Long Island Tennis Magazine May / June 2015

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LITennisMag.com • May/June 2015 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Distribution scheduled for 07/01/15

This edition will feature: • A Look Ahead to the 2015 U.S. Open • Guide to the Top New York Sports Medicine Practices • 2015 Boys High School Season Recap • Summer Camp/Summer Events Coverage

Distribution across Long Island at 300+ locations: • Indoor tennis clubs • Country clubs • Tennis camps • Retail stores • Gyms • Restaurants and health food stores • Supermarkets and • Many more!

Don’t miss the advertising opportunities in the July/August 2015 edition of Long Island Tennis Magazine! Submissions for both advertisingLITennisMag.com and editorial• May/June are due2015 by• June 1, 2015 Long Island Tennis Magazine 1 For more information, please call 516-409-4444 or e-mail Advertise@LITennisMag.com


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Table Of Contents

Gael Monfils: The Entertainer Looks to Captur Glory on Home Soil By Brian Coleman Hometown hero Gael Monfils looks to make waves at Roland Garros in his quest to ATP Tour in 2015.. See page 20

Featured Stories 16 Your 2015 Guide to Long Island’s Top Tennis Apparel Providers A closer look at the area’s top tennis equipment and apparel providers, including Grand Slam Tennis, Solow Sports, Tennis East, Tennis Junction/Sportset, and Topspin Tennis & Fitness.

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24 2015 French Open Preview By Andrew Eichenholz A closer look at the men’s and women’s fields as the second Grand Slam of 2015 is played on the clay courts of Roland Garros.

Features 7 10 14 19 29 31

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39 45 46 50

Spotlight on The Hamlet Golf and Country Club Howie Arons Reflects on Storied Coaching Career By Brian Coleman Sportime World Tour Heads West for Indian Wells By Brian Coleman Stay in the Match With ScoreBand Watches Bethpage Park Hosts 8th Annual Coaches Workshop Pine Hollow CC Preps for Outdoor Season With Meet and Greet Event YTEX Strings: Setting Your Game for Success U.S. Open National Playoffs to Return for Sixth Season From Smithtown to Success By Rob Riehle Developing Before Winning By Jacopo Tezza

Featured Columns 4 8 12

Across Long Island … News and Notes From Across the L.I. Tennis Community Adult League Wrap-Up By Kathy Miller Court Six: Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column By Emilie Katz

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Long Island Tennis Magazine is published bi-monthly by United Sports


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MAY/JUNE 2015 Vol 7, No 3

MAGAZINE

Long Island Tennis Magazine

Long Island Tennis Magazine 1220 Wantagh Avenue • Wantagh, NY 11793-2202 Phone: (516) 409-4444 • Fax: (516) 409-4600 Web site: www.litennismag.com

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re Grand Slam

David Sickmen Publisher (516) 409-4444, ext. 309 • david@usptennis.com Joel M. Berman President (516) 409-4444, ext. 310 • joel@usptennis.com

make an impact on the Cover photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Eric C. Peck Editor-in-Chief (516) 409-4444, ext. 312 • eric@usptennis.com Joey Arendt Managing Art Director

30 32 35 36 38 42

48 52 61 62 64 66 69 70

72 75 78

The Game Inside the Game: Unknown Secrets of Great Athletes … Four Principles of More Than an Athlete By Rob Polishook, MA, CPC The Rise of Ivy League Tennis: How the Ivies Became a Tennis Power Conference By Steven Kaplan Cold Spring Country Club: It’s About the People By Renie Sokolowski & Michael Lissauer Tennis Injury Prevention: Four Ways to Avoid Ankle Injuries on the Court By Dr. Charles Ruotolo, MD, FAAOS How to Play Tennis With Your Child By Tonny van de Pieterman College Tennis Spotlight: Mythbusters … Are Tournament Directors Too Disorganized or Do Parents of Tournament Players Expect Too Much? By Ricky Becker Long Island Collegiate Roundup USTA Eastern Long Island Region Update The Jensen Zone: Looking and Playing Like an Ace on the Court By Luke Jensen Keys to the Perfect Pre-Game Routine By Dr. Tom Ferraro The Simple Task of Taking Responsibility By Lonnie Mitchel Tips From the Tennis Pro: Play High Percentage and Patterned Tennis By Lisa Dodson Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Charitable Initiatives Fitness & Nutrition: Tennis Nutrition for the High School Player By Irina Belfer-Lehat, RD, CDN & Success in a Tournament Does Not Come “A la Carte” By Carl Barnett Long Island Area’s Upcoming Events Long Island Rankings USTA/Long Island Region 2015 Tournament Schedule

s Publications Ltd.—Copyright © 2015 United Sports Publications Ltd.

Francine Miller Advertising Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 301 • francinem@usptennis.com Matthew Cohen Director of Business Development (516) 409-4444, ext. 306 • matt@usptennis.com Brian Coleman Senior Editor (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 • brianc@usptennis.com Emilie Katz Assistant Marketing Coordinator Scott Koondel Operations Manager (516) 409-4444, ext. 324 Andrew Eichenholz Editorial Contributor

Calvin Rhoden Staff Photographer

Julia Raziel Intern

Trevor Mitchel Intern

Gabby Raziel Intern

Jessica Haverlin Intern

Jacob Mishkin Intern

Samantha Sklar Intern

Alyssa Gorman Intern

Sarah Sklar Intern

Advertising To receive any information regarding advertising rates, deadlines, and requirements, call (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com. Article Submissions/Press Releases To submit any material, including articles and press releases, please call (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com. The deadline for submissions is the first of the month preceding the target issue. Subscriptions To receive subscription information, contact (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com or check out our Web site: www.litennismag.com. Fax subscription changes to (516) 409-1600. Statements of fact and opinion in Long Island Tennis Magazine are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of United Sports Publications Ltd. Long Island Tennis Magazine reserves the right to edit, reject and/or postpone the publication of any articles, information or data. 3


Across Long Isla Shoreham’s Manfredo helps lead Bradley University to victory Photo credit: Ariel Dechter

Shoreham, N.Y. native Aimee Manfredo, who trains at Bethpage Park Tennis Center when home, plays number three singles for the Bradley University Braves. Aimee, pictured here fourth from the left, recently won the clinching match in a 4-3 win for the Braves over Missouri State.

NTC Kids at the BNP Paribas Showdown Kids from the junior programs from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center were with the stars of the show at the BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden. Pictured here, Ava, Will, Patricia, Kira, Nina, Julia, Wyzer, Samuel, Andrew and Jordan are joined by Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov on the courts of The World’s Most Famous Arena.

LI’s Noah Rubin takes part in White House Easter Egg Roll Long Island’s Noah Rubin joined Caroline Wozniacki, USTA President Katrina Adams and a number of celebrities at the White House on April 6 for the 137th Annual Easter Egg Roll. The event is a First Family tradition that encourages kids to lead an active and healthy lifestyle.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com


and

… News and notes from across the L.I. tennis community

Stony Brook scores big win over nationally-ranked Brown The Stony Brook Seawolves Women’s Tennis team defeated number 43 Brown back in March. The win was the first in the program’s history over a nationally-ranked opponent, and catapulted the Seawolves into the national rankings for the first time in history.

Carefree hosts benefit to end world hunger Photo credits: Beverly Russo

Carefree Racquet Club recently hosted a Spring Tennis Party put on by Stop World Hunger Inc., an Amityville, N.Y.-based organization. The event raised more than $700 for famine relief, and three large cases of non-perishable items were given to the Ryan Outreach Center in Wyandanch, N.Y. for distribution to those in need. All participants played doubles for two hours, and food and drinks were served as well. The next tennis fundraising party at Carefree will take place Saturday, June 20.

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LITennisMag.com • May/June 2015 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Across Long Island

… News and notes from across the L.I. tennis community

Sportime Syosset begins weekend match play

Sportime Syosset recently hosted a weekend match play, the weekend of March 27-29. A number of different players came out to play in some matches, as DJ Curtis stopped by to provide some entertainment.

Commack tennis teams host free tennis clinic

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The Commack Boys Varsity and Junior Varsity tennis teams held their annual free tennis clinic for the Commack community on April 18. The teams were able to get around 30 young tennis players to come out and learn from the high school teams. It was a fun time for all, and a great way for the Commack tennis program to give back to the community. “While we strive for success on the court, it’s events like these that show our players the importance of giving back,” said Commack Varsity High School Tennis Head Coach Shane Helfner. “Everyone left with a trophy and a huge smile on their face!” Five different courts were set up into different drills: Forehand, backhand, volleys, serves and a games court. Each group of students rotated throughout the different courts to work on improving each aspect of their game.


S P O TL IGHT ON

THE H AMLE T G O L F A N D COU N T R Y CL U B If you are a tennis player on Long Island, you have probably heard of The Hamlet Golf and Country Club, located at 1 Clubhouse Drive in Commack, N.Y. A rich history and current exciting tennis programming make it one of the most popular destinations for tennis enthusiasts looking for great amenities in a private country club setting. In the past, the prestigious Hamlet Cup Tennis Tournament was hosted at The Hamlet. The Hamlet Cup was used as a warm-up for the U.S. Open for more than 16 years. The eight Hamlet tennis courts have been graced by such world renowned players as Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin, Boris Becker and Michael Chang, just to name a few. Today, The Hamlet still boasts six immaculate hard courts, one with stadium seating, as well as two clay courts—all lit for evening play.

With such a history and beautiful environment in which to enjoy the game, last season, The Hamlet put together an exciting new membership. The Tennis and Pool Club Membership offers access to tennis and the pool for the warmer months and is available to both individuals and families. This Membership gives access to all the Tennis and Pool amenities as well as the Cabana Bar and Cafe and last year proved to be a great way to spend the summer months. The Hamlet Golf and Country Club was only purchased in June of 2011 by ClubCorp, a Dallas-based company known as “The World Leader of Private Golf and Country Clubs.” This exciting procurement led to a multi-million dollar renovation, including improvements to the clubhouse, pool area, tennis courts and one million dollars in renovations to the golf course last year alone. ClubCorp’s refreshing philoso-

phy of what the modern Country Club looks like is drawing attention to The Hamlet from Manhattan to Montauk. The Hamlet’s General Manager Jon Cheshire feels strongly about the relationship between The Hamlet Golf and Country Club and the surrounding community. ClubCorp’s and Hamlet’s motto of “Building Relationships and Enriching Lives” reaches even further than its membership. Now where the tennis legends of the past once warmed up for the U.S. Open, the stars of tomorrow are cutting their teeth as the Hamlet hosts the boys and girls tennis teams from Huntington’s St. Anthony’s High School. If you are interested in learning more about the new, exciting Hamlet Golf and Country Club, you may contact Membership Director Hillary Epstein at the Club at (631) 499-5200 or e-mail hillary.epstein@ourclub.com.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2015 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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

t the time this article was written, playoffs for the Mixed-Doubles League were about to begin. At the 6.0 Level, first place Christopher Morley, captained by Darlene Sotomayor, will be playing second place Blue Point, captained by Jenn McCormack & Henry Winnicki. The 7.0 Division 1 Level will feature first place Sportime Syosset, captained by Dawn Schosberg, playing second place Christopher Morley, captained by Darlene Sotomayor. In the 7.0 Division 2 League, it will be first place Sportime Syosset, captained by Gabe Moriera, playing second place Point Set, captained by Jenn Jaeger. The 7.0 Suffolk Division will feature first place Blue Point, captained by Jenn McCormack & Henry Winnicki playing second place Blue Point, captained by David Reid & Evangeline Boutin. In 8.0 Division 1 action, first place Carefree, captained by Daniel Burgess will play second place Point Set, captained by Adele Mancuso & Dan Bindler. Division 2 at

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the 8.0 Level is first place Long Beach Tennis, captained by Andrew Camacho & Brian Connor, playing second place Nassau Indoor, captained by Julia Adwar, while the Suffolk Division will feature first place Sportime Massapequa, captained by Ann Reid playing second place World Gym Setauket, captained by Wayne Freeman. The 9.0 Division will see first place Hempstead Lake, captained by Roz Chua, playing second place Sportime Lynbrook, captained by Ginger Wade. Good luck to all teams! The 7.0 and 8.0 Level will have had a Regional Playoff to get one winner at each level. The winning teams at the 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0 Levels will be playing in the Section Championship the weekend of June 5 in Westchester, N.Y. The Summer Adult League will have teams in the Men’s and Women’s 18 & Over, 40 & Over, and 55 & Over Leagues this summer. The 18 & Over and 40 & Over Leagues will be starting in May, while the

55 & Over League will begin in June. The 18 & Over League has teams at the 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0+ Levels. The 40 & Over League has teams at the 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5+ Levels and the 55 & Over League has teams at the combined levels of 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0 Levels. We have 260 teams this year and players can join teams until Monday, June 1. If you would like to join a team, please contact Kathy Miller by e-mail at kathym65@aol.com and I will try to find a spot for you. Spots do fill up fast though! The 18 & Over League at the 2.5 and 5.0+ Levels are one court of singles and two courts of doubles. The remaining levels of 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5 play two courts of singles and three courts of doubles. The 40 & Over League plays two courts of singles and three courts of doubles at all the levels and the 55 & Over League plays three courts of doubles. All the leagues play other teams of the same level on Long Island with a playoff at the end of the season. Some levels then have a Regional

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Championship if there is more than one flight at their level to get one Long Island winner. The winning teams from Long Island then go and compete in a Section Championship against teams from the other five sections that make up the Eastern Section of the USTA. The Section

Championships will be held on different weekends throughout August and September in Greenburg, N.Y. The winners from this then attend the National Championship, which will be held in Indian Wells, Calif.; Rancho Mirage, Calif.; and Tucson, Ariz. in October and November.

We look forward to a great season of USTA tennis on Long Island! Kathy Miller is the manager at Carefree Racquet Club and is also the Adult League Coordinator for USTA/Long Island. She may be reached at kathym65@aol.com.

Scenes From the 2015 Captain’s Cocktail Party T H E C R E S T H O L L O W C O U N T R Y C L U B I N W O O D B U R Y, N . Y.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2015 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Howie Arons Reflects on USTA honors longtime coach with prestigious honor Howie Arons, winner of the USTA Eastern Long Island Region’s Vitas Gerulaitis “For the Love of Tennis” Award, with legendary coach and tennis hall of famer Nick Bollettieri By Brian Coleman t the USTA Eastern Long Island Region Awards Dinner, long-time tennis coach and teacher Howie Arons received one of the highest honors given out in the New York tennis community: The Vitas Gerulaitis “For the Love of Tennis” Award. Arons is a worthy recipient of the award that bears Gerulaitis’ name. He

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has spent the bulk of his life in the New York tennis community, beginning in 1976 when he took over as the head coach of the Cardozo Boys Tennis program. “I started as an English teacher, and I ultimately became dean of the school, which is one of the best high schools in New York City. I took the job as a teacher, and I got lucky that they happened to need a tennis coach,” said Arons. “I was at Cardozo at a time when tennis in the Queens

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com

area was off the charts.” Queens and other parts of New York City was a hotbed of tennis talent in the 1970s and even into the 1980s. Players like Gerulaitis, John and Patrick McEnroe, Willie Notar and others were some of the top players in the country, all coming out of New York City. Arons spent 36 years as an educator and a coach at Cardozo, and became one of the greatest coaches in the history of New York City high school tennis in the process. Over the course of four decades, Arons compiled a record of 554-51 and won 18 city championships. He retired from Cardozo in 2012 after 36 years, but has not retired from being a tennis teacher and coach. Arons is currently co-director of the New York Tennis Academy at Great Neck Estates, along with Notar, and together, the two have formulated a successful junior program. Arons says he has seen a decline in the junior game in recent years, and provided a few reasons why he thinks so. “I just think the junior game is not as good as the junior game was in the 1980s or 1990s,” Arons said. “I don’t think the kids care as much. If you look at the scholarships being awarded, I don’t think it’s comparable to the guys in the 1970s through the 1990s. Kids


Storied Coaching Career were playing five or six days a week. To get a kid to play even three times a week nowadays is tough.” A lot of this, Arons says, comes from the fact that kids are playing multiple sports at a time, and not focusing just on tennis. While playing a variety of sports helps develop a balanced athletic skill set, it can push tennis onto the back burner. “I want a kid to strive to play Division I when he is 10-years-old,” said Arons. “I think kids are playing additional sports and not taking any one particularly seriously to a certain point. But at 11- and 12-years-old, you should be striving to be a ranked player.” Arons also said that more players are going off to play in national tournaments, instead of staying home and

playing kids in their own Section. “I think kids today run away from their Section and play kids they don’t know,” he said. “They’re not getting the toughness of playing in their own Section.” Arons has coached more than 80 Division I players in his time at Cardozo and knows a thing or two about getting players to the next level. His two sons, Ian and Andrew, both played at Division I schools as well. About two years into his tenure at Cardozo, Arons was asked to run the junior program at Alley Pond Tennis Center, and that is when junior tennis became a huge part of his life. “I got the job at Alley Pond in 1978 to run their junior program, making $8 an hour,” said Arons with a chuckle. “And then, I stayed there for 10 years, went to

Bay Terrace for 20 years and then went to Great Neck. I loved getting kids ready for high school. It just became what I did and who I was.” All his time and accomplishments in the New York tennis community have earned Arons the award named after Vitas Gerulaitis, an honor he is certainly proud to receive. “The one thing about Vitas that made him special was his enthusiasm for life,” said Arons. “He brought intensity, as well as laughter and all kinds of things to the tennis court. The award is definitely inspiring and I am proud to receive it.” Brian Coleman is senior editor for Long Island Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by phone at (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 or e-mail brianc@usptennis.com.

