Sponsored by Mecano Sports, presented by Caliente.mx, sanctioned by ICTTF
(by Larry Hodges, photo by Larry Hodges: “Under 18 Student Champion Bryce Milford, their coach, AJ Carney, and Finalist Sara Gulabani”)
Originally, it was an Under 18 event. But there was interest in Under 23 students (i.e. college students), and so they combined the events. There were four players under 18, with the other six under 23. There were divided into two groups of five, with two under 18 players in each group. The top three in each group advanced to the single elimination stage of Under 23 Students, while the highest under 18 player in each group would advance to the Under 18 Students Final. Players who did not advance in the top two (or to the Under 18 Final) all advanced to Consolation groups. However, since the event was not planned, there was no prize money for Under 23 Students, just trophies and a title.
In Group 1, third seed Mattheiu Gonnin (FRA) and Beau Devos (BEL) both went 3-1, with Mattheiu defeating Beau, 15-12, 15-6, to advance in first, with Beau finishing second. Yuyue Ying (CHN), top seed in the event and currently in the semifinals of Women’s Singles, finished third at 2-2. For Under 18, Sara Gulabani (USA) d. Daniel Vitasek (CZE), and they finished fourth and fifth, with Sara advancing to the Under 18 Students Final.
In Group 2, fourth seed Bjarke Krog (DEN) and top seed Ethan Walsh (ENG) both went 3-1. Since Bjarke won head to head (15-12, 15-13), he finished first, with Ethan second, with both advancing to the semifinals of Under 23 Students. For Under 18, Bryce Milford (USA) d. Saulo Juarez (MEX), 15-9, 15-6, to advance to the Under 18 Students Final.
Under 23 Students
Ethan Walsh (ENG) defeated Ying Yuyue (CHN) in the quarterfinals (15-13, 15-13), Mattheiu Gonnin (FRA) in the semifinals (15-6, 15-7), and Daniel Vitasek (CZE) in the final, 15-12, 15-11. Both were strong attackers, with Ethan relentless with his attacks, while Daniel would sometimes chop or chop block. The rallies were surprisingly long – neither missed much.
Under 18 Students
It was an all-USA and all-AJ Carney-students final between counter-hitters Bryce Milford and Sara Gulabani. Sara led most of the first game, but Bryce caught her and won, 15-12. In the second, Bryce went up 8-4, and Sara called a timeout. Down 10-7, Sara called for the 2-point ball – and won a quick rally to pull to 10-9. But Bryce won the next five in a row, 15-9, to win the event and $500, while Sara pocketed $250. She normally plays and practices with sponge and hardbat – this was her first sandpaper tournament. Not bad for Sara, who also made the semifinals of Sandpaper Women’s Singles.