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The @USTAMidAtlantic Elite DMV & @USTACaribbeanpr Pirates Are @USTA Junior Team National Champs!

Posted by Admin on October 16, 2016
Posted in: Junior Team Tennis, Junior Tennis, USTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

The USTA Mid-Atlantic Elite DMV & Caribbean Pirates Are @USTA Junior Team National Champs

elite-dmv-adrianna-peradoza

October 16, 2016 – Adrianna Peradoza  (Photo: Jennifer Pottheiser / USTA)

CAYCE, S.C. – The USTA Mid-Atlantic’s Elite DMV squad proved too tough for a game USTA Midwest team from The Racquet Club of Columbus in the championship match of the 2016 USTA U14 Junior Team Tennis National Champions, 58-31, in the Advanced final played at the Cayce Tennis Center on Sunday.

In the Intermediate Final, the USTA Caribbean Section team Pirates Squad got by the USTA Middle States team the Delaware Nightmare, 53-38, to capture its first national title.

“We’re definitely excited to be national champs,” said Elite DMV Coach Malcolm Greene. “We were committed this goal from the start and the kids saw it through. We won every match today and we stayed focused as a team. We’ve definitely grown since last year.”

trinity-grear-dmv-10-16-16

Trinity Grear Photo: Jennifer Pottheiser/USTA

MVPs for the DMV included Mikeal Carpenter and Trinity Grear on the boys’ side, and Adrianna Peradoza on the girls’ side. “Those guys did everything they were asked to do and proved too good today,” Greene said.

Grear defeated Trevor Ball, 6-3, 6-0, in boys’ singles and Peradoza won her match in girls’ singles over Madeline Atway, also in straight sets.

“This was the farthest any team from Columbus has ever gotten so we’re proud,” said RCC Coach Guy Parks, who will also have an 18-and-Under team from his club competing at Nationals next weekend. “Sure it would have been nice to win, but we’ll take the runner-up every time we come.”

Columbus team members included: Dean Atway, Griffin Biernat, Madeline Atway, Caroline Sproule, Ball, Katherine Wang, Ella Hazelbaker, and Pavan Uppu. ,

Other Elite DMV team members besides Peradoza, Grear and Carpenter included: Taj Byrom, Moriah McDonald, Langston Williams, Origen Grear, Mya Spencer, Yvonne Lopez, Kai Goodall, and Clervie Ngounoue.

caribbean-pirates-squad-top-player-valeria-gonzalez

Valeria Gonzalez (Photo: Jennifer Pottheiser/USTA

Coached by Juan Sauri, the Intermediate Caribbean Pirates Squad from San Juan were led by singles players Valeria Gonzalez and Derec Rodriguez and the strong doubles play all weekend by Edgardo Piovanetti.

“We heard people saying they were surprised we did so well because we are just a small island,” Sauri said. “We really showed people that we could really play.”

Pirates Squad team members included: Gonzalez, Jean Legrand, Adele Fernández, Sara Forastieri, Rodriguez, Ignacio Zorrilla, Roberto Agresar, Maria Díaz, Piovanetti, and Albert Fernández.

Taking third place in the Advanced division was the USTA Southern ATL Fire as they got past the Caribbean Wild Card Torrimar II team, 53-25. Capturing third in Intermediate was Northern California (Willow Glen) as they beat the Missouri Valley team from the Tulsa Tucker Tennis Academy, 53-31.

ADVANCED RESULTS

Championship

Mid-Atlantic (DMV Elite) def. Midwest (RCC), 58-31

Third-Fourth Place

Southern (ATL Fire) def. Caribbean WC (Torrimar II), 53-25

Fifth-Sixth Place

Middle States (RED Warriors) def. Caribbean (Torrimar III), 48-44

Seventh-Eighth Place

Missouri Valley (MAC West def. Northern California (Golden Gate Park), 46-45

Ninth-10th Place

Northern WC (BLS) def. Northern (Fridley), 57-35

11th-12th Place

Southern WC (NC Panthers)* def. Middle States WC (Allegheny Aces), 48-26

*-The Cary, N.C., Panthers automatically finishes 12th due to ineligibility.

Advanced Sportsmanship Awards

Girls: Olive Maunupau – USTA NorCal (Golden Gate Park)

Boys: Tie: Trevor Ball – USTA Midwest (Racquet Club of Columbus); Ethan Lee – Middle States (RED Warriors).

