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Copa 2022
¿Tendremos una final de ensueño de BORG/RODDICK? Suave, suave dicen los sembrados 1 y 2 Dali BLANCH de USA y Natan RODRIGUEZ de Brasil. BLANCH continúa su búsqueda a la final (logrado por su hermano Ulises hace 4 años) y finalmente perdió un set contra Axel GARCIAN de francia por 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 pero sigue intimidante con sus golpes duros. Natan RODRIGUEZ doblegó a Jin GU de la china 6-2, 6-4, así manteniendo su posición en la segunda mitad de la llave. Otros talentosos jugadores también siguen disputando el camino a la final. Estos incluyen a BOSCARDIN (10) de brasil, KUZUHARA de USA, DE ALBA VALDES (4) de méxico, y SADAOUI (11) de francia.
La llave femenil continúa con su gran apertura en cuanto las siembras mayores siguen cayendo. La no. 1 Julia GARCIA de méxico cayó ante Alexis BLOKHINA de USA 7-6, 6-2 así como la otra mexicana Alejandra CRUZ sembrada 5 ante Rebecca LYNN de USA (11) por marcador 7-5, 6-2. Solamente las siembras 8, 11, 15, y 16 permanecen en la llave lo que significa que un puesto en la final es posible para cualquiera de las jugadoras que quedan.
Las no sembradas Melisa ERCAN de turquía y Alexia HARMON de USA continúan ganando en la mitad de la llave. HARMON es una jugadora que llama la atención en cuanto sigue ganando con facilidad, habiendo despachado a la sembrada 6 VAN IMPE de bégica por 6-0, 6-1 en la segunda vuelta. Sofia ROJAS y Nevena CARTON, ambas de USA también han ganado con facilidad. Otra jugadora notable es la serbia Lola RADIVOJEVIC (15) quien eliminó a la dificil Tanisha KASYAP de la india en 3 sets. KASHYAP había derrotado a la no. 2 Tara MALIK de USA por 6-0, 6-4 en la segunda vuelta. Sí, esta llave se la lleva cualquiera de las jugadoras.
Copa 2019 Semifinal
En la otra semifinal varonil el jugador de gran saque y golpes duros Martin DAMM de USA, hijo de un jugador ATP checo del mismo nombre, despachó a Alex MARTINEZ de España, ganando por marcador 6-4, 6-4. MARTINEZ tiene familia en Costa Rica y era el favorito de los aficionados pero no pudo mantenerse ante la fuerza de DAMM aunque el español es 2 años mayor. En segunda vuelta DAMM desalojó al sembrado 2 MALAN de Sur Africa para tomar el lugar del último puesto en la llave y ahora se encuentra en la final con el japonés que ocupa el primer lugar de la llave.
Ambos jugadores nacieron en el 2003. El lector debe juzgar por sí mismo cuál de los 2 ha logrado mayor desempeño para llegar a esta final, y cuál debe ser el favorito. MOCHIZUKI es extremadamente agil, sube a net con frecuencia, tiene un gran tiro de smash y además una gran devolución de servicio. DAMM dispone de un muy fuerte saque y pega duro en sus golpes de gran precisión, así gastando a los competidores.
El camino a la final de MOCHIZUKI ha sido:
vuelta jugador país ranking siembra 1 CASSONE USA 248 no 2 HECK USA 202 no 3 DALE USA 147 14
QF PARK KOR 126 11
SF BAKER GBR 97 4
DAMM ha llegado conquistando a:
vuelta jugador país ranking siembra 1 VINAS ARG 531 no 2 MALAN RSA 87 2 3 BERNARD USA 190 no
QF LEE USA 124 10
SF MARTINEZ ESP 215 no
En la semifinal femenil la no sembrada canadiense Melodie COLLARD continuó siendo la revelación del torneo, sobreviviendo y domando a la muy capaz jugadora sembrada 14 Charlotte OWENSBY de USA en un difícil encuentro a 3 sets, con marcador 6-1, 6-7, 7-5. Melodie ha deleitado a la afición con su estilo poco usual de todo terreno, incursionando a net con frecuencia, voleando, y defendiendo globos con su fuerte smash. Fue un partido emocionante hasta el final donde OWENSBY se defendió hasta el último 7-5.
