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2008 Canadian U18 ITF Grade 5 Event
Van Lawn Tennis Club, Vancouver July 11 - Not only did Panav Jha, above, win the Boys' 18 Singles title by
beating Edward Nguyen 6-1, 6-4 , but also the
Doubles by teaming up with Nikolai Haessig to beat Edward / Eric
Nguyen 7-6, 6-1. The girls' championship was equally entertaining with
top-seeded Marianne Jodoin of Montreal coming out on top 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 over
American Jessica Wacnik.
Photo 1 (left):
Jessica Wacnik , third-seeded from Chicago, did better than
last year and reached her first final. Bozena Wacnik-Czopla,
Jessica's aunt from New Westminster, was at hand to support her.
Photo 2: Roberto Brogin, left, former coach of Marat Safin, and
Deborah Orange, Tennis Canada Director (Vancouver). Roberto,
a Tennis Canada National Coach, is closely watching the games. He
and the people at Tennis Canada were available to help and support Canada's young tennis players
in this tournament.
Photo 3: Fourteen-year-old Edward Nguyen was the runner-up
in both the Boys' 18 Singles and Doubles.
Photo 4:
Dave Ochotta, left, a travelling coach, and fifteen-year-old Andrew
Ochotta. Un-seeded Andrew beat American Santiago, fourth-seeded, in three
sets, in the quarterfinals, but lost to Panav Jha in the semis, 6-3, 6-0. He trains in Pickering Recreation Complex, Ontario.
Photo 5: Laurie Gingras, fourth-seeded, serving to Marianne Jodoin, the
eventual champion, in the semis. Laurie retired in the second set due to injury.
She later teamed up with Emma Onila to claim supremacy in doubles thanks to a
7-6, 6-1 victory over Marianne and Elianne Douglas-Miron in the decisive final encounter.
Photo 6: Nikolai Haessig lost to Edward Nguyen
in the semis, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.
He is the only BC tennis player selected from across the country to join the
first participants of Tennis Canada
National
Training Program in Montreal.
Photo 7:
Fourteen-year-old Emma Onila lost to Jessica Wacnik in the semis in a close match,
6-1, 4-6, 6-3.
And what happened to the last year's Boys' 18 Singles champion, Vasek Pospisil?
Well, he went on to reach the
Australian Open, Boys' Doubles final. Vasek seems,
at this time, not interested in pursuing a college scholarship in the United
States and wants to turn pro. Is this a good decision?
Only time will tell. We, at BCTENNIS.com, wish him and his father/coach Milos
the best.
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