Eddie Herr 2007 G1 ITF

Da grande Collete Lewis e do seu blog http://tenniskalamazoo.blogspot.com/ chegam as primeiras reacções à vitória de Gastão Elias no Eddie Herr e que aqui trazemos com a devida referência, foto incluída.

"There was no controversy in the boys' 18s final, with 17-year-old Gastao Elias of Portugal dominating qualifier Alex Domijan 6-1, 6-2. Expecting an interesting contrast of style (Elias) and power (Domijan), most of the hundreds of fans packing the bleachers were instead treated to a serving exhibition by Elias, who admitted that he played "a perfect match.""I was holding my service games very easily and it helped me very much," said Elias, who trains at Bollettieri and is represented by IMG.

"I could spend more energy in the returning game."Domijan's serve had helped him to eight wins over the course of the week, but Elias had little trouble with it, which gave time to maneuver the 6-foot-6 inch Saddlebrook student around the court.

Domijan chipped in with plenty of unforced errors, which kept him from getting into the rhythm that carried him past a raft of good players."I thought I played all right," said Domijan, who once again had a large contingent of supporters from Saddlebrook Prep in attendance, this time with a large poster with his last name writ large.

"He got a lot of balls in play, and he doesn't really miss, at all. Doesn't miss first serves either."Elias recently won an ITF Men's event in Mexico, and he conceded that with a win on that next level, pressure can increase when returning to play juniors.

"I dealt with some pressure in the beginning; I knew I had to play good," said No. 9 seed Elias, who lost only one set in the tournament, in the second round. "But I relaxed and played my game."