El otro partido de semifinal de damas fue acreditado a la no sembrada Abigail FORBES de USA ranqueada 418 quien le ganó a su compañera de práctica Gabriella PRICE (USA), ranqueada 38 y sembrada 2. PRICE parece tener los golpes más clásicos y vistosos y voló durante el torneo sin perder un set hasta la SF. Sin embargo FORBES, una jugadora muy capaz quien jugará para la universidad UCLA en setiembre, quizás tenía una leve ventaja en mayor volumen de cuerpo y 2 años más de experiencia, nacida en 2001 vs 2003 para PRICE.
COLLARD juega todo terreno y es más atrevida en sus tácticas pero FORBES es jugadora fuerte y resistente que quizás podrá manejar mejor la presión del momento y defenderse. Ambas jugadoras no están sembradas y se ubican en los 400´s del ranking mundial ITF. (COLLARD = 441, FORBES = 418). Juzgue por sí mismo cuál de las 2 jugadoras ha tenido mayores logros para llegar a esta final, y cuál será la favorita.
El camino de COLLARD a la final ha sido:
vuelta jugadora país ranking siembra
1 NOEL USA 15 1
2 PLAZAS COL 264 no
3 KARNER AUT 382 no QF GARCIA GROSS USA 708 no SF OWENSBY USA 150 14
FORBES ha llegado por:
vuelta jugadora país ranking siembra
1 CHAVARRIA CRC 990 no
2 CCUNO PER 99 7
3 INOUE USA 140 12 QF DEFALCO USA 184 10 SF PRICE USA 38 2
Copa 2019 Qualy Ha Comenzado
En la llave varonil los resultados en general se ajustaron a lo anticipado en cuanto 14 de 16 sembrados progresaron a la segunda vuelta, con sorpresas sobre los sembrados 12 y 14 por Jameson CORSILLO (USA) y Francisco ARCE VIEYRA (MEX) respectivamente. La Llave femenil incluyó solamente 8 siembras y todas pasaron a la segunda vuelta por modalidad de Bye. Los 8 partidos jugados fueron disputados entre jugadoras sin ranking, principalmente jugadoras locales deseando entrar a la Llave Principal.
La acción tenística de mañana definirá los últimos puestos de las Llaves Principales, llegando así al límite de 64 jugadores. Partidos de las Llaves Principales comenzarán temprano el lunes 14 de enero.
La Copa 2019 Lista para Comenzar
Ambas llaves indican un alto nivel de talento tenístico con 5 top 100 jugadores por el lado varonil de 5 diferentes países, y 19 top 200. La lista femenil incluye 7 top 100 de 5 países, y 21 jugadoras dentro de las primeras 200.
El corte varonil a la posición 46 ha sido 343, y del lado femenil 460, así reflejando un elenco fuerte de jugadores. De los primeros 46 jugadores en ambas Llaves Principales, 19 varones (41%) y 17 damas (37%) regresan de la Copa del Café 2018.
La lista varonil ahora incluye 111 nombres desde una inscripción total de 211, y del lado femenil actualmente se incluyen 82 jugadoras desde una inscripción total de 187 jugadoras que se disputan los 64 puestos de cada Llave Principal. Esto significa que el Qualy varonil probablemente incluirá un complemento completo de 32 jugadores, mientras que habrán varios “byes” en el Qualy femenil donde toda jugadora en la lista tendrá oportunidad de jugar por lo menos el Qualy.
