TENNIS in DEPTH.

The USTA announced the acceptance lists for the 63rd Dunlop Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships, which begins Sunday, December 6, at the Crandon Park Tennis Center in Key Biscayne, Fla. The qualifying draw will take place beginning Friday, December 4. The Dunlop Orange Bowl features singles and doubles competition for boys and girls in 18-and-under and 16-and-under divisions.

“The Dunlop Orange Bowl provides our top junior players a chance to play world-class competition right here in the U.S. in one of the marquee junior tournaments in the world,” said tournament director Lew Brewer, who also serves as Director, Junior Competition, USTA Player Development. “The tournament traditionally draws a number of the world’s top junior players and often determines the year-end No. 1 players in the ITF Junior Circuit, and this year we received a record number of entrants in all four draws.”

The Boys’ 18s field includes three of the top 10 players in the world, led by Daniel Berta of Sweden, currently the top-ranked player in the ITF World Junior Rankings and the winner of the boys’ singles title at Roland Garros. Gianni Mina of France, who lost to Berta in the final at Roland Garros and reached the boys’ singles semifinals at the US Open, is also entered.

Denis Kudla of Arlington, Va., and Raymond Sarmiento of Fontana, Calif., will lead the American contingent. Kudla captured the Boys’ 16s title at the 2008 Dunlop Orange Bowl, and is currently the highest-ranked American in the ITF World Junior Rankings at No. 22. Sarmiento swept the singles and doubles titles at the International Grass Court Championships in June, and took third place at the 2009 USTA Boys’ 18s National Championships.

The Girls’ 18s field features two of this year’s Grand Slam winners, led by Kristina Mladenovic of France, currently No. 1 in the ITF World Junior Rankings, and No. 3 Heather Watson of Great Britain. Mladenovic won the girls’ singles title at the French Open, and was a finalist in girls’ singles at Wimbledon. Watson won the girls’ singles title at the US Open, and is currently No. 3 in the ITF World Junior Rankings.

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