Three unseeded Southern California players will vie for Boys’ and Girls’ 18s singles titles on Sunday at the 58th Annual Easter Bowl Presented by adidas.
Arcadia’s Peter Jorniak faces Rishvanth Krishna of Irvine at 10:30 a.m. at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in the Boys’ 18s final, while at the same time on the girls’ side, No. 1 seed Ellery Mendell of Watkinsville, Ga., takes on unseeded Yilin Chen of Poway, Calif.
The 17-year-old Jorniak, a powerful server and high school junior, upset top-seeded and Notre Dame-bound Alexander Suhanitski of New Rochelle, N.Y., 6-2, 6-3. He said he learned a lot about Suhanitski’s game by watching his semifinal match.
“I had a strategy going in, and when I watched him yesterday, I noticed his forehand was a little slower than his backhand — so I was targeting that,” said Jorniak, who had never advanced past a USTA Level 1 quarterfinal before this week. “I don’t think I hit a single second serve to his backhand.”
Jorniak is coached by two-time Easter Bowl champion and former UCLA All-American Gage Brymer, along with his father Chuck Brymer, and credits those training sessions for helping him compete at this level.
Jorniak attends Arcadia High School and enters the final riding a 10-match winning streak after competing in a USTA Level 3 event in Camarillo last week. “I’m going to try and win tomorrow,” he joked, “and then he’s going to have to start paying me.”
Krishna advanced with a 7-6(5), 6-1 win over No. 9 seed David Wu of San Diego, avenging a loss to Wu in last year’s Round of 16.
“I’m not really surprised,” Krishna said. “I’m just happy to be here.”
Krishna, who won the prestigious Ojai Tennis Tournament Boys’ Interscholastic title last April as a sophomore at University High in Irvine while leading his team to a CIF state title, is currently homeschooled and trains independently with top players in Orange County.
Boys’ 16s
No. 3 seed Piotr Gradzki of New York rallied to defeat top-seeded Eli Kaminski, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, and will face wild card Anay Kulkarni, who defeated No. 6 Ivan Rybak, 7-5, 6-4.
“Honestly, I was expecting to win this tournament,” said the 15-year-old Gradzki, who is coached by Nick Bradley at the John McEnroe Academy. “I just need one more.”
Gradzki entered the week on a five-match losing streak but credited improved preparation and adapting to the California conditions for his turnaround.
Girls’ 18s
The Ohio State-bound Mendell advanced with a 7-6(4), 6-2 win over Isabelle DeLuccia, while Chen defeated No. 3 seed Alyson Shannon for the second time this week, 6-1, 6-1.
Chen has been one of the tournament’s standout performers, defeating seeds No. 2, No. 3, and multiple players ranked in the 9–16 range. She was the runner-up in the Girls’ 12s at the 2022 Easter Bowl and is coached by Josh Milton and David Rice at La Valle Club in Rancho Santa Fe.
Girls’ 16s
The Girls’ 16s final will feature a matchup between two Maryland players, as No. 1 seed Sylvana Jalbert of Mount Airy faces No. 4 seed Shristi Selvan of Laurel. The two hometowns are located less than 50 miles apart.
Jalbert advanced with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Caroline Coan, while Selvan reached her second consecutive Level 1 national final after rallying past wild card Tanvi Pandey, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.
All doubles finals in the 18s and 16s divisions, along with third-place and consolation matches, will conclude the tournament on Sunday.
Easter Bowl finals will be live-streamed on EasterBowl.com with Radio Tennis’ Ken Thomas on the call. Fans can follow the action on YouTube and stay updated at EasterBowl.com.
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Source: Easter Bowl Presented by adidas. Photos provided courtesy of Easter Bowl Presented by adidas.Top photo: Girls’ 18s singles finalist Ellery Mendell.