La Copa no. 55 entonces dará comienzo oficial el sábado 12 de enero 2019 con las Llaves de Calificación, a ser completada el domingo para así definir los últimos 8 puestos de la Llave Principal que comienza temprano el lunes 14 de enero. Los invitamos a unirse a la acción tenistica.
Copa del Cafe 2023 Final Results
Boys Singles Thijs BOOGAARD of Holland who beat Roy HOROVITS [5] of USA 6-4, 6-4
Girls Singles Iva JOVIC [3] of USA who beat Mika BUCHNIK of Israel by 6-3, 6-2
Boy s Doubles Nicolai BUDKOV KJAER of Norway and Henry SEARLE of Great Britain [4]
who beat Ofek SHIMANOV of Israel and Tristan Stringer of USA by 6-4, 7-5
Girls Doubles Tyra GRANT of USA and Iva JOVIC of USA who beat Claire AN of USA and
Alanis HAMILTON of USA by 6-3, 6-4
We congratulate the winners and finalists on a great tournament and invite them to return in 2024, age permitting, for our 59th Copa del Café.
The Tournament Committee thanks all players, coaches, and parents who have come to our Tournament and wish them well in their careers and travel. We also thank our sponsors without whose support our event could not happen, our tireless tennis staff who fill the many roles necessary behind the scenes, the CRCC maintenance and administrative staff who provide logistics for the Copa, and the Club Board of Directors who provide strong backing for this national sports event. We also thank our readers and followers and invite you to visit with us again in January of 2024.
Copa 2023 Semifinals
In the first match third seed Iva JOVIC of USA defeated her friend and travelmate Alanis HAMILTON in straight sets by 6-4, 6-4 which went by the book in terms of ranking and WTN index with the best rated girl prevailing. But this matchup is not over as JOVIC- HAMILTON will square off once again in the girls doubles final. In the other girls match unseeded Israeli Mika BUCHNIK upset second seed Kaitlin QUEVEDO of USA in straight sets by the same 6-4, 6-4 score. Mika has been the surprise of the girls draw, playing well above what her WTN rating of 16.93 indicates and now will face JOVIC in the final.
In the boys SF the Dutchman 15 year old wunderkind Thijs BOOGAARD fought back Qualifier Maxwell EXSTED of USA in a thrilling 3 sets 5-7, 6-2, 6-1. Tennis aficionados could not ask for more than these 2 top players delivered. In the last match American 5th seed Roy HOROVITS defeated the 7th seed Englishman Henry SEARLE in straight sets 6-3. 6-4. Both players were very evenly matched in terms of ranking and rating so it was perhaps surprising for Roy to win rather easily.
Saturday Finals are to begin at 4pm on Stadium Court starting with Girls Doubles featuring all players from USA Tyra GRANT – Iva JOVIC vs. Claire AN – Alanis HAMILTON. GRANT/JOVIC, who won the Orange Bowl doubles togethre, are probably favorites. The Boys Doubles follows, featuring Ofek SHIMANOV (ISR) – Tristan STRINGER (USA) vs. Nicolai BUDKOV KJAER (NOR) – Henry SEARLE (GBR), is probably a tossup. The Girls Singles Final starting not before 6:30pm will be JOVIC-BUSHNIK, followed by the Boys Singles of HOROVITS-BOOGARD.
In the singles matchups, who will be the favorite? The reader should decide. Following are data about each player`s road to the final to help make this determination.
