Both of Ivan Lendl’s tennis pupils lost in the final round of the qualifying tournament for the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships at The Boulevard Tennis Club Monday, but one got lucky.
Patrick Kypson and Vasil Kirkov, both coached on by the Vero Beach resident and Tennis Hall of Famer, were both defeated in their final-round matches, Kypson losing to fellow American Williams Howells 6-4, 1-6, 6-1, while Kirkov lost to another American Hady Habib from Houston, Texas 6-2, 7-6 (2). Kirkov, however, was awarded a “lucky loser” position into the main draw when Alejandro Gomez of Colombia withdrew from the singles draw.
Kirkov will be joined in the 32-player main draw by two other teenage American players, Sam Ruffice and Gianni Ross, who have all been training with Lendl at the Windsor Club many times this year.
Rookie pro Michael Zhu from Princeton, N.J. won a marathon three-set struggle to beat Mexican Davis Cup player Tigre Hank 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in two hours, 42 minutes in the most dramatic final-round qualifying match Monday. Zhu, who played No. 1 in his senior year at the University of Michigan in 2015, out-hit his flashy left-handed opponent from the baseline on Stadium Court. Tigre, from Tijuana, is the No. 1 player from Mexico and frequently trains in Vero Beach with part-time local resident Daniel Garza, also a Mexican Davis Cupper who won the Vero Beach Futures title in 2011.
Other players qualifying for the main draw of the $10,000 USTA Pro Circuit event include former world No. 46 Evgeny Korolev of Russia who defeated Jonathan Chang 6-2, 6-1 and Ty Trombetta of the United States who defeated Jamaican Davis Cup team member Rowland Phillips 7-6 (5), 6-1.
The main draw of play starts at 10 am with Adam Ambrozy, an 18-year-old from St. Petersburg, Fla., facing Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera of Chile in the first match on the Stadium Court. Ambrozy, who will attend Columbia University in New York City next year, is one of 14 teenagers in the singles and doubles field this year at the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships. The No. 1 seed in the event is Gonzalo Escobar, a member of the Davis Cup team from Ecuador who is ranked No. 346 in the world. Escobar is one of 12 players in the singles or doubles tournament who have played Davis Cup for their country.
Results – Final Round Qualifying
Michael Zhu (USA) def. Tigre Hank (MEX) [1] 7-5, 2-6, 6-4
Eduardo Agustin Torre (ARG) [2] def. Benjamin Hannestad (DEN) [10] 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
William Howells (USA) def. Patrick Kypson (USA) [13] 6-4, 1-6, 6-1
Ty Trombetta (USA) def. Rowland Phillips (JAM) 7-6 (5), 6-1
Hady Habib (USA) def. Vasil Kirkov (USA) 6-2, 7-6(2)
Evgeny Korolev (RUS) def. Jonathan Chang (USA) 6-2, 6-1
Raleigh Smith (USA) [7] def. Javier Naser (CHI) 7-6, 6-2
Juan Manuel Benitz Chavarriaga (COL) [8] def. Michael Lippens (USA) 6-1, 6-2
Main Draw Tuesday’s Schedule of Play
Stadium Starting at 10 am
Adam AMBROZY (USA) vs. Marcelo Tomas BARRIOS VERA (CHI)
Followed by
Vasil KIRKOV (USA) vs. Alejandro MENDOZA (BOL)
Not Before 1 pm
Matias Franco Descotte vs. Juan Sebastien Gomez (COL) (5)
Not Before 3 pm
Miomir KECMANOVIC (SRB) / Jonas LUETJEN (GER) vs. Brian BATTISTONE (USA) / Isaiah STRODE (USA)
Not Before 4:30 pm
Deiton BAUGHMAN (USA) / Anderson REED (USA) vs. Antonio BALAU (BRA) / Igor SCHATTAN (BRA)
Not Before 6 pm
Michael ALFORD (USA) / William FEDERHOFER (USA) Peter NAGY (HUN) / Denis SHAPOVALOV (CAN)
Grandstand Starting at 10 am
Starting at 10 am
Mauricio ECHAZU (PER) / Federico ZEBALLOS (BOL) vs. Ruben GONZALES (PHI) / Dennis NEVOLO (USA)
Not Before 11 am
Peter NAGY (HUN) [8] vs. Jonas LUETJEN (GER)
Not Before 1 pm
Thomas COOK (USA) / Nathan PASHA (USA) vs. Gonzalo ESCOBAR (ECU) / Roberto QUIROZ (ECU)
Not Before 3 pm
Jose Daniel BENDECK (COL) / Alejandro MENDOZA vs. Daniel GARZA (MEX) [2] / Tigre HANK (MEX)
Not Before 4:30
Geronimo ESPIN BUSLEIMAN (ARG) / Eduardo Agustin Gomez (COL) vs. Juan Sebastian GOMEZ (COL) [3] / Felipe Mantilla (COL)
Court 4
Not Before Noon
Martins Podzus (LAT) vs. Jorge Montero (CHI)
Not Before 4 pm
Martins Podzus and Martins Podzus (LAT) vs. Alexander Merino (PER) Michael Zhu (USA)
Monday’s full schedule of play can be seen here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/ustaassets/assets/1/15/schedule520.pdf
The main singles draw can be seen here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/ustaassets/assets/1/15/singles_draw518.pdf
The main doubles draw can be seen here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/ustaassets/assets/1/15/doubles_draw518.pdf
Fans can follow news and developments on the tournament on Facebook and on Twitter at @VeroFutures and by going to the website www.TennisVeroBeach.com
Tournament match start times are as follows:
10 am Tuesday, April 26 Not before 6 pm Night Match (Main Draw Starts)
10 am Wednesday, April 27, Not before 6 pm Night Match (Main Draw)
10 am Thursday, April 28, Not before 6 pm Night Match (Main Draw)
10 am Friday, April 29 Not before 6 pm Night Match (2nd Doubles Semifinal)
1 pm, 3 pm Saturday, April 30, Singles semifinals
11 am Sunday, May 1 (likely doubles championship match first, followed by singles championship match at 1 pm, depending on if a player is competing in both finals)
Starting in 2016, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation is the new operator of the $10,000 “Futures” tennis tournament in Vero Beach, one of the longest-running and best attended events on the U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit. The tournament, now called The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, benefits the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the non-profit tennis 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. The event was managed for 20 years by Vero Beach tennis teaching professional Mike Rahaley, who made the annual Vero Beach stop one of the crown jewels on the USTA Pro Circuit. The 2016 tournament will be held April 22 through May 1 at The Boulevard Tennis Club.
