Junior Jams On The Road

Midland’s Alyvia Jones, 11, took her game to the clay as the # 3 seed in the USTA National Spring Open “The Easter Bowl” played in Delray Beach, Florida.  The Midland youngster competed in the Girls’ 12 Division at the tournament, one of four “Super-Nationals “ for her age group.

In the singles, Jones defeated Natasha Subhash, Fairfax, Virginia, 6-1, 6-2; Jenna Dean, Bradenton, Florida, 6-0, 6-0; Maria McKay, Ocklawaha, Florida, 6-1, 6-0, and Melissa Plambeck, Bradenton, Florida, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (3), before losing in the quarterfinals to Victoria Emma, Naples, Florida, 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.

Jones, a seven-time national junior’s champion, turns 12 next month with another year of eligibility in the division. She is ranked # 2 in the USTA Midwest and # 8 in the nation. The youngster is coached by Patrick Jenkins, USPTA/PTR, director of the Tennis Academy, Midland Community Tennis Center.

In doubles, Jones teamed up with Elysia Bolton, Lake Forest, Illinois, to beat Dax Seidlin, Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Isabella Tushaj, The Bronx, New York, 6-0, 6-0, and Californians Julia Jordan, Orange, and Shweta Kumar, Irvine, 6-1, 6-0 before losing the next match.

The Academy’s Christina Auyeung, three-time national junior champion, played the USTA National Spring Open Girls’ 16 in  Palm Springs, California, stopping McKinleigh Lair, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 6-4, 6-3 and Sophie Chang, Hvre De Grace, Maryland, before losing her next match.

Auyeung and doubles partner Gabriela Rosales, Munster, Indiana, defeated  Californians Facility Maltby, Sunnydale and Kennedy Davis, San Jose, 7-6 (3), 6-1, then lost to Californians, Paige Cline, Kentfield, and Annika Ringbloom, Palos Verdes Estates, 6-3, 6-3.

The Midland Spring Open drew a field of 65 to the MCTC for a combination of indoor and outdoor play, with the MCTC’s Austin Woody taking the boys’ 18 singles title, defeating Western Michigan’s Matthew White, 6-2, 6-l.

Vikram Shanker stopped David Goslin in the 18’s consolations final, 6-2, 6-2. Both train at the MCTC’s Tennis Academy. Julian Guerra won the boys’16 singles crown, stopping Academy mate Varun Shanker, 6-3, 6-2. 

Aaron Adams, Grand Blanc, and Kelvin Kotanchek, Academy, faced off for the boys’ 14 consolation title, with Adams winning, 6-2, 6-2, while the Academy’s Cameron Mills stopped Ryan Killmaster, 7-5, 6-3, to win the boys’ 12 consolations, and Connor Nowosatka beat Tom Wood, 6-0, 6-1 for the boys’ 10 consolation title. Killmaster, Nowosatka, and Wood train at the Academy.

In the girls’ 10, Natalie Owens, Flint, defeated Paige Herremans, Academy, 6-3, 6-4 for the singles championship. The Academy’s Ellie Coleman, 9, playing up an age division, won the girls’ 12 consolations title, defeating Ava Dunlap, Southeast, Michigan, 6-0, 6-0.