TENNIS TALENT TAYLOR FRITZ TO PLAY THE EASTER BOWL FINALS, THE MATCHES ARE FREE & ITS IN THE COACHELLA VALLEY. COME OUT & WATCH

Written by: Staff on 11th April 2015

TENNIS TALENT TAYLOR FRITZ TO PLAY THE EASTER BOWL FINALS, THE MATCHES ARE FREE & ITS IN THE COACHELLA VALLEY. COME OUT & WATCH |

No. 1 Fritz To Face No. 14 Riffice In Boys’ 18s Final;

No. 2 Swan to Battle No. 12 Liu In Girls’ 18s Final

Catch all the action on final day of the 48th annual ASICS Easter Bowl

on the live stream from www.easterbowl.com

Both finalists in the 48th annual ASICS Easter Bowl ITF Girls’ 18s singles on Sunday will have some valuable experience to draw upon of playing on the final day of one of the nation’s top junior events.

Katie Swan, the No. 2-seed from Wichita, Kan., will take on 14-year-old Claire Liu at 10 a.m. on Sunday, on the final day of action at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden with both the boys’ and girls’ finals being streamed live on www.easterbowl.com and commentated by RadioTennis.com’s Ken Thomas with special guest Rosie Casals serving as the color commentator. Last year, Swan, 16, fell in the 18s final to good friend CiCi Bellis while the No. 12-seeded Liu, then just 13 years old, was playing in the final of the 16s and taken out by Katerina Stewart in three tight sets.

Claire Liu. Photo by Dave Kenas.

The two will meet for the second time in their careers on Sunday with Swan, originally from Bristol, Great Britain, getting the better of Liu in the first round of the US Open Juniors in early September in their only other meeting.

In the ITF Boys’ 18s final it will be top-seeded Taylor Fritz of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., going against No. 14 Sam Riffice of Roseville, Calif., in the 12 noon final, following the girls. Fritz beat No. 4-seed Nathan Ponwith of Scottsdale, Ariz., 7-6 (5), 6-0, while Riffice avenged a defeat just last week to No. 2-seeded William Blumberg of Greenwich, Conn., 6-2, 6-0.

Taylor Fritz.

The last time Taylor Fritz played rival Ponwith, he fell to him in the 2013 16s at the Kalamazoo USTA Hardcourt National Championships. “I remember we played a lot in the 12s,” said Fritz, who said that the 12s may have been the last time he beat Ponwith. “It used to be I was all forehands and no backhands. I think I have worked on my backhand a lot in the past year and it’s gotten better. That’s what made the difference.”

Fritz, currently the No. 4-ranked junior in the world, has been taken to three sets in his previous two matches before Saturday and has been taking an ice bath after each match.Taylor Is still a bit Jet Lagged From His Tourney in China. Maternal Grandfather ( in tennis heaven) David May would be so proud of his look alike grandson.

He said playing a prestigious event like the ASICS Easter Bowl and being so close to home was a no-brainer when he looked at his schedule. “It would be great and so nice to win this title,” he said. “Why not play here? I’m so close to home and I’m getting good matches here. It’s not like I’m getting the same practice at home.”

Fritz beat Riffice 6-2, 6-3 in their last meeting at the Tulsa ITF back in October. “He’s so much better than when I beat him last,” Fritz said, who added the difference in the first set and the second on Saturday was just winning the big points.

At the end of last year, Riffice became just the second junior player since Grigor Dimitrov to win both the Eddie Herr and Junior Orange Bowl 16s tournaments back to back.

He had a battle just one week ago against losing to eventual champion Blumberg in the Round of 16 at Carson.

“If I was going to let him play his game I knew he would dictate,” Riffice said. “Last week he was being a lot more aggressive and running me from side to side. Today, I came up with some really good shots.”

Riffice said he couldn’t sleep last night, and woke up at 4 a.m. “But I had a lot of energy this morning,” he said. “It’s amazing I’m in the final of the ASICS Easter Bowl. I didn’t think it was possible, but this is what I’ve been training for the whole year.”

