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July/August 2012 Volume 2, Number 4 New York Tennis Magazine 1220 Wantagh Avenue • Wantagh, NY 11793-2202 Phone: (516) 409-4444 • Fax: (516) 409-4600 Web site: www.nytennismag.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS Cover story Cover photo credit: Camerawork USA

Staff David Sickmen Publisher (516) 409-4444, ext. 309 • david@usptennis.com

2012 New York Sportimes Preview Andre Agassi comes to New York for the Johnny Mac Tennis Project Fundraiser, become a part of the team by volunteering your time at home matches and get into the Guinness Book of World Records all this season with the New York Sportimes.

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Feature Stories 8

USTA Names 2012 Team USA Olympic Tennis Squad It’s just weeks away from the 2012 London Olympics, time to meet the men and women who look to bring gold back to the United States in singles, doubles and mixed-doubles.

2012 Boys High School Season Recap A look back at the 2012 Boys and Girls High School Tennis season, including results from the PSAL season, the 2012 Mayor’s Cup and the States.

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

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Kristen Kelleher Intern

Jessica Stiles Intern

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Additional Features 4 3 6 6 12 18 25 27

The Catch 22 of American Tennis and Why the U.S. is Behind the Rest of the World By Gilad Bloom What Goes on Inside the Mind of a Junior Player Before a Tournament? By Eric Faro Catch the Volley By Bill Longua USTA Flex Leagues Four Locals Headed to New Haven for Shot at U.S. Open Qualifying Draw By Kristen Kelleher Watch the Ball 50 Percent of the Time and Watch Your Game Soar By Lisa Dodson Jill Fonte Named New USTA Eastern Executive Director Queens Native Takes Home Doubles Trophy at 12th Annual Jana Hunsaker Memorial By Adam Wolfthal

32 USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Hosts 650 for Annual “Say Yes to Tennis, No to Violence” Day By Adam Wolfthal 35 More Than 400 Vie for 80 Spots at 2012 U.S. Open Ballperson Tryouts By Kristen Kelleher 39 Getting a Handle on Grips By Daniel Kresh

Columns 13 14 16 22 26 30 33 36 38 50 50 52 55

New York Tennis Magazine Product Review: SUPER Tennis Elbow Brace Court Awareness: Playing With Your Mental Positioning System By Rob Polishook, MA, CPC Court Six: New York Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column By Emilie Katz USTA Metro Region Update The Jensen Zone By Luke Jensen Adult League Wrap-Up By Deborah-Rose Andrews Tips From the Tennis Pro: What Really Grinds My Gears By Ajay Kumar Good to Great: A Model for Safely Building the Tennis Champions of Tomorrow … Environments of Excellence By Steve Kaplan New York Tennis Magazine’s Literary Corner By Brent Shearer Upcoming Events New York Tennis Club Directory New York Rankings USTA/Metropolitan Region 2012 Tournament Schedule (July/August 2012)

What Goes on Inside the Mind of a Junior Player Before a Tournament? By Eric Faro hat really does go on inside the mind of a junior tennis player before a tournament? This is something that every coach and parent wonders. I decided to interview three upand-coming players at Gotham Tennis Academy to find out. The juniors I interviewed included, Jordan Jordan (14s), Zachary Lieb (12s) and Evan Lieberman (14s).

What was your first tournament experience like? Jordan Jordan: I was very nervous, but once the match started, every time I hit the ball, I released some of that nervous energy until it was all gone. Zachary Lieb: I felt very nervous and tight and thought I was going to get sick! It was hard to execute my game plan. Evan Lieberman: My first tournament was unforgettable. I was so nervous that I was actually shaking! It definitely showed on the court when I lost badly in the first round! How long did it take you to feel comfortable performing in tournaments? Jordan: It took me a few months. The more I played, the more I started to win and the more confidence I had. Lieb: It took me about six to eight months to start feeling comfortable and performing better at tournaments. Lieberman: It took me about a year of playing tournaments in order to start feeling comfortable.

mind. This allows me to focus better. Furthermore, I stretch and jump rope to warm up my muscles. I always try to also get on the court with enough time before my match. How do you prepare differently the week before a tournament, physically and mentally? Jordan: I try to play a lot of points and make sure I’m staying consistent. I also load up on carbs and proteins and make sure I get plenty of rest. I relax by playing games. Lieb: I try to focus on how to beat my first round opponent. I establish a game plan early and make sure I eat well too. Lieberman: Mentally, I prepare for a tournament by working hard every second on the court. Off the court, I relax my mind. Physically, I make sure I have plenty of rest and take ice showers. Do you feel differently when you are a favorite going into a match compared to being an underdog? Jordan: I love being the underdog because it gives me a big boost of confidence. It makes me feel good to show that I can beat the best. Lieb: Being the favorite going into a match

puts pressure on me, but being the underdog enables me to hit more freely. Lieberman: When I’m the favorite, I feel confident. When I’m the underdog, I feel somewhat nervous, but have less to lose than the favorite. What advice would you give players who are about to play their first tournament? Jordan: Stay calm, keep confident, and work your hardest for every single point no matter what the score is. Practice makes perfect. Lieb: Stay composed, play YOUR game, do your rituals and have fun. Lieberman: EAT! Food gives you energy and you need a lot of energy to play a match. Eric Faro is program director at Gotham Tennis Academy and Stadium Tennis Center, just south of Yankee Stadium. Eric grew up in Riverdale and attended Horace Mann, where he played number one singles for all four years. He attended Ohio State University and won more than 100 matches during his collegiate career. He may be reached by e-mail at eric@gothamtennis.com, or online at www.stadiumtennisnyc.com or www.gothamtennis.com.

Do you have any pre-match rituals or superstitions? Jordan: I take my racquet out of my bag and adjust the strings. I make sure I have my watch on and my towel. Lieb: I eat a Clif Bar, drink my water, stretch, and wear long pants and a jacket in the winter! Lieberman: Yes … before my matches, I run and try to find a quiet place to calm my NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

The Catch 22 of American Tennis and Why the U.S. is Behind the Rest of the World By Gilad Bloom When I was playing pro tennis in the 1980s and even in the early 1990s, American players were dominating the scene. In some years, there were 20 or more Americans in the top 100, including a series of top 10 players and world champs including Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. Needless to say, the situation is different today and has been the case over the past decade since the retirement of players like Sampras and Agassi. So, how did this powerhouse of a nation fall so far behind countries like Spain, France, Serbia,

Croatia and Russia—all countries with less tennis tradition and history than the U.S.? To be fair to the U.S., the rise in popularity of the game in the countries previously mentioned (and in other parts of the world) made tennis a much more global sport. In some countries, such as Spain, Croatia, Serbia and Argentina, tennis is the second or third most popular sport after soccer, which means that the most athletic and talented kids start playing the game at an early age, thus raising the odds of producing phenoms like Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic. In the United States, the situation is very different. Tennis in the U.S. is not very high on the list of sports. The top athletes will most likely end up playing baseball, basketball,

football, soccer and even hockey before they enroll in a tennis program. Team sports are more appealing to American youngsters, and the cost of tennis lessons and memberships to clubs do not help either. The sport of tennis, being so highly technical and mental, means that in order to produce a great player, the child and their family have to make huge sacrifices if they want their player to break through the ranks and make it on the pro tour. The financial commitment is substantial, and the time and energy needed to raise a tennis star is very high … any tennis parent can relate to that. But the bigger problem is that top juniors in the country will face a dilemma, which I call a “Catch 22,” when they reach their

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teens. Ideally, a decision to turn pro should be made as early as possible. For example, I knew when I was 12 that I was going to be a pro and my coaches trained me towards that goal. That meant playing international events and turning pro at 16 years of age. By the time I was 18, I was almost a veteran. In today’s game, the pro tour is so deep and filled with talent that the odds for an American kid to actually make it are slim. Many parents will choose to go the safe route and send their child to college without even considering turning pro. Ruling that out so early in their career means that they will have long school days accompanied with hours of homework which will prevent them from realistically competing against the best players in their age group from other countries. Many kids who might have made it on the tour will never know if they were good enough because they simply didn’t try it. In my 12 years of teaching tennis in the New York area, I have come across many kids who had the potential to become pros, and almost every time I mentioned it to their parents, they ruled it out on the spot. Parents want what’s best (and safest) for their chil-

dren, and a full scholarship to a good school and a free college degree sound like much safer and practical options than quitting school early and trying the pro tour at the age of 16. No sane American parent will allow their kid not to finish high school and skip college. The problem is that in other parts of the world, they do make this choice, and therefore, the American kids are less experienced and not as mentally tough. So, how do we change this? The USTA has been promoting enrolling the top talents to online home schooling programs, which allows them to train more hours each day and the opportunity to travel more, in fact, they almost make it mandatory. This is a developing trend that I believe will keep growing. However, many parents still do not want to prevent their kids from the social aspects of going to a normal school, and those kids will be at a disadvantage. In last year’s Junior Orange Bowl, I got a little taste of the problem. One of my top students, a 12-year-old girl who is a top-ranked Eastern Section player, played a Romanian girl who destroyed her in the third round.

When I asked the coach of the Romanian girl (who was hitting like a machine and never missed) how many hours each day this girl played, he said she goes to an all-day tennis academy, and she plays six hours a day. This was in comparison to my student, who plays two hours each day, four times a week, and comes to practice after a full day of school. When I told the Romanian coach that I was surprised at the amount of tennis his player was playing, he replied, “But during vacations, she plays more, eight hours a day.” And here is the problem of American tennis in a nutshell. Gilad Bloom is a former ATP touring professional who, at his peak, was ranked 61st in singles and 62nd in doubles in the world. Five times an Israel Junior Champion, three times in singles and twice in doubles, Gilad is currently the director of tennis at The Club of Riverdale. He was the director of tennis at John McEnroe Tennis Academy for two years, and before, that ran Gilad Bloom Tennis for nine years. He may be reached by phone at (914) 907-0041 or email bloom.gilad@gmail.com.

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Catch the Volley By Bill Longua You have heard it before, “Don’t swing at your volley!” or “Punch the volley!” or “Just block it!” and so on. If you are hoping that I am going to tell you something different … sorry, but here are three tips that will help you if you have a tendency to swing too much. First, “catch your volley” … I mean this literally. Have someone hit or throw you balls at the net and you should step and catch the ball with your forehand volley hand. You will get in the habit of just reaching forward. When you catch in practice, make sure the hand and fingers are pointed up. In this drill, you will notice that to catch a ball, you do not bring your hand back behind your head and then reach forward, you simply reach forward—the same with the volley. Another way to stop a swinging forehand volley is to have someone feed you volleys

while your opposite hand is holding on to your wrist of your volleying arm. Holding the wrist with the opposite hand will not allow any backswing motion. If you do this drill often enough, you will train the arm not to swing but to simply reach, developing muscle memory. The third tip is not really possible, but try give it a shot anyway. I had a coach who wanted me to see the ball hit the strings of my racquet on the volley through the back of the racquet. While almost impossible to do, the point was well taken. I had to reach forward far enough so I could look through the back of the racquet head to try and see the ball hit the front. If you have a two-handed backhand volley, use the above tips to help with that also.

On the two-hand volley, it’s the opposite hand that reaches for the shot, so you can try all of the above, just reaching with the opposite hand. The key to not swinging on the onehanded backhand volley is the use of the opposite hand holding the racquet up near the throat and letting go right before the step and hit. The opposite hand keeps the head of the racquet up and helps prevent a backswing. Also remember that all conventional volleys are hit with a firm, locked wrist. Good luck and have fun. Bill Longua is the director of tennis/head pro at Palm Island Resort in Cape Haze, Fla. Bill is a member of the USPTA, has been teaching tennis for more than 35 years and is the author of Winning Tennis Strokes. Bill also teaches tennis on his Web sites, http://onlinetennistraining.com and http://onlinetennistraining.com/members He may be reached at bill@onlinetennistraining.com.

USTA Flex League New York City o you want to work on your singles game, without affecting your USTA rating? Does your schedule make it difficult to play on a USTA League team? USTA’s Flex League may be for you. Flex Leagues allow you to play when it’s convenient for you. You decide the match day, time and location with your

opponent. The home player covers the court costs, if any. Registration is done 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.

Additionally, all players registered for the Flex League are entered into the USTA Flex League Sweepstakes, where the grand prize is a trip for two to the U.S. Open. Online registration for the USTA Flex League’s Fall Season will take place from June 15-Sept. 20 at www.ustaflex.com.

For more information on the USTA Flex League, e-mail flexleague@live.com. 6

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

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USTA Names 2012 Team USA Olympic Tennis Squad

he USTA has announced the 12 players nominated to the U.S. Olympic Tennis Teams for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, set for July 28-Aug. 5. U.S. women’s tennis coach Mary Joe Fernandez nominated a six-person team, with four singles entries and two doubles teams. Thirteen-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams will compete in the singles competition, along with Christina McHale, Varvara Lepchenko and three-time Olympic gold medalist Venus Williams, who will be competing in her fourth Olympics. The world’s number one doubles team of Liezel Huber & Lisa Raymond will compete for the U.S. in doubles, as will the Williams Sisters, who are undefeated in Olympic doubles competition and will be seeking their third gold medal together, having won gold in 2000 and 2008. “We have a very experienced team replete with gold medalists and a doubles

team that is currently the best in the world,” said Fernandez, who has led the U.S. Fed Cup Team to the Fed Cup final in two of her three years as captain. “I am honored to have the opportunity to coach this team at the Olympics and firmly believe that we have a team capable of competing for multiple medals.” U.S. men’s tennis coach Jay Berger also nominated a six-player team consisting of four singles entries and two doubles teams. Andy Roddick, an Olympian in 2004, was named to the team, along with John Isner, Ryan Harrison and Donald Young in singles. The 2008 bronze medalists in men’s doubles, Bob & Mike Bryan, will return to the Olympics as a U.S. men’s doubles team, with Isner & Roddick making up a second doubles team. “Our guys are honored to be representing their country, and are relishing the opportunity to compete for gold at Wimbledon,” said Berger, who has been

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

the USTA player development head of men’s tennis since 2008. “I am confident that we will be in medal contention in both singles and doubles.” The U.S. will also nominate two teams in mixed-doubles, which will be contested at the Olympics Games for the first time since tennis returned to the Games in 1988, comprised of combinations of the 12 players named to the men’s and women’s teams. The 2012 Olympic tennis competition will be staged July 28-Aug. 5 on the grass courts of the All England Lawn Tennis Club at Wimbledon. The U.S. has won 17 Olympic medals in men’s and women’s tennis since it returned as a full medal sport in 1988—more than any other nation. “These 12 players have worked extremely hard to earn selection to the U.S. Olympic Team, and they will be granted the tremendous honor of playing for their country on the world’s biggest stage,” said Jon

Vegosen, chairman of the board and president of the USTA. “That the competition is being held on perhaps tennis’ most hallowed grounds, these Olympics will surely augment a memorable summer of tennis.”

Meet the 2012 USA Olympic Tennis Team Bob Bryan will make his third consecutive Olympic appearance. He captured the bronze medal in men’s doubles in 2008 with twin brother Mike. Together, they own 11 Grand Slam men’s doubles titles (two at Wimbledon), and Bob has won seven mixed doubles titles. The Bryans own a record 78 ATP World Tour doubles titles together, and have finished as the world’s number one doubles team in seven of the last nine years. Bob and Mike are each 20-2 in Davis Cup doubles play, including 192 record together, which ranks first all-time in Davis Cup history. They helped lead the U.S. to the 2007 Davis Cup title. Mike Bryan will make his third consecutive Olympic appearance. He captured the bronze medal in men’s doubles in 2008 with twin brother Bob. In addition to the 11 Grand Slam men’s doubles titles he won with his brother, Mike has also won two mixed-doubles titles. Mike owns 80 ATP World Tour doubles titles (two more than Bob, having posted a 14-2 record in 2002 with four different partners other than Bob).

2008. She also competed for South Africa at the 2000 games in Sydney. She is currently the world’s top-ranked doubles player along with partner Lisa Raymond, and has captured five Grand Slam women’s doubles titles (two at Wimbledon) and two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. Huber has an 8-2 doubles record for the U.S. in Fed Cup play (17-4 career with U.S. and South Africa), and helped lead the U.S. to the consecutive Fed Cup finals in 2009-10. John Isner will make his Olympic debut at the site where he competed in the longest match in tennis history. Isner defeated Nicolas Mahut 70-68 in the fifth set of their 2010 first round match that spanned 11 hours and five minutes over three days. He has recorded victories over world number one Novak Djokovic and world number three Roger Federer thus far in 2012, and recently cracked the ATP World Tour Top 10 for the first time. Isner is 7-3 in Davis Cup play, including a 4-0 mark in 2012 to help lead the U.S. to the semifinals in September. Varvara Lepchenko will make her Olympic debut this year at the age of 26 and represents the U.S. for the first time since becoming an official citizen in September 2011. She is a native of Uzbekistan who received political asy-

lum from the U.S. in 2001, and changed her nationality to officially represent the U.S. in 2007. Lepchenko was one of just two Americans to reach the fourth round at the 2012 French Open. Christina McHale will make her Olympic debut in London at the age of 20. She captured the bronze medal in singles and silver medal in doubles at the 2011 Pan American Games, and has reached the third round of the last three Grand Slam events to help her crack the WTA Top 30 for the first time. She is 43 in singles in Fed Cup play, with all four wins coming in 2012. Lisa Raymond will make her second Olympic appearance at the age of 38 after reaching the third round in singles and the quarterfinals in doubles in 2004. Currently the world’s top-ranked doubles player along with partner Liezel Huber (Raymond became the oldest woman to ever achieve the number one ranking in either singles or doubles). Raymond has captured six Grand Slam women’s doubles titles, including Wimbledon in 2001, and four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. She has an 11-3 Fed Cup doubles record (14-9 overall), and helped lead the U.S. to the 2000 Fed Cup title. continued on page 10

Ryan Harrison will make his Olympic debut in London at the age of 20, after recently breaking into the ATP World Tour Top 50. In 2008, Harrison became the third-youngest player since 1990 to win a main draw match on the ATP World Tour, and he reached the quarterfinals on grass in Nottingham in 2010. Harrison made his U.S. Davis Cup debut in the 2012 World Group first round against Switzerland. Liezel Huber will make her second Olympic appearance for the U.S. after competing in doubles in NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

Andy Roddick will make his second Olympic appearance after reaching the singles quarterfinals in 2004. Roddick captured the 2003 U.S. Open and is a three-time finalist at Wimbledon, including 2009, when he lost to Roger Federer 16-14 in the longest fifth set in Wimbledon final history. He has also captured four titles at the Wimbledon tuneup at Queens Club, and last week he captured his first title at the grass court event in Eastbourne. Roddick owns 33 Davis Cup singles victories, second-most all-time in U.S. Davis Cup history, and helped lead the U.S. to the 2007 title. Serena Williams is undefeated and a two-time gold medalist in doubles (2000 and 2008), and a quarterfinalist in her only Olympic singles appearance in 2008. She is a 13-time Grand Slam singles champion, including four Wimbledon singles titles and has cap-

tured 12 Grand Slam doubles titles (four at Wimbledon) and two mixed doubles titles. She is one of six women in history to have held the number one rankings in both singles and doubles simultaneously. Williams is a perfect 11-0 in Fed Cup play, including 8-0 in singles, and she helped the U.S. capture the 1999 Fed Cup title. Venus Williams is the most decorated Olympic tennis player in U.S. history with three gold medals, and will become the first American tennis player to compete in four Olympic Games. She captured the gold medal in singles in 2000 and won gold medals in doubles with her sister Serena in 2000 and 2008. She is a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, including five Wimbledon titles, and has won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles (four at Wimbledon) and two mixed-doubles titles. Williams is 18-4 in Fed Cup competitions, including a

New York Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ July/August 2012 â&#x20AC;˘ NYTennisMag.com

14-2 singles record, and she helped lead the U.S. to the 1999 title. Donald Young will make his Olympic debut in London at the age of 22. He reached his first career ATP World Tour final in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2011, and reached a career-high 38th in February 2012. Young became the youngest player to end a year ranked number one in the ITF World Junior Rankings in 2005 at the age of 16, and captured the boys singles title at Wimbledon in 2007.

