Patch's Marissa Encarnacion returns a shot from her teammate Marina Fortun in the girls single final at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Saturday,Oct. 25, 2014. Encarnacion won the match 6-1, 6-1. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Patch's Marissa Encarnacion returns a shot from her teammate Marina Fortun in the girls single final at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Saturday,Oct. 25, 2014. Encarnacion won the match 6-1, 6-1. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
ISB's Fabian Sandrup Selvik slams the ball across the net in his 6-1, 6-3 win over George Shaffer of Naples in the boys singles final at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Saturday,Oct. 25, 2014. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Two well-entrenched reigning singles champions begin to protect their thrones this weekend as the 2015 DODDS-Europe tennis season gets under way with 10 total meets Friday and Saturday.
The United Kingdom hosts Friday’s openers as AFNORTH travels to Lakenheath and SHAPE visits Alconbury. The scene expands to Germany and Italy the next day, with both defending solo champions in action; girls titlist Marissa Encarnacion and her Stuttgart (formerly Patch) Panthers take on visiting Kaiserslautern, while boys champ Fabian Sandrup Selvik leads International School of Brussels squad into Wiesbaden.
The slate opens a six-week regular season leading to the European championship meet, set for Oct. 29-31 at sites around Wiesbaden.
Girls Stuttgart has a new name and a new coach. But the Panthers are poised for the same dominance they exhibited on the girls tennis courts last fall.
Encarnacion is back for her junior season after a surprise championship run as a sophomore. A summer ankle injury cost Encarnacion most of the 2014 season; she returned just in time to join the tournament bracket as a wild-card entry. That’s all the opportunity she needed, cruising into the finals all but unchallenged and defeating teammate Marina Fortun 6-1, 6-1.
Fortun, too, is back in yellow and black. With a healthy Encarnacion established as the singles ace, Fortun will team with Kendall Smith at No. 1 doubles in hopes of a Panther girls sweep.
Stuttgart, now helmed by first-year coach Daniel Bose, won’t get there unopposed.
International School of Brussels junior Anouchka Laurent Josi, who made a deep tournament run as a freshman in 2013, is back in the mix after sitting out her sophomore season. ISB will also look to assemble another championship doubles team from among a deep 12-player squad.
Among DODDS-Europe’s other likely contenders are Lakenheath seniors Marisa Paredo and Natalie Logue; SHAPE senior Marianna Kyriou; Vicenza junior Kiki Sibilla; Kaiserslautern senior Katie Merchat and AFNORTH sisters Sophia Essrich and Amelie Essrich.
Boys The ISB boys owned the DODDS-Europe boys bracket last fall, and they might just do it again in 2015.
Defending champion Selvik returns for his senior season as a heavy favorite to retain his title, particularly with only one other 2014 semifinalist back in action to challenge him.
That returning contender is third-place finisher Ting Lin, who made the crosstown transfer from Marymount to American Overseas School of Rome.
Aside from Lin, potential challengers to Selvik’s singles reign include SHAPE sophomore Anthony Dellorso, Ramstein senior Logan Beckman and Lakenheath freshman Aidan Majors.
As with the girls side, ISB will look to put together another title-worthy duo in hopes of repeating last year’s sweep of the boys and girls doubles title. Sophomores Peter Fitzgerald and Felix Selvik are early favorites to fill those roles.
Stuttgart doubles squad John Grady and Evan Stuber rank among ISB’s primary opposition.
Twitter: @broomestripes
