Update: New Rochelle’s Grantcharova Loses at Quarterfinals at Junior Tennis Championships

5:05 p.m., July 11, 2011: Lilyana Grantcharova lost during the quarterfinals match against Maya L. O'Brien of Orangeburg, 6-0, 6-1.

O'Brien went on to win at finals Monday, 2-6, 7-5 (10-2).

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New Rochelle High School may have a new star player on its girls varsity tennis team this fall—and she’s just 12-years old.

Lilyana Grantcharova, a rising 7th grader at Albert Leonard Middle School, has been competing and winning matches in some of the biggest junior tennis tournaments on the east coast. Friday night, at the BJKNTC Junior Tennis Championships at the USTA National Center in Flushing, Grantcharova won her first round match in the Girls 12-and-under division, advancing with a hard-fought 6-3, 6-3 victory over Kyra Bergmann of Forest Hills.

“They allow people who aren’t in high school yet to play on varsity teams in special circumstances,” said Grantcharova. “I just passed the fitness test portion of playing on the team, so now I have to actually try out in the fall.” 

With the matches at the tournament moved indoors due to persistent rain, Grantcharova said she was satisfied with the change to a slightly quicker court.

“It took me a little bit of time to get used to playing indoors, but I was happy with it,” said Grantcharova. “It can be tough serving into the sun and I might hit far more double faults than usual.”

The match ended up being a style in contrasts, with Grantcharova dictating the pace of the rallies and Bergmann using off-speed groundstrokes to throw the New Rochelle native off her game. Several of the games went to deuce in the first set, but Bergmann was unable to capitalize on her break point opportunities.

A break of serve was all it took in the opening set, with a forehand winner from Grantcharova giving her a 4-2 lead. She rode the lead all the way through, pulling Bergmann several feet wide a strong slice serve on her first set point to take it 6-3.

With several of the rallies going upwards of 20 shots in the second set, tension on the court began to brew. A dispute over line calls led to Grantcharova requesting a line judge at 3-3 in the second set, while the persistence of Bergmann as she ran down shots from the baseline began to wear down the seventh grader.

“I was beginning to get a little bit tired and she was fighting for every point,” said Grantcharova. “I was just telling myself to stay in the rallies more and make her earn every point.”

A long deuce game with Grantcharova serving at 4-3 proved to be the pivotal moment. Bergmann held four break points to level the set, but a series of tentative shots from her allowed Grantcharova to hold for 5-3.

With Bergmann serving to stay in the match, Grantcharova saved her best tennis for the end. A pair of return of serve winners and a strong forehand approach set up three match points. On her first opportunity to close out the match, a backhand long from Bergmann wrapped things up.

Grantcharova said she has been practicing diligently throughout the summer, training several hours a day at Lake Isle in Eastchester, in addition to working individually with her coach and trainer, Kela Simynyola and Kyle Ne. Her workouts would intimidate even the most conditioned of gym rats.

“I do at least 500 jump ropes a day, as well as push-ups, sit-ups and wall-sits,” said Grantcharova. “During the summers, I’ve been practicing with my coach for an hour at 7:00 a.m., and then again with a group of other players from about 12:00-4:00 p.m.”

With a second round match up next against No. 6 Shelly Yaloz against Little Neck, Grantcharova said she feels well prepared for this tournament through all of her efforts off the court.

“The more work you put in beforehand, the better you end up doing in these types of match situations,” said Grantcharova. “It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s always been fun for me.”

The finals of the BJKNTC Junior Tennis Classic Championships are scheduled for Monday night. To follow her progress throughout the tournament, visit the tournament drawsheet here.