Shelbayh Wins Orange Bowl 18s Doubles Championship
Monday, December 13, 2021 | Men's Tennis
PLANTATION, Fla. – Freshman Gator Abedallah Shelbayh is heading back to Gainesville victorious and sporting another piece of hardware after winning the U18 Orange Bowl Doubles Championships.
The junior sensation, who checks in at No. 47 in ITF junior rankings, paired up with ITF junior No. 33 player Edas Butvilas of Lithuania… A player he is familiar with. Back in July, Shelbayh and his doubles partner, Daniel Rincon, faced Butvilas and Alejandro Manzanera Pertusa in the Junior Wimbledon finals, falling in a tough match to claim the runner-up spot at the junior Grand Slam tournament.
Foes no longer, the Shelbayh/Butvilas pairing proved to be a good one as they clawed their way through competition at the Orange Bowl Championships. Coming in as the No. 7-seeds, Shelbayh and Butvilas won their first and second-round matches in straight sets.
In the first round, they defeated Georgia Bulldog Miguel Perez Pena and Maxim Shin, 6-4, 7-5, before beating NC State sophomore Braden Shick and Samir Banerjee by scores of 6-4.
The quarterfinals and semifinals rounds were battles, but the Shelbayh/Butvilas prevailed.
In the quarterfinals, the duo won against 3-seeds Jakub Mensik and Coleman Wong in straight sets, but it wasn't easy. The first set went into a tiebreak, with Shelbayh and Butvilas winning, 7-6 (4). The second set almost went into another tiebreak, but the duo would seal the victory with a 7-5 score.
The semifinal round was the only match to go into a super tiebreak for the pair as they beat No. 6-seeds Aleksander Orlikowski and Olaf Pieczkowski. Shelbayh and Butvilas went down early, losing the first set in a tough, 7-6 (9), tiebreak, before winning the second set decisively, 6-2. The duo only gave up three points in the super tiebreak as they overtook Orlikowski and Pieczkowski 10-3 in the super to advance to the doubles finals.
In the finals, Shelbayh and Butvilas had a tall task ahead, facing the 2020 Orange Bowl Boys' 16s Doubles Champions, Nicholas Godsick and Ethan Quinn. Shelbayh and Butvilas dominated the match from start to finish, however, claiming the title from the defending 16s doubles champs in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.
The Gator freshman also competed in singles competition, advancing to the second round with a win over ITF junior No. 57 player, Adam Jurajda, 6-2, 7-6 (5), before dropping his next match to the eventual singles runner-up and No. 2-seed, Bruno Kuzuhara.
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The junior sensation, who checks in at No. 47 in ITF junior rankings, paired up with ITF junior No. 33 player Edas Butvilas of Lithuania… A player he is familiar with. Back in July, Shelbayh and his doubles partner, Daniel Rincon, faced Butvilas and Alejandro Manzanera Pertusa in the Junior Wimbledon finals, falling in a tough match to claim the runner-up spot at the junior Grand Slam tournament.
Foes no longer, the Shelbayh/Butvilas pairing proved to be a good one as they clawed their way through competition at the Orange Bowl Championships. Coming in as the No. 7-seeds, Shelbayh and Butvilas won their first and second-round matches in straight sets.
In the first round, they defeated Georgia Bulldog Miguel Perez Pena and Maxim Shin, 6-4, 7-5, before beating NC State sophomore Braden Shick and Samir Banerjee by scores of 6-4.
The quarterfinals and semifinals rounds were battles, but the Shelbayh/Butvilas prevailed.
In the quarterfinals, the duo won against 3-seeds Jakub Mensik and Coleman Wong in straight sets, but it wasn't easy. The first set went into a tiebreak, with Shelbayh and Butvilas winning, 7-6 (4). The second set almost went into another tiebreak, but the duo would seal the victory with a 7-5 score.
The semifinal round was the only match to go into a super tiebreak for the pair as they beat No. 6-seeds Aleksander Orlikowski and Olaf Pieczkowski. Shelbayh and Butvilas went down early, losing the first set in a tough, 7-6 (9), tiebreak, before winning the second set decisively, 6-2. The duo only gave up three points in the super tiebreak as they overtook Orlikowski and Pieczkowski 10-3 in the super to advance to the doubles finals.
In the finals, Shelbayh and Butvilas had a tall task ahead, facing the 2020 Orange Bowl Boys' 16s Doubles Champions, Nicholas Godsick and Ethan Quinn. Shelbayh and Butvilas dominated the match from start to finish, however, claiming the title from the defending 16s doubles champs in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.
The Gator freshman also competed in singles competition, advancing to the second round with a win over ITF junior No. 57 player, Adam Jurajda, 6-2, 7-6 (5), before dropping his next match to the eventual singles runner-up and No. 2-seed, Bruno Kuzuhara.
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
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