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 recently completed his ATP professional tennis career at the 2015 U.S. Open, highlighted by a career-high ranking of No. 7, six ATP singles titles, eight ATP doubles titles and an Olympic silver medal in singles at the 2004 Olympics. He reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and was a mainstay on the U.S. Davis Cup team from 2002 to 2012.
Some of the past competitors in Vero Beach 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 Australian Open semifinalist 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.
Patrick Kypson
Ivan Lendl Pupils March Through Mardy Fish Tennis Qualifying Rounds
Ivan Lendl’s influence is being felt at the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships as two of his students have earned their spots in the final round of the qualifying tournament.
“He’s funny off the court but he’s serious on the court and he’s obviously a genius, so it’s an honor to work with him,” said Patrick Kypson, the 16-year old American from Greenville, N.C., who gutted out a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 win over fellow American Kurt Thein on Sunday.
“He’s obviously a great player, a very good coach,” said 17-year-old Tampa, Fla., resident Vasil Kirkov, of the Vero Beach-based Hall of Famer Lendl following his 6-2, 7-5 win Sunday over Frederick Saba of the United States.
Both Kirkov and Kypson have been to Vero Beach about a half dozen times since late last year training with Lendl at The Windsor Club as part of Lendl’s new coaching role with the USTA Player Development program. Two other 17-year-old players training with Lendl, Gianni Ross and Sam Riffice, received wild cards into the main draw of the tournament that starts on Monday.
The score of Kypson’s match does not truly display how tight and intense the match was throughout, as both players were battling each other, not only on the court, but in their minds.
“Being a lot older, he thinks he can intimidate me,” stated Kypson about his and Thein’s interactions throughout the match. With a lot of close line calls that required an umpire to settle the dispute, along with loud and spirited celebrations after the majority of the points, both players gave their opponent plenty of distractions to deal with.
“On top of that I was playing pretty bad,” said Kypson, who won the making his win today even more impressive. True champions are said to be able to win matches when they are unable to play their best, and that is something that coach Lendl has been able to instill in Kypson.
“I was competing very well today,” said Kirkov of his match with the No. 5 seed Saba. “It was a good win…I’m pretty happy I played well today and getting confidence from a match like this is very important.”
The wins for Kypson and Kirkov have earned them spots in the final round of qualifying rounds that take place at 11 am Monday. Both players have already played in five USTA Pro Circuit main draws and will be hoping to make their sixth appearance in a main draw here in Vero Beach.
Kypson’s final round of qualifying match will be against fellow young American William Howells, a 17-year old Boca Raton native. The two played during Kypson’s run to the title at the USTA Boy’s 16 and Under National Championships in 2015, with Kypson winning 6-3, 6-2.
“William is a tough player, but I’m looking forward to it,” claimed Kypson, who isn’t letting the result of their prior meeting give him any false confidence.
Kirkov’s match will also be played against another rising junior, 17-year-old Hady Habib from Houston.
“I know he has a big serve and a big forehand…he’s going to play very aggressive and I need to stay very steady like I did today,” said Kirkov of Habib.
Other notable results on Sunday came from Russia’s Evgeny Korolev, who easily defeated the No. 6 seed Jose Daniel Bendeck of Colombia, 6-0, 6-2, and Tigre Hank of Mexico, the No. 1 seed in the qualifying tournament, who defeated Gabriel Carvajal of Ecuador in 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
Korolev, the former No. 46 player in the world, is making a comeback of sorts to professional tennis after stepping away from the game a year and half ago when his father suddenly passed away. His comeback is looking successful so far and he is hoping to carry his streak of impressive performances into the main draw.
The No. 1 seed in the qualifying tournament, Hank, was down 4-1 in third set and looked like he was on his way out of Vero Beach before he would go on to roll off five games in a row to come back and win.