Oliver Hernandez Wins Boys' 12U Title at IMG Academy Open in Three-Set Final

No. 3 seed Nolan Oliver Hernandez captured the Boys' 12 & Under singles title at the Level 5 IMG Academy Open, held January 31 through February 2 at IMG Academy's Bollettieri Tennis Program in Bradenton, FL. Oliver Hernandez won two consecutive three-set matches to close the tournament, taking the first set in each before being pushed to a match tiebreak.

Oliver Hernandez Takes the Title in Three

The final between No. 3 seed Oliver Hernandez and No. 4 seed Reed Barnwell went the distance. Oliver Hernandez took the first set 6-2, but Barnwell fought back to level the match by taking the second 6-4. Oliver Hernandez was decisive in the match tiebreak, pulling away 10-4 to claim the title.

Two Dramatic Semifinals

Oliver Hernandez's semifinal against No. 5 seed Eric Lopez followed the same pattern as the final. Oliver Hernandez took a tight first set 7-5, but Lopez leveled the match with a commanding 6-1 second set. The match tiebreak went down to the wire before Oliver Hernandez edged it 10-8.

In the other semifinal, Barnwell needed a first-set tiebreak to get past unseeded Ari Gershman, winning it 7-6(7). From there, Barnwell was dominant in the second set, winning 6-0 to advance to the final.

Quarterfinal Recap

The quarterfinals were played in a shortened format. Barnwell was the most dominant, dispatching Max Plotkin 4-0, 4-0. Gershman was similarly convincing against Ziheng Wang, winning 4-1, 4-0. Oliver Hernandez advanced past No. 8 seed Benjamin Petersen 4-1, 5-3, while Lopez knocked out Kolt Spanovic 4-2, 4-1.

Full Results

Quarterfinals

Lopez [5] d. Spanovic, 4-2, 4-1

Oliver Hernandez [3] d. Petersen [8], 4-1, 5-3

Barnwell [4] d. Plotkin, 4-0, 4-0

Gershman d. Wang, 4-1, 4-0

Semifinals

Oliver Hernandez [3] d. Lopez [5], 7-5, 1-6, [10-8]

Barnwell [4] d. Gershman, 7-6(7), 6-0

Final

Oliver Hernandez [3] d. Barnwell [4], 6-2, 4-6, [10-4]