Draws Set as Boys’ & Girls’ ITF and USTA 16s Nationals Action Kicks Off Monday

Defending FILA Easter Bowl Girls’ ITF champion Liv Hovde has been named the top-seeded player as the draws were released for the 54^th Annual event that continues on Monday from the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. On the boys’ side, the ITF No. 20 world-ranked junior and University of Georgia redshirt freshman Ethan Quinn has been tabbed the No. 1 seed.

Quinn will be in action on Monday as the Fresno, Calif., resident takes on Dylan Tsoi of El Dorado Hills, Calif., in an All-USTA Northern California Section matchup at 10 a.m. on Court 2.

Draws, results and schedules for all divisions, including the boys’ and girls’ 16s starting on Monday, can be found here as boys’ and girls’ singles qualifying was completed on Sunday.

At the San Diego ITF J1 on Sunday, the 16-year-old Hovde downed Mayu Crossley 7-6 (5), 6-3, to capture the first leg of the traditional spring Southern California ITF double and did so without dropping a set.

Hovde has been coached by former Grand Slam champion Phil Dent since she was 11, training with the former Australian pro and his son and daughter-in-law Taylor and Jenny Dent at the Birch Racquet and Lawn Club in Keller, Texas, at the Dent Tennis Academy.

“She’s really improved a lot, and is only going to get better,” Phil Dent said on Sunday night. “She’s just 16 and we have to be patient and just wait for her to mature. She’s got good groundstrokes and recently beat pros like Harriet Dart and Kayla Day at a $25,000 pro event reaching the quarterfinals.”

In an all-Southern California matchup, Irvine 16-year-old Learner Tien outlasted Fullerton’s Kyle Kang, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, to win San Diego. Tien is seeded No. 15 at the FILA Easter Bowl and is coming off a semifinal appearance at the USTA Pro Circuit Futures $25,000 in Bakersfield.

Like Hovde and Kang, Tien will have a Tuesday first-round start at the FILA Easter Bowl.

In other action on Sunday, in the girls’ 12s top-seeded player Lani Chang of Mission Viejo, Calif., advanced to the third round and has dropped a total of just two games in two matches. On Sunday, Chang beat Japneet Kaur of New River, Ariz. She will next face Julia Seversen from Trabuco Canyon, Calif., on Monday.

Chang’s father is former world No. 2-ranked Michael Chang and her mother is Amber Liu. Liu was a two-time NCAA singles champion in 2003 and 2004 and made the NCAA doubles finals in 2005. A four-time All-American. Liu led the Cardinal to three NCAA team title from 2004 to 2006.

In the girls’ 14s top-seeded Capucine Jauffret from Wilmington, Del., advanced to the Round of 16 with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Rachael Smith from Naperville, Ill. She next faces Julieta Pareja of Carlsbad, Calif., for a spot in the quarterfinals.

In the boys’ 12s top-seeded players Jordan Lee from Orlando, Fla., and Vihann Reedy from San Jose, Calif., both moved on with straight-set wins as Reedy dropped just four total games in his four sets.

In the boys’ 14s top-seeded Ronit Karki of East Brunswick, N.J., survived a scare in the second round pulling out a three-set win over Kimi Basamakov of Newbury Park, Calif.

Be sure to catch all the action of Court 1 and Court 2 on the live stream which can be found here.