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ZooTennis

http://tenniskalamazoo.blogspot.com/ | 63 entries published

ZooTennis

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2025 Orange Bowl Championships Begin with Chris Evert Attending Stadium Court Ceremony Honoring Her; Top Seed Barros Tested, No. 2 Seed Vladson Upset; Mixed Results for IMG Academy 16s Champions

©Colette Lewis 2025--Fort Lauderdale FL--In the 20 years I've been attending the Eddie Herr, now known as the IMG Academy International Championships, I've made the trip to the other side of the state for the Orange Bowl Championships. The first six years of my coverage of that event were at Crandon Park's hard courts on Key Biscayne; the next 13 years, the historic event was held at the Veltri

about 20 hours ago | 0 reads

Wild Card Lee Adds ITF J300 Title to Last Year's 16s Championship at IMG Academy International; Unseeded Liutova Claims Second ITF J300 Title; Orange Bowl Begins Monday; USA's Master 'U Streak Ends; Urhobo Falls in W35 Daytona Beach Final

©Colette Lewis 2025--Bradenton FL--Last year Jordan Lee received one of the inaugural Nick Bollettieri trophies presented the IMG Academy International champions after he claimed the Boys 16s title. A year later, on the same court, Lee earned another Bollettieri statuette by defeating unseeded Dimitar Kisimov of Bulgaria 6-3, 7-6(3), capping off a improbable return from injury with a historic

2 days ago | 0 reads

Historic Title for Genidy at IMG Academy International; Iftime Claims G16s Title; Junseo Wins Second Championship in Three Years; Lee vs Kisimov, Liutova vs Cvetkovic in Sunday's ITF J300 Finals; Vaughan and Bielinska Top Orange Bowl 16s Draws

©Colette Lewis 2025--Bradenton FL--When the dense fog cleared and the IMG Academy hard courts dried, the six finals of the IMG Academy lnternational Championships proceeded, with history on the line for the countries of Greece, Venezuela and Egypt. Those three countries had never had a singles champion at the prestigious tournament, formerly known as the Eddie Herr International, and the

3 days ago | 0 reads

November Aces; USA's Borchard, Dmytrenko, Iftime and Evans Reach Saturday's IMG Academy International Singles Finals, Doubles Champions Crowned; Fifteen-year-olds Lee and Liutova Advance to Semifinals at ITF J300 Bradenton; Orange Bowl J500 Wild Cards

©Colette Lewis 2025--Bradenton FL--Before I get into all the action at the IMG Academy International Championships and ITF J300 here in Bradenton, it's that time of month when I highlight the top performances of the previous month by current and former collegians and juniors for the Tennis Recruiting Network. It's another huge international collection of accomplishments, which includes

4 days ago | 1 read

ITF J300 Bradenton Quarterfinals Feature Two American Wild Cards, All US Girls Eliminated; Eleven US Juniors Compete in Semifinals of 12s, 14s and 16s Divisions; Orange Bowl 16s Qualifying Begins Friday; Santamarta Signs with Virginia

©Colette Lewis 2025--Bradenton FL--Jordan Lee had a difficult 2025, with a wrist injury keeping him out of competition for more than eight months. Yet on the green clay courts of the IMG Academy, the 15-year-old wild card is back to winning again, with the 2024 16s champion advancing to the ITF J300 quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-0 thumping of No. 4 seed Alan Wazny of Poland Thursday morning."After

5 days ago | 0 reads

Both ITF J300 Bradenton No. 3 Seeds Fall in Second Round; Wild Card Latak Comes Back to Advance; Quarterfinals Set in 12s, 14s, and 16s Divisions of IMG Academy International Championships

©Colette Lewis 2025--Bradenton FL--I decided to make the trip to the Legacy Hotel Courts on the West Campus of the IMG Academy, and although only 11 matches were played on the six courts, I was there for more than six hours, with three-setter after three-setter prolonging the second round of the ITF J300.Seven of those 11 matches (No. 4 seed Alan Wazny of Poland got a walkover due to Carel

MLS

6 days ago | 0 reads

Eight Qualifiers Advance, Top Boys Seed Out at ITF J300 Bradenton; Upsets Continue in 12s, 14s, 16s Division at IMG Academy International Championships

©Colette Lewis 2025--Bradenton FL-- Rain has been an infrequent visitor the first week of December at the IMG Academy International Championships and ITF J300 this decade, but a morning shower on Tuesday left the hard courts needing several hours to dry, sending the 12s divisions second round singles matches indoors and postponing the first round of doubles until Wednesday.Because the ITF J300 is

7 days ago | 0 reads

Wild Card Gaines Ousts No. 2 Seed Paldanius, Girls Top Seed Vladson Out in First Round of ITF J300 Bradenton; Miguel and Kovackova Claim Merida Titles; Arora Wins J100 in India; All USTA National Indoor Finals Results

