Tekeha Turner of Vilseck rushes to the net to return a Mehgan Eaker shot. Kaiserslautern's Eaker won the first-round match 6-1, 6-1 (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Tekeha Turner of Vilseck rushes to the net to return a Mehgan Eaker shot. Kaiserslautern's Eaker won the first-round match 6-1, 6-1 (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Kaiserslautern's Mehgan Eaker returns a shot in her 6-1, 6-1, first-round victory over Tekeha Turner of Vilseck at the DODDS-Europe tennis finals in Wiesbaden, on Thursday. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Stephen Schafer of Hohenfels returns a shot in his 5-7, 1-6 loss against Incirlik's Daniel Buffett. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Incirlik's Daniel Buffett returns a shot against Stephen Shafer of Hohenfels in first-round action at the DODDS-Europe tennis finals in Wiesbaden, on Thursday. Buffett won 7-5, 6-1. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Naples' Erica Ruth returns a shot to Casey Leon of Hohenfels. Ruth dropped her first-round match 2-6, 3-6 in the DODDS-Europe tennis championship. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Casey Leon of Hohenfels returns a ball at the net against Erica Ruth of Naples during the DODDS-Europe tennis tournament in Wiesbaden, on Thursday. Leon won the first-round match 6-2, 6-3. She then became the first girls player to eliminate a seed, beating No. 7 Galal Ali Fahmi of Bahrain, 6-3, 6-4 in the second round. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Alconbury's Ronald Behr hits a return in his 4-6, 6-4, 2-6 first-round loss against Kaiserslautern's Christopher Jimenez at the DODDS-Europe tennis championship tournament on Thursday. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Kaiserslautern's Christopher Jimenez powers the ball back to Alconbury's Ronald Behr in their first-round match at the DODDS-Europe tennis tournament in Wiesbaden, on Thursday. Jimenez won 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Ansbach's Lauren Findley watches the ball during her first-round loss 3-6, 3-6, to Alexandra Sibilla of Vicenza during the DODDS-Europe tennis championship tournament. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Vicenza's Alexandra Sibillia returns a shot from Ansbach's Lauren Finley in her 6-3, 6-3 first-round victory at the DODDS-Europe tennis championship tournament in Wiesbaden on Thursday. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Giovanni Giorcelli of Milan returns a ball to Ryan Bottesini of Brussels during their match at the DODDS-Europe tennis championship tournament. Giorcelli lost the first-round match 4-6, 2-6. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Ryan Bottesini of Brussels knock a shot from Milan's Giovanni Giorcelli back over the net, winning his first-round match 6-4, 6-2, at the DODDS-Europe championship tournament in Wiesbaden, on Thursday. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Vilseck's Miguel Cordero Guzmanhits a forehand return during his 3-6, 3-6 first-round loss to Aviano's Joshua Campfield at the DODDS-Europe tennis championship tournament. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Aviano's Joshua Campfield watches his backhand slice sail over the net during his first-round match against Vilseck's Miguel Cordero Guzman at the DODDS-Europe tennis championship tournament in Wiesbaden, on Thursday. Campfield won 6-3, 6-3. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Incirlik's Adriana Thompson rushes to the net to return a shot from Wiesbaden's Kelsey Smith during the first round of the DODDS-Europe tennis championship tournament. Despite her efforts, she lost the match 1-6, 1-6. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Wiesbaden's Kelsy Smith uses her forehand to return a shot to Incirlik's Adriana Thompson at the DODDS-Europe tennis championship tournament in Wiesbade, on Thursday. Smith won the first-round match 6-1, 6-1. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Tyler Jakobs sends a powerful shot across the net in his 1-6, 4-6 loss to Patch's Jon Lightner during the first round of the DODDS-Europe tennis championship tournament. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Jon Lightner of Patch backhands a shot to Bitburg's Tyler Jakobs in their first-round match, won by Lightner won 6-1, 6-4 at the DODDS-Europe tennis championship tournament in Wiesbaden on Thursday. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Alconbury's Julia Caverly returns a shot from Sigonella's Kendra Coates in her first-round match that Coates won 6-0, 6-2. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Sigonella's Kendra Coates returns a shot from Alconbury's Julia Caverly in her 6-0, 6-2 victory in opening day action at the DODDS-Europe tennis finals in Wiesbaden on Thursday. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
AFNORTH's Hope Bonen Clark returns a shot in her 2-6, 0-6 first-round loss to eighth-seeded Michaela Corral of Ramstein. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein's Michaela Corral, the tourney's eighth seed, keeps her eyes on the ball in her 6-2, 6-0 first-round win over AFNORTH's Hope Bonen Clark at the DODDS-Europe tennis finals in Wiesbaden on Thursday. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Wiesbaden's Mario Delaguardia watches his shot cross the net to Heidelberg's James Chase. Chase won the first-round match 6-2, 6-1. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Eighth-seeded James Chase of Heidelberg returns a shot from Wiesbaden's Mario Delaguardia on his way to winning his first-round match 6-2, 6-1 at the DODDS-Europe tennis finals in Wiesbaden on Thursday. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
WIESBADEN-NORDENSTADT, Germany – It took three sets, but defending champion Nikolay Gospodinov of SHAPE finally turned 5-foot-3-inch, 105-pound Naples freshman Randall Biery from a roadblock into a game-sharpening speed bump on Day 1 of the three-day DODDS-Europe tennis championships.
“It’s very good to have a tough first match,” Gospodinov said after finally subduing Biery 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 by winning the final three games of the decisive set. “You’ve got to get ready.”
Gospodinov, seeded third this year behind No. 1 Ajdin Tahorovic of Patch and No. 2 Patrick Tan of International School of Brussels, body-punched his way to the victory, running the unseeded Naples freshman back and forth all match long.
Biery, to his credit and probably to Gospodinov’s frustration, reached almost every ball, returning them loaded with spin. Eventually, however, Gospodinov reaped the reward for his patient movement of Biery with a forehand winner.
“It took awhile,” Gospodinov said when asked about his tactic of running Biery out of the match. “You try things, and if that doesn’t work, you do something else.”
In what was the opening match for both players — Gospodinov drew a bye in Round 1 and Biery advanced on a forfeit — Biery earned the respect of the crowd and a big hug from three of his female teammates.
“I wasn’t nervous at all,” said a fatigued and disappointed Biery, whose coach and teammates conducted an intense search for an energy drink to help him out after the second set.
“That was the best match of the tournament,” director Tom Richards said. “We thought about seeding him (Biery), but there are only so many seeds. He’ll meet other seeds in the consolation round.”
In other boys matches of note Thursday, top-seeded Patch freshman Tahirovic downed Daniel Buffett of Incirlik 6-2, 6-0, but one seeded boy fell. Unseeded Gabriele Boccaccini of the American Overseas School of Rome bounced No. 6 Aryan Von Eicken of Ramstein 6-3, 6-2.
Top-seeded and two-time defending girls’ champion Ginevra Bolla of Marymount hardly broke a sweat in reaching Friday’s quarterfinals. After a first-round bye, Bolla advanced by injury default over Rebekkah Gamble of Lakenheath. Bolla was leading the match 6-0, 1-0 when Gamble retired. The only girls seed to fall Thursday was No. 7 Galal Ali Fahmi of Bahrain, 3-6, 4-6 to Casey Leon of Hohenfels.
Play resumes at 9 a.m. Friday on the indoor courts of the Teniszentrum Vitis. The tournament is to conclude Saturday, with title matches expected to begin at 11 a.m. There is no admission charge.
