Long Island Tennis Magazine - September/October 2012 by United Sports Publications, Ltd.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

Witnessing

Wimbledon By Alan Fleishman Since I was 21, tennis has been a central part of my life. This year, I turned 65, and a lot has happened in the intervening years: Marriages, divorces, children, wooden racquets, metal racquets, short shorts, long shorts, white balls, yellow balls, watching, learning, coaching and finally, appreciating all of these things. Living in Florida and turning 65 (the equivalent of having a Bar Mitzvah, since they treat you like a “boy” until then) and watching Wimbledon since Arthur Ashe brilliantly crafted an underdog victory against the sensational Jimmy Connors, champions and runner ups have taken to Center Court to compete for the tennis equivalent of the Holy Grail. Occasionally, personal experiences coincide with chronology. Sitting watching the scores of the Gentlemen’s Doubles, I watched my friend Scott Lipsky reach the quarterfinals, losing to Bob & Mike Bryan in five sets. I watched one of my former student’s son, Noah Rubin, struggle in the juniors, and I watched a titanic struggle between my hero, and perhaps one of the sport’s greatest players and ambassadors, Roger Federer, and a man who carried a nation on his shoulders, Andy Murray ... the veteran against the challenger. It has been a tough year. Normally, I would have been on the phone with my mom, who loved to watch, but never played. Sadly, this year she’s not here to share the recap; such is the circle of life. I am trying to balance skills diminished by time with the untarnished joy of hitting a ball within the lines. Unlike New York, in Florida, the sun shines most of the time, but some of the people I compete against, are more con-

cerned with the lines on their faces than the lines on the court. It is not overly important, since none of us will be invited to compete at the All England Club anytime in the near future. That’s okay, the beer is just as refreshing after the match. What a match. Racquets sound like rifles and the pace sounds like a racing pulse. HDTV makes it even more impressive. To hit one forehand, one pass or one drop shot like that would be tennis heaven. The only shot that I have in common with Federer is the shank/frame that goes out by five yards. I hit that shot with more regularity than he does. Both certainly brought it all to Center Court. We all speak of Novak Djokovic’s coverage, but it seems everything Roger hit in the first set came back with an answer. For those of you too young to remember, Murray’s coach, Ivan Lendl, previously lived through the same crucifixion that the British press leveled against Tim Henman and, before today, Andy Murray. It is possible to be a half-step slower when you are carrying the dreams of the Commonwealth on your back. Of course, Federer had his own demons. How do you rise to the occasion against the calendar? Established, comfortable and a happily married father, how do you find the desire to dig into the corners, leap up for the millionth overhead of your career? As I settled down to watch, I thought of Johnny Mac, Bjorn Borg, Stephan Edberg, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras and all of the other greats who walked out to play on the equivalent of Lourdes for a tennis fan. I also thought of all the high school players who came out and played on a far less famous venue, whether it be courts with cracks that qualify as fault zones against opponents who missed as many shots as they made, but still proved more than a

challenge after a full day at school. I think we witnessed two different matches in the 2012 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Finals—one with the roof open and one with the roof closed. My players didn’t concern themselves with roofs. They played in freezing cold (the outdoor season began in early March), howling winds, courts divided by metal fences rather than tennis nets, and opponents who wanted to win as badly as Murray and Federer. Believe me, I think that the last competitor who walked away a winner was a Federer in his own right, and his opponent was as crushed and deflated as Murray. Hope springs eternal in the human breast, and to see the true sportsmanship and compassion expressed by both men; their understanding of the human condition that says one will win, one will lose. What effort, exertion, athleticism exhibited and the ultimate handshake at the net, the pat on the back and the precious words exchanged at the end really say that there was no loser. Someone came in second. To me, this is why sports holds the promise of a metaphor for a life well lived. Sorry I can’t call, mom. Alan Fleishman has been a devoted fan of tennis since 1969. He won the Town of Hempstead tennis tournament at Newbridge Road Park in 1972 and was runnerup in 1974. He worked as an assistant to the tennis professional in the summer program at Lutheran High School in the early 1970s. While teaching social studies at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, N.Y., he was fortunate to have coached some talented players, but more importantly, some wonderful young men and women during his last seven years at the school. He may be reached by e-mail at gamesetmatch76@aol.com.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

September/October 2012 Volume 4, Number 5 Long Island Tennis Magazine 1220 Wantagh Avenue • Wantagh, NY 11793-2202 Phone: (516) 409-4444 • Fax: (516) 409-4600 Web site: www.litennismag.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS Cover story Cover photo credit: Getty Images/USTA

18 Staff

2012 U.S. Open Preview Previewing the stars as they set to take over New York at the 2012 U.S. Open, with a closer look at the contenders, pretenders, the state of American tennis, what you can learn from the pros at the U.S. Open … the sights, the sounds, the attractions and the pageantry that is the 2012 U.S. Open.

David Sickmen Publisher (516) 409-4444, ext. 309 • david@usptennis.com Joel M. Berman President (516) 409-4444, ext. 310 • joel@usptennis.com Eric C. Peck Editor-in-Chief (516) 409-4444, ext. 312 • eric@usptennis.com Joey Arendt Managing Art Director Jon Blake Advertising Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 301 • jonb@usptennis.com Adam Wolfthal Director of Business Development (516) 409-4444, ext. 330 • adam@usptennis.com Anthony Pastecchi Editorial Coordinator/Reporter (516) 409-4444, ext. 314 • anthony@usptennis.com Emilie Katz Marketing Coordinator Tara Cook Billing Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 324 Beverly Koondel Office Administrator (516) 409-4444, ext. 316 Brent Shearer Editorial Contributor

Kristen Maggio Intern

Kenneth B. Goldberg Photographer

Jenna Poczik Intern

Kristen Kelleher Intern

Jessica Stiles Intern

Advertising To receive any information regarding advertising rates, deadlines, and requirements, call (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com.

Article Submissions/Press Releases To submit any material, including articles and press releases, please call (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com. The deadline for submissions is the first of the month preceding the target issue.

Subscriptions To receive subscription information, contact (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com or check out our Web site: www.litennismag.com. Fax subscription changes to (516) 409-1600. Statements of fact and opinion in Long Island Tennis Magazine are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of United Sports Publications Ltd. Long Island Tennis Magazine reserves the right to edit, reject and/or postpone the publication of any articles, information or data.

Feature Stories 6

The Pros Shine on the Grandest Stage in London at 2012 Olympic Games

14 A Look Back at the 2012 New York Sportimes Season 49 2012 Girls High School Preview

Additional Features 1 3 9 35 36 37 41 45 50 52 53 54

Witnessing Wimbledon By Alan Fleishman BOLT Releases New Light-Head Models Tryouts Set for 2013 USA Maccabiah Tennis Team Introducing Love Tennis by hazel McEnroe, Agassi, Sampras and Rafter to Compete in NASDAQ Indexes Cup at MSG John McEnroe Tennis Academy Honors Eight With Fall Scholarships College Recruiting Videos: How Are They Made? By Jeff Fenton Creating Emotion With Strings by Racquet Art Football Season is Coming Again By Lonnie Mitchel The Yellow Movement: The 3 R’s of Tennis By Daniel Kresh Practicing Success By Miguel Cervantes III My French Open Experience By Dr. Aaron Freilich

Columns 4

Winning Within: The Tennis Player is a Person First and Performer Second By Rob Polishook, MA, CPC

10 Adult League Wrap-Up: Where Has Sportsmanship Gone? By Kathy Miller 16 Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Literary Corner: Winning Tennis Strokes By Bill 30 31 34 38 42 44 46 57 59 62

Longua By Brent Shearer Dr. Tom on the Secret to Making a Prodigy By Dr. Tom Ferraro College Tennis Spotlight By Ricky Becker Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Charitable Initiatives By Teri Mariani Court Six: Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column By Emilie Katz Fitness and Nutrition By Frank Dolan, BS, CSCS & By Irina Belfer-Lehat Tips From the Tennis Pro: Three Secrets to a Better Serve Today By Lisa Dodson USTA Eastern Long Island Region Update Off-the-Court Directory Long Island Rankings USTA/Long Island Region 2012 Tournament Schedule

BOLT Releases

New Head-Light Models BOLT Sports LLC, NY will introduce two new tennis racquet models, a 12-pack racquet bag and related apparel into its product line to coincide with the U.S. Open. The new racquet models, the B98.light and the B100.light, feature ZipStrip, BOLT’s springsuspension design. According to BOLT, the head-light balance of the new racquets makes them easy to swing and makes faster racquet head speeds easier to attain as compared to previous even-balance models. “The combination of faster racquet head speed with stiff BOLT frames and the extra dwell time afforded by our ZipStrips, is a ferocious recipe for extreme-velocity spin, particularly when coupled with polyester type strings,” said BOLT Director Brett Bothwell. The B98.light is for tournament-caliber players seeking a head-light, yet powerful and solid racquet with good feel. B100.light: 100 square inches, 10.5 ounces (strung), three points headlight, 27 inches long The B100.light is suited to a wide range of recreational players, from beginner to semi-pro. The 100.light is easy-to-swing, forgiving and super comfortable.

B98.light: 98 square inches, 11.1 ounces (strung), five points headlight, 27 inches long “The 98.light gets us into the mix with tournament juniors, a critical market for our future growth, and the 100.light has appeal for 3.0 and 3.5 players who are, of course, also critical to our future,” said Bothwell. “The player response to our ZipStrip design has been off the charts, but one certainly can’t

appeal to the entire market from pros to beginners with just a few frames. This introduction is the first of many more ahead as we expand the product line to include a wider range of sizes, weights, and balances, and to cover the full range of player types and playing levels in the future.” For more information, visit www.boltadvance.com or e-mail info@boltadvance.com.

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LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Winning WithinThe Tennis Player is a Person First and Performer Second By Rob Polishook, Mental Training Coach, MA, CPC The tennis player is a person first and a performer second. This idea may seem obvious, since we are all born without a racket in our hands, and when we first walked onto the court to play, we didn’t miraculously change identities—we were the same person. Rafael Nadal, in his book Rafa, says, “Tennis is what I do; it is not who I am.” Yet years later, when we hold that racket in our hands and demonstrate ability in the sport, the way others view us often begins to change the identity from person to player. Simply put, when you walk onto the court, the insecurities, experiences and traumas which you hold as a person do not go away. You carry them onto the court wherever you go. For this reason, it’s imperative to get your personal life in order whenever you hope to play peak performance tennis. It can be helpful to think of your development in sports and life as a tree. A tree starts from a seed where the roots create a foundation, an anchor of sorts. The roots can be

thought of as the person’s values, belief system, cultural orientation, work ethic and soul. Influential people in our lives, like our parents, coaches, friends and extended family, play a role in how our roots grow. For example, by encouraging such traits as moral values, personal confidence, self-belief, personal resiliency and self-empowerment, a person will be better suited to face obstacles, setbacks, and life’s challenges. Jose Higueras stated, in the USTA High Performance Newsletter (Vol. 10, No. 1), “I’m a big fan of trying to make the player as independent as possible.” So remember, junior players … the stronger the root system, the stronger the physical trunk and branches become. The fruits are always a result of the roots. However, these fruits (outcome) often garner more attention than the roots (process). The allure of the fruits often shift the focus away from development and the process. They shift the focus to the outcome and away from how and what needs to happen to achieve the outcome. Yet make no mistake, development all

starts from the seed and the root system. Dr. David Grand, a psychologist and co-author of This is Your Brain on Sports, noted for his work in the field of sports and performance, says, “The foundation is the person—how you play is often a manifestation of yourself, including your weakest and strongest points.” Now, think back to the time you were having a bad practice or match, exhibiting bad body language, or were just not yourself. How much of this could have been a result of a rough day at school, an argument with a friend, parental expectations, or even anxiety about an upcoming tournament? Oftentimes, it is offcourt issues or unrelated stresses that affect performance on the court. Awareness of the complexity of the person-player relationship will help you realize that you’re not a robot! And those off-the-court stresses, experiences, and emotional and physical traumas oftentimes get suppressed in the mind, but the body remembers at the conscious or unconscious level. Another scenario is walking off the court after a heartbreaking loss, dejected and rat-

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18 GOODFRIEND DRIVE E A S T H A M P TO N , N Y

tled. A match where you really felt you should have won, but lost your focus and missed a huge overhead in the third set tie-breaker. You could hear the crowd gasp, as your stomach clutched with embarrassment. Certainly, the next time a big overhead comes up in a match, it’s likely the missed overhead will flash before you like a shooting star. The mind and body remember trauma. Lastly, imagine this: The serve is a huge part of your game; in competition, you tear your rotator cuff, undergo surgery, and have to be sidelined from the game for four months. When you return, people ask how the shoulder is. You reply like a warrior, “It feels great. Never felt better.” However, in practice, you’re afraid to go all out and hit your bombs due to some lingering pain. Then, you change your motion to alleviate the pain. After that you go through a period of excessive double faults. What’s important to understand is that the body remembers any kind of physical trauma, especially injuries and surgeries. The body will try to protect itself from further injury recurrence. Most athletes recover from injuries on a physical level, however healing the mental scars is much more difficult. Carlos Rodriguez, coach of Justine Henin, said it best in The New York Times, “The tennis player is still first a human being. If the human being is going good, feeling good, so will the tennis player.” James Blake, in his book Breaking Back, said, “My greatest professional successes occurred after I faced my most personal challenges … I used to think that was ironic; now I realize that success flows directly from having cleared those hurdles.” In summary, when an athlete crosses the lines, they are still the person and carry issues, experiences and traumas with them. The fruits are a result of the roots. Rob Polishook, MA, CPC is the founder and director of Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group. As a mental training coach he works with athletes and teams of all levels. His work focuses on helping athletes gain the mental edge and letting go of blocks which get in the way of peak performance. He is a USTA Zonal Coach and has spoken and been published for the USTA, USPTA and ITA. Additionally, he has conducted workshops nationally and internationally in India and Israel. He may be reached by phone at (973) 723-0314, e-mail rob@insidethezone or visit www.insidethezone.com.

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The Pros Shine on the Grandest Stage in London at 2012 Olympic Games ust three short weeks before the Olympics, history was made by Roger Federer, taking his record-tying seventh title at Wimbledon. At the age of 31, Roger won his 17th Grand Slam title, giving him the record for most Men’s Singles Grand Slam Championships and vaulting him back to the number one ranking. Approximately 470 hours after that final ended, the first Olympic tennis match was played on the grounds of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, kicking off the 2012 London Olympic Games. The grounds looked different, the standard dark green color was covered by the magenta banners of the Olympics. The standard “All-Whites” rule was not in effect, and players were free to wear what they

pleased, be it for national pride or to promote their newest line of clothing, for example Eleven by Venus Williams. It was to be the first time that Olympic Gold was contested on grass since 1920, and it seemed that Federer would finally fill in the one spot on his resume with any room for improvement, an Olympic Singles Gold Medal.

Men’s Singles

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Andy Murray defeated top-seed R o g e r F e d e r e r o f Switzerland, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 to

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

capture the Gold Medal. It was a rematch of the 2012 Wimbledon finals, and this time, the outcome was in favor of the hometown Murray who became the first British man to win a singles gold medal in 104 years. “It’s definitely different,” said Murray. “I’ve won an Olympic Gold Medal. I haven’t won a Grand Slam. I know how this feels and it feels great. I’ve lost some tough matches in some tough finals and that’s hurt me a lot. I think tennis in the Olympics is getting better each time it’s played, because all the top players are playing now. For me, it’s the biggest win of my life.” Murray follows in the footsteps of John Pius Boland (1900), Laurence Doherty (1904), Josiah Ritchie (1908 outdoors) and Arthur Gore (1908 indoors) as male Olympic singles Gold Medalists representing Great Britain. “This week has been absolutely incredible, I’ve had a lot of fun,” said Murray. “I felt so fresh on the court today. I didn’t feel nervous really at all, apart from at the beginning of the match. The support’s been unbelievable. Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro defeated second-seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia 7-5, 6-4 to win the Bronze Medal, capturing his nation’s first medal at the Games. del Potro has a 45-11 record this year, having won two ATP World Tour titles in 2012, at the Open 13 in Marseille and at the Estoril Open. He came into the match with a 1-4 lifetime record against Djokovic. “[It is a] disappointing end, but I enjoyed it,” said Djokovic after the loss. “It

was a pleasure playing for my country.” Djokovic has a 45-7 match record to date in 2012, with two titles under his belt, the Australian Open and the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. “It’s our [Argentina’s] first medal at this Olympic Games,” said del Potro. “It’s the first time in men’s singles. I think it means a lot for us. I wish a fantastic day for [Argentineans] to celebrate this with me … it’s amazing. It’s history, I think. It’s time to celebrate all together.”

Women’s Singles

hoto credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Fourteen-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams of the United States defeated Russia’s Maria Sharapova 6-0, 6-1 to win the Gold Medal in the Women’s Singles Tennis Final. Serena joins elite company, as she has won a career singles Golden Grand Slam, in addition to the two doubles Gold Medals that she won with sister Venus. Serena is currently on a 17-match winning streak and has won the last seven matches she played against Sharapova, who took home the Silver Medal. Serena lost just 13 games in the four Olympic finals she has won: 2000 Sydney doubles, 2008 Beijing doubles, 2012 London singles and doubles. Olympic Bronze went to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, a 6-1, 6-0 winner over Russia’s Maria Kirilenko. Azarenka’s win ensured that the three women’s Grand Slam winners to date collected three of the women’s singles medals up for grabs at London 2012, as Azarenka added a Bronze Medal to her 2012 Australian Open title, Sharapova added a Silver Medal to her 2012 French Open title, and Serena added her Gold Medal to her 2012 Wimbledon Championship.

men’s doubles event since tennis returned to the Olympic Games in 1988. Frenchmen Richard Gasquet & Julien Benneteau defeat David Ferrer & Feliciano Lopez of Spain 7-6(4), 6-2 to win the Bronze Medal in men’s doubles.

Men’s Doubles

Women’s Doubles Americans Bob & Mike Bryan won the Gold Medal in Men’s Doubles, defeating France’s Michael Llodra & Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 7-6(2). The Bryans capitalized on a slow start by their French opponents to break Tsonga in the first game, after they forced them into several volley errors. At 4-3, Mike Bryan came under tremendous pressure on serve. But fought back from 15/40 and saved five break points in total. “This is the biggest win of our career right here,” said Bob Bryan. “It’s unbelievable.” At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Bryans won the Bronze Medal. “To play on Centre Court at Wimbledon and win the gold medal is a dream come true,” said Mike Bryan. “We could stop tomorrow and we got a big smile on our face for the rest of our lives.” The Bryans join Australians Todd Woodbridge & Mark Woodforde as the only pairs to win multiple medals in the

The overpowering American pair of Serena & Venus Williams won the 2012 Olympic Women’s Doubles Gold Medal. The Williams Sisters beat Andrea Hlavackova & Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic, 64, 6-4 under the roof on a rainy afternoon at the All England Club. “We all talk about this. We have so many medals, but to be able to add to that, it’s like an unbelievable feeling,” Venus said. “You know that in that count, there you are. It feels amazing.” The Americans in the crowd at Centre Court broke into a chant of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” continued on page 8

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The Pros Shine

continued from page 7

as the players left the court, the sisters pumped their fists, turned to wave, then slapped a highfive. This was another commanding performance, as the Sisters did not drop a set through their five matches in London. Third-seeded Maria Kirilenko & Nadia Petrova of Russia took the Bronze Medal by beating the top-seeded U.S. pair of Liezel Huber & Lisa Raymond, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.

Mixed-Doubles

Andy Murray didn’t have long to celebrate his Singles Championship, as he was slated to head back onto the courts just 45

minutes later in the mixed-doubles finals, as he and partner Laura Robson faced Max Mirnyi & Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. Murray had to settle for silver however, as the pair fell to the Belarussians who prevailed in a close match tie-break to win Olympic Gold, 2-6, 6-3, 10-8. Mike Bryan won his second medal of the weekend when he and U.S. teammate Lisa Raymond took the Bronze Medal in mixeddoubles, which returned to the Olympics for the first time since 1924. The Americans performed extremely well in London, taking home three of five available Gold Medals in Olympic Tennis. More history was made at the All England Lawn Tennis Club with Murray becoming the first Brit to win Olympic gold in Men’s

Singles Tennis in 104 years and Serena becoming the first woman to ever complete the Golden Slam in both Singles and Doubles. With only three weeks between the Olympic finals and the start of the 2012 U.S. Open, many players have decided to take some time off. Serena said that now she has won everything and will go to Disney World, while Federer has reportedly decided to spend the time with his family. With the shortened warm up for the hard court season this year, it will be intriguing to see how players contend with the conditions in Flushing Meadows.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

Tryouts Set for 2013 USA Maccabiah Tennis Team ob Delman, Gil Koppel and Peter Simel, Masters Tennis Co-Chairmen, of the 19th Maccabiah USA Organizing Committee, and Head Coach Roy Kozupsky are actively seeking the best Jewish tennis players from across the country to try out for the Maccabiah team. The Masters Tennis team will be part of the 1000+ USA Maccabiah Team competing at the 19th World Maccabiah Games in Israel next July. Masters Tennis athletes must be 35 years of age and up as of July 2013 and age divisions for the team are: 35-39; 40-44; 45-49; 50-54; 5559 and 60-64. All interested Jewish athletes must fill out an application for the team, prior to the tryouts which can be found at www.maccabiusa.com. The East Coast tryout will take place SaturdayMonday, Oct. 27-29 at the Boca Raton Resort and Club in Boca Raton, Fla. The World Maccabiah Games has a magical quality about it which awakens feelings that touch the hearts and reach the

souls of the Maccabiah participants. The athletes readily explain that these feelings remain long past the conclusion of the

competition—they last a lifetime. The Maccabiah is more than an international athletic competition; it is a celebration of Jewish culture, unity and pride, and support for the State of Israel. Coach Kozupsky of New York City has more than 30 years of coaching experience in both Israel and the United States. He has an extensive history with the Israel Tennis Centers and was a coach at Ramat Hasharon from 1978-1980, where he had the opportunity to coach and work with many young elite Israeli Tennis players. Most recently, in 2010-11, Kozupsky was the volunteer coach for the men’s and women’s club tennis teams at Northeastern University in Boston, Mass. For additional information or for questions regarding the tryouts, please contact either: Rob Delman at robdelman@gmail.com; Gil Koppel at gilkoppel2@yahoo.com; Peter Simel at psimel@handler-re.com or Roy Kozupsky at rkozupsky@gmail.com.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

B Y K AT H Y M I L L E R

Where Has Sportsmanship Gone? have been coordinating the USTA Leagues on Long Island for 26 years. When I started, there were about 400 players in the league and this number has grown to over 4,000. As another season comes to an end, I was thinking about some of the good experiences I’ve had or heard about from the league over the years. I remember when the Long Island 2.5 team went to the Nationals in 2001. It was just a couple of weeks after 9/11 and a few of the women didn’t want to fly and opted not to go. The others went without a full team and were so touched by the reception they got from the staff and the other teams. At the Saturday night banquet, they received thunderous applause and a standing ovation when introduced as the New York team. The players were truly touched and its some-

thing they’ll always remember. I also thought about an Annual Long Island Tennis Awards Dinner from about 15 years ago. I was asked by the Long Island board if I knew of anyone that could speak at the dinner. I suggested a league player by the name of Patty McDonald. Patty’s husband is Officer Steven McDonald who was shot and paralyzed in the line of duty as a New York City Police Officer 26 years ago. She told her story about how tennis and the friendships she made helped get her through the harder times in life. She talked about how she could go play a match and leave her real challenges off the court for a couple of hours. I remember her being a wonderful speaker and you could hear a pin drop in the room. I also remember her husband being there with the biggest smile on

