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
