 to 2016 and from 2019 to 2022.

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 2023 include Presenting Sponsor PNC Bank, Grand Slam Sponsor: John’s Island Real Estate, Scoreboard Sponsor Tara Layne Alex MacWilliam Real Estate, Hat Sponsor: The Roberts Family Foundation and additional event sponsors Cliff Norris Real Estate, Tom Collins Insurance Agency, Hazel House, Antle Foundation, Gene Simonsen, Kathie and Michael Pierce, Maureen and Peter Lee, Bob and Emilie Burr, Daniel Holman, Lynn Southerly, John and Sara Marshall, John and Marie McConnell, Peter and Ellen Kendall, Shirley Becker, Jaime Yordan, Steve and Karen Rubin, Katherine Cerullo, Pene Chambers, Willem and Marion de Vogel, M&M Realty, Foglia Contracting Corp, Hazelton Marketing Group, Block and Scarpa, Attorneys at Law, Center Court Tennis Outfitters, Publix, Kitchens By Design, Orchid Island Realty, Joe and Barbara Price, Charlie and Este Brashears, Rob and Mickey Stein, Evelyn’s Plant Care, Vero Marine Center, Boston Retail Solutions and Minuteman Press.

At Wawa, James van Deinse Reveals Amazing Tennis Career Opportunity

Randy Walker · February 16, 2023 · Leave a Comment

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

You never know what you might find out while filling up your gas tank at Wawa in Vero Beach!

As I was filling by gas tank with unleaded at the Wawa on US-1, a yellow sports car pulled next to me. The car door opened and I heard a friendly voice call out ‘Hey Randy.”

It was James van Deinse, the co-owner and teaching pro at the Vero Beach Tennis and Fitness Club. We talked a bit about his success at “King of the Hill,” where he and brother Joseph are in the “Open Division” final to be played March 2, where the winner and runner-up get a wild card in the main draw of doubles at the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships $15,000 ITF World Tennis Tour event in late April. We also talked about the annual singles Mardy Fish “Wild Card” event at Sea Oaks, which is held next week. James then dropped the big news on why he would not be playing in that event.

“I got a wild card into a Challenger in Mexico,” said James.

A Challenger is a pro event that is just below the ATP Tour event level, and always features top 150 players, and many times top 100 pros and familiar names that all have seen play big matches at Grand Slam tournaments. The event is Monterrey Challenger and Fernando Verdasco, the Davis Cup star for Spain and former Australian Open semifinalist is the defending champion. Former French Open finalist David Ferrer won the event in 2018.

“How did you get that?” I incredously asked about this amazing opportunity.

Van Deinse explained that Dani Garza, the former Mexican Davis Cup player who coaches in Vero Beach, knows the tournament director and put in a good word for him and a wild card entry in the main draw of singles was granted.

“Adrian Mannarino is playing” van Deinse exclaimed of the former top 25-ranked French player who has reached the fourth round at Wimbledon three times and has won two ATP singles titles.

Van Deinse has played many prize money events in his career, as well as in the qualifying rounds of five ITF World Tennis Tour events on the $15,000-level. He played in the main draw of doubles at the 2017 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships in 2017, losing in the first round alongside former Quail Valley teaching pro and University of Florida standout Michael Alford. Van Deinse has never held an ATP ranking in singles or doubles and his Universal Tennis (UTR) rating is 11.48. He recently posted one of the best results of his career, winning a local UTR event in Vero Beach, beating former top 400 player Michal Schmid in the Czech Republic in the final as you can read here: https://tennisverobeach.com/index.php/2022/12/19/james-van-deinse-beats-former-top-400-pro-to-win-utr-tournament-at-vero-beach-tennis-fitness-club/?fbclid=IwAR3oIE0-Jh__oe-RnMAgLROFip1wcNsjcnNo6qKHsfV3jLvvCiiXZuvSZr0

For more information on the Monterrey Challenger, click here: https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/monterrey/7351/overview

https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/monterrey/7351/overview

Mardy Fish, After Making Golf/Tennis History, Set For More Golf In Vero Beach In January of 2023

Randy Walker · August 16, 2022 · Leave a Comment

Vero Beach’s Mardy Fish, the former top 10 tennis star, Olympic silver medalist and the current U.S. Davis Cup captain, made sports history at the 3M Open in Minnesota this summer becoming the first player to play and event on both the ATP Tour in tennis and PGA Tour in golf.

