2 Silver + 1 Bronze

BC Junior Hardcourt Challenger | The recently concluded BC Junior Hardcourt Challenger tournament at the Coquitlam Tennis Club was organized by Tennis BC. Once again, the Baumann brothers led the club juniors to the medals. Alex Baumann, 14, was seeded number 4 in the boys' under 16 singles came away with a runner-up finish. He came up short in the finals against unseeded Shubham Soni from Langley. Soni has earlier beaten the number 2 and 3 seeded players on his way to the finals. After losing the first set tie-breaker, Alex quickly romped through the second set 6-0. In the third set Soni made a comeback and took the match away from Baumann. He won the third set 7-5.

Alex's sixteen year old brother Willie also made the finals of his boys' under 18 singles. After playing his basketball league match only two hours earlier, he contested in his second consecutive under 18 singles final. Willie lost the first set 6-4 after leading 4-3. In the second set, under the scorching afternoon heat, he found his energy depleted quickly. Maybe the basketball league match prior to his final was not a good idea. He lost the finals 6-4, 6-0 to Graham Huelscher of Burnaby.

Alex and his doubles partner Steven Shen lost in the boys' under 18 doubles semi-finals. Seeded as the number one team in the event, they lost to Gobind Pangli and Shubham Soni 6-1, 6-2.

1 Gold + 1 Silver

BC Junior Hardcourt  |  This provincial-wide tennis tournament was held this week at the Town Centre tennis courts. This tournament, which began on Monday, was organized by Tennis BC. A couple of our juniors from our club made the trophy rounds. Martin Walenczykiewicz of Port Coquitlam beat out Lucas Palovic of West Vancouver for the boys' U18 singles crown. He defeated his opponent easily with a score of 6-1, 6-3. Later Walenczykiewicz teamed up with another of our club junior, 16 year old Tyron Wheatley of Coquitlam, to contest in the boys' U18 doubles final against Harvin Johal of Surrey and Rodaan Rabang of Delta. The first set in the doubles final slipped away quickly for our doubles team. They began the second set strongly, moving up to a 5-3 lead. But Johal and Rabang made a late surged and came back to take the second set and match with a 6-1, 7-5 score-line.  Wheatley faced Johal in his first round boys' U16 match on Monday and lost 6-0, 6-1. Johal went on to take the title, beating out the number two and three seeds impressively along the way.

Another two of our club juniors, playing in their first tournament, lost in their first round matches.  Fourteen year old Mark Lintott of Port Moody lost 6-1, 6-1 to Matthew Findlay of North Vancouver in the boys' U16 singles event. Lintott also contested in the consolation draw winning one of his two matches.  In the other boys' U16 singles match, 15 year old Ivan Leonov, who is from Burnaby, lost a tough 3 sets match. He lost 5-7, 6-1, 3-6 to Michael Budd of West Vancouver.  In his consolation round he faced Tao Gaede of Kelowna.  Again another 3 set lost for Leonov, this time it's a close 7-5, 4-6, 5-7 score.

Boys Under 18 Doubles  |  Tyron Wheatley, left and Martin Walenczykiewicz with their boys' U18 doubles runner-up trophies.

Boys Under 18 Singles  |  Martin Walenczykiewicz, winner of the boys U18 singles event.