Montgomery and Tirante win the Orange Bowl
Dreams and ambitions were realised as Thiago Agustin Tirante of Argentina and American Robin Montgomery claimed singles silverware in the 18 and under age category at the prestigious Orange Bowl.
For Tirante, it was a third victory in as many weeks and propelled the La Plata-born teenager to the summit of the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Rankings presented by IMG Academy.
Success on the Floridan clay represented a fifth junior singles title of the season for Tirante, three of them at Grade A level, and ensured the 18-year-old was named boys’ ITF World Champion for 2019.
Montgomery’s success was the 15-year-old’s first Grade A accolade and capped a progressive campaign which saw her crowned Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas champion with USA in September.
Both players navigated their respective draws without dropping a set, with top seed Tirante defeating fellow countryman Juan Bautista Torres 6-0 6-3 in the final.
“It feels amazing, I don’t know how to explain it,” said Tirante, who qualified for October’s ITF Junior Finals in Chengdu, where he finished sixth in the boys’ division. “I ended 2018 ranked No. 134, so to now be No. 1 is incredible.
“For me, this is the best junior tournament after the Grand Slams. Ever since I was a kid, I always dreamed of winning the Orange Bowl. I won the 14s, so to end my junior career with two Orange Bowl titles is amazing.”
Montgomery, meanwhile, was trailing 5-2 in the first set of her final against Jana Kolodynska of Belarus before instigating a spirited fightback and triumphing 7-6(4) 6-3.
“It was a tough match,” said No. 5 seed Montgomery. “I knew after securing the first set that I had to keep my momentum going because I knew she could come back. I just had to stay on the gas pedal and push even harder.
“It’s another stepping stone for me. I’m very happy, but once I go back home, it’s back to training. My next step is to execute in the pros. I do believe I can make it. It’s just a matter of time.”
Elsewhere at the tournament, there was success for Poland’s Mikolaj Lorens and Shunsuke Mitsui of Japan in the boys’ doubles, while Alexandra Eala of the Philippines and Belarus’s Evialina Laskevich prevailed in the girls’ competition.