Freshman Haley Tan, half of the top-seeded International School of Brussels doubles team, tries to catch up with the ball at the Hochheim Tennis Center during Day Two action of the DODDS-Europe tennis championships. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
Freshman Haley Tan, half of the top-seeded International School of Brussels doubles team, tries to catch up with the ball at the Hochheim Tennis Center during Day Two action of the DODDS-Europe tennis championships. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
Senior Ashley Metzler of the American Overseas School of Rome tries to hit the ball back during Day Two girls double action at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
International School of Brussels junior Sayaka Goto looks across the net as freshman teammate Haley Tan gets ready to serve the ball during girls doubles action on Friday at the Hochheim Tennis Center. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
SHAPE senior Selena Suparman smashes the ball over the net Friday during girls doubles action of the European Tennis Championships. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein senior Michaela Corral watches the ball approach her during Friday girls doubles action at the Hochheim Tennis Center. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
AFNORTH sophomore Emily Young stretches to reach the ball during a girls double match at Hochheim Tennis Center. The 2011 DODDS-Europe tennis championships resume play on Saturday. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
Naples senior Stacia Block reaches up to make contact during a girls doubles match at the 2011 DODDS-Europe tennis championships. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
SHAPE senior Selena Suparman makes contact with the ball Friday during girls doubles action of the European Tennis Championships. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
Naples senior Nicola Malakooti makes contact with the ball during Friday girls doubles action at the Hochheim Tennis Center. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
Wiesbaden senior Evin Alarilla returns a shot by American Overseas School of Rome senior Gabrielle Boccaccini during a Friday quarterfinals match of the European championships in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
Top-seeded Patch sophomore Ajdin Tahirovic won two matches on Friday at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships to advance to Saturday's final match. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
Third-seeded Ramstein junior Meghan Augsburger knocked off Biturg's second-seeded Kaitlyn Miller to reach Saturday's title match. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein junior Olivia Rockwell, one half of the title-match-bound Royals girls double team. The Royals girls doubles duo won two matches on Friday to advance to the championship game of the DODDS-Europe tennis championships. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
Bitburg senior Kaitlyn Miller checks out her shot at second day competiton of the DODDS-Europe tennis championships. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
Heidelberg junior Cameron Meeker came into the 2011 DODDS-Europe tennis championships with the second seed, but fell in Friday's semifinals in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
SHAPE freshman Dimitrios Stavropoulos won two matches on Friday to advance to the championship match for boys singles at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
Milan junior Anastasia Dementieva put up an impressive game, but fell to the top seed during the semifinals of the European tennis championships. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
Marymount senior Ginevra Bolla waits for the ball during a semifinal matchup with Milan's Anastasia Dementieva at the European tennis championships. Bolla went on for the victory and a berth in Saturday's championship match. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
Marymount senior Ginevra Bolla waits for the ball during a semifinal matchup with Milan's Anastasia Dementieva at the European tennis championships. Bolla went on for the victory and a berth in Saturday's championship match. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
WIESBADEN, Germany - While the opening rounds of the 2011 DODDS-Europe Tennis Championships offered little drama, Friday’s play dialed up the intensity meter to full blast.
In singles action, it was a bad day to be a number 2 seed, as both the boys and girls second-seeded players fell in hard fought and emotional battles.
In boys semifinals action, it was the cool and collected Cameron Meeker, a Heidelberg junior who was seeded second, pitted against SHAPE freshman Dimitrios Stavropoulos, the emotional and wired third-seed.
It was Stavropoulos who came away with the first set (6-4) and asked his opponent “Are you scared?” as the two met at the benches to confer with their coaches. Meeker proved he was anything but, as he fought back in the second set to take a 6-5 lead.
Stavropoulos was able to take advantage of missed opportunities by Meeker to close the second set out 7-6 (7-2 in the tiebreaker), and surged forward to earn a spot in Saturday’s championship match.
Despite the win, the freshman said he needs to step up his game before Saturday’s final.
“Before today, I played much better, if I play like today it’s going to be so easy for him,” Stavropoulos said.
That him he is referencing is defending champion Ajdin Tahirovic, a Patch sophomore, who defeated American Overseas School of Rome senior Gabrielle Boccaccini 6-1, 6-2 in the semifinals.
Unlike Stavropoulos, Tahirovic made quick work of both his Friday opponents. Just how dominant he was is evidenced by his not allowing a single point during a quarterfinal matchup with Alconbury senior Isaiah Beltran.
Bitburg senior Kaitlyn Miller came into her semifinal matchup with the third-seeded Meghan Augsburger, a junior from Ramstein, feeling good about her chances.
After falling 6-4 in a close first set, Miller came roaring back to capture the second set, 6-1. With the match evened up, it was Augsburger who had a little more left in the tank, as she pulled out the third set 6-2, booking her ticket to Saturday’s title match.
Augsburger is no stranger to the title limelight, although her previous experience has been as a member of the Royals doubles team.
“I’m just happy to have made the finals the first year of playing singles…No matter what happens tomorrow, I’ll be happy,” Augsburger said.
She’ll be matched up against top-seeded Ginevra Bolla. The Marymount International School of Rome senior squeaked out a three-set semifinal victory against Milan junior Anastasia Dementieva; 6-4, 2-6, 7-5.
Bolla said staying calm during the match’s adverse moments helped her pull through. Bolla was calm after the match as well, saying she was looking forward to a sushi dinner. And only after that would she start thinking about the finals.
Saturday’s doubles action promises to be entertaining as the top two seeds for the girls and boys advanced to the championship match.\
On the boys side, top-seeded Ramstein defeated AFNORTH in the semifinals and the International School of Brussels team, consisting of juniors Sergio Valdes and Shotaro Shabu, outlasted Heidelberg. The Royals duo of senior Forrest Kamperman and junior Aryan von Eicken said they need to cut down on mental mistakes before Saturday’s match.
The ISB girls team of junior Sayaka Goto and freshman Haley Tan showed why they came into the tournament with the top-seed, breezing their way through Friday’s matches. Watching Tan’s lethal serve and Goto’s consistent ground strokes, it’s hard to believe it’s their first year partnering up on the doubles circuit.
“We’re really aggressive in our playing and we communicate well,” Goto said.
They’ll square off in the finals against the Ramstein team of senior Michaela Corral and junior Olivia Rockwell.
“I just want to play them because they’re so good, It’ll be like junior Wimbledon,” Rockwell said.