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BY

Querry appears on Millionaire Matchmaker Sam Querrey recently starred in an episode of “ M i l l i o n a i re Matchmaker.” The show on Bravo is hosted by Patti Stanger, a fix-‘em up queen. “It was fun to do something different,” said Querrey. “It was a really fun process, and it’ll be something I can talk about for a long time.” Some of Querrey’s friends on the pro tour checked out the episode and had some fun with it: l John Isner (@JohnIsner): Set your DVRs America! #WillQuerreyFindLove l Victoria Azarenka (@Vika7): Jetlag is a

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E M I L I E

KAT Z

b…h, but thank u @SamQuerrey for this entertainment… Millionare Matchmaker? hahahaha

Bouchard hits with celebrities

Eugenie Bouchard met her crush, fellow Canadian Justin Bieber, and got to play some tennis with him at the Desert Smash charity event. Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell were also participants in the event that was

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com

just a few miles down the road from Indian Wells.

The joke’s on you! Caroline Wozniacki scared a lot of her fans with this April Fool’s prank on her Twitter. She took to Twitter to say, “As of today, I am officially announcing my retirement from tennis and I am going to focus on TV and modeling. I want to thank all of you for the amazing support over the years, it’s been truly amazing! It wouldn’t have been the same without you!” She later assured everyone that it was just a joke: “Had my agents sweat it a little this morning. Got to love April Fools.”


Pros swim with the fishes

Watt and Wozniacki rumors?

l l l

l Caroline Wozniacki was a busy woman over the last couple of weeks. Following her trip to the White House for the Easter Egg Roll, the Dane joined NFL star and former Wisl consin Badger JJ Watt at the NCAA men’s basketball championship in Indianapolis. Many are speculating the two are dating, l but nothing has yet to be confirmed. Tennis stars Ryan Harrison and Sabine Lisicki found some new friends while in Miami for the Miami Open. Lisicki would reach the tournament’s quarterfinals before losing to Serena Williams, but while in Florida, took advantage of an opportunity to swim with some dolphins.

The coaching carousel continues

Hitting partner Sasha Bajin’s move from the Serena Williams camp to the Victoria Azarenka team was the latest turn in the dizzying coaching carousel at the top of women’s tennis in recent months. Azarenka’s longtime coach, Sam Sumyk, went to work with Eugenie Bouchard. Bouchard’s previous coach, Nick Saviano, began working with Sloane Stephens. Stephens’ past coach, Thomas Hogstedt, spent time with Simona Halep; and Halep’s former coach, Wim Fissette, is now alongside Bajin with Azarenka. Dizzy yet?

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Tweets from the pros

l l Gael Monfils (@Gael_Monfils): Very happy to join the @IndianAces again! @ARadwanska @RafaelNadal @Mirza- l Sania @fabsantoro72 @rohanbopanna @DodigTennis Go Aces! @iptl l Sabine Lisicki (@SabineLisicki): It’s l back on the dirt again ... Time to slide around the court #thattimeoftheyeara- l gain #FedCupnext l Mardy Fish (@MardyFish): Lets go @mnwild !!!! l Aga Radwanska (@ARadwanska):

Cool seeing @AndreAgassi at a @WTA event! Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios): Major thanks to @NikeTennis for taking care of me yesterday. #appreciated Eugenie Bouchard (@GenieBouchard): Clay ... you’ve actually been missed. Noah Rubin (@Noahrubin33): Great way to end the regular season with a 70 victory! ACC’s here we go. Angelique Kerber (@angeliquekerber): Thanks @FamilyCircleCup and thanks to all my fans for the support!!! Amazing week with a happy end #teamangie Andy Roddick (@andyroddick): Had a blast watching @JordanSpieth this weekend! Quality all around. Congrats! Victoria Azarenka (@Vika7): Smile, it is the key that fits the lock of everybody’s heart. Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal): Happy to be back in Barcelona for the #openbarcelonabancsabadell Madison Keys (@Madison_Keys): I’ve been turned into an @AnaheimDucks fan Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert): Love that Jordan Spieth is winning not because of power … Guile, composure, smarts … Milos Raonic (@MilosRaonic): Hello Vancouver, we are back at it! #TrainHard Lindsay Davenport (@LDavenport76): Come on … let’s go! RT @SJohnson_89: Boooom!!! Big overtime win for the Ducks!! @AnaheimDucks Rakell with the game winner!!

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LITennisMag.com • May/June 2015 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Sportime World Tour Heads W

Credit all photos to Brian Coleman & Matt Cohen

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com


West for Indian Wells he Sportime World Tour continued its journey to all the top professional tournaments around the globe, stopping in Indian Wells, Calif. for the third installment of the evergrowing program. Held at Sportime Lynbrook, the third stage featured an Indian Wells theme and mirrored the BNP Paribas Open. There was Mexican food on the menu, as well as DJ CM providing the crowd and participants with music and good times all afternoon long. “The turnout was absolutely amazing,” said Danny Casesa, director of tennis at Sportime Lynbrook. “We couldn’t ask for a better response from all the Sportime people. The most important thing is it has to be fun for the kids and it looks like it is. If we’re having fun, the kids must be having fun.” More than 150 kids, from all different levels, came out for the event on a rainy afternoon. Each player received a passport, enjoyed some food and music, and then took to the court to introduce those in the 10 & Under program to competitive tennis,

By Brian Coleman

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in a non-intimidating, team-oriented process. “They practice every week, once a week and some kids are twice a week if not more,” said Casesa. “The idea is that they need a reward at the end, and again, this is light competition and is for the kids who may be a little shaky about competing. Putting it into a team format with these activities makes it a fun time for all.” “My favorite part of the day was playing doubles,” said Jack Kennedy, a six-year-

old who plays at Sportime Syosset. Bea Bielik, general manager of Sportime Lynbrook, said the Sportime World Tour events are the perfect thing for the 10 & Under program. “It’s been a really nice springboard for the 10 & Under group. We want to get them loving the sport, and I think these events do just that,” said Bielik. “It’s a whole day of tennis where they can come out and have some fun. Having them understanding the theme, we are obviously trying to mirror the top tournaments in the world on the professional side. I think it’s really exciting and has been a really positive thing.” As the Sportime World Tour grows, it is also continuing its journey across the world. The next stop is Paris and the famous clay courts of Roland Garros as the fourth stage will have a French Open theme. Brian Coleman is senior editor for Long Island Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by phone at (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 or email brianc@usptennis.com.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2015 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Grand Slam Tennis 214 Commack Road Commack, N.Y. (631) 499-6444 What are specialty stores? Specialty stores are a place to go and receive extensive, dedicated, and welcoming services that do not include the click of a mouse. Jim Donnelly has been a proud owner and operator of Tennis Emporium & Grand Slam Tennis for more than 39 years. Grand Slam Tennis opened in 1986. With the help of Jim’s son Chase managing Grand Slam, Jim has had the opportunity to reach out and expand his interest in growing the tennis game. Grand Slam Tennis is not just a tennis specialty store—it is a welcoming environment to any tennis player, whether you’re a recreational, club or tournament level player. Their services provide an array of different possibilities: Tennis racquet, badminton, squash and racquetball restringing, tennis attire (women’s, men’s and children’s), tennis tutor ball machines (sales, services and trials), tennis nets, ball hoppers, tennis bags, tennis racquet sales, tennis sneakers (Nike, Babolat, Adidas, Head and Prince), accessories, and a whole lot more. We are 1,800-square feet of tennis equipment, with one side dedicated to tennis attire, and the other to tennis racquets, sneakers and four stringing machines. Your experience at Grand Slam Tennis is guaranteed to be different from any other store. The staff is very experienced, knowledgeable and willing to help. When looking to buy a tennis racquet or ball machine, you are able to demo the equipment through the Grand Slam demo program. The demo program is geared toward the player, and is based on your feedback; therefore, you can be guided in the right direction in purchasing the right racquet for you. At the point of purchase, all of your information (name, phone number, address, racquet, grip size, string and tension) is stored in the computer database for future reference. See you on the court! 16

Solow Sports 347A Main Street Huntington, N.Y. (631) 629-4940 www.solowsports.com Solow Sports is not your typical racquet shop! The experience begins with its staff which consists solely of players, coaches and tour stringers to help you find exactly what you are looking for. A vast array of racquets are available from all leading brands, as well as some rare manufacturers that you won’t find anywhere else. You can even test the racquets in the on-site serving cage as they have the largest demo selection on Long Island. When it comes to racquet stringing, gripping and customization, Solow Sports is your go-to place. Racquets are always strung on the world’s most advanced machines with knowledgeable stringers who have strung for the pros on tour. Have your grips meticulously installed, racquets weighted and balanced, grommets replaced, and more. Racquet drop-off is available 24/7 for your convenience, as well as on-the-spot stringing within an hour or less. Get the same professional service as your favorite tour player. Shop the numerous racks of apparel for men, women, boys and girls. Find your favorite brand or try a new local manufacturer with several styles on display. Complete your on-court look with huge selections of bags, hats, footwear and more. As a premier racquet sport destination, you will find full equipment lines for platform tennis, racquetball, squash, paddle and even table tennis. The store features a tournament ping-pong table for customers to play. If that wasn’t enough, Solow Sports enhances the customer experience with racquet pickup and delivery, on-court equipment consultations, custom racquet painting, a full racquet diagnostic center, tennis elbow and injury assessment, sponsorship opportunities, custom team orders, and so much more. Get what you are looking for to take your game to the next level in-store and online at www.solowsports.com. Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June


Tennis East 73 Main Street Southampton, N.Y. (631) 283-9535 47 ½ Main Street East Hampton, N.Y. (631) 324-5881 TennisEast@optonline.net For more than 44 years, Tennis East has been the year-round, fullservice tennis store of choice for East End racquet sport enthusiasts. Tennis East offers an extensive selection of men’s, women’s and junior’s racquets, apparel, sneakers, strings and accessories for players of all ages and skill levels. More so, we carry a complete line of 10 and Under Tennis equipment so that kids will have more fun playing tennis. Tennis East carries the most popular and latest product arrivals so that its customers can wear and use the gear that the top tennis professionals are using. Tennis East stocks a full-line of Nike, Adidas, Fila, Babolat, Wilson, Head and Prince products. In addition, we have expanded our women’s apparel offering to include several new fashion designers. Allow our knowledgeable and friendly team members to assist you choose the proper new tennis or paddle racquet to elevate your game. We have an extensive selection of racquets to demo and all daily fee charges will be credited towards your new racquet purchase. Tennis East continues to string all racquets on the Wilson Baiardo, which is the state-of-the-art stringing machine. The Baiardo delivers unmatched speed, accuracy and consistency. Tennis East is the conveniently located, one-stop shop for all your racquet sport needs. We are committed to providing personalized service, professional advice, competitive pricing and a unique shopping experience. Please look for special offers on our social network sites.

TENNIS JUNCTION

Tennis Junction 43 Middle Neck Road Great Neck, N.Y. (516) 487-1515 This year, Tennis Junction of Great Neck, N.Y. is celebrating its 41st anniversary. The first store of 900-square-feet was across from the Great Neck Train Station. The store’s name was derived from the popular TV program, “Tuxedo Junction.” After several years, the store was bursting at its seams. At that time, a 4,000-square-foot store became available on the Main Street and Middle Neck Road. Store Owners Rachel and Norman Lee jumped at the opportunity to have the space for their booming business. Tennis Junction offers a huge selection of apparel for adults and youth, with many of the most popular brands. From April through August, Tennis Junction features a special ladies section with all apparel $19.99 (up to a 70 percent discount). When it comes to tennis footwear, you will find the largest selection in the world with more than 120 styles. The racquet selection is also very impressive, with 400-plus racquets in stock. The success at Tennis Junction comes from the following: Knowledgeable and courteous sales associates; a huge selection of brand name equipment; and substantial discounts in all categories. In 2015, Tennis Junction was voted the Best Tennis Store on Long Island. Tennis Junction is located at 43 Middle Neck Road in Great Neck, N.Y. For more information, call (516) 487-1515.

LITennisMag.com • May/June

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Topspin Tennis & Fitness 218 Jericho Turnpike Syosset, N.Y. (516) 364-9470 TopSpinTennisLI.com Topspin Pro Shop at Christopher Morley Tennis 500 Searingtown Road Roslyn, N.Y. (516) 484-4200 TopSpinTennisLI.com Topspin Tennis & Fitness is Nassau County’s top tennis specialty shop. Topspin relocated five years ago and is now centrally located at 218 Jericho Turnpike in Syosset, N.Y. Our second shop is located at the new “State-of-the-Art” tennis complex at Christopher Morley Tennis at the park in Roslyn/Manhasset. Topspin provides one-hour expert stringing at both facilities. Known as the home of “Clothes for the Pros,” Topspin has been serving Long Island tennis pros and players with equipment and the top fashion in the sport for more than 30 years. Topspin’s staff is known for its expertise and high-quality service. You will find all the premier tennis brands of equipment, apparel and shoes at Topspin for the whole family, including Nike, Adidas, K-Swiss, Asics, Babolat, Wilson, Head, Prince and many more. Topspin carries the actual outfits and footwear worn at the U.S. Open and other major events. Topspin carries a full line of fitness and workout apparel and running shoes, so you can go from the court to the gym in style. Their racket wall contains a large selection of frames, bags and accessories at great prices. Your racket can be strung while you wait. Ask any tennis enthusiast on Long Island and odds are they will be familiar with Topspin Tennis & Fitness. Topspin’s staff will ensure that, with the right equipment, you will reach your highest potential as a player and just as importantly, with the right fashion, will look great too! 18

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com


Gael Monfils

The Entertainer Looks to Capture Grand Slam Glory on Home Soil By Bri a n C ol e m a n

n 1983, Yannick Noah beat defending champion Mats Wilander 6-2, 7-5, 7-6(7-3) to win the French Open title, becoming the first Frenchman to win the title since Marcel Bernard in 1946. Since Noah’s title in ’83, a new streak has begun. No Frenchman has won the crown on their home soil in the 32 years since. In fact, a player from France hasn’t even reached the final since 1988, when Henri Laconte lost to the aforementioned Wilander. There is no shortage of talent coming out of France, with five Frenchman currently residing inside the top 30 on the ATP Tour. One of those players, 15th-ranked Gael Monfils, is as perplexing as they come on the Tour, but is someone who could snap the French drought at Roland Garros this year. The 28-year-old has talent that is undeniable. As a junior, he reached the world number one ranking in February 2004. He would go on to win junior titles at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon before turning pro. Combining power, length and athleticism, Monfils quickly made himself a known commodity on the ATP Tour. He climbed nearly 200 spots in the ATP Men’s Singles Rankings during the 2005 campaign and found himself in the Top 50 and hasn’t looked back since. The knock on Monfils has never been about his skill level, but rather, his flamboyant and sometimes lackadaisical approach to the sport. He is an exception to the rule in almost any aspect of the sport. Monfils doesn’t employ a coach, and while his opponents are hydrating with water and other energy drinks, Monfils sips from his Coke can. He takes a unique mindset to the court every time he plays.

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gael monfils continued from page 21 ”For me, tennis is a sport, you know … it’s not a job, it’s a sport,” he said in a postmatch interview during last year’s U.S. Open. “Sometimes, if I’m fed up with that, just leave it. For me, I don’t know if it’s bad to say it and for sure I will use like bad words in English.” Because of his carefree, laid back style to a sport that many view as anything but, Monfils has endeared himself to the casual fan and is a must-watch whenever he is playing. If you go through YouTube, you can sift through countless videos of his trick shots and through-the-legs returns. “Nobody is more fun to watch than this Frenchman,” wrote Time Magazine columnist Bill Sapparito. “Because nobody can combine such pure athleticism with the insouciance bordering on disdain he brings to the game.” The same attributes that make him a fan-favorite also drive folks crazy, because oftentimes, it seems Monfils is out there to entertain and not necessarily to win. His

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evaporating focus has driven him to a couple of bad losses, most notably his quarterfinal loss to Roger Federer at last year’s U.S. Open, where he fumbled away a two sets to none lead. Monfils has had a successful start to the clay court season, which bodes well for a potential deep run at this year’s French Open. He says he often has a tough time adjusting from hard courts to clay. A good showing at the 2015 French Open would go a long way to silencing his critics. He has been a semifinalist at the tournament before, back in 2008. “I always have trouble adapting to clay quickly, so it’s always a strange period of the year for me here,” said Monfils. “I always hope I can play those tournaments well. But often, I end up losing. I don’t seem to be able to play my best tennis. I often get injured during those six weeks, so maybe this is what is different this year.” In April, he reached the semifinals in

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com

Monte Carlo, knocking off Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov, before losing to Tomas Berdych in the final four, and says he feels healthy and strong which usually isn’t the case for him this time of year. In order for Monfils to break through and make a true impact on the ATP Tour, he needs to capture a major championship. In any sport, the monkey on one’s back usually stays there until they win it all, and will continue to remain on the back of Gael Monfils, as long as he shows signs of promise without results. If the charismatic Frenchman can harness his focus and grow a disdain for losing, a major championship might not be that far away. French tennis fans are hoping that goal is within reach in late May, where they have been waiting more than three decades for one of their own to hoist La Coupe des Mousquetaires (English translation: The Musketeers’ Trophy) on the red clay of Roland Garros. Brian Coleman is senior editor for Long Island Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by phone at (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 or email brianc@usptennis.com.


