Mmoh, who had begun the Florida junior swing virtually unknown, changed all that with his appearance in the Eddie Herr final. Three weeks later, having been given a wild card into the main draw of the Junior Orange Bowl and a No. 1 seed, Mmoh claimed one of the most prestigious 12-and-under titles in the world with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over unseeded Oh Chanyeong of Korea.
Mmoh, the son of former ATP professional Tony Mmoh, who reached 105 in the world rankings in 1987, had beaten Chanyeong at the Eddie Herr in the round of 16. But the player he faced today at the University of Miami courts was not one he recognized.
"He really changed his game between this match and the last match," said Mmoh, who credits his coach Tawfiq Moafa, a former student of Tony Mmoh for his recent impressive results. "In this match he started hitting very, very flat and attacking a bit more."
Mmoh is difficult to attack however, as he anticipates well and moves quickly despite his size. Able to return nearly every shot, Mmoh didn't seem to fear Chanyeong's new strategy once he adjusted to it in the second set.
As the Korean cheering section supporting Chanyeong began to get less and less boisterous, Mmoh took control in the final set, hitting more winners and making far fewer errors than the Korean.
After securing the Junior Orange Bowl 12s title, Mmoh was heading out to play some golf before taking a flight back to Saudi Arabia.
Asked if his victory would be big news in that country, Mmoh was realistic in his assessment.
"Not around all of Saudi, but in the tennis community, yes. They know the Orange Bowl."
Michael came from qualification event to reaching the finals of Eddie Herr International Tennis Tournament, and thereafter, was granted a Wild Card into the Orange Bowl Main Draw.
