Seby loses in straight sets in final

They have played against each other since they were 8 or 9 years old, and Thursday's championship match at the Copper Bowl junior tennis tournament was their 12th meeting.

With a strong net game and powerful ground strokes, Ge prevailed 6-4, 6-3 in the boys 14-and-under division at Hilton El Conquistador Resort.

It was only the second time he had beaten Seby.

"Normally, I hit a lot of passing shots when I play against him," said the second-seeded Seby, who was playing in his fifth Copper Bowl and was the only local player left on the final day of the tournament, which drew more than 900 players from around the country.

"He's really good at the net," Seby said of Ge, who was seeded third. "He has that reach. He's really good. I was a little off today. The key is to normally attack his backhand."

Ge, a 13-year-old eighth-grader, said he last beat Seby in February of last year, but Seby had won the last two meetings.

Ge said the key to defeating Seby, a seventh-grader at Basis Middle School who trains at El Conquistador, is to take the pace off the ball.

"His shots are really low, so it's hard to bend down to get them," said Ge, who is six days older than Seby.

Before the championship match, Seby, 13, had yet to lose a set in his six tournament matches. He began playing in the 14-and-under bracket last year, and reached the round of 32 after he placed third in the 12-and-under division in 2008.

Still shorter than most of his opponents at around 5 feet, Seby said he has grown more comfortable in 14-and-under tournaments. Ge said he is 5 feet 8 inches and showed a strong serve, though he said he didn't execute it well until late in the match.

"They're all a lot bigger than me," Seby said about his opponents. "They all have big serves and big forehands, so it's tougher.

"It's tough, but it's a learning experience. I'll get over it and try harder to win next time."

Seby also reached the finals in doubles as the second seed with Jared Aldor from Vail. They lost 8-6 to sixth-seeded David Parker and Alexander Santiago from South Carolina.

In earning his first big tournament victory, Ge said he was well rested after his previous two opponents in the Copper Bowl retired because of injury. He finished fourth at Mike Agassi's No Quit Championships in September in Las Vegas.