Por CBTM
Matters in the Boys' Team event at the Venezuelan Junior Open on Thursday 1st March 2007 went very much according to plan.
Top seeds Eric Mancini and Humberto Manhani of
However, the team to raise the eyebrows was Spain.
Playing in Group Six, Alvaro Robles and Ferran Brugada won a closely fought duel against
Both boys lost to Juan Restrepo but wins against David Umbacia and a doubles success ensured victory.
A hiccup for
Top seeds
Against the Venezuelan's the reverse came in the doubles when Antonio Ascaso and Rafael Correa beat Eric Mancini and Lucas Tatani, whilst against
Eric Mancini was the backbone of Brazilian success. Humberto Manhani lost to Simon Linderoth in the second match of the proceedings but two wins from Eric Mancini and with Humberto Manhani a doubles success, a well earned victory was secured.
Hard Fight
Similarly, second seeds Juan Antonio Víla and Emil Santos were made to fight hard for their top place in the group section of the competition. They beat the
The contest went the full distance. Jorge Campos was the young man to cause the eventual winners problems. He beat both Antonio Víla and Emil Santos but two defeats for Pedro Romero and a Dominican Republic success in the vital doubles saw the latter association emerge victorious.
No Last Match
A tough test for the second seeds but for the third, fourth and fifth seeded teams life was not quite so fraught; no deciding matches were needed.
Third seeds Jing Yang and Shen Qiang of
Sheng Qiang succeeded in both his singles contests and partnered Jiang Yang to doubles success; the one Venezuelan victory came in the opening encounter when Domingo Cordero accounted for Jiang Yang.
Puerto Rican Cause Problems
Meanwhile, fourth seeds
They won by three matches to one with Puerto Rican success coming from Carlos Gracia who overcame Roberto Torres in the second context of the fixture. However, victory for Trent Carter over Ciro Finol, a doubles win and success by the
French in Fast Lane
A few nervous moments for Trent Carter and Ciro Finol but there were no heartaches for the French duo of Clement Drop and Paul Lavergne.
They beat the Venezuelan `D' team of Jondreth Millan, Emmanuel Colme
The top two teams in all six groups progress to the knock-out stage which commences on Friday 2nd March 2007.