June 19th, 2025
Young Florida Tennis Prodigies Battle at 12s/14s 2025 Bobby Curtis Junior State Championships
It was time for the young future stars of Florida tennis to take the courts as the 2025 Bobby Curtis Junior State Championships for 12s and 14s took place at the USTA National Campus. USTA Florida’s most prestigious junior tournament drew in hundreds of athletes.
It was an exciting few days, as tons of great tennis was played. Let’s take a look at how the four divisions played out and who was crowned Bobby Curtis Champions!
Boys’ 12s
Maxim Kerbikov (Left), Daniel Levine (Right)
In the Boys’ 12s, there was some great tennis being played as some of the best young prodgies were giving their all on the courts.
Daniel Levine and Maxim Kerbikov were some of the best as these two would find themselves in the finals. Daniel was able to take his first four matches, with a couple of close sets here and there. In the semifinals, he faced Zachary Burunov, in one of the best matches of the tournament. The first set was super tight as it went all the way to a tiebreaker, where Daniel took it 7-5. Zachary bounced right back to dominate the second set. In the third-set tiebreaker it was all Daniel as he found his groove and took it 10-4 to advance to the finals.
On the other hand, Maxim entered as an unseeded player, but that didn’t stop him. In his second match, Bernard Chao gave him a good match as the two went to a final set. Maxim dominated that set, winning 10-2 and carrying that momentum. He rolled through his next two matches, but in the semis, he was tested by Miguel Valencia. Here, Maxim would take the first set 6-1, but Miguel bounced right back with a 6-2 win himself. The tiebreaker though was controlled by Maxim as he won 10-4 and moved into the finals.
The championship match was dominated by Daniel as he was able to take the first set 6-2. He rolled that into the next set and took it again 6-2 to become Bobby Curtis champ.
Championship: Daniel Levine (Wellington) d. Maxim Kerbikov ( Satellite Beach) 6-2, 6-2
Third/Fourth Place: Miguel Valencia (Pinecrest) d. Zachary Burunov (Hollywood) 6-1, 6-2
Fifth/Sixth Place: Ethan Kim (Wesley Chapel) d. Keanu Agbulos (Port Saint Lucie) 6-1, 6-4
Consolation Final: Alexander Ligman (Gainesville) d. Daniel Brik (Boca Raton) 6-3, 6-3
Girls’ 12s
Emma Dobrean (Left), Sophia Ikwueme (Right)
For the Girls’ 12s draw, Emma Dobrean and Sophia Ikwueme were two girls that were destined to make people remember their names.
Emma got off to a hot start in her first four matches. Across these, she won 48 of 49 games played in 8 sets, an impressive feat. However, her first real test came in the semifinals as Vasiana Christopoulos wanted to take down this dominant run. Vasiana jumped out quick, taking the first set 6-3. However, Emma kept her composure as she found herself down for the first time. She stormed back in a competitive second set, winning 6-4. In the final tiebreaker set, it was more back and forth as the girls were battling. In the end, Emma found a few in a row to secure a 10-6 win and move to the championship.
Sophia, on the other side of the bracket, was playing great tennis. She cruised through her first two matches but found herself in a three-set battle against Mia Ingco . After dropping the opening set, she found her groove to win the next two and move on. She would be tested again in the semifinals as Abigail Sewell was fighting. The girls split sets to send it to a tiebreaker. Here, the girls were locked in and not giving each other room to take an advantage in the match. Eventually, it was Sophia who found a few points in a row and got the 10-8 win.
The championship match got started quickly as Emma kept her momentum from the weekend going with a fast 6-1 opening set win. The second set was super competitive however, as the girls were trading games. But, in the end, it was Emma who found the break and won 7-5 to become the champion.