Team Spirit Award: USTA Southern Wild Card (Charlotte, N.C.) Kaelan VanCleeff, Henry Hutton, Kondwani Patterson, Bennett Turner, Libby McGivern, Maggie Gehrig, Elyse Duley.

Best Team Banner Award: USTA NorCal (Golden Gate Park): The Golden Gate Park team is coached by Louis Maunupau and features team members Olive Maunupau, Daisy Maunupau, Callie Tzab, Daniel Gaffney, Max Belandres, and Michael Medina.

 
INTERMEDIATE RESULTS

Championship

Caribbean (Pirate Squad) def. Middle States (Delaware Nightmare), 53-38

Third-Fourth Place

Northern California (Willow Glen) def. Missouri Valley (Tucker Tennis Academy), 53-31

Fifth-Sixth Place

Eastern (World Gym Blue) def. New England (MadRackets), 52-38

Seventh-Eighth Place

Midwest (RCC) def. Northern (BLS), 46-33

Ninth-10th Place

Southern (CTP Cardinals) def. Mid-Atlantic (Racquet Scientists), 50-45

11th-12th Place

Hawaii Pacific (Mililani Monster Tennis) def. Southern California (Sunshine Aces G6), 47-31

13th-14th Place

Southwest (Cramer’s 14s) def. Pacific Northwest (ETC Survivors), 46-45

15th-16th Place                                                                    

Southern WC (Paces Club) def. Texas (Spring Branch TC), 58-25

Intermediate Sportsmanship Awards

Girls: Carina Holguin: USTA Texas (Spring Branch) 

Boys: Chaz Nagasawa: USTA Hawaii (Mililani Monster Tennis)

Team Spirit Award: USTA Texas (Spring Branch) Coached by Kuda Sengai and features team members: Malachi Farley, Andres Garza, Dylan Roseberry, Ben Young, Carissa Holguin, Carina Holguin, Alyssa Baum, Kamryn Sanchez, Jodi Glenn, Riley Glenn.

Best Team Banner Award: USTA Hawaii (Mililani Monster Tennis) Coached by Walter Balignasay and features team members: Alexander Santa Cruz, Chaz Nagasawa, Jacob Kuklok, Zachary Young, Niya Barbary, Jaeden Chang, Katie Nishimura, and Sheela Nair.

Visit the USTA Junior Team Tennis website at ustajtt.com for complete results, stories and photos.

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.@RajeevRam to Defend @TennisHalloFame Title in July

Posted by Admin on May 28, 2016
Posted in: ATP, International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

 

Johnson

Marcos Baghdatis, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Ivo Karlovic, Steve Johnson, and Defending Champion Rajeev Ram to compete in Hall of Fame Tennis Championships

NEWPORT, R.I., May 27, 2016 – When the ATP World Tour comes to Newport, R.I. in July for the first stop of the summer season in the United States, the player field will feature a Grand Slam tournament finalist, several players ranked among the world top-50, a group of the world’s brightest young stars, and Newport fan favorites who have seen success on the International Tennis Hall of Fame grass courts previously.

Marcos Baghdatis, a dynamic player from Cyprus who has been ranked as high as world No. 8 and was runner up at the 2006 Australian Open, is set to make his first appearance in Newport. Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis has recently committed to Newport, joining a previously announced group of rising stars in the player field, including Americans Taylor Fritz and Jared Donaldson. The third-highest ranked American Steve Johnson will make his third appearance in Newport, where he was a quarterfinalist in 2014. Defending champion Rajeev Ram will return to Newport, along with last year’s runner up Ivo Karlovic, a big serving pro who is currently ranked world No. 28.

newport official site

Additional players for the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships are still to be named. The tournament will be played July 10 – 17. Tickets are available now on HallofFameTennisChampionships.com.

“There is a lot of variety in the player field for this year’s tournament,” commented Tournament Director and Hall of Fame CEO Todd Martin. “I think it will be a great experience for fans to see some amazing young talent competing against some of the tour’s more prolific veteran players like Marcos Baghdatis and Ivo Karlovic.”

Jared Donaldson

Donaldson

He continued, “Also, we’re really working to build an enhanced fan experience in Newport this summer, and that combined with this player field will offer a fantastic week of tennis.”

