Tennis: Israel's Ulliel, 12, wins Junior Orange Bowl
Ishay Ulliel the first Israeli to win International Tennis Championship for boys under 12
Israel's Ishay Ulliel won the International Tennis Championship, also known as the Junior Orange Bowl, in the boys under 12 category, becoming the first Israeli to take the top spot in a tournament of this scale.
Ulliel, a 7th grader from Ramla is one of Israel's most promising young tennis players and has joined the ranks of Andy Murray, Jimmy Connors and Monica Seles who also won the tournament as teenagers.
On Sunday's finals in Florida, he beat Aruba's Patrick Sydow with the result 3:6 and 1:6.
Israeli tennis star Shahar Peer, the previous girls under 14 world champion, congratulated Ullilel on his win. "It's an amazing achievement," she said.
"It's the first time an Israeli is crowned the boys world champion and he's only 12 years old. I met him a year ago and heard many good things about him. I wish him a bright future."
Celebrations are already underway in Ullilel's hometown of Ramla. "Ishay made history by becoming the world champion for boys under 12," Mayor Yoel Lavi said. "He is a very talented player and a source of pride for the city and the State of Israel."
