Special from
Zoo Tennis
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INDIAN WELLS, Calif. - It was a week to remember for Bella Payne, Nikolas Stoot, Armira Kockinis and Marcel Latak, who aren't likely to forget the heat, wind and poor air quality that accompanied their titles at last week's 57th annual Easter Bowl.
Girls 18s Champion Bella Payne
© Zoo Tennis
For the unseeded Payne, her 7-5, 6-3 win over No. 9 seed Nadia Valdez in the girls 18s final continued her astounding success at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, where she swept the titles last year in the 16s division. For Stoot, also unseeded, the gold ball he earned with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over unseeded Tyler Lee in the boys 18s final marked his first top three finish at any USTA Level 1 event.
Payne had rolled into the championship match, losing only 14 games in her five victories, including a 6-2, 6-1 win over No. 2 seed JoAnna Kennedy in the quarterfinals. After avenging her loss three weeks earlier to Kennedy Drenser-Hagmann in the semifinals, Payne faced another player who had beaten her in the past month, with Valdez collecting a three-set victory at the UTR Pro Tennis Tour tournament in Atlanta.
