EM-MIRYAM Campbell-Smith earned her first USTA (United States Tennis Association) 16 & under title in very unusual fashion on Monday in Florida. The Trinidadian won a best-of-three coin-toss to decide the champion of the Broward Level 6 Fall Classic after heavy rain forced the final to be cancelled. Campbell-Smith had prevailed 8-4 in the quarterfinals and 8-5 in the semifinals the day before to earn a meeting with top seed Zoe Taylor for the crown.
The 14-year-old, who relocated to Florida and joined the HITT Academy just over a year ago, began this season with a bang by winning three 14 & under gold medals and reaching the semis of her other USTA outing in January. Campbell-Smith, who won her first main-draw title a few weeks after leaving Trinidad, then stepped up to the 16 & under category, and after reaching the semifinals of a tournament in late May, she advanced to her first final about six weeks later. The two-time East Zone Classified B division champ flew the red, white and black flag in the Junior Billie Jean Cup at the end of February in Dominican Republic, after she had contested this prestigious under-16 tournament as well as the World Junior Competition for 14 & under players last year.
Campbell-Smith finished last year ranked fourth in COTECC (Central America and the Caribbean Tennis Confederation), and is currently ranked #1,966 in the world 18 & under rankings by the International Tennis Federation (ITF)..
