Sports
Halebian heading north
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| Alex Halebian is set to compete in an international juniors event in Canada. (Tammy Abbott/News-Press) |
Tennis: Local youth player, national team off to Canada to qualify for World Junior Finals.
By Dylan Kruse
GLENDALE — As far as first impressions go, the one Alexios Halebian made on United States Tennis Association Coach Kent Kinnear earlier this year seems to have paid off.
A relative rookie to international competition, Halebian embarked on an astounding run through qualifying and into the tournament semifinals of the prestigious Les Petits As Junior Championships in France in late January.
Because of that performance and the potential he displayed, Kinnear has invited the 13-year-old Glendale resident along for another adventure on foreign soil.
Only this time, Halebian just has to head a little north.
Halebian has been selected to the United States’ elite three-player World Junior Tennis team (14-and-under) that is slated to compete in a four-team qualifying tournament May 2-4 in Montreal.
The United States will be joined by Mexico, Guatemala and Canada in competition, with the top two finishers advancing to join 14 others in the World Junior Tennis Finals in the Czech Republic in August.
“I’m just hoping to play my best and cheer my teammates on and see if we can win,” Halebian said of the qualifying tournament in Canada.
For Kinnear, Halebian seemed to be the perfect fit to the team after he adapted well to the indoor, hard-surface courts in Europe. The tournament in Canada will be played on similar surfaces.
“Alexios did very well against that competition on that surface and he was an ideal candidate to represent the U.S.,” said Kinnear, who will travel with and coach the squad in Canada.
The tournament is a round-robin format with each of the four countries playing each other one time. Each match will consist of two singles matches and one doubles match in a best two-out-of-three format.
Halebian, who will be joined by Christian Harrison of New Braunfels, Texas, and Tyler Gardiner of Novi, Mich., on the team, will be asked to play the No. 2 singles spot, a role that Kinnear says is vital.
“Alex needs to be ready to play doubles, but his main role will be playing the first singles match for us,” Kinnear said. “No. 2 singles play first. It’s really important to set the tone.”
The United States finished third in competition last year and has not won the tournament since 2003. Professionals Andy Roddick, James Blake and Lindsay Davenport are a few of many notables who have gone on to notoriety since playing in the World Juniors.
For Halebian, he feels the opportunity to compete with some of the world’s best junior players couldn’t come at a better time.
“I’m playing really well,” said Halebian, who recently went 7-2 to finish sixth at the Easter Bowl tournament in Palm Springs. “I switched to a new racquet about a month ago and that has helped.”
The trio of budding tennis stars departs for Canada on Monday with hopes of carrying their country into the World Junior Finals.
“We expect to get first this year,” Halebian said.
Should the U.S. team get through the May qualifying and into the finals in August, it doesn’t automatically earn Halebian or his two teammates a spot on the finals team. A new team can be selected, the current team can stay together or Kinnear can choose to mix and match his current players with fresh ones.
While Kinnear knows it will be a tough decision should it come to that, he is excited about the potential his current group holds.
“My biggest hope is that we compete really hard and give it all we’ve got,” he said. “These three guys are all just incredible competitors.”
A relative rookie to international competition, Halebian embarked on an astounding run through qualifying and into the tournament semifinals of the prestigious Les Petits As Junior Championships in France in late January.
Because of that performance and the potential he displayed, Kinnear has invited the 13-year-old Glendale resident along for another adventure on foreign soil.
Only this time, Halebian just has to head a little north.
Halebian has been selected to the United States’ elite three-player World Junior Tennis team (14-and-under) that is slated to compete in a four-team qualifying tournament May 2-4 in Montreal.
The United States will be joined by Mexico, Guatemala and Canada in competition, with the top two finishers advancing to join 14 others in the World Junior Tennis Finals in the Czech Republic in August.
“I’m just hoping to play my best and cheer my teammates on and see if we can win,” Halebian said of the qualifying tournament in Canada.
For Kinnear, Halebian seemed to be the perfect fit to the team after he adapted well to the indoor, hard-surface courts in Europe. The tournament in Canada will be played on similar surfaces.
“Alexios did very well against that competition on that surface and he was an ideal candidate to represent the U.S.,” said Kinnear, who will travel with and coach the squad in Canada.
The tournament is a round-robin format with each of the four countries playing each other one time. Each match will consist of two singles matches and one doubles match in a best two-out-of-three format.
Halebian, who will be joined by Christian Harrison of New Braunfels, Texas, and Tyler Gardiner of Novi, Mich., on the team, will be asked to play the No. 2 singles spot, a role that Kinnear says is vital.
“Alex needs to be ready to play doubles, but his main role will be playing the first singles match for us,” Kinnear said. “No. 2 singles play first. It’s really important to set the tone.”
The United States finished third in competition last year and has not won the tournament since 2003. Professionals Andy Roddick, James Blake and Lindsay Davenport are a few of many notables who have gone on to notoriety since playing in the World Juniors.
For Halebian, he feels the opportunity to compete with some of the world’s best junior players couldn’t come at a better time.
“I’m playing really well,” said Halebian, who recently went 7-2 to finish sixth at the Easter Bowl tournament in Palm Springs. “I switched to a new racquet about a month ago and that has helped.”
The trio of budding tennis stars departs for Canada on Monday with hopes of carrying their country into the World Junior Finals.
“We expect to get first this year,” Halebian said.
Should the U.S. team get through the May qualifying and into the finals in August, it doesn’t automatically earn Halebian or his two teammates a spot on the finals team. A new team can be selected, the current team can stay together or Kinnear can choose to mix and match his current players with fresh ones.
While Kinnear knows it will be a tough decision should it come to that, he is excited about the potential his current group holds.
“My biggest hope is that we compete really hard and give it all we’ve got,” he said. “These three guys are all just incredible competitors.”
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