Stuttgart's Hannah Cahill keeps her eyes on the ball as she prepares to make a return at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017. Cahill and teammate Kandis Ajyman defeated Alara Kocabas and Annette Belleman of Brussels 6-2, 6-4. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Stuttgart's Hannah Cahill keeps her eyes on the ball as she prepares to make a return at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017. Cahill and teammate Kandis Ajyman defeated Alara Kocabas and Annette Belleman of Brussels 6-2, 6-4. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Lakenheath's Joseph Rowberry makes a return at the net as teammate Warren Vause watches in the background. The pair defeated Vicenza's Connor Wilson and Nicholas Tipton 6-3, 4-6, 10-8 at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Kaiserslautern's Lucas Petritz scores a point as he and teammate Russell Fleming defeated Nicolas Becker and Callum Proulx of Brussels 6-4, 2-6, 10-8 at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein's Megan Stretch makes a return at the net as she and partner Amanda Daly defeated Naples' Amy Stutzman and April Sullivan 6-1, 6-2 at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017.
(Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Wiesbaden's Melissa Pritchett leaps to return a shot in a girls double match against Kaiserslautern as teammate Shelby Albers watches. The pair defeated Josephine Little and Margaret Cayce 6-0, 6-1 at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017.
(Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Defending boys champ, Mathias Mingazzini returns a shot from Brussels' Aljaz Urbanc at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017. He won the match 6-0, 6-0.
(Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Vicenza's Catherine Gulihur keeps here eyes on her return in her match against Genesis Torrent at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017. Gulihur won 6-0, 6-0.
(Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Bahrain's Chloe McHenry returns a shot from Stuttgart's Kendall Smith in their match at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017. McHenry lost 6-4, 3-6, 13-11.
(Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Stuttgart's Kendall Smith sends the ball over the net in her 6-4, 3-6, 13-11 victory over Bahrain's Chloe McHenry at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017.
(Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Kaiserslautern's Mark Butler uses his forehand to return a shot by American Overseas School of Rome's Guido Plebani at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017. Butler won 7-5, 0-6, 10-8.
Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripe (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Wiesbaden's Charlotte Kordonowy returns a shot in her 6-0, 6-0 win over SHAPE's Synnoeve Lillefosse at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017.
(Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
SHAPE's Noah Banken follows his shot against Alconbury's Phillip Lyons at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017. Banken won 6-0, 6-0.
(Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Stuttgart's Zach Snow makes a return in his 6-0, 6-0 win over Brussels' Aljaz Urbanc in their match at the DODEA-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017.
(Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
WIESBADEN, Germany — With perennial power International School of Brussels no longer participating, this year’s DODEA-Europe tennis championships are more open than ever, and the top players from other schools are taking full advantage.
The top two seeds in both the boys’ and girls’ singles brackets – separated into separate pools - stormed through three matches on the first of three days of competition.
Mathias Mingazzini of Marymount and Noah Banken of SHAPE combined to drop a mere four games over six combined matches. Their counterparts on the girls’ side, Wiesbaden’s Charlotte Kordonowy and Catherine Gulihur of Vicenza, did the same.
Elena Vittori of Marymount, while not as dominant as the two top seeds, also won all of her matches – her match against Kordonowy will be one to watch Friday.
On the singles side, at least, things look set for competitive and entertaining semifinal matches tomorrow between these four players, unless a lower seed can spring an upset in the final two rounds of pool play.
Other strong performers on the boys’ side were Stuttgart’s Zach Snow, Wiesbaden’s Benjamin Petrik, Kaiserslautern’s Mark Butler, and Marymount’s Alessandro Caccamo, who won two matches apiece.
Things weren’t so cut and dry on the doubles courts, although favorites did as expected and won all of their first-day matches. Amanda Daly and Megan Stretch of Ramstein looked very impressive, breezing through three matches: 6-0, 6-1; 6-1, 6-2 and 6-2, 6-1. After a tough opening match against Nikola Janigova and Maria Rebrean of SHAPE, Wiesbaden’s top-seeded pair of Melissa Pritchett and Shelby Albers recovered and won its next two matches easily.
In boys’ doubles, top seeds Seth Banken and Gregor Vargyas of SHAPE and Federico Sarti and William Hsia of the American Overseas School of Rome look to be in control of their respective pools, winning all of their matches, including impressive wins over the second-seeded teams from Stuttgart and Ramstein.
Friday’s action will see the final matches of pool play, with semifinals in both singles and doubles in the afternoon. Finals, and the third/fourth place matches, will be held on Saturday.