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2015 FRENCH By Andrew Eichenholz

The men’s field The contenders

ovak Djokovic and Serena Williams are the best tennis players in the world at the moment. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it. The two won the Australian Open and show no signs of slowing down any time soon. Djokovic is not only physically close to the top level he can bring to the court, but mentally, there is nobody who can come close to touching him. Serena, on the other hand, may be the most dominant women’s tennis player in the history of the sport. She wields the one shot that can control not only a match, but a tournament, with her massive serve. If both players are at the top of their game on the terre battue in Paris, look out, because regardless of who is put in front of them, it will be a war. That includes Rafael Nadal, who heads into the French Open this year with a 66-1 record at the Grand Slam. If he should run into the Serbian star, that smaller number may very possibly rise.

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It is hard to question how well Novak Djokovic has played since he fell in the semifinals of the U.S. Open last fall. In the Australian Open and the four ATP Masters 1000 events that he has played in, the Serbian has dropped just one match, in the semifinals of Shanghai against some 17time Grand Slam Champion named Roger Federer. His mastery reigned supreme at the World Tour Finals as well, showing that not only is Djokovic the best, but he is the best on a consistent basis. The only concerns heading into Paris are that Andy Murray has recently shown that his peak level can challenge him, Nadal has won the French Open nine times and Federer is still the best to ever pick up a racket.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com

There is not a player in the history of the sport, or arguably any sport, who has dominated one event as much as Rafael Nadal has stomped his foot on the red clay of Roland Garros. A performance for the ages by Robin Soderling is all that stands between the Spaniard and perfection at the French Open. Every year, it seems as if somebody gets closer to being able to take Nadal down at his own castle, but each time, he proves everybody who doubts him wrong. He has recently admitted that he is not where he needs to be. But, at his lowest ranking in years, it is still hard to ignore that it is nearly impossible to beat him on the clay. For anybody to win 17 Grand Slams, they have to be pretty good at the sport. Roger Federer is arguably the best to ever lace them up and pick up a racket. It does not hurt that when he is playing aggressive tennis, he can still control the pace and tempo of a match against virtually anybody in the world. As he has naturally lost pace off his serve, the Switzerland native has added more spin and better location. It is fair to point out that Federer has not won a major title since Wimbledon in 2012. He has shown his vintage form on some big stages, but not at the Grand Slams, and that is hard to ignore. There is no doubting the fact that he will be around come the second week with his four kids and wife


H OPEN PREVIEW Mirka in tow, but it is a matter of how well he can piece his game together on the biggest stage.

sport. It takes them making one tiny hole in his armor to blow apart his game and break away in a match. Look for that to be the case once again in May.

The pretenders Going through the ATP World Tour rankings may tell the story of who is playing the best tennis, but poundfor-pound, Kei Nishikori would be even further up the list. There are very few players out there who can match his overall groundstroke game, with what is arguably a stronger set of strokes than even David Ferrer. But, with that comes his size disadvantage. There are players who on a good day have the ability to grip it and rip it against Nishikori, and on the red clay where the bigger, stronger players get an extra step to set up to use weapons of their own on a slower surface, the Japanese star may have some trouble. It will not help that he has never made it past the fourth round in Paris.

If somebody wins a Grand Slam title, they did not do so by luck. Winning seven matches against the very best tennis players in the world is one of the toughest mountains to climb in sports, yet Marin Cilic did it at the 2014 U.S. Open. His pure size, quickly-hit serve, and what can be dominating groundstrokes, are all dangerous at any moment. Consistency is key, however, and hampering injuries have not and more than likely will not allow the Croat to be ready to go in top form on one of his worst surfaces in Paris.

The sleepers When “Stan the Man,” or “Stanimal” as he is called beat Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, the score line told the story of a defending champion beating one of the sport’s new stars. What the play showed, however, is that there are few if any people who can stop Stan Wawrinka when he is on top of his game. He may not be the tallest, most physically imposing player on tour, but he makes up for it with ball striking that has to be seen to be believed. His one-handed backhand is not just the best shot of that variety in the world, but it is one of the best weapons in the world, period, and despite a ranking drop, look for him to make some noise in Paris. continued on page 26

On his best day, Tomas Berdych can beat anybody in the world. Very few, if anybody, out there can match the Czech’s firepower from any and every wing. But, he still has yet to win a Grand Slam, and has failed to live up to what seemed to be limitless potential. Rewind 15 years, and Berdych more than likely would have won a major by this point in his career, but he has to contend with some of the strongest defensive players in the history of the LITennisMag.com • May/June 2015 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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2015 FRENCH There is no professional tennis player, male or female, who has gotten more out of their natural potential than David Ferrer. There is no question that when playing the Spaniard, it is not about trying to win, but survive. The fittest player on the ATP Tour, Ferrer can run down pretty much any ball thrown his way, but that is not all. In the last few years, he has added a more aggressive, offensive dimension to his game. So, on the clay surface, on which every match is a grind, it will be up to those ranked ahead of him: Will they play their best tennis or have an off day, because if it is the latter, they can pack their bags.

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Nick Kyrgios, the young Australian sensation, has burst onto the scene in the tennis world, showing that not only is he a good tennis player, but he has loads of potential. The key word is “Entertainer,” that is Gael Monfils’ department, isn’t it? When people start talking about somebody who challenges “La Monf” in that department, one could only think that he will be motivated to put on even more of a show, much like Bernard Tomic has surged back into relevance after Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis started to emerge. On his best day, Monfils has a serve that can

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com

get him into advantageous positions, a forehand that when loose can be dangerous, and athleticism that may be unlike anything the sport has ever seen. Playing in front of his home crowd, it is impossible to count him out from using the crowd to push him through to the second week or later.

The women’s field The contenders There is nobody in the world who can beat Serena Williams when she is at the top of her game. She has the biggest serve in women’s tennis history, penetrating groundstrokes and a competitive mindset that rears its head in the biggest of moments. If she brings everything she has to the table, despite the slower surface, as the players compete on the red clay of Roland Garros, nobody can beat Serena. She has too much firepower and will to win. Once in a while, she has an off day, which although rare is very off, but on the biggest of stages in the most important of moments, Serena never ceases to amaze fans and opponents. There has been one consistent challenger to Serena’s thrown and it lies in arguably the best pure baseliner in the game, Simona Halep. Her consistency does not hurt her resumé either, as she has only lost three matches all season long, with them


H OPEN PREVIEW coming in the intense environments of a Grand Slam quarterfinal, Fed Cup and a clash with Serena herself. Her success has not come from lack of competition either, with her results as of Miami totaling five wins over top-20 opponents. When a player makes the quarterfinals of a particular Grand Slam on three occasions, they have to be considered dangerous, as that kind of consistency is rare on the biggest of stages. If that same person has made the semifinals on two other occasions and the final once more, they go to the status of being a contender. Maria Sharapova has been crowned French Open champion twice as well. That is a ton of experience and positive results at one of the year’s biggest tournaments. One may not expect an overwhelming power player who controls points from the baseline to succeed on a slower surface, but Roland Garros has been her most successful major, and despite early season woes, there is no doubt that the most mentally resilient player on tour will be ready for Paris.

However, when players have more time to react to and deal with the spin and pace she throws their way, Kvitova is suddenly not as lethal. Her slicing serve will not bite and go through the court as effectively, her opponents will have time to take that extra needed step to the ball in baseline rallies, and so on. One may look at her semifinal run in Paris back in 2012, but despite that successful tournament, she did not win one match out of her five victories against a ranked player. E k a t e r i n a Makarova brings the lefty finesse to Kvitova’s power, which in theory would create the perfect player if combining the players was a possibility. The most under-the-radar player in the topten, she has arguably been one of the most consistent players on tour, period, in the last year and a half. Even Serena herself did

not make at least the quarterfinals in each of the last three majors as Makarova has. However, she also has never made it past the fourth round at the French Open, where she has historically struggled on the clay. She may win the matches that she should, but do not be surprised if a younger player pulls off the upset. After her widelypublicized separation from golfer Rory McIlroy, Caroline Wozniacki has reestablished her fame in the tennis world, both on and off the court. She has spent a ton of time with Serena, which can only be a good thing, and has played much better tennis, more reminiscent of her time at the top of the WTA Rankings. However, even after reaching the U.S. Open finals, Wozniacki has struggled to find continued on page 28

Redefining The Tennis Experience

The pretenders As she has shown in winning the Wimbledon title twice, Petra Kvitova can win big tennis matches. She has a crafty lefty serve combined with well-struck groundstrokes that can beat almost anybody out there.

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2015 FRENCH OPEN PREVIEW form in the biggest of moments, falling victim to a tough draw with Victoria Azarenka in Melbourne to start what has been an up-and-down season. She has won the matches she should have won for the most part, and lost most of the ones that she would not be favored in, but that does not give reason to believe in a major run. She will not drop her opener like last year, but seeing a young big hitter such as Madison Keys blast her off the court is not out of the question. The sleepers Who is Carla Suarez Navarro? She may have one of the more attackable serves on WTA Tour, but the Spaniard can grind out a point like few others, somewhat like her compatriot David Ferrer on the men’s side. Armed with one of the

only one-handed backhands in the women’s game, Suarez Navarro uses heavier shots with plenty of topspin, and can throw in a nice slice here and there. It helps that she is not only a world-class singles player but doubles as well, so at Roland Garros, look for her to be able to grind out points while also carefully constructing rallies to give the best in the sport trouble. It is extremely hard to call Agnieszka Radwanska a sleeper considering her status as a mainstay in the top 10 for years now. Without a doubt, there is no smarter player on the tour, and “The Ninja,” as she is called, can throw everything but the kitchen sink at her opponents. Every inch of the court is in play for the Polish star, and she does not need the overwhelming power that one may expect

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com

from a player that could make a deep run. With a career-best quarterfinal appearance at the French Open thus far, look for Radwanska to truly get her season started with a couple of big wins, making a run if the draws open up in her favor. On the men’s side, everyone is raving about the Kyrgios’ of the world, from Borna Coric to all the other young stars on the rise that have already been anointed “the next big thing.” It may not be as noticeable, but Karolina Pliskova is past the point of being next. She is now, and on her way to star status quickly. Already on the verge of breaking into the top-10, she has hit ace after ace to lead the WTA Tour, and is only on her way up. It has been difficult to break through at a major earlier in her career, but with the ranking to bolster her seeding, she now will have the opportunity to feel her way into a tournament, and perhaps spring an upset that will shine the light on her stardom. Andrew Eichenholz is a journalism student at Stony Brook University, where he currently is a staff writer for The Statesman, covering tennis amongst many sports. He grew up playing tennis at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where he learned to love the game, eventually becoming a part time tennis instructor, working for the most part with the QuickStart 10 & Under Program. Andrew has also served as a ballperson at the U.S. Open. He may be reached by e-mail at andrew.eichenholz@stonybrook.edu.


Bethpage Park Hosts 8th Annual HS Coaches Workshop

Bethpage Park Tennis Center hosted its 8th Annual High School Tennis Coaches Workshop, a free event that gathered high school coaches from across Long Island and taught different tips, methods and drills that coaches can use for their players, as well as instructional discussions that could enhance a coach’s methods. There was a great turnout for the Workshop, as more than a couple dozen coaches came out for the clinic. Keith Kambourian, co-owner at Bethpage Park, gave a lesson on strategy and tactics. “The idea behind the event is to help high

school coaches prepare for their seasons and to give them advice on how to work with the kids,” said Kambourian. “Many of the coaches are full-time and part-time teachers, and as a full-time tennis coach, I would like to try to answer their questions whether they be related to technique, training or equipment. “ Frank Dolan, founder and director of Sports & Fitness Performance in Islip, N.Y., taught a discussion on fitness, mobility and stretching. “I went over the basics of core training, what it is and what it isn’t,” said Dolan. “I dis-

cussed the importance of a dynamic warmup, especially in the cold weather. Fitness alone is not the only aspect of a good player, but it can certainly enhance the player.” Steve Kaplan, co-owner of Bethpage Park with Kambourian, gave a drill on stroke mechanics, and was pleased with the success of the Workshop. “We want to help provide guidance and education to the coaches as everyone prepares for the upcoming high school season,” said Kaplan. “Today, we had a terrific turnout and all the coaches were very receptive.”

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The Game Inside the Game Unknown Secrets of Great Athletes: Four Principles of More Than an Athlete By Rob Polishook, Mental Training Coach MA, CPC In Part One of the “More Than an Athlete” series, we highlighted how, when an athlete brings his or her “whole self” (mental and skillset) to the performance, they are better able to play their game and be the best they can be. In Part Two, we highlighted how, when a player understands that results don’t define them, they can play from a more relaxed, aware, and grounded place. In Part Three, we will show how having a set of foundational principals can help the athlete, parent or coach to better manage and learn from adversity, challenges and successes in competition. Having a set of foundational principles or values is actually one of the unknown secrets of great athletes and teams. Having a set of principles helps great athletes keep their attention on their process and what they can control, essentially putting them in the best position to achieve their goals. Without having that “true north” set of principles athletes may be in danger of going off course. Below are four fundamental principles of More Than an Athlete which will help you to set your own course for success. 1. Person first. Every time James Blake said in his book, Breaking Back, “When we walk on the court, we walk on as a person. What’s inside effects what’s on the outside. It’s one and the same.” Think about watching the “Gladiators.” It’s not about the armor a gladiator wears, but the spirit and heart beneath the armor that determines the fight. Rafael Nadal summed this idea up well when he said, “Tennis is not who I am, It’s what I do.” 30

“Because everyone’s process is unique, the results will be unique as well. The reward is in the process.” 2. An athlete is not broken Performance blocks such as nerves, anxiety, slumps and the yips are not the problem, but symptoms of other challenges. Often, the challenge is only this: We are focused on the end result, rather than the process. Once we can reframe our mindset, we can allow ourselves to hold both excitement and fear about the process. The athlete does not need to be fixed, but rather helped back to the place they were at when they could perform fluidly. 3. The fruits are always a result of the roots We tend to look at situations as isolated occurrences, but when a player chokes, it doesn’t happen out of the blue. There have been iterative incidents along the way that triggered the player’s nervous system. Our individual journeys lead us to unique performance, and every day we have an opportunity to learn from our experiences. Rather than compare our end result to others, we might understand that because everyone’s process is unique, the results will be unique as well. Appreciate the journey it took to arrive right where you are today. 4. Playing is a privilege Inevitably fear, doubt and nerves are going to be part of any competition. The idea is not to eliminate these emotions or

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com

hide from them, but to be able to experience them as part of the privilege of playing the game. Billie Jean King addressed this idea by titling her book, Pressure is a Privilege. She understood that playing was a privilege and that if you are feeling pressure, that’s part of the privilege of being an athlete! To summarize, these four principals are the building blocks to realizing you are “More Than an Athlete.” Being more than an athlete is the key to sustainable, longterm success. Rob Polishook, MA, CPC is the founder and director of Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group. He works with athletes in all sports at all levels helping them to break through mental barriers and be their best both as a person and an athlete. Rob has spoken to athletes, coaches, and parents both nationally at USTA, USPTA, ITA conferences, and internationally in India and Israel. Additionally, he is author of Tennis Inside the Zone: Mental Training Workouts for Champions. His work was recently featured in ESPN’s latest 30 for 30 film called Fields of Fear. In prior years, Rob received the USPTA-Eastern Division High School Coach of the Year Award and coached USTA’s 16 and under Zonals. He may be reached by phone at (973) 723-0314, email rob@insidethezone.com or visit www.insidethezone.com.


Pine Hollow CC Preps for Outdoor Season With Meet and Greet Event

With spring arriving, it’s the time of year again where tennis players and fans can get off the indoor courts and head outside to play. To kick off the 2015 outdoor season, Pine Hollow Country Club hosted its annual Meet and Greet event on April 26, welcoming its members onto the outdoor courts for some match play, instructional drills and an overall fun day of tennis. The event serves as a great way for the tennis members at Pine Hollow to interact with each other and continue to get to know one another as the busy tennis season approaches. “The people, all the staff, the events they run,” said Pine Hollow member Mike Ferber on what brings him back each year. “It’s still not nice out yet, but we had a nice turnout today. The consistency with the staff is what I think keeps people coming back. The people are just very nice and there is a lot of comradery.” While it wasn’t perfect spring time weather outside, the sun was shining and being able to hit outside in the fresh air is always a positive. “Being outside is just a tremendous difference,” said Ferber. “It is so much nicer, just the smell in the air. As long as it’s not too windy, even with a little cold, you can still play.” Beyond the instructional drills, there were also courts open for players to hit around, play matches and even a court which had fun activities for young kids. On court, the captains of the men’s and

women’s teams at Pine Hollow were looking forward to the start of the season. “Hopefully, we’ll be going to the championship again this season,” said Pine Hollow Captain Stacy Ferber. Wayne Hochberg, captain of the men’s team, said, “We just want to keep rolling onward and upward.” Pine Hollow is looking forward to one of its biggest summers to date. The tennis program, headed by Tennis Director Ricky Becker, is set to offer more events than most clubs on Long Island, and gives its members something to do each week. “We have more and more players, and a lot of the events are getting busier and

busier,” said Becker. “Each year, our teams keep getting better and better, so hopefully we can compete for a club championship. I feel like we definitely have more events than other clubs. We have at least one scheduled event every single day from the beginning of May through late August.” Becker was extremely pleased with the turnout at the Meet and Greet event, and is proud of the membership base he has at Pine Hollow. “For a high-end club, we have an extremely nice membership,” Becker said. “As Pine Hollow tennis director, I am very lucky and I think the members appreciate that as well.”

