Special from
Zoo Tennis
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PLANTATION, Fla. - Two 16-year-olds from the Big Apple may have a new favorite fruit, with Brooklyn's Leena Friedman and Queens' Dominick Mosejczuk claiming Orange Bowl 16s titles last week at the Frank Veltri Tennis Center.
Girls Singles Champion Leena Friedman
© Zoo Tennis
No. 2 seed Friedman rallied from a slow start to defeat No. 3 seed Thea Frodin 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, while Mosejczuk, also a No. 2 seed, downed No. 8 seed Ronit Karki 7-6(5), 6-3 in the two all-USA finals Saturday.
Friedman reached the final without dropping a set, taking out No. 6 seed Polina Sleptsova of Kazakhstan, the only international player to reach the quarterfinals, 6-2, 6-1 in the semifinals. Frodin had a tougher road to the championship match, going three sets in both the first and third rounds, although she was the beneficiary of a walkover from unseeded Aoife Kuo in the semifinals.
The final was delayed initially due to an impermissible logo on Frodin's apparel, but Friedman dismissed that as a reason for her rocky start, putting more emphasis on the brisk winds and the occasion.
"I think it was the combination of the conditions and nerves," Friedman said. "And Thea was playing really well. I was pretty late on some of the balls, and after I lost the first set, I went to the bathroom, splashed some water on my face and said, 'I made it to the final, I just need to go out there and have fun and play loose.'"