Iva JOVIC, from USA, seeded 3, ranked 35, WTN 11.35
round opponent country WTN seed/ranking score
1 Maelie MONFILS France 15.11 no / 140 6-0, 6-3
2 Annelin BAKKER Holland 15.78 no / 111 6-0, 6-0
QF Tyra GRANT USA 17.79 no / 255 6-3,3-0, Ret
SF Alanis HAMILTON USA 12.12 no / 147 6-4, 6-4
Mika BUCHNIK, from Israel, unseeded, ranked 102, WTN 16.93
round opponent country WTN seed/ranking score
1 Tianmei WANG USA 12.82 no / 614 7-6, 7-6
2 Isabelle LACY Britain 14.48 8 / 66 2-6, 6-3, 6-0
QF Gloriana NAHUM Benin 16.88 no / 126 6-4,6-1
SF Kaitlin QUEVEDO USA 11.34 2 / 21 6-4, 6-4
Roy HOROVITZ, from USA, seeded 5, ranked 79, WTN 10.13
round opponent country WTN seed/ranking score
1 Nicolai BUDKOV Norway 13.34 no / 107 6-4, 6-0
2 Luis FERRAZ Brazil 14.47 no / 247 6-3, 6-2
QF Petr BRUNCLIK Czechia 13.13 3 / 66 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
SF Henry SEARLE Britain 10.34 7 / 81 6-3, 6-4
Thijs BOOGARD, from Netherlands, unseeded, ranked 98, WTN 12.79
round opponent country WTN seed/ranking score
1 Tristan STRINGER USA 14.47 no / 99 6-1, 6-0
2 Duncan CHAN Canada 11.43 6 / 80 6-7, 6-3, 6-2
QF Alex RAZEGHI USA 8.63 4 / 77 6-2,6-2
SF Maxwell EXSTED USA 11.28 Q / 173 5-7, 6-2, 6-1
Quarterfinal Action
In the boys draw the talented 7th seed Henry SEARLE of GBR ranked 81 in the world handled the unseeded American Nikita FILIN in straight sets 6-2, 7-5. Henry is strong and experienced and has cruised through the draw up to this point and is a formidable competitor. He is also a doubles finalist with Norwegian Nicolai BUDKOV KJAER so regardless will stick around until Saturday when all 4 finals will be played starting in the afternoon.
Henry`s semifinalist opponent will be 5th seed American Roy HOROVITZ, ranked 79. Roy defeated 3rd seed Petr BRUNCLIK from Czech Republic ranked 66 in 3 sets 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in a tough match that on paper seems to be a mild upset, but Roy`s superior WTN rating of 10.13 vs. 13.13 for BRUNCLIK suggests otherwise. Roy will now face off against the Englishman in a match that is too close to call. In terms of ranking Roy is 79 vs. 81 for Henry, and in terms of WTN Roy is slightly better than Henry`s 10.34.
In the lower half of the draw there are no seeded players left. One of the semifinal slots has been taken by 15 year old wild card Thijs BOOGAARD from Holland. He surprised Duncan CHAN of Canada seeded 6 in the second round and in quarterfinals dispatched the tough American Alexander RAZEGHI ranked 77 and seeded 4 by a comfortable 6-2, 6-2. This was bit of a shock since RAZEGHI boasts the best WTN rating in the tournament by a good margin, 8.63. Thijs last year won the prestigious international tournament Le Petit As near Toulouse, France. This tournament is for 14 year olds and the hall of fame includes names that perhaps the reader has heard of: Djokovic, Federer, Ferrero, Murray, Nadal, Wawrinka, etc.,etc., etc. The Dutchman will be a force to contend with.
BOOGAARD`s opponent will be unseeded American Maxwell EXSTED ranked 173 who has come in from the Qualy. On paper his credentials are less impressive than the others, but tennis matches are not played on paper. On the courts Max has cruised through the draw without dropping a set eliminating: no. 2 seed Phoeniz WEIR of GBR in the first round in straight sets, 7-6(6), 6-2, the tough American Stiles BROCKETT by 6-4, 6-1 in the second round and the talented Chilean Benjamin TORREALBA by 6-2, 6-1 in the QF. Let`s see what happens in this matchup.
In the Girls draw the talented and steady Alanis HAMILTON of USA dispatched fellow American Valeria RAY seeded 6 by a comfortable 6-2, 6-3. Alanis is a quiet girl who plays better than her ranking of 147 suggests and has the third best WTN rating in the field (12.12). She is graceful and composed on court and is also a doubles finalist with fellow American Claire AN.
