One round of main draw play plus a handful of consolation matches were completed before rain washed out the remainder of day one at the 2019 USTA Florida “Bobby Curtis” Orange Ball 10 & Under Sectional Championship, hosted at the USTA National Campus.

This year’s event is utilizing the new “Splitz” format, meaning players are paired up to make teams of two to compete in team matches. Each player will play one set of singles and one set of doubles per match; the team that wins at least two sets claims the overall victory.

After a partner-pairing session began the day, the round of 16 took to the courts in the early afternoon. The duo of Luka Kostic (Hallandale Beach) and Max Shilt (Sunny Isles Beach) along with teammates Niko Saulovic (Saint Cloud) and Philip Sundsten (Orlando) received a bye into the quarterfinals, leaving just six matches for the opening round.

Three of those duals were won via a sweep. Getting through their first contest without dropping a set was the Orlando tandem of Miguel Cely Pena and Jesus Nunez Montero, Taylor Alcott (Tampa) and Haily Tong (Odessa), and finally Brooke Martin (Ormond Beach) and Nate Orozco (Cape Coral). The teams surviving the loss of a set to reach the quarterfinals were Isla Amos (Rockledge) and Kallie Lewis (Belle Isle), out-of-state competitor Renzo Gopez (Greenville, Del.) and partner Diego Huerres (Miami), and Matthew Azizi (Plantation) and Olivia Diaz (Orlando).

All matches that were in progress when the rain began to fall will resume at 8 a.m. Sunday morning. For more information on the 2019 USTA Florida “Bobby Curtis” Orange Ball 10 & Under Sectional Championship, click here.