American teens win their first pro title
By Harvey Fialkov
VERO BEACH –Cooper Woestendick and Alexander Razeghi, a couple of 17-year-old Americans, showed that taking out the top-seeds in the second round wasn’t a fluke as the enthusiastic duo won their first professional title Saturday evening in front of a spirited crowd at the Vero Beach Tennis & Fitness Club at Timber Ridge.
The 6-foot-3 lanky Woestendick, who was part of a doubles team to win the Junior Australian Open title in January, earned his first career ranking points this week, as he and Razeghi, his left-handed partner, eked out a 6-4, 4-6 (10-3) victory over Alex, 25, and Miles Jones, 23, of Marina del Rey, Calif., in blustery conditions to capture the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation $15,000 ITF World Tour event.
“It got pretty stressful for a second and then a tiebreaker, but we’re glad we got it done,’’ said Stanford-bound Razeghi, from Humble, Texas, who has won six Gold balls for winning USTA junior National tournaments.
The 6-foot-3 Woestendick from Olathe, Kan., who boasts a huge serve, had never won a pro doubles match in his first two tournaments entered in Wichita the last two years, was thrilled to notch his first ATP doubles singles and doubles ranking points this week.
“It’s cool,’’ Woestendick said of his doubles’ title. “No one can ever take that away from us that we won a professional tournament. Obviously, we both have a good future.”
Woestendick will play junior tennis and an assortment of ITF events in 2023 before heading to Texas Christian University in 2025.
The teens were given advice before the match to not necessarily target the one-handed backhands of the Jones’ brothers, although that’s usually a weakness to attack, especially on serves and high volleys.
“One-handed backhands are usually a weakness, but it was their strength,’’ Razeghi said. “Their one-handed backhands are really good so we couldn’t go to that on important points. They’re really good at net so we knew we had a tough one coming.”
The teens could’ve got down on themselves after getting broken at 4-4 of the second set that eventually extended the match to a 10-point tiebreaker, but they maintained their composure and jumped out to a 6-1 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Woestendick crushed a volley on match point and raised his fist in the air.
“Doubles is all about energy and I was a little too negative today,’’ Woestendick said. “Alex brought me up and we did a good job staying positive in the tiebreaker. Of course, it helped that we were winning the whole time, too.”
The Jones brothers had nothing to hang their heads about as they reached their first pro doubles final and Miles also made it to his first pro singles semifinal before losing to third-seeded Victor Lilov, 6-4, 0-6, 6-1 earlier Saturday.
“It’s been a good week for me, coming back from two wrist surgeries the last couple of years,’’ Miles Jones said. “I’m just happy to be back here playing. Having fun to play with my best friend here, it’s been a great week.”
