Weil Players Bring Home Holiday Hardware: 8 National & International Titles!

Led by Kallim Stewart with 2 Individual Singles National Championships, Weil players won 8 different National and International Titles over the holiday break.

Stewart, 18, won the USTA Winter National Singles Title in Phoenix, defeating #1 Seed and #1 US Boys 18s player Justin Kronauge 6-3,6-3 in the final. The win capped an incredible 2 weeks for Stewart where he won 13 straight matches in a national competition, 2 titles and finished 2005 as the #1 ranked player in the US in the Boys 18s Division. Stewart also captured the California Bowl National Singles Title in late December and earned his first ATP Singles point and a wildcard into the Calabasas Challenger next fall with the win.

Grigor Dimitrov, 14, of Bulgaria started his holiday by winning the prestigious Eddie Herr International Boys 14s Singles Championship in Tampa, Florida, over American Alexander Domagan 6-1, 6-1. Dimitrov then reached the final of the Jr. Orange Bowl Boys 14s Division in Miami, FL, and was defeated by American Ryhne Williams in the final. Dimitrov adds those 2 great results to his 2005 Boys 14s European Singles Championship last summer.

Gail Brodsky, 14, didn't win, but as an unseeded player reached the final of the Girls 14s Jr Orange Bowl in Miami, FL-proving without doubt that she is one of the top three 14 yr old girls in the world this year. Gail won the Teen Tennis Girls 14s Title last January in England. Gail will travel to Melbourne, AUS, to compete in the Australian Jr. Championships this January.

At the Copper Bowl National in Tucson, AZ, at the start of January, Weil players took an unprecedented 3 National Singles Titles: Rio Kitagawa, 12, of Japan won the Girls 12s Title, Tanya Raykova of Bulgaria, 14, took the Girls 16s Title and Bozhidar Katsarov of Ojai, 16, captured the prestigious Boys 18s Championship. The only other Weil players to win the Boys 18s Copper Bowl Title were future All Americans Brian Wilson and Nick Rainey.

Jessica Parizher, 12, won the Prince Cup International Girls 12s Singles Title in Miami in December, and then reached the round of 32 in the Orange Bowl Girls 12s division. And Kirsten Flower won the USTA Winter National Girls 18s Doubles Title with partner Megan Alexander. Flower wins her third Gold Ball with the win and heads off to Georgia Tech (#5 in 2005) in the fall on full scholarship.

Kelvin Kim, 17 of Los Angeles, and Bozhidar Katsarov also took third place and the bronze ball at the USTA Winter National in the Boys 18s Doubles Division.

"I am so impressed with how gutsy our players have been this year-winning 8 out of 10 BIG finals is pretty incredible. Our coaching staff and our players deserve all the credit. Winning is a habit and these players have a great habit on their hands!" added Weil Academy Director Mark Weil.