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FRI. JULY 13

PHILADELPHIA FREEDOMS Featuring Martina Hingis - NYS Featuring Ryan Harrison - Freedoms

WED. JULY 18

PHILDELPHIA FREEDOMS Featuring Martina Hingis - NYS

THURS. JULY 19

BOSTON LOBSTERS Featuring John McEnroe and Martina Hingis - NYS Featuring Andre Agassi - BOS

WED. JULY 25

WASHINGTON KASTLES Featuring John McEnroe and Martina Hingis - NYS

EVENTS JULY 10

A GLEE TRIBUTE BY CLASS ACT Pre-match and Halftime Show

JULY 18

GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS Come early and make history by being one of 750 people bouncing a tennis ball in the air

JULY 19

For tickets 1-888-WTT-NYC1 NYSPORTIMES.COM

EVERY NIGHT

NIALL O'LEARY'S PROFESSIONAL IRISH DANCE TROUPE SHOOT OUT (WIN WHAT YOU HIT) Drinks and Hospitality, Clock Your Serve, and a Bouncy House for Kids

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

Four Locals Headed to New Haven for Shot at U.S. Open Qualifying Draw BY KRISTEN KELLEHER n June 16, the U.S. Open National Playoffs came to a close at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, as the women’s singles, men’s singles, and mixed-doubles finals were all played. For six days, players battled at the National Tennis Center for a chance to qualify for the 2012 U.S. Open. The winners of all the draws advance to the next part of the National Playoffs against the winners from the other USTA Sections. The following stage will be played in New Haven, Conn. in August. The winners of the singles and doubles draws from that tournament advance to the U.S. Open Qualifying draw. The Mixed-Doubles winner advances to the U.S. Open Main Draw as there is no qualifying draw in mixed-doubles for the U.S. Open. The final day of the U.S. Open National Playoff started off with the women’s singles final, as Brooklyn’s Magda Okruashvili defeated Rima Asatarian of New Jersey in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. Okruashvili was last year’s Eastern runner up, but this year, she was able to pull out the win. Okruashvili is originally from the country of Georgia and moved to the United States in 2006, where she trains and plays in ITF and USTA Pro Circuit tournaments. “The first steps are the best. This is noth-

ing, we still have to play New Haven, but the first steps are definitely the best,” said Okruashvili of her win. The second match of the day was the men’s singles final which featured Nikita Kryvanos of Flushing and Winston Lin of Buffalo. Kryvanos has had experience on this stage before, winning the 2010 U.S. Open National Playoffs Eastern event. For Lin, the 2012 Ivy League Rookie of the Year at Columbia, it was his first time playing in the tournament. The match featured many long points and was tightly contested, and after over two hours, Kryvanos came out with a hard-fought straight-set win, 6-4, 6-3. Kryvonos was born in Ukraine and came to the U.S. with his family when he was 13. He established himself as a promising junior

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

player, but contracted a staph infection at the age of 16 following leg surgery. After a long recovery, he worked back to become ranked as high as 389th in the world by playing on the USTA Pro Circuit. He won a USTA Pro Circuit Futures in Irvine, Calif., in 2007 and also competed in the 2007 U.S. Open qualifying draw and the 2005 U.S. Open men’s doubles main draw. He also served as a practice partner for the U.S. Davis Cup team in the 2006 semifinal in Russia alongside Andy Roddick, James Blake and the Bryan Brothers. Shortly after Kryvonos’ played in the 2010 U.S. Open National Playoffs Men’s Championship, he started to have knee trouble, which lingered last year. He decided not to play much tennis in 2011, skipping the National Playoffs and USTA Pro Circuit events. However, Kryvonos

has been back training at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center this year and is finally feeling good again. The last match of the day was the mixeddoubles finals which featured Alison Adamski (Jamaica, N.Y.) & Keith Kessler (Brooklyn, N.Y.) against Malika Rose (Davie, Fla.) & Steven Wilson (Bronx, N.Y.). Adamski & Kessler, who struggled in their semifinal match, pulling out a super tie-breaker to advance to the finals, were on their game in this one and had a relatively quick win over Rose & Wilson, 6-1, 6-1. Adamski, 26, played tennis for St. John’s University and currently coaches the Hofstra tennis team, while Kessler, 26, played for Florida Tech and is a teaching pro in Brooklyn, N.Y. The duo has played many national tournaments together, winning a bronze ball at the 2011 USTA Open Indoors Championships. This was the first time the pair has competed in the U.S. Open National Playoffs, but they were familiar with the surroundings. “We’ve played the National Open here at the National Tennis Center for the past three years, so we decided to give this tournament a shot,” said Kessler. Kristen Kelleher is an intern with New York Tennis Magazine. She is currently attending Loyola University Maryland and may be reached by e-mail at kristen@litennismag.com.

New York Tennis Magazine Product Review: SUPER Tennis Elbow Brace here is a new type of arm brace you may see on the courts this year, made for treating that age-old condition known as tennis elbow. The SUPER Tennis Elbow Brace was created by Dr. Leland Dao, a family and sports medicine physician in Hawaii, specifically for use with this ever-so-common condition. Known medically as “Lateral Epicondylitis” or “Lateral Epicondylar Tendinopathy,” and contrary to the name, tennis elbow is found in one to two percent of the entire population, and seven out of every 1,000-doctor visits are estimated to be evaluations for tennis elbow pain. Interestingly, tennis elbow not only affects tennis players who have that bad backhand stroke, it is also found in those who do repetitive manual activities, such as mechanics, weightlifting and high computer usage. The impetus for creating this product was the recognition of a need for a new approach to managing this condition. Dr. Dao knew that other treatments for tennis elbow were not effective. As one who suffered

from tennis elbow himself, he sought a better treatment. After researching and reviewing the basic anatomic structures and positions of the elbow and forearm, Dr. Dao came up with the unique idea of a brace that uses a spiraling tension band to supinate the forearm (holding the palm forward or up). The potential to help all tennis elbow sufferers was recognized, and thus, the SUPER Tennis Elbow Brace was born, with the vision of it being worn on every nagging tennis elbow arm in the world. This stylish design looks very attractive, and is very comfortable to wear. The SUPER Tennis Elbow Brace is patent pending, with a one-sizefits-all design, treating both right and left handed injuries. Best yet, they offer a 30-day money back guarantee.

For more information, visit www.supertenniselbowbrace.com.

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

Court Awareness: Playing With Your Mental Positioning System By Rob Polishook, Mental Training Coach, MA, CPC In today’s day and age, most people have a Global Positioning System (GPS) in their car. Certainly this device has made it easier to reach your destination. All that is necessary is to input the destination and “voila” … the GPS tells you where to go. There need be little awareness of where you currently are, and no thinking or planning is necessary. So what does this have to do with tennis? Stay with me … Let’s flash back a few years to a time when people read maps to determine how to reach a destination. There were usually three steps that were necessary: First, you needed to be aware of your current location. Second, you needed to know where you wanted to go. And third, you needed to plan the most efficient route to reach your desired destination. Then, along came an invention called “MapQuest.” This was hailed as

the greatest navigation tool ever. What made it so easy was that the driver no longer needed to plot their strategy to reach the destination as it was automatically calculated. Now, our fancy GPS system not only eliminates the need to plot a strategy to reach our desired destination, but we don’t even need to be aware of our current location! The GPS automatically finds us via satellite, and calculates where we need to turn to reach our destination. On the tennis court, we cannot turn to our GPS. However, all players have a similar, yet superior, tool of cognition when on the court, which combines the benefits of a knowledge of the destination, with the planning skills of reading a map. This tool is what I refer to as the MPS, or “Mental Positioning System.” The MPS is a human machine, run by the strongest computer in the universe—not an electronic device, but our own brain. It is activated by awareness.

It requires us to examine the same three points we needed to ask when using a map: Where we are at this exact point in time, where we want to end up, and what the necessary steps are in order to reach that goal. A mentally-sound player can employ their MPS system in both practice and in matches. When activated by awareness, the player’s MPS can tell them whether they are currently using ideal form on a stroke, what steps to take to improve technique, and lastly, where such adjustments will lead you. In a match, it can tell you where you are, where you want to be, and how to get back on track. Fortunately, we all have MPS devices, in fact, they are hard-wired into our brain. Some players may use theirs more than others, and consequently, reap the benefits, while others may take the shortcuts that our driving GPS system uses. For example, many players

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New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

simply say, “I want to win.” In other words, they input the destination like they would with a GPS. However, on the court, this shortcut will fail. The players must first be aware and able to assess the complexion of the match, patterns of play that have developed, and the score that has resulted. Once they accomplish this, they can determine what has thus far prevented the desired outcome and move toward the steps to reach that outcome. It is the MPS which allows Roger Federer to make adjustments at any time during a match. If Roger has failed to return serves to his backhand side after a couple games, for instance, Roger’s MPS alerts him that he may need to move back, forward, or adjust the spin on his return. Then, Roger decides how he is going to accomplish this feat. Tiger Woods is known to be able to make on-the-fly adjustments, whether on the course or in front of a mirror, simply by being aware of the “feel” of his stroke. Choosing to use your MPS is a question of whether we are aware, objective

and courageous enough to admit where we are in our technical, strategic, physical or mental process. To use your MPS system properly in practice, ask yourself the following questions: 1. Where am I now on a particular element of the game? 2. Where do I want to be in a certain amount of time? 3. To get there what do I have to do? 4. Am I willing to put in the effort to do this? 5. Who can help me? 6. How will I know when I reach this goal? To use your MPS system in matches. Ask yourself these questions: 1. What is happening at this moment? 2. What do I want to be happening? 3. What do I need to do to change things? 4. How would my position change if I made these adjustments? 5. Am I willing to make the adjustments? Remember, when you are on the court,

don’t take the shortcut by trying to use your GPS. It only works in the car. Turn on your MPS system and trust yourself to objectively assess what is happening in the match or practice session, what you want to be happening, and the best strategy to effectively reach your goal/destination. You will find that using your mind to change the course of a frustrating match in your favor is one of the most fulfilling experiences in the game. 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.

www.gothamtennis.com

WWW.GOTHAMTENNIS.COM NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

Tennis Tweets from the pros Maria Sharapova (@sharapova_maria): Twenty four hours later, my trophy shrunk. No silly, it’s just the one I get to keep. Can’t stop looking at it … John Isner (@johnisner): @CP3: CONGRATS to @webbsimpson1 US Open Champion!!! Well deserved!” <—— WHAT HE SAID

Justin Gimelstob (@justingimelstob): 1st stop of wine tasting tour at Rombauer! Casey Dellacqua (@caseydellacqua): Bike riding in Brussels to find the laundromat.

Ryan Harrison (@ryanharrison92): Love waking up at 6:30 a.m. in a hotel with no air conditioning in a room that’s so hot I can’t fall back asleep … 16

Caroline Wozniacki (@carowozniacki): Time for some food, a good book and to head down to the beach …

Lindsay Davenport (@ldavenport76): Hub and I were lucky to be there on the glass in 07 when Ducks won the Cup and see some of our friends hoist the cup. Love So Cal ice hockey! Novak Djokovic (@djokernole): Congrats to @RafaelNadal for incredible run at Roland Garros. See you again soon ;)

Forbes: Five tennis stars among “Most Powerful” Celebrities Five ATP and WTA pros landed at various points on Forbes magazine’s list of the globe’s “100 Most Powerful Celebrities.” Their rankings: Roger Federer at number 31, Rafael Nadal at 47, Maria Sharapova at 71, Serena Williams at 77, and Li Na at 87. Federer is considered the fourth most powerful athlete in the world, behind Tiger Woods, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Tiger roars in at number 12. Jennifer Lopez tops the list, supplanting 2011’s number one celeb, Lady Gaga.

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

Djokovic switches to UNIQLO The world’s top tennis player, Serbian Novak Djokovic, ended his deal with clothing sponsor Sergio Tacchini. In an emailed statement to media, the clothing company said, “It has been mutually and amicably decided that, as of the 2012 Roland Garros Grand Slam, Novak Djokovic will no longer be the brand ambassador.” Djokovic has inked a new five-year deal to wear UNIQLO clothing. The partnership will also include collaboration on future product lines, as well as co-developing the ultimate UNIQLO functional wear. A preview of the collaboration’s first results will be seen at the 2012 French Open, where Djokovic will debut his newly-designed UNIQLO match wear to spectators in Paris and to a worldwide TV audience.

Federer becomes a Man in Black

After Roger Federer won the Madrid Open, Will Smith came on the court and took the microphone. He spoke in Spanish about

Federer’s win and also how he was giving Roger his suit for his summer blockbuster, “Men in Black III.” This was all because of a press tour that Will and Jada Smith are doing to promote “Men in Black III”.

Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Chela’s “Top-10 Ways You Know You’re a WTA Tour Player”

Serena releases rap song

8. Serena Williams is now a rapper? She made her debut with a brand new song, a one-minute-long track recorded at the Florida studio of her friend, Bryant McKinnie of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. The unnamed track is about winning and Serena’s self-proclaimed dominance on the court. She even gives a shout out to frozen pizza and “beats so good they’ll blow ‘ya speakers.”

6. 5. 4. 3.

10. It is crucial to produce 100 millimeters of tears a day, on average. 9. The sound when you hit the ball exceeds 1,500 decibels. At some point in your career, you’ll have an acne attack. Before serving, you turn your back to the court and fix your strings for 20 seconds. You never practice with other WTA players. When your coach comes on court to talk to you, you look elsewhere. You must hang a stuffed animal on your racquet bag. From the quarterfinals on, you come on court with makeup.

2. You hate all of your colleagues. And … the top reason you know you’re a WTA Tour player is … 1. At the end of the match, you wave like Miss Universe.

The newest Soderling Soderling and his fiancee are having a baby. Soderling revealed on his Twitter account that they are expecting their first child in late September. “Hi everyone. I have the best news. Jenni and I are becoming parents in late September. We are both very happy and excited.”

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

Watch the Ball 50 Percent of the Time and Watch Your Game Soar By Lisa Dodson Keep your head up! You’re late! Snap your wrist! Watch the ball! These common tennis phrases are actually meaningless on their own, but we hear and use them all of the time. A book could be written about each one. The most abused phrase shouted by pros and used by players when failing is, “Watch the ball,” but what does that actually mean? Most players think that you are supposed to watch the ball at all times when it is in play, and most pros actually reinforce this behavior. It is simply not true. In fact, visually letting go of the ball is a skill in itself that must be learned and practiced. So what’s the real scoop? When do we watch the ball? When do we visually let go of the ball? Let’s break it down into some hard facts: When TO watch the ball A player needs to see the origin of the hit. This is the opponent’s strike of the ball on

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their racket. They need to follow the ball on its trajectory over the net to the bounce on their side (for a groundstroke) and as close to point of contact on their racket as possible. This seems simple, but due to many variables, few of us actually do it. We don’t see the origin of the hit and begin reacting “late,” which gives us less time for movement and preparation to strike our own ball. Then, the ball is watched part of the way to the bounce and is lost. We try to pick up sight again somewhere after the bounce to contact point. We may as well have our eyes closed when the opponent is striking the ball, open them for part of the flight, close them again when the ball is bouncing and open them for contact. When NOT to watch the ball After you have struck your ball and it is on its way forward, you STOP watching it and start watching your opponent. You are hitting the ball with intent, direction and purpose so you generally know where it is going. If you follow your opponent’s movement, they will tell you where your ball is by moving to it. In this way, you can gather in-

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New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

“The most critical point in time concerning judging what a ball is going to do, how it will travel and how it will act when it hits the ground comes from seeing the opponent.” formation about their balance, position to the ball, racket position and shot selection. This visual information will give you what you need to respond quickly and to the best of your ability. The most critical point in time concerning judging what a ball is going to do, how it will travel and how it will act when it hits the ground comes from seeing the opponent. It is generally said that one needs to “read the ball” which is a very complex task. The “reading” starts from visual information available at the opponent’s hit, not from seeing the ball flying towards you and magically being able to see what it will do. If a player is still watching the flight of their ball and where it is landing, they miss all of the critical information that the opponent is giving them. Players need to watch everything about the way their opponent approaches a ball, and how their racket is prepared to gain information about the hit. Let’s look at three common point play situations and general responses to them. If you are watching your ball bounce and not your opponent, you will miss seeing the clear signs that will help you handle these balls: 1. If an opponent is running laterally or forward and is reaching and stretching for a ball, it will not have power. This fact tells us that we should start taking a few steps forward to be able to easily handle the short ball. What it

won’t tell us is exactly where it is going: Left, right, high or low. If you are headed forward, you’ll be able to handle any ball that is coming. 2. If you hit a high deep ball, the opponent is backing up and on their back foot you can probably expect an attempt at a high return. In this position, they cannot drive, so their ball may be weak or they may get lucky and launch a high one. In either case, this information will help you to respond. 3. If the opponent is setting up for a forehand or backhand and looks balanced and calm, you should be prepared for their drive. If you’ve been paying attention, you will have seen what their “best” strokes look like and what type of shot to expect. You may not know exactly what the ball will do, but you’ll prepare to receive a drive. You will know nothing if you don’t see the position of the opponent. The bottom line is this … Watch the ball fully and accurately for 50 percent of the point play. Watch it as carefully as you can when it is traveling towards you from the opponent’s hit, through the flight, to the bounce and to your contact point. Visually, leave it alone after you have hit it and shift your focus to your opponent. You can then begin to gather information about what your opponent can and can’t do, or what they are attempting to do. You will still see the ball in the “big picture,” but it will not be your focal point. If you are watching your ball travel from your hit to the bounce on the opposite side, you are not seeing what is important: The balance and position of the opponent, their physical relationship to the ball and the position of their racket. Test this out yourself next time you are on the court. Discover what you REALLY do. Make massive improvements in your game by changing your visual focus, not your strokes. 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.