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The Rise of Ivy League Tennis

How the Ivies became a tennis power conference By Steve Kaplan vy League tennis is hot, and only getting hotter as the League’s level of play and recruits continue to rise to new heights. As one men’s Ivy League coach explained, “We no longer recruit four star players. Personally, I’m looking for the player who might otherwise choose Stanford or Duke.” As proof of the new power of this conference, look to Columbia’s Men’s team under the leadership of Bid Goswami and co-head coach Howard Endelman, who, I am proud to say, is a longtime student. On Feb. 17, Columbia’s Men’s team was ranked 11th in the country by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association

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(ITA), the highest ranking for an Ivy League team in 35 years. Seven of the eight Ivy League men’s and women’s teams have regularly been ranked in the top 80 of Division I this year, putting the Ivies as a first tier tennis conference. The consensus among the coaches is that this is not an anomaly. “We really believe that we can have a team break out and achieve a top 10 year-end ranking,” said an Ivy League men’s coach. I asked another longtime student, and first-year Brown University Head Coach Bryan Koniecko, as well as highly respected Brown Women’s Coach Paul Wardlaw, whose team was ranked 36th this year, to distribute a brief questionnaire to their Ivy League peers. Thanks

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com

to their help, I got a strong e-mail and personal interview response. I have displayed information from the Ivy League coaches anonymously to encourage their candor, unless I was given permission to attribute a quote. Consider that Ivy schools rank among the costliest in the nation, and have no scholarships, yet in an economic downturn, their tennis programs are thriving. It would be easy to say that these elite schools are simply immune to fluctuations in the economy, but the truth is a little more layered. In many ways, difficult economic conditions have created an opportunity for the Ivy League to ascend. The consensus among the coaches is that the rising cost of college tuition nationwide has placed the Ivies in greater


economic parity with other schools. “The high cost of an Ivy League school is now more in line with the high cost of everywhere else,� said one coach. Financial aid is on the upswing for Ivy League tennis players in a big way. As one coach revealed, “We use a 10 to one formula. There are variables, but if you make $150,000, a year we can offer you a package that enables you to pay only $15,000 a year in tuition.� Other coaches confirmed this formula and one added that “10 to one is likely the most generous package of all the schools in the league, but if we want you, our school will match that offer.� In NCAA Division I, men’s tennis can offer the monies equal to 4.5 full scholarships and women’s tennis can offer eight full scholarships in total. While the Ivies offer no “Athletic Grant in Aid,� generous financial aid packages can and do exceed the monies given by fully-funded men’s programs and come close on the women’s side. For many tennis families, the chance to attend an Ivy League institution is not a difficult sell. Tennis remains an exclusive sport that requires great resources to excel. The level of family education that produces exceptional players is high. As the demographics of the age in which women bear children climbs, the appreciation of the value of an Ivy education also rises. So just how valuable is an Ivy education for a tennis player? As one coach explained, “It can open many doors.� That’s the understatement of the year, and I suggest there is no better fraternity on Earth for breaking into the exclusive world of Wall Street finance than coming from an Ivy League tennis team. I have been fortunate enough to have coached many exceptional people who are now prominent hedge fund managers, investment bankers and analysts on Wall Street. I have seen firsthand the great pride taken by tennis alumni in helping the next generation of tennis players succeed. Chris Drake, men’s tennis coach at Dartmouth and one of the new generation of top Ivy League coaches, explained: “Alums in the Ivy League have always well-supported opportunities for internships and employment.� The current group of highly

“In many ways, difficult economic conditions have created an opportunity for the Ivy League to ascend. The consensus among the coaches is that the rising cost of college tuition nationwide has placed the Ivies in greater economic parity with other schools.� competitive coaches are reaching out to bring this support to a new level. The Brown’s Men’s Team, under freshman coach Koniecko, is a great example of the power of fostering a winning culture among highly motivated and intellectually capable athletes. Coach Koniecko has imparted the same drive and desire that helped him become the number one-ranked college player in the country on his team. The Brown culture of synergistic team energy has awakened a sleeping giant and has helped Brown to a top 50 ITA ranking. Expect the Bears, under coach Koniecko’s tremendous leadership, to continue to rise. Another recent success story of the Ivies is the Princeton Men’s Tennis program, under the guidance of Billy Pate, who explained this about the upside of the Ivy League.

“There is serious potential at each of these universities to do something special and be a top 25 program,� said Pate. “If you add the opportunity to work with such gifted and highly motivated young people, it makes for a special culture.� It’s also a unique culture because of the lack of scholarships. Players make a decision each day to show up obligated only by the desire to be part of a team. “We’ve had some attrition over the years,� said one coach. “But the players who have stayed all four years wouldn’t trade this experience for anything in the world.� While Ivy sports are deep in history, tennis has seen its ups and downs. At one time not long ago, coaches avoided the Ivy League because they felt limited in career development. As one coach explained, “It’s difficult to use Ivy coaching experience as a stepping stone for advancement outside the League, because the athletic director wants to hire coaches with experience handling scholarships. Today, the Ivy League’s coaches have stellar resumes with the allure of new attractive facilities, larger athletic budgets and top players.� College has seen a movement toward recruiting and admitting international players, and the Ivy League is not insulated from this trend. Some of the schools are more welcoming than others, continued on page 34

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the rise of ivy league tennis continued from page 33 but as one coach explained, “International financial aid deals are bringing new players in, and increasing the talent pool.” Many of the coaches mentioned the international brand equity of the Ivies in attracting students from around the world. “It’s not hard to sell Harvard, Yale or Columbia, etc. overseas … they know who we are,” one coach commented. I asked Columbia’s Howard Endelman about his biggest challenge as an Ivy coach. He told me, “Finding the right players who will thrive in our system at Columbia. We are looking for players who have big goals—academically, athletically and career-wise and are willing to work toward those goals.” Howard cares deeply about his players as people and “Columbia is always finding these motivated players. They are true student-athletes.” As the landscape of college tennis and all of college sports changes as a result

of the “Northwestern” court ruling allowing student- athletes to engage in collective bargaining, expect some changes in the near future. Budgets for non-revenue sports like tennis could be stripped to the bone in many conferences. The Ivies are different, as many coaches explained. One coach summed this idea up well by saying, “The school does not expect us to generate revenue and does not need us to make revenue. Alumni donors love their sports.” In a time of uncertainty in college ten-

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Steve Kaplan is the owner of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as the director of Lacoste Academy for New York City Parks Foundation. Over the last 34 years, Steve has been the longtime coach of more than 600 nationallyranked junior players, 16 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 $8 million in college scholarship money. He may be reached by e-mail at stevenjkaplan@aol.com.

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Cold Spring Country Club: It’s About the People BY RENIE SOKOLOWSKI & MICHAEL LISSAUER If you ask members of any country club what makes their club special, most will talk about social activities and the golf and tennis programs. At Cold Spring Country Club (CSCC), it is more about the people. Located on the north shore of Long Island, Cold Spring Country Club serves one of the very best tennis programs under the direction of Tennis Director and Head Professional Renie Sokolowski. But CSCC is more than tennis and golf. As the Club’s membership flyer states, “You come for the golf and tennis, but you stay because of the people.” For more than 10 years, Sokolowski has brought her vast knowledge and expertise of the tennis industry to CSCC. A member of the USPTA and a former tournament director and teaching professional at the USTA Billie Jean King national Tennis Center, she has also coached the St. John’s University and CW Post tennis teams. Some of her former junior players reached Grand Slam events and went on to play NCAA tennis. But what makes Sokolowski exceptional is that she treats CSCC members, from the beginning tennis player to tournament-tested members, just like she treated her Grand Slam students. That’s why CSCC members rave about her boundless energy and never-ending encouragement. Cold Spring Country Club has six HarTru tennis courts and hosts birthday parties, inter-club leagues, member guests events and charitable fundraisers. The tennis program features private and group lessons, junior development programs, cardio tennis classes and ladies and gentlemen’s competitive teams. Located on the premises is the best golf and tennis pro shop on Long Island, showcasing brand name golf and tennis attire, shoes and equipment. Same-day racket stringing is also available and members have complimentary unlimited use of the ball machine. At CSCC, all members and guests are treated like family. Cold Spring Country

Cold Spring Country Club’s Women’s Member Guest Event Club encourages all members to embrace its people-first philosophy and play on its beautiful tennis courts (surrounded by the world-renowned Oheka Castle) and enjoy myriad social events in a family atmosphere that they are proud to call home. For an application or further information, please contact Cold Spring Country Club Membership Committee Chair Dr. Norman Rich at (631) 692-6500. Renie Sokolowski, Tucker Burns and Greg Linden enjoying a day at Cold Spring Country Club

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TENNIS INJURY PREVENTION

Four Ways to Avoid Ankle Injuries on the Court By Dr. Charles Ruotolo, MD, FAAOS ny athlete knows that the body must be in optimal shape in order to perform well in their respective sport. Cardio capacity will always play a vital role in any player’s success, as a player must be able to move laterally in each direction, charge forward and retreat backwards without missing a beat. However, just being in shape will not always keep you out on the court. One of the most common reasons for lost time in tennis is an ankle injury. There are a few different reasons that these injuries may occur, such as:

A

l l l l

Poorly fitting footwear Running/walking on an uneven surface Not properly warming up A prior injury or condition

Footwear In order to comfortably stop, start and 36

move fluidly, proper footwear is a must. A shoe that is too tight can cause blisters, which will change the stride and lateral movement forcing the athlete to run in an abnormal fashion. This change in form and stride can heighten the risk for injury. A shoe that is too loose will not support the ankle enough and also heighten the risk of an injury. Taking recommendations from friends or other players also may not be as beneficial as you might think. What the majority of players do not know is that the sneaker should also compliment your style of play. For instance, a player that stays on the baseline should have extra support on the ankle due to the constant sideways motion and should have a strong sole. A “serve and volley” player should wear a shoe with a toe cap, due to this type of play causing the dragging of the toe over the base line during a serve and then charging the net. A toe cap is an extra piece of rubber inside the outsole at the toe area to increase the durability of the shoe. That type of shoe should also include a medial support inside the arch.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com

Playing surface Another factor to consider is the type of surface most often played on. Most will play on the basic hard court, which shoes are designed to be more durable and supportive. These shoes will wear out quickly, so the soles should be checked after each session for damage. For a soft court (grass/clay) the shoe should feature ridges much closer together, so that they will not get clogged and allow the player to grip the court adequately. Warming up Younger players tend to enter a match “cold turkey,” meaning that they do not warm up properly or do not warm up at all. All players should give themselves an adequate amount of time to warm up every single time they play. A popular exercise to do is an ankle roll, which involves rotating the foot in a clockwise and then counter-clockwise motion. Also, holding the foot inward, outward, toward the center of the body and away from the center of the body for 10 seconds each will increase ankle flexibility.


Prior injuries Should an injury occur, it is something that can nag a player for a long time, especially if that player chooses to return to play too quickly or ignores it all together. It should be taken very seriously, as an athlete who fails to allow an ankle injury to heal properly increases their risk for ankle instability. The key to recovering from the injury is initially resting the joint along with ice and elevation. As pain and swelling decrease, proprioception strengthening should be performed. Proprioception is the body’s ability to sense a joint’s position, analyze that information and react (consciously or unconsciously) to the stimulation with the proper movement. This requires millisecond muscle reaction which can be slowed by injury. Proprioception strengthening can improve muscle reaction times and can be performed by using a balance board and resistance bands. These programs have been show to prevent recurrence of ankle sprains by 50 percent to 75 percent and can be directed by a certified athletic trainer or a physical therapist. “A patient suffering from an ankle injury

“The key to recovering from the injury is initially resting the joint along with ice and elevation.” should not return to the court until each of these three things occur,” said Dr. Charles Ruotolo, founder and president of Total Orthopedics and Sports Medicine of Long Island. “First, the patient would need to regain full range of motion in the ankle with no pain present. Then, they need to be able to walk, jog and run with no trace of a limp. Lastly, they would have to reach their maximum speed running straight ahead and be able to change direction in all four different directions fluidly.” Patients with persistent pain lasting more than one or two weeks or with a recurrent injury should be evaluated by an orthopedist or sports medicine physician

to formulate a treatment regimen to return the athlete to sport and to prevent further injury. Dr. Charles Ruotolo is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon and the founder of Total Orthopedics and Sports Medicine with locations in Massapequa, East Meadow and the Bronx, N.Y. Dr. Ruotolo completed his orthopedic residency program at SUNY Stony Brook in 2000. After his residency, he underwent fellowship training in sports medicine and shoulder surgery at the prestigious Sports Clinic of Laguna Hills, Calif. He is also a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. As an Associate Master Instructor of Arthroscopy for the Arthroscopy Association of North America, Dr. Ruotolo actively teaches other orthopedic surgeons advanced arthroscopic skills in shoulder surgery. As an avid researcher he has also published multiple articles on shoulder injuries and shoulder surgery in the peer review journals of Arthroscopic Surgery and of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. For more information, visit www.totalorthosportsmed.com.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2015 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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HOW TO PLAY TENNIS

WITH YOUR CHILD l Throw balls. When you are on the same side, gently toss the ball ahead of your child, and let them chase the ball and hit it over the net. This way your child’s success rate will be high. When tossing balls from across the net, remember that their strike zone is extremely low.

By Tonny van de Pieterman Playing tennis with your youngster can be a very rewarding experience, or it can be frustrating for you both. I have seen many instances where a family enters the court next to me with the best of intentions. The proud father brought some extra balls and leads the way. A little munchkin with their own racquet is not far behind. They start on opposite sides of the net and the child is jumping for joy, but in a short period of time, the scenario changes. They cannot rally together (tennis is hard)! The ball bounces too high and frustration sets in. Dad is trying to help with his instructions and this frustrates the child even more. Soon, the child is stomping out of anger as dad just throws up his arms to the sky. The more I am involved with teaching the youngest of tennis players, the more I know I can help parents with this issue. And as a father of newborn Carter Johan van de Pieterman, I will practice what I preach very shortly and cannot wait!

l Role reversal. Let them teach you or show you how to do it! Children love this and parents can make it fun by being goofy in the process.

Here are three “Do’s” and one huge “Don’t” that should help:

Don’t l Do not offer too much advice (or any). Your child just wants to have fun with you and show off some of their skills. Being criticized is no fun for anyone!

Do’s l Start on the same side of the net and begin with racquet skills, such as balancing, tennis hockey or walking the dog. “Bump ups” or “street tennis” (without a net) are also a great way to have a basic back and forth with your child.

Tonny van de Pieterman is director of tennis at Point Set Indoor Racquet Club. He was recently named USTA Tennis Professional of the Year for the USTA/EasternLong Island Region and helped the Eastern Section win this year’s Talbert Cup. He may be reached by phone at (516) 536-2323 or e-mail tonny@pointsettennis.com.

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college tennis spotlight

MYTHBUSTERS Are Tournament Directors Too Disorganized or Do Parents of Tournament Players Expect Too Much?

By Ricky Becker In the last issue of Long Island Tennis Magazine, I tackled both sides of some issues in holding a junior tournament. I have been around tournaments for 30-plus years, as a player/coach, an organizer, and now bringing my kids to tournaments, I think I’m a pretty good judge of what is acceptable and what is not. According to my article in the March/April 2015 issue of Long Island Tennis Magazine: l Timely posting of tournament draws: Advantage Parents l Enforcing the code of conduct: Advantage Tournament Directors (and a silent majority of parents) l Changing the surface of an event after the deadline: Advantage Parents although by rule it’s actually advantage tour-

nament directors l Tournaments sites that continually run late: Advantage Parents l Lack of on-court monitor: Advantage Parents l Late-entry acceptance: Advantage Tournament Directors l Partiality of court monitors: Advantage Tournament Directors Many have asked me to discuss other topics in having a good tournament. Here we go! Tournament Director: Congratulations on winning the tournament ‌ here’s your trophy. Parents: Really!? What a small trophy! Of course, the victory is bigger than the size of the trophy, but trophies are a small expense for the director, compared to the

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com


happiness a child gets with a big trophy. It’s pretty amazing how $80 extra can substantially increase the size of the standard four trophies distributed. My rule of thumb is $7 per entry for an L1, $6 per entry for an L1B and $5 per entry for an L2. The kids love it and it’s really not that big of an expense. Tournaments would lose money giving big trophies for small draws, but a small trophy for more than eight kids cries out cheap! Advantage: Parents Tournament Director: We are sorry, but match time requests cannot be accommodated. Parents: Why can’t you accommodate my time request? It’s a small draw. There is often more than meets the eye with scheduling matches. The obvious issue is court availability. Another is that it is the tournament director’s obligation to have opponents play the same amount of matches in one day as often as possible. For example, a child who cannot play Friday night wants to play two matches Saturday instead. It’s not fair to the child’s opponent (who may win) to have to play their second match against an opponent who is playing their first match of the day. It’s also not fair to have a club incur the costs to stay open later than necessary to accommodate a player or to pay for an umpire for only one match. It is also hard to project a child’s first match time before the draw is made due to byes. As an aside, never complain the match times are too late and then ask for a later match time the following tournament at that location. That would mute any further requests ever at that location. Advantage: Tournament Directors Tournament Director: I’m sorry if your child was getting cheated on the score or didn’t know a rule. It is their responsibility to get court monitors and players should know the rules. Parents: There were no umpires around to help my child and he/she was getting taken advantage of. That’s not right.

