James Van Deinse, Vero Beach High School’s tennis coach who runs the Vero Beach Tennis Club with his family, registered one of the biggest wins of his competitive tennis career Wednesday night holding on to defeat Brian Battistone 6-3, 7-5 to advance into the quarterfinals of the pre-qualifying tournament for the $25,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships at The Boulevard tennis club.
Van Deinse served for the match three times against Battistone, finally closing out the win on his third attempt to defeat the former top 100 ATP ranked doubles player known for this double-handled racquet, volleyball-style jump serve and ambidexterous style. Van Deinse served for the match at 5-2 and 5-4 in the second set and came back from 0-40 down on his serve while serving for the match at 6-5, winning the last five points of the match.
Van Deinse will pay Chris Rosensteel of East Windsor, N.J. at 12:30 pm Thursday at The Boulevard in the quarterfinals. Rosensteel upset No. 7 seed Quinn Snyder of Delran, N.J., 6-7 (7), 6-2, (10-6) to advance into the quarterfinals.
The other three quarterfinals are scheduled for 1 pm on Thursday with top-seed Magnus Johnson of Naples, Florida taking on No. 5 seed Jack Vance of Las Vegas, No. 2 seed Christian Vinck of Germany talking on No. 8 seed John Mullane of White Lake, Michigan and No. 6 seed Tommi Carnevale-Miino of Italy taking on Juan Mateus of Edmond, Okla. Admission is free for fans.
This event features 32 players who are competing for the right to earn one position into the qualifying rounds of this International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Tennis Tour event that is part of the U.S. Tennis Association’s Competitive Pathway. The qualifying tournament, which was reduced from a four-day 128-player event in previous years to a two-day 32-player event this year, will be played Monday, April 29 and Tuesday, April 30, prior to the start of the main draw of the tournament.
The top-seeded Johnson, 18, lost only one game in his first and second round matches played Tuesday. In the first round, he defeated Eric Oncins, the son of former Brazilian Davis Cup and Olympic team standout Jaime Oncins, by a 6-1, 6-0 margin. Oncins was inserted into the draw earlier that morning as an alternate after Vero Beach High School standout Emilio van Cotthem withdrew with tendinitis in his right wrist.
“I didn’t know his father was a former top-40 player,” said Johnson upon learning that his first-round opponent was the son of a former Olympic quarterfinalist. “I heard him speaking with one of the spectators before the match but didn’t realize that. That’s pretty cool.”
Johnson said he was sick the previous night and was not pleased with his performance, despite only giving up one game in two matches. “I haven’t been feeling the greatest on the court today,” he said. “I just tried to do the best I could and hope to get another match and keep building on that.”
The second-seeded Vinck gave up only five games in two matches Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals. The 43-year-old Germany was once ranked No. 101 in the world and reached the third round at Wimbledon in 2000, but still feeds his competitive nature by competing in this tournament every year while on vacation from his job as a management consultant. He is perhaps best known in the history of tennis as the player who defeated Andre Agassi in the final of the 1997 USTA Challenger in Agassi’s hometown of Las Vegas during Agassi’s comeback from his ranking dropping to No. 141 in the world.
Mullane, a former All-American for Michigan State University, has played one main draw win at a “Futures” event under his belt and he is seeking a chance to fight for another one here at Vero Beach. He lost only two games in two matches Wednesday, delivering a double bagel versus Peyton Hickman of Bay Minette, Alabama in the first round, followed by a 6-2, 6-0 win over Bruno Nunes of Montverde, Florida.
Jack Vance, best known in Vero Beach for reaching the singles final of the Mardy Fish main draw wild card tournament at the Sea Oaks Club in 2018, won his first two matches Wednesday in straight sets, while Carnevale-Miino defeated John McEnroe Academy student Lazar Markovic 6-2, 6-3 in the first round and Bernardo Costa of Montverde, Florida 6-1, 6-0 in the second round. In the match of the day, Juan Mateus of Edmond, Oklahoma saved a match point in his upset of No. 4 seed Kyle Johnson, a member of El Salvador’s Davis Cup team, 1-6, 7-6 (5), (13-11) to reach the quarterfinals.
Play in the main draw doubles wild card event will also start Thursday with matches starting at 3 pm. Schedule and draw and results can be found on the UTR website here: https://www.myutr.com/events/3744?t=2
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships is regarded as one of the best entry-level professional tennis tournaments in the world. Proceeds from the event benefit the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the non-profit tennis foundation benefiting children, named for Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, the former top 10 tennis star and the current U.S. Davis Cup captain. The event will be held April 29 – May 5 at The Boulevard tennis club in Vero Beach.