Fans will enjoy several new amenities at this year’s tournament, notably an entirely new South Grandstand, featuring individual flip down seating rather than the previously used benches. The viewing experience of the tournament will also be significantly enhanced with the addition of videoboards in the stadium and Hawk-Eye replay – an electronic line calling system. Additionally, as a result of the Hall of Fame’s recent expansion and renovation projects, the tournament now has more space to work with and will offer an expanded fan zone featuring a tennis demo court and new on-site dining options.

Special events top off the ATP action, including tennis clinics for both juniors and adults throughout the week, Alex and Ani Ladies Day on Thursday, July 14, and a new event – PowerShares Legends Newport on Sunday, July 17. PowerShares Legends Newport offers a unique opportunity to see tennis legends back in action in a special one-day tournament. The field will feature Andy Roddick, James Blake, Marat Safin, and a fourth player to be named. It’s a particularly special weekend for Safin to compete, as the two-time Grand Slam tournament champion will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on the day prior.

Tickets for the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, as well as the PowerShares event and the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are on sale now on www.HallofFameTennisChampionships.com.

ABOUT THE PLAYERS

Marcos Baghdatis Signing Autographs 2015 ATP Atlanta

Baghdatis 

Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus is currently ranked world No. 39 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Always an exciting player to watch, Baghdatis has been a staple of the ATP World Tour since the early 2000s and he has been ranked within the top-100 in the year-end rankings for 11 straight years. Baghdatis has had some big wins this season, most notably at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where he was a finalist. In 2006, Baghdatis was the runner up at the Australian Open. That same season, he reached a career high of world No. 8 and won his first career title with a victory at the China Open. Baghdatis is one of the most successful Davis Cup players of all time, and he has been a dedicated Cyprus Davis Cup team member since he made his debut in 2000 as a 14-year-old. Earlier this year, he won his 36th straight Davis Cup match, surpassing the record for longest singles winning streak, which was previously held by Bjorn Borg at 33 matches.

Rajeev Ram returns to Newport as defending champion, having defeated Ivo Karlovic in a close final last year, 7-6(7), 5-7, 7-6(2). It was Ram’s second career title, as he also won the Newport title in 2009. Ram also won the Newport doubles title that year (w/ Jordan Kerr) – one of his eight career doubles titles. Ram is currently ranked world No. 70, and he has been ranked as high as world No. 56, which he achieved in April of this season. In February of this season, Ram was the runner up at the Delray Beach Open.

Newport fan favorite Ivo Karlovic returns for a sixth appearance at the event, where he has seen great success in recent years. Karlovic was the runner up in 2015 and 2014, and in 2013 he was a quarterfinalist. Karlovic stands at 6’11” and is known for his powerful serve which has been clocked as high as 156 mph. He has a career total of 10,624 aces to date, making him the all-time record holder for career aces and one of just two players in the sport’s history to surpass 10,000 aces. Karlovic has won six ATP World Tour titles, with his most recent victory coming at the 2015 Delray Beach Open. He is currently ranked world No. 28.

American Steve Johnson, who is the third-highest ranked American player and current world No. 34 returns to Newport for the fourth straight year. He was a quarterfinalist at the event in 2014. This season, Johnson has advanced to the third round at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and the Miami Open. Johnson has been active on the ATP World Tour for just four seasons, following a highly successful collegiate career at University of Southern California, where he won the NCAA Singles Championship in both 2011 and 2012. This season, Johnson has advanced to the third round at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and the Miami Open.

Rounding out the recent commitments to the Newport player field is an exciting young Australian player, Thanasi Kokkinakis, who is making his Newport debut. Kokkinakis began actively competing on the ATP World Tour in 2014, closing that first season out inside the world top-150. Last year, he broke into the world top-100, reaching a career high ranking of world No. 69, in a season that saw him qualify for six ATP World Tour events, advance to the fourth round at Indian Wells, and the third round at the French Open. Kokkinakis has notched big wins against several top-50 players including Bernard Tomic, Ernest Gulbis, and Juan Monaco. Kokkinakis has been out for the entire 2016 season to date following shoulder surgery, but is prepping to return.

For additional information about the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, please visit www.HallofFameTennisChampionships.com

—A. McLaughlin, Tennis Hall of Fame

NATION’S TOP TEAMS TO COMPETE AT 2014 USTA JR. TEAM TENNIS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN CAYCE, S.C.