Fish, who grew up playing the Sandridge public golf course in Vero Beach, shot rounds of 81 and 74 for a total of 13 over par, which was 12 shots away from his goal of making the cut. However, he finished better than three established full-time PGA Tour pros, Kevin Stadler, who has a top 10 finish at The Masters and a win at the Phoenix Open on his resume, Wesley Bryan, who won the prestigious Heritage Classic five years ago, and former Korn Ferry Tour standout Brandon Matthews.

Born in Edina, Minnesota and a rabid fan of Minnesota sports, Fish was given a sponsor’s exemption into the event, after six-time Masters champion Jack Nicklaus personally lobbied the tournament on his behalf three years ago.

During a charity event in 2018, he had a chance to play nine holes with Nicklaus, who was amazed at the raw talent of Fish, calling him “The best non-professional golfer I’ve ever seen play” (Read the full article here: http://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/16360)

Although he jokingly labeled himself as a “Country Club Bo Jackson,” Fish actually learned both sports at public facilities, on the tennis courts at Riverside Park and the Sandridge public golf course in Vero Beach, Florida. He returns annually to Vero Beach in January to host his Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Golf Fundraiser at The Windsor Club, where his father Tom is the head tennis pro. The 2023 date for the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Golf Fundraise at Windsor in Monday, January 16, 2023.

Five Months After Mardy Fish Win In Vero Beach, Jerry Shang Competes With World’s Best At The Miami Open

Randy Walker · March 24, 2022 · Leave a Comment

From the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships at The Boulevard to the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.

That’s the journey that 17-year-old Jerry Shang has taken in matter of just five months.

The 2021 singles champion at Vero Beach’s annual $15,000 U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit ITF World Tennis Tour tournament in October, Shang received a “wild card” entry into one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world, where his name was placed in the same singles draw as current greats Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andy Murray among many others.

Shang drew former U.S. Olympian Denis Kudla, the world No. 81, in the first round and in a topsy-turvy battle that last two minutes shy of three hours, Shang was defeated 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-4 on Wednesday, night March 23.

Shang dazzled many times through the match, edging out a first-set tiebreaker, and actually served for the match at 5-4 in the second set. Nerves, naturally, set in for the young player on the cusp of the biggest win in his fledging pro career, as missed first serves and errors littered his efforts. Kudla won five games in a row to not only take the second set, but lead by a break 2-0 in the third set. Kudla, a veteran 29-year-old player who reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2015, appeared to hold the momentum in the match and seemed poised to win an easy win in the third set. However, Shang remained determined and won four games in a row to serve at 4-3 in the final set, again at the doorstep at a big first-round win. Nerves, and a resilient Kudla, took hold again as Kudla was able to reel off the last three games of the match.

Since he beat Ricardo Rodriguez in the final of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championship in the event’s special “October edition” at The Boulevard as a player ranked No. 1041, Shang has improved his ATP singles ranking to No. 441 while playing events on the $15,000 and $25,000 level on the ITF World Tennis Tour event, as well as Challengers and ATP Tour events. He played his first ATP Tour level evet in Rio de Janiero in February, losing to world No. 62 Pedro Martinez 6-3, 6-4. After winning the $15,000 event in Naples, Florida, He won two qualifying matches against two top 150-ranked players (No. 100 Francisco Cerundolo and No. 128 Mats Moraing) to reach the main draw of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells before losing to No. 99 Jaume Munar of Spain.

Shang’s recent results would indicate that he has now moved beyond playing in $15,000 events like Vero Beach, the lowest level of professional tennis. However, if Shang is unable to gain entries in Challenger-level events this April, a return trip to Vero Beach could be in the cards. The 2022 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships will be held April 25-May 1 at The Boulevard. For ticket, box seat and sponsorship information, go to www.MardyFishChildrensFoundation.org.