2019 USTA Florida August Level 5 Championships
Eight Champions Crowned
August 5, 2019
The 2019 USTA Florida August Level 5 Championships concluded Monday afternoon at the USTA National Campus. The day was busier than originally scheduled due to the lengthy delay on Saturday, but in the end all matches were completed.
Eight players earned first place in their respective divisional draw to close out the event. Just two of those – Oumar Diallo (Miramar) in the boys’ 14s and Allison Isaacs (Boca Raton) in the girls’ 16s were seeded first.
Diallo received his toughest test by far in the 14s championship match, which he reached after a comfortable 6-1, 6-3 victory over No. 7 Hunter Nussbaum (Tampa). His opponent in the final was second-seeded Maximo Oberto Calleri (Bradenton), who dismissed No. 3 Gabriel Piqueras (Wellington) 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals. Diallo had not lost more than three games in a set, but that quickly changed when he found himself in a tightly-contested opening frame against Oberto Calleri, which eventually went the way of Diallo by a 7-5 margin. The 6-3 score line of the second set would indicate Diallo sprinted to the finish line, but he was made to battle to the very end in order to claim the title.
Isaacs entered the girls’ 16s final having breezed through the competition, recording an impressive five 6-0 sets in four matches, including defeating No. 6 Lea Wolfe (North Palm Beach) 6-0, 6-0 to start the day. Third-seeded Donatella Guarnieri (Sunrise) was not intimidated, pushing Isaacs right from the start. However, the top seed was up to the challenge, coming through to take the set 7-5 and then closing out the win in fitting fashion, 6-0.
In the lone No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup of the day, it was second seed Maya Quintero (South Miami) turning away top-seeded Marcella Roversi (Doral) for the girls’ 12s title. It was a spirited battle from the first ball to last, with Quintero clawing her way to take the first set 7-6(3). Roversi wasted no time in turning the tables, winning the second set 6-1 to force a decisive match tiebreak. Both players had their chances, but it would be Quintero prevailing by the slimmest of margins, 11 points to nine.
The boys’ 12s final was a test of everything fourth-seeded Frederic Tu (Melbourne) and No. 6 Morgan Bucaille (Wesley Chapel) had left in the tank. Both players were pushed to match tiebreaks in the semifinal round, with Tu holding off No. 7 Tadevos Mirijanyan (Palm Coast) 4-6, 6-2, 10-5 and Bucaille rallying past second seed Noah Kohn (Naples) 4-6, 6-1, 11-9. Just a few crucial points would determine the champion, with Bucaille emerging victorious 7-6(5), 6-4.
Other champions on the boys’ side included seventh-seeded Santiago Cardenas (Orlando) in the 16s division. Cardenas played at a high level to topple No. 1 Adrian Pawlowski (Sarasota) 6-2, 6-2 in the morning’s semifinal stage before defeating unseeded Andres Escalona (Weston) 6-0, 6-3 to collect the title. The 18s draw was taken by third seed Brian Garcia (Sarasota), who certainly earned his trophy by winning a pair of matches that split sets. His slow start in the morning against unseeded Chase Cerejo (Wellington) nearly cost him, but he managed to come through 2-6, 6-2, 12-10. In the final against No. 4 Rohan Kale (Tampa), Garcia missed the opportunity to close out the contest in two sets but rebounded for the 6-2, 5-7, 10-8 triumph.
Also taking home first place in the girls’ divisions were No. 3 Kaitlin Quevedo (Naples) in the 14s draw and No. 2 Cooper Jackson (Tampa) for the 18s. Quevedo put together an extraordinary day to round out the tournament, first downing fifth seed Nadia Rodewald (Clearwater) 6-2, 6-4 and following that up with a solid 7-6(3), 7-6(2) win against second-seeded Isabella Rojas Rigoris (Doral) in the championship. Jackson, who did not drop a set en route to winning her division, turned in a 6-2, 6-2 effort over No. 7 Ari Siegel (Bradenton).
For complete results from the 2019 USTA Florida August Level 5 Championships, click here.