Kriegler Brink of South Africa, an unranked tennis teaching professional at The Moorings Club in Vero Beach, Fla., who hadn’t played a competitive singles match in two years, advanced into the semifinals of the $10,000 Warren Insurance USTA Futures at The Boulevard in Vero Beach Friday night with a thrilling 7-5, 0-6, 7-6 (10-8) win over UCLA standout Daniel Kosakowski of the United States.
Brink saved a match point at 6-7 in the third-set tie-breaker that was also highlighted by a fight between two patrons that caused the eighth point of the tie-breaker to be replayed because of the disruption. Tempers flared as Brink was supported by a vocal group of club members at The Moorings, while Kosakowski small group of friends and supporters tried to counteract the enthusiastic local crowd support for popular teaching pro.
Brink, playing in his first competitive environment since he last played college tennis at Texas Christian University two years ago, will play Daniel Garza of Mexico in Saturday’s semifinals. The other semifinal will pit Gabriel Moraru of Romania against Mitchell Frank of the United States.
“I’ve never seen anything like it in 17 years of running this tournament,” said tournament director Mike Rahaley of Brink, whom he gave a wild-card entry into the tournament. “Kriegler hasn’t played a competitive in two years. He hasn’t even warmed up for three of his matches this week.”
The left-handed Brink was for much of this winter Ivan Lendl’s sparring partner as the Czech Hall of Famer and Vero Beach resident meticulously prepared for his February 28 Madison Square Garden exhibition match with McEnroe, also a lefty.
For more information on the Warren Insurance USTA Futures of Vero Beach at The Boulevard, go to www.theblvdtennisclassic.com