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

his face and being so proud of his wife. She was truly an inspiration. I think about the friendships I’ve watched develop from the league. Along with the many that have bloomed, one of them is a friendship from 20 years ago. One of my teammates and I developed a close friendship where we have been there for each other for not only the loss of a parent, but the loss of a child, divorce, our children growing, getting married and us both becoming grandmothers in the last year. It’s a very special friendship to me that may not have been, had it not been for the USTA League. There was a Long Island senior women’s team that went to Sectionals a couple of years ago where one of the players got quite a surprise. As they were waiting to go out to the courts, one

of the women from the Long Island team recognized one of the opponents from the Southern Region as one of her bridesmaids from 40 years ago. They had lost touch, but now e-mail regularly. My most recent favorite story involves my own daughter. She played on a TriLevel team that won and went to Albany, N.Y. for the Sectionals. The men’s team that won from Long Island was there the same weekend. My daughter lived in Long Beach at the time and a guy she met there lived in Hewlett. It took the two of them going to Albany for the TriLevel Sectionals to meet and they were just married in March of this year. These are just a few stories that remind me of what this league is supposed to be. Stories that have brought people together and stories that have shown what team camaraderie and sportsmanship are all about. It’s sad that these stories get overshadowed with the negative side of what people can bring to this game. From the very first week of this season, nasty and unsportsmanlike behav-

ior started. By the third week, it was so bad that, for the very first time, I sent an e-mail to all captains reminding them that this is supposed to be fun. No one is playing for a cash prize, a car, or a trip to Hawaii! I had complaints of matches almost getting physical (not just men’s matches), players being verbally abusive to desk staff, the usual “stalling,” bad line calls, spectators getting involved in matches and my personal favorite—a player (not a USTA league member) playing as someone else whose name appeared on the roster and not once did the people involved take responsibility for their actions. Instead, there were fingers being pointed and false accusations made against innocent people. The stories go on and on and the job of coordinating the USTA League this year became a 24/7, on-call responsibility. The three members of the Long Island Grievance Committee, who volunteer their time, also spent endless hours with all these grievances. Things were so bad this year, that they were left with no

choice but to suspend multiple players. I remember when all matches were friendly competition, where people were nice to each other and were gracious winners and gracious losers. I would get such a good feeling when I saw two teams play and saw tennis friendships budding between the teams. Now, I mostly hear about the never ending grievances, I get phone calls and emails constantly from captains needing to vent and I’ve been called on my cell at 10:45 p.m. while two teams are fighting asking for me to settle it. I hear how nasty people can be, the lengths people will go to manipulate schedules, playoff matches, etc. all just to win, and it makes me ask: “Where did sportsmanship go?” It makes me wonder why people are so willing to toss aside common courtesy in exchange for being the victor. Are they really the victor when they have to cheat, manipulate and be abusive to get there? I am hoping this article isn’t pointless continued on page 12

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LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Adult League Wrap-up continued from page 11 and players can take an honest look at themselves and ask if any of this pertains to them instead of just assuming it’s the other guy. I hope you all see the positive this League can bring like the stories above instead of so much of the negative from this past season. Don’t get me wrong, there were positives this season as well, but they get so overshadowed by the growing negatives and these situations need to be addressed. The USTA League is a great program

that has grown every year. I want to see that growth continue, and all I heard this year was the opposite. I said it in the email I sent in June: This league is only as good as the attitude of the people playing in it. Please think about that statement: Who wants to rush home from work, get to a tennis match and be cheated or berated? People start to feel like, it’s just not worth it. I write this because I love the sport and think the League is a tool to bring

Adult teams advancing to the Sectional Championship in Albany I Women’s 2.5–Carefree Racquet Club (Captain: Donna Hallas) I Women’s 3.0–Point Set (Captain: Nadine Letts) I Women’s 3.5–Eastern Athletic Blue Point (Captain: Tricia Livingston) I Women’s 4.0–Eastern Athletic Blue Point (Captain: Jamie Stickney) I Women’s 4.5–Rockville Racquet (Captain: Jackie Gaines) I Women’s 5.0–Sportime Lynbrook (Captain: Tina Buschi) I Men’s 3.0–Long Beach Tennis (Captain: Joe Esposito) I Men’s 3.5–Rockville Racquet (Captain: Don Rodgers) I Men’s 4.0–Rockville Racquet (Captain: Ian Shapiro/Mike Pavlides) I Men’s 4.5–Sportime Roslyn (Captain: Art Kornblit) I Men’s 5.0–Carefree Racquet (Captain: Scott Chesney/Andy Schwartz)

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

people together on the court for a great match and a couple of hours of fun where all the REAL difficulties in life can be put aside for a while. I am asking all of you to help me make this League all it can be! We start with a new format next season; let’s call it a new beginning. There will be the 18-and-Over League played on two courts of singles and three courts of doubles. The 40-and-Over League will follow the same format, and the 55-and-Over which will be three courts of doubles and will be combined ratings of 6.0 (two 3.0 players or a 2.5 and 3.5), 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0. There will also be a 65-and-Over League following the same format of the 55-and-Over. All the details will be sent to everyone next February when the organizing for the upcoming season starts. Until then, let’s really look at it as a new beginning, not only with the age and level changes, but new attitudes as well. Let’s get things back into perspective and remember how lucky we all are. This is how we get to spend our free time! We get to play this great sport, meet new people, sit and have a slice of pizza afterwards in what should be an enjoyable day/night. Club pros have to help get this attitude out there. Your students listen to you. They follow by the example you set. Please teach and show good sportsmanship and tennis etiquette. As the USTA League grows, courts get filled at clubs, students want to take more lessons, and players look for club leagues to join. It’s in everyone’s best interest to want this league to be a success. Please remember, like I said earlier: THIS LEAGUE IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE ATTITUDE OF THE PEOPLE PLAYING IN IT! Good Luck to all of the Long Island teams at Sectionals! Next up is the Tri-Level League. If you are interested in having a team or finding one, please e-mail me. Mixed-doubles will start later in the fall. Kathy Miller is the manager at Carefree Racquet Club and is also the Adult League Coordinator for USTA/Long Island. She may be reached at kathym65@aol.com.

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LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

A L O O K B A C K AT T H E 2012 NEW YORK SPORTIMES SEASON NY Sportimes Advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and Look to Cap Off Successful Campaign The New York Sportimes completed another successful season of World TeamTennis (WTT) action this summer. Home matches were played at both Sportime Stadium at Randall’s Island (five matches) and the SEFCU Arena in Albany, N.Y. (two matches). Attendance was up this year, as fans have started to realize how much fun these matches can be. A noisy atmosphere between points is encouraged, and WTT is a great chance to see some of the stars of the game up close and personal in an intimate atmosphere.

Playoffs await the Sportimes The New York Sportimes were the second best team in the 2012 WorldTeamTennis season, and with a 9-5 record, the Sportimes qualified for the 2012 WTT Playoffs. On Saturday, Sept. 15, the Sportimes will face off against the defending cham-

pion Washington Kastles for the Eastern Conference Championship. The Sportimes will look to end the Kastles unprecedented 30-match winning streak and advance to the 2012 WTT Finals, and a shot at the WTT Championship for the first time since 2010. The Newport Beach Breakers will face the Sacramento Capitals on Friday, Sept. 14 at 6:30 p.m. in the Western Conference Championship match. The two Conference Champions face off for the King Trophy on Sunday, Sept. 16 at 3:30 p.m. EDT.

Legends collide in the Big Apple Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Featuring two hallof-famers, one particular Sportimes home matchup created quite the buzz with the largest turnout of the season. Actor and comedian John Leguizamo, along with former New York Mayor David Dinkins, were two of the celebrities who were courtside to watch two legends, John McEnroe (Sportimes) and Andre

SPORT PSYCHOLOGY

Agassi (Boston Lobsters) compete in the night’s men singles and mixed-doubles events. First up was singles and as a spectator at the event, it was apparent that both players had not lost the competitive nature that made them world champions. Famous for his incredible return of serve, Agassi was able to jump on the opening game and break Johnny Mac’s serve. Both players continued to hold serve, giving Agassi a chance to serve for the set at 4-3. However, McEnroe turned the tables around with some great returns of serve and one incredible slice backhand up the line. With the set knotted at 4, it was time (per WTT rules) for a nine-point tiebreaker. McEnroe couldn’t help himself from throwing his racquet and arguing with the linesperson as tensions began to build in the breaker. Agassi was able to keep the cool hand though and prevailed 5-4 (5-3 in the breaker). In the next match, McEnroe was able to redeem himself in the mixed-doubles event. The Sportimes team of McEnroe & Martina Hingis paired up against Agassi & Carly Gullickson-Eagle. McEnroe & Hingis were able to secure an early break and serve for the match, taking it 5-3 over the Lobsters.

Hingis wins WTT MVP

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Former world number one-ranked Martina Hingis of the Sportimes was named WTT Most Valuable Player (Female) for the World TeamTennis Pro League presented by GEICO. Bobby Reynolds of the Washington Kastles was named Male MVP. Hingis finished first in women’s singles

A L O O K B A C K AT T H E 2012 NEW YORK SPORTIMES SEASON this season with a .593 winning percentage. Hingis teamed with Ashley Harkleroad to finish as the top-ranked team in women’s doubles with a .571 winning percentage. This is the fifth season of WTT play for Hingis, who led the Sportimes to the 2005 WTT title. “I’m proud to win the WTT MVP award,” said Hingis. “The 2012 season was both challenging and rewarding. I was part of a great team and much of my success was thanks to my teammates, coach, team owner and great New York Sportimes fans.” Other Sportimes players were recognized by WorldTeamTennis for their strong showings in 2012 as well, as Jesse Witten was named fourth Best Men’s Singles Player, Harkleroad won the award for Second Best Women’s Doubles Player and Robert Kendrick was named Third Best Mixed-Doubles Player.

Scenes From the 2012 New York Sportimes World TeamTennis Season Credit all photos to Kenneth B. Goldberg

The New York Sportimes gather after a successful night against the Philadelphia Freedoms

Robert Kendrick & Jesse Witten of the Sportimes were 5-3 winners over Luka Gregorc & Jordan Kerr of the Philadelphia Freedoms

Growing the sport The WTT season offers the opportunity for Long Island Tennis Magazine to help continue the growth of grassroots tennis throughout New York. With Sportime’s support, a free copy of our July/August edition was distributed to all fans in attendance at all home matches. A booth was setup across from USTA Eastern in the outdoor food area. Also our professional photographer was on hand for all home matches to capture the matches and we had writers to do interviews and recaps post match.

Ashley Harkelroad in women’s doubles action for the Sportimes at Sportime Stadium

John McEnroe of the Sportimes in his match against Andre Agassi

Season overview All in all, this WTT season was a great prelude to the sport’s stars coming in for the 2012 U.S. Open, and with New York currently not a host site of either an ATP or WTA tournament, the chance to see the stars of WTT in action should be embraced and appreciated by tennis fans throughout the area. LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Long Island Tennis Magazine’s

Literary Corner

By Brent Shearer Winning Tennis Strokes By Bill Longua

Winning Tennis Strokes is a short guidebook to tennis techniques and a splendid general introduction to tennis strokes. With this book, Bill Longua, a veteran tennis instructor and USPTA pro, has produced a concise guide to learning the fundamentals of the game. As Longua explains in his foreword, this book is intended for players who range from beginners to NTRP 4.0. Unlike some other tennis books reviewed in

this space, there are no admissions of drug use or high-level strategic concerns in Winning Tennis Strokes. What you get instead is basic instruction with a non-bossy tilt. Loop backswing on groundstrokes or straight-back? Eastern, Western or Continental Grips? Onehanded backhand volleys or twohanded backhand volleys for players with a two-handed backhand groundstroke? Longua says players learning the game can take their pick from these options. Fair enough. The book also includes some practice tips for players just learning the game which, while basic, will be useful. He says beginners should bring as many balls as possible to the court so they don’t have to spend so much time picking them up. This is a good point. You could also use this concern as a reason as to why beginners should take lessons, because with a pro and a hopper in use across the net, the student can make the most of their court time. Longua does caution readers of his

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

book that before they show up at the courts with a shopping cart full of practice balls, they should make sure there are not many players on adjacent courts. At the East River Park courts in Manhattan where I play, there is a sign that says you can only bring six balls on the court. Most people interpret this to mean you can only have six balls per court, but it could just as well mean there can only be six balls in use at any one time on all 12 courts. This would make Longua’s advice hard to put into practice. Longua is an advocate of the “watch the ball onto the strings” theory of tennis. There are other theories about this, even if nobody says to not watch the ball. Some pros say that watching the ball is overrated advice. In any case, Longua is a traditionalist on this topic. A topic that Longua does tackle, is the open stance/closed stance debate. He takes a compromise position on this. Players should start off with what he

calls the traditional forehand, turn, step, hit (closed stance) and when they graduate to an intermediate level, may switch to The Modern forehand, load, explode, land (open stance). The author says, “I recommend that players using the closed stance learn to hit in an open stance when pulled to the corner for a forehand.” He doesn’t define closed versus open, so let me say that a closed stance for a righty’s forehand means the left (front) foot is out in front and further to the right than the back foot. Open stance means hitting off the left or back foot without the body having fully turned sideways to the net. Because I learned the game in the era of white balls, wood racquets and long pants, I believe the closed stance is the morally superior way to address the ball. But I do agree with Longua’s general approach, which is that players should have some flexibility as they learn the strokes. In his section on serving, Longua identifies three kinds of serves: Flat, spin and slice. This is a little weird since a slice

serve is a spin serve. What he calls a “spin” serve must be what many call a “kick” or an “American Twist.” But no harm, no foul. In the section on lobs, Longua says, “Many players feel the lob is a cowardly shot and an easy way out of a difficult predicament.” This may be true of inexperienced players, but I recently attended an exhi-

bition match in which three of the four players had ATP points on their resumes and the one player who didn’t used the lob volley to great effect. But for beginners and intermediates, this compact book will be a great companion to take to the courts with you. Brent Shearer may be reached by e-mail at bbshearer@gmail.com.

USTA/Long Island Region 2012

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, see pages 62-64 or visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments.

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2012 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW Fourth and Final Grand Slam of 2012 Set to Invade New York By Jessica Stiles eginning immediately after the conclusion of Wimbledon, the U.S. Open Series links together WTA and ATP tournaments which take place on hard courts across America throughout the summer. This year’s summer calendar was unique in the sense that it was interrupted with the 2012 Summer Olympic games held at the All-England Club. Here, players returned to the grass courts a few weeks after Wimbledon play. As the summer comes to a close, fans are gearing up for the fourth and final Grand Slam event of the season, the 2012 U.S. Open. With the 2012 U.S. Open beginning Aug. 27, the big names in tennis will have just enough time to play a warm-up event on the American hard courts before the start of the tournament. Since 1978, the tournament has been held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. and has been a highlight to the summers of New York tennis fans. This year’s championships will undoubtedly provide a high level of drama, action, and excitement as the world’s best players compete for the final Grand Slam title of the year. Some players go into the tournament looking to finish a disappointing season off on a more positive note, and some seek to build on the solid season they’ve had thus far. No matter what the player’s individual goals are for the tournament, we can fore-

cast the true contenders, pretenders and American hopefuls for this year’s U.S. Open. Contenders Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

On the women’s side, no one can argue Serena Williams as a major contender for this year’s title. After her shocking loss in the opening round at the 2012 French Open, Serena Williams has yet to lose a match. In June, Serena was crowned 2012 Wimbledon champ. With two U.S. Open titles under her belt, Serena’s game matches up impeccably well on the American hard courts. In addition to Serena, Maria Sharapova has proven to be another strong contender for this year’s U.S. Open title. Although she didn’t follow up her French Open victory with a strong showing at Wimbledon, Sharapova certainly played a strong string of tennis at the 2012 London Olympic games, taking home the Silver Medal for her nation of Russia. With the experience of winning the U.S. Open, Sharapova will take that knowledge and confidence with her from the start of the event. Although she has never before won a Grand Slam event, Agnieszka Radwanska has really proven herself this 2012 season. Currently ranked number three in the world, Radwanska reached the finals of this year’s Wimbledon championships, falling to eventual winner Serena Williams. Even though her game style doesn’t have the power of Sharapova and Williams, Radwanska makes up for it in her high level of “tennis IQ.”

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Of course one would expect Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to be the strong contenders going into the 2012 U.S. Open. Rafael Nadal has been struck with a seemingly reoccurring knee injury, forcing him to pull out of the Open. On the other hand, Djokovic certainly hasn’t had the same 2012 season as he had last year going into the Open. Obviously you cannot count Djokovic out of the equation, but going into this year’s event, it seems that the upper hand should go to Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro, and reclaimed world number one Federer. With Murray reaching the finals of Wimbledon and defeating Djokovic at the Olympic Games to earn Gold for his nation of Great Britain, he should approach the U.S. Open with confidence to clinch his first Grand Slam title. Former U.S. Open champion, Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina has also been playing a very high-level tennis of late. Del Potro is one of those players who can strike when you’re least expecting it and he has proven to have the ability to do just that at the U.S. Open. With Federer there is not much to say, he’s Roger Federer. He is a strong contender for every Grand Slam event he takes part in and it certainly helps that he is once again number one in the world, and just claimed the Wimbledon title. Pretenders Just as there are strong contenders for this years’ U.S. Open, there are also a few players who have been

2012 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW struggling of late, falling somewhat off the radar. Svetlana Kuznetsova and Li Na have yet to display sparks of their former glory in the 2012 season. Both go into the U.S. Open with Grand Slam titles on their resumes, however of late, they haven’t produced results that would indicate a shot at U.S. Open glory. Both have been on the tour for a while now and some might conclude their careers are winding down.

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

On the men’s side, former U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick will not enter this year’s U.S. Open with much in the way of confidence. There was a point in time when Roddick’s serve was consistently the biggest in the game. Today, the level of the game has increased just enough to where players don’t seem to be as intimidated to stand on the returning end of Roddick’s serve. Over a decade ago, Roddick won his one and only Grand Slam title in Flushing Meadows, however it will be hard at this point in his career to hold the trophy once more.

Stephens has also had a strong 2012 season thus far. She has made great strides, especially at Wimbledon this year. Hard courts are by far her best surface, suiting her powerful game style. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

On the men’s side, Americans Mardy Fish, Ryan Harrison and big John Isner are the top American hopefuls for this year’s event. Although Fish was sidelined due to injury earlier this year, he chose to bypass the Olympics and get back to proper hard court form. He hasn’t produced the same level of results in this year’s U.S. Open Series; however, Fish will still remain an American favorite. Harrison has had a very up and down year with a lot of racquet throwing and frustration. Among all of the turmoil, he has reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of 60th. If Harrison can channel his mental fortitude, hopefully he can relish the kind of U.S. Open event he had in 2011. In addition to Harrison and Fish, Isner has the potential to have a very strong U.S. Open showing. Isner has proven this year that he can hang with the best of them. Admitting to homesickness during the clay court season, hopefully Isner can channel his energy playing in front of an American crowd.

Americans Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

There is nothing more exhilarating to the New York crowd than getting a chance to cheer for one of their own. Competing in this year’s U.S. Open are a handful of American hopefuls, on both the men’s and women’s collective sides of the event. On the women’s side, young up and comers Christina McHale and Sloane Stephens. The New Jersey native McHale has had a remarkable year, reaching a career high WTA singles ranking of 26th. She’ll be in front of her home crowd, which will hopefully give her some extra motivation to make it an Open to remember. In addition to McHale,

international success. Now, with the current generation of U.S. champions all over 30, American tennis is at a crossroads and the future is uncertain at best. Here is a brief look of the U.S. tennis scene at the 2012 U.S. Open ...

Jessica Stiles is an intern for Long Island Tennis Magazine and plays for the University of Kentucky Women’s Tennis Team.

The State of American Tennis By Steven Kaplan The United States was the dominant force on the world tennis scene for the first 30 years of the Open Era, but in the last decade, has experienced limited

The golden girls Serena Williams did a break dance on center court at The All England Club to celebrate a beat down on the rest of the world to win Olympic Gold. With this win, Serena joins Stefanie Graf as only the second woman to win all four Grand Slams and Olympic Women’s Singles Gold. Serena has her mojo back and she is a force of nature. She is the clear favorite at this year’s U.S. Open after a magical summer run in London that included a Wimbledon title. Venus Williams has played the WTA Tour for over half her life and her body is showing signs of wear and tear. Venus can be proud of her seven Grand Slam Singles Titles and when she partners with sister Serena, she is still a favorite to capture the doubles crown. The good old boys Twins Mike & Bob Bryan are the most successful doubles team in men’s tennis history and are still going strong at a combined age of 68. They now have an Olympic Gold Medal to add to their impressive resume. Mardy Fish has jumped tremendously in the ATP World Rankings over the past two years. Even if he can stay away from the devastating effects of glutton that had previously limited his court renaissance, he is over 30 years of age and is facing serious health concerns. Andy Roddick has been one of the most consistent performers on the men’s tour in the last 10 years and is the last American to win a Grand Slam in 2003 at the U.S. Open. While Roddick continues to grind on the tour, it looks as though the tour has been a grind on him. The current crop John Isner is the highest ranked American man, hovering at around number 10 in the

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2012 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW world rankings. He has the size and power to dominate, but questions remain concerning his mobility and all-around game. I see his near term chances of winning a Slam as a long shot. Local favorite, 20-year-old Christina McHale from Englewood Cliffs, N.J., has broken into the top 30 in the WTA rankings. Christina has heart, tenacity, youth and an all-around game. Expect her to battle for a top 10 world ranking if she can add a weapon to her game. Sam Querrey from San Francisco has a huge game and is ranked just inside the top 40 where he is likely to remain for a while. Melanie Oudin thrilled U.S. Open crowds in 2009 by beating Elena Dementieva, Maria Sharapova and Nadia Petrova to become the youngest Grand Slam quarterfinalist since Serena Williams in 1999. Unfortunately, her career has stalled since and she is currently ranked outside the top 100. Ryan Harrison is ranked 60th in the world at the tender age of 20. After his first round loss to Santiago Giraldo of Columbia in the 2012 Olympics, The New York Times wrote, “Though the match was considered winnable for Harrison, the loss itself will be less remembered than Harrison’s petulant be-

havior as the match slipped away.” Still many expect great things from Harrison as he matures. Coco Vandeweghe is ranked 73rd on the WTA Tour and is the daughter of former New York Knick Kiki Vandeweghe. She has the size, power and potential to be a top 20 player in the world. Donald Young was once the topranked junior in the world, but has not lived up to his great potential. Young is currently ranked outside the top 50, having reached a career high of 38th. He has all the talent in the world, and at 23years-old, he is young enough to reshape his game. Irina Falconi, currently ranked 104th and grew up playing on The City Parks Foundation Courts at the National Tennis Center, and Julia Cohen, ranked 97th, are top young Americans who followed the unusual path of playing college tennis at Georgia Tech and The University of Miami (Florida). Bravo to these players. Last and not least by a long shot are Sloane Stephens and Taylor Townsend. Sloane is currently ranked 50th in the world, and at the age of 19, has the speed and power to be perhaps the most promising young American player in many years. Taylor Townsend is just 16 and the Australian Open Junior Cham-

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pion. She could just be the top American of the future. The local crew Scott Lipsky who grew up in Merrick, N.Y. and played for Stanford University, is a doubles specialist ranked 34th in the world. In 2011, Scott teamed with Casey Dellacqua of Australia to win the French Open Mixed-Doubles title. Not too bad an accomplishment for a local kid and Stanford Graduate. Julia Elbaba of Oyster Bay, N.Y., Jamie Loeb of Ossining, N.Y. and Noah Rubin of Rockville Centre, N.Y. are local juniors who will be competing in this year’s Junior U.S. Open. All three of these rising stars have experienced great success against the best young players in the world in junior Grand Slams. Expect to be seeing their names in the main draws of women’s and men’s Grand Slams soon. What’s the problem? In 2011, Daniel Riley of GQ interviewed Andre Agassi, John McEnroe and Pete Sampras for his article “Why Does America Suck at Tennis?” All three champions agreed that success runs in a cycle and we are clearly on a downturn. Agassi advocates that the USTA 10 & Under tennis initiative will be a great boost to “get the racquet in more kids hands.” He is optimistic that “We’ll make the adjustment and have our time in the sun again.” McEnroe explained that the evolution of equipment and the development of guys who are “Getting bigger, stronger and more athletic” has made the game “more of a track meet instead of a tennis match.” McEnroe thinks that convincing young American athletes to jump into tennis is “one of the big factors.” Sampras believes that the recent success of countries like Spain is “Just testament to how international the game is now that we’re not dominating anymore.” I think it’s also a testament to the miracles of modern science.

