(See photos at end of story)
WIESBADEN-NORDENSTADT, Germany — One singles champ came out of nowhere, while the other lived up to lofty expectations.
Freshman Ginevra Bolla of Marymount International School in Rome captured the DODDS-Europe girl’s singles tennis championship Saturday with an easy win over Carmen Fuccillio of the American Overseas School of Rome, 6-0, 6-2.
"Going into the tournament, I was just thinking of making it to the quarters (round)," said the unseeded Bolla.
By contrast, the boys’ top-seed, Nick Garcia of Heidelberg, had his sights set on winning his third straight singles title, which he did in convincing fashion. Garcia defeated Sean Stokstad of Ramstein, 6-2, 6-3.
In doubles play, the Heidelberg team of Nikki Ecenrode and Andrea Wheatcroft claimed the girls title, while Clay Marquardt and Brian Kelley of Ramstein bested Nickolay Gospidinov and Andrei Mavris of SHAPE to win the boys crown.
Garcia’s match against Stokstad was a repeat of last year’s finals. Garcia went into Saturday’s contest hoping to win more convincingly this time around. Stokstad said he was just focused on getting mentally prepared to play his game against the champ.
"Going into the match, I felt completely ready," said Stokstad, who called Garcia "a great player."
Ready or not, you knew Garcia was going to be prepared and pumped. He started and finished strong, using his powerful serve to dominate Stokstad — like he has everybody else during an undefeated season.
"I had a feeling I had everything under control from the beginning," Garcia said.
Fuccillio, the girl’s runner-up, admitted after her match that she lost her concentration halfway through the first set. Bolla was tossing many lobs her way, and while Fuccillio tried to remain patient, she committed too many unforced errors. She didn’t win a game until Bolla was up 5=0 in the second set, just a game away from the title.
"She’s my friend," Bolla said in explaining the compassion she felt for her struggling competitor. "But it’s tennis."
Of all the championship matches played Saturday, the closest was in the girls doubles, pitting top-seeded Ecenrode and Wheatcroft against Julia Novak and Michelle Sullivan of Lakenheath.
The Heidelberg pair said their strategy was simple: Don’t lose the first set. They almost did. Ecenrode and Wheatcroft won the first set 7-6 by way of a 7-3 tiebreaker.
"We didn’t want to go to three sets against them," Ecenrode said, "so we had to win that first one."
In the boys championship doubles match, the No. 1 seed also raised their rackets in victory.
Marquardt, a junior, claimed his second consecutive doubles title while Kelley, a senior, got to end his high school career on top after the two defeated the SHAPE team 6-1, 6-2. Marquadt won last year ith a different partner.
Kelley admitted to being quite nervous in the hours leading up to the match. "I just wanted to get out there and play," Kelley said.
The two said they had to adjust their game to counter the well-placed serves of Gospidinov and Mavris. Basically, they dug in and got more aggressive.
"It was a little tougher today," Marquardt said, comparing the SHAPE team to their early-round opponents. "They were smart players."
Photo galleryPeter Jaeger / S&S Nick Garcia of Heidelberg serves during the first set of his straight-set victory in the DODDS-Europe boys singles tennis final at Vitis tennis center at Wiesbaden-Nordenstadt on Saturday. Garcia won 6-2, 6-3 to wrap up his third-straight singles title.Peter Jaeger / S&S Sean Stokstad of Ramstein pounds a serve during his loss in the finals .Peter Jaeger / S&S Michelle Sullivan of Lakenheath finishes off a serve during the first set of the girls doubles finalof the DODDS-Europe tennis championships at the Vitis tennis center at Wiesbaden-Nordenstadt on Saturday. Heidelberg's top-seeded team of Nikki Ecenrode and Andrea Wheatcroft defeated Julia Novak and Sullivan 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, to take the title.Peter Jaeger / S&S Nikki Ecenrode of Heidelberg guards the net as Michelle Sullivan of Lakenheath serves during the girls doubles final.Kevin Dougherty / S&S Nikki Ecenrode (right) and Andrea Wheatcroft of Heidelberg High School embrace after capturing the DODDS girls tennis doubles championship.Kevin Dougherty / S&S Clay Marquardt (left) and Brian Kelley grin after receiving their medals for winning the DODDS-Europe boys tennis doubles championship. The Ramstein pair defeated Nickolay Gospidinov and Andrei Mavris of SHAPE, 6-1, 6-2.Kevin Dougherty / S&S For the third year in a row, Heidelberg’s Nick Garcia captured the DODDS-Europe boys singles tennis championship. Garcia’s powerful serve keyed his victory over Sean Stokstad of Ramstein, 6-2, 6-3.Kevin Dougherty / S&S Carmen Fuccillio (foreground) of the American Overseas School of Rome gathers her composure during a break in the second set of her singles championship match against Ginevra Bolla of Marymount International School in Italy. Fuccillio, who at the time had dropped the first nine games of the set, managed to later win two games before bowing 6-0, 6-2 to Bolla. “She’s my friend,” Bolla said of the compassion she felt for her struggling competitor. “But it’s tennis.”Kevin Dougherty / S&S Ginevra Bolla of Marymount International School in Italy hit a two-handed backhand at Carmen Fuccillio of the American Overseas School of Rome during their DODDS-Europe girls singles championship match.