Hey Tennis Friends!
This past weekend I had the privilege to, once again, emcee the
USTA Junior National Spring Championships: The 2011 Easter Bowl!
In addition to my duties, I was able to gather content for GroundsPass.net and present this report:
CORRECTION: In the video, I misspelled Maria Shishkina’s name on the name info graphics by leaving out the first “h”.
It’s always entertaining to see some of the American juniors that just might be making their last stop at this level, before moving on up to the pros.
Here are the scores for the matches that I featured:
BOY’S 14 SINGLES
Ernesto Escobedo d. Henrik Wiersholm 6-4, 6-1
The game of the match came at 3-1 Escobedo. “Once I won that game I knew it would be over soon,” he said.
What does winning the Easter Bowl mean to him? “I think it will help me get more sponsors,” he said, adding, “This is a big win for me!”
Said Wiersholm, obviously distraught after the match: “That was very tough to lose (that game at 3-1). I had my chances too. There was a game I was up 40-love, but I wasn’t able to break his serve.
GIRL’S 18 SINGLES
Kyle McPhillips d. Gabrielle Andrews 6-4, 6-4
McPhillips, who won the girls’ 16s titles last year in both singles and doubles, was up 5-4 in the second set and faced seven match points on her serve before pulling out the victory in 100-plus heat.
“I got a little lucky in that last game it was pretty intense and nerve-racking, McPhillips said. “She did a good job of hitting winners down the line but I did a good job of staying calm. Overall, I thought I served well and kept the ball in play and my focus was there the entire match unlike in the past.”
Andrews, who won the girls’ 14s Easter Bowl title last year, was disappointed in the result but spoke highly of McPhillips’ play. “From the warm up I could tell she was confident and she didn’t make a lot of unforced errors and was very consistent,” Andrews said. “She was just too good today.”
The tournament was a success for Andrews, who moved up to the 18s at just 14 years of age after finishing 2010 as the No. 1 18s player in the USTA rankings.
GIRL’S 14 SINGLES
Maria Shishkina d. Katerina Stewart 6-1, 6-4
12-year-old Shishkina, the No. 5 seed from Bradenton, Florida, was excited to reach the finals after falling in the quarterfinals last year.
“I wanted to win so badly after losing last year,” said Shishkina, who had lost to Stewart 7-6 (6) in the third in the semifinals of the 14s National Open in Florida. “I liked the way I played today. I served much better and was very consistent with my strokes.”
GIRL’S 18 DOUBLES
Gabrielle Andrews / Taylor Townsend
d. Kyle McPhillips / Chanelle Van Nguyen 2-6, 6-2 [11-9]
At last year’s Easter Bowl, Gabby and Taylor won the championship in the girl’s 14 doubles.
It’s fun to come to these events to see the the new faces of the future of American tennis. Plus, it’s at the price we like here at GroundsPass.net: Absolutely FREE!
Additional information in this report was provided by the Easter Bowl PR Press Aides, Britten Gerrard and Steve Pratt.
I’ll see you next time, with more tennis, . . . outside the lines!
– Marcus Tennis
