Anthrop Wins B16s, 2 Florida Runners-up at Eddie Herr

Orlando’s Jack Anthrop won the boys’ 16s singles title and two Florida players were runners-up in doubles over the weekend when the 33rd annual Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships came to a conclusion at the famed IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

More than 2,000 athletes from 90 countries competed from Nov. 26-Dec. 8, 2019.

Congrats to the #EddieHerr 16s champions! Wonderful to see @IMGAcademy implement #UTR for seeding! 🏆🔥

GS: Ashlyn Krueger (UTR 10.79)

BS: Jack Anthrop (UTR 12.89)

GD: Vivian Ovrootsky (UTR 11.03)/Sarah Hamner (UTR 10.83)

BD: Ozan Colak (UTR 12.04)/Aidan Kim (UTR 11.79) pic.twitter.com/5IhwAki3P4

— UTR Sports (@UTR_Sports_) December 8, 2019

Anthrop, a former USTA Florida “Bobby Curtis” Junior State Singles Championships winner in the boys’ 12s-14s in consecutive years from 2016-17, in the Eddie Herr boys’ 16s final ousted top seed Marko Andrejic of Austria 6-3, 6-1.

“He was playing very well in the beginning,” the No. 2-seeded Anthrop told zootennis.com. “He came out firing forehands and backhands, both corners and I was playing a little bit more defense than I would have liked. I realized I had to start hitting the ball a bit bigger, moving more into the court or I was not going to win this match.”

The 16-year-old did not lose more than four games in a set all week.

“I’m actually almost maxed out in the ITFs I can play this year,” he said. “It was probably the best decision, since I age out of 16s next year. I’m very, very pleased that I managed to win this tournament in my last year in the 16s.”

Benjamin Kreynes, who trains at the Sanchez-Casal Academy in Naples, fell in the boys’ 14s final to top-seeded Mihai Coman of Romania 6-3, 7-6(3).

“He played well today, and I couldn’t really do much,” the No. 12-seeded Kreynes told zootennis.com. “I had chances at 6-5, but I was returning so I couldn’t really do anything.”

Lakewood Ranch’s Ava Krug, the No. 6 seed in the girls’ 16s doubles with partner Qavia Lopez of Milwaukee, fell in the all-American final to the top-seeded team of Sarah Hamner (Ft. Collins, Co.) and Vivian Ovrootsky (San Jose, Calif.) 6-1, 6-4.

Krug two years ago was runner-up in the girls’ 12s.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B51kswKHmZ4/

The Eddie Herr International Junior Championship at IMG Academy annually attracts the world’s most competitive tennis players and counts among its former champions Maria Sharapova, Jelena Jankovic, Whitney Osuigwe, Andy Roddick, Xavier Malisse and more.

For more info go to www.imgacademy.com.