©Colette Lewis 2025-Bradenton FL--The IMG Academy was buzzing all day Monday with over 500 players, as well as their coaches and families, on site for the first round of singles in the 12s, 14s and 16s divisions and the first day of main draw competition for the ITF J300. It didn't take long for a major upset to be recorded, with ITF No. 93 Alisa Terentyeva of Russia defeating top seed and

8 days ago | 1 read

Bradenton ITF J300 Qualifying Complete, Seeds Begin Play Monday; First Round of IMG Academy International 12s, 14s, 16s Championships Set for Monday; Hance Reaches ITF J500 Merida Final; Frodin and Penickova Win Girls Doubles

©Colette Lewis 2025--Bradenton Florida--A beautiful day to end the holiday weekend was even more enjoyable for the 16 players who won two matches on the green clay to qualify for the ITF J300 Bradenton main draw, while eight players in the younger age divisions earned their spots in Monday's first round with victories on the hard courts of the IMG Academy. (A list of all 12s, 14s and 16s

9 days ago | 1 read

First Round of Qualifying Complete at ITF J300 Bradenton, Two More Rounds Sunday; Final Round Qualifying for 12s, 14s, 16 Sunday Morning; Hance Reaches ITF J500 Merida Semifinals

©Colette Lewis 2025--Bradenton FL--This year's qualifying for the ITF J300 at the IMG Academy in Bradenton Florida is back to being played on the ten green clay courts on the East Campus and the six green clay courts at the IMG Legacy Hotel on the West side of the sprawling sports complex. Last year, the 16s were moved to green clay due to hurricane damage to the hard courts they usually play on,

10 days ago | 1 read

USTA National Indoor Championships Underway; ITF J300 Bradenton Qualifying Begins Saturday; IMG Academy International Championships Wild Cards

The USTA National Indoor Championships began this morning at eight sites across the country, with two rounds of singles scheduled for the four-day tournament, which has 64-player draws.Below are the seeds for all eight divisions, along with a note if they lost a match today, although many have not yet completed their second match of the day. Click on the headers to see the draws.SEEDS:B12s

11 days ago | 0 reads

Happy Thanksgiving! Six Americans Advance to Third Round at ITF J500 in Merida

          Photo by Oxana Melis on Unsplash It's a quiet time in the tennis world, especially here in the United States, and I'll be taking tomorrow off for the Thanksgiving holiday. This lull is the perfect time to thank my sponsors at the Junior Tennis Champions Center, the Southern California Tennis Association Foundation and the John McEnroe Tennis Academy for

MLS

13 days ago | 0 reads

National Letters of Intent Signings Update; Three of Four Division I NCAA Champions End Fall Season No. 1 in ITA Rankings

This will be my last update on the Division I early signing period; my previous post, with the first batch of those signing National Letters of Intent, available here.Signings will continue in the coming weeks as programs scramble for recruits who will begin their college careers in January. Many of articles linked to below do distinguish between those starting in spring of 2026 and those who are

14 days ago | 0 reads

NCAA Champion Brantmeier Leads USA's Master'U Team; Santamarta Roig Withdraws From Bradenton J300, Orange Bowl J500; Three J60 Titles for Americans on ITF Junior Circuit

Newly crowned NCAA singles champion Reese Brantmeier won't have much time to celebrate her victory in yesterday's final, with the North Carolina senior leading the USA team in next month's 18th annual Master'U BNP Paribas university championships in France.Today, the ITA announced the team that will be representing the United States in the eight-team competition which will take place

15 days ago | 0 reads

Columbia's Zheng Goes Back-to-Back, UNC's Brantmeier Claims Women's Singles Title at NCAA Division I Championships; Stoiana Wins Second Straight W50; USTA Pro Circuit Titles for Smith, Maxted and Pace

Columbia's Michael Zheng etched his name among the greats of college tennis Sunday at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona Florida, winning his second straight NCAA men's singles title with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 victory over SMU's Trevor Svajda.Zheng didn't play particularly well in the first set, but Svajda also did not compete at the level he showed in the three previous matches, with the occasion

16 days ago | 0 reads

Zheng Faces Svajda for Second Straight NCAA Singles Title; Brantmeier Reaches Women's Final; Urhobo Seeks Second Title at W35 Boca Raton; Reddy Falls in ITF J300 Zapopan Final

Americans will play for all four NCAA titles Sunday, led by defending  champion Michael Zheng of Columbia, who is making history with every win he records at the Division I individual championships this week at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona Florida.For the second straight match, the 21-year-old senior needed a third set to keep his winning streak alive, but he took control after

17 days ago | 0 reads

Zheng's NCAA Singles Title Defense Continues; Brantmeier Lone Seed in Women's Semifinals; Urhobo Reaches Boca Raton W35 Singles Semifinals, Doubles Final: Reddy Beats Top Seed Miguel at J300 Zapopan

Rebounds from first set losses were the theme of the singles quarterfinals Friday at the NCAA Division I Championships in Lake Nona Florida, with five of the eight semifinalists taking that route.Three of the four men's semifinalists posted comebacks, including defending champion Michael Zheng of Columbia, who dropped his first set of the tournament before defeating No. 8 seed Ozan Baris 4-6, 6-3

