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
Mardy Fish
Two-Time Australian Open Finalist Has High Praise For Vero Beach, Mardy Fish Futures
Steve Denton once ranked as high as No. 12 in the world and twice reached the final of the Australian Open in 1981 and 1982. He’s been the head men’s tennis coach at Texas A&M since 2006 and is in Vero Beach with two of his Texas A&M student-athletes who are playing in the qualifying rounds of the $15,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships USTA Pro Circuit event. Jordi Arconada and A.J. Catanzariti, the regular No. 3 and No. 6 singles players for the Aggies, are competing this week at Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club as amateurs before next week’s Southeastern Conference Tennis Championships.
On Saturday in the second round of the 128-player qualifying draw Arconada, a 21-year-old from Buenos Aires, got the better Catanzariti, the native of Pittsburgh, Pa., and the No. 11 seed in the qualifying, by a score of 7-5, 6-3.
“It’s unfortunate that they have to play each other, but our objective was to get some matches in for these guys,” Denton said. “They just like to compete, so it’s really good to see them compete against each other and they did a really good job.”
Denton has a history playing against Vero Beach native and fellow tennis legend Ivan Lendl, and he understands why Lendl has decided to make this area his home.
“It’s a great place. The people here are really nice, it’s a really nice community. I can see why Ivan lives here,” said Denton, who lost all four career meetings with Lendl on the ATP World Tour. “This is a world class event at a $15,000 Futures. There’s not many like it in the world.”
Arconada was pleased to get the win, but was saddened it had to come at the expense of his teammate.
“It’s tough but it’s something that we’re used to,” he said.
Arconda echoed his coach’s praise of Vero Beach and the organization of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships. “Oh man, it’s awesome,” he said. “It’s amazing. We’re happy to be here. It’s one of the nicer Futures that I’ve been to.”
Other winners on Saturday included 43-year-old Christian Vinck of Germany, who defeated Preston Brown 7-5, 6-4, Irish Davis Cupper Julian Bradley who defeated Japan’s Shoiciryu Kozuki 6-1, 6-1, No. 1-qualifying seed Matias Zukas of Argentina, who defeated Siem Woldeab of San Diego 6-2, 6-3, former University of Miami standout Jesse Flores, who defeated Jack Vance of Las Vegas 6-2, 6-2 and Vojech Vlkovsky of the Czech Republic who defeated Emilio Van Cottem of Fort Pierce, Fla., 6-2, 6-2.
Zandrix Acob, a 22-year old native of Hilo, Hawaii, registered one of the most surprising results of the day, registering an easy 6-2, 6-0 upset Tim Kopinski of Palos Hills, Illinois, the No. 1,879-ranked player on the ATP World Tour computer and the No. 15 seed in the qualifying tournament.
“I was expecting a war,” said Acob, who was pleased to have an easier match after struggling through a three-setter on Friday. “It’s like a relief, but obviously you’ve got to go day by day.”
Acob, who played tennis at Florida Atlantic University, can’t be missed on the grounds of the Grand Harbor Golf and Tennis Club as he wears a colorful bucket hat with images of fruit on it while he is on the court.
“I was just going to wear it for fun,” Acob said. “It was a practice and everyone was like ‘what are you wearing?’”
After messing around with the hat in practice, he decided to try it out in a match last fall, and it worked.
“It’s just one size, it fits my head perfectly. It doesn’t fly away when I run for balls. Plus, it covers everywhere,” Acob said. “Stylish too, it might throw the opponent off a little bit.”
Another noticeable player on the grounds is 21-year-old Jared Thompkins, who defeated Caspar Schuetze of Germany with a 7-5, 6-2 scoreline.
Thompkins is currently not ranked in the ATP World Tour rankings, but he is full of confidence and has set high goals for himself.
“I want to win majors. I want to be up there,” Thompkins said. “I want to put my name in the game.”
Some of the confidence Thompkins has comes from his experience as a training partner at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells this March. He had the opportunity to train with top pros like Fernando Verdasco and Gael Monfils.
After training with Monfils for an hour and a half, the Frenchman had some great praise for Thompkins.
“He was telling me ‘Dude, I’ll give you two years and you’ll be in the top 100,’” Thompkins said. “That was a major confidence boost.”
The rest of Thompkins’ confidence comes from working with his dad, John, as his coach. John is a former successful player in college and now uses his memories to help Jared.
“There’s no one who is going to want it more for me,” Thompkins said. “The knowledge never stops coming out. He’ll say something when we’re watching tennis and then the commentator will say the same exact thing and we’re just like ‘ok, we get you now.’”
