Dec. 27, 2010 - Jan. 1, 2011
USTA Southwest Central AZ juniors put on a good show during the holiday break, bringing in the new year with an assortment of stellar finishes at the Winter National Championships, held Dec. 27-Jan. 1, 2011 in both Tucson and Phoenix.
At the 12s and 14s event in Tucson, Augustus Ge (third from left) and Robert Seby (far right) had the Section's best result, winning the Boys' 14s doubles event.
The second-seeded Seby (Oro Valley, Ariz.) and Ge (Phoenix), smashed all comers, rolling through five matches without the loss of a set. In the final, the Arizona pair disposed of top-seeded Aron Hiltzik and Martin Joyce, both of Illinois, by a 6-4, 6-0 count. Seby also reached the quarterfinals of the Boys' 14 singles division, while Ge reached the Round of 16.
Lest they be outdone by their male counterparts, Delaney Nothaft (Tempe, Ariz.) also posted terrific results in Tucson. In the 12s, Nothaft and partner Samantha Martinelli (Denver, Colo.) won five rounds before falling 7-5, 7-6 in a tight final to top-seeded Sofia Kenin (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and Zoe Spence (Chicago, Ill.). Kenin also won the Girls' 12s singles event.
Other solid showings in Tucson at the 14s included Phoenix's Madison Clarke (singles quarterfinals) and Scottsdale's Alexandra Letzt (R16 singles, QF doubles) and Nathan and James Ponwith (R 16 doubles).
Tournament sites for the 12s and 14s included Reffkin Tennis Center, Rincon High School, Tucson Racquet Club, Catalina Foothills High School, and University of Robson's Tennis Center.
In Phoenix at the 16s and 18s event, Stephanie Vlad's finished fourth in Girls' 18s singles. That was the best result from the older Southwest female contingent. Vlad (Scottsdale) won five straight matches as an unseeded player, toppling four seeds along the way, before falling to second-seed Kyle McPhillips in the semifinals.
Billy Pecor (Scottsdale) also picked up a bronze ball in doubles, pairing with Wyatt McCoy (Shoreview, Minn.). Pecor is currently a freshman at Notre Dame, but hasn't yet turned 19 and was eligible for the tournament.
Alex Lawson (Tempe, Ariz.) also reached the Round of 16 in singles, winning three matches in straight sets before falling 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 to fourth-seeded Alexander Van Cott (Unadilla, N.Y.). Nolan Bauer (Scottsdale, Ariz.) also reached the Round of 16 in singles before falling to Ryan Smith (Weston, Fla.) 7-5, 6-4.
Tournament sites for the 16s and 18s events included Scottsdale Ranch Park, Phoenix Tennis Center, Kiwanis Recreation Center, Chandler Tennis Center, and Gene Autry Tennis Center.
A special thanks also goes out to USTA Winter National Championships tournament directors Meghan Houk (Tucson) and Sally Grabham (Phoenix) as well as to all the facilities who helped accommodated the more than 1000 total players that took part in the Winter Nats, one of the four largest, level 1 junior tournaments in the United States.