Vucic Wins Orange Bowl Doubles
Championship
First MCTA Junior International
Title
Ilija
Vucic claimed the Monte Carlo
Tennis Academy’s first junior
international title this weekend
by winning the U16 Orange Bowl
Doubles with partner Xander
Spong from the Netherlands.
In the run up to the Final the
toughest match took place in the
round of the last sixteen
against number four seeds
Astorga (MEX) and Hernandez
(DOM). Ilija and Xander (seeded
fifth) lost the first set 6-4;
fought back to secure the second
set 6-3 but then had a real
battle on their hands in the
third. Stepping up offensively
they finally managed to win the
third set 8-6 in the tiebreak.
The Semi-Final was a far calmer
affair. Opponents and number
two seeds Cesar Ramirez and
Miguel Muguruza from Brazil gave
little resistance and Ilija and
Xander breezed through 6-3 6-3.
However, the Final wasn’t quite
a straightforward! Facing
Nicolaus Moser from Austria and
Gillard Benzui from Israel Ilija
and Xander immediately went 4-1
down in the first set. With
Ilija serving at 1-4 15-40 the
pressure was on to perform and
the MCTA player didn’t
disappoint. Serving an ace to
make it 30-40 his opponents then
missed a return taking the score
to deuce. Aggressive net play by
the serving pair earned them the
game.
Continuing to claw their way
back into the set Ilija and
Xander immediately broke Moser
and Benzui. The score was now
3-4 but it appeared the MCTA
team had done enough, the stain
had become too much for their
opponents and breaking once more
at 5-5 Ilija and Xander won the
first set 7-5.
Winning
six games in a row the second
set sped by and before the pair
realised it they had been
crowned Boys U16 Orange Bowl
Doubles Champions!
Ilija said, “I am thrilled that
we won this tournament. We
played great aggressive tennis
throughout and deserved to win
the title.”