The third round of the qualifying event is scheduled to start at 10 am Sunday at Grand Harbor. The 32 remaining players will have to win two more matches to qualify for the main draw of the event, which begins Tuesday.
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
Second Round Qualifying Results
(1) Matias Zukas, Argentina d. Siem Woldeab, United States 6-2, 6-3
Trey Hilderbrand, United States d. Tam Trinh, United States 7-5, 6-2
Joseph Cadogan, Trinidad and Tobago d. Luis Nicolau Costa Macedo, Brazil 6-1, 6-1
Henry Patrick Cacciatore, United States d. Andres Golindano, Venezuela 6-2, 7-6(8)
Juan Alejandro Hernandez Serrano, Mexico d. (2) Lukas Greif, United States 6-1, 6-3
Vasco Belaunde, Peru d. Peter Bleach, South Africa 7-5, 7-5
Marcelo Sepulveda Garza, Mexico d. Philipp Storjohann, Germany 6-2, 6-1
(13) Julian Bradley, Ireland d. Shoichiryu Kozuki, Japan 6-1, 6-1
Ryan Goetz, United States d. Juan Bianchi, United States 6-2, 6-0
Hillel Rousseau, Haiti d. Drew van Orderlain, United States 6-2, 6-3
Matthew Kandath, United States d. Ronald Hohmann, United States 6-4, 6-4
(10) Jared Pratt, United States d. Leonard Ivic, Croatia 6-2, 6-2
Rowland Phillips, Jamaica d. (4) Edward Bourchier, Australia 7-5, 6-3
Boris Kozlov, United States d. Thomas Tomczak, United States 6-1, 6-0
Kohlman Lawrence, United States d. Nicholas Mora, United States 6-3, 6-3
Jordi Arconada, United States d. (11) A.J. Catanzariti, United States 7-5, 6-3
(5) Tao Mu, China d. Andrew Blair, United States 6-0, 6-1
Nick Hardt, Dominican Republic d. Daniel Fainblum, Canada 6-1, 3-2 ret.
Vojtech Vlkovsky, Czech Republic d. Emilio van Cotthem, United States 6-2, 6-2
Kirac Bekisoglu, Turkey d. (14) Washi Gervais, Canada 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
Axel Nefve, United States d. (6) Christpher G. Haworth, United States 6-1, 6-1
Jack Lee, United States d. Yovan Lambros, United States 7-6(1), 7-6(3)
Keenan Mayo, United States d. Noah Schachter, United States 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-1
Zandrix Acob, United States d. (15) Tim Kopinski, United States 6-2, 6-0
(7) Richard Torres, United States d. Rodrigo Oliveira, Brazil 6-1, 6-1
Louis Siegler, United States d. Benton Benalcazar, United States 6-2, 6-0
Christian Vinck, Germany d. Preston Brown, United States 7-5, 6-4
(9) Jesse Flores, Canada d. Jack Vance, United States 6-2, 6-2
(8) Vlad Andrei Dancu, Romania d. Erroll Lawrence, United States 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1
Nicolas Mejia, Colombia d. Tomas Gonzalez, Colombia 6-1, 6-0
Jared Thompkins, United States d. Caspar Schuetze, Germany 7-5, 6-2
(12) Jaycer Lyeons, United States d. Zurab Zhvania, Georgia 6-2, 6-2
Third Round Qualifying Schedule for April 22
Stadium
Rowland Phillips, Jamaica vs. Boris Kozlov, United States
(9) Jesse Flores, Canada vs. Christian Vinck, Germany
Grandstand
(1) Matias Zukas, Argentina vs. Trey Hilderbrand, United States
(12) Jaycer Lyeons, United States vs. Jared Thompkins, United States
Court 1
Vasco Belaunde, Peru vs. Juan Alejandro Hernandez Serrano, Mexico
(8) Vlad Andrei Dancu, Romania vs. Nicolas Mejia, Colombia
Court 2
(13) Julian Bradley, Ireland vs. Marcelo Sepulveda Garza, Mexico
Zandrix Acob, United States vs. Keenan Mayo, United Statess
Court 3
Ryan Goetz, United States vs. Hillel Rousseau, Haiti
(7) Richard Torres, United States vs. Louis Siegler, United States
Court 4
Axel Nefve, United States vs. Jack Lee, United States
(5) Tao Mu, China vs. Nick Hardt, Dominican Republic
Court 7
Joseph Cadogan, Trinidad and Tobago vs. Henry Patrick Cacciatore, United States
(10) Jared Pratt, United States vs. Matthew Kandath, United States
Court 8
Jordi Arconada, United States vs. Kolman Lawrence, United States
Vojtech Vlkovsky, Czech Republic vs. Kirac Bekisoglu, Turkey
Army Men’s Tennis Coach’s Son Karl Poling Wins Mardy Fish USTA Futures “Wild Card” Event In Unusual Fashion
Karl Poling of West Point, N.Y., the 18-year-old son of U.S. Military Academy men’s tennis coach Jim Poling, earned a main draw wild card entry into the 2018 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships by winning an unusual final of the wild card tournament held at the USTA National Campus at Lake Nona, Florida.