Gijon, Spain to Host the Davis Cup Semifinal The Spanish Tennis Federation has announced that the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Semifinal between the U.S. and Spain will be held on an outdoor red clay court at the Parque Hermanos Castro in Gijon, Spain. The semifinal tie will be held Sept. 14-16. The U.S. and Spain have met 10 times in Davis Cup play, with the series tied at five wins a piece. Spain defeated the U.S. in the 2011 quarterfinal in Austin, Texas, and in the 2008 semifinal on red clay in Madrid, Spain. The U.S. last beat Spain in the 2007 quarterfinal on an indoor hard court in WinstonSalem, N.C., en route to capturing its record 32nd Davis Cup title. The U.S. is undefeated in three road ties under U.S. Davis Cup Captain Jim Courier— all of which have been played on red clay—including wins over Switzerland and France in 2012. Should the U.S. defeat Spain in the semifinals, it will advance to the Davis Cup Final for the first time since winning the title in 2007, and would either host the Czech Republic or travel to Argentina.

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2012 NEW YORK SPORTIMES

Preview

Agassi, McEnroe and Hingis to Play WTT Match to Benefit the Johnny Mac Tennis Project Tennis Hall of Famers Andre Agassi and John McEnroe, and former world number one Martina Hingis, will compete as part of the World TeamTennis matchup between the New York Sportimes and Boston Lobsters, in a special benefit night on July 19. Proceeds will go towards the Johnny Mac Tennis Project (JMTP) to provide scholarships, coaching, transportation and other financial assistance to qualified young tennis players in the greater New York area. The evening begins at 7:00 p.m. at Sportime Stadium on Randall’s Island. Last year, McEnroe faced Bjorn Borg in the first JMTP benefit evening in front of a sold-out Sportime Stadium crowd.

Johnny Mac Tennis Project recipients will attend the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, which is completing its second year at Sportime Randall’s Island. Ticket prices for the match will be $250, $150 and $60; please consult your tax advisor concerning the tax deductibility of ticket purchases. Tickets for the Benefit night on July 19, and for additional NY Sportimes home matches on July 10, 13, 18 and 25, can be purchased by calling 1-888-WTT-NYC1 or by visiting www.nysportimes.com. “This year’s Johnny Mac Tennis Project Night will highlight three of the most popular and exciting players ever to play the sport,” said Sportime Clubs and NY Sportimes Chief Executive Officer Claude Okin. “Andre Agassi has become a notable humanitarian and ambassador for tennis as a life-changing opportunity. We are thrilled that he will be part of this great night to benefit our efforts to improve the lives of young people and young players here in New York City.” Agassi and McEnroe met four times while active on the ATP World Tour, each winning two matches. McEnroe won in 1986 in Stratton Mountain, Vt., and in 1989 in Dallas, while Agassi was victorious in

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

1988 in Los Angeles and 1992 in the semifinals at Wimbledon. “I’m committed to giving opportunities to youngsters in the New York area to help them reach their full potential as tennis players and as people through the Johnny Mac Tennis Project,” said McEnroe. “This night is critical in making the JMTP a success, and getting to face Andre in a WTT match will make it even more special.” This will be the fifth appearance in WTT for Agassi, who previously competed for the Sacramento Capitals from 2002-2004 and the Philadelphia Freedoms in 2009. “Youth tennis and education have always been extremely important to me,” said Agassi, who won 60 career singles titles. Among those were eight Grand Slam crowns, including wins at all four major venues. “I am proud to support John’s program and look forward to competing against him in an exciting match on July 19.” The July 19 WTT match will feature Agassi and McEnroe competing against each other in both men’s singles and in doubles in the five-set WTT format. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg H i n g i s w i l l Martina Hingis of the also play for New York Sportimes the New York Sportimes that evening as McEnroe’s team member; they will be joined by veteran New York Sportimes players Robert Kendrick, Jesse Witten and Ashley Harkleroad, three of the standouts who helped the squad reach the World TeamTennis finals in 2010. The 2012 WTT regular season runs from July 9-28, with the top two teams from both the Western and Eastern Conference

2012 NEW YORK SPORTIMES

Preview

advancing to the WTT Finals Weekend presented by GEICO, Sept. 14-16, at the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, S.C.

2012 partners show their support for the Sportimes

2012 Sportimes Home Schedule I July 10 vs. Springfield Lasers, 7:00 p.m. at Sportime/Randall’s Island (Sportimes– Martina Hingis) I July 13 vs. Philadelphia Freedoms, 7:00 p.m. at Sportime/Randall’s Island (Sportimes–Martina Hingis & Philadelphia–Ryan Harrison) I July 18 vs. Philadelphia Freedoms, 7:00 p.m. at Sportime/Randall’s Island (Sportimes–Martina Hingis) I July 19 vs. Boston Lobsters, 7:00 p.m. at Sportime/Randall’s Island (Sportimes– Hingis, McEnroe & Boston– Andre Agassi) I July 23 vs. Washington Kastles, 7:30 p.m. at Albany/SEFCU Arena (Sportimes– Hingis & Washington–Venus Williams) I July 24 vs. Boston Lobsters, 7:30 p.m. at Albany/SEFCU Arena (Sportimes–Hingis & Boston–John Isner) I July 25 vs. Washington Kastles, 7:00 p.m. at Sportime/Randall’s Island (Sportimes– Hingis & McEnroe)

Sportimes seeking volunteers Want to get involved? Are you ready to participate as a team member in a fast-paced environment and assist in game operations? Volunteering for the New York Sportimes of the World Team Tennis Professional League during July 2012 will provide you with valuable experience and build your resume. It’s a competitive world out there, so why not get a leg up? Applicants will have the opportunity to be hands-on and actively involved with the staging of an exciting professional tennis event. Volunteers are needed for all home

Sportimes’ partners for 2012 include USTA Eastern Section, GEICO, USTA, Wilson, DecoTurf, Principal Funds, SPORTIME Clubs, Arizon Tennis Domes, NY Orthopedics, Randall’s Island Park Alliance, Zurita, Reliable Fencing, Mylan Cleaning Services, KIMA, SIMS, Lippolis, Sunnyside Car Service, Tennis Media, Efficiency Experts, and Jan Dry Wall. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

matches on Randall’s Island on the following dates: July 10, 13, 18, 19 and 25. Match time for all games is 7:00 p.m. and volunteer check-in time is 4:45 p.m. For more information and to download an application, visit www.nysportimes.com.

Sportimes Fans Aim to Set World Record at July 18 WTT Match

Ever wanted to help set a Guinness World Record? Fans in attendance at the World TeamTennis matchup between the New York Sportimes and the Philadelphia Freedoms on July 18 at Sportime Stadium on Randall’s Island will have the opportunity to take part in an attempt to set

the official mark for “Most People Bouncing Tennis Balls on Tennis Rackets,” prior to the 7:00 p.m. match, which will feature former world number one and Sportimes star Martina Hingis. Fans interested in participating should arrive at Sportime Stadium by 5:00 p.m., wear tennis sneakers and bring their rackets. Tennis balls will be provided. All participants must purchase a ticket to that evening’s World TeamTennis match in order to participate. Hingis, along with Sportime players Robert Kendrick, Jesse Witten, Ashley Harkleroad and Sportimes Coach Chuck Adams, will lead the attempt, which will take place on the Stadium Court. The previous record of 658 was achieved in advance of the U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York on Aug. 26, 2011. In order to set the record, on the audible signal, all contestants must bounce the ball for a minimum of 10 seconds, using just the racket. Only those who maintain the bounce in the air, without the ball touching the ground for the full 10 seconds, will be counted towards the record.

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

USTA METRO REGION

Things Are Looking Green at Riverside Park

Mark McIntyre, executive director of the Riverside Clay Tennis Association (RCTA); Fareed Zakaria; and Dale Caldwell, USTA board member

Photo credit: Cook+Fox Architects

Photo credit: John Herrold

An artist’s conception of the GreenOutlook project (courtesy of Cook+Fox Architects)

A view of the courts from the proposed site of the GreenOutlook project

Mark McIntyre answers a few questions about GreenOutlook, quite possibly the best thing to hit Riverside Park since, well, the red clay courts he brought back to life over the last 20 years. How did you first get into tennis/RCTA? Mark McIntyre: About 20 years or so ago, I used to hang out at the clay courts every afternoon looking for pickup games. I started volunteering to help fix up the courts, which were in pretty bad shape. I was invited to join the board of the volunteer group, and then they hired me to expand the organization and find the funds to transform the dirt courts into the red clay courts. What inspired you to create a sustainable structure, GreenOutlook? McIntyre: Necessity, really. What used to be a pretty isolated part of the park is now extremely busy thanks to the success of the tennis courts and the extension of the Hudson River Greenway. We now get thousands of people each day. These people need a bathroom and the sewer system doesn’t come this far. We had to figure a way to get bathrooms here and green seemed to be the best and most responsible way to go. While there are one or two public composting restrooms in new York City, this will be the first to use solar power and, if we get appropriate permissions, the first to use the compost to fertilize public flower gardens. In other words, it will be a totally self-contained, off-grid complex. Besides a grassroots effort, how else do you plan to get the word out about GreenOutlook? McIntyre: We are reaching out to bicycling groups, local schools, runners groups and other organizations with large memberships who are affected by what goes on in Riverside Park. What fundraisers and other activities are you planning this summer to help generate donations for GreenOutlook? McIntyre: We have a couple of possibilities in the works involving 22

some pro players, both active and retired. We have a huge walkathon planned for the fall, in mid-October, and we are thinking about having a dinner on the site, which is now an abandoned parking lot. What is your target date for Green Outlook to open? McIntyre: We’d love to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony by the end of 2013, but that is going to depend on the success of our fundraising efforts this summer. We held a recent fundraiser, hosted by New York City Council member Gale Brewer, who allocated $1.2 million to the GreenOutlook project. Where and how can people get involved besides going to www.GreenOutlook.info for additional details? McIntyre: They can e-mail me at Mark@GreenOutlook.info. Do you feel that once this project is completed, others will follow? McIntyre: I do … absolutely. If this is a success, and I am convinced it will be, I think it will serve as a model for future parks’ public restrooms. Is there anything else you would like to add? McIntyre: I just want to invite everyone reading this down to our summer concerts, which are free, and which we have every Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. that began June 9 and run through the end of August. Go to www.RCTA.info to see our schedule. We have a different style of music every week. GreenOutlook will have a long-lasting impact on the future of green building in New York and across the country. The new structures will meet the Living Building Challenge, one of the most rigorous green building standards in the world, and will forcefully advance Mayor Bloomberg’s and our city’s sustainability goals laid out in PlaNYC 2030 and Vision 2020.

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

USTA METRO REGION

The Kings County Tennis League (KCTL) By C. Dotson & H. Van De Mark

Youth tennis can impart a lifetime of positive benefits. Tennis fosters mental and physical strength, and develops a player’s sense of accountability and confidence. Unfortunately, it’s not often a “go to” sport in urban communities. Thankfully, tennis legend Arthur Ashe once said, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” Kings County Tennis League (KCTL) is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit organization founded in the spring of 2010 by 29-year-old Michael McCasland. What began as the Marcy Tennis Club at the Marcy Houses, and took place every Saturday afternoon from May to October, has grown to include multiple sites: Marcy, Tompkins, Lafayette Gardens and Sumner—all under the new KCTL banner in 2012. McCasland and his young, diverse volunteers continue to provide tennis instruction at no cost to the neighborhood kids of low-income communities every Saturday afternoon. KCTL is thrilled to offer these lessons because many of their students might not otherwise be afforded the opportunity to participate in this sport. The kids range in ages from five to 16 years of age. KCTL uses tennis as a vehicle for encouraging wellness, mentoring and community building. Also, through grant funding, KCTL plans to encourage safe facilities by managing court renovation projects the youth and community can utilize. “We teach tennis as the sport of opportunity,” said McCasland. “The children that participate learn confidence, self-expression, and tools that translate well beyond tennis.” In October, KCTL hosts an annual end-of-the-season jamboree that features a tournament among neighborhood sites; a certificate and trophy ceremony for all participants; food, music, games, wellness resources; and offerings from other community partners. The Third Annual KCTL Fundraiser is set for Tuesday, July 24 from 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. at The Dumbo Loft, located at 155 Water Street in Brooklyn, N.Y. For more information, visit KingsCountyTennisLeague.org. As an organizational member of the USTA Eastern, KCTL takes students and parents to Arthur Ashe Kids Day in August at the

USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center—another great opportunity for the kids to engage with other young tennis enthusiasts. They appreciate the chance to visit and play at the stadium where players and legends from all over the world compete. KCTL is always grateful for the chance to help provide these experiences for their students. Kings County Tennis League is always looking for good volunteers. Classes are from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. on Saturdays from May to October. Please do not hesitate to contact them at KingsCountyTennisLeague.org for more program information, to volunteer or work with the board of directors and/or making donations. For more information, visit KingsCountyTennisLeague.org, Facebook, Meet Up, @Kctennisleague1.

119TA Spring Festival: Enjoying Tennis and Raising Money to Help Maintain the Courts By Liz Westbrook Hydes You couldn’t have asked for a better day for the occasion—Saturday, May 19 at the 119th Street hard courts in Riverside Park. Sunny and in the mid-70s, the 119th Street Tennis Association (119TA) held its Spring Tennis Festival. With support from USTA Eastern, local businesses, volunteers, and association 119TA Board Members (left to right, members, the event featured sevback row) Patrick Duvalsaint, eral tennis activities, a picnic, a rafJoanie Schroeder and Liz Westbrook Hydes, with (left to right, front row) fle and a membership drive. Some 100-plus tennis enthusiJosie Atienza and Amy Ayres asts, families and friends took part in the day’s activities. The morning kicked off with a clean-up of the court perimeter and its surroundings, supported by Riverside Park Fund’s Volunteer Program. This was followed by a round of QuickStart Tennis for kids, and informal hitting with the resident tennis pros, Jaime Bravo, Dawn Fox and Dave Kardas. Parents were thrilled to see their kids learning and enjoying the sport. In gratitude, many of them bought raffle tickets to support the association in its efforts to promote tennis and help pay for the maintenance of the facility’s 10 hard courts. Several players were so impressed by the generous picnic, the recently pressure-washed courts, and programs sponsored by 119TA, that they eagerly signed up to become members and participate in tournaments to be held this summer. Festival participants were treated to a sumptuous picnic featur-

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

USTA METRO REGION

ing specialties donated by neighborhood restaurants, including Bettolona, Henry’s, Indian Café, 107 West, Pisticci and Symposium. Much excitement surrounded the announcement of the winners of the raffle, including the grand prize of two tickets to the U.S. Open Women’s Semifinals, generously donated by a 119TA board member. Activities continued all afternoon, with Joanie Schroeder, Lester Schulman tennis tips and round-robin play with and Tom Holz putting up the new the tennis pros. To top it off, the asUSTA Eastern Region banner sociation held its inaugural Women’s Doubles Round-Robin Tournament. “We had a lot of fun!” remarked participants Sarit Cohen and Juliana Prather. This was the first tournament they ever played in. The event was considered a tremendous success. As Liz Hydes, Women’s Doubles Tournament president of the association noted: Finalists Henrietta Gwaltney & Daisy Siemon and Champions Liz “People enjoyed the day’s activities, met fellow tennis enthusiasts, and Hydes & Joanie Schroeder learned about 119TA. Moreover, we raised $2,500 from the raffle, new/renewed memberships, and donations, including the Festival Sponsorship grant from USTA Eastern Metro.” 119th Street Tennis Association is a non-profit organization operating under the auspices of Riverside Park Fund in New York City. Supported by more than 150 members, 119TA is dedicated to improving the quality of the tennis facility in New York City’s Riverside Park at 119th Street. It organizes tournaments, clinics and other related tennis activities. For more information on membership, tournaments and events, Masaki Kasetani with the new visit www.119TA.net. 119TA banner Liz Westbrook Hydes is the director of development for Riverside Park Fund (RPF), raising money to maintain and improve the Park. The job happens to correlate with the 119th Street Tennis Courts that are in Riverside Park, as 119TA is an affiliate of RPF and supports court maintenance. For more information, call (212) 870-3082 or e-mail 119thTennisAssoc@gmail.com. 24

USTA Eastern Metro Region awards grants The following groups are all receiving the full amount of $1,000 in grants from the USTA Eastern Metro Region. The purpose of the grants is to increase tennis participation and support tennis programming, especially among racially and ethnically diverse groups. GreenOutlook The GreenOutlook is an off-grid, self-contained, sustainable complex that will serve thousands of bicyclists, joggers, strollers, picnickers and tennis players. The Green Outlook will: Replace an abandoned asphalt parking lot with a native wildflower meadow; create an overlook with stunning views of the Hudson River; provide Riverside Park and Hudson River Greenway users with a public restroom that employs solar energy, composting toilets and a green roof; and build a green maintenance facility for the busy red clay tennis courts and surrounding parkland and gardens. Serving as a model for future park improvements, the entire GreenOutlook complex will be carbon-neutral and employ the latest green technologies, including solar power, recycled materials, gray-water remediation, on-site waste treatment and use, and storm water management. The NYTA The goals of the NYTA are to: Preserve the history of African-Americans in the sport of tennis; create and maintain opportunities for adult and junior ATA members across the region, to compete, develop and network through the sport of tennis; contribute funding and fundraising efforts in support of the competitive development of NYTA juniors; provide scholarships for incoming and existing college students who are ATA members; and help in the fight against obesity in the community by offering tennis-oriented health and fitness initiatives. The Knickerbocker Field Club (also known as “the Knick”) 114 East 18th Street in Brooklyn, N.Y. The idea for a free summer program was initiated in 2003 by Winston Ramsey, one of the club’s two pros who also grew up in central Brooklyn. As a child, Winston was introduced to tennis through local community programming, and he personally introduced the concept of the program to the Knick’s board of directors as a means opening the club to local kids who have limited access to the sport. With the board’s approval and its commitment to using three of the club’s five courts and its facilities, the program began as a six-week, two-hour instructional program meting twice per week. Through personal contacts and word of mouth, the program was immediately filled with 45 neighborhood kids ages five through 18 who flocked to the club for a chance to play tennis.

