Ramstein's Amanda Daly lifts teammate Sophie Tomatz in the air after the pair defeated ISB's Brune Luciat-Labry and Hortense L'Hostis 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the girls doubles final at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Saturday Oct. 29, 2016. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein's Amanda Daly lifts teammate Sophie Tomatz in the air after the pair defeated ISB's Brune Luciat-Labry and Hortense L'Hostis 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the girls doubles final at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Saturday Oct. 29, 2016. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
ISB's Brune Luciat-Labry returns a ball at the net as teammate Hortense L'Hostis watches, in the girls doubles final at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Saturday Oct. 29, 2016. The pair lost the match to Ramstein's Sophie Tomatz and Amanda Daly 2-6, 6-3, 6-1. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein's Amanda Daly returns a shot against ISB in the doubles final at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Saturday Oct. 29, 2016. Daly and teammate Sophie Tomatz, rear, beat Brune Luciat-Labry and Hortense L'Hostis 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
ISB's Victor della Faille runs to the outstretched arms of teammate Yuki Takeuchi after the pair defeated Ramstein's Ben Mouritsen and Grady Gallagher 6-3, 7-5 in the doubles final at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Saturday Oct. 29, 2016. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein's Grady Gallagher, right, watches his ball sail over the net, as teammate Ben Mouritsen watches in the boys doubles final at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Saturday Oct. 29, 2016. The Ramstein team lost to International School of Brussels' Yuki Takeuchi and Victor della Faille 6-3, 7-5. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
International School of Brussels' Victor della Faille returns a shot in the boys doubles final at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Saturday Oct. 29, 2016. He and teammate Yuki Takeuchi took the title, defeating Ramstein's Ben Mouritsen and Grady Gallagher 6-3, 7-5. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
American School of Rome's Kaya Rand celebrates with coach Valerie Aureli after capturing the girls single title at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Saturday Oct. 29, 2016, defeating Vicenza's Kiki Sibilla 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Vicenza's Kiki Sibilla returns a shot by AOSR's Kaya Rand in the girls singles final at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Saturday Oct. 29, 2016. Rand won the match 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, to take the title. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
American Overseas School of Rome's Kaya Rand returns a shot on her way to capturing the girls singles title at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Saturday Oct. 29, 2016. Rand defeated Vicenza's Kiki Sibilla 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Marymount's Mathias Mingazzini celebrates his 6-1, 6-4 win over Florence's Francesco Londono in the boys singles final at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Saturday Oct. 29, 2016. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Florence's Francesco Londono returns a shot by Marymount's Mathias Mingazzini in the boys singles final at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Saturday Oct. 29, 2016. Mingazzini won the match 6-1, 6-4. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Marymount's Mathias Mingazzini returns a shot from Florence's Francesco Londono in the boys final at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Saturday Oct. 29, 2016. Mingazzini took the title with a 6-1, 6-4 win. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
WIESBADEN, Germany — Schools from the Eternal City held sway on the final day of the DODEA European tennis championships as Mathias Mingazzini of Marymount International and Kaya Rand of the American Overseas School of Rome won the boys’ and girls’ titles, respectively.
Mingazzini was impressive throughout the tournament, and put a fine point on his dominance with a solid win over fellow Italian Francesco Londono of Florence 6-1, 6-4. Despite a stumble early in the second set, Mingazzini won the final three games of that set to take the title. He looked equally comfortable with his forehand and backhand, and was just that bit more precise and error-free than Londono.
“It feels great, obviously, and it was a good match, I played well, I’m satisfied,” Mingazzini, a sophomore, said. “The whole tournament was good. I look forward to coming back next year.”
Londono was magnanimous in defeat.
“Mathias is a good player and it’s always fun to play with him,” he said.
In the girls’ competition, it was little-heralded freshman Rand who emerged as victor over the experienced Kiki Sibilla of Vicenza in what turned in to a baseline slugfest that went the full three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Rand entered the competition as a No. 4 seed out of six in her bracket.
She said her strategy was to play mistake-free and get the volatile Sibilla to become overly emotional in her play, and it seemed to work, especially in the final set.
Rand said her family is planning to move back to the U.S. next year, making this her first and only European tournament. But she hopes to continue playing wherever she is.
“It’s my favorite sport and that’s what I want to do for my job when I get older,” she said. “I’ve been playing since I was 3.”
In doubles’ play, ISB and Ramstein had representatives in both boys’ and girls’ finals, which they split. The Belgian school took the boys’ bracket with the team of Yuki Takeuchi and Victor della Faille, while the Royals’ Amanda Daly and Sophie Tomatz took the girls’ crown.
Takeuchi and della Faille have been playing together for two years, Takeuchi said, something that makes them tough to beat with his strong left-handed serve and della Faille’s dominant net play. Their win was appreciated by teammate Gianluca Curti, who injured his knee in Friday’s semifinal against Ramstein and could be seen walking in a brace Saturday.
“I’m happy that I was able to get back from the hospital this morning to come see my teammates win the championship,” Curti said.
Daly and Tomatz were the only winners from a DODEA school at this year’s championships.
“I feel on top of the world,” Daly said. “I got third last year and it feels so great to get first this year.”
Daly and Tomatz overcame ISB’s French duo of Hortense L’Hostis and Brune Luciat-Labry with a combination of Daly’s net play and Tomatz scurrying across the baseline to clean up anything Daly might have missed.
“Sophie has the most amazing crosscourt backhand,” Daly said.
