2023 Bobby Curtis Sectional Championships 12s & 14s Recap

The opening weekend of the 2023 Bobby Curtis Sectional Championships was held at the USTA National Campus on June 10 through June 14. The new format saw only the Boys and Girls 12U and 14U divisions in action during the first week. 

Make no mistake, the matches and energy was higher than ever as players from across the state gathered to compete in Florida’s most prestigious Junior Tennis Tournament of the year.  

Winners get to sign the wall inside the National Campus Tournament Desk, etching their name into history.

If you missed any of the action on the clay, check out the full recap for each division and learn who etched their name into USTA Florida history. 

Boys’ 12 & Under 

Stefan Regos (Casselberry) and David Bender (Indian Harbour Beach).

Second seeded Stefan Regos came out hot this weekend, as he didn’t drop a single set throughout the entirety of Bobby Curtis. In the championship match, he held control of the court the entire time. 

He got things started off fast with a 6-2 first set win and rode out the momentum to a 6-1 second set victory to secure his first Bobby Curtis Title. 

This was his first year competing at the event and he was thrilled to win it all. “I started playing tournaments just two years ago and this is the first finals that I have won,” he said. “It’s an incredible feeling, I’m out of word, to win this feels amazing.” 

Championship: Stefan Regos (Casselberry) d. David Bender (Indian Harbour Beach) 6-2, 6-1 

Third Place: Davidson Jackson (Coral Gables)  

Fourth Place: Victor Lobo (Boca Raton)  

Fifth Place: Luke Jones (Port Saint Lucie) 

Sixth Place: Robert Bouzi (Miramar) 

Consolation Winner: Nikola Bogojevic (Lake Worth) 

Girls’ 12 & Under 

Nikol Davletshina (Lake Worth) and Melanie Constandache (Coconut Creek).

The Girls’ 12s division was a clash of greats as top seeded Nikol Davletshina and eighth seeded Melanie Constandache had to battle it out to reach the finals. 

Nikol had an insane semifinal against Aleksandra Jerkunica. The two went back and forth in the first two sets, forcing it to come down to a 10-point tiebreaker. Ultimately, it was Nikol who was able to rally together some consecutive points to secure her spots in the finals. Melanie also had a close semifinal, where she took down Taisiya Sorokina in a close 6-1, 7-5 effort. 

In the championship match, Nikol was able to find a break to win the first set 6-4. She carried this momentum to the next one and swept the final set to become the champion. 

Championship: Nikol Davletshina (Lake Worth) d. Melanie Constandache (Coconut Creek) 6-4, 6-0 

Third Place: Taisiya Sorokina (Delray Beach)  

Fourth Place: Alexksandra Jerkunica (Fort Lauderdale)  

Fifth Place: Audrey Dussault (Stuart) 

Sixth Place: Sitara Agarwal (Boca Raton) 

Consolation Winner: Angelique LLano (Sunny Isles Beach) 

Boys’ 14 & Under 

Rafael Bote (Boca Raton) and Cristobal Plasencia (Boca Raton).

The Boys’ 14 saw our only repeat winner so far, as Rafael Bote captured glory for the second year in a row. In 2022, Rafael took home the 12U division, and this year he wanted an even harder challenge, so he moved up to the 14s. 

Rafael won his semifinals in an intense tiebreaker that he only edged out by three points. His opponent in the finals was second-seeded Cristobal Plasencia who was dominating all weekend long. The two traded off the opening sets, forcing a final tiebreaker.  

“In the second I started falling down in the match and I had to bring it back,” he said. “I was down 7-4 in the tiebreaker, but I didn’t give up and kept preserving even though it was a tough battle.” 

Championship: Rafael Bote (Boca Raton) d. Cristobal Plasencia (Boca Raton) 6-3, 3-6, 10-7 

Third Place: Ryan Bedwick (Bradenton) 

Fourth Place: Dylan Jones (Port Saint Lucie)  

Fifth Place: Nikesh Reddy Bomma (Tampa) 

Sixth Place: Adrian Baerga-Torres (Hollywood) 

Consolation Winner: Svar Raghavan (Zephyrhills)  

Girls’ 14 & Under 

Camilla Kostik (Wellington) and Adriella Samabaly (Miramar).

In the Girls’ 14s, the top seeds Adriella Samabaly and Camilla Kostik found themselves in the finals. Camilla took down Emma Prose, who was the 2022 winner in the 12U division. Adriella took down some top seeds Natasha Jerkunica and Lauren Carpenter. 

However, the Finals was dominated from start to finish by Camilla. She took the opening set 6-3 and was able to keep up that level of play, winning the second set 6-2 and becoming a first-time Bobby Curtis winner. 

This was her first year competing in the Bobby Curtis Singles, and winning was a moment she will never forget. “I was super happy to win, I went into the match knowing it would be super tough,” she said. 

Championship: Camilla Kostik (Wellington) d. Adriella Samabaly (Miramar) 6-3, 6-2 

Third Place: Emma Prose (Cooper City) 

Fourth Place: Natasha Jerkunica (Fort Lauderdale)  

Fifth Place: Vanessa Kruse (Saint Augustine) 

Sixth Place: Charlotte Narti (Palm Beach Gardens) 

Consolation Winner: Anastasiya Muravia (Boyton Beach) 

Competition kicks off again on Saturday, June 17, for Boys and Girls that are competing in the 16s and 18s divisions. Draws for that will be made available here.