"Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl

Ingrid Neel - Rochester, Minnesota, Karina Vyrlan - Antelope, California, Michal Kusznerko - Chicago, Illinois and Justin Lee - Cos Cob, Connecticut are the members of the USA team which will travel to Pula, Croatia to play in the 7th annual "Little Mo"/Smrivka Bowl on Sunday, June 29, 2008.

USA Team Captain: Brian Cristensen

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In 2002, the Smrikve Tennis Club and the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation have created “Little Mo”/ Smrikva Bowl, the first-ever international competition between the United States and Europe for boys and girls 10 & under. In the last few years Smrikva Bowl started to gather top players from all around the World but “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl continues to be a special event and has arrived to its 7th annual.

7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl will be played the day after the finals of the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 and will be played on June 29th, 2008 in the Smrikve Tennis Club in Pula, Croatia.

Last week end the 10th “Little Mo” Nationals was played. The “Little Mo” Nationals was held at the Austin Tennis Academy in Austin, Texas from October 20-22, 2007.

Carol Weyman, Executive Vice President of MCB Tennis Foundation, said that it was another wounderful year and she also sent me the names of the 9’s National Champions and Runners-up that will probabile represent the US team in the 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl.

I am pleased to congratulate and to welcome to Pula the USA Champions and Runners-up:
Girls:

#1 Ingrid Neel – Rochester, Minnnesota

#2 Karina Vyrlan – Antelope, California

Boys:

#1 Michal Kusznerko – Chicago, Illinois

#2 Justin Lee – Cos Cob, Connecticut

The players that participate in this unique competition are increasing year by year and many of them are among the best players in their age groups in their countries and in the World. “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl players are:

1st “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
Jordaan Sanford (USA), Morgan Basil (USA), Ajla Tomljanovic (Cro), Ema Burgic (BiH).

2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
Emmett Egger (USA), Robert Stineman (USA), Karen Forman (USA), Katie Klyczek (USA), Jennifer Ren (UK), Silvia Njiric (Cro), Dominic Thiem (A), George Morgan (UK)

3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
Mitchel Polnet (USA), Rayan Andrada (USA), Blair Shankle (USA), Anna Mamalat (USA), Ivan Levar (Cro), Miki Jankovic (Srb), Saska Gavrilovska (Srb), Ecaterina Opriou (Rum)

4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
Jeffrey Schorsch (USA), Jose Gracia (USA), Yale Goldberg (USA), Dorothy Tang (USA), Saska Gavrilovska (Srb), Olga Yanchuk (Ukr), Matteo Donati (I), Gyore Laszlo (Srb), Gianluigi Quinzi (I), Harry Busby (UK)

5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
Daniel Maese (USA), Aries Wong (USA), Christina Makarova (USA), Gabriella Umoquit (USA), Gianluigi Quinzi (I), Filip Kraljevic (Cro), Eleonor Dean (UK), Dina Paocic (BiH),

6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
Eduardo Nava (USA), Tommy Paul (USA), Ndindi Ndunda (USA), Domonique Garley (USA), Sacha Merzetti (I), Bogdan Borza (Rom), Virginia Pena (Esp), Ana Konjuh (Cro).

Congratulations once again to Ingrid, Karina, Michal and Justin and see you in Pula at the end of June 2008!

Please visit www.smrikve.com to learn more about Smrikva Bowl, one of the most important under 10 tennis tournaments in the World, and Villa Smrikve, for your accommodation in Stinjan (Pula) if you decide to spent your holiday in Istria, Croatia. In Villa Smrikve you can enjoy tennis, sea, good istrian food, Smrikve wine and olive oil, and events in Pula and Istria.

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Dallas…The Europeans won the 6th annual “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl by defeating the United States 7-1 at the Tennis Club Smrikve in Pula, Croatia on Sunday, June 24, 2007. This event was created by the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation based in Dallas, Texas and the Tennis Club Smrikva in Pula, Croatia in 2002. It is the only international tennis competition between the United States and Europe for Boys & Girls 10 & under. Miodrag Bozovic was the Tournament Director. Europe leads the competition 6-0.

The “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl is named after two prestigious tournaments: the “Little Mo” Nationals which features the best young players in the United States from 7-11 years of age and the Smrikva Bowl which is one of the top European tournaments for boys and girls. The Smrikva Bowl is hosted by the Tennis Club Smrikva in Pula, Croatia and this year, 90 youngsters from 16 European countries and 4 continents competed in the 12^th annual Smrikva Bowl. (Smrikva is a juniper plant.)

