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34 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2007 Youngsters after Ontario tennis title Five local youth competing at under-12 provincials in Burlington Five Oakville youngsters have been spending their March Break vying for an Ontario tennis title. Martin Beran, Charlotte Petrick, Evangeline Repic, Laura MacMullin and Kasey Lambert are all competing in the provincial indoor under-12 championships at Burlington's Cedar Springs Health, Racquet & Sportsclub, a tournament that concludes Sunday. Beran, Petrick and Repic each won their opening-round singles matches Wednesday to advance in the championship draw, while MacMullin and Lambert dropped their first contests and were moved into the feed-in draw. Beran, 11, had to make a few adjustments during his three-set victory over Andrew Richards. "In the second set that I lost, he started coming to the net some more and winning points from the net," said the sixthseeded Beran, who prevailed 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. "I started hitting deeper shots so he couldn't come to the net, and that's how I won." The Oakville Christian School student, fully recovered from a broken wrist that cost him a chance to compete in last summer's under-12 outdoor provincials, said he hoped to advance to at least the quarter-final round of this week's tournament. There, he'd likely meet the tournament's top seed, Penfield Binet. "From then, I don't know," said Beran, who was scheduled to face David Volfson in the second round yesterday. Reaching the semifinals of the main draw, or the final of the consolation draw, would mean a berth in the under-12 nationals later this year in Calgary. Beran also expects to do well in doubles competition this week, paired with friend Pranav Yardi of Mississauga. Petrick, 9, recently returned from her winter training program in Florida and opened her tournament with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Bianca Zuzu. She was slated to play seventhseeded Gloria Liang in the second round. Petrick said she has noticed an increase in her power since she began swimming competitively with the Oakville Aquatic Club. Coached by her father, Frank Petrick, Charlotte was part of two Team Ontario under-12 squads (where she was joined by MacMullin and Repic) that competed in tournaments in Toronto and Montreal this past winter. She plans to spend the entire winter next year in Florida in hopes of making the 2008 European Tour. Repic, the third seed in girls' play, easily defeated her first opponent, Toni Ormond, by scores of 6-0, 6-1. She faced Yanna Smaliuk in the second round yesterday. MacMullin fell to second-seeded Carol Zhao in the opening round (6-0, 6-1) and was to play Carine Djaiani in the feed-in draw yesterday, while Lambert dropped a 6-3, 6-3 decision Wednesday to Nancy Baloescu and next faced Isabella Boushey in the feed-in draw. -- Jon Kuiperij PHOTOS BY BARRIE ERSKINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER PROVINCIALS: Martin Beran is one of five Oakville youth competing in the under-12 indoor tennis provincial championships this week at Burlington's Cedar Springs Health, Racquet & Sportsclub. Left, Beran comes to the net during his first-round match Wednesday against Andrew Richards. Above, he unleashes a serve. Other Oakville competitors at the event are Charlotte Petrick, Evangeline Repic, Laura MacMullin and Kasey Lambert. The tournament is scheduled to conclude Sunday.