January 23, 2008
Texas Excellence: 3 Main-Draw Qualify Before Rain Reigns
The series pits the top Texas juniors against each other in a high point value draw, important both as a qualifier for USTA national level competition in the summer and fall, and as experience against the best juniors in the state.
Rain eventually cancelled the January 18-21 USTA Texas Section Super Championship Excellence (SCMZ 12_18)Waco event, but not before 3 out of 4 ATA competitors made the main draw. ATA Head Coach Jack Newman was on-site in Waco.
In the girls 12s, 11 year old Maggie O’Meara played two very close matches, losing to a girl who Coach Newman describes as a “very consistent player” in Allyson Hayley 6-4, 6-4, and then to Dominque Garley 9-8(7). This was Maggie’s first Texas Excellence series tournament, a high level feat for her age and competitive background.
In boys 14s, Josh Hagar rolled Jacob Herndon and Carlos DiLaura to qualify for the main-draw, each in straight sets. Nathaniel Lammons, who Hagar upset in one-sided fashion last week at the Austin Super-Champ Major Zone, got another hack at Hagar in the first round of the main-draw. This time, Lammons was more prepared for Hagar’s ability, seizing set one 0-6. Then, Hagar “stepped it up a notch,” said Head Coach Newman, out-playing Texas’ 5th ranked 14s Super-Champ Lammons 6-1, 6-1 in sets two and three. For Hagar, beating a top-five 14 and under player twice in as many weeks will spike a ranking which sat at 20 coming into January. Charlie Shin showed similar style in his qualifying matches, beating Wang and Murray, each in straight sets. Shin faced off against (1) top seeded Nicholas Naumann, ranked 2 in Super-Champ boys 14s. Naumann beat Shin in straight sets.
In boys 16s, Jeff Offerdahl qualified, then beat Matt Ford 7-5, 6-1 and Daniel Brown 6-3, 6-3. He was set to face top seeded Jonathan Chang, ranked 4 in Super-Champ boys 16s, when rain ended competition. The match with Chang is especially compelling as Chang outlasted Jeff four months ago at the Bob Faulkner Super Championship Junior Major Zone in Tyler. Since then, Jeff has won two SC Major Zones, beating 4 top 20 Super-Champ boys 16s along the way.
Congratulations to ATA’s competitors at the Texas Excellence. These and other ATA players will look to build on these results in the February Super-Champ Major Zones: 12s and 14s at the Laredo Super Champ Major Zone Winter Classic and the 16s and 18s at the CORPUS CHRISTI OMNI CLASSIC.
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