The players representing the United States were: Boys #1 Eduardo Nava (Woodland Hills,CA)

Girls #2 Domonique Garley (N.Richland Hills, TX) The U.S. players were selected from the

The European players were: Boys #1 Sacha Merzetti (Italy) Boys #2 Bogdan Borza (Romania)

Girls #1Virginia Pena (Spain), Girls #2 Ana Konjuh (Croatia). The European players were selected from the top players of the Smrikva Bowl.

Eduardo Nava def. Bogdan Borza 6-7, 6-1,10-5
USA win
Sacha Merzetti def. Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-0

This is one of the many events sponsored by the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation to further junior tennis development. Maureen Connolly, who was known as “Little Mo”, was the first woman to win the Grand Slam at age 18 in 1953.

Dallas...The Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation is proud to announce Balle de Match as the “Official Apparel Sponsor” of the USA Team for the 6th annual “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl (USA vs. Europe) for young players on Sunday, June 24, 2007. This is the only international team competition which features the top boys and girls from the United States and Europe who are 10 & under.

John Embree, CEO of Balle de Match, said, " Balle de Match is thrilled to begin a partnership with “Little Mo”. While we offer a complete range of tennis apparel for men, women and kid’s, our junior apparel has truly been our sweet spot since the company's inception. For that reason, our new association with “Little Mo” fits into our corporate strategy of driving our brand at the very core of the game: children.”

Bälle de Mätch, founded in 1992, is a company of young, sports-minded individuals distinguished by their passion for extraordinary tennis wear." Bälle de Mätch has come a long way, but never strayed from the original mission of making comfortable, great-looking tennis apparel geared towards the avid and professional player.

The “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl will be held for the fourth time at the Tennis Club Smrikve and will feature the top two boys and top two girls in the United States and Europe playing a total of eight matches. The competition was held the first two years in Austin, Texas at the Austin Tennis Academy and the past two years in Pula, Croatia. Europe has won the competition each year and leads the USA in wins 5-0. The players representing the United States are:

The U.S. players were selected due to their outstanding results in Boys and Girls 9 & under division at the 2006 “Little Mo” Nationals. Nava was the Boys’ 9 National Champion and Paul was the Runner-Up in Boys’ 9. Ndunda was the Runner-up in Girls’ 9 and Garley came in 3^rd Place in Girls’ 9.

The USA team captain is Vinh Do from Fairfax, Virginia. Do is currently the Director of Junior Tennis at the Fairfax Racquet Club in Fairfax, Virginia and has trained a number of regionally and nationally ranked players - including being the personal coach of Ndindi Ndunda. He is a member of the USPTA & USPTR.

This is one of the many events sponsored by the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation to further junior tennis development. Maureen Connolly, who was known as “Little Mo” was the first woman to win the Grand Slam at age 18 in 1953. She is still the youngest Grand Slam winner and the only American woman. For more information, visit www.mcbtennis.org.

Dallas...The Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation and Tennis Club Smrikve are proud to present the 6^th annual international team competition between the United States and Europe for young players on Sunday, June 24, 2007. This is the only international team competition which features the top boys and girls from the United States and Europe who are 10 & under.

The “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl will be held for the third time at the Tennis Club Smrikve and will feature the top two boys and top two girls in the United States and Europe playing a total of eight matches. The competition was held the first two years in Austin, Texas at the Austin Tennis Academy and the past two years in Pula, Croatia. Europe has won the competition each year and leads the USA in wins 5-0. The players representing the United States are:

                     Boys:   #1: Eduardo Nava
                                     (Woodland Hills, California)
                             #2: Tommy Paul
                                  (Greenville, North Carolina)

The USA team captain is Vinh Do from Fairfax, Virginia. Do is currently the Director of Junior Tennisat the Fairfax Racquet Club in Fairfax, Virginia and has trained a number of regionally and nationally ranked players - including being the personal coach of Ndindi Ndunda. He is a member of the USPTA & USPTR.

For Immediate Release Information: (214) 352-978
July 10, 2006 Contact: Carol Weyman

EUROPE WINS 5th “Little Mo”/ Smrikva Bowl
(U.S. vs. Europe) For Boys & Girls 10 & under

Dallas…The Europeans won the 5th annual “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl by defeating the United States 7-1 at the Tennis Club Smrikve in Pula, Croatia on Sunday, July 9, 2006. This event was created by the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation based in Dallas, Texas and the Tennis Club Smrikva in Pula, Croatia in 2002. It is the only international tennis competition between the United States and Europe for Boys & Girls 10 & under.