Posted by Admin on October 14, 2014
Posted in: Junior Team Tennis, Junior Tennis, USTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

NATION’S TOP TEAMS TO COMPETE AT 2014 USTA JR. TEAM TENNIS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN CAYCE, S.C.

14U Intermediate Mid-Atlantic, Alexandria VA

14U Intermediate Mid-Atlantic, Alexandria VA

14U Intermediate Southern, Woodstock GA

14U Intermediate Southern, Woodstock GA

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., – The United States Tennis Association (USTA) today announced the 2014 USTA Jr. Team Tennis National Championships will be played on Oct. 17-19 for the 14 and Under division and Oct. 24-26 for the 18 and Under division. The tournament, which will be held at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center in Cayce, S.C., will feature the top 64 teams from across the U.S., totaling more than 500 participants.

The National Championships feature teams that have advanced from the Section level to compete for the title. Each year the USTA crowns a national champion in two age divisions (14U and 18U) in both Intermediate and Advanced play divisions.

“The National Championships are the culmination of the Jr. Team Tennis season and bring together the best teams from the 17 sections,” said Craig Jones, Director, USTA Junior. Play. “Not only is the level of competition incredible, but the kids are treated like royalty throughout the event with free meals, player parties and that famous “Southern Hospitality.”

This is the third year that the Cayce Tennis Center will host to the USTA Jr. Team Tennis National Championships. In addition, a second tennis facility, the Lexington County Tennis Complex, also will be utilized to serve the hundreds of players competing each weekend.

“We are thrilled to have so many young people and their families coming to our international award-winning tennis and fitness facility in the City of Cayce again this year,” said Cayce Mayor Elise Partin. “Many of our Cayce residents and residents across the Midlands enjoy this facility, and we couldn’t be more pleased to share it with other families across the nation for these upcoming USTA events.”

Established in 1991, USTA Jr. Team Tennis provides youth with all of the health and social benefits of tennis in a co-ed, fun and competitive team environment, and allows participants to compete with and against individuals of similar skill and age levels.

With more than 99,000 players competing nationwide, USTA Jr. Team Tennis brings players together to enjoy camaraderie and teamwork, providing a fun environment for kids to learn that succeeding is really more about how they play the game—win or lose.

Visit the USTA Jr. Team Tennis website at ustajtt.com for complete results, stories and photos.

14U Advanced Midwest, Wheaton IL

14U Advanced Midwest, Wheaton IL

—S. Pratt

2014 NCAA Tennis Kick-Off at Southern Inter-Collegiate Championships in Athens, GA

Posted by Admin on September 23, 2014
Posted in: NCAA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

2014 NCAA Tennis Kick-Off at Southern Inter-Collegiate Championships in Athens, GA

Jeff McMillan, Tennis East Coast

 

ncaa-tennis-logo

 

September 21, 2014–The 2014-2015 college tennis officially kicked off this past weekend in various fall individual tournaments. The dual (team vs team) season will begin in January, but in the fall, college tennis players compete in individual events that help their rankings and prepares their teams for the grueling season ahead. It is the only collegiate sport to have two full seasons (fall and spring).

The major tournament of the past weekend was the Southern Intercollegiate Championships in Athens, Georgia at the University of Georgia’s Dan Magill tennis center, which is the premier college tennis facility in the country. Players from various schools around the south competed in 3 flights of singles with the Division 1 draw being the premier draw of this tournament.

There were many storylines during the weekend results. Freshman Aleks Vukic from Australia showed up in his collegiate debut representing the Fighting Illini of Illinois. Vukic knocked of hometown UGA senior star Nathan Pasha 1-6 6-2 7-5 in the round of 16 in a surprising result showing that Vukic will be a name to watch this season. Vukic eventually fell in the semis to Oklahoma Sooner sophomore Alexandru Ghilea of Romania. Ghilea had a very interesting year last year as a freshman at OU. He started the year with big expectations but found himself outside of the top 6 for most of the year. As the year wound down, however, OU started to struggle at the 5 and 6 positions, which was putting their national title chances on hold. Ghilea was inserted at 6 and it made an immediate impact for the Sooners. Ghilea knocked won a 7-6(5) 3rd set breaker vs Karue Sell of UCLA in the clincher that propelled Oklahoma to a big 4-3 upset of many people’s national title favorite UCLA in the final four. Ghilea looks like he has improved dramatically from last year based on his run this weekend to the final in Athens. A runner-up result for Alexandru Ghilea is a very impressive result for a player who played #6 last year. He will be an even bigger contributor to OU this season.

