Viking Junior Tour 2008 in Winnetka

MATT GARAVAGLIA
MARCH 1, 2008
WINNETKA, IL

The Viking Junior Tour wound up its season with a fantastic turnout in Chicago.

With the final junior tournament being played for this great season the kids made sure they left nothing behind.  With 3 different age groups the kids played on one of the perfect paddle day for hours and made lots of new friends and fans of what can only be a bright future for platform tennis.  When all the round robins were finished we had 3 exciting finals; in the 14 and under Fitz Bowen and Ryan Rikter defeated Mitch Granger and Peter Wiggin 6-2, 6-4.  The boys 12 final took 3 sets and over an hour to see Clark Hough and Keegan Filkin defeat Alex Grant and Jonathan Benedetto 5-7, 6-4, 7-5.  Of course with all this drama how about an hour and forty five minutes of team work in 10 and under as Luke Massar and Jackson Smyth defeated Andrew and Nathan Wiggin 6-7(5), 6-4,7-6(12). 
This tournament was only as good as it was because of what the Viking Junior Tour has not only become but the hard work Viking has done to make the sport what it is and the youth of Chicago paddle says thanks and we cannot wait till next season.

Finalists in the 10 & under bracket	Finalists in the 12 & under bracket
Luke Massar & Jackson Smyth (Lake Forest) defeated Andrew & Nathan Wiggin (Hinsdale) in a third-set tiebreaker that ended 14-12.	Alex Grant & Jonathan Benedetto lost to Keegan Filkin & Clark Hough in a three-set final.
Finalists in the 14 & under bracket
Peter Wiggin (Hinsdale) & Mitch Granger (Gurnee) lost 6-2, 6-4 to reigning champs Fitz Bowen and Ryan Rickter.