This is a scenario where everyone should take some responsibility. As a tournament director, I hate hearing that the court monitor wasn’t on top of a controversial court, and I take responsibility for them not being aware. At the same time, as a parent/coach, if my child is forgetting or being cheated on a score or doesn’t know a rule, I tell them it is their job to get a linesman, know the rule and stand up! It is the coach/parent’s job to make sure they are on top of this stuff before they go on the court. There is no excuse however when a child asks for someone to watch the court and nobody is around. Advantage: Deuce Tournament Director: Sorry, there are no refunds for pulling out of the tournament after the entry deadline. Parents: Can I get a refund? The draw hasn’t been made yet and I realize that there is a conflict (or any other reason for pulling out). The USTA’s no-refund policy has been around forever. It’s not fair to the tournament site to have to go the trouble of cutting a refund check or re-working a draw that may have been made but not posted. It also touches the fact that someone may not want to face another player who signed up at the last minute. If refunds were given after the deadline, a lot more people would pull out. This is an easy one. Edge: Advantage Tournament Directors Tournament Director: We have to keep the lessons on the viewable courts. They are on those courts every week. Parents: It makes no sense to have the tournament on the back courts so that lessons can be viewed from the window. This doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, the tournament really deserves priority. There is no rule about spectator viewing but it is a courtesy that clubs have historically extended to participants and when it isn’t followed it really stands out. continued on page 44

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college tennis spotlight continued from page 43 Unfortunately, at one of the tournament sites that I run, the spectators are so close to the court curtains they often get involved and communicate with their player (and sometimes even the opponent) during the match. If there is ever not going to be viewing, it should be posted on the tournament home page before the deadline. Advantage: Parents Tournament Director: You can warm up with a coach/parent/other child before your match, but it would be a half-hour court rental. Parents: I paid my entry fee. Can’t we just jump on an empty court before the match? It’s completely up to the club which policy they want to implement for warming-up before matches. Some clubs give a 10-15 minute warm-up courtesy which is nice and some don’t. Most clubs will charge a court fee if you want to hit for a half-hour beforehand. It is not part of the entry fee, and if you decide to sneak onto the court (essentially stealing), don’t refuse to pay when the club asks you to. Advantage: Tournament Directors Tournament Director: We are sorry, but we will need to penalize you two games for being seven minutes late. Parents: Can you please give us a break? Our opponent was

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late last week at a different site and the tournament didn’t penalize any games. This is a tough spot for a person working the tournament because they really don’t want to penalize the child for being late. Directors also don’t want game penalties determining a match. The problem is when other tournaments make an exception and where another may not. It’s all about consistency implementing this rule. What if you make an exception and the child who was waiting was penalized the week before. I get annoyed when I hear that they made an exception somewhere else. The rules are the rules for a reason, and when they get implemented only part of the time, it’s bad for all the tournaments. A rule some people don’t know is that the clock for lateness starts after the match time passes and a court is available. Advantage: Tournament Directors Ricky Becker is the director of tennis at Pine Hollow Country Club and independently coaches high-performance juniors year-round. As a player, Becker was ranked number four in the United States in the 18-and-Unders and was awarded the Most Valuable Player for the 1996 NCAA Championship Stanford Tennis Team and the 1989-1992 Roslyn High School teams. He can be reached by email at rbecker06@yahoo.com, by phone at (516) 605-0420 or via JuniorTennisConsulting.com.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com


U.S. Open National Playoffs to Return for Sixth Season The U.S. Open National Playoffs will return later this summer for a sixth season, and this year’s tournaments will feature new competitions. Both men’s doubles and women’s doubles have been added to the field in addition to the men’s singles, women’s singles and mixed-doubles fields. The winners of the men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed-doubles tournaments will be granted wild cards into the 2015 U.S. Open main draw for their respective fields, while the men’s and women’s singles winners earn wild cards into the U.S. Open qualifying tournament. “The U.S. Open National Playoffs are all about connecting people to the U.S. Open,” said USTA Chairman of the Board, CEO and President Katrina Adams. “This year, by adding men’s and women’s doubles, the National Playoffs are giving competitors the chance to earn their way into the U.S. Open in every possible way. We

look forward to another year of great tennis and watching top juniors, collegiate, aspiring pros and weekend warriors compete for the chance to play on tennis’ grandest stage.” The National Playoffs begin with 14 different sectional qualifying tournaments, with the champions or top available finishers from each advancing to the U.S. Open National Playoffs Championship events. The Championships are held during the Connecticut Open, a tournament which is a part of the Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series, held at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale University. The sectional qualifying tournament for the Eastern Section will held from June 713 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. The men’s and women’s singles championships will be held from Aug. 21-24; the men’s and women’s doubles champi-

onships will be held from Aug. 25-28; the mixed-doubles championships will be held from Aug. 26-29. There were more than 1,200 participants at last year’s U.S. Open National Playoffs, the highest number of players in the playoffs’ history. Sanam Singh and Caitlin Whoriskey claimed the men’s and women’s singles titles, respectively, and then won their opening-round matches in the U.S. Open Qualifying Tournament. Jacqueline Cako & Joel Kielbowicz won the mixed-doubles title and played their first-round match at the U.S. Open in front of thousands of spectators on the Grandstand Court. Even celebrities have taken a shot at competing on tennis’ biggest stage. Past participants in the U.S. Open National Playoffs include LMFAO singer Redfoo, Olympic skier Bode Miller and ESPN’s Mike Greenberg, who teamed with six-time U.S. Open champion Chris Evert in mixed-doubles.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2015 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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From Smithtow Smithtown native Joseph Caracap By Rob Riehle From Tampa to Baltimore, Smithtown native Joseph Caracappa continues to prove you can take the player out of Long Island, but you cannot take the Long Island out of the player. Currently playing number two singles and number one doubles for Goucher College, with a record of 15-3 in doubles and 11-4 in singles as a freshman, Joseph has more than earned his spot on the team as an underclassman. Starting tennis at the ripe age of six after watching his father play, it was quickly evident that Joseph had talent. He began playing tournaments and realized playing competitively is what he wanted to do. Thus when he began his high school career, he and his family made the decision to give Joseph and his brother Vincent, also an aspiring tennis player, the best means to do so. They found Saddlebrook Preparatory School in Wesley Chapel, Fla. With a fully accredited school, worldwide competition, an exceptional training facility, and a reputation for

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producing great players, the Caracappas found their home for years to come. Joseph enrolled in the school his freshman year, which may seem intimidating having to make new friends which was no problem for Joseph. Going to school followed by four hours of training and an hour of conditioning daily, the program was demanding and Joseph adjusted quickly. Smithtown native Joseph Caracappa in action for Goucher Florida, having the elements College to train year-round, is renowned as being one of the top training areas players flock to in order to upon this disadvantage, creating a foundaimprove their game and conditioning. It was tion for his style. Utilizing his low center of clear the types of players were more diverse gravity for increased balance and developing and skilled than most other places. Not to an excellent touch, he was able to level the mention the Saddlebrook program itself playing field. “Joseph is a very talented player,” said bringing prospects from all over the world to contend with. Joseph, not being as tall as Sean McQuillan, director of the Saddlebrook most of his opponents, is where most com- Junior Tennis Program. “He’s got unbelievpetitors would start. However, Joseph built able hands and can drop shot players from

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com


wn to Success ppa making collegiate strides anywhere on the court.” Developing these skills enabled him to move into the top 10 players in the more competitive Saddlebrook program. Joseph applied himself off the court in the area of fitness training, so well that every coach in the academy took notice. He was so impressive that the coaches decided to create the “Coach’s Award,” granted to the most admirable student-athlete, and Joseph was first recipient of the honor in 2013. It is those qualities and skills which allowed him to receive a college scholarship. Since joining the team, Joseph has been recognized as the “Landmark Conference Athlete of the Week” on two occasions since last September.

“Joseph has proven to be one the better players through his dedication,” said Brendan Kincaid, coach of the Goucher Men’s Tennis team. “I’m excited to see where his tennis career will go.” Joseph Caracappa is an exemplary student-athlete, and his story is a perfect illustration of what can come when character meets dedication. Robert Riehle is a graduate of Saddlebrook Preparatory School and holds a bachelor of arts and science degree from Rollins College. He is currently Sport Logistics Manager for Saddlebrook International Sports and may be reached by e-mail at rriehle@saddlebrook.com.

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LONG ISLAND

COLLEGIATE ROUNDUP Stony Brook Women Win America East Title and Qualify for the NCAA Tourney

The Stony Brook’s Women’s Tennis team has been on a rollercoaster ride all season long, from earning their first national ranking in program history, to heading up to Vestal, N.Y. where they won their fourth straight America East title, cruising past Binghamton and Albany to once again qualify for the NCAA Tournament. “This never gets old,” Seawolves Head Coach Gary Glassman said. “This absolutely never gets old.” Despite losing second singles player Jackie AltanSarnai, the Seawolves managed to bring in more talent than they already had, playing their best season to date, earning their first ever national ranking. Freshmen Kristina Vozniak,Yana Nikolaeva and New Yorker Elizabeth Tsvetkov all contributed to the team’s effort, as the Seawolves only dropped three individual

matches throughout all of conference play. In the America East Championships, Stony Brook showed why they only lost one dual match on the year, playing their best tennis when it mattered most. Tsvetkov avenged a loss against Binghamton from their regular season matchup by defeating Annie Dimuro at number five singles in straight sets in the Seawolves’ 4-0 win over the Bearcats in the semifinals. Senior Polina Movchan cruised at number one singles, sophomore New Yorker Nadia Smergut knocked off her opponent at number three singles and Stony Brook took the doubles point to advance to the finals, where they would face the third-seeded Albany Great Danes. Tsvetkov, from Brooklyn, won again in the finals after clinching the overall match in the semifinals, helping the Seawolves take home the title in their 4-0 victory over Albany, in which the team took the doubles point, second singles, fourth singles and fifth singles. Movchan, who won her fourth America East title, took home the Most Outstanding Player Award for the tournament. “She’s really been the game changer for our program,” Glassman said. “What a career.” “I told the girls a month and a half ago, there’s something special about this team,” Glassman said. “I said, ‘you all have cre-

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No. 1 Stony Brook 4, No. 3 Albany 0 Doubles 1. Smergut & Badoche (SBU) def. Scott & Torres (UA) 8-4 2. Movchan & Nikolaeva (SBU) led Kukkonen & Sala (UA) 7-4 (DNF) 3. Vozniak & Tsvetkov (SBU) def. Hermans & Ognjenovic (UA) 8-3 Singles 1. Polina Movchan (SBU) led Dajana Ognjenovic (UA) 6-1, 5-3 (DNF) 2. Kristina Vozniak (SBU) def. Mireille Hermans (UA) 6-4, 6-0 3. Nadia Smergut (SBU) led Alba Sala (UA) 7-5, 4-2 (DNF) 4. Adey Osabuohien (SBU) def. Cheryl Kukkonen, (UA) 6-0, 6-1 5. Elizabeth Tsvetkov (SBU) def. Ana Glumac (UA) 6-0, 6-2 6. Paulina Torres (UA) led Louise Badoche (SBU) 6-0, 3-5 (DNF)

NYIT Men Capture Third Consecutive ECC Championship

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ated a culture,’ and that’s really what it is. It’s a culture, it’s a mentality, and that’s something that hopefully they’ll continue to pass along to the new kids that we have coming in.”

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com

The NYIT men’s tennis team defeated Queens College 6-0 in the East Coast Conference (ECC) title match, capturing its third consecutive ECC Championship. The Bears were led by ECC Player of the Year Julio Pulido, as the senior from Spain knocked off Queens’ Sharvill Nawghre 6-3, 6-0 in the first singles match. NYIT also got


LONG ISLAND

COLLEGIATE ROUNDUP huge contributions from its doubles tandems, who won all three doubles matchups. Pulido teamed up with Argentinean senior Tomas Lieb to pick up an 8-4 victory over the team of Nawghre & Gabriel Mendez at first doubles. The tightest match of the contest came at third doubles, as NYIT’s New Zealander David Jiang & Spain’s Nico Jubera edged Queens College’s Christopher Baron & Lucas Martinez 9-8(2). The Bears improve to 13-7 on the season, and advance to the NCAA tournament where they will be one of two regional hosts. The men join the women’s tennis team at NYIT as ECC champions. The Lady Bears won the conference back in October to garner the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The women’s team finished the regular season at 19-4 overall and are ranked 10th in the country. “I am very proud of the men, who worked very hard this season,” said NYIT Men’s Head Coach Jason Pasion. “It’s an amazing feeling to win a championship, and we’re all looking forward to the NCAA tournament.” LI’s Noah Rubin Wins ACC Freshman and Player of the Year Noah Rubin of the 11th-ranked Wake Forest men’s tennis team made history Monday morning in becoming the first student-athlete in Atlantic Coast Conference men’s tennis history to earn both ACC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Rubin is the first player to win ACC Player of the Year in program history and is the third Freshman of the Year honoree to

come out of Wake Forest, following in the footsteps of Derrick Spice in 2002 and Todd Paul in 2004. He was named ACC Player of the Week a conference-high four times during the regular season, including each of the final three weeks of the season leading into last week’s ACC Championships. In 22 matches during the spring season, Rubin posted a stellar record of 19-3 with 18 of those victories coming at number one singles. In conference play, the freshman from Long Island, posted a 10-1 mark with his only loss coming to Nicolas Alvarez of Duke, who was the number 11 player in the country at the time of the match. Even more impressive, Rubin posted a 13-3 mark against nationally-ranked players while posting wins over then-number one Sebastian Stiefelmeyer of Louisville, number 7 Ryan Shane of Virginia, thennumber nine Quentin Monaghan of Notre Dame and then-number 15 Brayden Schnur of North Carolina. Of those four top-15 players, Rubin posted straight-set wins against the three in the ITA Top 10 (Stiefelmeyer, Shane and Monaghan). When it mattered most in the ACC Championships, Rubin posted three straight-set wins over the likes of Hunter Harrington of Clemson, number 61 Christopher Eubanks of Georgia Tech and number seven Shane of Virginia.

Elbaba Earns All-ACC First Team Honors; Leads Virginia to ACC Championship

Virginia junior Julia Elbaba of Oyster Bay, N.Y. was named to the all-ACC First Team along with teammate Danielle Collins (St. Petersburg, Fla.). Elbaba earns her third AllACC honor, tying a school record held by Alison Cohen (1994-96) and Lindsey Hardenbergh (2010-12). Elbaba, who is ranked fifth in the latest ITA singles rankings, earns All-ACC honors for the third consecutive season after posting a 14-4 dual record and 10-3 mark in ACC action. Elbaba earned UVa’s first number one ranking earlier this season. The Oyster Bay native also helped the Cavaliers win its second consecutive ACC championship, defeating top-ranked North Carolina. She paired up with Skylar Morton to beat North Carolina’s Kendal Woodard and Paige Hourigan 8-4 to help Virginia clinch the doubles point in the title match.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2015 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Developing Before Winning By Jacopo Tezza ll sports have a common factor: Results. I have been coaching for

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several years now, and I have often dealt with parents who were extremely resultsoriented instead of development-oriented. The lack of results in their children caused a lot of drama in the family and pressure on both the player and the

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com

coach. So when is winning secondary in the sport of tennis? The early stages of a tennis player are extremely important for the player’s future achievements. Until the age of 14 and 15, the primary focus of the coach should be the development of the player. In my opinion, there are three main areas during this process that should take place. The first area involves technique. The player should have clean and sound strokes, along with proper footwork. This will help the player adjust in the future to a more physical, faster and intense game. A proper and clean technique often means less injuries, as sound swings allow more natural movements and less effort on the joints. The second important trait in developing a player focuses on the mental aspect of the game. As a coach, you want to make sure the young player keeps learning, and at the same time, enjoys what they do. You want to create a positive en-


vironment that thrives with a mixture of discipline and fun for the players. It is very important to instill work ethic and discipline into a young player’s routine, as this establishes the foundation for their dedication to the game. It is much easier to set the fundamentals for their work ethic at the early stages than later on. The third part of development takes place with the component of competition. When kids compete, we should not focus on the results, but more on the manner in which they compete. Do they give up when things get rough? Do they play overly passive or overly aggressive in the tight moments of the match? Do they learn from their losses? How well do they prepare before their matches? Do they implement what they work on in training sessions or do they revert to old habits? These are just some questions that are worth focusing on and working on if the responses are not positive. We often see a player performing very well in practice, only to underachieve in official matches. Teaching how to compete is

“When kids compete, we should not focus on the results, but more on the manner in which they compete.”

gender at the early ages. I am always pleased to work with coaches and parents who understand the natural process of developing a tennis player … parents who let the coach do their job without putting pressure on the kid. Tennis is not a science, but I have seen more players “falling out of love” with the game than becoming successful players when the priority was winning and not improving.

not an easy task, and it requires knowledge and patience. Competing is a natural skill. Great competitors are born, but I truly believe that anyone can work on it and improve upon it. I have often seen young players dominate the scene at just 12-years-old, but only a few years later, their game has stopped improving and their results are poor. Boys and girls differ slightly in their development, as girls tend to show their skills and results a little earlier than boys. The development process should take priority over winning, no matter the

Jacopo Tezza is currently the academy director at the Evert Academy and began coaching there in 2010. He graduated from Texas Christian University with a degree in International Communications, where the team reached a ranking of fifth in the country. He has been an assistant coach at both the University of Central Florida following a professional playing career. Originally from Verona, Italy, he was a top 30 player in Italy and was ranked as high as 1,003rd in the world. PTR- and-GPTCA certified, Tezza has worked with players such as Madison Keys, Lauren Davis, Olivia Rogwaska and Maria Sanchez.