His final-round match against fellow 18-year-old Trent Bryde of Atlanta, Ga., was, however, not played at Lake Nona, but in Orange Park, Florida, just outside of Jacksonville.
Due to rain that washed out an entire day of play in the 40-player wild card event, Poling and Bryde had to play their semifinal and final-round matches on Thursday, April 12, jeopardizing their opportunity to play in the qualifying tournament at the USTA Pro Circuit event in Orange Park – 150 miles away – for which they had to personally register for on-site at the tournament desk by 6 pm that day. Tournament officials decided, in the best interest of the players and their competitive playing opportunities, to have them play the final later that night in Orange Park after signing in to play in the Orange Park qualifying event. Poling and Bryde then battled for nearly three hours before Poling emerged victorious 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Poling joins 17-year-old Matthew Segura of Apopka, Fla., the great nephew of International Tennis Hall of Famer Pancho Segura, as the winners of the two wild card tournaments for the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships. Segura won an 18-player wild card tournament at the Sea Oaks Tennis & Beach Club in Vero Beach last month, highlighted by appreciative daily crowds of approximately 500 fans. Both teenagers will be competing in the main draw of this $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit event at Grand Harbor that starts Tuesday, April 24. The 128-player qualifying event in Vero Beach start Friday, April 20 at 8 am..
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships has been played in Vero Beach since 1995 and 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 a U.S. Davis Cup standout.
Advance tickets for the April 20-29 event are available at www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com. 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.
Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera, a member of the Davis Cup team from Chile, is the top entry into this year’s event A 20-year-old from Santiago, Chile, Barrios Vera has been a member of the Chile’s Davis Cup team since 2017 and is currently ranked No. 414 in the ATP World Tour rankings. Other leading entries include Samuel Bensoussan of France, ranked No. 417 in the ATP World Tour rankings, Ricardo Rodriguez, the all-time leading Davis Cup singles player from Venezuela, former Northwestern University standout Strong Kirchheimer, Colombia’s Juan Benitez, who reached the quarterfinals in Vero Beach in 2016, losing an thrilling three-set match to Canadian sensation Denis Shapovalov, and Collins Johns of Maryland, whose ambidextrous groundstrokes fascinated fans in Vero Beach last year during his run to the round of 16 as a lucky-loser entrant.
Play at the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships begins at Grand Harbor on Friday, April 20 at 8 am for the opening round of the 128-player qualifying tournament, which in 1998 featured future U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick playing his first ever professional matches. The qualifying rounds will continue Saturday, April 21, Sunday, April 22 and Monday, April 23. Eight players will advance from the qualifying rounds into the main draw. The 32-player singles and 16-team doubles main draw tournament will start on Tuesday, April 24. Special 7 pm night matches will be played Tuesday, April 24 through Friday, April 27, with special $10 night tickets being sold starting at 5 pm.
The featured night match on Tuesday, April 24 while feature Vero Beach native Robert Kowalczyk and “King of the Hill” tournament champion Michael Alford, a teaching pro at the Quail Valley Club, playing their first round doubles match at 7 pm as wild card entrants into the field.
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships has been played in Vero Beach since 1995 and 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 (www.MardyFishFoundation.com), 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.
Season tickets for all 10 days of the competition are available for $100. Daily buy-one-get-one free tickets for the qualifying rounds April 20-23 are for sale for $10, with daily tickets for the main draw sessions April 24-29 for sale for $20. A special night ticket is available for $10 after 5 pm for night sessions on Tuesday, April 24 – Friday, April 27 that includes a featured 7 pm night match. Admission for children 18 and under is free. Tickets are also sold at the front gate. 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 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.
Founded in 2007, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishFoundation.com and @MardyFishFound on Twitter) currently supports over 2,100 children in 15 elementary schools and six middle schools in Indian River County, Florida by providing 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
Mardy Fish "Wild Card" Doubles Event Held Again At The Boulevard April 21-22
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation announced that for a second straight year it will be hosting a doubles wild card tournament at The Boulevard Club, an ad-hoc doubles “qualifying” tournament, for its $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit event, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships in Vero Beach, Fla.