2012 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW Looking ahead Success in tennis is similar to achievement in almost any endeavor, in that it requires both opportunity and motivation. Tennis is still a relatively expensive and exclusive sport in the United States for most families. Other countries are simply doing a better job of attracting the most promising athletes at a young age, especially since tennis has become an Olympic sport. U.S. athletes love to succeed and tennis players are no exception, but the risk to achieving reward as a singular “all or nothing” goal is less in this country than what exists elsewhere in many other parts of the world. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing for this country to have some parents who do not have their child drop out of school to roll the dice on pro tennis success. Many Americans see tennis as a means to achieving a healthier lifestyle and as an important part of a well-rounded education rather than as an escape from poverty or anonymity. Reuters reports that between the years 2000-2010, participation in tennis has outpaced growth in all other traditional sports in the U.S. by an astounding 46 percent. Tennis as a participatory sport is growing and thriving in the United States, and we are healthier and better educated because of this trend. Therefore, rather than ask why we “Suck at Tennis,” perhaps we should ask, “Why does it matter to us that we don’t dominate the tennis world?”

2012 U.S. Open Prize Money to Exceed $25 Million The USTA has announced that the 2012 U.S. Open prize purse has been increased by more than $2 million to reach a record $25.5 million. Additionally, the top three men’s and top three women’s finishers in the Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series may earn up to an additional $2.6 million in bonus prize money at the U.S. Open, depending on their performance over the course of the Summer Series. With this bonus money, the total U.S. Open prize money could potentially reach $28.1 million. To support the majority of players, for 2012, prize money has been increased by a minimum of 18 percent for the first three rounds of the main singles draw. Both the men’s and women’s U.S. Open singles champions will earn a record $1.9 million with the ability to earn an additional $1 million in bonus prize money (for a total $2.9 million potential payout) based on their performances in the Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series. The 2012 U.S. Open purse includes an 11 percent overall increase in men’s and women’s main draw singles prize money over last year’s total. First round main draw singles prize money has been in-

creased by 21 percent, and second round main draw singles prize money has been increased by 19 percent. In all, 224 of the 256 main draw singles players (87 percent of the main draw singles players) will receive an increase in prize money of at least 18 percent. For the 40th consecutive year, the USTA will offer equal prize money to both men and women—a Grand Slam first and U.S. Open tradition dating back to 1973. All players also receive per diem payments to help offset the cost of accommodations and other expenses. The Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series Bonus Challenge rewards the top three men’s and top three women’s finishers each year with bonus prize money at the U.S. Open and has resulted in the largest paychecks in tennis history for men (2007– Roger Federer, $2.4 million) and women (2005, 2010–Kim Clijsters, $2.2 million). The USTA will offer up to an additional $2.6 million in bonus prize money at the U.S. Open to the top three men’s and top three women’s singles finishers in the Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series. Players must earn points in at least two Series events in order to be eligible for bonus prize money at the U.S. Open. More than $7.7 million in bonus prize money has been awarded since the Series began in 2004.

Steve Kaplan is the owner of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as the director of Reebok Academy for New York City Parks Foundation. Over the last 33 years, Steve has been the longtime coach of more than 500 nationally-ranked junior players, 15 state high school champions, two NCAA Division 1 Singles Champions, and numerous touring professionals and prominent coaches. Steve’s students have been awarded in excess of $7 million in college scholarship money. He may be reached by e-mail at stevenjkaplan@aol.com. LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2012 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW Agassi to be Inducted Into U.S. Open Court of Champions Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

The USTA has announced that Andre Agassi, a two-time U.S. Open Champion, has been named the 2012 inductee into the U.S. Open Court of Champions, a U.S. Open and USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center attraction honoring the greatest singles champions in the history of the U.S. Championships/U.S. Open. Agassi will be inducted during an on-court ceremony in Arthur Ashe Stadium prior to the Men’s Singles Championship on Sunday, Sept. 9. Patrick McEnroe will host the ceremony. The U.S. Open Court of Champions salutes the tournament’s all-time greatest champions with an individual permanent monument that serves as a lasting tribute. Agassi will join prior inductees Arthur Ashe, Don Budge, Maureen Connolly, Jimmy Connors, Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Althea Gibson, Richard “Pancho” Gonzalez, Steffi Graf, Billie Jean King, Jack

Kramer, Rod Laver, Ivan Lendl, Molla Bjurstedt Mallory, John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Margaret Osborne duPont, Ken Rosewall, Pete Sampras, Bill Tilden and Helen Wills. A panel of international print and broadcast journalists selected the 2012 inductee from the roster of U.S. champions based on their performances at the tournament and their impact on the growth of the event. “Few tennis players have impacted the sport of tennis more than Andre Agassi,” said Jon Vegosen, chairman of the board and president of USTA. “He is a champion both on and off the court, elevating the popularity of our sport while playing, and now helping to enhance the lives of children off the court with his generosity and dedication to providing young people with the opportunity for a quality education. He truly deserves this honor.” Agassi, the son of a former Olympic boxer, grew up in Las Vegas with a ball machine in his backyard, developing extraordinary hand-eye coordination that has seldom been matched in the history of tennis. Turning pro at the age of 16, he quickly established himself as one of the sport’s top talents and a definitive fan favorite. Bold, brash and bigger-than-life, Agassi won the U.S. Open Men’s Singles Title in 1994 (the first unseeded player in the Open

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era to capture the U.S. Open) and again in 1999. His punishing baseline game, unparalleled return-of-serve and superior athleticism allowed him to win a career Grand Slam and a total of eight career Grand Slam titles, as well as a Gold Medal in singles at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. He also was a member of two U.S. Davis Cup-winning teams. Agassi competed in a men’s Open-era record 21 consecutive U.S. Opens. He was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2011. Currently, he focuses a good deal of his time and efforts on the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education and the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a tuitionfree public charter school for at-risk youth in Las Vegas.

Lineup Announced for Arthur Ashe Kids Day The USTA has announced that pop band The Wanted, chart-topping singer Carly Rae Jepsen, special guest performer Owl City, and from Nickelodeon’s “How to Rock,” Cymphonique Miller and Max Schneider, will team up with reigning U.S. Open Champion Novak Djokovic, U.S. number one men’s singles player John Isner, three-time U.S. Open Champ Kim Clijsters and Mardy Fish at the 17th Annual Arthur Ashe Kids Day Presented by Hess, set for Saturday, Aug. 25 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. from 9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Hosted by AAKD alumnus Jordin Sparks and TV personality Quddus, the full-day tennis and music festival will feature interactive games, musical entertainment and tennis activities. Arthur Ashe Kids Day Presented by Hess will kick off the 2012 U.S. Open, which runs from Aug. 27-Sept. 9. From 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., kids and their families can enjoy an exciting schedule of free tennis games, live music and attractions taking place throughout the

2012 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Inside Arthur Ashe Stadium from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., the live tennis and music show will feature fun exhibition matches and skills competitions with Djokovic, Isner, Clijsters, Fish and other top players and celebrities with musical performances by The Wanted, Carly Rae Jepsen, Owl City, Cymphonique Miller, Max Schneider and other talent to be announced. Over the years, Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day has featured many of music’s biggest acts including Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Sean Kingston, Britney Spears, Ne-Yo, Gavin DeGraw, Jessica Simpson, Backstreet Boys, Cody Simpson, Bow Wow and Hanson. The Grounds Festival offers a wide range of interactive activities as well as a chance for children of all ages to test their skills, hit with top tennis pros, win prizes and enjoy music: I Hess Express Stage: The Grounds Festival’s free concert featuring a line-up of upand-coming musical talent including urban super group Love Jones Girlz, Interscope Records prodigy Ahsan, and from Disney Channel’s “Shake It Up!” Caroline Sunshine! More acts to be confirmed. I 10 & Under Tennis: A chance for kids to learn real tennis and have real fun doing it. 10 & Under Tennis follows almost every other youth sport and uses racquets, balls and courts that are sized right for kids so that they enjoy the game right from the start. I Hess Express Obstacle Course: Kids can test agility, balance, running and tennis skills. I Hess Target Time: Intermediate and advanced-level kids have a chance to test their skills hitting targets on this court. I Nike Tennis: Tennis and skill activities on two courts featuring Nike sponsored athletes. I IBM Speedzone: Two radar guns on court test the speed of kids’ serves. I Xerox Beat the Pro: Kids will have the chance to challenge the pros on this fastpaced court. I Mario Tennis Open for Nintendo 3DS: Players of all ages and skill levels can

enjoy friendly competition and fast-paced tennis action with Mario Tennis Open, a video game for the Nintendo 3DS handheld system. Join Mario and Luigi in the South Plaza for some fun photo opps and check out this new attraction. USTA Serves/Aetna Tennis Skills: This court will have six to eight various stations for very young kids or special populations. Stations may include things like rolling the ball with a racquet and bouncing a koush ball. PTR Speed Tennis: Children can hit with PTR certified professionals on mini-courts at full speed and with complete strokes using a special restricted flight foam ball. USPTA Little Tennis: Ideal for younger participants to hit and learn, USPTA certified teaching professionals host this court consisting of 30 colorful hitting stations using a variety of teaching aids. USRSA Pro Racquet Round-Up: Kids can see what it feels like to hit with a top pro’s personal racquet such as Venus and Serena Williams using actual racquets weighted and balanced to each player’ s specifications. World TeamTennis: Co-ed relay races, targeting beginner players, particularly the youngest children attending AAKD.

Activities tailored to the age, size, strength and experience level of participants. I Also: Watch the Pros Practice, Player Autographs, Juggling Workshop, FacePainting, Hair Braiding, Storytelling, and more.

Kids comment on the U.S. Open experience During our travels this summer visiting many of the area tennis camps, Long Island Tennis Magazine asked participants the following question: “If you had the chance to play in the U.S. Open, how would you feel and what do you think it would be like?” “I don’t really know. I would be really nervous.”—Emily Bacchi, 8, Rockville Racquet “Nervous, but maybe excited to win a lot of money!”—Michael Baranowski, 10, Eastern Athletic Camp “Playing Roger Federer at the U.S. Open would help me gain learning experience and help boost my career.”—Ethan Bradford, 13, Glen Head Early Hit Summer Camps

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2012 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW “I would feel really good. I used to play at USTA near the U.S. Open, so it would be great to get the chance to play there during the championships.”—Katie Choe, 9, Sportime Roslyn “Pretty excited and I would dominate.”— Joshua Cohen, 8, Sportime Kings Park “I would want to play Serena Williams. I would feel very motivated and successful for reaching my goal. I’d be taking a step up and would be proud representing my country.”—Isabella Discipio, 13, Sportime Lynbrook “I would be amazed that I got so far. I would be very proud of myself. I would want to play Jelena Jankovic because I think her grunts are hysterical.”—Laura Fabiea, 15, Sportime Lynbrook “I would feel honored to play in the U.S. Open because all of my hard work would have paid off. I would want to play Caroline Wozniacki because she inspires me. She works hard. I heard a story that she was one of the worst on her tennis team and she worked very hard to get where she is today.”—Alexa Goetz, 11, Bethpage Park Summer Camp “I’d be so overjoyed that I was able to get into the U.S. Open as a young teenage girl. I would have a great future with tennis and hopefully make a lot of money.”— Vivien Huang, 11, Sportime Syosset “It would be exciting and a great experience. It would promote my tennis career.”—Matt Kolkhorst, 14, Glen Head Early Hit Camp “I would be excited, and also nervous, but happy that I may get a trophy.”—Maya Kopacz, 7, Sportime Syosset “I would want to play in the U.S. Open because I would be playing someone better than me and it could help my game.”—Jordan Ma, 12, Sportime Roslyn 24

“I would want to play Nadal. It would be really exciting and I would be very happy”—Lea Ma, 11, Maurice Trail’s Tennis Camp “It would be pretty awesome because I would be one of the best players in the world. I would want to play Federer because he is one of the classiest players and I would want to beat one of the best in the world.”—Nick Moehringeo, 15, Carefree “Amazing and super cool.”—Sameer Naeem, 16, Sportime Kings Park (Suffolk County Community College Site) “I would feel very proud of myself and would feel very popular. All of my fans would be supporting me. I would want to play against Roger Federer.”—Jacob Nessim, 8, Long Beach Tennis Center Summer Camps “I would be very proud of myself and my family would be supporting me. Even if I didn’t win, I would know that I tried my hardest.”— Alexandra Orbusch, 10, Long Beach Tennis Center Summer Camps “Excited, happy and I could not wait to have fun. I would also be very aggressive in the U.S. Open!”—Aaron Paknoush, 12, Shelter Rock Camp “Very pressured, but excited. I would be nervous because everyone would see me. I would have no privacy!”—Eden Schneck, 10, Eastern Athletic Camp “I would be really excited and happy. I would probably want to play one of the top ranked players because it would be an honor to be on the court with them.”—Olivia Scordo, 12, Bethpage Park Summer Camp “I would feel really happy if I was in the U.S. Open. I would want to play against Serena Williams.”—Katy Segall, 13, Future Stars Tennis Camp “I would want to play Novak Djokovic at the U.S. Open because it would be a great learning experience and it would

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

help my game.”—Mercer Shavelson, 12, Glen Head Early Hit Camp “It would feel great and it would be a great experience. I would want to play Rafa.”—Steven Sun, 11, Maurice Trail’s Tennis Camp “It would be breathtaking.”—Justin Weissberg, 14, Rockville Racquet “Talented, proud and accomplished.”—Dana Winthrop, 14, Sportime Kings Park (Suffolk County Community College Site) “It would be amazing and a big honor.”— Christina Yun, 14, Adidas Camp@ Stony Brook University! “I would feel really good, proud, and excited. I’d like to play against the best in the world to get better.”—Lauren Zola, 9, Point Set You heard from the kids, now what do the pros have to say about playing at the U.S. Open? “I enjoy the camaraderie that you can get from the fans for the American players—it’s definitely the most favorite Slam on the Americans as far as being able to play on those big courts and having the crowd behind you. We go to so many places, in Spain and in Italy and in England, where you can play a guy from that country, and those fans are just going crazy for their player. But we know for a fact that we have that one big event where everyone wants to do well, and we’re going to have the fans behind us and rooting as loud as they can for us. So that makes it so much fun and exciting and one of the best times of the whole year for us.”—Mardy Fish “Well, you know, New York, I feel like it’s a great fan base. They’re going to give you whatever you give them. They certainly appreciate hustle. They like a bit of a show. You give them some energy, they’re going to give it right back to you. I feel like it’s a pretty clearcut understood relationship, at least from my perspective. It doesn’t get a whole lot better as far as atmosphere goes than a night session up there.”—Andy Roddick

2012 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW More Than 400 Vie for 80 Spots at 2012 U.S. Open Ballperson Tryouts By Kristen Kelleher

Richard DeGregoris, a current ballboy, helped at this year’s tryout. “I’ve been a ballboy for four years now,” said DeGregoris. “I really like it not just because it’s great money, but it is the experience of a lifetime being on court with the pros. You also meet a lot of new friends.” With the applicant pool being so large, the selection for spots is extremely competitive. Those selected will have the unique opportunity to be on-court at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center with some of the sport’s biggest stars at the Open. Kristen Kelleher is an intern with Long Island Tennis Magazine. She is currently attending Loyola University Maryland and may be reached by e-mail at kristen@litennismag.com.

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

On June 21, the 2012 U.S. Open Ballperson Tryouts were held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. More than 400 people were on hand to show off their skills in running, throwing and catching for a shot at one of the 80 available spots. The extreme heat did not stop competitors ranging in age from 14 on up from impressing the U.S. Open officials for their shot at the big stage in late August. “I feel like it went well. It was nerve wracking at first since you’re around a bunch of people you’ve never met before,” said 15-year-old Gabrielle Williams. “You just have to move quickly and remember what you’re doing it for.” Those who are chosen to become a ballperson work during both the qualifying and main draw of the U.S. Open. “I think this tryout is pretty hard. It shows how much effort needs to be put in. The heat was also really tough,” said Lawrence Chih, 17. With the temperature in the 90s and the sun blaring down on the courts, potential ballpersons had to not only flex their skills but battle the elements thrown their way by Mother Nature, but as the officials continually stressed to the competitors, “This is U.S. Open weather.”

Five Ways to Improve Your Game by Watching the World’s Best Tennis Players at the Open By Steven Kaplan Walk around the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center during this year’s U.S. Open and you will see players from every part of the globe. Even multi-generations are represented in the junior and senior events. While the assortment of differing playing styles is vast, the fundamentals displayed by the world’s top tennis players are similar. Learn what the pros know about tennis success by studying their tactics, attributes and skills. 1. Ramp up your play Even the pros are nervous at the start of a match. They handle these jitters by aiming conservatively, but striking the ball aggressively when beginning a match. After hitting their way into a personal comfort zone and

only after having successfully made some shots, do the pros confidently go for more. Chris Evert once explained that her goal in the first game was to “hit her way into the match” and “ready herself to win.” 2. Seize the opportunity While the Girls 12 & Under players often choose to attack only when they feel comfortable and ready, this strategy is not going to work at the highest levels because here, aggressive play is opportunity driven. If a U.S Open competitor passes up a chance to go for it in the point, they know very well that they might not get another chance. Most elite players will play the open court in combination with their serves almost every time, because the best time to attack is the first opportunity. 3. Mix it up with a purpose The specific purpose of variety is to expose weaknesses and increase uncertainty which limits reaction time. Therefore, shot variety is a means to an end, not just a goal in itself. Variety makes your play more offensive, because it delays an opponent’s decision-making process. Serena Williams will serve wide to an opponent to force them to return from a more forward and wider return position. Once she sees her opponent has adjusted, she will go with pace to middle and keep pounding away until the returner repositions again. 4. Be decisive How do the best players in the world know when to come to net? They don’t, they take an educated guess, but they do so with decisive commitment. The pros believe that decisive decisions are often more important than making the right tactic or shot choice because by the time they know that it’s the right choice, it’s too late to start. Position and hit with no hesitation and make your willingness to commitment your strength. 5. Compete like a pro Here is some bad news that you probably already know. Few people who ever pick

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2012 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW up a racket will ever play as well as Maria Sharapova or Roger Federer. Here’s some better news however, almost anyone can perform every bit as confidently and professionally as these great champions over 80 percent of the time because that’s the amount of time spent in between points. The ratio of play to in between play is 7:1, which is just about 17 minutes of actual play in a two-hour match. The organizational court habits of every player at the U.S. Open in between points is remarkably uniform. You still won’t play like Roger even if you act like him, but you will play better. The U.S. Open can be an exciting and eye-opening learning experience for tennis players at every level, if you know where to focus your attention. Steve Kaplan is the owner of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as the director of Reebok Academy for New York City Parks Foundation. Over the last 33 years, Steve has been the longtime coach of more than 500 nationally-ranked junior players, 15 state high school champions, two NCAA Division 1 Singles Champions, and numerous touring professionals and prominent coaches. Steve’s students have been awarded in excess of $7 million in college scholarship money. He may be reached by e-mail at stevenjkaplan@aol.com.

USTA Announces New Stadiums to be Built at National Tennis Center Photo credit: Anthony Pastecchi

The USTA has joined with New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Queens officials to release details of a proposed strategic vision for future development at the USTA Billie Jean King 26

National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, site of the U.S. Open. The strategic vision—a series of interconnected construction projects that include building developments, infrastructure upgrades and improvements to site circulation—aims to enhance the current conditions at the NTC and preserve its stature as a world-class venue. The project will positively impact the facility’s ability to host its flagship event, the U.S. Open, while simultaneously providing a superior experience for both visiting fans and players, allowing the City of New York to continue to reap substantial economic benefits. “The U.S. Open is one of the city’s greatest sporting events, and it generates more than $750 million a year in economic activity,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “The City recognizes the crucial need to improve the USTA facility and supports this vision, so that the center remains a top-ranked tennis venue capable of hosting the U.S. Open, and thereby, allowing the tournament to remain in New York City for many decades.” The project, expected to develop throughout a multi-year period and cost hundreds of millions of dollars, will be undertaken by the USTA, which will investigate a multitude of potential financing options. The project will primarily entail the replacement and renovation of aging facilities and infrastructures. Since 1978, the USTA has invested more than $500 million of its own funds into the NTC, and this project will continue that investment. “Our goal remains to ensure that the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center remains a world-class facility for the top professional tennis players, for the hundreds of thousands of fans who annually attend the U.S. Open, and, as importantly, the near hundred thousand recreational tennis players who use this facility all yearround,” said Jon Vegosen, chairman of the board and president of the USTA. “The Strategic Vision will enable us to achieve this goal.” Currently, the U.S. Open is New York City’s largest and most valued annual public sporting event, and generates $756 mil-

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

lion in economic impact. Attendance now regularly tops 700,000, making the U.S. Open the highest-attended annual sporting event in the world. On television and through various media, the U.S. Open reaches a global audience, attracting 85 million TV viewers in the United States and is broadcast to 188 countries, with more than 41,000 hours of coverage. Most notably, the project calls for the construction of two new stadiums, one to replace the aging Louis Armstrong Stadium in its current location at the northeast corner of the site, and the other a brand new Grandstand Stadium, built in a different location at the southwest corner of the property. Seven tournament courts on the southern section of the site will be relocated between 30-50 feet, and a new walkway will be built to allow for easy access through the southern part of the site. Two parking garages will be constructed over existing parking lots to accommodate additional spaces, and seven courts on the northwest section–five practice and two tournament- will be replaced and linked by a new, elevated viewing platform that will provide better seating and viewing options for fans. As a direct result of the collective enhancements, the project will enable the facility to accommodate an extra 10,000 people each day during the U.S. Open, increasing attendance by approximately 100,000 new visitors, and amounting to a significant economic boost to Queens, New York City and the entire metropolitan region. The U.S. Open creates 6,000 seasonal jobs–with 85 percent of all employees coming from New York City and 41 percent from Queens. These 6,000 seasonal jobs yield the equivalent of 585 (direct and indirect) full- and part-time jobs for Queens residents, earning $40.33 million in direct and indirect employee compensation. Situated on approximately 42-acres in the park, the NTC is one of the world’s largest public recreational tennis facilities, with indoor and outdoor amenities open for public use throughout most of the calendar year, hosting approximately 100,000 patrons.