Championship: Emma Dobrean (Palm Beach Gardens) d. Sophia Ikwueme (Delray Beach) 6-1, 7-5
Third/Fourth Place: Abigail Sewell (North Palm Beach) d. Vasiana Christopoulos (Tampa) 6-3, 7-6
Fifth/Sixth Place: Vihana Thasen (Weston) d. Reese Gluck (Miami) 6-3, 6-3
Consolation Final: Lauren Chang (Winter Park) d. Nevette Turner (Wellington) 6-1, 7-5
Boys’ 14s
David Bender (Left), Robert Bouzi (Right)
For the Boys’ 14s, some high intensity tennis was being played. The top seed, David Bender, who finished in third place last year, was looking to make another deep run. He would do that as he got out to a great start in his first few matches. David was playing at the top of his game, rolling through opponents. In the semifinals, he matched up against Nikola Bogojevic, and the two were locked into a dogfight. David took the first set, but Nikola battled right back sending the second set to a tiebreaker, which he won 7-3. In the third-set tiebreaker, it was a bit of back and forth before David found his groove and won 10-5 to move into the finals.
On the other side of the draw, Robert Bouzi put together an impressive run himself. In his first three matches, Robert was able to handle business rather well, winning each in two sets. He carried that into the quarters and semifinals as in those two matches Robert won 24 of his 33 games played in the four sets to move into the championship.
Here, it would be a one-sided affair, especially in the first set as Robert was riding his hot hand. He won the opening set 6-0 and looked great. The second set was closer as David got settled in. However, Robert couldn’t be stopped as he secured the 6-4 and was crowned the champion.
Championship: Robert Bouzi (Miramar) d. David Bender (Indian Harbour Beach) 6-0, 6-4
Third/Fourth Place: Nikola Bogojevic (Lake Worth) d. Geet Pondala (Pembroke Pines) Wo.
Fifth/Sixth Place: Oliver Zinaja (Bradenton) d. Andreas Paun (Hallandale Beach) 6-3, 2-1 Ret.
Consolation Final: Patricio Zarazua Tascon (Boca Raton) d. Matues Barbosa (Boca Raton) 7-6, 6-2
Girls’ 14s
Annalyn McKee (Left), Melanie Constandache (Right)
Finally, in the Girls’ 14s, these competitors were giving it their all as they looked to be named the champion. For Annalyn McKee it was a battle of adversity all week long. In her opening match against Noor El Sawy, she was tested as the third seed was pushed all the way to a tiebreaker set. Once again, in her third match, Annalyn saw her back against the wall in a three-set match, but pulled out the win once again. Her quarterfinal match was also super competitive but she took that in two sets, winning 6-3, 7-6 over Addyson Munroe. She would carry that momentum to her next match and play one of her best matches of the tournament, winning 6-0, 6-2 and moving into the finals.
Looking to meet up with her was Melanie Constandache, the fifth seed. Melanie was rolling early as she dominated her early matches, not giving her opponents an inch. She was pushed a bit in her third match, but again came out in top in a 6-1, 7-6 win over Victoria Narti. Her quarterfinals match against Alissa Jean-Baptiste was also close as it was just one break that decided both sets. Melanie found them both and won 6-4, 6-4. She would carry that into the semifinal match against Brielle Amey as she pulled out a 6-1, 7-5 win.
In the finals, Annalyn and Melanie were fighting, leaving everything they had on the court. The first set was extremely close as neither would break. It had to be settled in a tiebreaker, where Melaine was able to find her groove and win it by four points. In the second set, Melanie was able to win a break this time and use that to secure a 6-3 win and become the Bobby Curtis champion.
Championship: Melanie Constandache (Coconut Creek) d. Annalyn McKee (Clermont) 7-6, 6-3
Third/Fourth Place: Saraswati Gowda (Boynton Beach) d. Amey Brielle (Boca Raton) 6-3, 7-5
Fifth/Sixth Place: Sofija Dimitrievic (Sarasota) d. Addyson Munroe (West Palm Beach) 4-6, 6-4, 10-5
Consolation Final: Sophie Zakrzewski (Naples) d. Sienna Somrock (Delray Beach) 6-4, 3-6, 10-6
