131 Youth Tennis Players Flock to Shreveport for Youth Tennis Classic

SHREVEPORT, La. (April 9, 2024) – The Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Junior Tennis Classic returned this past weekend, April 6-7, for the first time since 2019, and 131 youth tennis players representing 13 states flocked to Shreveport to compete in the USTA National Level 5 Tournament.

Boys and girls from ages 11 to 18 played in the tournament, and they traveled from various states including Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. 

The tournament featured singles and doubles draws for Boys and Girls in the 12U, 14U, 16U and 18U age groups. Matches were played at Pierremont Oaks Tennis Club and Bill Cockrell Tennis Center. 

The results of the tournament are as follows:

Boys Singles 12U

• Champion: Akshay Prasad (Little Rock, Ark.)
• Runner-Up: Jude Romero (Baton Rouge, La.)
• 3rd Place: Grayson Moran (Mandeville, La.)
• 4th Place: Wilton Pfifer (Baton Rouge, La.)

Boys Singles 14U

• Champion: Alexander LaFrance (Little Rock, Ark.)
• Runner-Up: Sebastian Tomlin (Spring, Texas)
• 3rd Place: Parker Bryan (Baton Rouge, La.)
• 4th Place: Henry Hiatt (Cumming, Ga.)

Boys Singles 16U

• Champion: Harrison Deer (Rogers, Ark.)
• Runner-Up: Andrew Delello (Tupelo, Miss.)
• 3rd Place: Ian Wu (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
• 4th Place: Everette Minshew (Russellville, Ala.)

Boys Singles 18U

• Champion: Stefan Karatosic (Aventura, Fla.)
• Runner-Up: Lucas Wrigley (Ocean Springs, Miss.)
• 3rd Place: Jonah Becker (Little Rock, Ark.)
• 4th Place: Caden Highfill (Little Rock, Ark.)

Girls Singles 12U

• Champion: Anna Rico (Little Rock, Ark.)
• Runner-Up: Neeli Buchireddy (Bentonville, Ark.)
• 3rd Place: Ava Silvers (Robinson, Texas)
• 4th Place: Evie Heyward (Denham Springs, La.)

Girls Singles 14U

• Champion: Rachel French (Birmingham, Ala.)
• Runner-Up: Merrill Eglin (Baton Rouge, La.)
• 3rd Place: Georgia King (North Little Rock, Ark.)
• 4th Place: Camila Nunes Da Costa (Katy, Texas)

Girls Singles 16U

• Champion: Ali Tisdale (Alpharetta, Ga.)
• Runner-Up: Grace Delello (Broussard, La.)
• 3rd Place: Caroline Jones (North Little Rock, Ark.)
• 4th Place: Kendl Klinge (Spring, Texas)

Girls Singles 18U

• Champion: Glennah Langford (Cave Springs, Ark.)
• Runner-Up: Stella de Vera (Rogers, Ark.)
• 3rd Place: Haylen Hughes (Royse City, Texas)
• 4th Place: Khloe Wade (Tyler, Texas)

Boys Doubles 12U

• Champion: Jude Romero/Grayson Moran
• Runner-Up: Lorenzon Garcia/Aiden Li

Boys Doubles 14U

• Champion: Ryan Herrington/Jack Herrington
• Runner-Up: Sebastian Tomlin/Stefan Tomlin

Boys Doubles 16U

• Champion: Jackson McCrory/Jackson Belcher
• Runner-Up: Harrison Deer/Everette Minshew

Boys Doubles 18U

• Champion: Thomson Maner/John David McCrory
• Runner-Up: Holden Hoskins/Mitchell Spence

Girls Doubles 12U

• Champion: Anna Rico/Stella Johansson
• Runner-Up: Neeli Buchireddy/Evie Heyward

Girls Doubles 14U

• Champion: Merrill Eglin/Sloane Marks
• Runner-Up: McAllister Morrow/Camila Nunes Da Costa

Girls Doubles 16U

• Champion: Ali Tisdale/Caroline Jones
• Runner-Up: Lauren Longmire/Kendl Klinge

Girls Doubles 18U

• Champion: Natalie Sin/Camile Loria
• Runner-Up: Ellie Lake/Stella de Vera

The 2024 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Junior Tennis Classic was supported by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission, USTA, Louisiana Tennis Association, Carter Credit Union, Coca-Cola Bottling United, CB&T, Dillas Quesadillas, Dogwood Ranch & Farm, Honeybaked Ham, On the Geaux Catering, Raising Cane’s, SOBO Promotions, Steve Craig and Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux.

ABOUT THE RADIANCE TECHNOLOGIES INDEPENDENCE BOWL™

Established in 1976, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl™ is college football’s 11th most-historic bowl game and celebrated its 47th edition on Saturday, December 16, 2023. The Texas Tech Red Raiders defeated the California Golden Bears, 34-14. The Independence Bowl Foundation announced a one-year extension with Radiance Technologies – ensuring they will be the title sponsor through 2025. The bowl’s conference, team, and television agreements also run through the 2025 season. Army West Point is slated to match up against the Pac-12 Conference in 2024, and the Big 12 Conference is lined up to face Conference USA in 2025.

The Independence Bowl Foundation is prevalent in the Shreveport-Bossier City area throughout the year, hosting events to help enhance the economic impact and growth of our community. The Mission of the Independence Bowl is to attract and provide quality, nationally recognized football competition oriented to the Ark-La-Tex region. For more information, visit RadianceTechnologiesIndependenceBowl.com or follow the bowl on Facebook, X and Instagram at @IndyBowl.