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

Jill Fonte Named New USTA Eastern Executive Director STA Eastern has announced the appointment of Jill Fonte as the Section’s new executive director. Fonte will lead the Section as it places a new emphasis on growing tennis participation among players of all ages and abilities. For the past 12 years, Fonte has worked as an executive coach, consultant and speaker, providing a wide range of leadership training to corporations, including selling and customer service, strategic planning, and executive presence. Earlier in her career, Jill served as executive director of the United States Racquet Stringers Association (USRSA), a trade organization that provides education and certification to racquet technicians across the country. During her 18 years at the USRSA, she introduced a range of new training materials and programs and oversaw the organization’s growth to more than 7,000 members. “I am very excited to lead Eastern through this transition,” said Fonte. “The

new charge from the Board of Directors to increase tennis participation is a tremendous opportunity, and will open up

• All ages (4-18) • All levels (Quickstart, Beginners, Tournament Players • All Instructors are adult full-time professionals

new and creative ways for the section’s outstanding staff and volunteers to grow the game.” Fonte has also been a USTA volunteer for several years, serving as a member and president of the USTA Middle States Board of Directors, as chair of USTA’s Tennis Innovation Committee, and as a member of the USTA’s National Strategic Planning and Budget & Finance Committees. “Jill has outstanding experience as a leader and teacher, and understands how to develop the partnerships and programs we need to grow participation,” said Jeff Williams, president of USTA Eastern. “We are very excited to have her on board and look forward to working with her.” Jill holds a Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition from Simmons College in Boston and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of California at Irvine, Calif.

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The Jensen Brothers are going to bring it in Georgia! I am so excited to tell you that Murphy and I are now part of the Sea Island Experience! From 1990 when Murphy played at the University of Georgia (UGA), the Jensen family has been part of the Atlanta tennis scene. The opportunity to work side by side, once again, with my brother Murphy like we did on the ATP Tour winning the 1993 French Open on through today, it develops a very special family experience at Sea Island through the game of tennis. Murphy and I have one mission in mind for our tennis program. Making doubles our number one priority! We call it Doubles Heaven! If doubles is your game, Sea Island is the name you need to know. With special events and weekend camps every month, Sea Island Tennis will have everything the hardcore tennis player needs. Murphy and I made our living on the ATP Tour winning at doubles. To be honest, I was tired of hearing from the tennis fan that there needs to be more doubles on TV and a doubles emphasis from the ATP and WTA Tours. I wanted to do something about it. Sea Island has given the Jensen Brothers a platform to teach and promote the game MOST tennis players play … the complicated and rewarding game of doubles! At every level, doubles is a different game and one needs a different approach than in singles. The mindset, tactics and movements are unique and have to be mastered in order to be successful in doubles tennis. Junior players, college players and adult league players ALL need a depth of understanding and confidence in their doubles game. Junior players must understand that a 26

winning high school program needs productive doubles players in order for the team to win. For the player looking to play in college, 83 percent of the time, the team winning the doubles points wins the team dual match at the collegiate level. For the adult player, every year we lose a half a step of court coverage, and doubles tennis will find you sooner or later. Doubles is a game of mental tactical chess. It’s not as physical as singles, but more demanding in the way of strategy and communication. Doubles on any surface at any level can be very complicated. First, it is very important to choose the right partner. A great player may blame you if the team is losing. A player similar to you may not bring the game needed on that day to win. I have found that opposites attract in doubles. Find someone who is supportive when you are playing bad and find a partner who inspires you to have fun when things begin to get tough. After that, make sure the partner compliments what you do. If you are a power player, pick up a steady no-miss partner. If you are the rock of consistency, find a power plant of winners in your partner. These combinations can handle any type of team across the net. The team aspect, in the end, is critical. Successful teams enjoy being on the practice and match court together. Spending time with your doubles partner off the court in social situations creates a bond that will help the team perform well under pressure. Great doubles tennis is played and won with great team chemistry. My brother Murphy and I were so in tune that I knew what shot he would hit before he hit it based on the score and where on the court he was hitting from. By the end of our ATP careers, there were only brief tactical discussions from time to time after spending decades of meshing the team to a world-class machine.

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

We had achieved what all great teams are searching for … UNITY. We thought, moved and played as one unit. We covered all areas of the court to the point where we became a wall around the net. Murphy and I are now excited about teaching the doubles concept and theory to achieve unity on the court for your team. Sea Island Tennis is dedicated to making all players at EVERY level better. The facilities at Sea Island and now the pro staff, with two French Open Doubles Champions, are without equal on the planet. Join us soon at Sea Island, and let Murphy and I “Jensenize” your doubles game! Go on a horseback ride on the miles-long private beach, play some golf, go to our world-class shooting school, take up squash, then go to the spa for a manicure and a pedicure! There is unlimited fun and activities available at Sea Island on the Atlantic Ocean. See you soon on our manicured clay courts. Born in Grayling, Mich., Luke Jensen is head coach of the Syracuse University Women’s Tennis Team. Jensen’s resume includes 10 ATP Tour doubles titles and singles victories against Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Jim Courier. Jensen and his brother, Murphy, won the 1993 French Open doubles title. He was also a member of the 1991 and 1992 Davis Cup Teams. His ambidextrous play, including his ability to serve the ball with either hand at 130 mph, earned him the nickname “Dual Hand Luke.” He may be reached by phone at (315) 443-3552 or e-mail lbjensen@syr.edu.

Queens Native Takes Home Doubles Trophy at 12th Annual Jana Hunsaker Memorial BY ADAM WOLFTHAL he 12th Annual Jana Hunsaker Memorial Wheelchair Tennis Tournament was held from June 7-10 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Jana Hunsaker was the director of the wheelchair tennis program at the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park center until her death in 2000. She ran weekly clinics, as well as the annual tournament, which have both since been taken over by Aki Takayama, the current director of the event. Players from three continents were represented in both the Singles and Doubles Main Draw. In addition to the Open Draw, there are four Divisions, A through D, each with its own draw, as well as a round-robin Quad Draw in each discipline. The Men’s Doubles Open final round was played between John E. Becker, a Queens, N.Y. native currently residing in Boca Raton, Fla. & Stephen Welch of Arlington, Texas against the Brazilian team of Rafael Medeiros & Daniel A. Rodriques, with the American duo of Becker & Welch coming out on top, 6-2, 6-2.

12th Annual Jana Hunsaker Memorial Wheelchair Tennis Tournament Results Singles I Open Division: Stephen Welch defeated Rafael Medeiros 6-2, 6-2

I Division A: Todd Cox defeated Paul J. Sullivan 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 I Division B: Atif Moon defeated Ricardo Corral 6-3, 6-3 I Division C: Wayne Bennett defeated Troy Eap 6-2, 6-1 I Division D: Rodolfo Guevara defeated Andre Lambert 8-6 Doubles I Open Division: Stephen Welch & John Becker defeated Rafael Medeiros & Daniel A. Rodriques 6-2, 6-2 I Division A: Kevin Green & Todd Cox defeated Chris Herman & Richard Lane 6-3, 6-3

I Division B: Atif Moon & Jerry Russel defeated Jose Gomez & David J. Kelly 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 I Division C: Troy Eap & Michael J. Sullivan defeated Wayne Bennett & Alan Salceda 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 I Division D: Rodolfo Guevara & Estephen Santiago defeated Andre Lambert & John Robert 8-4 Adam Wolfthal is the director of business development for New York Tennis Magazine. Adam is a former Dowling College men’s tennis player. He may be reached by e-mail at adam@usptennis.com.

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Partial Student List: Alan Greenspan, Designer Mary McFadden, Newsman Mike Wallace, Former Paine Weber CEO Don Marron

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NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

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New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

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USTAByLeagues Update Deborah-Rose Andrews e had beautiful weather for the 2012 Mixed-Doubles Regional Playoffs, as everyone had a great time. Check out our Facebook page (Metrotennis Leagues) to view the photos from this event. Congratulations to the following teams that advanced to the Sectional Championship:

I 6.0 Level—The Brooklyn team captained by Janice Bateh and Crissa Caponi I 7.0 Level—The Queens team captained by Lauren Kende and Stephanie Vogt I 8.0 Level—The Queens team captained by Marcella Davoren I 9.0 Level—The team captained by Marvin Jeffries I 10.0 Level—The team captained by Eileen Melniker Our winners went to the 2012 Sectional Championships in Schenectady, N.Y. from June 1-3. Friday, June 1 was a beautiful tennis day and kicked off the weekend in style. The cocktail party was a hit, and many of our players won raffle prizes. Unfortunately, Sat-

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urday and Sunday brought rain and the teams moved inside and made the best of it. The results for the Metro teams at the 2012 Sectional Championships are as follows: I I I I I

6.0 Level—Sixth place 7.0 Level—Finalist 8.0 Level—Finalist 9.0 Level—Third place 10.0 Level—Third place

The 7.0 team had a tight finish. When their match ended, they had to go to the last possible tie-break to determine who would finish in second place—games lost. They took second place by three games! It just proves that every game counts! The 2102 Spring/Summer Season is well underway and we are battling the rain in Queens. The Regional Playoffs are currently scheduled for Friday-Sunday, Aug. 3-5. Please come down to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to cheer on the teams as they represent their districts and play for a spot in the Sectional Championships which will be held in Schenectady, N.Y. this year. The 2.5, 3.5 and

4.5 Levels will compete Friday-Sunday, Aug. 10-12, while the 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 Levels will compete Friday-Sunday, Aug. 17-19. The Senior League runs through August. If you are still looking for a team, contact me by e-mail at debrose@metrotennis.com. The 2012 Senior Sectional Championships will also be held in Schenectady, Friday-Sunday, Sept. 14-16. The Senior Mixed Championships are set for Friday-Sunday, Sept. 21-23 Our next league will be the Manhattan Mixed-Doubles League, which begins in late October. We will have teams at the 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0 and 10.0 Levels. Each match consists of three courts of doubles. Levels are formed by the combination of player ratings. For example, a 6.0 Level team would consist of two 3.0 Level players. Enjoy the summer! Deborah-Rose Andrews is the Local League Coordinator for the Metro Region. She is also vice chair of the Adult League Committee and a member of the Metro Region board of directors. She may be reached by e-mail debrose@metrotennis.com.

USTA/Metropolitan Region

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

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For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. SEE PAGES 55-56 30

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

Distribution scheduled for 08/27/12 This edition will feature: • 2012 U.S. Open Preview • Guide To New York’s Top Tennis Clubs • World TeamTennis Season Recap • Olympic Tennis Recap • Summer Camp Event Coverage

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USTA BJK National Tennis Center Hosts 650 Kids for

Annual “Say Yes to Tennis, No to Violence” Day BY ADAM WOLFTHAL hile many Queens County residents ran for shelter from the rain on May 24, more than 650 students from the Far Rockaway School District were running after tennis balls at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for the 15th Annual “Say Yes to Tennis, No to Violence” Day, hosted by Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, along with the USTA and NYJTL. The students who are enrolled in the District Attorney’s STAR Track (Straight Talk About Risks) were all present to participate in this fun, anti-violence program. Students from the Far Rockaway district participated, including Middle School 53 and Public Schools 43, 104, 106, 197, 215 and 333 which enroll more than 4,200 students in grades four through 12. “I want to first congratulate all of the students who have participated in our STAR Track program this year and the thousands of others who have been with us in the

prior 14 years,” said District Attorney Brown. “My fervent hope is that they have benefitted from the experience and that the life lessons they have learned–such as fair play and self-control–will have a positive effect on their daily lives.” After arriving at the National Tennis Center, the students received t-shirts donated by Modell’s and goodie bags containing items donated by the New York City Police Department, New York Mets, SUNY Recruitment Center, CUNY LaGuardia Community College, School Theater Ticket Program, Queens Borough Public Library and the Queens Botanical Garden. Then, the kids headed to the courts to practice their volleys, overheads and ground strokes with local tennis coaches who volunteer for the program. “The Program exposes kids to tennis, which normally they wouldn’t get to see, and the Billie Jean King Tennis Center where they wouldn’t get to be. They look

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

forward to it every year, and it is very well organized,” said I.A. Principal Gary Fairweather of PS 43. Among the day’s invited guests was NYPD Detective Lieutenant Steven D. McDonald, who was shot and paralyzed by a 15-year-old gunman more than 20 years ago. “Today’s tennis event is meant to encourage our young people to make affirmative choices, such as sports, as a positive alternative to the deadly culture of gun violence which permeates their lives on an almost daily basis,” said DA Brown. “Our challenge and goal is to teach them that tennis, aside from being a fun activity, is an enriching, self-improving activity that can be applied to all aspects of life and can give them the confidence to succeed.” Adam Wolfthal is the director of business development for New York Tennis Magazine. Adam is a former Dowling College men’s tennis player.

What Really Grinds My Gears By Ajay Kumar How is it that most “developmental players” show up with a decent forehand grip and stroke, but it ends right there. How is it that they have a hard time grasping the concept of a Continental Grip? How is it that they miss out on learning a grip that will help them execute a variety of shots using a Continental Grip at an early (learning) age. Bear with me here … I’m generalizing a bit, but in my experience as a teacher in this sport, I have noticed at least for every 10 players who show as “developmental” players, there are eight or nine who do not have the experience or feel for the grip, and the usual answer I receive is that “It’s hard.” I always believe in teaching the proper skills, even if the player is playing once a week. The least taught grip is the Continental Grip, and the most taught is either the Semi-Western or Western Grip—generally for the forehand. Forehands, or Semi-Western/Western Grips are easy to learn; the Continental Grip, which can be used on a player’s two-handed backhand grips, are hard. Continental Grips are used in practically every other shot other than forehands. So, which grip should be learned more or often for long-term success in the sport of tennis? I really hope your pick is the Continental Grip. When a forehand is learned, regardless of the grip, two different scenarios appear: I Instant success (for the short-term) that the ball “went over the net” and I Unfortunately, the players tend to keep the same grip for every other shot (or something else rather than the required

grip, and deprive themselves of learning the most valuable grip). When a Continental Grip is being taught, it generally takes a longer time than usual because it requires loads of practice, feel and the discipline to achieve that “comfort” in holding the grip. However, most players lose interest in learning the much more needed and used Continental Grip. It is unfortunate, but a reality. It is the most-used grip in the sport which generally translates to it being the most versatile—helping in a variety of shot-making situations—changing paces, depths and angles on all of a player’s shots that are not a forehand. Most shots that require the Continental Grip make the player dangerous and crafty, and help them compete in any style. Forehands, as I mentioned before, have but a few variety of grips and swing styles. But grips, however, don’t vary as much between shots (unless the player is a touring tournament player). It really grinds my gears when players come in for lessons and show in interest in improving their game, but do not have the muchneeded Continental Grip. I try to see if they are able to execute a variety of shots—or in this instance, do they have a Continental Grip? And do they know how, when, or why to use it? And do they know the dividends they can gain from it? And if they are new to it, are they willing to explore that particular grip? To learn a Continental Grip is quite simple, any average pro should be able to teach and assign take-home-work for their players to make them feel comfortable and confident. With practice, they will have the ability to use it frequently during the lesson and gradually continue to use it during point- and match-play. Players will have the ability to close the net

more, and execute volleys and overheads with ease and confidence and help them tremendously with their serves (which happen to be the most important shot in the game). It is very important to provide players with the right tools, and basic foundations of the game: Footwork and grips, in this instance, is the key. Have the player think long-term success, as opposed to short-term gains— whether recreational or tournament player. Tennis is a great individual sport, if not for win or loss, develops and helps a player learn about discipline, patience, and how to be responsible for their own abilities and actions. If so, why not provide them with the appropriate tools? As teachers and coaches, we are responsible to help teach the sport to any player at any level. Once a player masters the foundations, let them run wild on the court with their variety of shots, and you will see them benefit from it at every turn of their growth! Ajay Kumar is currently the director of tennis at one of the oldest tennis facilities in New York, the New York Tennis Club (NYTC), and is an assistant director for the Advantage Tennis Clubs family, servicing out of four-major locations in Manhattan. Prior to taking over the director of tennis position at NYTC, Ajay was a partner at Metro Tennis Academy and was instrumental in developing a renowned junior program that serviced both recreational and competitive players. He has played in the USTA Eastern Section, and as well as in the ITF. He graduated with a sports medicine major from Manhattan College, where he played competitively in its Division I varsity team as a scholar-athlete. He may be reached by phone at (646) 294-2653, e-mail AK.AdvantageTennis@gmail.com or visit AdvantageCamps.net.

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

More Than 400 Vie for 80 Spots at

2012 U.S. Open Ballperson Tryouts BY KRISTEN KELLEHER n 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 nervewracking 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 17-yearold Lawrence Chih. 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, and as the officials judging the competition continually stressed, “This is U.S. Open weather.” 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 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 when action begins in late August. Kristen Kelleher is an intern with New York Tennis Magazine. She is currently attending Loyola University Maryland and may be reached by e-mail at kristen@litennismag.com.

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

Good to Great:

A Model for Safely Building the Tennis Champions of Tomorrow

Environments of Excellence By Steve Kaplan ood tennis players develop and achieve in positive environments, and truly thrive and actualize great potential in environments of excellence. While great learning environments are a shared effort, they start at home and there is nothing more powerful and impactful to children than a parent who is a leader and role model. Coaches are vital to providing growth mindsets, but they play a subordinate role to parents because they do not most effectively instill core values to students nor should they seek to instill fundamental beliefs. Instead, coaches should reinforce the already-internalized values that students derived from home. My friend and one of my first students, Bobby Banck, talks frequently about parental responsibility in his insightful blog, “The Mission Dad.” Bobby has a unique perspective and passion concerning parental roles, both on and off the court as the father of two young boys; a former top player; as well as coach of Monica Seles, Mary Pierce, Mary Jo Fernandez and David Pate. Bobby spent several years at Nick Bollettieri’s Academy during the “Golden Era” of U.S. tennis and experienced one of the greatest citadels of excellence in U.S. tennis history. Bobby explains, “It wasn’t the quality of the coaching that was special, it was the attitude. My parents taught me devotion and instilled the idea that tennis was a privilege. Nobody at Nick’s viewed tennis as a chore.” Bobby’s consistent message is that parents must demonstrate and exem-

plify leadership to their children. He credits the support of his parents for his ability to greatly benefit away from home. Leaders are team players and parents cannot realistically expect to get the results they want from their child unless they step up and become the leader of their child’s education. If you believe that, as a parent, you can best serve your child’s education by teaching them to serve, perhaps you should try this exercise. Sit down and write your coaching resume as if you are applying for the opportunity to be hired as your child’s coach. Include your education, background, experience and availability, and then evaluate it as a selfless leader and team player, rather than as a co- dependent. Consider the overwhelming theoretical and empirical evidence that indicates that coaching your child is physiologically risky. Would you really hire yourself as the most qualified candidate for the job? Bobby Banck explains, “I don’t know too many top players with happy relationships with both parents.” Are you so uniquely qualified for the role of coach and is tennis achievement so high on your list of priorities for your child that the hazards of coaching your child justify the potential rewards? An alternative to coaching your child is to lead them as a role model. It’s way more work but isn’t your child’s growth worth the effort? My friend, Dave McElwaine, is a wonderful example of the power of leadership. Dave is perhaps the premier senior mountain bike racer and photo journalist in the world. As an avid racer myself, I know very well just how

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

much expertise Dave brings to this very demanding and competitive sport. On one occasion, Dave and I traveled to compete in the senior division of a national championship race in Showshoe, W. Va. Dave’s 14-year-old son Colt came with us to race in the junior class. I was amazed that, despite Dave’s vast knowledge and experience, he didn’t offer even one bit of advice to Colt. Instead, Dave extended invitations to Colt to join us as a peer. “Colt, Steve and I are pre-riding the course, you’re invited. Colt, we are prepping our bikes now if you are interested? My race is at 9am if you want to watch me. Afterwards I plan on watching you at 12.” As Colt developed, Dave hired Mark McCormick, a top racer and coach to further him. Colt went on to become national junior champion, graduate Harvard, and pursue his love of cycling as a top pro racer and leading bike journalist. Great competitive athletes need great leadership and mentorship. Who is better qualified to provide these essential qualities then the people with unconditional and limitless love? Coaching is a conditional role, parenting is not. 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.