2012 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW U.S. Open restaurants Along with the best tennis and entertainment in the world, the U.S. Open offers premium-dining experiences—from Mojito, a Cuban-inspired restaurant and bar, to Champions Bar & Grill, a classic American steakhouse. Whether you are in the mood for a light snack, lunch, dinner, meeting friends for cocktails or satisfying a sweet tooth, the restaurants on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center can cure any craving. Come experience all the U.S. Open has to offer. Aces Vaulted ceilings, vibrant colors and a casual but elegant wine and sushi bar combined with superlative seafood offerings, makes Aces the ultimate dining experience. You can also enjoy Aces’ flavorful and sumptuous cuisine in your suite with the Aces Platinum Package Series. Join us for lunch, dinner or after the matches. Champions Bar & Grill A contemporary setting with classic leather and wood accents, Champions Bar & Grill is a modern take on the traditional clubhouse atmosphere. The Grill offers premium steaks, hearty chops, fresh seafood, salads and a wide variety of wines. Join us for fun, delicious menu items and the finest cuts of meat and more. Bring your friends for lunch, dinner or after the matches, and you won’t miss a minute of the action with live matches and other sporting events on our many TVs. U.S. Open Club Presented by Emirates Airline The U.S. Open Club Presented by Emirates Airline is located on the ground floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium. The U.S. Open Club Presented

by Emirates Airline is available to all Subscription Series ticket holders for the duration of the tournament for a nominal entrance fee, and is included for Silver Loge Box seat holders. The U.S. Open Club Presented by Emirates Airline, with its striking contemporary décor, is famous for its Chef’s Table and seasonal selections of eclectic American cuisine. Patio Café & Bar Soak up the beautiful surroundings of the U.S. Open grounds at our expanded charming outdoor café and bar located outside the U.S. Open Club Presented by Emirates Airline. Enjoy fresh selections of seasonal sandwiches and salads paired with summer specialty cocktails. The Patio Café & Bar is available for all ticket holders. Join us for lunch, dinner or after the matches. Mojito Restaurant & Bar Mojito, a Cuban-inspired restaurant, transports you to a dramatic setting in a tropical oasis reminiscent of 1950s Havana. Experience Mojito’s luscious flavors with Latin specialties and cool cocktails either inside or outdoors in our whimsical outdoor garden. Mojito is available for all ticket holders. Join us for lunch, dinner or after the matches. Mojito is located on the ground floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium near the Patio Café & Bar. Heineken Red Star Café The new Heineken Red Star Café is located next to the South Plaza Fountains. The redesigned café will be on the top level of a new two-story building providing guests with a unique view of the grounds. Guests

can enjoy a spacious, ideal setting to unwind and keep track of the matches while enjoying the café’s laid-back atmosphere and enhanced menus. The new U.S. Open Collection Store, located on the ground level, will feature a complete assortment of 2012 U.S. Open merchandise and mementos alongside a limited selection of Heineken-branded offerings. Join us for lunch, dinner of after the matches. Moët & Chandon Terrace The new Moët & Chandon Terrace located next to the Patio Café & Bar features Moët & Chandon Imperial Champagne along with full-service bar options. Guests can relax and enjoy a glass of champagne in an outdoor lounge setting. Rejuvenate by the Fountains Visit our refreshing food destinations by the fountains, including the South Plaza Café, Cuppa Spotta, Carnegie Deli and Ben & Jerry’s. Baseline Cocktails Come quench your thirst with a full-service bar that includes premium wine upgrades. Wine Bar Food Sample Mediterranean flavors with wines to match. Grey Goose Bar Located in the Food Village, the Grey Goose Bar features the Grey Goose Honey Deuce, the U.S. Open signature cocktail, along with Grey Goose specialty cocktails and a full-service bar. Food Village Enjoy regional cuisine and specialty items at the U.S. Open Food Village: I I I I

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop Carnegie Deli Classic Burger Cuppa Spotta

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2012 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW I I I I I I I I I I I I

I Tennis racquets I Any other items deemed inappropriate or dangerous by the U.S. Open personnel

Farm to Fork Franks and Fries Fresca Mexicana Fulton Seafood Glatt Kosher Cart Grey Goose Bar New Delhi Spice Pizza, Pasta Southern Barbeque Stonyfield Café Sweet & Savory Crepes Grounds rules

U.S. Open attractions

The following items are prohibited and MAY NOT be brought onto the premises and grounds of the U.S. Open: I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

Backpacks Hard coolers or like containers Sealed packages of any kind Bottles or cans (glass or metal) Aerosol cans or noisemaking devices Alcohol Video cameras or recording devices Computers or laptops Food (except in limited quantities, or for medical, dietary or infant purposes) Weapons Animals (unless a service animal) Flags, banners or signs Any materials constituting unauthorized advertising or promotion Laser pointing devices

I U.S. Open American Express Fan Experience: The U.S. Open American Express Fan Experience that premiered during the 2011 U.S. Open is moving inside and will be located in the space previously occupied by SmashZone (within the Chase Center). Open to the public, the U.S. Open American Express Fan Experience will feature swing analysis hitting bays allowing fans to get instant feedback on their swing along with other activities. Also new for 2012, the Fan Experience will include a fullsize tennis court with daily programming and special offers and assistance for American Express Cardmembers. I Mobile Shopping: The 2012 U.S. Open features an enhanced mobile experience that includes merchandise-ordering capabilities in addition to the ability to check live scores, daily schedules, the latest news and watch live matches. With this dynamic shopping feature, you’ll be able to purchase merchandise while on the grounds for pick-up or delivery to select locations at your convenience.

I Fountain/Plaza Desk: ESPN and CBS will broadcast live during select sessions. You won’t want to miss interviews with today’s tennis stars! I Where to See the Stars: The practice courts located by the West Gate are a great place to get an up-close look at some of the world’s best players. I Membership: Here’s your chance to make tennis, make a difference in communities across the country. Join the USTA today and help us change lives through tennis Stop by the USTA Membership Booth next to the U.S. Open American Express Fan Experience under the overhang of the Chase Center. A vast array of tournament souvenirs and mementos are available to commemorate your U.S. Open experience. I Merchandise: A vast array of tournament souvenirs and mementos are available to commemorate your U.S. Open experience. I International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum Gallery at the U.S. Open: Be sure to visit the U.S. Open Gallery, located inside the Chase Center.

USTA Flex League oes your schedule make it difficult to play on a USTA League team? Are you looking for people to play with, but don’t know where to go? Do you want to work on your singles game, without affecting your USTA rating? USTA’s Flex League may be for you. Flex Leagues allows you to play when it’s convenient for you. You arrange a mu-

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tually agreeable match day, time and location with your opponent. The home player covers the court costs, if any. Registration is completed online at www.ustaflex.com. Once registration is closed, a schedule will be generated. You will receive a list of opponents and suggested “play by” dates. Once the match is played, the scores are recorded online.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

Additionally, all players registered for the USTA Flex League are entered into the USTA Flex League Sweepstakes where the grand prize is a trip for two to the U.S. Open. Fall registration dates for the USTA Flex League run from June 15 through Sept. 20. For more information, e-mail flexleague@live.com.

2012 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW 2012 U.S. OPEN MATCH SCHEDULE Date/Session

Day/Evening

Subject to change Time

Featured Matches

Monday, August 27 1 2

Day Evening

11:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s 1st Round Men’s/Women’s 1st Round

Tuesday, August 28 3 4

Day Evening

11:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s 1st Round Men’s/Women’s 1st Round

Wednesday, August 29 5 6

Day Evening

11:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m.

Men’s 1st Round/Women’s 2nd Round Men’s/Women’s 2nd Round

Thursday, August 30 7 8

Day Evening

11:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s 2nd Round Men’s/Women’s 2nd Round

Friday, August 31 9 10

Day Evening

11:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m.

Men’s 2nd Round/Women’s 3rd Round Men’s 2nd Round/Women’s 3rd Round

Saturday, September 1 11 12

Day Evening

11:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s 3rd Round Men’s/Women’s 3rd Round

Sunday, September 2 13 14

Day Evening

11:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m.

Men’s 3rd Round/Women’s Round of 16 Men’s 3rd Round/Women’s Round of 16

Monday, September 3 15 16

Day Evening

11:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s Round of 16 Men’s/Women’s Round of 16

Tuesday, September 4 17 18

Day Evening

11:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m.

Men’s Round of 16/Women’s Quarterfinals Men’s Round of 16/Women’s Quarterfinals

Wednesday, September 5 19 20

Day Evening

11:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m.

Men’s and/or Women’s Quarterfinals Men’s and/or Women’s Quarterfinals

Thursday, September 6 21 22

Day Evening

11:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m.

Men’s Quarterfinals/Mixed-Doubles Final Men’s Quarterfinals

Friday, September 7 23

Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s Doubles Final/Women’s Semifinals

Saturday, September 8 24 25

Day Evening

11:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m.

Men’s Semifinals Women’s Final/Pre-Match Ceremony

Sunday, September 9 26

Day

12:00 p.m.

Women’s Doubles Final/Men’s Final

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Dr. Tom on the Secret to Making a Prodigy By Tom Ferraro, Ph.D. just got back from a book tour of Korea, and I was there to discover the secret to how such a little country like Korea can produce a wave of female golfers that dominate the LPGA. I traveled to The One Golf Academy run by Dr. Won Park. They

are located next to a giant Samsung factory and underneath a highway bridge. The Academy is really just a driving range with a par three course next door. From this humble place comes a long list of Korean of golf stars. I asked Dr. Park how he does it. “Simple. You start the girls at a young age and

expect to see a total commitment to golf by the age of 12. We assume they will work extremely hard, seven days a week. The parents are devoted to the child’s career and give their last penny to them. This kind of support lasts for about 10 years. They typically turn pro by the age of 18 and are expected to win or suffer great shame and guilt. It helps that we have a national superstar in Se Ri Pak for the kids to look up to.” What’s good for golf is good for tennis. If you want to develop a young prodigy, do what they do in Korea. Start them young, expect them to fully commit to tennis to the exclusion of all else by the age of 12, provide unlimited support for 10 years, give them good coaching, and in return, expect both respect, gratitude and many trophies. Some say this is too harsh to do to American children, but it sure does work in Korea. For consultations, treatment or on-site visits, contact Dr. Tom Ferraro Ph.D., sport psychologist, by phone at (516) 248-7189, e-mail drtferraro@aol.com or visit www.drtomferraro.com.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

Mythbusters: It’s August … I Haven’t Done Anything in My College Search … What Now? By Ricky Becker It’s late in the summer and you want to play college tennis and use your tennis game to help your college prospects, but you haven’t done anything yet to prepare for your college search. This is what you should do first … If you graduated high school in 2012 … Know what you want to get out of a school first and foremost (scholarship, education, tennis, geography), and then go on the Internet or hire a college consulting company and contact the coaches at these schools. Realistically, it will be tough to set anything up for September, but there should be some scholarship opportunities starting in January if you try hard enough. Scholarship money sometimes opens up last minute at some schools as people transfer or de-commit. Play tournaments, and if you are ranked outside the top-100, make a college video ASAP. Make visiting schools that you are interested in a very high priority as well. If you finished your junior year of high school in 2012 … Make your college video, know what you want to get out of a school, make a list of 10-15 schools and contact the coaches at these schools. Parents, if your kids are shy or not being proactive, this is probably not

the time to teach them proactivity, send a coach an e-mail on your child’s behalf. Or (and I am not saying to do this of course) some parents I have spoken to have sent e-mails from their child’s e-mail saying it was the child. I’m just saying it has been done many, many times. If you finished your sophomore year of high school in 2012 … Educate yourself with the process so that there are no surprises for the upcoming school year. Make a target list of no more than 20 schools. Educate yourself on what rankings and grades you will need to be of interest to the schools on your list. Statistically, any college that is looking for recruits two stars higher than what you are on TennisRecruiting.net are major long shots at this point as well. Casually reach out to schools that will be interested in your current credentials. If any of these correspondences go well, try and set up an unofficial visit to a school. If you finished your freshman year of high school in 2012 … Educate yourself on what the tennis and academic thresholds are for colleges and try to imagine if you can reach your target schools by hitting the athletic or academic threshold. A student who is slightly below a school’s academic and athletic target has a lot less of a chance for admittance/scholarship money than a person who sur-

passes one target and clearly misses the other target. Parents should make a preliminary list of colleges with their kids. There is no need to limit the amount of colleges on the list. Send a casual letter to a coach if your ranking and/or grades fit their profile. This is a great time to sit back and try to realistically figure out if tennis will open doors or if all the focus should be on academics. If you are now entering high school … Start looking at tennis practice as another fun way of doing homework. Test scores matter for college but so does a ranking. Train on-and-off the court with similar respect and dedication that you give your homework. Parents should start understanding what is important to them and their child in a college. Parents should start to get an idea what ranking would garner the interest of particular tennis teams. Kids and parents should get acquainted with TennisRecruiting.net which is the ranking that most college coaches look at. Ricky Becker is founder of JuniorTennisConsulting LLC, which offers off-court college guidance services to junior tennis players. He is now director of tennis at Pine Hollow Country Club and will be running tennis programs at Glen Head Racquet Club in the winter. He can be reached by email at rbecker06@yahoo.com, by phone at (516) 605-0420 or via JuniorTennisConsulting.com.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

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FREE QUICKSTART CLASS Get your kids playing tennis fast with SPORTIME’s QuickStart Program for children ages 5 - 10! Book a free class by September 2012 at any SPORTIME Tennis location. New members/particpants only. Offer not valid at Randall’s Island. Not to be combined with any other offer or discount. 3310-LITM-QS

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COURT TEST REQUIRED - CALL TODAY! LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE

charitable initiatives Twelve-Year Old Helps Raise Money for Coach With Cancer BY TERI MARIANI ou don’t need muscles to change the world … you just need a heart. And a 12-year-old Syosset, N.Y. girl is proving what a heart she has. Gabrielle Sklar was sitting at the dinner table when her mother mentioned the life and death battle of her Sportime tennis coach TJ Harvey, 58, was facing against bladder cancer. In addition to fighting a cancer that has the worst recurrence rate, Harvey’s part-time status at work did not qualify him for health insurance, putting him in the same void as one out of six Americans. “When I described what TJ was going through, right away Gabby asked how she could help,” her mother, Sandra, recalled. Gabby is a giggly, chatty seventh grader at Southwoods Middle School in Syosset. And while her days are packed with after-school activities, including tennis, piano and singing lessons, Gabrielle’s mission was clear: Help Harvey. “It’s the best it could get,” she says of combining a feeling of accomplishment with helping someone in need. Susan Stix, a clinical social worker in Roslyn, N.Y., says it’s important that children learn the gift of charity. “It makes them have a deeper sense of connection, and they learn that such a little gesture can make a big difference,” said Stix. Gabby created a plan. She would begin by asking her friends to donate. The best

Gabrielle Sklar way to entice them to give? Give them a good time! Have a pool party! The weather was as warm as the hearts she attracted. Gabby set out a bucket of “love,” and into it, friends poured in $1s, $5s, $10s even $20s. At the end of the

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

party, Gabrielle had raised $300 for the beloved tennis coach. “We made a party with a purpose, instead of just a party,” mother Sandra Sklar said. But Gabby wasn’t done yet. Fueled by her success, she summoned the courage to approach a local pizza parlor, Zio’s Italian Grill and Pizzeria on Cold Spring Road in Syosset. Owner Marcello Caccialino was touched by Gabby’s act of kindness and supplied his own in the form of zeppolis—300 of them—that enterprising Gabby could sell to the public. “Sometimes you have to give back. I lost a father-in-law to cancer, and thought was a nice thing that the kids were getting involved,” said Caccialino. But where to sell them? The savvy young businesswoman knew she needed a place with lots of foot traffic. She asked the management at Stop & Shop in Oyster Bay if she could set up a table in front of the supermarket, and got the goahead. So while the other kids were messing around at the mall, Gabrielle and two recruits were turning dough into donations. They came home with another $500. “It made me feel really proud that I could do something,” said Gabby. “She had a lot of compassion, and she felt good about doing good,” Sandra Sklar recalled. The next step was to present Harvey

with the money. Gabby was off to sleepaway camp, leaving her mother to spring the surprise. Carrying a tray full of brownies, Sandra Sklar met TJ for lunch at Mim’s. But the real treat was in the love bucket—all the money her daughter had collected for him. Harvey was overwhelmed. “It’s humanitarian, it’s empathic, and it’s generous. It lifted me above the clouds and made me want to fight harder,” TJ said. Harvey has made it a point to live his own life generously. There is no clock when he gives his “hour-long” lessons.

They’re done when the student “gets it.” And students routinely say they learn more in one hour from him than from a year of lessons with other teachers. “TJ treats everyone like an advanced player, so you become one,” said Karen Schoenbart, president and chief operating officer of NPD Group and a long-time student of Harvey’s. Harvey readily accepts players into his practice group that other tennis coaches may be reluctant to take on. They include students with birth defects, hearing disabilities and Parkinson’s disease. “Those players inspire other players to

do their best,” Harvey said. The giving experience turned out to be as important to Gabrielle as it was for Harvey. One heart helping another heart. And as we all know, two hearts are better than one. “I’m not going to stop,” said Gabby. To make a donation to TJ Harvey‘s fight against cancer, visit http://www.giveforward.com/tjharvey Teri Mariani is a TV newswriter in New York. She may be reached by phone at (917) 562-5708 or e-mail qwerty922@optonline.net.

Introducing Love Tennis by hazel

ow many times have you searched for jewelry that truly reflects your passion for tennis only to find a pair of $20 fuzzy yellow tennis ball earrings? That was the problem Designer and Owner Hazel Nussbaum experienced in 2010 when trying to find a piece of tennis-inspired jewelry to celebrate a big win. Although consumers are overwhelmed with jewelry choices, the tennis player has been left out of the game. “I’m not the only woman out there seeking elegant, classic and approachable pieces celebrating her love of tennis” said Hazel. “Can’t you hear the ‘racquet?’ These fans want it and they can’t find it … anywhere.”

Yes, we hear it and we’re happy to tell you that you don’t have to look any further. Introducing Love Tennis by hazel, a game-changing new jewelry line that celebrates passion for the game with elegantly hand-crafted necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Oh, and they even have cuff links for him! The line includes a total of four collections based on the Grand Slam tournament host cities. New York and Paris are available now, while Melbourne and London will debut in 2013. These classic and timeless pieces express the passion points of the game—winning, motivation and team spirit. Some pieces are whimsical, others more bold, but all are simply beautiful.

The New York collection lariat necklace (see center image) features a sterling silver tennis ball gently slipped through a simple, yet subtle, silver racket with tiny goldplated handle. The tennis ball stud earrings (see left image) are a clever take on a timeless classic. And, the Racquet and Ball Hook Bracelet (see right image) is brilliant— a sterling silver racquet with gold-plated handle gently hooks onto a sterling silver tennis ball; all seamlessly linked on a sterling silver bangle. And, the icing on the cake—all pieces are proudly made in the USA. For more information and to view the entire collection, visit www.lovetennisbyhazel.com.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

McEnroe, Agassi, Sampras and Rafter to Compete in NASDAQ Indexes Cup at MSG in November nsideOut Sports + Entertainment has announced that tennis legends John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Patrick Rafter will be competing in the NASDAQ Indexes Cup as part of the PowerShares Series Tour at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y. on Monday, Nov. 5. Formerly known as the Champions Series, the PowerShares Series will visit a total of 12 U.S. cities during its seven-week season. In addition to McEnroe, Agassi, Sampras and Rafter, the tour, produced by Larry Magid, will feature fellow Grand Slam champions Jimmy Connors, Jim Courier, Michael Chang and Mats

Wilander, as well as Davis Cup Champion Todd Martin. The athletes will be competing for a prize pool totaling $1 million to be shared by the top three finishers at the conclusion of the season. Each PowerShares Series tournament will showcase four of the legendary players competing for ranking points playing in two, one-set semifinals followed by a one-set championship match. Pete Sampras finished the 2011 season as the number one-ranked player, followed by Jim Courier and Andre Agassi. “We are thrilled to be coming to Madison Square Garden with the PowerShares Series,” said Jon Venison, partner

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

at InsideOut Sports + Entertainment. “New York audiences expect to see the best and this event will showcase four former world number ones and U.S. Open Champions competing against each other in a one-night shootout tournament. It will be a fantastic night of tennis at The Garden.” The PowerShares Series is a tennis circuit for champion tennis players over the age of 30, created in 2005 by InsideOut Sports + Entertainment, the New York based firm which is co-owned and operated by former SFX executive Jon Venison and former world number one Jim Courier.

John McEnroe congratulates the recipients of Fall Scholarships to his John McEnroe Tennis Academy Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

John McEnroe Tennis Academy Honors Eight With Fall Scholarships Eight boys and girls, ranging in age from seven to 16, were introduced this week as winners of full or partial scholarships to the John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA). Each were among approximately 170 participants ages six through 17 in an open tryout on July 21, and the eight were honored on-court during the World TeamTennis matchup between the New York Sportimes and Washington Kastles at Sportime Randall’s Island. The eight winners were: I I I I I I I I

emy staff and I are looking forward to working with these exceptional young athletes to maximize their abilities.” The JMTA, expanding with annexes on Long Island and in Westchester to open in September 2012, continues to draw a wide range of talented young people from all walks of life who are interested in learning tennis from its Hall of Fame namesake and from the elite team of JMTA coaches that have been assembled. The third annual session of the Academy will begin in September.

The day-long tryout was held at the JMTA Flagship location, Sportime Randall’s Island, with young players between the ages of six and 17 having worked out for JMTA coaches. McEnroe observed and evaluated the players in the second opportunity for young players to participate in open tryouts for spots in the JMTA. In July 2010, over 300 young people participated in tryouts, with five boys and seven girls awarded full or partial scholarships to the JMTA.

Palmer Clare, North Bellmore, N.Y. (16) Diane McCready, Brooklyn, N.Y. (11) Natalie Eordekian, Woodside, N.Y. (7) Cameron Daniels, Oakland Gardens, N.Y. (15) Leonte Wilder, Plainfield, N.J. (11) Sean Wei, Yorktown Heights, N.Y. (12) Tomas Kopczynski, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. (12) Amber O’Dell, Chesterfield, Mich. (11)

In all, 23 semifinalists advanced to an afternoon session at the tryout, from which the winners were selected. “These eight boys and girls showed a great deal of potential and positive, winning attitude,” said McEnroe. “I was pleased with how much talent and competitive spirit we saw at the tryout, and my AcadLITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Tweets from the pros Daniela Hantuchova (@dhantuchova): Hey guys, I had so much fun last night at the ESPYs! It was fun seeing so many great athletes under one roof. It’s always great to be in LA!