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25th Annual Awards Dinner: A Quarter Century Celebrating Long Island’s Tennis Champions Congratulations to all the fabulous Long Island Region Award Winners! From the Desk of USTA Eastern Long Island Region President Daniel Burgess Dear Long Island Region members and friends: Welcome to the 25th Annual USTA Eastern Long Island Region Awards Dinner commemorative dinner journal! From it’s humble beginnings with 35 attendees at a luncheon in Bethpage in 1990, our Awards Dinner has grown into the largest such event throughout the USTA, today bringing upwards of 350 tennis players, fans and enthusiasts together to celebrate everything great about the sport. For two-and-a-half decades, we have been proud to set aside one special night to honor the Long Island tennis community: l From those who play tennis daily, weekly, seasonally or during vacations to the tireless volunteers who dedicate their time to growing the game … 52

l From the young kids starting out in 10 & Under tennis with green or orange balls and shorter nets to the 80- and 90-yearolds who continue to tear up the court with their aces and drop shots … l From our dedicated USTA League players who compete at Sectionals and Nationals, to our high school athletes who travel to Counties and States and who go on to play college tennis across the country … l And everyone in between. But appreciating and recognizing our tennis community is not a one-night event. Our Long Island Regional volunteers work hard day in and day out to celebrate tennis. Thank you to everyone for a hugely successful year of increasing participation on Long Island. On behalf of all the volunteers on the

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com


USTA Long Island Regional board of directors, I am pleased to report that, with your help, we have accomplished so much in 2014. Here’s a look back at some highlights: l Kids: The number of clubs fielding Junior Team Tennis programs has grown by leaps and bounds. In addition to its 12/14/16 junior tennis teams, Long Island fielded its first Red Ball and Green Dot Ball teams, with one team reaching the Eastern Sectional Playoffs. The Region also participated in the first Youth Tennis League on Long Island. Our All-Star LI Junior Tennis Team competed against Metro during the summer. We hosted more than 200 children at our annual LI Kids’ Day in July, co-sponsored by National Junior Tennis & Learning and Baldwin Tennis Club. Working with members of the Inwood Country Club, the Inwood Charities Fund Inc. and members of the Baldwin and Lynbrook High School Girls Varsity Tennis Teams, we held the first Kid’s Tennis Festival in August, a charity event that brought 300 children, parents and volunteers to the courts. Two dozen of our best 10- to 14-year-olds trained in the USTA’s LI Competitive Training Centers program, which includes fitness, strategy, drills and match play. Numerous Play Days took place across the Region at many member clubs, introducing newcomers to the sport in a fun and engaging way. l High school and college: More than 40 student athletes committed to play tennis in Division I, II, III or other programs for the Fall 2014 semester. In June, we hosted the first USTA LI College-Bound Tennis Players Send-Off event to recognize their achievements and wish them luck on campus. Students were treated to a buffet dinner, LI Region sweatshirts and remarks from former DI tennis player Cory Parr on what to expect when playing college tennis. In November, Long Islanders were crowned champions in both singles and doubles at the NY State Public High School Athletic Association Girls’ Tennis Championships. We were proud to give each girl and boy participating in States a sweatshirt commemorating their achievements. Long Island’s own Noah Rubin, a freshman at Wake Forest University, took home the gold at Junior Wimbledon… The Nassau Community College Men’s Tennis Team claimed the 2014 NJCAA Division III National Championship.

& Under tennis to several fairs, festivals and events including the Merrick Street Fair, Bellmore Family Festival, Lido Beach Family Festival by the Sea, Robbie’s Run, Girl Scouts Walk-a-Thon and Freeport PAL Kids Day. Several high school teams and member clubs held fundraisers during the year for causes including breast cancer research, autism awareness and feeding the hungry, among others. For the second year in a row, girls high school teams across Nassau County wore pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. With the assistance of Sportime’s John McEnroe Tennis Academy, we held the first-ever tennis clinic at the Riker’s Island Correctional Center Juvenile Jail, bringing tennis to incarcerated teenagers. Looking ahead into the new (tennis) year, we are working hard to coordinate many new events and programs while continuing to support existing activities. Look for the 2nd Annual College-Bound Tennis Event for graduating high school seniors, LI Kids Days in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties over the summer, and another event at Riker’s Island. We will also continue to support your efforts by providing grants for tennis programming, supplying volunteers for events and helping to promote and market your activities through our Web site, our social media presence and our quarterly digital newsletter, “On the Ball: News From LI.” Thank you to everyone who attended our dinner, bought raffle tickets, participated in the silent auction and more. Your financial support will help the Junior Tennis Foundation (JTF) to achieve its goals. The JTF, a non-profit organization, raises funds for junior tennis and for tennis for special populations within the Eastern Section. Since its inception in 1979, the JTF has given over $1 million in grants to worthy programs and in scholarships to junior players. Congratulations to tonight’s award winners! Each of you has accomplished something special, be it on the court or behind the scenes. Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm. Special thanks to the USTA Eastern Section for its continuing support and to all the volunteers on the USTA LI Regional Board of Directors for your dedication. Of course my thanks would not be complete without acknowledging the heart and soul of our Annual Awards Dinner, our Events Planner Marian Morris, and her hard-working committee. Keep the last ball in play,

l USTA Leagues: Six of our Regional USTA League teams won their division titles at Eastern Sectionals and competed at their National Championships… League players enjoyed our Second Annual League Appreciation weekend at a resort in upstate New York. l Community action: Our dedicated volunteers brought 10

Daniel Burgess, President USTA Eastern Long Island Region

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25th Annual Awards Dinner: A Quarter Century Celebrating Long Island’s Tennis Champions

USTA Eastern Long Island 25th Annual Honorees Prestigious Awards Hy Zausner Lifetime Achievement Award: Tom Jaklitsch

Vitas Gerulaitis for the Love of Tennis Award: Howie Arons

Private Club of the Year: Inwood Country Club Special Service Award: Laurie Winkler 10 & Under Award: Heather Corriel Innovative Tennis Program of the Year: Mike Curry Community Service Award: Girls Inc. of Long Island (Suffolk County) & Brittany Hayes (Nassau County) Good Samaritan Award: Shane Helfner (Suffolk County) & Lynbrook HS Girls Tennis Team, Coach Shari Glickman-Bowes (Nassau County) Press Service Award: LI Herald Newspapers, Tony Bellissimo, Sports Editor, & Scott Brinton, Merrick Editor USTA After School Tennis Program: Chuck Russell

Special Recognition 50 Years Commitment to the Roosevelt Community: Emily Moore, Alliance Junior Tennis

USTA League Awards Birdie Tarulli League Captain Award: Jamie Stickney Blane Magee League Captain Award: Kenneth Luba Arthur Ashe Multicultural Award: Nancy Finno

Charles Karp Memorial Award for Overcoming Adversity: Nate Melnyck and Nadine & Dean Jacoby

Annual Awards Tennis Professional of the Year: Tina Buschi Anuj Agarwal Sportsmanship Award: Jesse Levitin Jennifer Sherry Sportsmanship Award: Ellen Huhulea Madeline Zausner Junior Tournament Director: Rich Rottkamp Junior Team Tennis: Robbie Wagner Tournament Training Rose Buck Scalamandre Participating Family: Hannity Family Tennis Family of the Year: Ali Family Adult Volunteer of the Year: Jackie Clark Junior Volunteer of the Year: Matt Holweger Outdoor Site of the Year: Town of Huntington Parks & Recreation, Jack Fass, Recreation Supervisor (Suffolk County) & Engineer’s Country Club, Emilie Katz, Head Pro (Nassau County) Tennis Club of the Year: Eastern Athletic Club Melville/Dix Hills 54

Teams Participating in National Championships 18+ Women’s 4.0: Sportime Kings Park, Team Sumo Citrus: Captains Michelle Stoerback & Diann Starcke 18+ Mixed-Doubles 8.0: Long Beach Tennis Center, Team Camacho, Captain Andrew Camacho 18+ Mixed-Doubles 7.0: Christopher Morley Tennis, Captain Darlene Sotomayor 18+ Women’s 3.0: Eastern Athletic Club Blue Point, Captain Jennifer Suh-McCormack 55+ Women’s 7.0: Point Set Racquet Club, Captain Ann McGrath

2014 High School Champions Nassau County Boy’s Singles Champion: Ben Rosen (Port Washington) Nassau County Boy’s Doubles Champions: Conor Mullins & J.P. Paris (Cold Spring Harbor) Suffolk County Boy’s Singles: Zain Ali (Half Hollows Hills East) Suffolk County Boy’s Doubles: Dylan Davis & Duane Davis (Half Hollow Hills West) Nassau County Girls Singles Champion: Taylor Cosme (Herricks) New York State & Nassau County Girls Doubles Champions: Celeste Matute & Courtney Kowalsky (Oyster Bay) New York State Girls Singles Champion: Ester Chikvashvili (Half Hollow Hills East) Suffolk County Girls Singles: Courtney Provan (Half Hollow Hills West)

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com


25th Annual Awards Dinner: A Quarter Century Celebrating Long Island’s Tennis Champions

Suffolk County Girls Doubles: Vanessa Scott & Stephanie Chikvashvili (Half Hollow Hills East) Nassau County Coach of the Year: Kate Moran (Valley Stream North) Suffolk County Coach of the Year: Dave Pia (William Floyd)

Eastern Section Adult Rankings Men’s Open Singles: Eric Bratt, Jack Eichler Women’s Open Singles: Joan Manfredi-Carter, Nicole Kielan Men’s 25 Singles: Jack Eichler, Russell Johns Men’s 30 Singles: Russell Johns Men’s 35 Singles: David Fischbach, Adrian Chirici Men’s 40 Singles: Daniel Montes De Oca, Adrian Chirici Men’s 45 Singles: Adrian Chirici, Jonathan Klein Men’s 50 Singles: John Hakanson, David Fischbach Women’s 50 Singles: Eileen Walker Men’s 55 Singles: John Titcomb, Mark Johns Men’s 60 Singles: Steven Brill, Jack Eskenazi Women’s 60 Singles: Lydia Eitel Men’s 65 Singles: Frank Ackley, Alan Chaskin Men’s 70 Singles: Raymond Rahbari, Robert McKenna Women’s 70 Singles: Peggy Gluck Men’s Open Doubles: Cory Seltman, Michael Nelson, Kyle Gower, Faran Nazir Women’s Open Doubles: Maritoni Carlos, Susan Bacey, Tatiana Illova, Nicole Kielan Men’s 35 Doubles: Craig Schwartz, Jeffery Snow, Todd Ehren Men’s 40 Doubles: Jay Harris Men’s 45 Doubles: Jeffery Snow, Todd Ehren Men’s 55 Doubles: Adam Rosen, Whitney Kraft Men’s 60 Doubles: James Brady, Richie Bustamante

Eastern Section Junior Awards Boy’s 10s: Ty Nisenson, Peter Anastasakis Girl’s 10s: Madison Smith, Hailey Stoerback Boy’s 12s: Billy Suarez, Sunjay Sharma Girl’s 12s: Rachel Arbitman, Maryam Ahmad Boy’s 14s: Daniel Pellerito, Cannon Kingsley Girl’s 14s: Merri Kelly, Jacqueline Buzkin Boy’s 16s: Athell Patrick Bennett, Yuval Solomon Girl’s 16s: Taylor Cosme, Jasmine Abidi Boy’s 18s: Lubomir Cuba, Josh Silverstein Girl’s 18s: Madison Battaglia, Alexa Graham

Long Island Junior Awards Boy’s 12s: Peter Anastasakis, Alex Vinsky Girl’s 12s: Anna Malin, Alexis Huber Boy’s 14s: Josh Gelfond, Griffin Schlesinger Girl’s 14s: Jill Lawrence, Kaitlyn Schwartz Boy’s 16s: Marco Ammirati, Matthew Levine Girl’s 16s: Alexandra Waldman, Elinor Simek Boy’s 18s: Christopher McGorty Girl’s 18s: Rebecca Stern

NTRP Rankings Men’s 3.0 Singles: Richard Mercante Women’s 3.0 Singles: Jessie Sarkis Men’s 3.5 Singles: Andrew Camacho, Andrey Zelenskii Women’s 3.5 Singles: Giada Goti, Fran Breckon Men’s 4.0 Singles: Thomas Gross, Brian Connor Women’s 3.0 Doubles: Annemarie Mahoney, Fran Breckon, Jessie Sarkis, Diane Meyers Men’s 3.5 Doubles: Thomas Mavroudis, Anthony Cristi, RD Ferman Women’s 3.5 Doubles: Lisa Landau, Christine Cornelious, Mara Mazza, Cristina Leek Men’s 4.0 Doubles: Zachary Conlon, Michael McNicholas, Kline Sack Women’s 4.0 Doubles: Karen Levine, Jane Marie Burke, Lucille Defina, Nicole Slater Mixed-Open Doubles: Simona Weymar, Hleb Maslau, Jonathan Klee, Katie Figgie

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25th Annual Awards Dinner: A Quarter Century Celebrating Long Island’s Tennis Champions

USTA Long Island Region Board of Directors

Executive Board Daniel Burgess ..........President, Ten & Under Junior Team Tennis Chair Mike Pavlides ............First Vice President, Web Site Manager, Scholastic Representative Chair/Nassau Scott Axler ................Past President, Boys Ranking Chair, Junior Competition Sunny Fishkind ..........Second Vice President, Public Parks Advocate, Facebook Manager Craig Fligstein............Secretary/Treasurer Regional Board Steve Abbondondelo..Junior Team Tennis Chair Jacki Binder ..............Public Relations Chair, Web Site Manager Jay Binder ................Legal Counsel Bob Coburn ..............Marketing Chair Martin DeVito ............Strategic Planning & Development Chair Robert Fernandez ......Hispanic Community Development Chair Terry Fontana ............Community Tennis Association, and National Junior Tennis & Learning Chair Steve Haar ................PTR Liaison Herb Harris ................Volunteer Chair, Grant Committee Chair Anneleis Karp ............President Emeritus Jonathan Klee............League Liaison/League Appeals & Inquiries Eileen Leonard ..........Competition Training Chair Kathy Miller................USTA Leagues Coordinator Emily Moore ..............Diversity and Inclusion Chair Marian Morris ............Events Planner, Awards Dinner Chair Melanie Rubin............Nassau County Community Development Chair Clark D. Ruiz II ..........Nassau County Delegate Akiko Tohmatsu ........Suffolk County Delegate Randi Wilkins ............Suffolk County Community Development Chair Ed Wolfarth................Member at Large-Membership, Grievance Committee Chair, USPTA Liaison 56

Happening on Long Island We hope you will join us at some or all of these great upcoming events. For more information on these events or any others, please visit www.longisland.usta.com. You can also keep current on happenings in the Region by subscribing to our quarterly digital newsletter, “On the Ball: News From LI.” Just send an email to ustaonlongisland@gmail.com with the subject line “Newsletter.” May l Saturday, May 2: AED/CPR Training Certification Class at Long Beach Tennis Center, Freeport Schools 6th Annual Wellness Fair l Saturday-Sunday, May 2-3: Junior Team Tennis Regional Competition at Robbie Wagner’s Tournament Training Center l Saturday-Sunday, May 9-10: Boys Nassau High School Counties at Eisenhower Park l Saturday-Sunday, May 16-17: Nassau County Green Dot Ball Playoffs l Saturday-Monday, May 23-25: Hampton Estates Tennis Classic l Thursday-Saturday, May 28-30: Boys High School New York State Tournament l Dates to be determined: Love on Long Island “Try Tennis for Free” Events at Eisenhower Park and Suffolk County Community College June l Saturday, June 13: Green Dot Ball Sectional Championships August l Saturday, August 1: LI High School Team Tennis Day Also during the summer l Date to be determined: Second Annual College Bound Send-Off l Dates to be determined: Annual LI Kids’ Day Events in Nassau (Inwood Country Club) and Suffolk Fall 2015 l Dates to be determined: Merrick Festival l Dates to be determined: Bellmore Family Street Fair l Date to be determined: Lido Beach Family Festival by the Sea

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com


25th Annual Awards Dinner: A Quarter Century Celebrating Long Island’s Tennis Champions

CONGRATULATIONS to All Award Winners from The USTA Eastern Long Island Region’s 25th Annual Awards Dinner

Engineers County Club is honored to receive the Nassau County Outdoor Site of the Year Award. We are looking forward to our best summer ever in 2015!

Congratulations Howie Arons for winning the Vitas Gerulaitis for the Love of Tennis Award. Your dedication to junior development & HS tennis has been a staple of our tennis community for 40+ years. We appreciate all that you do! Sincerely, Great Neck Estates Tennis Center

Congratulations to JESSE LEVITIN for receiving the Anuj Agarwal Sportsmanship Award. We are very proud of you for your achievements on and off the tennis court. Levitin Family

Zain Ali Congratulations on your success at the Suffolk County Championships, States and School. We are proud of you and believe you can do anything. Good Luck in all your future goals Love Mom, Dad and Danish

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25th Annual Awards Dinner: A Quarter Century Celebrating Long Island’s Tennis Champions

CONGRATULATIONS to All Award Winners from The USTA Eastern Long Island Region’s 25th Annual Awards Dinner

Congratulations to Tom Jaklitsch for winning the Hy Zausner Lifetime Achievement Award. Thank you for your dedication to the sport of tennis. Sincerely, World Gym Setauket

Congratulations to the Hannity Family on winning the Rose Buck Scalamandre Participating Family Award

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MAGAZINE

Sportime and The John McEnroe Tennis Academy would like to congratulate our award winning players on their accomplishments both on and off court Conor Mullins Courtney Kowalsky Ester Chikvashvili Stephanie Chikvashvili Billy Suarez Sunjay Sharma

Danny Pellerito Cannon Kingsley Merri Kelly Athell Patrick Bennett Lubomir Cuba Madison Battaglia

Point Set would like to congratulate Ty Nisenson on being awarded Long Island’s #1 ranked player in the Eastern Section for the Boy’s 10’s Division.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com


25th Annual Awards Dinner: A Quarter Century Celebrating Long Island’s Tennis Champions

CONGRATULATIONS to All Award Winners from The USTA Eastern Long Island Region’s 25th Annual Awards Dinner

litennis Long Island Tennis Magazine

MAGAZINE

Long Island Tennis Magazine would like to recognize Howie Arons & Jackie Clark for their commitment to the local tennis community. The awards they were given were both well deserved.

nytennis New York Tennis Magazine

Point Set would like to congratulate our 55 & Over 3.5 Senior Team Captained by Ann McGrath on their Sectional Championship and for their participation at the National Championship in Arizona.

