December 24, 2012

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli 12-year-old Yshai Oliel won an international tennis tournament that has launched the careers of some of the world’s tennis stars.

Yshai Oliel won the boys under-12 Orange Bowl international tennis tournament on Dec. 22 in Coral Gables, Fla.
 

Previous winners of the tournament include Jimmy Connors, Andy Murray, Jennifer Capriati and Monica Seles. Israeli tennis star Shahar Pe’er won the girls tournament, for under-14, in 2001.

Oliel, of Ramle, becomes the first Israeli boy ever to win the tournament.  He defeated Patrick Sydow of Aruba in the finals. He lost only two games in his first three matches, and lost one set in the tournament, in the semi-final match.

He has been playing tennis for eight years.
 

Help us tell the Jewish story with reporting from around the world. Please donate to JTA.

Click to write a letter to the editor.

This article was made possible by the support of readers like you. Donate to JTA now.