Casey Dellacqua (@caseydellacqua): Justin Bieber seems like a lovely young lad with a good head on his shoulders. Mardy Fish (@MardyFish): I’m not an Angels fan at all but obviously I have to root for a guy named Mike Trout right??? Novak Djokovic (@djokernole): I’m officially back in the office! I hit a couple of balls with Maria, trust me … she didn’t take it easy on me :) Sabine Lisicki (@sabinelisicki): Done for the day. It feels so good to get home after a good day of practice. I’ll sleep like a baby tonight!

E M I L I E

KAT Z

Shahar Peer (@shaharpeer): After a really good day of tennis and fitness I had a massage, and now I’m going to have dinner! Really happy about today :-) Caroline Wozniacki (@carowozniacki): Evening on the couch for me! 6 hours of training in 30 degrees should do it.

Serena Williams (@serenawilliams): I’m at Chef Chu’s restaurant in Palo Alto Ca. This place is insanely good! Thanks Chef! I love it!!!

Robin Soderling (@RSoderling): Acupuncture time!

Tweets from the 2012 London Olympics Bob Bryan (@Bryanbros): Trying on some snazzy gear at USA team processing.

Sabine Lisicki (@sabinelisicki): Woohoo on my way to London!!! So excited!

Ryan Harrison (@ryanharrison92): Made it to London! Awesome new Nike gear for the Olympics! Can’t wait to get going. Serena Williams (@serenawilliams): OLYMPICS!!!!!

Andy Roddick (@andyroddick): It’s awesome when you’re behind someone at the grocery store and as they are getting wrung up they run to get five more things.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

Caroline Wozniacki (@carowozniacki): Back in London and can’t wait for the Olympics! I am so excited to represent Denmark!!

Body Issue Daniela Hantuchova has followed Serena Williams and Vera Zvonareva in appearing before the cameras for ESPN The Magazine’s annual Body Issue. There’s precedent for Hantuchova’s (lack of) coverage: She featured prominently in Sports Illustrated’s 2009 Swimsuit Issue, alongside fellow pros Maria Kirilenko and Tatiana Golovin.

nant with the couple’s first child. Both players are 27 and have been dating for two years. On his way to tying the knot is James Blake. Blake is set to be married on Nov. 9 in San Diego. Blake and his fiancee Emily just recently had their first child, a baby girl named Riley. María José Martínez Sánchez has been enjoying some of the best years of her career recently and the Spaniard got married in Barcelona on July 14 to her boyfriend of nine years, Juan Domingo Pérez.

Serena hopes not to Basketball Meets Tennis argue at U.S. Open

Scottie Pippen, part of Serena Williams jokes the six-time World Chamthat her goal at this sumpion Chicago Bulls and mer’s U.S. Open is to the original Dream Team, “maybe not get into an watched Serena Williams argument.” In her last two advance to the next round appearances at Flushing at Wimbledon and Dallas Mavericks star Meadows, Williams threatDirk Nowitzki watched his German ened a linesperson after being called for a compatriot Sabine Lisicki upset Maria foot fault (in the 2009 semis), and then arSharapova at Wimbledon as well. gued with chair umpire Eva Asderaki over a hindrance call, calling her “not a very nice And the ESPY goes to … person inside” (in the 2011 final). “If someone makes me really angry I Maria Sharapova made a might have to get into a little bit of an argucameo on the red carpet ment, but my goal is to try to stay calm if I at the ESPY Awards held can,” Serena said with a smile. “If not I’m at Los Angeles’ Nokia going out with a bang as I did the past two Theatre. She then won the years.” Best Female Tennis Player honor, but was beaten for Best Female Athlete by Baylor University basketball champ Brittney Griner, and for Best Comeback by Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. Novak Djokovic also won at the ESPYs, as Best Male Tennis Player.

Back to school Venus Williams is taking online classes through Indiana University. She wore her school colors and letters while watching sister Serena play at Wimbledon

Love and marriage Marcos Baghdatis and Karolina Sprem married in Trakoscan castle in her homeland of Croatia in July. Sprem is also preg-

Last call at Open for Clijsters This year’s U.S. Open will be the last for former world number one-ranked Kim Clijsters of Belgium. Clijsters has announced that she plans on retiring after the event. She initially retired in 2007 due to a hip injury, but returned in 2009 to win her second U.S. Open title that year. Earlier this year, Clijsters had already announced this would be her last season. “As it stands, I will end my career at the U.S Open,” said Clijsters. “That is where I enjoyed my greatest triumphs and it is a very special place for me.” She is a three-time champion in Flushing Meadows, winning the tournament in 2005, 2009 and 2010.

McHale and Stephens on the USS Midway

Two of America’s most promising young stars, Christina McHale and Sloane Stephens, had a very special experience on Day 1 of the Mercury Insurance Open, playing tennis on and then touring the USS Midway, the longest-serving U.S. Navy carrier of the 20th Century and the most visited floating ship museum, with more than five million visitors since 2004.

Tube stations

In celebration of the Olympic Games in London 2012, the names of 361 tube stations will be changed to carry the names of Olympic athletes. Roger Federer now has his own stop near the city centre. “Roger Federer” will be one of the stops on the black line, the so-called Northern Line and will replace the normal stop “Old Street.” Athletes like Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o, Usain Bolt, Fabian Cancellara, Carl Lewis, Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali were also honored with their own tube station stops during the Olympics this summer.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Distribution scheduled for 11/01/12 This edition will feature: • Top Coaches Roundtable Discussion • U.S. Open Recap • Year In Review • Summer Camp Photo Recap

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College Recruiting Videos: How Are They Made? By Jeff Fenton Representing your college as a participant on its tennis team is a thrill of a lifetime. I try to open the door for as many high school hopefuls as I can. When a college coach requests a video from a high school prospect, they might be asking, “Who are you and why should I be considering you?” When I make a video for a high school player, I want to portray the player as honestly as I can. I look at each player as a special athlete. Through my videos, I try to show the true athletic skills, as well as the inner drive from each player. Everyone has something special. I was a Division I scholarship athlete myself, so I have a personal understanding of what it takes to be a contributor to a team sport. Tennis players are no different from other athletes who will be representing their college in their sport of choice. In these videos, a person’s body language speaks: Players must exude positive energy, confidence, strength and intelligence. I also like to include some audio bytes from each prospect because there is no substitute for speaking from the heart.

All-in-all, these “highlight reels” are an important vehicle for broadcasting yourself to a college coach. Most coaches receive hundreds of these videos, so if yours does not stand out, you’ve lost an opportunity: An unforced error, if you will. The highlight reel needs to get to the point, make a statement and be informative. It needs to exhibit realistic challenging tennis and some actual competitive play. During the actual videotaping session, I use my 16 years as a USPTA teaching pro to identify goals and communicate them to the player and the player’s coach. We design certain drills to bring out the best from the player. Editing is a long and sometimes complicated procedure that is an often overlooked process of the highlight reel. I must choose the best segments of the video to use, put them in the most logical order, use the appropriate dissolves, include the audio bytes strategically, include information about the player, such as awards and recognition,

rankings, etc., add energetic music when appropriate, even take out unwanted audio like humming from fans or buzzing from florescent bulbs. Sometimes I use slow-motion when I feel an athletic movement needs to be highlighted. The finished DVD that I produce has a photograph of the player printed on the disc. Also popular and easily accommodated is the service of producing a video file for the player to upload to the Web to sites like YouTube. The coaches seem to find this a practical venue for receiving a video. Each player that truly has the ambition to play for their college team can achieve it. If you put in the work, you can be rewarded. There is a school out there for you.

“Through my videos, I try to show the true athletic skills, as well as the inner drive from each player.”

Jeff Fenton is a USPTA-certified teaching pro working out of Clay Time Indoor Tennis in Island Park, N.Y. He may be reached by e-mail at jsfenton1@gmail.com.

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LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Minimal Shoes for Tennis? By Frank Dolan, BS, CSCS If you are in any way connected to the fitness or running world, you know that there is quite a bit of hype around the idea of using a minimal shoe for training and running. From Vibram Five Fingers to the New Balance Minimus, you can see athletes everywhere utilizing these shoes to strengthen their feet, as well as create a more natural feel in athletic movements. But, the question still remains: Are these shoes good for playing tennis? If a minimal shoe can help improve functional movement, wouldn’t it make sense that it could improve your movements on the court? In this case, the answer is no. Tennis is a sport in which the shoe becomes part of the equipment. The lateral support, wide base and hard bottom of the tennis shoe will support multi-directional

“With a minimal shoe, most of the energy is dissipated through the natural absorption of the foot musculature.” cutting, as well as allow the athlete to transfer adequate force into the ground to be fast and explosive. With a minimal shoe, most of the energy is dissipated through the natural absorption of the foot musculature. This creates a great “training” situation because you can feel your connection to the ground through the proprioceptors. These proprioceptors dictate balance, stability and motor control. In a strength and movement training environment, this could be very beneficial to the long-term development of athleticism.

But, with that being said, when you hit the court, you want to be in a proper tennis shoe to minimize the risk of injury, as well as express your game optimally. Frank Dolan, BS, CSCS is a strength and conditioning specialist, and the owner of Sports and Fitness Performance in Islip, N.Y. In addition to studying directly under such industry luminaries as Gray Cook, Mark Verstegen and Mike Boyle, Frank consults for organizations such as Equinox Fitness Clubs, Major League Strength, The Baseball Factory, and several local colleges, high schools and sports organizations. He is an expansion team presenter for Functional Movement Systems (FMS), and in 2008, worked as consultant to the New York Yankees during spring training. He may be reached by phone at (631) 650-7140 or e-mail CoachFrankDolan@gmail.com.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

Meeting Energy Needs By Irina Belfer-Lehat The foods that we eat provide the energy or fuel that our body needs. Athlete’s bodies have different needs and requirements in order to optimize their athletic performance. Many people have misconceptions about different food groups, as some try to avoid carbohydrates, while others avoid fats. This type of dieting is called “fad diets” and are never a good idea, especially for an athlete. An athlete, needs all six food groups, specifically: Grains, vegetables, fruits, oils, milk, meat and beans. Carbohydrates, such as sugar and starch, are readily broken down into glucose, the principal energy source of the body. Glucose can be used immediately or it can be stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen. Blood glucose serves as the most significant source of energy for the brain at rest and during exercise. The capacity of your body to store muscle and liver glycogen is limited to about 90 to 120 minutes of continuous, vigorous activity. If you ever hit the wall while exercising, now you

know why. That is why it is equally important to include protein and fat. Fat is the body’s most concentrated source of energy, providing more than twice as much potential energy as carbohydrates or protein (nine calories per gram, versus four calories per gram). During exercise, stored fat in the body (in the form of triglycerides in adipose or fat tissue) is broken down into fatty acids. These fatty acids are transformed through the blood to muscle for fuel. Protein is not being maintained in the body for use of energy. Protein is needed to build and repair body tissues, as well as synthesize important enzymes and hormones. Protein, however; provides energy in late stages of prolonged exercise. Elite tennis players require different types and amounts of fuel than most recreational players, a registered dietitian can help you accurately estimate your daily caloric needs and help you with a meal plan that will enhance your athletic achievements.

Irina Belfer-Lehat is a New York State-licensed dietitian and certified dietitiannutritionist. She may be reached by phone at (917) 769-8031 or e-mail irinalehat@gmail.com.

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LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Three Secrets to a Better Serve Today By Lisa Dodson In today’s game, there are many schools of thought as to how to create the best serve. The information is often unclear, the terminology is difficult and the execution is near impossible. I’d like to give you three clear and simple concepts to think about that will change your serve for the better in a relatively short period of time. I. Relax already! It is truly rare to find a player who understands what “relaxed” means in the game of tennis. Often when searching for a relaxed state, a player becomes so loose that strokes and technique are slow and sloppy. They simply haven’t hit enough technically sound serves to be confident in letting the racket head do the work for them. Especially problematic for the serve is the uncomfortable Continental Grip. Players squeeze the grip so as not to lose the grip.

“Clear vision is essential for great contact on a ball.”

tive. As you put more fingers on the grip, strive to maintain the whippy feeling that allows all of the “links” in your arm to contribute to the serve.

At the same time, they are killing the fluid and rhythmic technique they are trying to achieve. A relaxed mind, hand and body have a direct effect on the speed your serve will travel. Here are a few practical things you can do to physically understand what a relaxed grip means. Gently put your hand in the correct grip position on the racket. Slide your hand down so that only your first finger and your thumb are on the flared butt-end of the racket. Your other three fingers will be curled under the butt of the racket. Now go through your service motion without hitting a ball. The racket should feel heavy and uncontrollable. You can feel all of the “links” in your arm contributing to your service motion. Now try hitting a ball with this grip. You’ll be surprised that this seemingly impossible task is really effec-

II. Look up before you toss! Most tennis players think that they are looking up to their ball toss when they are actually looking out. To test what you do, stand up, relax your neck and let your head go back as far as it can against the top of your back. If you are inside, you should be looking at a spot on the ceiling almost directly above your head. Your tossing arm lifts and the fingers of your tossing hand go to the sky. A high tossing hand will set the tossing shoulder higher than the hitting shoulder, making this head position feel more natural. Clear vision is essential for great contact on a ball. A little-known fact is that the best servers look up before the ball is tossed. Looking up in anticipation of the arrival of the ball is a much more efficient method of serving. If your head goes up in advance of

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

the toss, your eyes will be still. Now you will be fully able to focus on the target. Try envisioning a small picture frame hanging in the air at optimum contact point. Look up to that picture frame and work on being able to place the toss in that area. Focus and intent to strike the ball will be far greater. III. Toss with a flat hand The position of the toss hand and arm are neglected areas when dealing with the serve. The toss arm has several critical functions. How the ball is propelled up is important not only for the result of the toss but also for the next phase of the serve. Ball tosses should travel straight up and

down, without spin or arc (except when intended). Fingers bent or curled around the ball assure failure. For a successful toss, flatten your fingers and place the ball on the creases of the last joint segment. Place your thumb gently over the top of the ball, making sure to keep the hand flat by laying your wrist down. Straighten your elbow, bring your toss arm down and up in the direction of the right net post (for a right-handed server). The toss comes from the shoulder and gentle body action, and the hand finishes up in the “picture frame” described above. Gently popping the hand open at the release point eliminates “flipping” the ball off the fingers. The toss hand contin-

ues to the sky to set the tossing shoulder higher than the hitting shoulder and allowing an upward hit. The three secrets to a great serve aren’t flashy, but are so critically fundamental to the serve that you simply cannot be as successful without them. Make mastering these principles a priority and you will soon have the stress free, dominant and powerful serve that you have been wanting. Lisa Dodson is owner of The Total Serve, a USPTA Pro 1, and a formerly WTA worldranked player. She may be reached by email at ldodson57@yahoo.com or visit www.thetotalserve.com.

Creating Emotion With Strings by Racquet Art e’ve all purchased racquets that have had the manufacturer’s logo painted on the strings. Does this add any excitement or fun to your game? The answer is no. It won’t make you play like Roger Federer or Serena Williams. So, why do we leave it there. There is an option that adds excitement to your game, unity to you team which may strike fear in your opponent, depending on the option you choose. I am talking about a creative stencil from Racquet Art. Through their Web site, RacquetArt.com, you can choose from more than 50 different pictures to stencil on the strings of your racquet. Add some fun with a smiley face or some fear and distraction with a skull and crossbones. If you don’t see what you are looking for, Racquet Art can design an image from your artwork. They are inexpensive and bring a smile to your face each time you take out your racquet. For leagues and school teams, in addition to fun, why not use a common stencil to show team unity to your opponent. The stencils are made from high-quality, stencil plastic and can be used over and over. One stencil can be used for the entire team. “Many teams have ordered custom logos for their team racquets,” said Michael Waroff, owner of Racquet Art. “It brings a special sense of unity and pride when everyone takes out their racquets

and the entire team raises the same flag, so to speak.” In addition to the stencils, Racquet Art sells premium stencil ink in 10 exciting colors. Some colors are better on light strings, some are better on dark strings. They have an ink color for everyone. The inks are sold in one and eight ounce containers with a felt tipped applicator pre-installed in the bottle. To paint the image on the strings, all

that is necessary is to give the bottle a slight squeeze and run the applicator over the opening in the stencil on the strings. Racquet Art includes full instructions with the stencils and on their Web site. Next time you go to your stringer to have your racquets restrung, make sure you tell them that you want a fun stencil from Racquet Art. Show some fun and excitement with your racquet.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA EASTERN LONG ISLAND REGION

Kids’ Rally Day Shines Local children spent a fun day on the courts at Malverne High School at Long Island Kids Rally Day, presented by the USTA Eastern Long Island Region and benefitting the USTA National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) Program. More than 250 kids from across Nassau and Suffolk Counties represented Community Tennis Associations (CTAs), NJTLs, day camps and other groups. Chandra_Rubin-Former They enjoyed a day of games and world number six pro Chandra Rubin was the star matches, as well as 10 & Under lessons for newcomers. The day’s speof Long Island Kids Rally cial guest clinician, former world Day, giving lessons and sharing her on-court wisdom number six-ranked pro Chanda Rubin, spent the day on court with the juniors giving them tips and instruction that can only come from a true champion. Special thanks to the Malverne School District, the Village of Malverne and the many volunteers who helped make Rally Day a success.

campers of all ages and skills. It features the latest 10 & Under teaching techniques and methodology, and where appropriate, uses modified racquets, balls and courts. According to Mecca, this event is arguably the largest of such events in the country, and to date, nearly 5,000 children and adults have benefitted from the many benefits of playing tennis. The success of the Blitz in the Parks program is the due to the generosity of many people and organizations, including the USTA, USPTA, USTA Eastern and many Long Island volunteers.

New Member Organization Offers Lessons

Tennis Blitz in the Park: A New Nassau County Tradition The 5th Annual Tennis Blitz in the Parks was held at eight Nassau County Parks in mid-July, with nearly 1,100 Nassau County adults and children being treated to 2.5 hours of free tennis lessons by USTA staffers, USPTA and PTR pros, and other volunteers. Tennis Blitz in the Parks was conceived and organized by Bill Mecca, the USTA Eastern Long Island Region Tennis Service Representative who worked with Karen Beckhard Ravener from the Nassau County Department of Parks to ensure that all 1,100 participants had an outstanding tennis experience. The event was held at seven Nassau County Parks: Eisenhower Park, Christopher Morley Park, Nickerson Beach, North Woodmere, Cantiague Park, Cow Meadow Park and Centennial Park. Tennis Blitz in the Parks is open to all players, Nassau County 46

The non-profit Baldwin Tennis Club, a new USTA Long Island member organization, has been offering low-cost kids’ lessons all summer and held its first-ever Kid’s PLAY DAY at Baldwin High School. The USTA Eastern Long Island Region congratulates the Baldwin Tennis Club on its successful inaugural season and looks forward to working with the group in the months and years ahead.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

USTA EASTERN LONG ISLAND REGION

Street Fair Season Arrives

Do You Like Us?

It’s that time of year again—fair and festival season—and the USTA Eastern Long Island Region volunteer Board of Directors is looking forward to meeting many local tennis fans on the streets this year. The Long Island Region will be out in force at the Merrick Fair on Saturday, Sept. 8, and the Bellmore Family Festival on Saturday, Sept. 22. Both events Join the fun with the take place near the train stations in each USTA Eastern Long respective town. Tennis courts specially Island Region at the sized for those ages 10 & Under will be Merrick and Bellmore Street Fairs in September set up at the fairs, and USTA pros will be giving lessons all day. There will also be games and prizes, and we’ll be selling special “I Love LI Tennis” tshirts for only $5 each. Member organizations and tennis instructors who want to volunteer their time to help at the fairs can e-mail ustaonlongisland@gmail.com. We can also use high school tennis player volunteers as well as any USTA members who want to help. Stop by and support your Long Island Region at the fairs!!

The USTA Eastern Long Island Region has been a strong local presence on Facebook, but we want to see more of you. We’re trying to reach 1,000 Likes and you can help. Just go to USTA Long Island on Facebook and Like our page. Then, you’ll have immediate access to important tennis information in the Region, including details of all our events, programs and activities and links to local clubs and details about what your fellow Long Island tennis players, instructors, facilities and supporters are doing. We’re also happy to post your news about tournaments, fundraisers, tennis fundraisers, tournament wins or results, school tennis results, 10 & Under tournaments and results, Long Island juniors and Long Island rankings, among other things. Just forward all of your news to us by e-mail at ustaonlongisland@gmail.com.

Junior Fun at LI Rally Day Chanda Rubin Takes Part in the 2012 Long Island Kids Rally Day Carl Summerlin, president of the USTA Eastern Metro Region, provided music during Kids Rally Day

USTA Eastern Long Island Region President Daniel Burgess with volunteer Jay Fagin

Participants from Wee Friends Day Camp in Wantagh enjoy a cooling sweet treat from Merrick’s Swirlz World dessert emporium

Members of the Alliance Junior Tennis Camp of Roosevelt enjoyed the day of tennis fun

Chanda Rubin with USTA Eastern Long Island volunteer Ross Binder

Chanda Rubin with Terry Fontana, USTA Eastern Long Island Region Rally Day Chair, during the 2012 Long Island Kids Rally Day event

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA EASTERN LONG ISLAND REGION

Nassau Tennis in the Parks

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

2012 Long Island Tennis Magazine

GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW In 2011, the Girls High School Tennis Season ended on a sour note as Syosset High School defeated Half Hollow Hills East for the Long Island Championship via a coaches forfeit by HHHE over a lineup dispute. While this was deeply concerning on many levels, it shouldn’t overshadow what was one of the best seasons on-court by Long Island high school girls in recent memory. The 2011 New York State Finals featured two Long Island girls (Hannah Camhi of Syosset and Morgan Herrmann of Garden City), and Syosset High School won their third consecutive Long Island Championship. This season Syosset will have to move on without State Champion and first singles player Hannah Camhi, but Syosset still returns a strong lineup looking to win their fourth consecutive High School Championship. They will be challenged this year by Port Washington, Roslyn and Manhasset amongst others. In Suffolk, Half Hollow Hills East is the defending Champion, but will be without top player Ludmilla Yamus who has graduated. They will be challenged by rival Half Hollow Hills West and Northport, who finished last season 9-1 and 10-0 respectively during the regular season. The Nassau County Girls High School Championship Tournament will be held Oct. 20-21 at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, N.Y., with the 2012 New York State Girls High School Championship set for Nov. 2-5 in Albany, N.Y.

Top returning players to watch

look to win both championships in her freshman year. I Nicholle Torres of Great Neck South (Senior): In 2011, Torres won the Singles Consolation Draw at the New York State Tournament. With this being her senior season, she will look to go out with a bang. I Zenat Roshizada of Half Hollow Hills West (Senior): In 2011, Roshizada lost to Nicole Daniggelis in the Suffolk County Singles Final. This year, she will try to finish her senior season with a County title and with Daniggelis having graduated, Roshizada may be the favorite. I Bridget Harding of Northport (Junior): Last year, Bridget along with her sister Mickey won the Suffolk County Doubles Championship before losing in the New York State Quarterfinals. This year, while her sister has graduated, Bridget returns to Northport for her junior season, and another run at a state championship.

