The 2009 Tim Smith Towel Off Super Series Junior Tennis Tournament July 2009By Scott Harrison
Seventy-three players from around Florida and the South, including 24 from the Pensacola area, participated in the Tim Smith Towel Off Super Series Junior Tennis Tournament at the Fort Walton Beach Municipal Tennis Center.
Two Breezers were top seeded in the Boys' 14 singles but both ran a foul of the Connor Cox of Knoxville, TN. Top seeded Josh Goldstein lost to Cox in the semifinals 6-1,6-4 while 2nd seeded Harley Spann lost to Cox 6-4,6-1 in the finals. Pensacola players Jacob Baehr, and Grant and Bennet Gaston joined Gulf Breeze's Alex Thompson and Mac Pewitt in the division.
Pensacola players Blair Gaston, Casey Lowery and 2nd seeded Alex Csaszar along with Pace players David Christopher and Kyle Avenarius played in the Boys 16. Lowery upset Csaszar 2-6,7-6,10-4 but dropped his semifinal match. Avenarius also won his first round but lost in the semifinals.
Four area players served it up in the Boys 18 division. Pensacola's Keegan Lowery upset the #1 seed 6-2,7-6 but fell in the semis 6-4,6-4. Pensacola's Claudio Yurdadon, Milton's Jake Holland and Pace's David Christopher also played in the 18's.
In the Boys 14 doubles, Baehr and Spann defeated Bennet and Grant Gaston 8-4 to win the championship.
Keegan Lowery and Barry Dylewski downed Jason Moody and Caleb Windholtz 9-7 to win the Boys 18 doubles. Other area players were Holland and Yurdadon, Blair Gaston and Casey Lowery and Csaszar and Stephen Farrell.
Eight locals played in the Girls singles divisions including Emily and Brooke Gaston in the 10's and Heather Rominger in the Girls 12.
Top seeded Melanie Lewis of Pensacola was upset in the finals of the Girl's 16 7-6,6-1 to Bianca Biglione. Biglione also downed 2nd seeded Rachel Soloway of Pensacola 6-2,6-3 in the quarterfinals and 3rd seeded Britni Thibodeau of Pace 6-0,6-1 in the semifinals. Gulf Breeze's Michelle Wise also participated in the Girl's 16.
Pensacola's Patricia Izbicki lost 6-2,6-2 in the Girl's 18 finals to top seeded Macie Wilkins of Tallahassee.
Annie-James Walsh and Hatten Huff downed the Gaston sisters 8-0 in the Girls 10 doubles final.
In the Girls 16 finals the Biglione sisters from Panama City defeated Soloway and Thibodeau 8-1.
The Wilkins sisters from Tallahassee won the Girls 18 doubles 8-6 over Izbicki and Lauren Fields.