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

Winning Ugly by Brad Gilbert With Steve Jamison

The two top American tennis players of the 70s and 80s, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe, were Irish-American lefties who were cheaters. Brad Gilbert doesn’t say this in his classic guide to the mental side of winning tennis matches, but it isn’t a farfetched inference from some of the war stories he tells. Gilbert’s book, Winning Ugly, published in 1993, has been thoroughly absorbed into the minds of most players and coaches. Obviously, the game has changed since the early 1990s, but a lot of what Gilbert says about smart tennis is still relevant. Here’s an example. “The two most common mistakes recreational players make are: They don’t think about what they’re doing. They do it too fast.” Winning Ugly is a great book on two levels. It’s full of stories about Gilbert’s experiences with the pros of his era who, besides Connors and McEnroe, included Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Michael Chang and Bjorn Borg. So it is a great read even for those tennis players 38

who aren’t looking for advice on how to win more sets. The second level the book succeeds on is as a dispenser of tactical and strategic advice about winning matches. It’s only natural that Gilbert use his matchups with his contemporaries to illustrate points he’s making about playing smart. On the cheating issue, certainly there is a lot of gray area in determining where gamesmanship ends and actual cheating begins. When Gilbert tells the story in Winning Ugly about his match with Connors in which the author wins match point, is standing at the net ready to shake hands, but ends up losing the match, it’s hard not to draw the conclusion that Connors cheated him. What happened was Connors protested the “in” call on Gilbert’s last shot, got it overruled and went on to win the match. But even for Jimmy Connors, it took a lot of histrionics to reverse a match point call. If any readers want to try this in their club tournament, they should be advised that Connors really had to throw a convincing fit, complete with snot coming out of his nose. Be prepared to sit by yourself at the posttournament dinner, if you borrow this tactic. As for McEnroe’s manipulation of matches, Gilbert asks the same question that so many players who competed against McEnroe ask: Did he ever stage one of his outbursts when he was ahead? The implied answer is rarely, if ever. But Gilbert isn’t calling anybody a cheater, that’s my interruption. So what if tennis does sometimes resemble pro wrestling? When Marat Safin dropped his shorts at the French Open in 2004, that’s the kind of moment YouTube is made for, right? The other thing that the tennis history part of the book has going for it is that

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

Gilbert and his co-author Steve Jamison are hilarious. Not only is the prose in the book light-hearted, the authors give credit where credit is due to some of the book’s subjects. In one anecdote, Gilbert describes the way McEnroe won a match on a chilly night in Los Angeles. At 3-3 in the third set, McEnroe argued about a call and basically stopped the match for 10 minutes. When the match resumed, Gilbert tried to take his time, although he had started to get cold in the 45-degree weather. He got a warning for delay of play. McEnroe had just shut down the match for 10 minutes, but because Gilbert toweled off between points too slowly, he got hit with a warning. Gilbert freaked out and lost the match. Later, in the locker room, McEnroe said, “Brad, you’ve got to be more careful about delaying the game like that. In this weather, I could have caught a cold.” Anyway, beyond stories like this, Gilbert also supplies a ton of useful tips on getting the most out of a player’s game. The great thing is that unlike a lot of tennis advice, Gilbert’s points are as useful for recreational players as for pros. Never mind McEnroe’s morality, Gilbert uses his matches with the New Yorker to illustrate one perennial problem for us righties when facing a lefty serving us wide in the ad court. Gilbert says the receiver should stand as far to the left as he can, in the alley or even past the alley, to make the lefty server beat him by changing his serving pattern to go down the middle. Gilbert argues, as he does with a lot of his advice, that even if the lefty server can adjust, the receiver is controlling that part of the match. As my friend, Stan, said as we discussed Gilbert’s book at the East River Park courts, the idea that Gilbert was such a

weak player that he had to use his “smarts” to win matches is a little exaggerated. You don’t get to a career-high ranking of number four without a lot of talent. Then again, Gilbert’s Grand Slam results aren’t inspiring. For a career that lasted from 1982-1995, he only got to the quarters of Slams twice. Still, as we know, he has become one of the game’s leading coaches (Andre Agassi, Andy Murray, Andy Roddick, among others) and a popular TV analyst.

And the same sense of humor that makes Winning Ugly such a delight is also evident in Gilbert’s commentary. Some years ago, he said he considered Wimbledon a warm-up, as far as sharpening his analytic skills, for a big, Northern California junior tournament that his son Zach was playing in. Gilbert also gives a shout-out to local pro, Fritz Buehning, associate academy director at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy at Randall’s Island, as he tells the story

of a loss to the New Jersey native Buehning that inspired Gilbert to start to approach his matches more analytically. So, yes, there is a reason Winning Ugly is a classic. Buy it to get some help in maximizing the potential of your game, but read it a second and third time for its hilarious takes on tennis history from one of the game’s brightest commentators. Brent Shearer may be reached by e-mail at bbshearer@gmail.com.

Getting a Handle on Grips By Daniel Kresh n my opinion, many club players do not fully appreciate the potential benefits of varying grips to help produce and deal with a robust arsenal of shots. The modern game of tennis has racket technology and court surfaces that allow for increasingly higher bounces and the player to impart more spin than ever before. With the higher bounces, ground stroke grips tend to be moving more western, which allows for a higher contact point further out in front than other grips, and more easily produces topspin. If you take a look at the handle of a tennis racket, you will notice that rather than being rounded, there are eight bevels around the handle. By placing the knuckle of your index finger on different bevels, you change the angle of the racket face. The angle of the racket face significantly impacts the spin you can impart on the ball and the ideal contact point. If you hold a racket by the head in front of you in your dominant hand with the handle pointing down with your fingers on the outside side of the strings and your thumb on the inside and then slide your hand down the handle, you will have the Continental Grip. For a right-handed player, this would be mean your index finger’s knuckle

is on the second bevel going clockwise from the top (lefties are counterclockwise.). This grip is often called the “Hammer Grip” and is a classic and versatile grip. In the modern game, the Continental Grip is often used for serves/volleys/half-volleys/overheads/slice/drop shots, in fact, John McEnroe used it for every shot. In McEnroe’s days, the lower bounce allowed this to also be a viable grip for groundstrokes, but the groundstroke strike zone for Continental is very low and it is a difficult grip to produce topspin on groundstrokes with. If you rotate one more bevel (righties clockwise, lefties counterclockwise) to the third bevel, this is the Eastern Forehand Grip, one more over to the fourth bevel is the Semi-Western Grip, and the fifth or bottom bevel would be the Western Grip and a full 135 degrees away from the Continental Grip. Basically, as you move away from a Continental Grip, the racquet face will close (begin to rotate forward) slightly making the contact point a little higher, a little further in front, and topspin a little easier. The Eastern forehand grip used to be the predominant grip in the low bouncing grass court days but is now a rarity in the modern professional game. Most players today have Semi-Western or Western forehands and play with a two-handed backhand. There are many combinations possible for the two-handed backhand,

but oftentimes, the non-dominant hand will be in a Semi- or Full-Western Grip. For those tennis purists who still hit a one-handed backhand the most common grip would be the Eastern Backhand Grip, which would have the base knuckle of your index finger on the first bevel, it is 180 degrees opposite the Western Grip, like the Western Grip, is the same for righties and lefties. The Continental Grip is great for serves and volleys because it is neutral, it can impart all types of spin on the serve and can be used seamlessly for the forehand and backhand volley where, oftentimes, there wouldn’t be enough time to switch grips anyway. The other bevels offer grips so extreme that their deficiencies outweigh their benefits and are not worth mentioning here. I would suggest playing around with grips particularly if you’re looking to add more spin or get more comfortable with higher or lower contact points. Using new grips may feel weird at first, but with patience, you will vastly improve. 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.

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

2012 Boys & Girls High School

SEASON RECAP 2011-2012 PSAL Boys High School Tennis Final Season Standings Division A1 Benjamin N. Cardozo High School ....12-0 Forest Hills............................................8-4 Townsend Harris ..................................5-7 Francis Lewis ......................................3-9 Bayside High School ..........................2-10 Division A2 Brooklyn Technical ............................10-0 Leon M. Goldstein High School for Science ..........................................8-2 Fort Hamilton ......................................6-4 James Madison ....................................4-6 Abraham Lincoln High School..............1-9 Midwood ..............................................1-9 Division A3 Beacon High School ..........................12-0 Stuyvesant High School ......................9-3 Bronx High School of Science ............6-6 High School of American Studies at Lehman College ............................2-10 Hunter College High School ..............1-11 Division B1 Jamaica ................................................9-2 John Bowne ........................................8-3 Thomas Edison ....................................2-9 Hillcrest ..............................................0-11 Division B2 Newtown ............................................12-0 Grover Cleveland..................................8-4 William C. Bryant..................................6-6 Newcomers ..........................................5-7 Long Island City ................................2-10 Division B3 Franklin D. Roosevelt ........................10-0 Sheepshead Bay ..................................8-2 George Westinghouse ..........................4-6 New Utrecht ........................................3-7 40

Division B3 (continued) Lafayette Educational Complex ..........3-7 Paul Robeson Campus High School....2-9

Developmental Wingate Educational Campus..............2-1 Boys and Girls High School ................0-2

Division B4 Christopher Columbus High School ....9-3 Dewitt Clinton ......................................8-4 John F. Kennedy Campus ....................6-6 Manhattan Center for Science & Math 4-8 Herbert H. Lehman ............................2-10

2011-2012 PSAL Girls High School Tennis Final Season Standings

Division B5 Tottenville ..........................................12-0 McKee/Staten Island Tech ................10-2 Curtis ....................................................7-5 Susan Wagner ......................................6-6 Port Richmond ....................................5-7 New Dorp ..........................................2-10 Petrides ..............................................0-12 Division B6 Bard High School Early College ........11-0 Eleanor Roosevelt High School............9-2 HS Environmental Studies....................3-8 Frederick Douglass Academy ............0-11 Division C1 Beach Channel/Channel View..............8-2 Campus Magnet ..................................6-4 Richmond Hill ......................................4-6 John Adams ........................................1-9

Division A1 Benjamin N. Cardozo High School ....11-1 Francis Lewis ....................................10-2 Bayside High School ............................6-6 Townsend Harris ..................................3-9 Forest Hills..........................................0-12 Division A2 Leon M. Goldstein High School for Science ..........................................8-1 Brooklyn Technical ..............................6-3 James Madison ....................................4-6 Midwood ..............................................0-9 Division A3 Beacon High School ..........................12-0 Stuyvesant High School ......................9-3 Bronx High School of Science ............5-7 Hunter College High School ................4-8 High School of American Studies at Lehman College ............................0-12

Division C2 Aviation Career & Technical Education High School ......................10-0 Flushing High School ..........................8-2 Queens High School For Science at York College ....................................3-7 August Martin High School ................0-10

Division B1 Grover Cleveland................................12-0 Hillcrest ..............................................10-2 Robert F. Kennedy................................7-5 Newcomers ..........................................6-6 Richmond Hill ......................................5-7 Martin Van Buren................................1-11 Campus Magnet ................................1-11

Division C3 South Bronx ........................................8-0 Harry S. Truman ..................................7-1 Walton Campus....................................3-5 Samuel Gompers ................................3-5 Alfred E. Smith......................................2-6 West 50th Street Campus ....................1-7

Division B2 Eleanor Roosevelt High School..........12-0 Bard High School Early College ..........8-4 Lab Museum United ............................5-7 Long Island City ..................................4-8 William C. Bryant................................1-11

New York Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ July/August 2012 â&#x20AC;˘ NYTennisMag.com

2012 Boys & Girls High School

SEASON RECAP Division B3 McKee/Staten Island Tech ................10-0 Susan Wagner......................................8-2 Curtis....................................................5-5 Tottenville ............................................4-6 New Dorp ............................................3-7 Port Richmond ..................................0-10 Division B4 Benjamin Banneker Academy..............9-0 Franklin K. Lane Campus ....................5-4 EBC/Bushwick Leaders ......................3-6 Boys and Girls High School ................0-9 Division C1 Springfield Gardens ..........................10-0 John Bowne ........................................7-2 Newtown ..............................................6-4 Robert F. Wagner Jr. ............................3-6 Far Rockaway Educational Campus....3-7 Beach Channel/Channel View High School........................................0-10

Division C2 East New York Family Academy ..........6-2 Canarsie Educational Campus ............6-2 Erasmus Hall Campus..........................6-2 Clara Barton ........................................1-7 Tilden Educational Campus ................1-7 Division C3 Abraham Lincoln High School ..........10-0 Franklin D. Roosevelt ..........................7-3 Fort Hamilton ......................................6-4 HS Telecommunication Arts & Technology........................................5-5 Sheepshead Bay..................................1-9 New Utrecht ........................................1-9 Division C4 Seward Park Campus ..........................8-2 HS Economics & Finance ....................4-5 Murry Bergtraum ..................................2-8 University Neighborhood ....................1-8

Division C5 Dewitt Clinton ....................................10-0 Taft Educational Campus ....................7-3 Walton Campus....................................2-8 John F. Kennedy Campus ....................1-9 Division C6 Christopher Columbus HS ..................9-1 Adlai Stevenson Campus ....................6-4 Herbert H. Lehman ..............................4-6 Harry S. Truman ..................................1-9 Division C7 HS Environmental Studies ..................9-1 Louis Brandeis ....................................8-2 Frederick Douglass Academy ..............4-6 Bayard Rustin Educational Complex ..3-7 Developmental Grand Street Campus ..........................2-0 Frank Sinatra School of the Arts ..........0-0 The Scholars Academy ........................0-0 Wingate Educational Campus..............0-2

NYJTL Hosts 25th Annual Mayor’s Cup By Jessica Stiles he New York Junior Tennis League (NYJTL) hosted the 25th Annual Mayor’s Cup All-Scholastic Individual Tennis Championships at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center from June 2-10. The Mayor’s Cup Championships, presented by Reliance Communications, is the largest scholastic tennis event in the nation, and is also the only interscholastic tournament featuring teams competing against each other from public, private and parochial schools. This year’s championships included elementary school players for the first time in the event’s history. “We are thrilled to include the young players in the Mayor’s Cup competition,” said Dr. Deborah Antoine, NYJTL president and CEO. “It is the perfect opportunity for young players to see their high school

counter parts as role models.” This year’s championships were also significant due to the amount of registrants as an all-time high of 107 varsity boys and 83 varsity girls signed up for the event. As the final matches concluded, this year’s winners were as follows: I Aleksandra Bekirova of Brooklyn captured the Girls Middle School Singles Title over number one-seeded Alexus Gill 6-3, 6-2 I The Girls Varsity Singles Title went to Becky Shtilkind from Leon Goldstein, who defeated Rebecca Fakas 6-1, 6-0 I Steliana Fakas & Nakia Miller, who were the number two seeds from Benjamin Cardozo High School, won the Girls Varsity Doubles Title against Monica Gokhberg & Dina Levy-Lambert 6-4, 7-5.

I The Boys Middle School Singles Title went to the number two seed, Ananth Raghavan from MS 54 Booker T. Washington, who defeated the number four seed, Christian Gloria 6-1, 6-0 I The Boys Varsity Singles Title went to the number 12 seed, Jeremy Kochman from Poly Prep Country Day School, who defeated his higherseeded opponent, Andrew Arnaboldi, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 I The Boys Varsity Doubles Title went to the number one seeds, Christopher Jou & Leon Pan from Stuyvesant High School, who defeated Jeremy Klapper & Sam Schwarz, 6-3, 6-2 Jessica Stiles is an intern for New York Tennis Magazine and is a player for the University of Kentucky Women’s Tennis Team.

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

2012 Boys & Girls High School

SEASON RECAP Scenes From the 25th Annual Mayor’s Cup June 2-10 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

2012 Boys & Girls High School

SEASON RECAP Beacon High wins fifth consecutive PSAL A Division Championship and captures 2012 Team Mayor’s Cup he Beacon High School Boys Tennis Team won its fifth consecutive PSAL Class A Championship, sweeping Stuyvesant High School 5-0 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Clinching the victory was Christian Waldron, a 6-4, 6-0 winner over Christopher Jou. Waldron fell to Jou twice during the regular season, but his luck changed during the finals. “The Beacon crowd came out to help me and out focus and really supported me throughout the match because I tend to get side tracked a lot,” said Waldron. The win capped off an undefeated season for Beacon, finishing with a perfect 150 mark. Final results of the 2012 Class A Championship match between Beacon and Stuyvesant:

Class A Singles I Christian Waldron (Beacon) defeated Christopher Jou (Stuyvesant) 6-4, 6-0 I Justin Fields (Beacon) defeated Leon Pan (Stuyvesant) 6-1, 6-0 I Maxwell Smith (Beacon) defeated Victor Miglio (Stuyvesant) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 Class A Doubles I Lucas Pickering & Richard Sec (Beacon) defeated Hayden Kaarp Hecker & Peter Becht (Stuyvesant) 6-2, 6-2 I Daniel Segan & Oliver Sec (Beacon) defeated Pavel Shapturenka & Ryan Elnagger (Stuyvesant) 6-0, 6-3 In the B Division finals, it was Bard High School who captured the 2012 Class B Boys Title, edging out Eleanor Roosevelt 3-

2. After a first round bye, Bard shot out Grover Cleveland in the quarterfinals and in the semis, was a 3-2 winner over Susan Wagner en route to the finals. The C Division Boys Title went to Aviation Career & Technical Education High School, a 5-0 finals winner over Beach Channel/Channel View High School. Aviation defeated Flushing 3-2 in the semifinals after a first round bye. Beacon continued its winning ways by winning its second consecutive 2012 Mayor’s Cup Annual Tennis Tournament. Beacon, the first seeded team who defeated Horace Mann High School, 4-1 in the finals at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. In the quarterfinals, Riverdale Country Day School fell to Beacon 0-5, and in the semifinals, Trinity High School also fell to Beacon, 0-5. Horace Mann was able to make it all the way to the

finals only dropping two matches leading into the final match-up. Final results for the 2012 Mayor’s Cup: Mayor’s Cup Singles I Christian Waldron (Beacon) defeated Andrew Arnaboldi (Horace Mann) 6-3, 0-6, 6-2 I Justin Fields (Beacon) defeated Dilan Gupta (Horace Mann) 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 I Will Smith (Beacon) defeated Ian Antonoff (Horace Mann) 6-1, 6-2 Mayor’s Cup Doubles I Lucas Pickering & Richard Sec (Beacon) defeated Daniel Elkind & Steven Hefter (Horace Mann) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 I Justin Langfan & Wonsye Chong (Horace Mann) defeated Sean Solomonoff & Felipe Konig Oosses (Beacon) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5)

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www.kennethgoldberg.photoshelter.com NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

2012 Boys & Girls High School

SEASON RECAP Leon M. Goldstein HS Girls defeat Cardozo for PSAL A Division Title and shocks St. Francis Prep for Team Mayor’s Cup he Dolphins of Leon M. Goldstein High School were 5-0 winners over Cardozo at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to be crowned the 2012 PSAL A Division Girls High School Champions. After byes in the first and second rounds, the Dolphins, who finished in first place in Division A2 with an 8-1 record, defeated Bayside in the quarterfinals, 4-1, advancing to the semifinals where they were 5-0 winners over Beacon High School. Beacon finished the 2011-2012 campaign with a perfect 12-0 mark, and in first place in Division A3. In the B Division, the 2012 PSAL Title went to Bard High School Early College, an upset 3-2 winner over Eleanor Roosevelt who finished the season 12-0. Bard advanced to the finals after a first round bye, followed by a 4-1 win over Hillcrest in the

quarterfinals. Bard, who finished the regular season with an 8-4 record, shut out the second-seeded Grover Cleveland team 5-0 in the semifinals to move on to the finals. The C Division was won this year by the girls from Springfield Gardens. Entering the playoffs after a successful 10-0 regular season and finishing atop the C1 Division, the second-seeded Springfield Gardens was a 3-2 winner over the top-seeded girls

from Abraham Lincoln High School, who also finished out the regular season undefeated with a 10-0 mark. After capturing the PSAL crown, the eighth-seeded Leon M. Goldstein High School Dolphins upset the top-seeded St. Francis Prep Terriers to capture the Girls High School Tennis 2012 Mayor’s Cup in a close 3-2 finish. Goldstein’s win ended a 203-match winning streak by St. Francis Prep, and marked the first time in 12 years that St. Francis did not win the Mayor’s Cup. En route to the victory, the Dolphins defeated Forest Kew and Benjamin Cardozo High Schools. Going into the tournament, Goldstein was seeded last in the eighth position. Leading up to the Finals, Goldstein didn’t drop a single match, blanking each school in the quarterfinals and semifinals, 5-0.

