AFNORTH's Amelie Essrich slams a shot at the net in a semifinal match against Wiesbaden at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Friday Oct. 24, 2014. Essrich and her sister Sophia fell to the Warrior duo 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
AFNORTH's Amelie Essrich slams a shot at the net in a semifinal match against Wiesbaden at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Friday Oct. 24, 2014. Essrich and her sister Sophia fell to the Warrior duo 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Wiesbaden's Peyton Taylor returns an AFNORTH shot in a semifinal match at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Friday Oct. 24, 2014. Taylor and teammate Jackie Renzi won the match 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 to advance to Saturday's final against ISB. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Bahrain's Frank Li, right, returns a Patch shot as teammate Moustafa Refai watches in a semifinal match at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Friday Oct. 24, 2014. The pair lost the close match 7-6 (7-5), 7-5. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Patch's Payton Fritz, left, returns a ball past Bahrain's Frank Li as teammate Devin Rehwaldt come in to backup in a semifinal match at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Friday Oct. 24, 2014. The Patch duo won the exciting match 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 to advance to Saturday's final against ISB. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Vicenza's Kiki Sibilla, right, watches her shot sail over the net in a semifinal match at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Friday Oct. 24, 2014. Sibilla and teammate Katleen Leosk lost the match 6-4, 6-4 and will face AFNORTH in Saturday's third place match. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
ISB's Maya Yoshihashi, right stretches to return a Vicenza shot as partner Megumi Ogasawara watches in a semifinal match at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Friday Oct. 24, 2014. The duo beat Vicenza 6-4, 6-4 to advance to Saturday's final against Wiesbaden. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Alconbury's Joseph Behr hits the ball over the net against ISB as teammate Dylan Howorth follows the action. The duo lost to Maxime Dumortier and Bram Den Dekker 6-2, 6-2. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
ISB's Bram Den Dekker, right, knocks the ball over the net as teammate Maxime Dumortier watches in their semifinal match against Alconbury's Joseph Behr and Dylan Howorth at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Friday Oct. 24, 2014. The ISB duo won 6-2, 6-2 to advance to Saturday's final against Patch. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Lakenheath's Nathan Short watches his ball sail over the net in a semifinal match at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Friday Oct. 24, 2014. Short lost the match to ISB's Fabian Sandrup Selvik 6-0, 6-1 and will face Marymount's Ting Lin in Saturday's third-place match. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
ISB's Fabian Sandrup Selvik slams the ball over the net in his semifinal match against Lakenheath's Nathan Short at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Friday Oct. 24, 2014. He won the match 6-0, 6-1 and will face George Shaffer of Naples for the championship. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein's Alexi Aldinger slams the ball over the net in her 6-0, 6-0 loss to Patch's Marissa Encarnacion in a semifinal match at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Friday Oct. 24, 2014. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Patch's Marissa Encarnacion returns a shot in in a semifinal match at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Friday Oct. 24, 2014. She defeated Ramstein's Alexi Aldinger and will face teammate Marina Fortun in Saturday's final. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Marymount's Ting Lin returns a shot in a semifinal match at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Friday Oct. 24, 2014. Lin lost the match to George Shaffer of Naples 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
GeorgeShaffer of Naples returns a shot from Marymount's Ting Lin in a semifinal match at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Friday Oct. 24, 2014. Shaffer won the match 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 and will face ISB's Fabian Sadrup Selvik in Saturday's final. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Wiesbaden's Jade Sullivan runs down a Marina Fortun shot in a semifinal match at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Friday Oct. 24, 2014. Sullivan lost to Fortun 6-2, 6-4. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Patch'sMarina Fortun hits a return against Wiesbaden's Jade Sullivan in a semifinal match at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Friday Oct. 24, 2014. Fortun won the match against the defending champion 6-2, 6-4 and will face teammate Marissa Encarnacion in Saturday's championship match. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
WIESBADEN-NORDENSTADT, Germany – Entering the DODDS European Tennis Championships, Wiesbaden’s Jade Sullivan was a prohibitive favorite.
The defending champion hadn’t lost a set all season and defeated the tournament’s No. 2 seed, Patch’s Marina Fortun, during that unbeaten run.
But Fortun and her Panthers teammate Marissa Encarnacion had other ideas.
Encarnacion stunned Sullivan 6-0, 6-0 in Thursday’s pool play and Fortun avenged her own defeat earlier this year on Friday with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over the Wiesbaden junior. As a result, they’ll meet Saturday for the championship.
“It was definitely tough, she’s a tough competitor,” Fortun said of Sullivan following her win. “I had to push myself to keep going.”
Sullivan has dominated opponents with power over the past three years of DODDS-Europe competition, but Fortun’s consistency disrupted her plans for another tournament championship.
“She made almost no mistakes,” Sullivan said following her loss. “My backhand didn’t work at all.”
So now Fortun will take on Encarnacion, who played No. 2 singles for the Panthers this season.
“It’s going to be tough…it’s going to be fun,” Fortun said. “She’s really consistent, so I’m going to try and get to places where she can’t get to.”
Sullivan faces Ramstein freshman Alexi Aldinger, who lost to Encarnacion 6-0, 6-0, for the third.
In boys singles action, the top two seeds advanced. Fabian Sandrup Selvik of International School of Brussels will play George Shaffer of Naples.
“I plan to go on the offensive and play fast,” Selvik said of Saturday’s championship match. “It’s going to be a very good game,” he added.
Shaffer made it to the finals after a hard-fought battle with Marymount International’s Ting Lin, finally beating him 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 in a nearly two-and-a-half hour battle.
ISB will also have a boys and girls double team in the finals.
Coach Bernard deConinck was very happy with the way his players improved throughout the season, and “they proved it today,” he said.
DeConinck said his players make due with only two courts back in Brussels. “We put it together with good team spirit.”
In girls doubles, Wiesbaden’s Peyton Taylor and Jackie Renzi moved to the finals by defeating AFNORTH’s Amelie and Sophia Essrich 7-6, (7-5), 6-4. In the last semifinal match of the evening, Megumi Ogasawara and Maya Yoshihashi of ISB took down Vicenza’s Kiki Sibillla and Kathleen Leosk 6-4, 6-4.
In boys doubles, ISB’s Maxime Dumortier and Bram Den Dekker defeated Dylan Howorth and Joey Behr 6-2, 6-2 for a seat in the finals where they’ll face Patch’s Devin Rehwaldt and Payton Fritz, who beat Bahrain’s Frank Li and Moustafa Refai 7-6 (7-5) 7-5.
