Boys’ No. 2 seed Maddox Bose (Winter Haven) and girls’ top seed McKenna Battilla (Auburndale) bested the competition over the course of two days at the 2018 USTA Florida “Bobby Curtis” Green Ball Sectional Championships, which concluded Sunday afternoon at the USTA National Campus.

The event featured a total of 59 players (32 boys and 27 girls) competing in two 32-player compass draws.

After opening up play with a pair of convincing 4-1, 4-1 victories over unseeded opponents, Bose dropped the opening set by a 4-2 margin versus No. 7 seed Oliver Yogel (Boca Raton) in the quarterfinals. Bose quickly turned the match around, taking the second set 4-1 and racing through the match tiebreak at 10-3.

Up against fourth-seeded Keane Chambers (Boca Raton) in the semifinals, it appeared Bose would cruise to the win, sweeping the first fram 4-0. Chambers was able to extend the second, but in the end it was Bose prevailing 5-3 to advance to the final. No. 3 Jack Lindstrom (Satellite Beach), who was coming off an impressive 4-1, 5-3 triumph over the top seed, served as the final hurdle for Bose to clear. The opening set could have gone either way, with Lindstrom able to come out on top 5-3. Just as Bose did in the quarterfinals, he quickly bounced back for an easy 4-1 second frame. That left the championship to be decided by a match tiebreak, where both players battled for every point before Bose outlasted Lindstrom by the slimmest of margins, 11 points to nine.

Overall, it was the third appearance in a final and second title for Bose as the National Campus following his successful efforts at the 101st ATA National Championships in August, where he advanced to the boys’ 12s singles final and won the boys’ doubles title.

Battilla had a much more straightforward weekend on the court, living up to her No. 1 seed status in commanding fashion. After receiving a bye in the first round, Battilla produced three consecutive 4-0, 4-0 sweeps to cruise into the championship match; included in that three-match stretch was a defeat of No. 5 seed Gia Cacenco (Hollywood) and two unseeded hopefuls.

Emerging from the other half of the draw was Gabriella Harper, who had also navigated her way to the final without giving away a set. Along the way, Harper took down the draw’s second, third and seventh seeds. However, Battilla was simply too strong to be stopped, as she earned the sectional crown with a 4-0, 4-1 victory.

For more information on the 2018 USTA Florida “Bobby Curtis” Green Ball Sectional Championships, click here.