Every tournament (well, almost every tournament) has a star. At the USTA National Spring Championships, Clint Bowles was that star. It took him nearly two years to win his second USTA Gold Ball, but this time he did it in style. The unseeded sixteen year old took out four seeded players (including No. 1 Marek Czerwinski) on his way to the winner's circle.
Clint was just a toddler in Wyoming when he picked up his first racket. He had no problem taking home the trophies in his section at age twelve. It would be a few more years, however, before he would break into the national events. At the end of 2002 Clint had his best result when he made it to the quarterfinals of the Eddie Herr Internationals. From there it was upwards as he won the singles title (and took doubles third place) at the USTA Super National Claycourts seven months later. He continued his summer reign with a third place finish at the USTA Super National Hardcourts and earned a No. 3 ranking in the Boys 14s in 2003.
While it took awhile before Clint won his second national event, he has been a regular fixture in the quarters & semis of USTA and ITF events. It was not enough to get him seeded at the 2005 USTA National Spring Championships yet he managed to push his way through the draw anyway.
It is obvious that Clint Bowles is not used to receiving all the attention. He was rather reserved during our conversation before the finals, but he did tell me some about what got him to this point.
by Marcia Frost
Q: How did you feel coming into this tournament?A: "I was confident. I didn't think I'd make it this far, but I thought I've been playing well."
