Top-seeded duos faced little resistance to open up action at the 2019 USTA Florida “Bobby Curtis” 16s & 18s Sectional Doubles Championships, hosted by the USTA National Campus.

Originally slated to take place in September but postponed by Hurricane Dorian, the event is now being played over two weekends. Competitors in the 16s and 18s age divisions have taken to the courts this weekend while tandems in the 12s and 14s will get their shot at Sunshine State glory Oct. 19-21.

A finalist in the boys’ 14s division to go along with capturing the mixed 14s title a year ago, Santiago Cardenas (Orlando) has moved up to the 16s for 2019. He and Zamaan Moledina (Delray Beach) are the No. 1 seeds, where they received a bye in the opening round before easing by Yair Gritzman (Boca Raton) and Ryan Nash (Boca Raton) 6-2, 6-0. They are the lone seeded team remaining in the top half of the draw, and will next clash with Miami pairing Robert Acosta and Michael Evelyn, who knocked off sixth seeds Spencer Dorosheff (High Springs) and Andres Escalona (Weston) in a match tiebreak.

No. 2 seeds Amadeus Charlez-Alcock (Melbourne Beach) and Max Lindstrom (Satellite Beach) also looked solid after their first round bye, posting a 6-1, 7-5 result over Juan Mendoza (Vero Beach) and Logan Sutherlin (Merritt Island). Charlez-Alcock and Lindstrom have also seen their draw open up, with a quarterfinal matchup against unseeded Luis Fernandez (Doral) and Peyton Williams (Weston) awaiting them on Sunday.

All four seeds in the boy’s 18s found their way into the semifinals. No. 1 Gabriel Diaz (Rockledge) and Colin Tavares (Titusville) along with second seeds Christopher Mendivil (Jupiter) and last year’s 16s champion Benjamin Zipay (Osprey) began the tournament with a bye before needing to prove their toughness in the quarterfinal round. Diaz and Tavares appeared to be in total control versus the Boca Raton team of Nikhil Charanjiva and Pranav Ikkurthy, only to be pushed to a tiebreak in the second set in a 6-1, 7-6(3) victory. Meanwhile, Mindivil and Zipay split sets with Brian Beck (Orlando) and Zak Vince (Clermont) but managed to come through in the match tiebreak. The top seeds will be up against No. 4 Alexander Koussev (Lake Mary) and Alexey Timokhine (Orlando) while the second seeds will look to best No. 3 Eric Berenblit (Palm Coast) and Sami Ozzor (Daytona Beach).

In the girls’ 16s division, the top half of the draw held true to the form while unseeded hopefuls took over the bottom half. The top-seeded duo of Isabel Pacheco (Weston) and Daniela Porges (Plantation) dropped a mere eight games in their two matches on Saturday. Not to be outdone, third seeds Sophie Llewellyn (Tarpon Springs) and Ryan Wuhrman (Lake Worth) gave away just six games in getting to the semifinals.

While the No. 2 and No. 4 seeds cruised in the first round, that would not hold up in the quarterfinals. Anna Babayan and Katarina Neff, both of Bradenton, were upset by the tricky unseeded pairing of Valeria Centeno (Hialeah) and last year’s champion in the division Brooke Dugarte (Miami) by a 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 margin; Katelyn Gramanzini (Plantation) and Gabriela Smashey (Cooper City) managed to win the opening set before falling 5-7, 6-0, 1-0 against Sabrina Ibarra (Weston) and Lea Wolfe (North Palm Beach).

Looking to make history as the first tandem to win back-to-back titles in the girls’ 18s division, Ayshe Can (Weston) and Karly Friedland (Hollywood) are into the semifinals after a bye and a quick 6-1, 6-2 effort over Addie Skye Breunich (Port Saint Lucie) and Paradise Traub (Bradenton). They will take the court across the net from Kassandra Di Staulo (Weston) and Marissa Pennings (Clearwater) Sunday morning, while the other semifinal will pit second-seeded Natalie Block (Plantation) and Lara Smejkal (Boca Raton) against Finley Kalinic (Delray Beach) and Amber McGinnis (Pompano Beach).

In the mixed 16s draw, partners will be turned foes when Dugarte and Moledina take on Cardenas and Centeno, the No. 1 and No. 4 seeds, respectively. The winner of that showdown will be heavily favored to claim the title, as the other semifinal will see unseeded Charlie Cowan and Wuhrman face Luis Fernandez and Francesca Salvato.

One final is already set, as top-seeded Block and Tavares along with No. 2 seeds Jakob Pilones and Traub will step onto the court Sunday afternoon with the mixed 18s crown on the line.

Day two will get underway at 7:45 a.m. For more information on the 2019 USTA Florida “Bobby Curtis” 16s & 18s Sectional Doubles Championships, click here.