The “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl is named after two prestigious tournaments: the “Little Mo” Nationals which features the best young players in the United States from 7-11 years of age and the Smrikva Bowl which is one of the top European tournaments for boys and girls. The Smrikva Bowl is hosted by the Tennis Club Smrikva in Pula, Croatia and this year, 70 youngsters from 20 European countries competed in the 11^th annual Smrikva Bowl. (Smrikva is a juniper plant.)

The players representing the United States were:

Boys #1 Daniel Maese (Dallas, TX),

The U.S. players were selected from the 2005 “Little Mo” National Champions. Francisco Barrientos was the USA Team Captain.

The European players were: Boys #1 Gianluigi Quinzi (Italy), Boys #2 Filip Kraljevic (Croatia), Girls #1 Eleonor Dean (Spain), Girls #2 Dina Paocic (Bosnia/Herzegovina) .

Notes from Marcia Frost on the
"Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl
Tennis Club Smrikve - Pula, Croatia - July 5-9, 2006

Eleonor Dean (Uk) – Christina Makarova (USA) (6:3 6:2)
Gianluigi Quinzi (I) – Daniel Maese (USA) (6:0 6:3)
Dina Paocic (BiH) – Christina Makarova (USA) (6:4 6:1)
Filip Kraljevic (Cro) – Daniel Maese (USA) (6:4 7:6)

Dina Paocic (BiH) – Gabriella Umoquit (USA) (6:2 6:3)
Filip Kraljevic (Cro) – Aries Wong (USA) (4:6, 4:6) USA Won
Eleonor Dean (Uk) – Gabriella Umoquit (USA) (6:1 6:2)
Gianluigi Quinzi (I) – Aries Wong (USA) (6:1 6:0)

Dallas...The Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation and Tennis Club Smrikve are proud to present the 5^th annual international team competition between the United States and Europe for young players on Sunday, July 9, 2006. This is the only international team competition which features the top boys and girls from the United States and Europe who are 10 & under.

The “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl will be held for the third time at the Tennis Club Smrikve and will feature the top two boys and top two girls in the United States and Europe playing a total of eight matches. The competition was held the first two years in Austin, Texas at the Austin Tennis Academy and the past two years in Pula, Croatia. Europe has won the competition each year and leads the USA in wins 4-0. The players representing the United States are:

Girls: #1: Christina Makarova (San Diego, CA)
#2: Gabriella Umoquit (Mission, TX)

The U.S. players were selected due to their outstanding results in Boys and Girls 9 & under division at the 2005 “Little Mo” Nationals. Maese was the Boys’ 9 Runner-Up and Wong was 4^th Place. Makarova was the Girls’ 9 National Champion and Umoquit was 4^th Place.

The USA team captain will be Francisco Barrientos, a native of Chile. He has a BS in Physical Education and MS in Physical Periodization. He has been a coach on the ATP and WTA Tours and also for the ITF Junior Tour for 19 years. Most recently, Barrientos was International Division Director at the T-Bar-M International Tennis Academy in Dallas, Texas. He is a specialist in clay court tennis and clay court strategy.

Dallas...The Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation and Tennis Club Smrikve are proud to present the 4^th annual international team competition between the United States and Europe for young players on Sunday, July 3, 2005. This is the only international team competition which features the top boys and girls from the United States and Europe who are 10 & under in the world.

The “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl will be held for the second time at the Tennis Club Smrikve and will feature three of the top boys and the top girl from the United States and Europe playing a total of eight matches. The competition was held the first two years in Austin, Texas at the Austin Tennis Academy and last year in Pula, Croatia. Europe has won the competition each year and leads the USA in wins 3-0.

The U.S. players were selected due to their outstanding results Boys and Girls 9 & under division at the 2004 “Little Mo” Nationals. Jeffrey Schorsh was the 2004 “Little Mo” National Champion in Boys’ 9, Jose Gracia was Runner-up and Yale Goldberg placed Third. Dorothy Tang was Runner-Up in the Girls’ 9 at the “Little Mo” Nationals.

The USA team captain is Todd Dominiak from Toledo, Ohio. Todd played collegiate tennis at the University of Toledo (1985-1988) and was first team All Mid-American Conference in 1988.He is currently Head Professional at Laurel Hill Swim and Tennis and has been the pro for the past 17 years.