HAMILTON will face Iva JOVIC of USA ranked 35 and seeded 3. Iva defeated her doubles partner Tyra GRANT in the QF as GRANT retired due to an injury that perhaps was more strategic than real since in their subsequent doubles match against Ruby COOLING of GBR and Natalia PEREZ of Puerto Rico GRANT played extremely well poaching every ball in sight. JOVIC is a crafty and strong player and shares the best WTN rating in the tournament with QUEVEDO. Iva has won her previous matches by 6-0, 6-3, and by 6-0, 6-0 and is a very difficult opponent for any player. She is also in the doubles final with GRANT.
In the bottom half of the draw unseeded Mika BUCHNIK from Israel has earned her slot by defeating Gloria NAHUM of Benin 6-4, 6-1 taking all the African could muster. Mika had earlier dispatched Isabelle LACY of Britain in a hard fought match, similarly taking all the talented LACY could come up with, in the end outlasting her opponents. The Israeli player is not flashy but has superb defensive skills and displays serenity on court. She should not be underestimated. BUCHNIK is ranked 102 and has a WTN rating of 16.93.
The last semifinalist is no. 2 seed American Kaitlin QUEVEDO. Kaitlin is a tough competitor and last night came back from match point down to defeat the determined Austrian no. 5 seed Tamara KOSTIC by 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-1 in a thrilling match. Her earlier matches were easy wins over unseeded and less ranked opponents so her first big test was against the Austrian. Ranked 21 and with the best WTN rating (shared with JOVIC) in the field Kaitlin has the credentials, but must once again meet the challenge against the determined Israeli BUCHNIK.
On to the Quarterfinals
Four seeded players remain in the boys draw, 3 of them in the top half: Henry SEARLE of GBR, Petr BRUNCLIK of CZE, and Roy HOROVITZ of USA. The other slot was taken by Nikita FILIN of USA who had ousted the top seed in the first round. FILIN beat Israeli Ofek SHIMANOV in a tough match 7-6 (5) in the third set which was good to see since SHIMANOV looked lackluster in his earlier win against Costa Rican Nicolas GARNIER. SEARLE won as his German opponent Lasse POERTNER retired due to injury, and BRUNCLIK dispatched the game Englishman Oliver BONDING despite the British player`s superior WTN rating. Roy HOROVITZ ranked 79 had an easier time (6-3, 6-2) over Brazilean Luis FERRAZ who had a good tournament coming in from the Qualy ranked 247.
In the bottom half of the boys draw Alexander RAZEGHI of USA, who has the best WTN rating in the tournament (8.63) is the only remaining seed. The other 3 slots are held by wild card Thijs BOOGARD of Netherlands, Benjamin TORREALBA of Chile, and Qulaifier Max EXSTED of USA who had earlier eliminated the no. 2 seed. BOOGARD won his slot by defeating 6th seed Duncan CHAN of Canada, and TORREALBA benefited from a walkover as his German opponent Diego DEDURA apparently suffered a case of food poisoning and could not play. EXSTED, in from the Qualy, handled hard hitting Stiles BROCKETT of USA relatively easily by 6-4, 6-1, and could be a sleeper going forward.
In the girls draw 4 seeds remain of the 8 quarterfinalists, 2 in the upper half and 2 in the lower. In the upper half Alanis HAMILTON of USA, who eliminated the top seed in the first round, has stealthily proceeded in the draw, beating back the game Israeli Liam OVED who has played better than her WTN of 17.58. HAMILTON is unseeded but has the third best WTN rating in the draw at 12.12. No. 6 seed Valeria RAY of USA ranked 57 eliminated the Korean Gaeul JANG and now will face HAMILTON. Third seed Iva JOVIC of USA who shares the best WTN rating of the field (11.35) easily dispatched the Dutch player Annelin BAKKER 6-0, 6-0. Tyra GRANT of USA rounded out the top half by eliminating USA Qualifier Capucine JAUFFRET by the same score.
