Tennis Atlantic

BROOKLYN’S DANIEL KERZNERMAN, NORTH CAROLINA’S CHLOE OUELLET-PIZER WIN USTA NATIONAL CLAY COURT CHAMPIONSHIPS 18s SINGLES TITLES

CiCi Bellis, Tommy Paul Capture Girls’ and Boys’ 16s Singles Championships

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., July 22, 2013 – Daniel Kerznerman (17, Brooklyn, N.Y.), who trains full-time at the USTA Training Center – East in Flushing, N.Y., and Chloe Ouellet-Pizer (15, Chapel Hill, N.C.) captured the USTA Boys’ and Girls’ 18s National Clay Court Championships singles titles on Sunday, with each receiving a wild card entry into the 2013 US Open Junior Championships for their victories.

As a No. 17 seed, Kerznerman beat No. 7 Mitch Stewart (17, Federal Way, Wash.), 6-4, 6-3, in the singles final in Delray Beach, Fla. Kerznerman, who has been ranked as high as No. 70 in the world junior rankings for players ages 18 and under, will also receive a wild card into a USTA Pro Circuit Men’s Futures event to be determined.

Ouellet-Pizer, the No. 3 seed who also reached the Girls’ 16s final at the prestigious Orange Bowl last December, defeated Terri Fleming (16, Alpharetta, Ga.), 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-1, for the Girls’ 18s singles title in Memphis, Tenn., also earning herself a wild card into a future USTA Pro Circuit women’s event.

CiCi Bellis (14, Atherton, Calif.) continued her torrid 2013 by winning the Girls’ 16s singles title in Virginia Beach, Va. The top-seed, Bellis beat No. 2 Katerina Stewart (16, Miami), 7-5, 6-1, adding to an already long list of accomplishments this year that includes titles at the International Grass Court Championships, the Easter Bowl (Girls’ 16s) and two prestigious European junior events, Les Petits As in France and AEGON Junior International Teen Tennis in England.

Tommy Paul (16, Coconut Creek, Fla.) also kept up an eye-catching run, sweeping the Boys’ 16s singles and doubles titles in Delray Beach, Fla. Paul, the No. 6 seed in singles, overcame Reilly Opelka (15, Palm Coast, Fla.), 6-2, 6-4, in the final to add to his ITF titles won in Delray Beach and Plantation, Fla., in May. In doubles, he and Alex Rybakov (16, Coral Springs, Fla.), the 2013 International Grass Court Champion, beat Daniel Gealer and Taylor Fritz, 6-4, 7-5.

Both the Boys’ and Girls’ 16s singles champions receive wild cards into future USTA Pro Circuit events.

In other USTA National Clay Court Championships, Noah Makarome (14, Wesley Chapel, Fla.) beat Sam Riffice (14, Roseville, Calif.), 6-0, 7-6(3), for the Boys’ 14s title, and Claire Liu (13, Thousand Oaks, Calif.), who trains at the USTA Training Center – West in Carson, Calif., beat Dominique Schaefer (14, Ventura, Calif.) 6-4, 6-2, for the Girls’ 14s title. Steven Sun (Glen Cove, N.Y.), captured the Boys’ 12s singles title over Brandon Nakashima (San Diego), 7-6(3), 6-2, and Carson Branstine (Orange, Calif.) won the Girls’ 12s singles title over Caty McNally (Cincinnati), 7-6(4), 6-4.

The complete draws and results for the USTA National Clay Court Championships can be found at http://tennislink.usta.com.

—Pat Mitsch, USTA