      #1 Boy:   Jeffrey Schorsch from Perrysburg, Ohio
      #2 Boy:   Jose Gracia from Delray Beach, Florida
      #3 Boy:   Yale Goldberg from Beachwood, Ohio

      #1 Girl:    Dorothy Tang from Arcadia, California

The tournament will be held on Sunday, July 3, 2005 in Pula, Croatia. This is the only international team competition for boys and girls who are 10 & under who are from the USA and Europe.

                         Photos & Smrikva Bowl Results
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July 2, 2004                                       Cartennis@aol.com
For Immediate Release                       www.mcbtennis.org

         United States Team Announced
                  (U.S. vs. Europe)
                         For Boys & Girls 10 & under

Dallas...The Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation and Tennis Club Smrikve are proud to present the 3rd annual international team competition between the United States and Europe for young players on Sunday, July 4, 2004. This is the only international team competition which features the top boys and girls from the United States and Europe who are 10 & under in the world.

The “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl will be held for the first time at the Tennis Club Smrikve and will feature two of the top girls and boys from the United States and Europe playing a total of eight matches. The competition has been held the past two years in Austin, Texas at the Austin Tennis Academy where Europe has won each year. Europe leads the U.S. 2-0.

The players representing the United States are:
Boys #1: Mitchell Polnet (Churchville,Pennsylvania)
Boys #2: Ryan Andrada (Visalia, California)

Girls #1: Blair Shankle (Boerne, Texas)
Girls #2: Anna Mamalat (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

The U.S. players were selected due to their outstanding results as Winner and Runner-up in the Boys and Girls 9 & under division at the 2003
“Little Mo” Nationals.

Emmett Egger (Issaquah, WA) defeated George Morgan (England)
6-1, 6-2

Dominic Thiem (Austria) defeated Robert Stineman (Winnetka, IL)
6-3, 6-2

Girls Results:

Silvia Njiric (Croatia) defeated Karen Forman (Del Mar, CA)
7-5, 6-1

Jennifer Ren (England) defeated Katie Klyczek (Munster, IN)
6-2, 6-1

Ren defeated Forman 6-1, 6-1

2nd “Little Mo”/ Smrikva Bowl United States Team Announced
(U.S. vs. Europe)
For Boys & Girls 10 & under

Dallas...The Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation and Tennis Club Smrikve are proud to present the 2^nd annual international team competition between the United States and Europe for young players. This is the only international team competition which features the top boys and girls from the United States and Europe who are 10 & under in the world.

The “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl is named after two prestigious tournaments: the “Little Mo” Nationals which features the best young players in the United States from 7-11 years of age and the Smrikva Bowl which is one of the top European tournaments for boys and girls. The Smrikva Bowl is held at the Tennis Club Smrikve in Pula. Croatia and this year, over 80 youngsters from 13 different countries competed in the VIII Smrikva Bowl.

The “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl will be held at the new Austin Tennis Academy in Austin, Texas and will feature two of the top girls and boys from the United States and Europe playing a total of eight matches. The Opening Ceremony will be held at 9:00 am on Friday, October 24 and the matches will continue all day. Come cheer on the USA in this one-day only event.

The U.S. players were selected from the “Little Mo” Regional Champions. Karen and Emmett were “Little Mo” National Champions in 2002 in 9 & under and they both recently won the “Little Mo” West Regionals in San Diego, California. Robert and Katie placed in the top four at the “Little Mo” Nationals in 9 & under in 2002 and they recently won the “Little Mo” North Regionals in Homewood, Illinois.

The “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl will be held prior to the “Little Mo” Nationals tournament which features the top 16 players in the United States in age division: Boys 11, Boys 10, Boys 9, and Boys 8 & under and Girls 11, Girls 10, Girls 9, and Girls 8 & under. The Nationals will be held at the Austin Tennis Academy in Austin, Texas from Saturday, October 25 through Monday, October 27.

The event shall consist of the best of eight matches (all singles). If the matches are tied at 4-4, the winner will be determined by the number of games won.

2003 Smrivka Bowl in Pula, Croatia- This prestigious event features the top European players. The top two girls and boys from the Smrikva Bowl will come to play the top two boys and girls in the nation in 10 & under from the "Little Mo" Nationals. The 2nd annual "Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl will be held in Austin, Texas on Friday, October 24, 2003. Follow their progress at: www.smrikve.com

Ingrid Neel - Rochester, Minnesota, Karina Vyrlan - Antelope, California, Michal Kusznerko - Chicago, Illinois and Justin Lee - Cos Cob, Connecticut are the members of the USA team which will travel to Pula, Croatia to play in the 7th annual "Little Mo"/Smrivka Bowl on Sunday, June 29, 2008.

USA TEAM!