I Brittany Burke of Garden City (Senior): Finished third in the Nassau Doubles Championship playing with Marissa Cameron who has since graduated. But Burke returns for her senior season and will play second singles behind Morgan Hermann. I Paulina Tafler of Oceanside (Sophomore): Finished fourth in Nassau County as a freshman but will only get better in her Sophomore season and is a threat for the Nassau Championship. I Lauren Livingston (Junior) & Emma Brezel (Senior) of Port Washington: In 2011, the duo of Livingston & Brezel finished second in the Nassau County Doubles draw. This year, they both return looking to go one step further in 2012. I Gabriella Leon (Senior) & Veronika Paikin (Senior) of Hewlett: They play first and second singles throughout the season and they teamed up to win the Nassau County Doubles Championship as juniors. This year, they return to Hewlett High School as seniors seeking a second consecutive title.

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I Morgan Herrmann of Garden City (Freshman): Last year as an 8th grader, Herrmann was the runner-up at both the New York State and Nassau County Champiosnhips. With Camhi off to Brown, Herrmann will LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Football Season is Coming Again

By Lonnie Mitchel

Guys who play … I know you’re out there … tell your friends about us!

The audience who reads this magazine has an affinity for the game. However, we are approaching football season, and a significant amount of sports media turns their attention to NFL training camps as well as NCAA Division I football. Aside from the U.S. Open, tennis finds itself fighting for its place in the sports media pie. I understand this is because the NFL is the most popular spectator sport in America, that is where the ratings are and that is what sells advertising. It is simply good business. It is because many football fans love the action, the strategy, their favorite teams and the violence of the game. We love it except if it is our own children, husbands, friends and rel-

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

“Here is my idealistic wish, I need just one prominent high school or college player in every community across America to stand up and say ‘I am going to play tennis.’” atives are the ones who are getting hurt. Recently, several prominent football players publicly came out on the dangers of the game as it relates to concussions. We have seen several noteworthy former players who actually committed suicide as a result of brain damage/depression brought on by the effects of one or more concussions they had suffered. Kurt Warner, a famous retired NFL quarterback, and others have said that they would prefer their own children not play football and find another sport. This is a very controversial subject, so much so that there have been many rule changes to protect the NFL, collegiate and high school football players. Even Pop Warner Leagues, one of the first national youth sport organizations to implement concussion rules, are changing their rules regarding football practices. When I hear of those things happening, although unfortunate for the players who play the sport and even those who watch like myself, I see an opportunity for tennis. Come on; let’s think out of the box for a moment … can you see more football

players playing tennis? I can and I know it’s possible; we just have to convince them. My son just graduated high school this year, and his experience in high school included competing on the tennis team. What surprised me is that many of his friends who do play on the football team signed his yearbook with good-natured comments about football being the masculine sport and tennis being the cowardly sport. Well, behind the goodnatured teasing comes some truth in that there is still a culture that believes tennis players are just not worthy of the respect from the football community. Well if concussions, broken ankles, dislocated shoulders and a plethora of other injuries are prevalent in that community, then I guess I am glad I was exposed to tennis from a young age. Coming from a middle-class neighborhood, I can assure you I was the minority as were my children because we chose the sport of tennis. I have not been to a football game, whether it be pro, collegiate or high school, where I not have seen at least

one injured player sitting out the game and at least a couple of play stoppages for a player who suffered an injury. Yes, of course tennis players can suffer injuries. We are not immune to knee problems, tennis elbow and more. However, I never saw a tennis player carted off the court because of a concussion. Here is my idealistic wish, I need just one prominent high school or college player in every community across America to stand up and say “I am going to play tennis.” If one person on a football team does it, then our game will have more of a chance to get out of the country clubs and out into the mainstream. Like it or not, our game still resonates within the sports community as a country club game and not for the masses. I know the USTA tries to get out into under privileged communities and other neighborhoods to promote our sport, but when the high school football team attracts 60 or more kids to tryout and many middle-America high schools and communities can barely attract a dozen tennis players to

try out, something is just not right. I don’t know whose fault that is or why, but I do know we have a long way to go. The U.S. Open will probably draw record crowds again this year so things cannot be too bad. However, I won’t see too many people from my old middleclass neighborhood there. That is too bad, they are missing something great. If you are a football player who has had one too many injuries, call your buddies and say, “Tennis anyone?” Lonnie Mitchel is head men’s and women’s tennis coach at SUNY Oneonta. He has produced many high school and collegiate level tennis players, including his own children, Wayne (who plays at Muhlenberg College) and Trevor (who competes regularly on the USTA Long Island Junior Circuit, gaining the number one ranking in the 14s). His wife, Harriet, is a club level tennis player and can often be found on the court. Lonnie may be reached by phone at (516) 414-7202 or e-mail lonniemitchel@yahoo.com.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

The Yellow Movement: The 3 R’s of Tennis “Each point in tennis, when played well, should be a tug of war where a point is earned and not given away.” By Daniel Kresh We live in a world where resources are limited and people are increasingly trying to find ways to squeeze more out of less. In a tennis match, there are a multitude of opportunities to extend rallies, points, games and sets to get as much as you can out of your time on court. Just like the “green movement,” the “yellow movement” has three R’s: “React, Respond, Recover” by concentrating on these actions your tennis game will reach its maximum efficiency. React Tennis is almost entirely a reactionary sport. The only shot that is not a response to your opponent’s action is the serve. Everything else requires you to anticipate, place yourself as best as you can, and then move to attempt to position yourself for the best possible “Response.” Despite the racket in your hand, tennis is a lower body sport and footwork could never … I repeat … never, be overemphasized. The key to a

good reaction is the spilt step, a short hop into a neutral-ready position that equally allows you to react to any shot. Now, I could go on for pages and pages about positioning, but to put it simply: (1) a split step should occur so you land at the time your opponent makes contact every time your opponent strikes the ball, and (2) as soon as you hit a shot, you should try to move back toward the center of the baseline, stopping to split step as your opponent responds to you.

ball early), you should play more defensive safe shots (more spin, higher net clearance, deeper bounce, more cross-court, slower movement through the court). It is very difficult to win a point from these scenarios, and it’s a low percentage play, so these defensive shots allow you to stop the bleeding and improve your court positioning to fight your way back into the rally. Each point in tennis, when played well, should be a tug of war where a point is earned and not given away.

Respond Based on how well you “React,” you have different options on how to “Respond.” The better position you get into (ball in an ideal strike zone, opponent off the court, closing in to take the ball early) the safer it is to play more aggressively (faster flatter ball, quick court penetration, lower net clearance, down the line or short/extreme angle). You have gained the upper hand and it less risky to play to win. When you are in a more worse off position (ball outside of strike zone, behind the baseline/uncomfortably on the run, opponent closing in to take the

Recover A tennis match is not just about one shot. In fact most points in tennis are not about one shot. Unless the serve is unreturned or the return is a winner, a tennis point is a carefully-constructed attempt to be the last person to hit the ball in. Many players struggle with positioning which causes them to “go for broke” (try to compensate for poor position by attempting a winner that is nearly impossible). If you want to get the most out of your tennis, you need to play the ball smart when you are out of position and work hard to get back to where you are comfortable on the court. It may not be possible to win every match, but that doesn’t mean you ever have to lose. Use the three R’s and get the most out of your points, and in the end, victory will be sweeter and even in defeat, you should have a sense of pride knowing that your opponent has earned the win. Daniel Kresh is a USPTA-certified tennis professional who recently accepted the positions of director of junior tennis and assistant tennis professional at the Three Village Tennis Club in Setauket, N.Y. He is also the assistant professional at The Port Jefferson Country Club at Harbor Hills. He may be reached by e-mail at dankreshtennis@gmail.com.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

Practicing Success By Miguel Cervantes III With the playoffs of the adult USTA Leagues approaching, it seems an appropriate time to ask ourselves, how we practice to maximize success. The people who play in the leagues are folks with jobs, families and other responsibilities. If time allows, they will practice and work on their game, but how can that small amount of time be maximized? One way to use the small amount of time you find to work on your game is to simply play tennis. By playing tennis, I mean that you go out there and just play sets as you would a regular match. The benefit of this is that it puts you in a similar situation you will be in your league matches. When you practice the way you expect to play, you’ll find you are far less nervous during a match and can perform the way you expect. The downfall of this method though is that you are not working on any one thing specifically. If there is a large deficiency in your game, that deficiency will not really be remedied and will continue to haunt you, costing you point after point. Another negative aspect of this method is that it’s fairly hard on your body, all things considered. A match is already tough enough on your body, but to add practice time that doubles the amount of stress on your muscles and joints can be rough. You’ll soon find your need for tennis full, but your Ibuprofen bottle empty. Another way to use your borrowed time is to just hit with a friend. This method provides little stress on your body and can be extremely relaxing. You can work on your strokes in general or focus on one or a few aspects of your game. If you want to focus on your volleys and serve, you can do that. The major negative impact of this method though is that it does not prepare you to play points. You may find yourself practicing well and full of confidence, that is, until you get to your match and then feel the pressure. If you never practice under pressure, then you will take much longer to adjust to it in a real match scenario.

I have found that the best way to utilize your practice time is threefold:

“

A match is already tough enough on your body, but to add practice time that doubles the amount of stress on your muscles and joints can be rough ...

I One, choose the biggest deficiency in your game and practice it with a partner. For example, if you wanted to improve your volleys because they have been terrible as of late, plant yourself at the net while your partner hit balls to you over and over. I Two, integrate this practice with the situation you would use it. It is rarely the case in tennis that you are already in the situations you practice, and so, it’s important to practice the associated variables that come with what you practiced. For example, after you practiced your volleys you would practice hitting an approach shot and then finish with a volley. If you were practicing your serve, you could practice your serve, followed by a recovery to the middle (for singles) or an approach to the net (for doubles). I Finally, you would do some point play paying close attention to the things you worked on. Here is where you see if you’ve really made any improvement.

”

With so many things in our lives vying for our time, it is important to make the best of what we allow for tennis practice. Maximize your success by practicing smarter. Improve the best and worst aspects of your game to win more points and limit your liabilities respectively. Write to me and tell me how it is you’ve gone about practicing for success in your league. Formerly with Daniel Burgess at Freeport Tennis, Miguel Cervantes III now teaches at Carefree Racquet Club and privately outdoors. Miguel specializes in teaching beginners, training juniors and coaching doubles. He may be reached by e-mail at understandingtennis@gmail.com.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

My French Open Experience By Dr. Aaron Freilich My family and I have been going to the U.S. Open for the past 30 years. My love of tennis was passed on to my son Michael, who became an accomplished junior player in the USTA circuit. After he graduated high school in 2011, I decided to give him, as a graduation present, a trip to the 2012 French Open. I had always wanted to visit a second Grand Slam venue and Paris seemed the right locale for us. Australia was too far away and Wimbledon too rainy for us to plan a trip there. The trip soon involved my brothers Joshua and Neil, and cousins Arnie and Jonathan. We decided to go to the first week of tournament as you would have more access to players and more matches than we would see during the second week. There are many ticket brokerages that advertise sales for the French Open. It became obvious that their starting prices of $350 per ticket was not in our budget. I began research how to buy tickets at face value and discovered that the French Open put their tickets on sale Feb. 15 at 7:00 a.m. in the morning French time on a first-come, first-served basis.

Neil, Michael, Aaron and Joshua Freilich at Lenglen

All that was required that you register online with a User Name and Password. So it was 1:00 a.m. EST on Feb. 15 that all six of us went online to buy our tickets. The wait was up to two hours, but in the end, we were all able to purchase tickets at face value for four sessions from Monday to Thursday. The French Open policy is to permit only four tickets purchased

Long Island Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2012 â&#x20AC;˘ LITennisMag.com

per user the entire tournament, and the individual cost of the tickets were approximately $75 per session. We were now set to make our flights and hotel reservations to finalize our plans. Roland Garros has two main courts, Chartrier, which seats approximately 15,000 people and Lenglen, which seats approximately

Dr. Aaron Freilich (right) and his son Michael (left) at Chartrier during the 2012 French Open in Paris

Michael Freilich and John Isner on the grounds of Roland Garros

9,000. After researching the previous few years, we realized that the top players alternate on both courts in the early rounds. Since we wanted to experience both courts, we bought Chartrier tickets for Monday and Wednesday and Lenglen tickets for Tuesday and Thursday. This was to ensure we saw all the top players at least once over the four days that we were there. Our strategy was validated in that we were able to see Novak Djokovic on Monday in Chartrier, Andy Murray Tuesday in Lenglen, Roger Federer in Chartrier on Wednesday and Rafael Nadal in Lenglen on Thursday. There was also a Court #1, which seated around 3,000 and required a special ticket for admission. It was not possible to enter any of these three courts without a specific ticket for that court. If you had a ticket for one of these show courts and left a match early, you were given a voucher, which you needed to present in order to return into that stadium. Without the

original ticket and voucher, it was not possible to return to your seat. The grounds at Roland Garros are extremely small and roughly one-third the size of the U.S. Open grounds. The outer courts are extremely cramped and small, and hold only a few hundred seats. On day one, we discovered Court #2, which on one of its sides had a small dugout with roof over it to protect you from the sun. This court became our second home, and we would arrive at Ronald Garros at 9.30 a.m. in order to get early entrance to the grounds. Although matches would start at 11:00 a.m., by 10:15 a.m. the dugout was full to capacity. From our first row seats in the dugout, we watched on successive days John Isner, David Ferrer, Juan Martín del Potro and Milos Raonic. We got completely into all of these matches and the players acknowledged our cheers and exhortations. We were able to take some amazing pictures of the players at the con-

Dr. Aaron Freilich (right) and Milos Raonic (left) after practice

clusion of their matches and the atmosphere on the small grand courts was electric. The amenities at all of the courts were extremely sparse. None of the show courts had bathroom facilities or concessions stands. In fact, it was impossible even to obtain a glass of water in the stadium. The small courts were exactly the same, and once you exited one of these courts, it was impossible to return. The lines to get into an outer court would last hours. The trade-off was that we had a guaranteed seats in one of the main stadiums, where there was no wait or lines to get in. There was no general food court like there is at the U.S. Open, but there are small stands that would sell ice cream, pizza and various other foods. Two scoops of Häagen-Dazs ice cream would cost $8 and a soda $6. Souvenirs were just as expensive with t-shirts running $40-plus and

Ricky Becker’s

continued on page 56

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My French Open Experience continued from page 55 a hat was $35. My favorite souvenir purchased this year was a French Open towel, which was $20. Our access to the top players was unreal. On day one, we watched Novak Djokovic practice on Court #9 and then we were able to take photos with him. Roger Federer strolled past us after the conclusion of his match and a bit later, Rafael Nadal did the same. We spent time with Ryan Harrison after his practice session and he could not have any nicer to us. We stumbled into a match on Court #17 at the extreme outskirts of the grounds between Florian Mayer of Germany and Eduardo Schwank from Argentina and found ourselves singing the national anthems of both individual countries with the 100 fans that sat on the court. We were able to participate in Brian Baker’s amazing miracle comeback as we watched him defeat Xavier Malisse while waving American flags.

The quality of play that we witnessed that was exceptional. We primarily focused on the men’s tournament and had the privilege of watching from the 10th row of Lenglen as Nadal destroyed a feisty Denis Istomin. Federer was not sharp in his four-set win over Adrian Ungur and his erratic play carried over to all the subsequent matches in the tournament. We got to marvel at Djokovic’s athleticism in his win over Potito Starace. We saw Andy Murray’s listlessness and lethargy in his match as well against Tatsuma Ito of Japan. The two highlight matches of the week that we witnessed were Grigor Dimitrov versus Richard Gasquet, which was filled with acrobatic shot-making and an incredible 46-shot rally that left Dimitrov in cramps on the ground in agony and Gasquet vomiting on the court. We were fortunate to see the conclusion of the match between John Isner and Paul-Henry Mathieu on Center Court as we begged an usher to let

some crazed Americans to see the conclusion of the match. The French crowd was raucous, loud, and partisan, and as Isner got more and more fatigued, he stood no chance and eventually lost 18-16 in the fifth set. I can still hear the French singing and chanting and Mathieu’s name in French even now. We are in a golden era in men’s tennis now. There is superlative play and amazing personalities at the top of the game. I feel fortunate that I got to experience one week close up at the French Open witnessing the great players of today with access that I could never even begin to dream of at Flushing Meadows. This venue is a must for any tennis fan, who is looking for that memorable tennis vacation experience in one of the world’s prettiest cities. Dr. Aaron Freilich is a board certified cardiologist and avid tennis enthusiast. He resides in Lawrence, N.Y. with his wife Sara and their four children. He may be reached by e-mail at aaronfry@hotmail.com.

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LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Bethpage Park Tennis Center Andrea Pappas—Manager 99 Quaker Meeting House Road #1 Farmingdale, NY 11735 516-777-1358 • bptcenter@aol.com

Robbie Wagner’s Tournament Training Center @ Glen Cove Stephen Alcala—Managing Partner 60 Sea Cliff Avenue • Glen Cove, NY 11542 516-759-0505 • www.rwtt.com

Butch Seewagen Tennis Academy @ Rockville Centre CATS Jami Madison—Director 188 Maple Avenue • Rockville Centre, NY 11570 516-763-1299, ext. 10 • CATSRVC@gmail.com

Robbie Wagner’s Tournament Training Center @ Glenwood Landing Adrian Chirici—Director of Tennis 142 Glenwood Landing Road Glenwood Landing, NY 11547 516-676-9107 • www.rwtt.com

Carefree Racquet Club Kathy Miller—Manager 1414 Jerusalem Avenue • Merrick, NY 11566 516-489-9005 • carefreetennis@aol.com Eastern Athletic Club Cira Jones—Manager 9 Montauk Highway #A • Blue Point, NY 11715 631-363-2882 • easternathleticclubs.com Eastern Athletic Club Betsy Johnson—Manager 854 Jericho Turnpike • Huntington Station, NY 11746 631-271-6616 • easternathleticclubs.com Eastern Athletic Club Gary Jones—Manager 100 Ruland Road • Melville, NY 11747 631-753-3696 • easternathleticclubs.com Glen Head Racquet Club Karl Sommer: 516-676-9849 Home of Early Hit Training Center glenheadrc@verizon.net Carl Barnett: 516-455-1225 95 Glen Head Road • Glen Head, NY 11545 earlyhit@optonline.net Long Beach Tennis Center Chuck Russell—Director of Tennis 899 Monroe Boulevard • Long Beach, NY 11561 516-432-6060 • www.longbeachtenniscenter.com info@longbeachtenniscenter.com New York Tennis Academy at Great Neck Estates Howie Arons—Director of Junior Tennis Program 12 Shore Drive • Great Neck, NY 11021 516-233-2790 • bightennis@aol.com Point Set Indoor Tennis Tonny vandePieterman—Director of Tennis 3065 New Street • Oceanside, NY 11572 516-536-2323 www.pointsettennis.com • tonny@pointsettennis.com Port Washington Tennis Academy Manny Iqbal—Director of Tennis 100 Harbor Road • Port Washington, NY 11050 516-883-6425 • www.pwta.com • tennis@pwta.com

Rockville Racquet Club Susan Alvy—Manager 80 North Centre Avenue • Rockville Center, NY 11570 516-764-5350 • rockvilletennis@optonline.net

SPORTIME Kings Park Jason Wass—Director of Tennis 275 Old Indian Head Road Kings Park, NY 11754 631-269-6300 www.SportimeNY.com/Kings-Park jwass@sportimetfm.com SPORTIME Lynbrook Jeff Morys—Director of Tennis 175 Merrick Road Lynbrook, NY 11563 516-887-1330 www.SportimeNY.com/Lynbrook jmorys@sportimetfm.com

Ross School Holly Li—Manager 18 Goodfriend Drive • East Hampton, NY 11937 631-907-5162 www.ross.org/tennis • hli@Ross.org

SPORTIME Massapequa Jordie Dolberg—Director of Tennis 5600 Old Sunrise Highway Massapequa, NY 11758 516-799-3550 www.SportimeNY.com/Massapequa jdolberg@sportimetfm.com

SPORTIME Amagansett Sue De Lara—Co-General Manager Hana Sromova—Director of Tennis/Co-General Manager 320 Abrahams Path • Amagansett, NY 11930 631-267-3460 www.SportimeNY.com/Amagansett amagansett@sportimetfm.com

SPORTIME Randall’s Island Felix Alvarado—Assistant Director of Tennis 1 Randall’s Island New York, NY 10035 212-427-6150 www.SportimeNY.com/Manhattan falvarado@sportimeny.com

SPORTIME Bethpage Tennis Mike Kossoff—Director of Tennis 101 Norcross Avenue • Bethpage, NY 11714 516-933-8500 www.SportimeNY.com/Bethpage-Tennis mkossoff@sportimeny.com

SPORTIME Roslyn Adam Mandell—Director of Tennis Landing Road, PO Box 1 Roslyn, NY 11576 516-484-9222 www.SportimeNY.com/Roslyn amandell@sportimetfm.com

SPORTIME Bethpage Multi-Sport Randy Louie—General Manager 4105 Hempstead Turnpike Bethpage, NY 11714 516-731-4432 www.SportimeNY.com/Bethpage-Multi-Sport rlouie@sportimeny.com SPORTIME Quogue Will Van Rensburg—Director of Tennis 2571 Quogue-Riverhead, Route 104 East Quogue, NY 11959 631-653-6767 www.SportimeNY.com/Quogue tdhamptons@sportimeny.com SPORTIME at Harbor Island Cesar Andre—Director of Tennis In Harbor Island Park • Mamaroneck, NY 10543 914-777-5050 www.SportimeNY.com/Harbor-Island candre@sportimetfm.com

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

SPORTIME Schenectady Philippe Ceas—Director of Tennis 2699 Curry Road Schenectady, NY 12303 518-356-0100 www.SportimeNY.com/Schenectady tdschenectady@sportimetfm.com SPORTIME Syosset Tennis & Multi-Sport Karl Sommer—Director of Tennis 75 Haskett Drive Syosset, NY 11791 516-364-2727 www.SportimeNY.com/Syosset-Tennis ksommer@sportimeny.com USTA National Tennis Center Whitney Kraft—Director of Tennis Flushing Meadows Corona Park Flushing, NY 11568 718-760-6200 • www.usta.com

LONG Boys & Girls Long Island Rankings (as of 07/30/12)

BOYS Long Island Boys 12 Singles Rank Name..................................City 1........Abhinav Raj Srivastava ....Melville, N.Y. 2........Zachary Khazzam..............Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 3........Jackson Weisbrot..............Dix Hills, N.Y. 4........Daniel Meinster..................South Setauket, N.Y. 5........Cameron Klepper ..............Dix Hills, N.Y. 6........Austin Pomerantz..............Old Westbury, N.Y. 7........Tommy George Srisuro ....Garden City, N.Y. 8........George Kaslow..................Port Washington, N.Y. 9........Connor Leaf ......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 10......Aman Sharma....................Glen Head, N.Y. 11......Alexander Roti ..................Locust Valley, N.Y. 12......Arjun Sharma ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 13......Daniel Chikvashvili ............Melville, N.Y. 14......Logan Paik Chang ............Old Westbury, N.Y. 15......Karan Amin ........................Roslyn, N.Y. 16......Jack Flores ........................Huntington, N.Y. 17......Matthew Roberts ..............Setauket, N.Y. 18......William Sepanski ..............Huntington, N.Y. 19......Preet Rajpal........................Syosset, N.Y. 20......Evan Kirsh..........................Roslyn, N.Y. 21......Adam Wilck........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 22......Daniel Chang ....................Manhasset, N.Y. 23......Matthew Catton ................Woodbury, N.Y. 24......Drew Ingall ........................Melville, N.Y. 25......Bradford Lin ......................Kings Point, N.Y. 26......Maxwell Moadel ................Brookville, N.Y. 27......Timothy Serignese ............Port Washington, N.Y. 28......Zachary Berlin....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 29......Kabir Rajpal........................Syosset, N.Y. 30......Eric Li..................................Old Westbury, N.Y. 31......Benjamin Reichbach ........Syosset, N.Y. 32......Matthew Terlovsky ............Merrick, N.Y. 33......Evan Hirsch........................Old Westbury, N.Y. 34......Sujay Sharma ....................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 35......Niles Ghaffar ......................Massapequa, N.Y. 36......Christopher Grisham ........Huntington, N.Y. 37......Luke Karniewich................Glen Head, N.Y. 38......Louie Kotler........................Roslyn, N.Y. 39......Ethan Ertel..........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 40......Sam Reichbach ................Syosset, N.Y.