The doubles tournament will start Saturday, April 21, the day after the first round of play in the event’s singles qualifying tournament, and will feature the “FAST4” scoring system, best two-out-of-three-set matches, first to four games, no-ad scoring, tie-breaker at 3-3 and a 10-point tie-breaker in lieu of a third set. The winner of the tournament will be awarded a main draw doubles wild card entry into the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships that starts Tuesday, April 25.
The tournament is open to any and all competitors, but players who win the tournament must have an ITF IPIN number to participate in the main draw of the tournament.
Matches will be played at The Boulevard Tennis Club, located across the street from Grand Harbor, the host venue for the 2018 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships. The entry fee is $60 per team. Players can sign up at www.TennisObservers.com or sign up with cash at the player sign-for the singles qualifying tournament on Thursday, April 19 from 4 pm to 6 pm at the tennis facility at the Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club.
All entry fees for the event benefit the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishFoundation.com)
For more information, contact Randy Walker at 917 770 0843 or Rwalker@NewChapterMedia.com
Play at the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships begins at Grand Harbor on Friday, April 20 at 8 am for the opening round of the 128-player qualifying tournament, which in 1998 featured future U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick playing his first ever professional matches. The qualifying rounds will continue Saturday, April 21, Sunday, April 22 and Monday, April 23. The 32-player singles and 16-team doubles main draw tournament will start on Tuesday, April 24. Special 7 pm night matches will be played Tuesday, April 24 through Friday, April 27, with special $10 night tickets being sold starting at 5 pm.
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships has been played in Vero Beach since 1995 and 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 (www.MardyFishFoundation.com), 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.
Advance tickets – and sponsorships – 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 buy-one-get-one free tickets for the qualifying rounds April 20-23 are for sale for $10, with daily tickets for the main draw sessions April 24-29 for sale for $20. A special night ticket is available for $10 after 5 pm for night sessions on Tuesday, April 24 – Friday, April 27 that includes a featured 7 pm night match. Admission for children 18 and under is free. Tickets are also sold at the front gate. 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 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.
Founded in 2007, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishFoundation.com and @MardyFishFound on Twitter) currently supports over 2,100 children in 15 elementary schools and six middle schools in Indian River County, Florida by providing 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
USTA National Campus at Lake Nona To Host Second Wild Card Tournament April 9-11 For Mardy Fish Vero Beach Futures Event
The USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Florida, just outside of Orlando, will host the second of two wild card singles events for the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, the $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit event, Monday, April 9 through Wednesday, April 11.
The winner of the event will be awarded a main draw singles wild card, or direct entry, into the 2018 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships USTA Pro Circuit “Futures” tournament to be played April 24-29 at Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club in Vero Beach.
Entry fees, that benefit the non-profit Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, are $65 for the wild card event and are open to all competitive players. More information can be found on TennisLink here: http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=220023#&&s=1 The entry deadline is Wednesday, April 4.
Matches, played on clay courts, will be best-two-out-of-three sets and will be played in the late afternoon and early evening. Earlier this month, 17-year-old Matthew Segura of Apopka, Fla., won the first wild card singles tournament for the Mardy Fish Futures, defeating Jack Vance of Las Vegas, Nevada. In the final played at the Sea Oaks Tennis & Beach Club in Vero Beach.
A special doubles wild card tournament will also be held April 21-23 in Vero Beach at the same time as the singles qualifying tournament that starts April 20. The event is open to all players and entries for $60 per team and are being accepted now by emailing Randy Walker at Rwalker@NewChapterMedia.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, 2017 Australian Open star Tennys Sandgren and up-and-coming ATP star Denis Shapovalov 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.
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. 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
Founded in 2007, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishFoundation.com and @MardyFishFound on Twitter) currently supports over 1700 children grades KDG-8th 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. Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, collaborates with various community organizations, including Boys and Girls Club of Indian River County, Dasie Hope Bridgewater Center and LOTA Sports. Kids on Courts After School Tennis program is facilitated by LOTA Sports offering progressive tennis instruction from world class professionals. The Foundation introduced the “Six Healthy Habits” in 2012 Get Sleep; Drink Water; Exercise Daily, Eat Healthy; Brush and Floss; Make Friends. Fish achieved a career-high ranking of No. 7 in 2011 and won 14 career ATP singles and doubles titles in his career. After retiring from the ATP World Tour in 2015, Fish now competes on the celebrity pro golf tour and the PowerShares Series legends tennis tour while serving as a coach for the USTA Player Development Program and a TV commentator for ESPN.
CONTACT:
Randy Walker for Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships
(917) 770 0843
Rwalker@NewChapterMedia.com