The biggest story of the weekend was Wayne Montgomery taking the title. Montgomery finally made his long- awaited collegiate debut this past weekend. Montgomery, a freshman from South Africa was actually supposed to play for the Georgia Bulldogs last year, but eligibility requirements prevented him from competing in the 2013-2014 season. But this year, Montgomery is ready to instantly become one of the top players in the NCAA. Entering as the 4 seed, Montgomery lost 9 games in total in his first 3 matches, rolling to the semifinals where he would face his first huge test as a college player.

Looming in the semis was top seed Axel Alvarez-Llamas of Oklahoma.

Alvarez-Llamas, the junior from Spain, was one of the top players in the country throughout the season last year. He eviscerated eventual NCAA champ Marcos Giron of UCLA in the NCAA team semifinals in two easy sets, showing what type of player he is. After dropping the first set 1-6, Montgomery came roaring back with the help of the home crowd to claim his first big scalp, knocking off Alvarez-Llamas 1-6 6-0 6-3. Montgomery won the championship by beating Ghilea 6-1 3-6 6-2 in the final and cementing himself as a top NCAA player.

This regional tournament (full draw here) served as a good primer for the upcoming college season. College tennis fans will have their appetites whet even more with the national individual event in Tulsa beginning in late September.

What Would @IvoKarlovic Do (With Twitter Trolls)?

Posted by Admin on July 10, 2014
Posted in: ATP, Newport. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Earlier today, after defending champ Nicolas Mahut lost his quarterfinal match against Sam Groth at the Hall of Fame Championships in Newport, he got a hate tweet. How did Nico deal with it? He tweeted it out, surely invoking the wrath of his fans against the angry loser of a bet.

Right after I saw that tweet, it was time to speak with 2 seed Ivo Karlovic. Now Karlovic is one of the funniest guys on twitter. But twitter clearly has a dark downside as well. So what would Dr. Ivo do when someone trolls him on twitter?

“There is a lot of them because they are betting and then when they lose the money, they are angry, but they should be angry at themselves, not at me. Usually, if it’s really mean, I block them, or I just answer about their mamas.”

Keep on tweetin’, Ivo!

And I don’t think you’ll have to block these girls anytime soon.

Karlovic Selfie

Australia’s @SamGroth Reaches 1st ATP Semifinal With Superb Serve and Volley Attack @TennisHalloFame

Posted by Admin on July 10, 2014
Posted in: ATP, Newport. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Australia’s @SamGroth Reaches 1st ATP Semifinal With Superb Serve and Volley Attack @TennisHalloFame

Sam Groth

Nico Mahut

Sam Groth was called “the forgotten man of Australian Tennis” a few years back on a tennis fan site. He won’t be forgotten in Newport, as he made his first career ATP singles semifinal today by knocking out defending champ Nicolas Mahut. Groth executed a superb serve and volley attack plan to stun the Frenchman today. After the match, Groth reflected on his time away from the game, his faith in Coach Ben Mathias of the Australian Tennis Federation and the new faces of Australian tennis. On Saturday, Groth faces Ivo Karlovic for a spot in Sunday’s final.

Nico Mahut

Groth, Newport

Glamour Shots

Glamour Shot

Pro Debut Interview With Clay Thompson @TennisHalloFame

Posted by Admin on July 8, 2014
Posted in: ATP, Newport. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , .

Pro Debut Interview With Clay Thompson @TennisHalloFame
Stephan Fogleman, Tennis East Coast

UCLA’s Clay Thompson was in great spirits and thrilled to play his ATP Main Draw Debut on the grass courts of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships yesterday.

There was just one nagging question.

Why, oh, why did I have to draw Stevie Johnson?

It was as if the PAC-12 moved to Rhode Island for a day and I almost expected the Rose Bowl Parade to march down Bellevue Avenue in Newport. In the end, former USC phenom Johnson and his trove of pro tour experience was too much for Thompson in a 6-1, 6-2 loss. That said, we expect to see Clay winning plenty of matches on the tour in the near future.