Tennis Briefs(4): Fratangelo Wins, ITF Young Seniors, More

Boca Raton’s Fratangelo Wins Savannah Challenger, Takes French Wild Card Lead

Bjorn Fratangelo, the former French Open juniors champ who lives at the USTA Training Center in Boca Raton, Fla., defeated Californian Jared Donaldson 6-1, 6-3 on Sunday to win the St. Joseph’s/Candler Savannah Challenger, a USTA Pro Circuit event, in Georgia.

With the win Fratangelo took the lead in the USTA Pro Circuit Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge for the USTA-designated French Open main draw wild card, with one tournament remaining in the wild card series, the Tallahassee Challenger. Donaldson is the only player who can overtake Fratangelo in the wild card standings, and must win Tallahassee to finish on top.

“Hopefully, I won’t be back here next year,” Fratangelo told the crowd during the awards ceremony, referring to his desire a year from now to have enough ranking points to compete only at ATP-level events.

The final was Fratangelo’s third match in 30 hours after his Friday quarterfinal match was rained out. On Saturday he beat both fellow American Frances Tiafoe in three sets and American Denis Kudla in the semifinals in straight sets.

The doubles final was won by Americans and former Savannah Challenger singles champions Ryan Harrison and Brian Baker, who came from a set down to defeat India’s Purav Raja and Divij Sharan 5-7, 7-6 (4), 10-8.

Florida Players Ready for ITF Young Seniors in Croatia

Florida Southern Head Coach Trish Riddell

The USTA announced the 24 players who will represent the United States at the ITF Young Seniors World Team Championships, the senior equivalent of tennis’ Davis Cup and Fed Cup international team competitions. The American athletes will be competing against players from 30 other countries.

Florida players feature on three of the six age-division teams: Ricardo Mena (Key Biscayne), Kamil Kuchta (Boynton Beach), Katerina Stanford (Ponte Vedra Beach), and Trish Riddell (Lakeland).

The ITF Young Seniors World Team Championships is the highest-ranked event on the ITF Seniors Circuit for male and female players in the age categories of 35-45, and will be held from May 1-6 in Umag, Croatia.

To see the full list of teams go to www.usta.com/Adult-Tennis/USTA-Adult-Senior-Tournaments/Senior-International/us_teams_announced_for_itf_young_seniors_world_championships.

Kid’s Day as Naples’ Academia Sanchez-Casal Hosts USTA Pro Circuit Women

A Kid’s Day will be part of the festivities when Academia Sanchez-Casal in Naples hosts its second USTA Pro Circuit event of the year, the $25,000 ASC Florida Women’s Open, on May 8-15, 2016.

Kid’s Day will be held on Saturday, May 14, with festivities from 9-10:30 a.m. for children age 10 and older. Participants will receive a free t-shirt.

“Kid’s Day is a great way to get your whole family active and to introduce your kids to tennis and its life-long benefits,” says academy founder and former ATP pro Emilio Sanchez. “It’s also an opportunity to meet professional tennis players while attending free tennis clinics taught by ASC-certified coaches.”

Free Kid’s Day activities include tennis games, face painting, an inflatable bounce house with a slide, an obstacle course, live music, prize giveaways, and a fire engine visit from the North Naples Fire Department.

The ASC Florida Women’s Open is the second USTA Pro Circuit event at the ASC tennis academy this year and has attracting players from 20 different countries. The tournament is free and open to the public, with restaurant and happy hour services available.

With approximately 90 tournaments hosted annually throughout the country and prize money ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities nationwide. John Isner, Maria Sharapova, Sam Querrey, Sloane Stephens, Kei Nishikori, Victoria Azarenka and Andy Murray are players who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.

For ASC Florida Women’s Open match schedules or more information go to www.asc-florida.com/tournaments.

Age Division, NTRP Winners Raise Trophies at 2nd Treasure Bay Tiebreak Tournament

From left: Tournament Director Phil Girardi, Men’s 50 winner Mark Taylor and runner-up Todd Hudson

Area players battled it out in a one-day tournament format when the 2nd annual Treasure Bay Tiebreak Tournament was held on April 23, 2016 in Treasure Island, Fla.

Players in divisions 50-and-over and NTRP 3.0-4.0 competed in singles best-of-three 10-point tiebreaks in a round robin format, with each competitor playing 3-4 matches.

“The average match lasted 40 minutes, but some of the closer ones went an hour,” said Tournament Director and Director of Tennis/Facility Director Philip Girardi of Treasure Bay Golf and Tennis. “Players were put in groups and played a round-robin format. Matches ranged from 25 points to 71 points played.”

Division winners and runners-up:

Men’s 50: Mark Taylor, Safety Harbor; Todd Hudson, Treasure Island
Men’s 4.0: Gerry Barna, Clearwater; Dale Salmon, Seminole
Men’s 3.5: Tito Caolo, Tampa; Kumar Seetharam, Lakeland
Men’s 3.0: David Barnes, Seminole; Bruce Albrecht, Gulfport
Women’s 3.5: Leticia Leppert, Tampa; Irene Nasworthy, St. Petersburg

Tiebreak Tournaments are the perfect format for tennis players looking for competition, without having to spend an entire weekend at a tournament. Tournaments generally take 4-5 hours or less depending on the number of entrants, and matches generally consist of best two-of-three 10-point tiebreaks. Tiebreak Tournaments include seeds and draw sheets (main draw and consolation), and matches typically last only 30-35 minutes each.

For more info on Tiebreak Tournaments at Treasure Bay Golf and Tennis e-mail pgirardi@mac.com. To find upcoming Tiebreak Tournaments in Florida go to www.ustaflorida.com/events/category/adultevents/alternative-format-tournaments/list.