Tournament tickets and sponsorships for the event can be purchased at www.MardyFishChildrensFoundation.org Daily tickets for the April 29-May 5 are $20, with “night session” tickets starting at 5 pm from April 29 – May 4 costing $10. Season tickets for every session of the event are $100. Admission for children 18 and under is free. Fans can follow news and developments on the tournament on Facebook and on Twitter at @VeroFutures. Detailed sponsorship information can be obtained by emailing Tom Fish at Ttfish10s@aol.com or Randy Walker at RWalker@NewChapterMedia.com Approximately 3,000 fans annually attend the event, which is seen as one of the best-attended entry-level professional events in the world.
Some of the past competitors at the USTA Vero Beach Futures have gone on to succeed at the highest levels of professional tennis, winning major singles and doubles titles, Olympic medals and Davis Cup championships and earning No. 1 world rankings. Andy Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion who attained the world No. 1 ranking and helped the United States win the Davis Cup in 2007, competed in Vero Beach in 1999. Thomas Johansson of Sweden, who reached the second round of the Vero Beach Futures in 1995, won the Australian Open seven years later in 2002. Nicolas Massu, the 1998 singles runner-up in Vero Beach, won the singles and doubles gold medals at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, beating Fish in the gold medal singles match. Kyle Edmund, the 2013 champion in Vero Beach, helped Great Britain to the Davis Cup title in 2015. Other notable former competitors in Vero Beach include former world No. 2 Magnus Norman, former world No. 4 Tim Henman, 2016 Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic and most recently world No. 50 player and teen sensation Denis Shapovalov, who played in Vero Beach in 2016. Former Vero Beach competitors have combined to win 19 titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles at Grand Slam tournaments. Seven former Vero Beach players have gone on to play Davis Cup for the United States – Roddick, Fish, Taylor Dent, Jared Palmer, Donald Young, Ryan Harrison and Frances Tiafoe.
Founded in 2007, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishFoundation.com and @MardyFishFound on Twitter) currently supports over 2,200 children in 15 elementary schools, six middle schools and two after school centers in Indian River County, Florida by funding after-school exercise, nutritional and enrichment programs in a safe environment to prepare them for healthy, productive and successful lives. The Foundation introduced the “Six Healthy Habits” in 2012 which are Get Sleep; Drink Water; Exercise Daily, Eat Healthy; Brush and Floss; Make Friends.
The tournament schedule is as follows:
Thursday, April 25 – Friday, April 26
Pre-Qualifying Tournament – The Boulevard Tennis Club, Times TBD (Free to public)
Sunday, April 28
Pro-Am – Sea Oaks Tennis Club, 1:30 – 3:30 pm
Kick-off Party – The Boulevard Tennis Club, 5:30 – 8:30 pm
Monday, April 29
Qualifying Tournament Begins – The Boulevard Tennis Club, Noon, 5 pm, 6:45 pm
Tuesday, April 30
Qualifying Tournament Ends, Main Draw Beings – The Boulevard Tennis Club, Noon, 5 pm, 6:45 pm
Wednesday, May 1
Main Draw Singles & Doubles – The Boulevard Tennis Club, Noon, 5 pm, 6:45 pm
Thursday, May 2
Main Draw Singles & Doubles – The Boulevard Tennis Club, Noon, 5 pm, 6:45 pm
Friday, May 3
Main Draw Singles & Doubles – The Boulevard Tennis Club, Noon, 5 pm, 6:45 pm
Saturday, May 4
Singles Semifinals, Doubles Final – The Boulevard Tennis Club, Noon, 5 pm
Sunday, May 5
Singles Final – The Boulevard Tennis Club, 1 pm
Tournament sponsors for 2019 include Presenting Sponsor PNC Bank, Grand Slam Sponsors Boston Barricade, George E. Warren Corporation and the Jake Owen Foundation, Cabana/Box Seat Sponsors John’s Island Real Estate, John Klein, Gene Simonsen, TeamChristopher.com, Dan Holman, Hadleigh Investments, Pene Chambers / Lynn Southerly, Lace and Bob Milligan / Mickey and Rob Stein, William Barhorst, CPA, Michael and Kathleen Pierce, The Pitcher Family, Shirley Becker, Scoreboard Sponsor Fit for Life / Syde Hurdus Foundation Backhand Sponsors Vero Beach Magazine, Rossway Swan, Nalzaro Music, Coastal Van Lines, Diamond Resorts International, Forehand Sponsors Karen and Steve Rubin, Mike and Meg Hickey / Premier Estate Properties, Shaklee / Suzie Sunkel, Indian River Animal Hospital – Charles B. Johnson, DVM, Marjorie Johnson, DVM, MS, DAVP, Serve Sponsors Cravings, Bistro Fourchette, Willem and Marion DeVogel, Foglia Custom Homes