Top Seeds In 14s And 12s Open With Wins

The two top-seeded players in the 14s singles division opened up play at the 56^th FILA Easter Bowl taking different routes to the second round on Saturday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Girls’ 14s No. 1 Reiley Rhodes of Annapolis. Md, started fast with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Ksia Chen of Lafayette, Colo. The Boys’ 14s No. 1 barley survived his first-round match as Safir Azam from Redmond, Wash., had to come back after dropping the first set to beat Jose Vasquez of Boca Raton, Fla., 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.

Rhodes will next face Saanchi Dalal of Cary, N.C., in the second round. Azam will play Raj Pisal of Pleasanton, Calif., on Sunday.

The 14-year-old Rhodes was forced to retire mid-match in tine finals of the 14s National Indoors last November due to a groin injury, The finals appearance was Rhodes’ first USTA National Silver Ball in singles and she also has one in doubles.

Rhodes is playing her third FILA Easter Bowl and called it her favorite tournament. “It’s amazing to be here,” said Rhodes, before her doubles match at Palm Valley Country Club where she is playing with Bella Arwood of Georgia and the pair come in as the No. 5 seeded team. “Last year was my first year in the 14s and I lost in the first round and two years ago I made it to the Round of 16s in the 12s. It’s great to be the No. 1 seeded this year.”

Rhodes is traveling this week with her father Keith Rhodes and trains at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Md., and coached by Ali Agnamba.

Also moving on in the 14s was No. 2 seeded Andrew Johnson, who trains with Peter Smith at the famed Kramer Club in Rolling Hills. Johnson is playing with all the confidence in the world coming off singles and doubles titles at the 14s Winter Nationals in January after winning the Junior Orange Bowl a month before.

The top seeds in the boys’ and girls’ 12s – Smyan Thuta from San Jose, Calif., and Nikol Davletshina from Boca Raton, Fla. – both won easily with Thuta downing Jacques Chen from Jericho, N.Y., and Davletshina dropping just one game against Gabriela Hernandez of Virginia.

Keep up with all the FILA Easter Bowl on the  daily Live Stream, and check out the tournament on Facebook (www.facebook.com/EasterBowl) and X (@easterbowl) and Instagram (@easterbowl).