In the bottom half a tough and steady Israeli Mika BUCHNIK outlasted the 8th seed British player Isabelle LACY in 3 sets 2-6, 6-3, 6-0. Both players hit impessive precision shots into the corners but in the end the Israeli girl outlasted the Englishwoman. Unseeded Gloriana NAHUM of Benin eliminated the last Costa Rican Nicole ALFARO 6-2, 6-4 but it was not easy as both girls slammed shot after shot in long rallies and the African needed hand therapy after the match. Austrian Tamara KOSTIC seeded 5 outlasted a very tough Piper CHARNEY of USA 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. Both girls played well in a very good match. The last quarterfinalist is no. 2 seed Kaitlin QUEVEDO of USA who easily dispatched Czech Vendula VALDMANNOVA who was the last girl into the Main Draw, by 6-1, 6-0. With a WTN of 11.34 (essentially tied with JOVIC) QUEVEDO is a tough opponent for any player in the draw.
On to the quarterfinals.
Into the Second Round
In the boys draw the numbers 1 and 2 seeds have been ousted. FILIN of USA eliminated Peruvian Josue GUZMAN as mentioned previously, but Qualifier Maxwell EXSTED of USA ranked 173 bumped second seed Phoenix WEIR of GBR as well, by a score of 7-6, 6-2. Chilean Benjamin TORREALBA ranked 111 also upset 8th seed Quang DUONG of USA who was ranked 84, even though DUONG`s WTN index of 11.71 was far superior to TORREALBA`s 14.84. The rest of the seeds have made it to the second round. The best WTN rated players remaining are Henry SEARLE of GBR seeded 7 at 10.34, Roy HOROVITZ of USA seeded 5 with 10.13, and American Alexander RAZEGHI seeded 4 at 8.63.
Two significant upsets in the girls draw were posted by Capucine JAUFFRET of USA and Gloriana NAHUM of Benin. Qualifier JAUFFRET ranked 622 defeated 7th seed and 63 ranked Hephzibah OLUWADARE of GBR in 3 sets, but WTN rankings of 14.22 for the American vs. 15.06 for the Englishwoman perhaps suggest it was not such an upset. NAHUM, who is our first player from the African nation of Benin and ranked 126, against the odds dispatched 4th seed Mia SLAMA ranked 41 by a comfortable 6-1, 6-4, even though SLAMA had a better WTN rating (14.87) than the African (16.88), upset indeed. The players remaining with the best WTN rating are no. 2 seed Kaitlin QUEVEDO of USA at 11.34 and Iva JOVIC seeded 3, also of USA, at the almost identical 11.35.
Monday Results
In the boys draw, 4 other seeds made it to the second round, with 2 seeds yet to play. This data includes Henry SEARLE of GBR topping Darwin BLANCH 6-3, 7-6 in a top matchup. The play of Alexander RAZEGHI of USA ranked 77 was particularly impressive, dominating Denis PETACK of CZE ranked 91 by a score of 6-1, 6-1. At 8.63 RAZEGHI has the best WTN in the field and the quality of his groundstrokes is impeccable. This is a player to watch.
In the girls draw, Alanis HAMILTON played well and fought off 3 set points in the second set to defeat the no. 1 player by a margin of 6-1, 7-6 (6). Alanis has a steady game with variety in her game tactics, going to net with some frequency. As in the boys draw, 4 seeds progressed to the second round with only 1 going down. This was Mia Slama of USA seeded 4 and ranked 41 being eliminated by Gloriana NAHUM of Benin, ranked 126 and with an inferior WTN rating, by a 6-1, 6-4 score.
The 8 remaining first round singles matches will finish today, followed by the first round of the 2 doubles draws.