Fordham Prep earns CHSAA Boys Tennis Title t was a five-year drought between championships for Fordham Prep, a drought that ended at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the 2012 CHSAA Class AA Boys High School Tennis Finals as Fordham defeated Iona Prep 3-2 to capture its first title since 1997. Here are the match results of the 2012 CHSAA Class AA Boys High School Tennis Finals:

Singles I Decklon Cunningham (Iona Prep) defeated Oscar Magalong (Fordham) 6-3, 6-3 I David Commender (Iona Prep) defeated Rob Gittings (Fordham) 6-4, 6-4 I Andrew Hauser (Fordham) defeated Justin Cramer (Iona Prep) 6-2, 7-5 Doubles I Alex Parisi & Dillon Breuning (Fordham) defeated Will McMillian & Ryan Kinchoe (Iona Prep) 6-0, 6-2 I George Dailey & Dan Neeson (Fordham) defeated Will Burke & Brendan Rooney (Iona Prep) 6-2, 6-4 44

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

2012 Boys & Girls High School

SEASON RECAP Beacon’s Pickering & Smith Finish Second in 2012 NYSPHSAA Boys Doubles t the 2012 NYSPHSAA Boys Tennis Championships, the 2012 New York City Champs Lucas Pickering & Winn Smith of Beacon finished second place to the team of Daniel Morgan & Doug Kaplan of Pelham, N.Y. Despite playing in different Sections, Beacon and Pelham are a mere 15 miles from one another. After taking a commanding lead in the first set, breaking Beacon in every serve game, Pelham’s Morgan & Kaplan took the first set 6-2, and looked to have the match in hand. Pickering & Smith had other ideas, fighting back to bring the second set to a tie-break and win it 8-6. The third set super tie-break saw Beacon open up with an early mini-break

to go up 6-4. Pelham fought back to win four straight points to take the lead to 9-7 and eventually finished off Beacon with an 8-10 victory. Pickering & Smith’s path to the finals featured an exciting super tie-breaker in the semis, as the Beacon team defeated Matt Levine & Alex Meyer of Byram Hills. After giving up the first set by one crucial break of serve, Pickering & Smith scrapped back with a 6-3 second set victory and 10-6 win in the deciding third set tie-break. In the quarterfinals, Pickering & Smith were 7-5, 6-3 winners over Matt Renzi & Paul Barrett of Pittsford Mendon. In round two, the Beacon duo defeated Jay & Rex Glickman

Lucas Pickering & Winn Smith of Beacon in the 2012 NYSPHSAA Boys Doubles Finals

of Greeley, 6-3, 6-2, and a first round victory over, Pickering & Smith defeated Ian Baranowski & Kevin Katz of Syosset, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(1).

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

2012 Boys & Girls High School

SEASON RECAP PSAL 2011-2012 Boys High School Tennis Top 25

Rank Player

Grade Sophomore

School

Richard Williams

Haseeb Raza

Junior

Flushing High School

Sami Chahi

Junior

Brooklyn Technical

Habib Raza

Junior

Flushing High School

Mikolaj Borak

Senior

Brooklyn Technical

Chanze German

Freshman

Clayton Brandt

Junior

Bard High School Early College

Peter Sills

Sophomore

Bard High School Early College

Hector Molina

Senior

Jason Jamison

Sophomore

George Westinghouse

Adam Ali

Sophomore

Queens High School for Science at York College

Michael Benavidez

Loren Gallmon

Freshman

Anthony Brown

Senior

Daniel Gorelik

Sophomore

Jonathan Montanez

Senior

Dewitt Clinton

Kevin Apolo

Senior

Dewitt Clinton

Michael Markin

Junior

Abraham Lincoln High School

Rosben Saint Dic

Junior

George Westinghouse

Shui Yuen

Senior

Dewitt Clinton

Tottenville

Newcomers Flushing High School Christopher Columbus High School Midwood

Sophomore

Dewitt Clinton

Mohammad Mollick

Senior

Dewitt Clinton

Sara Lijo

Senior

Flushing High School

Luke Lukolic

Senior

Newtown

Justin Selig

Junior

Brooklyn Technical

Geovanny Guzman

Senior

Newtown

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

2012 Boys & Girls High School

SEASON RECAP PSAL 2011-2012 Girls High School Tennis Top 25

Rank Player 1

Emi Lewis

Grade

School

Sophomore

Lab Museum United

Katelynne Bazile

Junior

Seward Park Campus

Jessica Richards

Junior

Seward Park Campus

Esther Chan

Junior

Walton Campus

Katrina Bautista

Senior

Newtown

Massiel Arellano

Senior

Louis Brandeis

Kayla Banwarie

Junior

Seward Park Campus

Kayla Williams

Freshman

Seward Park Campus

Lilliemae Ervin

Senior

Bayard Rustin Educational Complex

Yanibel Veras

Junior

Frederick Douglass Academy

Sidasia Johnson

Senior

Seward Park Campus

Agathe Benichou

Sophomore

Louis Brandeis

Kate Wagner

Sophomore

Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Verdhiqi Duni

Junior

New Utrecht

Kathleen Chan

Junior

HS Environmental Studies

Sok Cheng

Senior

HS Economics & Finance

Betty Lazis

Sophomore

Brooklyn Technical

Hayya Fayaz

Freshman

Newtown

Nicole Retsepter

Freshman

Brooklyn Technical

Ajani Skeete

Freshman

HS Environmental Studies

Demi Margulies

Sophomore

Louis Brandeis

Destiny Xie

Junior

Brooklyn Technical

Emily Sham

Sophomore

Brooklyn Technical

Michelle Soroka

Sophomore

Brooklyn Technical

Mackenzie Donohue

Sophomore

Louis Brandeis NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

2012 Boys & Girls High School

SEASON RECAP

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

2012 Boys & Girls High School

SEASON RECAP

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

UPCOMING AUGUST 2012 Wednesday-Monday, August 15-20 2012 Central Park Tournament Finals Central Park New York, N.Y. For more information, visit www.cityparksfoundation.org. Thursday-Sunday, August 16-19 Harlem Week/Les Halles Cup (USTA Sanctioned Tournament, Level I) Fred Johnson Park at Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard Between 150th and 151st Streets New York, N.Y. Boys and Girls 12-18s Singles Only For more information, visit www.harlemjuniortennis.org.

EVENTS

Monday, August 20 2012 Central Park Trophy Presentation Central Park New York, N.Y. A trophy presentation following the annual culmination of summer-long City Parks Tennis program at Central Park in New York City. For more information, visit www.cityparksfoundation.org. Tuesday, August 21 2012 U.S. Open Qualifying Rounds Begin USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Flushing Meadows, N.Y. For more information, visit www.usta.com. Thursday, August 23 13th Annual BNP Paribas Taste of Tennis The W Hotel 541 Lexington Avenue New York, N.Y. For more information, visit www.tasteoftennis.com.

Saturday, August 25 2012 Arthur Ashe Kids Day USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Flushing Meadows, N.Y. For more information, visit www.arthurashekidsday.com. Monday-Sunday, August 27-September 9 2012 U.S. Open Tennis Championships USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Flushing Meadows, N.Y. For more information, visit www.usopen.org. Tuesday, August 28 City Parks Foundation 2012 U.S. Open Tennis Benefit USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Flushing Meadows, N.Y. For more information, visit www.cityparksfoundation.org.

NEW YORK TENNIS CLUB

DIRECTORY Butch Seewagen Tennis Academy @ CATS of 49th St. Geri Goetz, Director 235 East 49th Street • New York, NY 10017 (212) 832-1833, ext. 222 catsturtlebay@gmail.com CATSNY.com Go! Tennis at North Shore Tennis & Racquet Club George Garland—Director of Tennis 34-28 214th Place Flushing, NY 11361-1720 (718) 224-6303 george@gotennisprograms.com Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club Gertrud Wilhelm 450 West 43rd Street New York, NY 10036 (212) 594-0554 g.wilhelm@mprcnyc.com ManhattanPlazaRacquetClub.com or AdvantageTennis NY.com

Midtown Tennis Club Jennifer Brown—Director 341 8th Avenue New York, NY 10001 (212) 989-8572 midtowntennis@netzero.com MidtownTennis.com New York Tennis Club Lauren Hartman 3081 Harding Avenue Bronx, NY 10465 (718) 239-7916 lhartman.nytci@gmail.com NewYorkTennisClub.com or AdvantageTennisNY.com

Roosevelt Island Racquet Club Tom Manhart—Assistant General Manager 281 Main Street Roosevelt Island, NY 10044 (212) 935-0250 tmanhart@rirctennis.com RIRCTennis.com or AdvantageTennis NY.com SPORTIME Randall’s Island Ted Dimond—Director of Tennis 1 Randall’s Island • New York, NY 10035 (212) 427-6150 randallsisland@sportimeny.com SportimeNY.com/Manhattan

Prospect Park Tennis Center Paul Campbell, Director of Tennis 50 Parkside Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11226 (718) 436-2500, ext. 300 pcampbell@prospectpark.org ProspectPark.org/Visit/Activities/Tennis

Stadium Tennis Center at Mill Pond Joel Kassan—Tennis Director 725 Gateway Center Boulevard Bronx, NY 10451 (718) 665-4684 joel@gothamtennis.com StadiumTennisNYC.com

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

The Country Club of Riverdale (TCR) Gilad Bloom—Director of Tennis 2600 Netherland Avenue Riverdale, NY 10463 (718) 796-9099 bloom.gilad@gmail.com TCR-NYC.com USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Whitney Kraft—Director of Tennis Flushing Meadows Corona Park Flushing, NY 11368 (718) 760-6200 kraft@usta.com USTA.com West Side Tennis Club Bob Ingersole—Director of Tennis 1 Tennis Place • Forest Hills, NY 11375 (718) 268-2300 tennisdirector@foresthillstennis.com ForestHillsTennis.com/index.html

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NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

NEW Boys & Girls Metro Rankings (as of 06/26/12)

BOYS

Metro Boys 12 Singles Rank ..Name ..........................City 1 ........Derek Lung..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 2 ........Mitchell Mu ................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 3 ........Kemal Irfan Aziz ..........Staten Island, N.Y. 4 ........Nicholas Pustilnik........Brooklyn, N.Y. 5..........Derrick Mu ......................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 6 ........Eitan Khromchenko ....Staten Island, N.Y. 7 ........David Moldovan ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 8 ........Henry Hochfelder........New York, N.Y. 9 ........Christopher Tham ......Flushing, N.Y. 10 ......David Dylan Pines ......New York, N.Y. 11 ......Robert Shinder............Brooklyn, N.Y. 12 ......Logan Gruss ..............New York, N.Y. 13 ......Sidharth Chawla..........New York, N.Y. 14 ......Scott Fischer ..............New York, N.Y. 15 ......Stevan Stojkovic ........Flushing, N.Y. 16 ......Dylan Friedman ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 17 ......Gregory Thomas Coe..New York, N.Y. 18 ......Eli Taylor-Kerman ........New York, N.Y. 19 ......Ryan McCook ............Saint Albans, N.Y. 20 ......Blake Frank ................New York, N.Y. 21 ......Noah Edelman ............New York, N.Y. 22 ......Emil Nadyrbekov ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 23 ......Jonathan Glinsky ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 24 ......Brandon Cohen ..........New York, N.Y. 25 ......Ethan Finley ................New York, N.Y. 26 ......Joseph Shulkin ..........Staten Island, N.Y. 27 ......David Krasner ............Staten Island, N.Y. 28 ......Teddy Brodsky ............New York, N.Y. 29 ......Joseph Wilkanowski ..Long Island City, N.Y. 30 ......Nash Johnson ............New York, N.Y. 31 ......Javier Nathaniel Luna New York, N.Y. 32 ......Bryce Kassalow ..........New York, N.Y. 33 ......Kai Yuminaga ..............Little Neck, N.Y. 34 ......Alex Huynh..................Astoria, N.Y. 35 ......Shawn Jackson ..........Staten Island, N.Y. 36 ......Ameer Hosain ............New York, N.Y. 37 ......Felix Levine ................Long Island City, N.Y. 38 ......Alexander Petrov ........Middle Village, N.Y. 39 ......Michael Cooper Jr.......Brooklyn, N.Y. 40 ......Daniel Rafael Helfgott New York, N.Y.

Metro Boys 14 Singles Rank ..Name ..........................City 1 ........Denis Korol..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 2 ........Horia George Negru....Middle Village, N.Y. 3 ........Scott Glauber..............New York, N.Y. 4 ........Andrew Zucker............New York, N.Y. 5 ........Leonardo Escudero ....Ozone Park, N.Y. 6 ........Daniel Schaw ..............New York, N.Y. 7 ........Andrew E. Hauser ......New York, N.Y. 8 ........Dan Ion Negru ............Middle Village, N.Y. 9 ........Evan Liberman ............New York, N.Y. 10 ......Garrett Sopko ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 11 ......Adam Bernstein ..........New York, N.Y. 12 ......Jordan Rey-Anatole ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 13 ......Josh Charap................New York, N.Y. 14 ......Robert Millman............New York N.Y. 15 ......Jahmall Forde ............Jamaica, N.Y. 16 ......William J. Trang ..........Staten Island, N.Y. 17 ......Brett Robert Raskopf ..New York, N.Y. 18 ......Kevin Yan ....................Brooklyn N.Y. 19 ......Xavier Pacthod............New York, N.Y. 20 ......Oliver Mai ....................Little Neck ,N.Y. 21 ......Nate Newhouse ..........New York, N.Y. 22 ......Adam Bryan Borak......Brooklyn, N.Y. 23 ......Eric Ryklin ..................New York, N.Y. 24 ......Ray Fishman ..............New York, N.Y. 25 ......Massimo Costantini ....New York, N.Y.

YORK

26 ......Jake Laurence ............New York, N.Y. 27 ......Gabriel Sifuentes ........Flushing, N.Y. 28 ......Mitchell Mu ................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 29 ......Ethan Moszkowski ......New York, N.Y. 30 ......Gabriel Broshy ............New York, N.Y. 31 ......Logan Gruss ..............New York, N.Y. 32 ......Marc Betito ................Floral Park, N.Y. 33 ......Sam Krevlin ................New York, N.Y. 34 ......Kristjan Tomasson ......New York, N.Y. 35 ......Barak Harari ................Hollis, N.Y. 36 ......Genji Noguchi ............Fresh Meadows, N.Y. 37 ......Ian Lee ........................New York, N.Y. 38 ......Cameron Gruss ..........New York ,N.Y. 39 ......Daniel Usvyat ..............Forest Hills N.Y. 40 ......Jacob Kern..................New York, N.Y.

Metro Boys 16 Singles Rank ..Name ..........................City 1 ........Jonathan Compres ....E. Elmhurst, N.Y. 2 ........Jonathan Cohen..........New York, N.Y. 3 ........David Farina ................New York, N.Y. 4 ........Leonard Margolis ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 5 ........Christopher Huynh......Astoria, N.Y. 6 ........Benjamin Erichsen ......Bronx, N.Y. 7 ........Michael Jared Lesser..New York, N.Y. 8 ........Joshua Freud ..............New York, N.Y. 9 ........Jordan Selig ................New York, N.Y. 10 ......Leonardo Escudero ....Ozone Park, N.Y. 11 ......Ryo Kono ....................New York, N.Y. 12 ......Michael Jasienowski ..Middle Village, N.Y. 13 ......Justin Ho ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 14 ......Dillon McKenzie ..........Laurelton, N.Y. 15 ......Zachary Kaplan ..........New York, N.Y. 16 ......Anthony Santino ........Douglaston, N.Y. 17 ......Andrew Penn ..............New York, N.Y. 18 ......Justin S. Selig ............New York, N.Y. 19 ......Teddy Drucker ............New York, N.Y. 20 ......Alexander Pintilie ........New York, N.Y. 21 ......Samuel Caloras ..........Little Neck, N.Y. 22 ......Safraz Hamid ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 23 ......Jahmall Forde ............Jamaica, N.Y. 24 ......Daniel Witke ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 25 ......Kevin Huynh................Astoria N.Y. 26 ......Alexander Fallone ......New York, N.Y. 27 ......Kumeil Hosain ............New York, N.Y. 28 ......Kevin Valdez................Jamaica, N.Y. 29 ......Lamar Hurt ..................New York, N.Y. 30 ......William Trang ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 31 ......Ira Rey-Anatole ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 32 ......Mitchell Cheung ..........Woodside, N.Y. 33 ......Rohil Vir Basu..............New York, N.Y. 34 ......Josh Avedon Weiner ..New York, N.Y. 35 ......Benjamin Beruh ..........Bronx, N.Y. 36 ......Douglas Mo ................Douglaston, N.Y. 37 ......Spencer Bistricer ........New York, N.Y. 38 ......Alexander Newhouse..New York, N.Y. 39 ......Gregory Gon ..............Flushing, N.Y. 40 ......Yihao Yang ..................New York, N.Y.