CONGRATULATIONS JACKIE CLARK Metro Board President -andLong Island Adult Volunteer of the Year We are so proud! -The USTA Metro Board

MAGAZINE

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25th Annual Awards Dinner: A Quarter Century Celebrating Long Island’s Tennis Champions

CONGRATULATIONS to All Award Winners from The USTA Eastern Long Island Region’s 25th Annual Awards Dinner

litennis Long Island Tennis Magazine

MAGAZINE

Congratulations to all the winners! See you on the courts soon! Sincerely, Long Island Tennis Magazine

Congratulations to our amazing Staff Members, Adult Players and Juniors! Thank you for your hard work, competitive nature and unwavering dedication to the game of tennis. -Your SPORTIME and the John McEnroe Tennis Academy family

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Looking and Playing Like an Ace on the Court By Luke Jensen ow is the time to take your tennis from low gear to high gear and it’s ALL about first-class stuff that can make all the difference in your tennis experience. I have always believed in rule number one of tennis … looking good! Rule number two, making sure your league match is catered in a way that the other team is jealous! As we start to look into new tennis gear, there has never been a better time in the sport for racquet technology and performance wear. Tennis racquets and strings have driven the game from the wood racquet, where performance was limiting what players could do with shots, to today where manufacturers design technology that accounts for how the game is played. The performance game is about spin … massive amounts of spin, and there are racquets that enhance that type of play. When you demo a new racquet frame, make sure it feels best with your best shots. These are certain shots that come through for you, and your racquet needs to enhance your confidence. Performance strings can add to that trend and deliver heavy topspin. Even if you are not a player who relies on heavy topspin, the accuracy that can be attained with these new strings gives all levels of player a better hit on the ball. Think of the strings like the tires on

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your car. The air pressure in a car tire, much like the tension of a racquet string, is vital for a performance shot. New tires grip the road better and new strings grip the ball better. A good rule is to re-string your racquet per year, the number of times you play per week. This will be an expense that is worth it if high performance is part of your tennis mindset. Now let’s talk about shoes. There are so many endless options. Combine the fashion statement you are looking for, with an eye on high comfort and performance. If you are playing a combination of clay and hard court tennis, I highly recommend spending the extra dollar and buying a hard court and a clay court shoe. If you wear one pair for both, take a look at the bottom of your shoes right now. I’m sure they are worn down and have a worn down tread. That means when you play on clay, there is no traction. Let’s go back to the tires for your car. You need a snow tire for more traction in slippery winter conditions. That is the same for any level of player when you play on clay or grass courts. Hard court shoes should be durable so you may sacrifice in the feather light department, but the wear and tear of a hard surface on your shoes will save your feet from heat blisters. My favorite part of the gear game is the outfit. How far do you want to go to find your shine? In my career, the look was a major part of the fun! My brother and I wore football jerseys and soccer jerseys during our pro matches. At one point, we had a joint promotion with Car-

toon Network and wore Scooby Doo on our game gear! Today’s gear is more advanced to not just look awesome, but help improve your performance. The attire today is made of ultra-light fabrics that can keep you in the game longer instead of weighing you down in the heat of a match. Tennis gear, from racquets to shoes, is something that all players should evaluate and demo all the time. Ask your teaching professional and pro shop specialist to find the right fit for you. I am a big believer in spending a little more on a better product that will perform better. You can research great deals online and in your pro shop on previous models that are still top of the line quality, but on sale to make room for the latest craze. Until next time … keep going for ACES! Born in Grayling, Mich., Luke 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.

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Keys to the Perfect Pre-Game Routine By Dr. Tom Ferraro f you’re at all serious about playing tennis to your fullest potential, then you must … I repeat … you must, come to each match with the proper mental set. And the proper mindset is not anxiety, self-doubt or dread. If you do feel self-doubt or a lack of confidence prior to your matches, you are reading the right article. Any competitive player has gone through his or her share of losing. Losing will eventually produce emotional scars which include anxiety, dread and loss of confidence and usually the player and coach are clue-

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less as to what to actually do about all this. That little 30 second pep talk you get prior to stepping on the court will not do the trick. So let’s spend some time talking about how to develop the right pre-game routine in order to create calmness, confidence and the belief that you will win. The pre-game routine must start three days before the tournament. It must consist of physical, mental and emotional preparation: Physical pre-game prep The goal of your physical preparation is to rest and recover from all your training. Your goal is not to get stronger or get more fit. You goal is to rest and recover so that you

begin to store energy for the match. You may not know this, but thoroughbred horses will only be walked around the shed row for the three days before a race. Many players get so keyed up and anxious before big matches that they go to the gym to work out in order to relieve themselves from anxiety. But all that does is result in fatigue which is not helpful to good tennis. So rest, nap and get to sleep early for the three days before big matches. During training, athletes need nine hours of sleep each night to fully recover from workouts. Dietary preparation Nutritionist Irina Belfer-Lehat told me that the best dietary advice for the three days leading

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up to an event is to load up on water and have complex carbohydrates like pasta and potatoes the day before the event in order to have access to more energy. Another helpful hint she gave was to have only sips of sport drink during the match and small bites of oranges, apples or bananas. Mental pre-game prep It is crucial to develop and rehearse a strategy for playing your match. This ought to be developed with the help of your coach and might include ideas like hitting to the baseline, playing aggressively, playing to the opponents weakness, or staying relaxed after a lost point. I called famed tennis coach Butch Seewagen who suggested, “I would always formulate a game plan, rehearse it mentally for the days leading up to the match and then stick with it during play.” Another mental mindset is to not worry about the match that is coming up. You can spend some time rehearsing strategy but make sure that for the three days prior to the big match you use your downtime to go to the movies, hang with friends and

“During training, athletes need nine hours of sleep each night to fully recover from workouts.” generally distract yourself with pleasant and relaxing diversions. Emotional pre-game prep The proper emotional attitude is to be calm, relaxed, focused and with a belief that you are a talented player. Self-doubt, anxiety and low confidence emerge in most players over time because of inevitable losses. To counteract this you need to determine the best performance of your career and recall how you felt, who you played, how you closed out the match, how you focused, who was on your side, and what your level of confidence felt like. Your job is to reacquaint yourself with this memory and to internalize it during the three days prior to the match. We want you to imagine how you actually walked at that moment of triumph and to rehearse that manner of walking between shots in an effort to maintain and re-

inforce this belief in yourself. You can also put this attitude and sense of confidence to music which you may want to listen to over the three days and even on the way to the match. Many professional athletes use music coupled with positive self-imagery and positive self-esteem imagery as a way of entering the zone and remaining there throughout the match. If you follow the physical, mental and emotional preparation and allow yourself to embrace confidence, you will have established a solid pre-game routine which will help you play better competitive tennis. For consultations, treatment or on-site visits, contact Dr. Tom Ferraro Ph.D., sport psychologist, by phone at (516) 248-7189, e-mail drtferraro@aol.com or visit www.drtomferraro.com.

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The Simple Task of Taking Responsibility By Lonnie Mitchel looked at one of the women’s tennis players on my college squad recently as she just broke several school records for wins by a

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woman, a record that had been held for 16 years. I thought to myself, “How does this happen?” How does a young woman with aspirations to simply succeed achieve her goals on the tennis court and in the classroom effectively with all academic honors? I looked at one of my male players who

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graduated last year and spent his time in college playing every match, never missing a practice, while going undefeated at home. He followed that up graduating with an outstanding portfolio of top notch academic success. How does that happen when both of these players figured out the skill of time management, placing such emphasis on the privilege of playing collegiate tennis and achieving such high academic success? Why would these young men and women want to play tennis, work hard, train and then go even harder at the academics? I think it is a simple answer, but a more difficult action. The feeling you get when you work hard at something and put your heart and soul into an endeavor and then achieve success is an unmatched state of euphoria. As a coach, I always talk about being laserfocused and to take responsibility for everything you can control. The best way to determine a favorable outcome is to put every statistical chance of success in your corner, even though in life, there are no guarantees. If you wanted to be successful on the


tennis court and have had only limited accomplishments, here is what you need to do. Take more responsibility! What does it really mean to take responsibility? Say you are the type of player that practices often and believes that you are going to improve if you practice a lot. There is truth to that, but only up to a certain point. “Insanity,” as defined by Albert Einstein is “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” You practice your forehand and backhand repeatedly. Practicing these skills is great because you are reinforcing your muscle memory to remember to hit groundstrokes consistently well. However, you are not happy with the outcome. You need to change and take on the responsibility and accept Einstein’s definition of insanity. You are making mental mistakes, such as losing focus and treating yourself badly on the tennis court after a failed shot attempt that you know you should make. Don’t you think it might be in your best interest to get some help and focus on the mental aspect of the game? Yet, you will sign up and take lessons and work on your strokes to insure that you are hitting the same strokes perfectly, while at the same time, are reinforcing the same things you are doing, but not addressing the real problem. Plain and simple … go see a sports psychologist and focus on what really needs to be fixed. If your volleys are short and weak and you are getting passed often, the answer may seem simple in that you should prac-

tice your volley’s more. It makes sense and you will have to do some of that work for sure. However, you can become better at volleying if you look at the building block of the point construction, such as the approach shot being better and more penetrable, you may not be as challenged when at the net and your volley’s become easier. Taking responsibility goes far beyond fixing certain strokes. It involves a complete look at the components of the shot and everything leading up to it. Another example is when you make too many unforced errors off your forehand. You might look at the forehand stroke itself or maybe your footwork and whole approach to the forehand has to be examined. Are you off balance? Is your point of contact off? Are you lifting your head and not watching the ball long enough? If you want to fix it, then take full responsibility, not partial responsibility, but whole responsibility and force a dissection of the problem. Practicing the same way is not going to solve the problem by Einstein’s definition that would be insanity. How many of you would really approach the problem in the manners I describe? Accepting responsibility is that of a person who empties his glass to effectively open themselves and their mind to the unobvious solution. Now, back to the college team … taking responsibility also involves emulating highly successful people. If your fellow tennis players are getting it done on the tennis

court and in the classroom, I am willing to bet that you are not embracing those same habits. Mediocre people do not like overachievers and overachievers do not like those who are mediocre. Mediocre people tend to be jealous of those who are overachievers because they want acceptance in the club of mediocrity. An overachiever on the tennis court and in life takes responsibility for their actions and cares little about the mediocre individual. The people I described at the beginning of the article are overachievers in that they spend more time in the gym, more time on the tennis court practicing with a laser-focus strategy on their tennis ailments to gain optimal performance. They spend the extra time studying and simply outwork the others to attain and exceed the goals and the results show. This sounds simple in that the work you put in is directly correlated to what you get out of it. In other words, taking control and accepting and taking responsibility. So you want to know the answer on how to improve? Accept responsibility and take the responsibility first and do it. Yes, it can all be that simple! Lonnie Mitchel is head men’s and women’s tennis coach at SUNY Oneonta. Lonnie was named an assistant coach to Team USA for the 2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel for the Grand Master Tennis Division. Lonnie may be reached by phone at (516) 414-7202 or email lonniemitchel@yahoo.com.

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tips from the tennis pro Play High Percentage and Patterned Tennis By Lisa Dodson ennis is a game that is played by pattern. Strokes are patterned and so are points. It’ s very organized and orderly, so we should experience very few random moments. We construct strokes and techniques to correspond with point of contact and we construct points for high percentage play. This could be very interesting news to you and news that can be a gamechanger. When thinking about point construction, one major problem exists: We think we have a lot of choices when it comes to where we want to hit a ball. In actuality, there is always one “best” choice, which is

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called a high percentage shot. Everything after that becomes more difficult, and therefore, less likely to succeed and is called a low percentage shot. Unfortunately, players don’t really know what that high percentage shot is, so they keep trying to hit a shot that is ultimately likely to fail. Random shots end points that could be played out longer and more effectively. When considering strokes and technique, we also wrongly think we have options about how we will get our ball to a certain location. Simply stated, we make up new ways to hit the ball out of convenience instead of staying within the guidelines that our stroke technique dictates. Staying with your technique and striving to gain good position to the ball is the name of the game. There is nothing more important than a

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com

consistent and clear point of contact. Let’s think specifically about combining high percentage serve technique and high percentage serve location. Technique always comes first. With technique comes the ability to vary spin, speed and direction. You can only successfully, consistently and effectively hit a ball to a location with solid technique. You cannot do one without the other. Think of the service motion as this: The arm and racket move in an identical, pre-determined path every time. The ball toss is then placed so that it sits still in the way of the racket head’s path. That’s a pretty simple concept. An easy comparison is a train on a windy track. There is a penny sitting on the track a little way off. The train will hit the penny every time because its movement is always the same and the penny is sitting,


waiting to be hit by the accelerated force. Remember, when developing a patterned and efficient service motion you must use a Continental Grip. Your hand placement on the racket dictates how the wrist, elbow and shoulder can move. If the hand is in the wrong place, your joints will not be able to move the way they are intended to. Anything less than using a Continental Grip is just not good enough. The same technique for the motion is used each time you serve. Variations in serve come from changes in grip and ball toss location. In this way, the hand, wrist and forearm can act differently when sending the racket face to the contact point, while still using the same technique leading up to the hit. A patterned service motion will give you the following benefits: l Simplicity in developing a variety of serves (flat, slice, kick) by simply moving ball toss location with a corresponding grip change l Confidence to swing the same speed (or harder) on a second serve as the first l Improvement in serve percentage

“When you discover the power of the high percentage shot, you will have a better understanding of patterned play.” l Stress reduction when under pressure l Consistency and placement for first and second serves l More free points and weak returns l Power generated from being relaxed and letting the racket head go (racket head speed) l Understanding that the looser you are, the better you will serve If you have a patterned motion that gives you all of the benefits above, we can see how this directly translates into success in landing the ball where you want. It won’t take much convincing to get you on board. Here is one example of what works and what does not work: This works: A slice serve wide to the deuce court playing singles. A right-handed player’s slice always curves from right to left. In order to hit a

slice, you must have a Continental Grip and toss the ball slightly further to the right. When playing singles and serving from the deuce court, you can use this type of serve to swing your opponent off the court to their right. Since the ball is curving on the flight, it will cross closer to the center strap than to the higher outside of the net. The spin slows the ball down, giving more margin for error. The target zone for landing is a long distance out of bounds. In a nutshell, this is a serve that crosses a low part of the net, curves away from the opponent, travels a long distance to the boundary and has spin that gives margin over the net. That’s all extremely positive and makes the slice a high percentage choice for where you want your ball to land. continued on page 68

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tips from the tennis pro continued from page 67 A final perk: Hit the same serve to the T on the add side. Now you have one serve for two locations. This does not work: the same serve attempt will not work well with a flat grip (forehand grip). No serve works well with a flat grip, so I suggest that you never use it. Serving with a flat grip inhibits the natural movement of the joints and creates a ball traveling on a straight line. Aiming out wide takes the ball over a high part of the net to a short distance to out of bounds. This flat serve also travels faster, so you’ll spend a lot of time hitting the net top or hitting too far wide. This makes it a very low percentage shot for where you want your ball to land. This information goes for every shot in the game of tennis. For groundstrokes, cross-court is the high

percentage shot because you are hitting the longest distance to out of bounds and over the lowest part of the net. Down the line is a more difficult shot for a number of reasons, but the main concern is that you are hitting over the high part of the net to a shorter distance to out of bounds. Hitting topspin will raise the percentage, because it gives more net clearance than a flat ball. Volleys hit with underspin are higher percentage than flat or topspin volleys. Underspin gives control of speed, spin and direction. You can hit an effective underspin volley from anywhere on the court, whether you are on the move or more still. You can hit speed, angles, touch and depth. You can also have a high rate of success receiving all types of balls: Flat, topspin, underspin, hard, soft, etc. Flat, hard volleys fail unless you are very close to the net so they can be used only in certain situations. Like a flat serve, I suggest never hitting a flat volley. Topspin vol-

leys should be chosen carefully. For any decent rate of success, players need to be receiving a floating ball inside of the service line and at shoulder height. When you discover the power of the high percentage shot, you will have a better understanding of patterned play. If a shot is high percentage, why wouldn’t we choose to do it over and over? Well, the best players play this way. Watch a professional match and you’ll see, for example, patterns of multiple cross-court balls before one of the players takes a bigger risk by changing direction of the ball. It happens over and over again. As we strive to improve our techniques, we will begin to play high percentage tennis. When we make fewer impulsive choices and play by pattern, amazing things happen on our tennis court. Lisa Dodson is owner of Servemaster at The Total Serve, a USPTA Elite Pro, a formerly world ranked player and radio show host. She may be reached by e-mail at lisa@thetotalserve.com or visitwww.thetotalserve.com.