Liu had lost to semifinal opponent Raveena Kingsley, the No. 4 seed currently training with the Dent Tennis Academy in Southern California, two previous times before her 6-4, 6-1 win on Saturday.

“The first one was in College Park, Md., where’s she’s from and the other was in Tulsa and indoors, so that helped her,” Liu said. “I’m playing a lot better. Winning my first ITF Pro Futures event has really helped my confidence.”

Just last month, Liu became the youngest champion to win a USTA’s Pro Circuit event since Russian Anna Kournikova in 1996.

In the other Girls’ 18s semifinal, it was Swan beating unseeded Kylie McKenzie of Anthem, Ariz., 6-2, 6-3.

In the ITF Girls’ 18s doubles final on Saturday, top-seeded Swan and Sonya Kenin of Pembroke Pines, Fla., got past unseeded Caroline Dolehide (Hinsdale, Ill.) and Ena Shibahara (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.), 4-6, 6-4, 10-6.

In the ITF Boys’ 18s doubles final on Saturday, Cameron Klinger (Elk Grove, Calif.) and Ponwith beat Vasil Kirkov (Tampa, Fla.) and Riffice, 6-2, 6-3.

You can catch all the action live on www.easterbowl.com. Sponsors include: ASICS, Laurel Springs School, Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the Dent Junior Academy, the very popular Tennis News Website 10sBalls.com, USTA, The Old Spaghetti Factory, SCTA and Mind Matters Tennis.

To keep up with all the ASICS Easter Bowl news, visit the website at www.easterbowl.com and check out the tournament on Facebook (www.facebook.com/EasterBowl) and Twitter (@asicseasterbowl). For more information on ASICS, check out: www.ASICSAmerica.com and follow on Twitter @ASICSAmerica.

Boys’ 18 Singles (Semifinal Round)

Taylor Fritz (1) (Rancho Santa Fe, CA) def. Nathan Ponwith (4) (Scottsdale, AZ) 7-6 (5), 6-0

Sam Riffice (14) (Roseville, CA) def. William Blumberg (2) (Greenwich, CT) 6-2, 6-0

Boys’ 18 Doubles (Final Round)

Cameron Klinger (Elk Grove, CA) / Nathan Ponwith (Scottsdale, AZ) def. Vasil Kirkov (Tampa, FL) / Sam Riffice (6) (Roseville, CA) 6-2, 6-3

Girls’ 18 Singles (Semifinal Round)

Claire Liu (12) (Thousand Oaks, CA) def. Raveena Kingsley (4) (Fulton, MD) 6-4, 6-1

Katie Swan (2) (Wichita, KS) def. Kylie McKenzie (Anthem, AZ) 6-2, 6-3

Girls’ 18 Doubles (Final Round)

Sonya Kenin (Pembroke Pines, FL) / Katie Swan (1) (Wichita, KS) def. Caroline Dolehide (Hinsdale, IL) / Ena Shibahara (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) 4-6, 6-4, 10-6

About ASICS America: Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, meaning “A Sound Mind in a Sound Body,” is an old Latin phrase from which ASICS is derived and the fundamental platform on which the brand still stands. The company was founded more than 60 years ago by Kihachiro Onitsuka and is now a leading designer and manufacturer of running shoes, as well as, other athletic footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, visit www.asics.com.

Topics: ASICS Easter Bowl, Coachella Valley, Itf, Taylor Fritz, Tennis

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10sBalls_com says:

April 11, 2015 at 8:40 pm

#TENNIS TALENT TAYLOR FRITZ TO PLAY THE @asicseasterbowl FINALS, THE MATCHES ARE FREE & ITS IN THE #Coachella VALLEY- http://t.co/xdOaHfglhx
BarrickJoan says:

April 12, 2015 at 2:10 pm

RT @TennisNewsOne: TENNIS TALENT TAYLOR FRITZ TO PLAY THE EASTER BOWL FINALS, THE MATCHES ARE FREE & ITS IN THE COACHELLA… http://t.co/eL…