Naples’ Guzauskas Runner-up at 2019 Orange Bowl

Gabrielius Guzauskas of Naples, Fla., finished runner-up in the boys’ 16s division at the 2019 Orange Bowl, falling 6-0, 6-1 in the final to Spain’s Daniel Rincon in Plantation, Fla.

Guzauskas, originally from Lithuania before moving to the U.S., beat three seeds including top-seed Marko Andrejic of Austria in the opening round.

“Overall, it was a good tournament,” Guzauskas said. “I never thought I would get this far, even after winning my first match. To be honest, I thought I was going to lose [against Andrejic], but anything can happen. Staying in the match, fighting, going after my shots — overall, I played very good this week.”

Representing at the Orange Bowl!

The Girls' 16s final will be all-American at the Orange Bowl between Ashlyn Krueger and Clervie Ngounoue.

Gabrielius Guzauskas is in the Boys' 16s final, too.#OrangeBowlTennis pic.twitter.com/H2lrusklEm

— USTA (@usta) December 14, 2019

Fifteen-year-old Robin Montgomery from Washington, D.C., won the girls’ 18s singles title on Sunday, defeating Belarus’ Jana Kolodynska, 7-6(4), 6-3.

“It was a tough match,” she said. “I knew after securing the first set, I had to keep my momentum going because I knew she could come back. I just had to stay on the gas pedal and push even harder.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6GwRQ-AZSV/

The victory caps a year in which Montgomery won the Junior Fed Cup title at the USTA National Campus and went 31-9 in ITF junior singles play, reaching the final at the adidas Easter Bowl in March.

In the boys’ 18s draw, Thiago Agustin Tirante of Argentina claimed the singles title, making him the year-end No. 1 junior.

Ashlyn Krueger of Texas took the home the girls’ 16s singles title, defeating Clervie Ngounoue of Washington, D.C., 7-5, 2-6, 6-2, in an all-American final. Krueger battled back after being down three games to take the first set.

The Orange Bowl title was the 15-year-old’s second in as many weeks, as she also won the Eddie Herr International Junior Championship the week prior.

Ngounoue went on to win the girls’ 16s doubles championship with partner Victoria Mboko of Canada.

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