This weekend, the Evansville Tennis Center will host the second annual “Boys 16’s National Level 3”. Like last year, several players from all over the United States are traveling to the Tri-State area to compete for three days. Play begins Saturday morning at 8:00 am. Sunday and Monday will also begin at 8:00 am with the finals tentatively scheduled for 10:00 am Monday. Players are scheduled to play doubles in the morning, before singles. With a draw of 32 players, matches will last all day Saturday and Sunday.
This year’s field is strong, with more than half the draw being a 4-star recruit or better. What makes this event unique, is it brings a lot of the best players in the Midwest and the country to Evansville. Due to its “Level 3” status several players are 14 years of age and are looking to improve on their future 16 and Under rankings. The Evansville Tennis Center is one of only six facilities in the country to host this event. Other locations include Las Vegas, Bronx, Scottsdale, Irvine and Hilton Head.
Daniel Sharygin (Newburgh, IN) returns to defend his 2017 title. The top ranked and top seeded player is teaming up with fellow 5-star recruit, Xavier Ecarma (Louisville, KY). Sharygin and Ecarma are seeded #2 in doubles and will begin play at 9:00am on Saturday. Sharygin, who is a 5-star recruit is the #4 recruit in the Midwest and #55 National for his graduating class. Sharygin won the prestigious Easter Bowl title in 2014.
The top seeded doubles team of Ian Brady (Indianapolis, IN) and Presley Thieneman (Floyds Knobs, IN) are 4-star and 5-star recruits respectively. They are scheduled to play at 8:00 am on Saturday.
Daniel Schmelka (Hinsdale, IL) finished 3rd in this years Winter National Championships, looks to continue to play at a high level. Schmelka beat the #1 ranked player in the nation, Noelle Ampong to secure the third place finish. Schmelka currently has a ranking of #14 in the nation for “14 and Under”. The 5-star recruit is seeded fifth in singles and third in doubles. His partner Alan Matyjas (Northfield, IL) is currently ranked #44 in the nation for “14 and Under”. Matyjas is also a 5-star recruit.
Eli Gordon and Nishesh Basavareddy are both Blue Chip recruits. Gordon (Highland Park, IL) is the #3 recruit in the Midwest and #15 recruit in the country for all 8th graders. Fellow 8th grader, Nishesh Basavareddy (Indianapolis, IN) enters this tournament after playing several national and international tournaments. Basavareddy made it to the finals of the prestigious Junior Orange Bowl – an international junior event held annually in Florida. He was also a semi-finalist at the Eddie Herr International event. Both events took place this winter. He has captured two national championships in doubles, earning two gold ball trophies. Basavareddy won both the National Clay Court and Easter Bowl championships this year. He also finished second at this years Easter Bowl Championships. Basavareddy is the #13 recruit in the country and will team up with his brother Nishanth (4-star) in doubles.
We encourage everyone to stop by and watch some of the nations best players compete. You may find tentative match times here, but please note this only lists first round times for singles and doubles. The draws will be released Friday. To view the draw please click here.