Larcher de Brito and Tomic Win Orange Bowl Championships

Portugal's Michelle Larcher de Brito captured her first Orange Bowl title, while Australian Bernard Tomic hoisted the orange-filled crystal bowl for the third time with impressive performances at the Dunlop Orange Bowl in Key Biscayne, Fla.

Larcher de Brito, 14, became the first player from Portugal win the Orange Bowl in its sixty-one year history, defeating No. 8 seed Melanie Oudin of the U.S. 7-5, 6-3 in the final. Oudin had won 27 consecutive matches in ITF Junior tournament play, and took a 3-0 lead in the first set, but Larcher de Brito, using her MicroGel Extreme roared back to win nine of the next 11 games. After seizing a 2-0 second set lead, the ninth-seeded Larcher de Brito never trailed, and when Oudin's forehand approach caught the tape on match point, Larcher de Brito collapsed behind the baseline, overcome by her accomplishment.

"It's been a great tournament, it's been a great week," said Larcher de Brito, who recorded her first WTA win on the same courts at Crandon Park during the Sony Ericsson Open in March. "My family's been here supporting me, my grandparents, and I've felt a lot of support and felt really good throughout the whole week."

The 15-year-old Tomic has made a habit of winning Orange Bowls, taking the 12s in 2004 and the 14s last year. Although he would have been seeded in the 18s, Tomic elected to enter the 16s division where he earned the title with a win over fellow Team Elite member Jose Pereira of Brazil 6-2, 7-5.

"I would have loved to play the 18s in a Grade A, but I wanted to make three titles," said Tomic, who plays with a MicroGel Extreme Pro "I was sure I could have made good results in the 16s, and now I've got three, and I'd like to get one more next year."
In addition to Pereira, who plays with a Flexpoint Radical MP four other Team Elite Members gained the finals at the Orange Bowl.

Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, the 2006 Orange Bowl 16s winner, defeated ITF World No. 1 Vlad Ignatic of Belarus for the second time in two weeks on his way to the 18s final. But the 16-year-old right-hander, playing with a MicroGel Radical MP was stopped by U.S. Open Junior champion Ricardas Berankis 6-3, 6-2 in the championship match.

California's Coco Vandeweghe, using a Flexpoint Prestige MP, teamed with Allie Will, also of the U.S., to reach the finals of the girls' 18s doubles. The unseeded pair defeated the No. 3 and No. 6 seeded teams before falling 6-2, 6-4 to Oudin and her partner Mallory Cecil, the No. 4 seeds.

The Australian team including HEAD Team Elite member John Patrick Smith, using a Flexpoint Radical OS, and Matt Reid reached the boys' 18s doubles final as the No. 7 seeds. Reid and Smith battled their way into a third set before losing to the No. 2 seed team of Roman Jebavy of the Czech Republic and Vasek Pospisil of Canada 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.