Long Island Boys 14 Singles Rank Name..................................City 1........Arnav Raj Srivastava ........Melville, N.Y. 2........Zachary Mollo....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 3........Zachary Khazzam..............Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 4........Harris Durkovic ..................Dix Hills, N.Y. 5........Jordan Diamond................Mount Sinai, N.Y. 6........Pete Siozios ......................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 7........Kenneth Chiu ....................Holtsville, N.Y. 8........Jake Cohen........................Oceanside, N.Y. 9........Spencer Lowitt ..................Syosset, N.Y. 10......Mitchell Berger ..................Lake Grove, N.Y. 11......Christian Esposito ............Port Washington, N.Y. 12......JohnThomas Sepanski ....Huntington, N.Y. 13......Jake Grossman ................Sands Point, N.Y. 14......Ben Snow ..........................Water Mill, N.Y. 15......Marco Ammirati ................Halesite, N.Y. 16......Daniel Marzagalli ..............Patchogue, N.Y. 17......Austin Egna........................Port Washington, N.Y. 18......Joonho Ko ........................Huntington, N.Y. 19......Aaron Askowitz..................Great Neck, N.Y. 20......Lucas Larese DeSanto......Southampton, N.Y. 21......Simar Sawhney..................New Hyde Park, N.Y.

ISLAND

22......Max Egna ..........................Port Washington, N.Y. 23......Connor Leaf ......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 24......Jake Sandler......................Lynbrook, N.Y. 25......Jay Burkett ........................Syosset, N.Y. 26......George Kaslow..................Port Washington, N.Y. 27......Jackson Weisbrot..............Dix Hills, N.Y. 28......Jason Gerber ....................Commack, N.Y. 29......Derek Menker ....................Great Neck, N.Y. 30......Vincent Tozzi......................North Babylon, N.Y. 31......Hunter Pomerantz ............Old Westbury, N.Y. 32......Vincent Chen ....................Hauppauge, N.Y. 33......Vincent Tozzi......................North Babylon, N.Y. 34......Daniel Meinster..................South Setauket, N.Y. 35......Landon Phillips ..................Great Neck, N.Y. 36......Eric Handelman ................Melville, N.Y. 37......Alex Joseph Amadio ........Smithtown, N.Y. 38......Serge Ushkevich ..............Sands Point, N.Y. 39......Connor Dove......................Baldwin, N.Y. 40......Curran Varma ....................Manhasset, N.Y.

Long Island Boys 16 Singles Rank Name..................................City 1........Cole Laffitte........................East Setauket, N.Y. 2........Matthew Bahar ..................Woodbury, N.Y. 3........Dylan Granat......................Woodbury, N.Y. 4........Nick John Stamatos..........Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 5........Arnav Srivastava................Melville, N.Y. 6........Chirag Doshi ......................Sands Point, N.Y. 7........Zachary Chang..................Massapequa, N.Y. 8........Joshua Fried ......................Plainview, N.Y. 9........Milan Gunasekera ............Mount Sinai, N.Y. 10......Harris Durkovic ..................Dix Hills, N.Y. 11......Zane Siddiqui ....................Long Beach, N.Y. 12......Raizada Vaid ......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 13......Evan Kober ........................Wantagh, N.Y. 14......Ankur Kejriwal....................Hewlett, N.Y. 15......Austin Ash..........................Syosset, N.Y. 16......Troy Haas ..........................Huntington Station, N.Y. 17......Jeremy Grossman ............Woodbury, N.Y. 18......Gregory Rosenthal ............Syosset, N.Y. 19......Ryan Diaz ..........................Jericho, N.Y. 20......Benjamin Goldrich ............Syosset, N.Y. 21......Joshua Sydney..................East Northport, N.Y. 22......Jesse Richeimer ................Merrick, N.Y. 23......George Carmi ....................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 24......Joseph D’orazio ................Saint James, N.Y. 25......Craig Cusano ....................Bellmore, N.Y. 26......Samuel Johnson................Huntington, N.Y. 27......Eric Ravens........................Merrick, N.Y. 28......Palmer Clare ......................North Bellmore, N.Y. 29......Ronald Spinelli ..................Dix Hills, N.Y. 30......Jason Gerber ....................Commack, N.Y. 31......Cory Seltman ....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 32......Jake Sandler......................Lynbrook, N.Y. 33......Jack Vissicchio ..................Port Washington, N.Y. 34......Jarrett Levine ....................Island Park, N.Y. 35......Mitchell Berger ..................Lake Grove, N.Y. 36......Duane Davis ......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 37......Richard Spinelli..................Sands Point, N.Y. 38......Sam Kramer ......................Westhampton, N.Y. 39......Dylan Davis ........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 40......Steven Marzagalli ..............Patchogue, N.Y.

Long Island Boys 18 Singles Rank Name..................................City 1........Richard Liell ......................Nesconset, N.Y. 2........Samuel Hajibai ..................Kings Point, N.Y. 3........Sander Brenner ................Port Washington, N.Y. 4........Brett Titcomb ....................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 5........Anton Averin ......................South Setauket, N.Y. 6........Michael Vera ......................Bethpage, N.Y.

RANKINGS

7........Brian Heinze ......................Garden City, N.Y. 8........Marco Betito ......................Floral Park, N.Y. 9........Ian Baranowski..................Syosset, N.Y. 10......Chris Casamassima ..........Franklin Square, N.Y. 11......Connor Gehrke..................Miller Place, N.Y. 12......Jonathan Smucker............Lido Beach, N.Y. 13......Milan Gunasekera ............Mount Sinai, N.Y. 14......Craig Cusano ....................Bellmore, N.Y. 15......James Heaney ..................Locust Valley, N.Y. 16......Alex Philip Rosenfield........Holtsville, N.Y. 17......Zane Siddiqui ....................Long Beach, N.Y. 18......Julian Adler ........................Roslyn, N.Y. 19......Christopher Schwab ........Seaford, N.Y. 20......Brett Edelblum ..................Roslyn, N.Y. 21......Richard Mitchell ................Franklin Square, N.Y. 22......Ronald Spinelli ..................Dix Hills, N.Y. 23......Roger Young......................Brookhaven, N.Y. 24......Kush Dave..........................Syosset, N.Y. 25......Daniel Baruch ....................East Meadow, N.Y. 26......Dylan Ander ......................Hewlett, N.Y. 27......Jonathan Ochoa................Hicksville, N.Y. 28......John Reilly..........................Mount Sinai, N.Y. 29......Jacob Rothstein ................Port Jefferson, N.Y. 30......Benjamin Mermelstein ......Northport, N.Y. 31......Zachary Romanzi ..............Brightwaters, N.Y. 32......Matthew Kantor ................Westhampton Beach, N.Y. 33......Eric Ross............................Roslyn, N.Y. 34......Donald Wunder..................West Islip, N.Y.

GIRLS Long Island Girls 12 Singles Rank Name..................................City 1........Kaitlyn Byrnes....................Massapequa, N.Y. 2........Ivanna Nikolic ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 3........Christina Jud......................Glen Head, N.Y. 4........Denise Lai ..........................Setauket, N.Y. 5........Lucia Hu ............................Roslyn, N.Y. 6........Evangelia Frankis ..............Manhasset, N.Y. 7........Madeline Clinton................Manhasset, N.Y. 8........Lauren Bishop....................Woodbury, N.Y. 9........Morgan Voulo ....................East Setauket, N.Y. 10......Samantha Galu..................Jericho, N.Y. 11......Marina Hilbert ....................Locust Valley, N.Y. 12......Madison Williams ..............Glen Cove, N.Y. 13......Alexa Bracco ....................Freeport, N.Y. 14......Katelyn Walker ..................Sands Point, N.Y. 15......Kerri Goldfuss....................Westbury, N.Y. 16......Sofia Anzalone ..................Center Moriches, N.Y. 17......Calista Sha ........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 18......Madison Li ........................Old Westbury, N.Y. 19......Mina Sarcevic ....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 20......Allison Cooney ..................Locust Valley, N.Y. 21......Lauren Cherkin ..................Melville, N.Y. 22......Giuliana Gibson ................Westbury, N.Y. 23......Elena Vlamakis ..................Garden City, N.Y. 24......Brittany Polevikov..............Port Washington, N.Y. 25......Ariana Malik ......................Melville, N.Y. 26......Claire Weis ........................Glen Cove, N.Y. 27......Merri Kelly ..........................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 28......Kaitlyn Schwarz ................Oceanside, N.Y. 29......Amy Delman ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 30......Rachel Arbitman................Hewlett, N.Y. 31......Maryam Ahmad ................Albertson, N.Y. 32......Dasha Dlin..........................Glen Head, N.Y. 33......Marisa Menist ....................Great Neck, N.Y. 34......Angela Chi..........................Great Neck, N.Y. 35......Grace Riviezzo ..................Syosset, N.Y. 36......Julia Kepczynska ..............Southampton, N.Y. 37......Morena DeVito ..................Syosset, N.Y.

38......Hannah Abraham ..............Syosset, N.Y. 39......Alexis Kotsailidis................Manorville, N.Y. 40......Julieta Eulau ......................Long Beach, N.Y.

Long Island Girls 14 Singles Rank Name..................................City 1........Sabrina Ferretti ..................Setauket, N.Y. 2........Michelle N. Carnovale ......Massapequa, N.Y. 3........Adele Sukhov ....................Westbury, N.Y. 4........Rebecca Stern ..................Dix Hills, N.Y. 5........Danielle Mirabella ..............Wantagh, N.Y. 6........Juliana Shenker ................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 7........Rosa LaCorte ....................Merrick, N.Y. 8........Jennifer Wang....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 9........Sarah Seeman ..................Port Washington, N.Y. 10......Katherine Changtroraleke Greenvale, N.Y. 11......Matilda Bros ......................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 12......Emma Rosenberg ............Port Washington, N.Y. 13......Nikaylah Williams ..............Wheatley Heights, N.Y. 14......Gabrielle Raziel..................Melville, N.Y. 15......Jennifer Berman ................Jericho, N.Y. 16......Elizabeth Sossan ..............Valley Stream, N.Y. 17......Emily Feingold ..................Roslyn, N.Y. 18......Ellen Huhulea ....................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 19......Devika Kedia......................East Norwich, N.Y. 20......Stephanie Cole ..................Manhasset, N.Y. 21......Morgan Voulo ....................East Setauket, N.Y. 22......Mara Stewart ....................Oceanside, N.Y. 23......Rachel Weiss ....................Great Neck, N.Y. 24......Rachel Collins....................Port Jefferson, N.Y. 25......Brooke Digia ......................Manhasset, N.Y. 26......Nicole Vassalle ..................Port Washington, N.Y. 27......Grace Graham ..................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 28......Danah Han ........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 29......Emily Shutman ..................Huntington, N.Y. 30......Emily Fernandez................Shirley, N.Y. 31......Ariana Fixon-Owoo ..........Lynbrook, N.Y. 32......Katelyn Walker ..................Sands Point, N.Y. 33......Amanda Foo ......................Manhasset, N.Y. 34......Olivia Scordo ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 35......Laura Halsey......................Westhampton, N.Y. 36......Theodora Brebenel............Glen Head, N.Y. 37......Trinity Chow ......................Glen Cove, N.Y. 38......Lexee Shapiro....................Syosset, N.Y. 39......Emily Marge ......................Medford, N.Y. 40......Christina Jud......................Glen Head, N.Y.

Long Island Girls 16 Singles Rank Name..................................City 1........Olivia Marie Ammirati ........Halesite, N.Y. 2........Allison Gabrielle Huber......Melville, N.Y. 3........Elena Nastasi ....................Bayville, N.Y. 4........Emily Rees ........................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 5........Alexandra Linder ..............Sands Point, N.Y. 6........Sabrina Ferretti ..................Setauket, N.Y. 7........Lauren Difazio....................Greenlawn, N.Y. 8........Julia Khan ..........................Port Washington, N.Y. 9........Rebecca Stern ..................Dix Hills, N.Y. 10......Laura Torsiello....................Bayport, N.Y. 11......Sarah Seeman ..................Port Washington, N.Y. 12......Michelle Haykin ................Great Neck, N.Y. 13......Taylor Sim ..........................Plainview, N.Y. 14......Stacy Denbaum ................Syosset, N.Y. 15......Elizabeth Kallenberg..........Port Washington, N.Y. 16......Alexandra Lipps ................Roslyn, N.Y. 17......Danielle Mirabella ..............Wantagh, N.Y. 18......Katherine Changtroraleke ..Greenvale, N.y. 19......Gina Ciliberti ......................West Islip, N.Y. 20......Angelika Rothberg ............Centerport, N.Y. 21......Alexandra Dananberg ......Massapequa, N.Y. 22......Alanna Kane ......................Sea Cliff, N.Y.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

LONG 23......Bridget Connors ................East Quogue, N.Y. 24......Rini Halder..........................Huntington, N.Y. 25......Taylor Cosme ....................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 26......Matilda Bros ......................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 27......Amanda Luper ..................Melville, N.Y. 28......Lindsay Haley ....................Hicksville, N.Y. 29......Alana Weitz ........................Roslyn, N.Y. 30......Grace Graham ..................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 31......Gina Paprella......................Saint James, N.Y. 32......Marianne Naleski ..............Southold, N.Y. 33......Jamie Brown......................Huntington, N.Y. 34......Rhianna Fitzpatrick............Saint James, N.Y. 35......Elizabeth Gee ....................Garden City, N.Y. 36......Campbell Howe ................Locust Valley, N.Y. 37......Kathryn Sinicropi ..............Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 38......Sarah McGurren................Floral Park, N.Y.

Long Island Girls 18 Singles Rank Name..................................City 1........Olivia Ammirati ..................Halesite, N.Y. 2........Jennifer A. Carnovale........Massapequa, N.Y. 3........Emma Brezel......................Port Washington, N.Y. 4........Kerrin Toner........................West Babylon, N.Y. 5........Lara Fishbane ....................Commack, N.Y. 6........Laura Torsiello....................Bayport, N.Y. 7........Elena Nastasi ....................Bayville, N.Y. 8........Bianca Posa ......................Valley Stream, N.Y. 9........Rithika Reddy ....................Syosset, N.Y. 10......Veronika Paikin ..................Valley Stream, N.Y. 11......Sara Finger ........................Saint James, N.Y. 12......Jennifer Glukhman ............Syosset, N.Y. 13......Amanda Gaimaro ..............Lynbrook, N.Y.

Boys & Girls Sectional Rankings (as of 07/31/12)

BOYS Sectional Boys 12 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name ............................City 2........Brian Shi ............................Jericho, N.Y. 4........Daniel Eric Pellerito............Syosset, N.Y. 5........Alan Delman ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 6........Ryan Goetz ........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 8........Cannon Kingsley ..............Northport, N.Y. 9........Steven Well Sun ................Glen Cove, N.Y. 13......Patrick F. Maloney ............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 19......Ronald P. Hohmann ..........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 20......Michael Medvedev............Oceanside, N.Y. 24......Pete Siozios ......................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 33......Neel Raj..............................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 37......Gardner Howe ..................Locust Valley, N.Y. 42......Benjamin Grossman..........Sands Point, N.Y. 44......Abhinav Raj Srivastava ....Melville, N.Y. 45......Billy G. Suarez....................Huntington, N.Y. 63......Sujay Sharma ....................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 67......Spencer Brachman ..........Commack, N.Y. 68......Matthew Franklin Porges..Sands Point, N.Y. 70......Niles Ghaffar ......................Massapequa, N.Y. 80......Oliver Worth ......................Locust Valley, N.Y. 81......Jeffrey McDonnell..............Glen Cove, N.Y. 86......Preet Rajpal........................Syosset, N.Y. 87......Eli Grossman......................Woodbury, N.Y. 89......Karan Amin ........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 94......Maxwell Moadel ................Brookville, N.Y. 102 ..Eric Li..................................Old Westbury, N.Y. 109 ..Logan Paik Chang ............Old Westbury, N.Y. 110 ..Cameron Klepper ..............Dix Hills, N.Y.

118 124 125 126 139

ISLAND

..Kabir Rajpal........................Syosset, N.Y. ..Jack Louchheim ................Sagaponack, N.Y. ..Zachary Berlin....................Dix Hills, N.Y. ..Matthew Roberts ..............Setauket, N.Y. ..Zachary Khazzam..............Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 14 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name ............................City 6........Brenden Andrew Volk........Dix Hills, N.Y. 19......Athell Bennett ....................Valley Stream, N.Y. 20......Keegan Morris ..................Franklin Square, N.Y. 21......Chris Kuhnle ......................Shoreham, N.Y. 24......Sean Patrick ......................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 27......Sean Mullins ......................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 30......Finbar Talcott ....................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 41......Colin Francis Sacco ..........Brightwaters, N.Y. 44......Nasser Ghaffar ..................Massapequa Park, N.Y. 49......Daniel Shleimovich............Merrick, N.Y. 50......Trippie Franz ......................Bridgehampton, N.Y. 51......Alex Grossman ..................Sands Point, N.Y. 52......Rajan Vohra........................Glen Head, N.Y. 64......Nicolas Demaria ................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 71......Pete Siozios ......................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 74......Alan Delman ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 75......Del Schunk ........................Westhampton Beach, N.Y. 80......Yuval Solomon ..................Plainview, N.Y. 82......Andy Zhou ........................Commack, N.Y. 86......Dylan Granat......................Woodbury, N.Y. 92......Mark Julian Baker..............North Baldwin, N.Y. 96......Ben Snow ..........................Water Mill, N.Y. 98......Matthew Holweger............Manhasset, N.Y. 100 ..Aziz Rashidzada ................Dix Hills, N.Y. 103 ..Daniel Weitz ......................Roslyn, N.Y. 114 ..Lucas Larese DeSanto......Southampton, N.Y. 119 ..Austin Egna........................Port Washington, N.Y. 121 ..Joonho Ko ........................Huntington, N.Y. 124 ..Garrett Malave ..................Laurel, N.Y. 126 ..Timothy Serignese ............Port Washington, N.Y. 133 ..Max Egna ..........................Port Washington, N.Y. 137 ..Benjamin Tenner................Roslyn, N.Y. 142 ..Ronald Hohmann ..............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 144 ..James Kyrkanides ............Stony Brook, N.Y. 149 ..Stephen Gruppuso............Bayport, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 16 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name ............................City 3........Josh Silverstein..................Great Neck, N.Y. 4........Daniel Grunberger ............Great Neck, N.Y. 5........Noah Rubin........................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 10......Philip Daniel Antohi ..........Glen Head, N.Y. 12......Alexander Lebedev ..........Island Park, N.Y. 22......Brandon T. Stone ..............Melville, N.Y. 23......Douglas Notaris ................Wantagh, N.Y. 27......Zain Ali................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 35......Jared R. Halstrom..............Bellmore, N.Y. 37......Bryant Born........................Manhasset, N.Y. 39......Lubomir Cuba....................Massapequa Park, N.Y. 44......Eric Wagner........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 50......Jonathan Paris ..................Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 60......Kyle Alper ..........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 63......Conor Mullins ....................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 64......John P. D’Alessandro ........Northport, N.Y. 63......Lamar Remy ......................Roslyn, N.Y. 64......John D’Alessandro............Northport, N.Y. 73......Lamar Remy ......................Roslyn, N.Y. 75......Fernando Filho ..................East Hampton, N.Y. 78......Dylan Appel........................Locust Valley, N.Y. 80......Benjamin Rosen ................Port Washington, N.Y. 82......Justin Park ........................Huntington, N.Y.

RANKINGS

89......Julian Zlobinsky ................Greenvale, N.Y. 96......Cole Laffitte........................East Setauket, N.Y. 103 ..Alex Brebenel ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 106 ..James Heaney ..................Locust Valley, N.Y. 108 ..Cory Seltman ....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 109 ..Brenden Volk......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 119 ..Michael DeNigris ..............Islip, N.Y. 125 ..Joseph D’orazio ................Saint James, N.Y. 128 ..Palmer Clare ......................North Bellmore, N.Y. 136 ..Dylan Granat......................Woodbury, N.Y. 139 ..Dennis Uspensky ..............Atlantic Beach, N.Y. 140 ..Zacarias Imperial ..............Garden City Park, N.Y. 142 ..Henry Tell............................Woodbury, N.Y. 149 ..Brian Hoffarth ....................Fort Salonga, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 18 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name ............................City 2........Josh Levine........................Syosset, N.Y. 5........Andrew Yaraghi ................Mill Neck, N.Y. 8........Noah Rubin........................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 11......Vihar Shah..........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 13......Samuel Lam ......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 15......Eric Rubin ..........................Lido Beach, N.Y. 16......Brendan Henry ..................Massapequa, N.Y. 25......Aidan Talcott ......................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 26......Josh Silverstein..................Great Neck, N.Y. 27......Ofir Solomon......................Plainview, N.Y. 30......Matthew O. Barry ..............Lido Beach, N.Y. 32......Ethan Bogard ....................Lido Beach, N.Y. 34......Howard J. Weiss................Great Neck, N.Y. 40......Conor Dauer ......................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 52......Austin Davidow..................Glen Head, N.Y. 54......Kevin Katz..........................Woodbury, N.Y. 55......Tyler J. Hoffman ................Sayville, N.Y. 62......Zachary Lessen ................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 71......Matthew Demichiel............Hewlett, N.Y. 73......Alexander Schidlovsky......Sea Cliff, N.Y. 75......Clark Ruiz ..........................Glen Head, N.Y. 82......John D’Alessandro............Northport, N.Y. 89......Sean Chhugani..................Roslyn, N.Y. 95......Sander Brenner ................Port Washington, N.Y. 98......Philip Antohi ......................Glen Head, N.Y. 100 ..Richard Mitchell ................Franklin Square, N.Y. 101 ..Alex Sacher........................Glen Head, N.Y. 102 ..Jeffrey Cherkin ..................Melville, N.Y. 110 ..Douglas Notaris ................Wantagh, N.Y. 114 ..Brian Slivonik ....................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 115 ..Lamar Remy ......................Roslyn, N.Y. 119 ..Eric Wagner........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 121 ..Ian Baranowski..................Syosset, N.Y. 133 ..Dylan Appel........................Locust Valley, N.Y. 136 ..Jeremy Dubin ....................Southampton, N.Y. 144 ..Brandon Stone ..................Melville, N.Y. 147 ..Roger Young......................Brookhaven, N.Y.