Metro Boys 18 Singles Rank ..Name ..........................City 1 ........David N. Zhukovsky....Brooklyn, N.Y. 2 ........Sean Solomonoff ........New York, N.Y. 3 ........Brad Gaffin..................New York, N.Y. 4 ........Alexander Pintilie ........New York, N.Y. 6 ........Jonathan Cohen..........New York, N.Y. 7 ........Mark Semerik..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 8 ........Josh Weiner ................New York, N.Y. 9 ........Benjamin Erichsen ......Bronx, N.Y. 10 ......Jordan Selig ................New York, N.Y. 11 ......Hugh Mo ....................Douglaston, N.Y. 12 ......Teddy Drucker ............New York, N.Y. 13 ......Jack Walla ..................New York, N.Y. 14 ......Jahmall Forde ............Jamaica, N.Y. 15 ......Christopher Huynh......Astoria, N.Y. 16 ......Matthew Glaser ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

RANKINGS 17 ......Enrique Torres ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 18 ......Justin Selig..................New York, N.Y. 19 ......Mitchell Cheung ..........Woodside, N.Y. 20 ......Christopher Walla........New York, N.Y. 21 ......Michael Leon ..............Woodhaven, N.Y. 22 ......Zachary Kaplan ..........New York, N.Y. 23 ......Travis Arffa ..................New York, N.Y. 24 ......Kevin Ching ................Bayside, N.Y.

GIRLS

Metro Girls 12 Singles Rank ..Name ..........................City 1 ........Victoria Hanuman ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 2 ........Dakota Fordham ........New York, N.Y. 3 ........Zoe Kava ....................New York, N.Y. 4 ........Carolyn Brodsky ........New York, N.Y. 5 ........Diana Sosonkin ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 6 ........Sabrina Boada ............Woodhaven, N.Y. 7 ........Gabriella Eitkis ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 8 ........Olga Drahanchuk ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 9 ........Caroline Kantor ..........New York, N.Y. 10 ......Sofie Levine ................New York, N.Y. 11 ......Rachel Okin ................New York, N.Y. 12 ......Anastasya Menshikova..Brooklyn, N.Y. 13 ......Christina Huynh ..........Astoria, N.Y. 14 ......Brittny Ferreira ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 15 ......Jean Soo ....................Flushing, N.Y. 16 ......Rosa Aksanova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 17 ......Danielle Kade ..............New York, N.Y. 18 ......Hanna Yip ..................New York, N.Y. 19 ......Perene Wang ..............New York, N.Y. 20 ......Skyie Stamper ............Bronx, N.Y. 21 ......Audrey Pacthod ..........New York, N.Y. 22 ......Amanda Solecki ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 23 ......Stephanie Li ................New York, N.Y. 24 ......Najah Dawson ............Rosedale, N.Y. 25 ......Sonia Tartakovsky ......New York, N.Y. 26 ......Amalia Parrish ............Queens Village, N.Y. 27 ......Miriam Aziz..................Staten Island, N.Y. 28 ......Bella Kaplan ................New York, N.Y. 29 ......Samantha Fischer ......New York, N.Y. 30 ......Steffi Antao ................Briarwood, N.Y. 31 ......Johnniesha Breiten ....Bronx, N.Y. 32 ......Lena Kovacevic ..........New York, N.Y. 33 ......Lorraine Bergmann ....Forest Hills, N.Y. 34 ......Tiana Fernandez ........Bronx, N.Y. 35 ......Alice Pinho ..................Woodside, N.Y. 36 ......Alexandra Miasnikova Rego Park, N.Y. 37 ......Rebecca Krupatkin ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 38 ......Isabella Tushaj ............Bronx, N.Y. 39 ......Kyra Bergmann ..........Forest Hills, N.Y. 40 ......Rebecca Izyayeva ......Staten Island, N.Y.

Metro Girls 14 Singles Rank ..Name ..........................City 1 ........Keren Khromchenko ..Staten Island, N.Y. 2 ........Jennifer Yu ..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 3 ........Sarah Hirschfield ........New York, N.Y. 4 ........Victoria Zezula ............Ridgewood, N.Y. 5 ........Zorriana B. Johnson ..New York, N.Y. 6 ........Vanessa Hanuman ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 7 ........Anna Maite Kaplan......New York, N.Y. 8 ........Marierose Apice ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 9 ........Sydney Lynn Katz ......New York, N.Y. 10 ......Nicole Schnabel..........Woodhaven, N.Y. 11 ......Alexandra Sanford ......New York, N.Y. 12 ......Arianna Motta ............Staten Island, N.Y. 13 ......Donna Episcopio ........Bayside, N.Y. 14 ......Isabelle Rovinski ........New York, N.Y. 15 ......Kiara Rose ..................New York, N.Y. 16 ......Marion Goldberg ........New York, N.Y. 17 ......Victoria Hanuman ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 18 ......Sabrina Lee Abrams ..New York, N.Y. 19 ......Val Leifer ....................New York, N.Y. 20 ......Veronika Semenova ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 21 ......Electra Frelinghuysen..New York, N.Y.

New York Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ July/August 2012 â&#x20AC;˘ NYTennisMag.com

22 ......Nicole Khorosh ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 23 ......Cecilia Anne Swenson New York, N.Y. 24 ......Stephanie Li ................New York, N.Y. 25 ......Grace Tom ..................Rego Park, N.Y. 26 ......Hannah Spears ..........New York, N.Y. 27 ......Rosa Aksanova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 28 ......Christina Huynh ..........Astoria, N.Y. 29 ......Danielle Kade ..............New York, N.Y. 30 ......Caitlin McCarthy Ervine New York, N.Y. 31 ......Jean Soo ....................Flushing, N.Y. 32 ......Brooke Jin ..................New York, N.Y. 33 ......Alexandra Miasnikova ..Rego Park, N.Y. 34 ......Anu Alalade ................Rosedale, N.Y. 35 ......Emma Wrazej ..............New York, N.Y. 36 ......Elizabeth Khusid ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 37 ......Eliza Hannah Lesser ..New York, N.Y. 38 ......Cheyenne Jenkins ......Bronx, N.Y. 39 ......Olga Drahanchuk ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 40 ......Hanna Yip ..................New York, N.Y.

Metro Girls 16 Singles Rank ..Name ..........................City 1 ........Emi Lewis....................New York, N.Y. 2 ........Vania Savic..................Woodside, N.Y. 3 ........Keren Khromchenko ..Staten Island, N.Y. 4 ........Nicole Serras ..............Whitestone, N.Y. 5 ........Julia Zbarsky ..............New York, N.Y. 6 ........Hediye Karabay ..........Flushing, N.Y. 7 ........Jenna Borenstein ........New York, N.Y. 8 ........Erika Tinalli..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 9 ........Keri Anne Picciochi ....Flushing, N.Y. 10 ......Nicole Schnabel..........Woodhaven, N.Y. 11 ......Irina Titova ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 12 ......Dina Levy-Lambert ....New York, N.Y. 13 ......Annie Reiner................New York, N.Y. 14 ......Nia Rose ....................New York, N.Y. 15 ......Bianca Signore............Staten Island, N.Y. 16 ......Jennifer Yu ..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 17 ......Alexus Gill ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 18 ......Alicia Ng......................Howard Beach, N.Y. 19 ......Brittany Biggs ............Bronx, N.Y. 20 ......Isador Braune ............New York, N.Y. 21 ......Marion Goldberg ........New York, N.Y. 22 ......Sarah Horne................New York, N.Y. 23 ......Paula Faltynowicz ......Flushing, N.Y. 24 ......Anika Pornpitaksuk ....Flushing, N.Y. 25 ......Stefana Vujinovic ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 26 ......Camille Price ..............New York, N.Y. 27 ......Claire Harnett..............New York N.Y. 28 ......Anna Maite Kaplan......New York, N.Y. 29 ......Kiarah Williams ..........Bronx, N.Y. 30 ......Nicole Druzhinsky ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 31 ......Shayna Spooner ........New York, N.Y. 32 ......Sara Levy-Lambert ....New York, N.Y. 33 ......Kara Renee RosenblumNew York, N.Y. 34 ......Lipika Raghunathan ....New York, N.Y. 35 ......Priscilla Signore ..........Staten Island,N.Y. 36 ......Champagne Mills ........New York, N.Y. 37 ......Danielle Hupper ..........New York, N.Y. 38 ......Zorriana Johnson ........New York, N.Y. 39 ......Savannah George ......Bronx, N.Y. 40 ......Julia Greenberg ..........New York, N.Y.

Metro Girls 18 Singles Rank ..Name ..........................City 1 ........Rachel Colton ............New York, N.Y. 2 ........Kimberly Salkin ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 3 ........Bianca Signore............Staten Island, N.Y. 4 ........Charlotte Camacho ....New York, N.Y. 5 ........Michelle Khaimov........Jamaica, N.Y. 6 ........Nicole Snegur ............Staten Island, N.Y.

NEW Boys & Girls Sectional Rankings (as of 05/29/12)

BOYS

Sectional Boys 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 2 ........Gary Fishkin ................Staten Island, N.Y. 15 ......Jeffrey Gorilovsky ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 18 ......Sumit Sarkar ..............New York, N.Y. 20 ......Oliver Jevtovic ............Astoria, N.Y. 24 ......Ethan Leon..................Woodhaven, N.Y. 30 ......David Mizrahi ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 31 ......Sam Vagner ................Staten Island, N.Y. 38 ......Zachary Jordan Lieb ..New York, N.Y. 47 ......Kemal Irfan Aziz ..........Staten Island, N.Y. 50 ......Shand Stephens ........New York, N.Y. 54 ......Gabriel Sifuentes ........Flushing, N.Y. 56 ......Derek Raskopf ............New York, N.Y. 59 ......Jonah Jurick................New York, N.Y. 60 ......Steven Nazaroff ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 66 ......Logan Gruss ..............New York, N.Y. 68 ......Robbie Werdiger ........New York, N.Y. 70 ......James Kandel Dill ......New York, N.Y. 72 ......Lantis Wang ................New York, N.Y. 75 ......Will Coad ....................New York, N.Y. 81 ......Christopher Tham ......Flushing, N.Y. 88 ......Joseph Reiner ............New York, N.Y. 93 ......Henry Hochfelder........New York, N.Y. 98 ......David Moldovan ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 105 ....Christopher Kolesnik ..Staten Island, N.Y. 110 ....Ethan Finley ................New York, N.Y. 114 ....Dylan Friedman ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 116 ....Jeffrey Fradkin ............New York, N.Y. 120 ....Itamar Oron ................New York, N.Y. 121 ....Eitan Khromchenko ....Staten Island, N.Y. 130 ....Derek Lung..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 134 ....Tyler Kats ....................Astoria, N.Y. 137 ....Oliver Obeid ................New York, N.Y. 142 ....Derrick Mu ..................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 143 ....Maxwell Kachkarov ....Flushing, N.Y. 147 ....Harry Portnoy..............New York, N.Y. 149 ....Nicholas Pustilnik........Brooklyn, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 14 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 5 ........Oliver Sec....................New York, N.Y. 6 ........Alex Knaff....................New York, N.Y. 11 ......Aleksandar Kovacevic ..New York, N.Y. 14 ......Mitchell Ostrovsky ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 15 ......Philip Raytburg............Brooklyn, N.Y. 16 ......Ananth Raghavan........New York, N.Y. 18 ......Cole Gittens ................New York, N.Y. 21 ......Jordan Jordan ............Astoria, N.Y. 27 ......Marcus T. Smith ..........Little Neck, N.Y. 29 ......Alexander Thrane........New York, N.Y. 33 ......Jack Haroche..............New York, N.Y. 37 ......Ian Witmer ..................New York, N.Y. 41 ......Christian Gloria ..........Queens Village, N.Y. 61 ......Peter Lohrbach ..........Little Neck, N.Y. 64 ......Cameron Gruss ..........New York, N.Y. 71 ......Evan Liberman ............New York, N.Y. 75 ......Max Prohorov..............Rego Park, N.Y. 92 ......Sumit Sarkar ..............New York, N.Y. 96 ......Antony Jippov ............New York, N.Y. 100 ....Jared Fields ................New York, N.Y. 104 ....Leonardo Escudero ....Ozone Park, N.Y. 107 ....William Trang ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 113 ....Tyler Pasko..................Staten Island, N.Y. 114 ....Robert Kennedy ..........New York, N.Y. 127 ....Xavier Pacthod............New York, N.Y. 133 ....Jacob Kern..................New York, N.Y. 140 ....James Dill....................New York, N.Y.

YORK

141 ....Adam Borak ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 142 ....Bojidar Todorov ..........Rego Park, N.Y. 147 ....Allan Magid ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 150 ....Ethan Moszkowski ......New York, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 12 ......James Wasserman......New York, N.Y. 16 ......Artemie Amari ............New York, N.Y. 17 ......Win Smith....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 22 ......Lucas Pickering ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 25 ......Sachin Raghavan ........New York, N.Y. 27 ......Richard Sec ................New York, N.Y. 28 ......Christopher Auteri ......Staten Island, N.Y. 30 ......Cameron Daniels ..........Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 35 ......Daniel Kerznerman......Brooklyn, N.Y. 38 ......Victor Miglo ................Kew Gardens, N.Y. 40 ......Joshua Gordon ..........Staten Island, N.Y. 47 ......Oliver Sec....................New York, N.Y. 54 ......Marcus Smith..............Little Neck, N.Y. 66 ......Gal Sossen..................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 69 ......Maurice Russo ............New York, N.Y. 77 ......Michael Anzalone........Howard Beach, N.Y. 79 ......Douglas Mo ................Douglaston, N.Y. 80 ......Edan Sossen ..............Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 86 ......Steven Koulouris ........Long Island City, N.Y. 99 ......Alexander Pintilie ........New York, N.Y. 100 ....Alex Knaff....................New York, N.Y. 108 ....Jack Spiegel ..............New York, N.Y. 109 ....Jun Yuminaga ............Little Neck, N.Y. 110 ....Matthew Balilo ............Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 117 ....Jacob Frisch ..............New York, N.Y. 123 ....Michael Pisarek ..........Forest Hills, N.Y. 129 ....Jonathan Compres ....East Elmhurst, N.Y. 130 ....Michael Lesser............New York, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 18 Singles— Metro Region 6 ........Richard Del Nunzio ....Forest Hills, N.Y. 10 ......Joshua Yablon ............New York, N.Y. 24 ......Courtney Murphy ........Bronx, N.Y. 25 ......Eric R. Brinzenskiy ......Staten Island, N.Y. 26 ......Jake Sosonkin ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 32 ......Justin Fields ................New York, N.Y. 46 ......Ryoma Haraguchi ......New York, N.Y. 47 ......Christian Waldron........Bronx, N.Y. 63 ......Christopher Jou ............Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 65 ......Leon Pan ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 79 ......Dennis Druzhinsky ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 80 ......Joseph Motta..............Staten Island, N.Y. 87 ......Daniel Kerznerman......Brooklyn, N.Y. 91 ......Alexis Cai ....................Woodhaven, N.Y. 98 ......Zachary Yablon ..........New York, N.Y. 102 ....Jonathan Selegean ....East Elmhurst, N.Y. 103 ....Ian Antonoff ................New York, N.Y. 105 ....Richard Sec ................New York, N.Y. 106 ....Jeremy Kochman........Brooklyn, N.Y. 115 ....Andrew Arnaboldi ......New York, N.Y. 120 ....Mikolaj Borak ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 123 ....Sean Solomonoff ........New York, N.Y. 134 ....David Zhukovsky ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 136 ....Mark Semerik..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 4 ........Dasha Kourkina ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 5 ........Aleksandra Bekirova ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 8 ........Chelsea Williams ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 10 ......Michelle Sorokko ........Douglaston, N.Y. 11 ......Jennifer Yu ..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 16 ......Nicole Semenov..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

19 ......Anastasia Koniaev ......Forest Hills, N.Y. 20 ......Lauren Munari ............Middle Village, N.Y. 24 ......Katherine Kachkarov ..Flushing, N.Y. 30 ......Shelly Yaloz ................Little Neck, N.Y. 33 ......Christina Huynh ..........Astoria, N.Y. 42 ......Kyra Bergmann ..........Forest Hills, N.Y. 50 ......Isabel Balilo ................Flushing, N.Y. 59 ......Sarah Finley ................New York, N.Y. 61 ......Alice Soares Pinho......Woodside, N.Y. 62 ......Diana McCready ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 67 ......Rosie Gross ................New York, N.Y. 68 ......Stephanie Li ................New York, N.Y. 69 ......Olivia Simone Morris ..Floral Park, N.Y. 70 ......Dakota Fordham ........New York, N.Y. 76 ......Miriam Aziz..................Staten Island, N.Y. 77 ......Carolyn Brodsky ........New York, N.Y. 81 ......Steffi Antao ................Briarwood, N.Y. 83 ......Isabella Tushaj ............Bronx, N.Y. 84 ......Rachel Okin ................New York, N.Y. 85 ......Diana Ellen Sosonkin ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 92 ......Alexa Nobandegani ....New York, N.Y. 95 ......Elvina Kalieva ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 98 ......Perene Wang ..............New York, N.Y. 105 ....Sofie Levine ................New York, N.Y. 107 ....Najah Dawson ............Rosedale, N.Y. 109 ....Zoe Kava ....................New York, N.Y. 114 ....Gabriella Eitkis ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 128 ....Elisabeth Schlossel ....New York, N.Y. 129 ....Amalia Parrish ............Queens Village, N.Y. 131 ....Rosa Aksanova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 134 ....Caroline Kantor ..........New York, N.Y. 135 ....Rebecca Izyayeva ......Staten Island, N.Y. 136 ....Rebecca Fisch ............New York, N.Y. 146 ....Anastasya Menshikova Brooklyn, N.Y. 148 ....Amanda Solecki ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 14 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City

