February 12, 2009
ATA's Champs Play in Deer Park; Burak and Brilliant Qualify
As ATA’s super champs scattered across the state, the championship players headed toward Houston to play in the Deer Park Championship Major Zone while trying to earn the privilege of playing at the next level.
Ryan Burak and Grayson Brilliant both achieved super championship status this past weekend. Burak blasted through five straight matches in the boys’ 16s green draw. He defeated C. Golden in the finals 6-3, 6-1 to take the tournament title. Also earning five straight wins, Brilliant beat T. Wise in the finals of his boys’ 14s white draw, 6-1, 6-1, to claim the championship crown without dropping a set.
Remi Immler defeated R. Olwell in her first match, 7-5, 6-3. Next she faced teammate Meghan O’Malley, also coming off of a first round victory. O’Malley won the match, 6-4, 6-2 to earn a place in the semi finals. There she faced S. Thomas, who took the first set 6-7(6). Again O’Malley proved to be too tough for her opponent, taking the next two sets 6-2, 6-1 for a place in the finals.
In the boys’ 14s blue draw, Neel Kumar fought to earn four straight wins and a place in the final round. In the semi finals, he defeated D. Patel 7-6(6), 7-5. Conor O’Meara earned two tough wins to advance to the quarter finals. He defeated teammate Breck Spencer 6-4, 6-4 in his second match. Spencer bounced back, however, to earn three straight wins and a place in the consolation finals. Sreyas Mahadevan and Rohan Makhija each competed in two tough matches throughout the weekend.
The girls’ 14s draw saw Allie Carlisle earn a spot in the quarter finals. She defeated K. Holder 5-7, 6-3, 6-0 in the second round. Smrithi Hariharan earned valuable experience in two matches over the weekend.
Competing in the boys’ 12s, Erik Kerrigan claimed two tough wins and a spot in the quarter finals. He defeated L. Ortega Jr. 6-2, 6-4 to log his second straight win. Sanjit Kumar defeated A. Duke in a tough three set match. After splitting the first two sets 6-4, 3-6, Kumar claimed the third set, 6-2, and a spot in the quarter finals.
Aarti Bhat won three straight matches to reach the semi finals of her girls’ 12s draw. Along the way she defeated the number one seed K. Peterson 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. Jacqueline Patterson prevailed over S. Ram, 6-1, 6-1, in her first match. Next she faced K. Vincik, claiming the match with a clutch third set performance, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.
Kate Cahill competed hard in two tough matches over the weekend.
Also competing in the boys’ 16s, Colton Malesovas earned a win over F. Eguia, 6-2, 6-3, to reach the quarter finals. Garrett Callen defeated B. Arriaga 6-0, 3-6, 6-2 to advance to the round of 16.
Tournament success is not won or lost the weekend of competition; rather, it is claimed in the commitment to compete through each day of preparation. The positive results logged this weekend come as no surprise to the coaches of these junior athletes, as each day of practice is a small demonstration of the dedication required to thrive at any level.
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