Topspin Sponsors Alex MacWilliam Real Estate, Eternal Water, Kit Fields Realtor, Patrick Williams / Tom Collins Insurance, Riverside Café, MinuteMan Press, Center Court Tennis Outfitters, Drop Shot Sponsors Treasure Coast Financial Planning, Inc., Peter and Judith Saidel, Deb Benjamin, Paul & Linda Delaney, Stewart Dunn, Susan Flannery (Aluma Tower), Tom Flannery (Malesardi, Quackenbush, Swift and Company LLC, Jim & Suzi Keegan, Don Moyle, Dee Patberg, Fran Smyrk (Treasure Coast Sotheby’s), Gary & Beth Williams, ABCO Garage Door Company, Inc., Barker Air Conditioning & Heating, Busy Bee Lawn & Garden Center, Coastal Comforts at the Village Shops, Colton, Williams & Reamy, CPAs, Complete Electric, Inc., Complete Restaurant Equipment, LLC, Glacier Clear Pool Service, Jack’s Complete Tree Service, Inc., Jimmy’s Tree Services, Ken’s Pool Service, ML Engineering, Inc., Nozzle Nolen, Inc., O’Haire, Quinn, Casalino, Chartered, Rich Look Lawn Care, Rick’s Custom Care, Statewide Condominium Insurance, Steve Supplee Construction LLC, Summit Construction of Vero Beach, LLC, Sunshine Furniture, White Glove Moving & Storage and Wilco Construction, Inc.
James Van Deinse
"King of the Hill" Winner, Runner-Up Receive Main Draw Doubles Wild Card Into Mardy Fish Futures
James Van Deinse of the Vero Beach Tennis Club and Michael Alford of the Quail Valley River Club, the winner and runner-up respectively at the annual “King of the Hill” tennis competition, have been awarded a main draw doubles wild card into the 2017 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, to be held April 21 – 30 at Grand Harbor in Vero Beach, Florida.
Van Deinse and Alford were awarded the wild card by the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the operators of the Vero Beach $15,000 U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit “Futures” event, as part of an agreement with the 22-year “King of the Hill” (KOTH) competition and organizer Gigi Casapu to give a wild card entry into the Futures event to the KOTH winner and runner-up.
Van Deinse and Alford will play their first round doubles match on Tuesday, April 25 at 7 pm.
“We are happy to welcome James and Michael into our doubles field for the 2017 tournament and hope that their many Vero Beach fans come out to support two local residents as they compete against ATP-ranked professional players from around the world,” said Tom Fish, President of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation. “We are excited to have started a new tradition with our partnership with Gigi Casapu in awarding the ‘King of the Hill’ winner and runner-up a main draw doubles wild card into our event. We’d also like to start the tradition of having the ‘King of the Hill’ doubles team play on our opening main draw night session on Tuesdays, creating a ‘King of the Hill’ Tuesday night at the tournament.”
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.
“The King of Hill” is the annual doubles competition featuring tennis professionals from the Vero Beach area who compete in round-robin competitions on Tuesday nights to the determine the “king” of the local tennis professional. Proceeds from “King of the Hill” benefit the Youth Guidance Mentoring & Activities Program.
Many former KOTH champions and competitors have played in the Vero Beach USTA Futures, including four-time champion Robert Kowalczyk, the former USTA National Boy’s 18 Hard Court Champion, four-time champion Aldo Burga, now of The Legacy club, two-time champion Kriegler Brink, a singles semifinalist at the Vero Beach Futures in 2011, and 2016 KOTH champion Mike Alford, a former standout at the University of Florida, among others.
Advance tickets for the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships are available at www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com. Season tickets for all 10 days of the competition are available for $100. Daily by-one-get-one free tickets for the qualifying rounds April 21-24 are for sale for $10, with daily tickets for the main draw sessions April 25-30 for sale for $20. A special $10 “Happy Hour” ticket is available for $10 after 5 pm for night sessions on Tuesday, April 25 – Friday, April 28 that includes a featured 7 pm night match. 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. The 2016 event featured 13 players who played Davis Cup for their country and was won by Jonas Luetjen of Germany, who defeated Latvian Davis Cupper Martins Podzus in the final.
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 among others. 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.
