Special from
Zoo Tennis
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INDIAN WELLS, Calif. - The 51st edition of the Easter Bowl crowned USTA National Champions in the 12s, 14s, 16s and 18s age divisions, with the tournament concluding last Thursday for the two younger age groups.
Girls 12s Singles and Doubles Champion Clervie Ngounoue
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Zoo Tennis Many of the youngest competitors were getting their first look at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, home of the BNP Paribas Open, which had concluded just days before they took to the courts at that site and at other country clubs in the Coachella Valley.
It was another triumph in the desert for Rudy Quan, who won his second consecutive USTA National 12s championship after taking the title in January at the Winter Nationals in Tucson. In the girls 12s, 11-year-old Clervie Ngounoue captured her first gold ball with a victory over her doubles partner and frequent rival Stephanie Yakoff.
Like Quan, top seed Yakoff was hoping to add an Easter Bowl gold ball to go with her title at the Winter Nationals, but No. 2 seed Ngounoue was determined to avenge her first round loss to Yakoff in last year’s Easter Bowl. With neither player dropping a set in her five victories prior to the final, the stage was set for lengthy battle, but Ngounoue’s adjustments proved crucial in her straightforward 6-3, 6-2 win.