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

GIRLS

RANKINGS

1 ........Jessica Golovin ..........New York, N.Y. 2 ........Jessica Livianu............Brooklyn, N.Y. 3 ........Sabrina Xiong..............Fresh Meadows, N.Y. 10 ......Brianna Williams ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 21 ......Isis Gill ........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 24 ......Yuka Lin ......................Kew Gardens, N.Y. 25 ......Alexus Gill ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 26 ......Regina Furer................Brooklyn, N.Y. 27 ......Sophia Kryloff ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 30 ......Julia Fisch ..................New York, N.Y. 32 ......Alexandra Koniaev ......Forest Hills, N.Y. 34 ......Jennifer Richards ........New York, N.Y. 35 ......Jillian Auteri ................Staten Island, N.Y. 40 ......Anastasiya Malinouskaya Staten Island, N.Y. 44 ......Victoria Sec ................New York, N.Y. 63 ......Julia Zbarksy ..............New York, N.Y. 67 ......Patricia Obeid ............New York, N.Y. 73 ......Lauren Munari ............Middle Village, N.Y. 76 ......Michelle Khaimov........Jamaica, N.Y. 78 ......Jennifer Yu ..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 80 ......Aleksandra Bekirova ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 81 ......Marierose Apice ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 104 ....Sydney Katz................New York, N.Y. 126 ....Lisa Marchelska ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 127 ....Anna Kaplan................New York, N.Y. 130 ....Nicole Semenov..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 132 ....Keren Khromchenko ..Staten Island, N.Y. 134 ....Victoria Zezula ............Ridgewood, N.Y. 136 ....Chelsea Williams ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 140 ....Dasha Kourkina ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 141 ....Cecilia Swenson ........New York, N.Y. 142 ....Sarah Hirschfield ........New York, N.Y. 143 ....Alexandra Sanford ......New York, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 2 ........Jessica Golovin ..........New York, N.Y. 10 ......Ariana Rodriguez ........Bronx, N.Y. 14 ......Destiny Grunin ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 16 ......Jessica Livianu............Brooklyn, N.Y. 17 ......Arnelle Sullivan............Brooklyn, N.Y. 19 ......Hannah Shteyn ..........Staten Island, N.Y. 21 ......Lily Bondy ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 23 ......Elizabeth Tsvetkov ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 30 ......Stefanie Lineva ..........Middle Village, N.Y. 33 ......Sabrina Xiong..............Fresh Meadows, N.Y. 37 ......Nia Rose ....................New York, N.Y. 38 ......Kimberly Salkin ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 47 ......Victoria Zoha ..............New York, N.Y. 48 ......Shayna Spooner ........New York, N.Y. 50 ......Sophia Kryloff ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 66 ......Illana Levich ................Staten Island, N.Y. 71 ......Champagne Mills ........New York, N.Y. 73 ......Sophia Schlossel ........New York, N.Y. 76 ......Christina Puccinelli ....New York, N.Y. 82 ......Augusta Conway ........New York, N.Y. 85 ......Anastasiya Malinouskaya Staten Island, N.Y. 89 ......Briel Biggs ..................Bronx, N.Y. 90 ......Julia Zbarsky ..............New York, N.Y. 91 ......Erika Tinalli..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 93 ......Isis Gill ........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 103 ....Anna Ulyashchenko ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 122 ....Vania Savic..................Woodside, N.Y. 124 ....Brittany Biggs ............Bronx, N.Y. 126 ....Annie Reiner................New York, N.Y. 136 ....Brianna Williams ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 140 ....Rebecca Fakas ..........Little Neck, N.Y. 142 ....Jenna Borenstein ........New York, N.Y. 143 ....Jennifer Yu ..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 146 ....Dina Levy-Lambert ....New York, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 18 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 4 ........Emily Safron................New York, N.Y. 6 ........Ariana D. Rodriguez ....Bronx, N.Y. 15 ......Nadia Smergut ............New York, N.Y. 17 ......Hannah Shteyn ..........Staten Island, N.Y. 19 ......Samantha Tutelman ....New York, N.Y. 20 ......Denise Starr ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 26 ......Lily Bondy ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 30 ......Alexa Meltzer ..............New York, N.Y. 37 ......Madison Gordon ........New York, N.Y. 44 ......Angela Assal ..............Bronx, N.Y. 45 ......Jessica Golovin ..........New York, N.Y. 47 ......Laura Chitu ................New York, N.Y. 49 ......Leighann Sahagun ......Queens Village, N.Y. 54 ......Destiny Grunin ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 61 ......Katie Derienzo ............Douglaston, N.Y. 66 ......Lisa Ventimiglia ..........Bayside, N.Y. 71 ......Kyra Silitch ..................New York, N.Y. 74 ......Jacqueline Katz ..........New York, N.Y. 79 ......Becky Shtilkind ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 82 ......Alexis Tashiro ..............Jamaica, N.Y. 83 ......Charlotte Camacho ....New York, N.Y. 87 ......Kimberly Salkin ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 90 ......Arielle Griffin................Jamaica, N.Y. 92 ......Allison Immergut ........New York, N.Y. 93 ......Dayana Agasieva ........Forest Hills, N.Y. 94 ......Paulina Velasquez ......Kew Gardens, N.Y. 97 ......Loulou Revson ............New York, N.Y. 100 ....Marylen Santos ..........Jamaica, N.Y. 101 ....Jordan Zola ................New York, N.Y. 102 ....Anastasiya Malinouskaya Staten Island, N.Y. 103 ....Monica Gokhberg ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 106 ....Sophia Schlossel ........New York, N.Y. 127 ....Augusta Conway ........New York, N.Y. 129 ....Arnelle Sullivan............Brooklyn, N.Y. 132 ....Victoria Zoha ..............New York, N.Y.

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

NEW 133 ....Isis Gill ........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 142 ....Allie Jackson-Hing ......Rosedale, N.Y. 143 ....Brianna Williams ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 146 ....Rachel Colton ............New York, N.Y. 149 ....Nicole Snegur ............Staten Island, N.Y.

Boys & Girls National Rankings (as of 06/27/12)

BOYS

National Boys 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 111 ....Gary C. Fishkin ..........Staten Island, N.Y. 127 ....Jeffrey Gorilovsky ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 129 ....Sumit Sarkar ..............New York, N.Y. 269 ....Sam V. Vagner ............Staten Island, N.Y. 322 ....Ethan Leon..................Woodhaven, N.Y. 546 ....Kemal Irfan Aziz ..........Staten Island, N.Y. 590 ....Oliver Jevtovic ............Astoria, N.Y. 611 ....David Mizrahi ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 624 ....Zachary Lieb ..............New York, N.Y. 940 ....James Dill....................New York, N.Y. 995 ....Gabriel Sifuentes ........Flushing, N.Y.

National Boys 14 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 38 ......Oliver Sec....................New York, N.Y. 65 ......Alex Knaff....................New York, N.Y. 96 ......Mitchell Ostrovsky ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 140 ....Ananth Raghavan........New York, N.Y. 149 ....Cole Gittens ................New York, N.Y. 151 ....Aleksandar Kovacevic New York, N.Y. 159 ....Alexander Thrane........New York, N.Y. 232 ....Philip Raytburg............Brooklyn, N.Y. 398 ....Ian Witmer ..................New York, N.Y. 510 ....Jordan D. Jordan ........Astoria, N.Y. 537 ....Jack Haroche..............New York, N.Y. 542 ....Christian Gloria ..........Queens Village, N.Y. 584 ....Marcus Smith..............Little Neck, N.Y. 595 ....Alex Chao....................New York, N.Y.

National Boys 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 8 ........Daniel Kerznerman......Brooklyn, N.Y. 154 ....James Wasserman......New York, N.Y. 155 ....Win Smith....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 306 ....Artemie Amari ............New York, N.Y. 312 ....Richard Sec ................New York, N.Y. 346 ....Sachin Raghavan ........New York, N.Y. 361 ....Lucas Pickering ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 587 ....Joshua Gordon ..........Staten Island, N.Y. 629 ....Christopher Auteri ......Staten Island, N.Y. 638 ....Victor Miglo ................Kew Gardens, N.Y. 652 ....Oliver Sec....................New York, N.Y. 690 ....Douglas L. Mo ............Douglaston, N.Y. 773 ....Cameron Daniels ..........Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 952 ....Gal Sossen..................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 991 ....Maurice Russo ............New York, N.Y.

National Boys 18 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 77 ......Richard Del Nunzio ....Forest Hills, N.Y. 92 ......Daniel Kerznerman......Brooklyn, N.Y. 249 ....Joshua Yablon ............New York, N.Y. 254 ....Jake Sosonkin ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 355 ....Eric R. Brinzenskiy ......Staten Island, N.Y. 741 ....Courtney Murphy ........Bronx, N.Y.

YORK

977 ....Leon Pan ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 978 ....Ryoma Haraguchi ......New York, N.Y. 984 ....Zachary Yablon ..........New York, N.Y.

GIRLS

National Girls 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City

RANKINGS 577 ....Arielle N. Griffin ..........Jamaica, N.Y. 623 ....Madison Gordon ........New York, N.Y. 640 ....Angela Assal ..............Bronx, N.Y. 694 ....Nadia Smergut ............New York, N.Y. 708 ....Jessica Golovin ..........New York, N.Y. 792 ....Lily Bondy ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 804 ....Dayana Agasieva ........Forest Hills, N.Y. 849 ....Charlotte Camacho ....New York, N.Y. 1000 ..Katie Derienzo ............Douglaston, N.Y.

53 ......Aleksandra Bekirova ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 73 ......Dasha Kourkina ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 98 ......Chelsea Williams ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 120 ....Michelle Sorokko ........Douglaston, N.Y. 123 ....Jennifer Yu ..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 154 ....Lauren Munari ............Middle Village, N.Y. 262 ....Nicole Semenov..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 462 ....Anastasia Koniaev ......Forest Hills, N.Y. 508 ....Shelly Yaloz ................Little Neck, N.Y. 561 ....Katherine Kachkarov ..Flushing, N.Y. 721 ....Christina Huynh ..........Astoria, N.Y. 788 ....Isabel Balilo ................Flushing, N.Y. 798 ....Isabella Tushaj ............Bronx, N.Y. 800 ....Kyra Bergmann ..........Forest Hills, N.Y. 910 ....Marie Ivantechenko ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 955 ....Miriam Aziz..................Staten Island, N.Y.

National Girls 14 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 10 ......Jessica Golovin ..........New York, N.Y. 38 ......Jessica Melane Livianu Brooklyn, N.Y. 89 ......Sabrina Xiong..............Fresh Meadows, N.Y. 188 ....Isis Gill ........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 338 ....Julia D. Fisch ..............New York, N.Y. 340 ....Sophia Kryloff ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 394 ....Brianna Williams ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 464 ....Yuka Lin ......................Kew Gardens, N.Y. 498 ......Anastasiya Malinouskaya Staten Island, N.Y. 555 ....Jillian Rose Auteri ......Staten Island, N.Y. 572 ....Jennifer Richards ........New York, N.Y. 582 ....Alexandra Koniaev ......Forest Hills, N.Y. 596 ....Regina Furer................Brooklyn, N.Y. 684 ....Alexus Gill ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 741 ....Patricia Obeid ............New York, N.Y. 840 ....Victoria Sec ................New York, N.Y.

National Girls 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 25 ......Jessica Golovin ..........New York, N.Y. 126 ....Ariana D. Rodriguez ....Bronx, N.Y. 178 ....Hannah Shteyn ..........Staten Island, N.Y. 199 ....Destiny Grunin ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 240 ....Lily Bondy ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 527 ....Arnelle Sullivan............Brooklyn, N.Y. 545 ....Jessica Livianu............Brooklyn, N.Y. 550 ....Elizabeth Tsvetkov ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 557 ....Stefani Lineva ............Middle Village, N.Y. 710 ....Anna Ulyashchenko ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 721 ....Sabrina Xiong..............Fresh Meadows, N.Y. 913 ....Shayna Spooner ........New York, N.Y. 933 ....Victoria Zoha ..............New York, N.Y. 974 ....Anastasiya Malinouskaya Staten Island, N.Y.

National Girls 18 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 10 ......Denise Starr ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 43 ......Emily Safron................New York, N.Y. 125 ....Jacqueline R. Katz ......New York, N.Y. 134 ....Ariana D. Rodriguez ....Bronx, N.Y. 152 ....Leighann Sahagun ......Queens Village, N.Y. 189 ....Hannah Shteyn ..........Staten Island, N.Y. 220 ....Samantha Tutelman ....New York, N.Y. 536 ....Becky Shtilkind ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

USTA/Metropolitan Region

2012 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. JULY 2012 Friday-Monday, July 13-16 L3 Alley Pond July UPS Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG (14-12)s, RR Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Wednesday, July 11 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 264-2600. Saturday-Sunday, July 14-16 & 20-22 Roosevelt Island NTRP 4.0 Eastern Challenger Series Roosevelt Island Racquet Club 281 Main Street Roosevelt Island, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked: NM (4.0)s, SE Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $65 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, July 10) For more information, call (212) 935-0250. Monday-Sunday, July 16-22 L1B Roosevelt Island Summer Challenger Roosevelt Island Racquet Club 281 Main Street Roosevelt Island, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG (14)s, SE Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, July 3 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (212) 935-0250. Monday-Sunday, July 16-22 USTA National W 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, & 80 Grass Court Championships West Side Tennis Club 1 Tennis Place • Forest Hills, N.Y. Divisions: W (30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80)sd, FIC Surface Type: Grass Entry Fee: $97.25 per player singles, $65 per player doubles (deadline for entries is Saturday, June 30 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 268-2300. Monday-Friday, July 16-20 L2R Metro Regional City Parks Junior Tournament Series City Parks Foundation Flushing Meadows Park Brooklyn, N.Y. 11368 Divisions: Intermediate BG (16-12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $28 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, July 6 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 760-6985.

Friday-Sunday, July 20-22 L1 Sportime Randall’s Island July 2012 Championships Sportime Randall’s Island 1 Randall’s Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Championships BG (16-12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, June 29 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (212) 427-6150. Monday-Sunday, July 23-29 L1B Roosevelt Island Summer Challenger Roosevelt Island Racquet Club 281 Main Street Roosevelt Island, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG (16)s, SE Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, July 9 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (212) 935-0250. Tuesday-Monday, July 24-30 L1 North Shore Tower Country Club July Championships North Shore Towers Country Club 27-286 Grand Central Park Floral Park, N.Y. Divisions: Championships BG (18-12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, July 16 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 428-5030. Monday-Friday, July 16-20 L2R Metro Regional City Parks Junior Tournament Series City Parks Foundation–Olmstead Center Flushing Meadows Park Brooklyn, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG (16-12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $28 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, July 6 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 760-6985. Monday-Friday, July 30 – August 3 L2R Metro Regional City Parks Junior Tournament Series City Parks Foundation–Olmstead Center Flushing Meadows Park Brooklyn, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG (16-12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $28 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, July 16 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 760-6985.

Monday-Sunday, July 30 – August 5 Roosevelt Island Eastern Adult Challenger Series Roosevelt Island Racquet Club 281 Main Street • Roosevelt Island, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked NM (Op)s, SE Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $65 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, July 27) For more information, call (212) 935-0250. AUGUST 2012 Friday-Saturday, August 3-4 L3 Sportime Randall’s Island Eastern August UPS Sportime Randall’s Island 1 Randall’s Island • New York, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG (16-12)s, RR Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, July 13 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (646) 783-5301. Friday-Sunday, August 3-5 Sportime at Randall’s Island Adult Summer Open Championships Sportime Randall’s Island 1 Randall’s Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked M (Op, 25, 35, 45, 55-65, 75)s, SE; W (Op, 25, 35, 45, 55)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $70.38 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, July 13 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (212) 427-6150. Sunday-Sunday, August 5-12 L1 EmblemHealth BIYTC Championships New York Junior Tennis League 1701 Crotona Avenue • Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Championships BG (18-12)s, SE; Quick Start BG (10 [60’Court/Orange Ball] 8 [36’Court/Red Ball])s, RR; BG (8 [36’Court/Red Ball])d, RR Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, July 22 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (347) 417-8168. Monday-Sunday, August 6-12 Upper Manhattan Championships at Columbia University Columbia University Tennis Center 575 West 218th Street • New York, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked M (Op, 40)s, SE W (Op)s Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player singles, $23 per player doubles (deadline for entries is Monday, July 23) For more information, call (212) 942-7100.

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

USTA/Metropolitan Region

2012 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Monday-Friday, August 6-10 L2R Roosevelt Island August Metro Regional Roosevelt Island Racquet Club 281 Main Street Roosevelt Island, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG (12)s, SE Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, July 23 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (212) 935-0250.

Monday-Friday, August 13-17 L2R CityParks Junior Tournament Series August Metro Regional City Parks Foundation–Olmstead Center Flushing Meadows Park • Brooklyn, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG (16-12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $28 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Aug. 3 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 760-6985.

Saturday-Sunday, August 25-26 L3 Sportime Randall’s Island Eastern August UPS Sportime Randall’s Island 1 Randall’s Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG (14-12)s, RR Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, July 13 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (646) 783-5301.

Friday-Sunday, August 10-12 L2O Lincoln Terrace Tennis Association Summer Open Lincoln Terrace Tennis Association Eastern Parkway & Buffalo Brooklyn, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate B (18-12)s, SE G(18-12)d, SE Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $38.13 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Aug. 3 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (347) 661-8007.

Thursday-Sunday, August 16-19 L1 Harlem Week Summer Championships Harlem Junior Tennis Program 40 West 143rd Street New York, N.Y. Divisions: Championships BG (18-12)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Aug. 13 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (212) 491-3738.

Monday-Friday, August 27-31 L2R City Parks Junior Tournament Series August Regional City Parks Foundation–Pelham Olmstead Center Flushing Meadows Park Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG (16-12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $28 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Aug. 17 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 760-6985.

Friday-Sunday, August 10-12 L1B Sportime Randall’s Island August 2012 Challenger Sportime Randall’s Island 1 Randall’s Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG (18-12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, July 27 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (212) 427-6150.

Friday-Sunday, August 17-19 L2O Sportime Randall’s Island August 2012 Open Sportime Randall’s Island 1 Randall’s Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG (16-12)s, SE; Quick Start BG (10 [78’Court/Green Ball])s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, August 3 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (917) 224-3436.

Monday-Friday, August 13-17 L2O Alley Pond August Open Alley Pond Tennis Center 79-20 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG (16, 12)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Aug. 10 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 264-2600. Monday-Friday, August 13-17 L2R Roosevelt Island August Metro Regional Roosevelt Island Racquet Club 281 Main Street Roosevelt Island, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG (14)s, SE Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, July 30 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (212) 935-0250.

Monday-Friday, August 20-24 L3 Alley Pond Eastern August UPS Alley Pond Tennis Center 79-20 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG (14-12)s, RR Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Saturday, Aug. 18 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 264-2600. Friday-Sunday, August 24-26 +Sportime at Randall’s Island August Championships Sportime Randall’s Island 1 Randall’s Island • New York, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked M (Op, 25, 35, 45, 55-70)s, SE W (Op, 25, 35, 45)s, SE Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $70.38 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Aug. 10 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (212) 427-6150.

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2012 • NYTennisMag.com

Monday-Friday, August 27-31 L1B Alley Pond TC August Challenger Alley Pond Tennis Center 79-20 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG (14-12)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Aug. 24 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 264-2600. Friday-Sunday, August 31-Sept. 9 U.S. Open Junior Tennis Championships USTA National Tennis Center Flushing Meadows–Corona Park Flushing, N.Y. Divisions: BG (18) s d, SE Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: No Entry Fee For more information, call (718) 760-6200.

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

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