GIRLS Sectional Girls 12 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name ............................City 2........Hannah Zhao ....................Syosset, N.Y. 10......Lea Ma ..............................Dix Hills, N.Y. 20......Jasmine Olivia Abidi..........Glen Head, N.Y. 21......Alexa Susan Goetz............Greenlawn, N.Y. 29......Olivia Rose Scordo............Glen Head, N.Y. 36......Stephanie Anne Petras ....Manhasset, N.Y. 39......Katelyn Walker ..................Sands Point, N.Y. 43......Francesca Karman............Port Washington, N.Y. 47......Merri Kelly ..........................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 48......Rachel Arbitman................Hewlett, N.Y.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

57......Maryam Beshir Ahmad ....Albertson, N.Y. 64......Julia Kielan ........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 69......Celeste Wang Traub..........Jericho, N.Y. 74......Trinity Chow ......................Glen Cove, N.Y. 93......Kimberly Liao ....................Commack, N.Y. 97......Jacqueline Rae Bukzin......Manorville, N.Y. 102 ..Lucia Hu ............................Roslyn, N.Y. 108 ..Kaitlyn Byrnes....................Massapequa, N.Y. 112 ..Gabriela Sciarrotta ............Woodmere, N.Y. 115 ..Denise Lai ..........................Setauket, N.Y. 120 ..Amy Delman ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 123 ..Rory Gallaher ....................East Hampton, N.Y. 125 ..Madison Williams ..............Glen Cove, N.Y. 126 ..Evangelia Frankis ..............Manhasset, N.Y. 127 ..Morgan Voulo ....................East Setauket, N.Y. 130 ..Ivanna Nikolic ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 131 ..Marisa Menist ....................Great Neck, N.Y. 133 ..Madeline Clinton................Manhasset, N.Y. 146 ..Alexa Bracco ....................Freeport, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 14 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name ............................City 5........Madison Battaglia..............Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y 9........Amber Nicole Policare ......East Atlantic Beach, N.Y. 12......Alexa Graham....................Garden City, N.Y. 14......Claire Handa ......................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 17......Taylor S. Cosme ................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 43......Dominique Woinarowski ..Syosset, N.Y. 48......Esther Chikvashvili ............Syosset, N.Y. 49......Stephanie Chikvashvili ......Melville, N.Y. 52......Courtney Kowalsky ..........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 54......Ashley Lessen....................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 57......Celeste Rose Matute ........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 66......Josephine Winters ............Elmont, N.Y. 71......Amanda Allison Foo ..........Manhasset, N.Y. 88......Brynn Maris April ..............Dix Hills, N.Y. 94......Danielle Mirabella ..............Wantagh, N.Y. 98......Emily Shutman ..................Huntington, N.Y. 101 ..Sarah Seeman ..................Port Washington, N.Y. 108 ..Nicole Kielan......................Valley Stream, N.Y. 110 ..Dasha Dlin..........................Glen Head, N.Y. 111 ..Ellen Huhulea ....................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 115 ..Lea Ma ..............................Dix Hills, N.Y. 125 ..Adele Sukhov ....................Westbury, N.Y. 132 ..Morgan Herrmann ............Garden City, N.Y. 133 ..Michelle Carnovale............Massapequa, N.Y. 140 ..Emma Rosenberg ............Port Washington, N.Y. 141 ..Olivia Scordo ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 147 ..Lexee Shapiro....................Syosset, N.Y. 150 ..Hannah Zhao ....................Melville, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 16 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name ............................City 21......Madison Battaglia..............Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 22......Bridget Elaine Harding ......Northport, N.Y. 27......Mia M. Vecchio..................Manhasset Hills, N.Y. 28......Sunaina Vohra....................Glen Head, N.Y. 32......Aimee N. Manfredo ..........Shoreham, N.Y. 34......Amber Policare ..................East Atlantic Beach, N.Y. 38......Aleksandra Mally ..............Franklin Square, N.Y. 46......Paulina Tafler......................Oceanside, N.Y. 50......Danielle Giannetti ..............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 56......Lauren Ann Livingston ......Sands Point, N.Y. 58......Claudia M. Ruiz ................Glen Head, N.Y. 67......Alexa Graham....................Garden City, N.Y. 68......Michele Lehat ....................Great Neck, N.Y. 73......Esther Chikvashvili ............Melville, N.Y. 94......Claire Handa ......................Point Lookout, N.Y. 100 ..Olivia Funk ........................Hicksville, N.Y.

National Boys 12 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ............................City 13......Brian Shi ............................Jericho, N.Y. 22......Ryan Goetz ........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 34......Alan Delman ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 44......Steven Well Sun ................Glen Cove, N.Y. 84......Patrick Maloney ................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 91......Daniel Eric Pellerito............Syosset, N.Y. 97......Ronald P.Hohmann ..........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 138 ..Cannon Kingsley ..............Northport, N.Y. 290 ..Michael Medvedev............Oceanside, N.Y. 305 ..Billy Suarez ........................Huntington, N.Y. 396 ..Gardner Howe ..................Locust Valley, N.Y. 420 ..Pete Siozios ......................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 427 ..Neel Raj..............................Oyster Bay, N.Y.

Rank Name ............................City

23......Josh Silverstein..................Great Neck, N.Y. 69......Daniel Grunberger ............Great Neck, N.Y. 115 ..Philip Daniel Antohi ..........Glen Head, N.Y. 127 ..Alexander Lebedev ..........Island Park, N.Y. 153 ..Douglas Notaris ................Wantagh, N.Y. 199 ..Brandon T. Stone ..............Melville, N.Y. 261 ..Julian Alexi Zlobinsky........Greenvale, N.Y. 280 ..Lamar Remy ......................Roslyn, N.Y. 376 ..Dennis Uspensky ..............Atlantic Beach, N.Y. 435 ..Jonathan Paris ..................Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 452 ..John P. D’Allesandro ........Northport, N.Y. 494 ..Zain Ali................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 538 ..Jared Halstrom ..................Bellmore, N.Y. 579 ..Conor Mullins ....................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 675 ..Eric Wagner........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 839 ..Bryant Born........................Manhasset, N.Y. 840 ..Lubomir Cuba....................Massapequa Park, N.Y.

12......Hannah Zhao ....................Syosset, N.Y. 108 ..Lea Ma ..............................Dix Hills, N.Y. 130 ..Jasmine Olivia Abidi..........Glen Head, N.Y. 240 ..Alexa Goetz........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 385 ..Merri Kelly ..........................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 440 ..Olivia Scordo ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 468 ..Francesca Karman............Port Washington, N.Y. 494 ..Jacqueline Rae Bukzin......Manorville, N.Y. 763 ..Katelyn Walker ..................Sands Point, N.Y. 866 ..Celeste Traub ....................Jericho, N.Y.

Rank Name ............................City 7........Noah B. Rubin ..................Merrick, N.Y. 22......Josh M. Levine ..................Syosset, N.Y. 211 ..Howard J. Weiss................Great Neck, N.Y.

..Madison Battaglia..............Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. ..Bridget Harding ................Northport, N.Y. ..Sunaina Vohra....................Glen Head, N.Y. ..Aimee Manfredo................Shoreham, N.Y. ..Paulina Tafler......................Oceanside, N.Y. ..Danielle Giannetti ..............Oyster Bay, N.Y. ..Mia Vecchio ......................Manhasset Hills, N.Y. ..Claudia Ruiz ......................Glen Head, N.Y. ..Aleksandra Mally ..............Franklin Square, N.Y. ..Amber Policare ..................East Atlantic Beach, N.Y.

National Girls 18 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ............................City

National Girls 12 Singles— Long Island Players

Rank Name ............................City

National Boys 18 Singles— Long Island Players

324 345 452 497 515 590 678 731 738 777

44......Julia Elbaba........................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 56......Hannah L. Camhi ..............Woodbury, N.Y. 123 ..Sophie Barnard..................Mill Neck, N.Y. 151 ..Katherine Yau ....................Manhasset, N.Y. 156 ..Vivan Cheng ......................Woodbury, N.Y. 474 ..Morgan Feldman ..............Glen Head, N.Y. 558 ..Stephanie Loutsenko ........Bellmore, N.Y. 717 ..Melissa G. Carlay ..............New Hyde Park, N.Y. 719 ..Taylor Diffley ......................Hampton Bays, N.Y. 827 ..Ashley Masanto ................Baldwin, N.Y. 861 ..Claudia Ruiz ......................Glen Head, N.Y. 882 ..Nicholle Torres ..................North Hills, N.Y.

National Girls 14 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ............................City

•

Uni

ted Sports

43......Madison Battaglia..............Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 168 ..Alexa Graham....................Garden City, N.Y. 206 ..Taylor Cosme ....................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 237 ..Amber Nicole Policare ......East Atlantic Beach, N.Y. 247 ..Claire Handa ......................Point Lookout, N.Y. 456 ..Celeste Rose Matute ........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 536 ..Esther Chikvashvili ............Melville, N.Y. 657 ..Morgan Herrmann ............Garden City, N.Y. 680 ..Dominique Woinarowski ..Syosset, N.Y. 760 ..Courtney Kowalsky ..........Oyster Bay, N.Y.

USP

BOYS

GIRLS

National Boys 16 Singles— Long Island Players

Rank Name ............................City

ions, Lt

(as of 08/09/12)

41......Brenden Andrew Volk........Dix Hills, N.Y. 182 ..Chris Kuhnle ......................Shoreham, N.Y. 202 ..Sean Patrick ......................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 258 ..Athell Patrick Bennett........Valley Stream, N.Y. 273 ..Sean Mullins ......................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 304 ..Colin Sacco........................Brightwaters, N.Y. 330 ..Finbar Talcott ....................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 583 ..Keegan Morris ..................Franklin Square, N.Y. 634 ..Trippie Franz ......................Bridgehampton, N.Y. 701 ..Nasser Abdel Ghaffar........Massapequa, N.Y. 762 ..Stephen Gruppuso............Bayport, N.Y.

National Girls 16 Singles— Long Island Players

licat

Boys & Girls National Rankings

Rank Name ............................City

763 ..Josephine Winters ............Elmont, N.Y. 909 ..Hannah Zhao ....................Melville, N.Y.

6........Hannah L. Camhi ..............Woodbury, N.Y. 8........Katherine Yau ....................Manhasset, N.Y. 9........Vivian Cheng......................Woodbury, N.Y. 11......Sophie Barnard..................Mill Neck, N.Y. 20......Nicholle Torres ..................North Hills, N.Y. 32......Julia Elbaba........................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 34......Stephanie Loutsenko ........Bellmore, N.Y. 38......Morgan Feldman ..............Glen Head, N.Y. 47......Mia Vecchio ......................Manhasset Hills, N.Y. 51......Aleksandra Mally ..............Franklin Square, N.Y. 52......Sunaina Vohra....................Glen Head, N.Y. 56......Melissa Carlay ..................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 57......Claudia Ruiz ......................Glen Head, N.Y. 60......Taylor Diffley ......................Hampton Bays, N.Y. 62......Ashley A. Masanto ............Baldwin, N.Y. 67......Sara Finger ........................Saint James, N.Y. 69......Aimee Manfredo................Shoreham, N.Y. 74......Alison Wang ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 81......Bianca Posa ......................Valley Stream, N.Y. 84......Yuliya Astapova ................Port Washington, N.Y. 99......Laura Torsiello....................Bayport, N.Y. 102 ..Gabrielle Leon....................Woodmere, N.Y. 103 ..Erica Bundrick ..................Mattituck, N.Y. 107 ..Rithika Reddy ....................Syosset, N.Y. 110 ..Emma Brezel......................Port Washington, N.Y. 113 ..Olivia Ammirati ..................Halesite, N.Y. 114 ..Zenat Rashidzada ............Dix Hills, N.Y. 118 ..Paulina Tafler......................Oceanside, N.Y. 123 ..Lisa Petruzillo ....................Syosset, N.Y. 127 ..Esther Chikvashvili ............Melville, N.Y. 129 ..Alexa Graham....................Garden City, N.Y.

National Boys 14 Singles— Long Island Players

..Samuel Lam ......................Old Westbury, N.Y. ..Brendan Henry ..................Massapequa, N.Y. ..Andrew S. Yaraghi ............Mill Neck, N.Y. ..Aidan Talcott ......................Sea Cliff, N.Y. ..Matthew O. Barry ..............Lido Beach, N.Y. ..Eric Rubin ..........................Lido Beach, N.Y. ..Vihar Shah..........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. ..Ofir Solomon......................Plainview, N.Y. ..Dennis Uspensky ..............Atlantic Beach, N.Y. ..Josh Silverstein..................Great Neck, N.Y. ..Alexander Schidlovsky......Sea Cliff, N.Y. ..Lamar Remy ......................Roslyn, N.Y. ..Kevin Katz..........................Woodbury, N.Y. ..Conor Dauer ......................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. ..Julian Alexi Zlobinsky........Greenvale, N.Y. ..Ethan Bogard ....................Lido Beach, N.Y. ..Austin Davidow..................Glen Head, N.Y.

ions, Lt

Rank Name ............................City

684 ..Matthew Porges ................Sands Point, N.Y.

217 258 260 316 334 359 364 441 480 520 529 544 629 631 676 797 893

licat

Sectional Girls 18 Singles— Long Island Region

447 ..Benjamin Grossman..........Sands Point, N.Y. 485 ..Abhinav Srivastava............Melville, N.Y.

..Alexandra Linder ..............Sands Point, N.Y. ..Rhea Malhotra ..................Syosset, N.Y. ..Rithika Reddy ....................Syosset, N.Y. ..Allison Huber......................Melville, N.Y. ..Julia Khan ..........................Port Washington, N.Y. ..Nicole Koskovolis..............Manhasset, N.Y. ..Lauren Difazio....................Greenlawn, N.Y. ..Elena Nastasi ....................Bayville, N.Y. ..Taylor Cosme ....................New Hyde Park, N.Y. ..Bridget Connors ................East Quogue, N.Y. ..Katharine Brandow ..........East Northport, N.Y. ..Emily Rees ........................Rockville Centre, N.Y.

RANKINGS

nited Sports P

102 103 105 107 113 117 120 128 130 140 142 150

ISLAND

•U

LONG

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Visit us at: www.dennyschildrenswear.com LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA/Long Island Region 2012

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. SEPTEMBER 2012 Saturday-Monday, September 1-3 USTA Regional Tournament Segment—September (Glen Cove) Robbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove 60 Sea Cliff Avenue Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: B (14-12)s, FIC, B (14-12)d, SE Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $102.63 per player (deadline for entries is Thursday, Aug. 2) For more information, call (516) 759-0505. Friday-Sunday, September 7-9 LBTC September Classic Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked MW (Op)s, SE, M (Op)d, SE; X (Op)d, SE; NM (3.5-4.0)s, SE; NW (3.0-4.0)s, SE; NM (4.0)d, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Aug. 12) For more information, call (516) 432-6060. Friday-Sunday, September 7-9 L2O Sportime Kings Park September Open Sportime Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road • Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate B (14-12)s, SE; QuickStart BG (10 [78’ Court/Green Ball])s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Aug. 31 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222. Friday-Sunday, September 7-9 L2O Sportime Lynbrook September Challenger Sportime Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road • Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate G (14-12)s, SE; QuickStart BG (10 [78’Court/Green Ball])s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Aug. 31 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222. Friday-Sunday, September 7-9 L2R Sportime Syosset September Regional Sportime Syosset 75 Haskett Drive • Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG (14-12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Aug. 28 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 933-8500.

Friday-Sunday, September 7-9 Huntington Men’s Open & M25 Singles Championships Huntington Indoor Tennis 100 Broadway Street Huntington Station, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked M (Op, 25)s Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Aug. 31 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 421-0040.

Friday-Sunday, September 14-16 L3 Huntington Eastern UPS Huntington Indoor Tennis 100 Broadway Street • Huntington Station, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG (18-12)s, RR; QuickStart BG (10 [60’Court/Orange Ball])s, RR Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 10 at 4:00 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 421-0040.

Friday-Sunday, September 14-16 L1B Sportime King’s Park September Challenger Sportime Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road • Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG (14)s, SE; QuickStart BG (10 [78’Court/Green Ball])s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, September 7 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222.

Friday-Sunday, September 21-23 L3 Sportime Kings Park Eastern UPS Sportime Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road • Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG (14-12)s, RR; QuickStart BG (10 [60’Court/Orange Ball])s, RR Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 17 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222.

Friday-Sunday, September 14-16 L2O Sportime Lynbrook September Open Sportime Tennis Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG (14)s, FMLC Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 7 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222.

Friday-Sunday, September 28-30 L2O Kings Park Sportime September Open Sportime Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road • Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG (18-16)s, SE; Novice BG(10 [78’ Court/Green Ball])s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 21 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222.

Friday-Sunday, September 14-16 L3 Sportime Lynbrook Eastern UPS Sportime Tennis Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Novice G (14-12)s, RR; QuickStart G(10 [60’ Court/Orange Ball])s, RR Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 10 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222. Friday-Sunday, September 14-16 L1B Sportime Syosset Fall Challenger Sportime Syosset 75 Haskett Drive • Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG (12)s, SE; QuickStart BG (10 [78’Court/Green Ball])s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Sept. 4 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 933-8500.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com

Friday-Sunday, September 28-30 & Friday-Monday, October 5-8 +L1 Sportime Lynbrook Eastern Designated Closed Championships Level 4 FIC Sportime Tennis Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road • Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Grand Prix G (12)s, FIC; G (12)d, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $50 per player singles (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 17 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (646) 852-2283. Friday-Sunday, September 28-30 & Friday-Monday, October 5-8 +L1 Sportime Bethpage Eastern Designated Closed Championships, Level 4 FIC Sportime Tennis Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue • Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Grand Prix B (12)s, FIC; B (12)d, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $50 per player singles (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 17 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 933-8500.

USTA/Long Island Region 2012

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Friday-Sunday, September 28-30 & Friday-Monday, October 5-8 +L1 RWTTC Eastern Designated Closed Championships Level 4 FIC Robbie Wagner Tournament Training Center 60 Sea Cliff Avenue • Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: Grand Prix G (18)s, FIC; G (18)d, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 17 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information call (516) 759-0505.

Friday-Sunday, October 5-14 L1B Sportime Kings Park October Challenger Sportime Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG (12)s, SE QuickStart BG (10 [78’ Court/Green Ball])s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 28 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222.

Friday-Sunday, October 12-14 L2O Sportime Kings Park October Open Sportime Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate B (14-12)s, SE; QuickStart B (10 [78’ Court/Green Ball])s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Oct. 5 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222.

Friday-Sunday, September 28-30 & Friday-Monday, October 5-8 +L1 Point Set Eastern Designated Closed Championships Level 4 FIC Point Set Indoor Racquet 3065 New Street • Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Grand Prix B (16)s, FIC; B (16)d, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 17 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 536-8246.

Friday-Sunday, October 5-7 L2R Sportime Lynbrook October Challenger Sportime Tennis Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate B (16-12)s, SE; G (18-16)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 28 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222.

Friday-Sunday, October 12-14 L2R Sportime Lynbrook October Challenger Sportime Tennis Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road • Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate G (14-12)s, SE; QuickStart G (10 [78’Court/Green Ball])s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Oct. 5 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222.

Friday-Sunday, October 5-7 & 12-14 L2O The Tennis King September Open @ Roslyn Estates The Tennis King 25 The Tulips Roslyn, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate G (14)s, SE Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Saturday, Sept. 1) For more information, call (516) 621-2009.

Friday-Sunday, October 12-14 L2R Long Beach Tennis Center October Regional Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG (18-16)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, October 5-7 & 12-14 L1 Huntington Indoor Fall Championships Huntington Indoor Tennis 100 Broadway Huntington Station, N.Y. Divisions: Championships BG (10 [78’ Court/Green Ball])s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 6:00 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 421-0040.

Friday-Sunday, October 19-21 L2R Sportime Lynbrook October Open Sportime Tennis Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road • Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate B (14) s, FMLC; QuickStart BG (10 [78’ Court/Green Ball])s, FRLC Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Oct. 12 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222.

Friday-Monday, October 5-8 L2R Deer Park Tennis October Regional Deer Park Tennis Center 30 Burt Drive Deer Park, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate B (18-12)s Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 28 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 243-0363.

Friday-Sunday, October 19-21 L3 Sportime Kings Park Eastern UPS Sportime Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road • Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG (14-12)s, RR; QuickStart BG (10 [60’ Court/Orange Ball])s, RR Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Oct. 15 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222.

Friday-Sunday, September 28-30 & Friday-Monday, October 5-8 +L1 PWTA Eastern Designated Closed Championships Level 4 FIC Port Washington Tennis Academy 100 Harbor Road • Port Washington, N.Y. Divisions: Grand Prix G (16)s, FIC; G (16)d, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player singles (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 17 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 883-6425. Saturday-Sunday, September 29-30 Sportime Syosset 75 Haskett Drive • Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG (16-12)s, RR Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 24 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 364-2727. OCTOBER 2012 Friday-Sunday, October 5-7 Long Beach Tennis Center Fall Championships Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard • Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked M (Op)sd, SE; NMW (3.0-4.0)sd, SE; NX (Op)d, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player singles (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Oct. 3 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 432-6060.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2012 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA/Long Island Region 2012

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Friday-Sunday, October 19-21 L1B Long Beach October Challenger Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG (18-16)sd, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player singles (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, October 26-28 L2O Sportime Kings Park Fall Challenger Sportime Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road • Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG (12)s, FRLC; QuickStart BG (10 [78’ Court/Green Ball])s, FRLC Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Oct. 19 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222.

Friday-Sunday, October 19-21 L3 RWTT @ Glenwood Landing Eastern UPS Robbie Wagner Tournament Training Center 81 Round Hill Road Roslyn Heights, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG (14-12)s, RR Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Oct. 12 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 759-0505.

Friday-Sunday, October 26-28 L2O Sportime Lynbrook October Open Sportime Tennis Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road • Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG (14)s, SE; QuickStart BG (10 [78’ Court/Green Ball])s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Oct. 19 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222.

Saturday, October 20 L3 Sportime Bethpage 10U & 8U October UPS Sportime Tennis Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: QuickStart BG (10 [60’ Court/Orange Ball] 8 [36’ Court/Red Ball])s, RR Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $38.13 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, September 24 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 933-8500.

Friday-Sunday, October 26-28 L2O Sportime Syosset October Open Sportime Syosset 75 Haskett Drive Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG (18-16)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 933-8500.

Friday-Sunday, October 26-28 & Friday-Sunday, November 2-4 L1 Sportime Bethpage Ron Smyth Memorial Championships Sportime Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Championships BG (16)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Aug. 27 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 933-8500. Friday-Sunday, October 26-28 L1B Long Beach Fall Challenger Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG (14-12)sd, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player singles (deadline for entries is Monday, Oct. 22 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 432-6060.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2012 • LITennisMag.com