BRADENTON — The Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championship isn’t for the novice tennis player.
You must have exceptional skill and experience to make any noise in the event. Just ask Alexandria Stiteler and Carter Lin.
Stiteler, 13, advanced to the quarterfinals of the girls’ 12-year-old division last year, and Lin, 13, reached the round of 16 in the boys’ 12s.
“Last year in the quarters it was really windy, and I was going for too much,” said Stiteler, who trains at Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy at IMG Academies and moved to Bradenton from Massachusetts a year ago. “I learned I needed to get a topspin game, and I needed to have more of a spin serve. It’s better than it was.”
It’s a year later, and the Eddie Herr tournament gets under way at 8 a.m. Saturday with the main draws of the boys and girls 12s divisions. The older age divisions start in the days thereafter, with the tournament concluding Dec. 6.
This year, Stiteler, who won the Prince Cup and was a finalist in the Orange Bowl 12s a year ago, will play up in the tournament, competing in the 16s division.
Stiteler said she likes the challenge.
It will also give her a chance to fine tune her first-serve percentage, because if she’s accurate on her initial serve, it will put her opponents on their heels. Stiteler is looking to improve her consistency with her all-around game, too.
“I’ll get better competition,” said the eight-grader. “I’ve played most of the kids in the 14s, and I’d rather just really have a hard match. I’m not worried about winning. I want to get better.”
Lin, also a student at the Bolletierri Tennis Academy, hopes to improve as well. Lin is making his fourth appearance in the Eddie Herr, with his best finish coming last year when he bowed out in the round of 16.
Lin, who was a finalist in the Prince Cup and Super National 12s Tournament last year, is playing in the boys 14s bracket.
“I feel like I’ve grown some and have gotten more powerful,” Lin said. “I’ve worked on more consistency, and my patience has gotten a lot better.”
Around 1,000 of the highest-ranked juniors in the world in the 12s, 14s, 16s and 18s brackets have descended on IMG Academies in full anticipation of the Eddie Herr, but Stiteler and Lin said they have a distinct advantage over their opponents.
“People coming from other countries, they have to deal with the time change and all of that,” Lin said. “We are here, and we are ready and know the surroundings and the tennis courts.”
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