Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Boca Raton’s Axel Nefve will play for title
Monica Nefve sat on the top row of the bleachers, her eyes following the tennis ball as it dashed about the court.
Finally, the ball came to a stop. The match was over, and the winner was Axel Nefve. Monica leaned back, breathed a sigh of relief and extended her arms to the sky.
“Sometimes I get nervous,” she said with a smile. “Depends on the score.”
On Saturday, the score was 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 in favor of her 16-year-old son. With the win, Axel advanced to the championship round, where he’ll face Ryan Goetz on Sunday at 9 a.m. at the Delray Beach Tennis Center.
Axel, like his mother, was born in France but now lives in Boca Raton. He is the only Floridian remaining in the Boy’s 18s USTA National Clay Court Championships.
He’s also been one of the most dominant.
And even though Axel enters the final round as a No. 17 seed, he has lost just one set in the six tournament matches he has played.
His mother said he’s feeling confident.
“Sometimes too much,” Monica said. “Yesterday for example. When he’s up and when he’s acing people.
“He knows what he’s doing.”
Even so, Axel struggled early on in Saturday’s match. He looked out of rhythm in the first set against Beiler, a No. 13 seed from New Port Richey who had lost just one set prior to Saturday. Axel quickly fell behind 5-2 and ceded his first set of the tournament.
And then something clicked. Axel jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second set and eventually tied the match. His play continued into the third, where Nefve overpowered Beiler with his serves and outlasted his rallies.
As the five rows of bleachers grew packed with spectators, Axel won the match.
“My confidence level? I would say it’s pretty high,” Axel said after winning his Round of 32 matchup on Wednesday. “I’ve been playing pretty well lately. Starting to get into a groove.”
Axel attributed some of his success to his twomonth trip to Europe earlier this summer, where he competed against other talented junior players. His mother said that experience, where Axel would sometimes play three-hour matches on clay courts, has helped him in this tournament.
“I think [he gained] maturity,” Monica said. “To realize how strong the Europeans were, to play on real red clay, that was the most challenging.” 11-seed 6-1, 6-3. Johns will face Bullard in the finals on Sunday at 10:45 a.m. at the Delray Beach Tennis Center.
In the Boy’s 14s bracket, No. 9-seed Benjamin Kittay defeated No. 11-seed Saud Alhogbani 6-3, 6-1, and Jonah Braswell defeated Bruno Kuzuhara 6-1, 1-6, 7-5. Kittay will face Braswell in the finals on Sunday. For the time and location, visit tennislink.usta.com.