18 days ago | 1 read

Seeds Sparse in Friday's NCAA D-I Singles Quarterfinals; Top Seeds Out in Men's Doubles; Reddy Reaches ITF J300 Semis in Zapopan; Urhobo and Payne Advance to W35 Boca Raton Quarterfinals

Only three seeds from both the men's and women's singles have reached Friday's NCAA Division I quarterfinals at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona Florida, although after the first two days of upsets, there weren't many seeds left to lose during today's round of 16.The only top 8 seed remaining in the men's draw is No. 8 Ozan Baris of Michigan State, who reached the final last November in Waco

19 days ago | 1 read

Top Seed Friend, No. 3 Seed Kim Upset on All-American Day at NCAA Division I Championships; Payne Defeats Top Seed Blokhina at W35 Boca Raton; Three Americans Reach Zapopan ITF J300 Quarterfinals

After the second round, the singles draws at the NCAA Division I Championships in Orlando bear no resemblance to the seeding projections, and that will continue throughout the rest of the tournament with two more Top 4 upsets today in the men's draw and just three Top 8 seeds remaining in the women's draw.Top seed and ITA All-American champion Jay Friend of Arizona followed the off ramp taken by

20 days ago | 1 read

Top Seed Glozman, Second Seed Chan Among Upset Victims in Opening Round Action at NCAA Division I Singles Championships; Kennedy Beats No. 2 Seed in Tallahassee M15, Ayrault Qualifies at W35 Boca Raton, Grumet Qualifies at M25 Austin

Tuesday was a long day full of surprises at the Division I NCAA Championships at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Florida.Top seed and ITA All-American champion Valerie Glozman of Stanford fought back from 6-3, 5-3 down against Baylor senior Na Dong, but Dong held firm for the 6-3, 6-7(1), 6-4 upset.Glozman, who hadn't played since winning the All-American title back in September, appeared

21 days ago | 1 read

Wallman Claims J100 Title in Mexico, Five Other Americans Capture ITF Junior Circuit Singles Titles; NCAA D-I Singles Play Begins Tuesday; Eubanks Announces Retirement; Butorac Named US Open Tournament Director

While four Americans were winning USTA Pro Circuit Titles last week, six US juniors claimed singles titles on the ITF Junior Circuit, with Brooke Wallman earning her first singles title at the J100 in Zapopan Mexico.The 17-year-old from New York, seeded fifth, defeated No. 7 seed Jizelle Sibai of Australia 6-2, 6-4, winning all five of her matches in straight sets. Wallman, who has verbally

22 days ago | 1 read

Stoiana Title at W50 in Austin Includes WTA WIld Card; Kozlov, Anthrop and Bennett Claim USTA Pro Circuit Singles Championships

Seven Americans reached four finals in this week's six USTA Pro Circuit tournaments, with three champions from the United States guaranteed with all-USA finals.The tournament title that wasn't certain to go to an American was at the M50 in Austin Texas, where Mary Stoiana, the former ITA National Player of Year while at Texas A&M, was facing No. 4 seed Mai Hontama of Japan in the final.

23 days ago | 0 reads

NCAA Draws Out, with Men's Seeds Avoiding Zheng and Suresh in Round 1; Stoiana. Bennett, Payne Advance to Pro Circuit Finals; All Buckeye Final in Columbus M25; Cassone and Kozlov Meet for Champaign Title; Exsted Claims Another Doubles Title

The draws are out for the NCAA Division I individual tournament, which begins Tuesday November 18 and concludes Sunday November 23 at the USTA's National Campus in Orlando.With all the controversy over the men's singles seeds, the several possibly disastrous first round matches heightened the anticipation for this evening's release, but for the most part, the most damaging bullets were dodged,

24 days ago | 0 reads

My Recap of USA's Junior Davis and Junior BJK Cup Titles; Kennedy Reaches Third M15 Semifinal in Orlando; Payne Makes W15 Clemson Semis; Stoiana Advances at Austin W50; What the NCAA Men's Seeds Should Be

As I mentioned in my post Sunday, there was more to say on the USA's Junior Davis Cup and Junior Billie Jean King Cup titles, and I wrote this recap on the historic back-to-back titles for both genders at Tennis Recruiting Network. With both teams seeded No. 1, the pressure was on and they came through with flying colors on the South American red clay.Jack Kennedy, who was on the 2024 Junior

25 days ago | 0 reads

National Signing Day Updates; Kennedy, Farzam, Exsted and Goode Advance to M15 Orlando Quarterfinals; Five Buckeyes Reach M25 Columbus Quarterfinals; Blanch Moves into Champaign Challenger Quarterfinals

Wednesday was the official National Signing Day for high school seniors as they commit in writing to the schools they have agreed to attend.I usually do several of these posts each November; I know that many of the signings have been announced on social media, but I wait until they appear on the school's website just so there is a bit more information available on the student-athlete. Not all

26 days ago | 2 reads