Kilray’s Group Sweeps Titles at J30 in Nicaragua

There are good tournament weeks, and then there are weeks when just about everything goes right.

For coach Brent Kilray and his players, their stop at the J30 event in Managua, Nicaragua, fell firmly into the second category.

By the end of the week, the group had collected the girls singles title, girls doubles title, boys singles title and boys doubles title.

“We pulled every title,” Kilray said.

Clarice Ouvarova and Sofia Mills met in the girls singles final, with Ouvarova coming away with the championship. It was another strong singles result for Ouvarova, who has now won three consecutive singles titles, according to Kilray.

The two didn't stay opponents for long.

Ouvarova and Mills joined forces in doubles and won the championship together, continuing a run that has now produced three straight doubles titles.

“They’ve won three straight doubles titles together,” Kilray said. “Clarice has won three straight singles.”

Kilray said the results are particularly important because both players are making their way back from injuries. Getting healthy is one part of the process. Regaining confidence and match toughness through tournament play is another.

On the boys side, Maddox Bogomolov made it a double of his own, winning both the singles and doubles championships.

Those were important results for Bogomolov as he begins playing more regularly on the ITF junior circuit. Kilray said the two championships were his first titles.

The four victories made for an impressive photograph at the end of the week, with the players lined up holding their trophies.

But anyone familiar with junior tennis knows the picture only captures a small part of the story.

The travel continues. So does the training. And another draw is usually waiting.

By Sunday morning, Kilray wasn't sitting around celebrating the previous day's championships. He was already preparing for another day at the courts.

“Grinding, man,” he said. “Five qualifying matches today.”

That's the nature of the junior circuit. A player can spend an entire week working toward a championship and have only a short window to enjoy it before starting over again.

For Kilray's group, though, Nicaragua was certainly worth remembering.

Four titles in one tournament week isn't a bad way to finish the job.

Paul Pisani ITF reporter