Inwood Country Club 2015 USTA - Eastern LI Private Club of the Year invites you to enjoy great tennis at a very affordable introductory rate. Tennis, Golf, and Beach Memberships available. • 10 Har Tru courts • All levels of play from 2.5 to 5.0 • Weekly clinics for women and children • Tennis traveling teams • Seasonal beach parties and club dinners • Fully equipped Fitness Center • Classically elegant Clubhouse • Historic U.S. Open golf course • David Brent USTA - Eastern LI Tennis Professional of the year 2014 For details contact Heidi Chriest, Membership Director 516-239-2800 x. 186 or membership@inwoodcc.org. Web site: www.inwoodcc.org.

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charitable initiatives Supporters raise breast cancer awareness at Carefree’s Rally for the Cure Event Credit photos to Brian Coleman

Carefree Racquet Club in Merrick recently hosted a Rally for the Cure event, where a number of ladies came out for a day of round-robin doubles tennis and to support a great cause. Rally for the Cure is a grassroots program that works to educate women about breast cancer and remind them to get their annual screening through or-

ganized golf, tennis and social events. “I think it’s an awesome event for a terrific charity,” said participant Fran Foreman Harelick. Each participant was able to play in a round-robin doubles tournament for two hours before settling in for lunch. “I loved being invited for a great day of tennis,” said Nadine Jacoby, who played in

the event. “My points may have been down but the cause was definitely up! I had a great time.” All proceeds will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Prizes were given out and a goody bag full of important breast health information and other Rally for the Cure items was given to each of the participants.

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Tennis Nutrition for the High School Player By Irina Belfer-Lehat RD, CDN igh school tennis players work hard both on and off the court, and often forget about proper hydration and nutrition during tennis season. Tennis involves intense physical activity. Nobody can predict when a match will finish until the final point is won. The best way to prepare to play tennis is to load up and hydrate ahead of time. For example, always drink extra fluids and include an extra serving of complex car-

H

bohydrates in your diet the night before. I also recommend my clients to always have snacks with them and eat them at least one hour before the match. Some sensible snacks include an orange, banana, apple, pretzels, a baked potato, or half of a bagel with peanut butter. It is equally important to reload properly after a match. One liter of water and a balanced meal consisting of four to five ounces of lean protein, one cup of complex carbohydrates, and one serving of fruit and vegetables will help you restore your body and prepare you for your next match. For an individual meal plan, it’s always

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best to contact a registered dietitian who will calculate your caloric- and fluid-specific needs. Irina Belfer-Lehat of Nutrition Solutions PC in Great Neck, N.Y. is a New York State-licensed dietitian and certified dietitian-nutritionist. Irina Lehat RD Nutrition Solutions offers group classes starting in September, for kids in kindergarten through high school. Small groups, affordable prices! Mention this article and receive 20 percent off any services. For more information, call (917) 769-8031, email irinalehat@gmail.com or visit www.irinalehat.com.

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Success in a Tournament Does Not Come “A la Carte” By Carl Barnett Strokes Most tennis careers start with a lesson of forehands, backhands, volleys, grips and a few serves. The first thing a teaching pro sees is hand-eye coordination, athletic ability, and for me, if the child has the ability to learn. How does the child listen and learn? Are they quiet, paying close attention to the subject or do they change the subject to themselves? Delivering the beginning stages of strokes is directly connected to the willingness of the student to be a learner and push through this tedium to get to the playing level. As strokes improve, they move to cross-courts and other drills. This is similar to the music student’s transition from notes to scales.

Tactics Tactics are where children’s better physical attributes and strokes meet competition and strategy. Each of the attributes build upon each other to get to strategy. Though strokes and practice in conjunction with fitness one builds competence. When tested in competition, this brings one to the dawn of strategy. Without this the base of the development the competitor has an incomplete foundation which will crumble against well developed and tested competition. Frequency of play Frequency of play and frequency of competition are variably intertwined. Players at the highest levels will be playing five or six days each week. They should have a plan for competitions four to six weeks in advance with breaks for rest and work on one’s game. Rest on a daily basis is very important. They are still growing. Lack of rest can also have a detrimental effect on focus. The level of play should find success equal to your invested time. If you have lost 90 percent of your matches, you are playing at the wrong level. If you are winning more than 75 percent of your matches, you should consider moving up. If you are just winning or losing, you are at the wrong level and can learn more at a higher or lower level depending upon your situation.

Practice Is the child and parent willing to move to a practice group in addition to their lesson? When the student says they don’t like group lesson and would rather have another private lesson, this is the beginning of selective learning. Alarm! What parent would arrange a second weekly music lesson for a child who won’t practice? Training should start when lessons begin and parents should insist if you want to play you must train. Strength, flexibility, quickness, stamina, balance and focus are all benefits of training. The student who trains from the be- Parental influence ginning learns faster. Why would you want Parental influence can be either elevating or your child to compete without developing these attributes? Match play Match play is a no brainer. These are all necessities in the development of a successful tournament player. If your child isn’t screaming for match play, they won’t be prepared for tournament play technically, physically or emotionally. Technically, you find where improvements are needed under pressure, physically you test your fitness in a way you cannot in the training room and emotionally you only begin to scratch the surface of the stress dealt with in tournaments. The real cool cucumber will never get enough match play and conversely the child who says, ”I’m okay” and doesn’t want match play will not be prepared for the stress of tournament play.

deflating. The word to avoid is “too.” Parental stress can be greater than competitive stress. I have always felt the key is not to let a child feel competitive outcomes are more important to you than the child. Listen carefully to the child and you will get all the information you need regarding being too pushy or too detached. Time and dedication Lastly one must be at peace with the time investment. Competitors need to be singleminded, focused and in charge of their preparation. At the same time, you don’t want to breed entitlement. A parent told me recently “He takes up all my time now, but I will get my life back when he’s in college.” Children and parents who have followed this outline have been overachievers. Those who have been selective participants have not found the same success. These are necessities and not options. When you exclude selectively you diminish not only your foundation, but your ability to transition at the higher levels. If you are planning on playing in college you will have to do these things. Think of it as training for your brightest future. Carl Barnett started the Early Hit Training Center over 10 years ago. He has coached countless ranked pre-college tennis players. He may be reached by phone at (516) 455-1225 or email at earlyhit@optonline.net.

2013 ETA Recipient “Innovative Tennis Program of the Year” LI’s first Tennis Academy devoted to the USTA’s 10 & under Initiative. Butch Seewagen is a former varsity coach at Columbia University. He holds over 15 national and international titles and is the owner/program director of the Children’s Athletic Training Schools.

For Boys and Girls 3 – 10 years old.

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nd Area’s Upcoming Tennis Events • Long Island Area’s Upcoming Tennis Events • Long Island A MAY 2015 Saturday-Sunday, May 9-10 Nassau County Individual Singles and Doubles Tournament The Nassau County High School Boys Individual Singles and Doubles Tournament will be played Saturday-Sunday, May 9-10 at Oceanside High School. In the event of a rain out, the makeup dates are May 16-20.

Saturday, May 16 & Monday, May 18 Suffolk County Sectional Individual Tournament The Suffolk County Sectional Individual tournament will be played at William Floyd High School, located at 240 Mastic Beach Road in Mastic Beach, N.Y., on Saturday, May 16 and Monday, May 18. The tournament will begin on May 16 at 9:00 a.m. and on May 18 at 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 16 The Long Island Tennis Challenge The Long Island Tennis Challenge, presented by Long Island Tennis Magazine, will be held Saturday, May 16 from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. at Engineer's Country Club, located at 55 Glenwood Road in Roslyn, N.Y. For more information, e-mail info@usptennis.com.

Thursday, May 21 18th Annual “Say Yes to Tennis, No to Violence” Event For the 18th consecutive year, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown will hold his "Say Yes to Tennis, No to Violence" event on Thursday, May 21 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

Saturday, May 16 30th Annual CityParks Foundation Lacoste Junior Tennis Academy Tryouts The Lacoste Junior Tennis Academy returns for its 30th season this summer, and will hold tryouts for the Academy on Saturday, May 16 from 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. For more information, visit www.cityparksfoundation.org.

Tuesday, May 27 Suffolk County Boys Varsity Tennis Awards Dinner The Suffolk County Boys Varsity Awards Dinner will be held Tuesday, May 27 at Villa Lombardi’s, located at 877 Main Street in Holbrook, N.Y. Thursday-Saturday, May 28-30 2015 New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Singles and Doubles Championships The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Singles and Doubles Championships will run from Thursday-Saturday, May

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Area’s Upcoming Tennis Events • Long Island Area’s Upcoming Tennis Events • Long Island Area 28-30 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. For more information, visit www.nysphsaa.org. Sunday, May 31 Sportime World Tour at Sportime Roslyn The fourth installment of the Sportime World Tour will take place Sunday, May 31 at Sportime Roslyn, located at 1 Landing Road in Roslyn, N.Y. The international theme for this event will be Paris, just in time for the start of the French Open. For more information, visit www.sportimeny.com/roslyn. JUNE 2015 Thursday-Sunday, June 4-7 15th Annual Jana Hunsaker Memorial ITF Wheelchair Tournament The 15th Annual Jana Hunsaker Memorial ITF Wheelchair Tournament will be held Thursday-Sunday, June 4-7 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. For more information, visit www.usta.com. Saturday, June 6 3rd Annual “Ace It for Syd” Tennis Tournament The 3rd Annual “Ace It for Syd” Tennis Tournament will be held Saturday, June 6 at Oceanside High School, located at 3160 Skillman Avenue in Oceanside, N.Y. For more information, visit sydnejacoby.com.

Sunday-Saturday, June 7-13 2015 U.S. Open USTA Eastern Sectional Qualifying Tournament The USTA Eastern Qualifying Tournament for the 2015 U.S. Open will be held from June 7 through June 13 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. For more information, visit www.usopen.org/National_Playoffs/Eastern. Sunday, June 14 Long Island Tennis Magazine Presents KidsFest Long Island Tennis Magazine presents KidsFest on Sunday, June 14 from 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. at Engineer’s Country Club, located at 55 Glenwood Road in Roslyn, N.Y. For more information, e-mail info@usptennis.com or call (516) 782-9868. Thursday, June 25 2015 U.S. Open Ballperson Tryouts The U.S. Open will hold its ballperson tryouts Thursday, June 25 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. For more information, visit www.usopen.org.

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LONG

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charitable initiatives Fifth Annual Rally for Hope Fundraiser nets $13,000-plus

The Rally for Hope Tennis fundraiser was a big hit. More than 50 players and spectators came out to Eastern Athletic Club in Blue Point to support Hope House Ministries. In its fifth year, the event has raised over $13,500. “I am honored and grateful to all of the 74

tennis players that come out each year to support our work at Hope House Ministries” said Father Frank, founder and director of Hope House Ministries. Thank you to Port Jefferson Sports, Long Island Tennis Magazine and Eastern Athletic Club for supporting and sponsoring the event.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com

Congratulations to the doubles tournament winners: l Men’s Doubles: Kenny Chou & Chris Wang l Mixed-Doubles: Caitlyn & Hank Winnicki l Women’s Doubles: Diane Creenan & Kathy Rey


LONG Boys & Girls Long Island Rankings (as of 04/14/15)

BOYS Long Island Boys 12 Singles Rank Name ......................................City 1 ......Peter Anastasakis................East Norwich, N.Y. 2 ......Zachary David Gruber ........Port Washington, N.Y. 3 ......Alex Eli Vinsky......................Westbury, N.Y. 4 ......Dylan D’agate ......................Melville, N.Y. 5 ......Brandon Lee ........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 6 ......Ryan Shayani ......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 7 ......Justin Shen ..........................Glen Head, N.Y. 8 ......Joseph Perry Boyle ............Setauket, N.Y. 9 ......Peter Albert Bukary ............Jericho, N.Y. 10 ....Bilal Rashidzada..................Dix Hills, N.Y. 11 ....Azim Gangat........................Syosset, N.Y. 12 ....Jeremy Levine......................Woodbury, N.Y. 13 ....Matthew Kronenberg ..........East Setauket, N.Y. 14 ....Amani Siddiqui ....................West Babylon, N.Y. 15 ....Rushikesh Patel ..................Albertson, N.Y. 16 ....Sujay Alluri ..........................Old Westbury, N.Y. 17 ....Kyle Zhou ............................Commack, N.Y. 18 ....Ian Kaish ..............................Northport, N.Y. 19 ....Cameron Levchuck ............Greenlawn, N.Y. 20 ....Matthew Strogach ..............Commack, N.Y. 21 ....Joshua Elenowitz ................Syosset, N.Y. 22 ....Joseph Monticciolo ............Coram, N.Y. 23 ....Max Daniel Safir ..................Old Westbury, N.Y. 24 ....Samuel Perlman ..................Great Neck, N.Y. 25 ....Brandon Lin ........................Great Neck, N.Y. 26 ....Alejandro Pablo Perez ........Selden, N.Y. 27 ....Pius Lo ................................Massapequa, N.Y. 28 ....Adam Lammers ..................Central Islip, N.Y. 29 ....Matthew Leonard Zeifman Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 30 ....Dion Park ............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 31 ....Taylor Brooks Thomas ........Water Mill, N.Y. 32 ....Evan Joseph Rupolo ..........East Patchogue, N.Y. 33 ....Andrew Thaler......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 34 ....Gavin Park ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 35 ....Michael Han ........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 36 ....Blake Brown ........................Glen Head, N.Y. 37 ....Dylan Siegman ....................Melville, N.Y. 38 ....Vincent Sze..........................Port Washington, N.Y. 39 ....Lucas Leston ......................Island Park, N.Y. 40 ....Charlie DiPaolo....................Sag Harbor, N.Y.

Long Island Boys 14 Singles Rank Name ......................................City 1 ......Avi Anand ............................Dix Hills, N.Y. 2 ......Josh Gelfond ......................Port Jefferson, N.Y. 3 ......Griffin Schlesinger ..............Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 4 ......Aaron Marcos Vinsky ..........Westbury, N.Y. 5 ......Zachary David Gruber ........Port Washington, N.Y. 6 ......Brandon Lee ........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 7 ......Adrian Kristofer Tsui ............Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 8 ......Amani Siddiqui ....................West Babylon, N.Y. 9 ......Samir Singh ........................Syosset, N.Y. 10 ....Zachary Emmanuel Stern ..Dix Hills, N.Y. 11 ....Varun Gaddam Reddy ........Glen Head, N.Y. 12 ....Anthony Casale ..................Old Bethpage, N.Y. 13 ....Evan Brady ..........................Glen Head, N.Y. 14 ....Ruskikesh Patel ..................Albertson, N.Y. 15 ....Zachary Chan ......................Woodbury, N.Y. 16 ....Alexander Benanti ..............East Setauket, N.Y. 17 ....Valentine LeGoupil-Maier....Oceanside, N.Y. 18 ....Jai Madisetty........................Dix Hills, N.Y.

ISLAND

19 ....Sol Yoon ..............................Commack, N.Y. 20 ....Andrew Marc Nakhjavan ....Dix Hills, N.Y. 21 ....Azim Gangat........................Syosset, N.Y. 22 ....Alex Eli Vinsky......................Westbury, N.Y. 23 ....Aryan Kumar Sethi ..............Dix Hills, N.Y. 24 ....Nicholas Mark Newell ........Huntington Station, N.Y. 25 ....Martin Charles Racanelli ....West Islip, N.Y. 26 ....Danny Tocco........................East Quogue, N.Y. 27 ....Evan Kirsh............................Roslyn, N.Y. 28 ....Alex Childs ..........................East Setauket, N.Y. 29 ....Richard Martin Racanelli ....West Islip, N.Y. 30 ....Alexander Rzehak ..............Centerport, N.Y. 31 ....Timothy Lewis Chiu ............Holtsville, N.Y. 32 ....Jacob Buchbinder ..............Roslyn, N.Y. 33 ....Luke Karniewich..................Glen Head, N.Y. 34 ....Bradford J. Lin ....................Great Neck, N.Y. 35 ....Richard James Kelly............Manhasset, N.Y. 36 ....Kyle Ress-Liere....................Yaphank, N.Y. 37 ....Dion Park ............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 38 ....Michael Wexler ....................Old Westbury, N.Y. 39 ....David Ammendola ..............Massapequa, N.Y. 40 ....Brandon Zhu........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

Long Island Boys 16 Singles Rank Name ......................................City 1 ......Marco Ammirati ..................Halesite, N.Y. 2 ......Matthew G. Levine ..............Dix Hills, N.Y. 3 ......Luke Sandoval ....................Garden City, N.Y. 4 ......Avi Anand ............................Dix Hills, N.Y. 5 ......Timothy Serignese ..............Port Washington, N.Y. 6 ......Varun Gaddam Reddy ........Glen Head, N.Y. 7 ......Samir Singh ........................Syosset, N.Y. 8 ......Alexander Hazarian ............Garden City, N.Y. 9 ......Matthew T. Roberts ............Setauket, N.Y. 10 ....Matthew Musalo..................Massapequa Park, N.Y. 11 ....Alex B. Fried ........................Plainview, N.Y. 12 ....Shane Darius Terry ..............Southampton, N.Y. 13 ....Adrian Kristofer Tsui ............Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 14 ....Jonathan E. Brill ..................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 15 ....Evan Kirsh............................Roslyn, N.Y. 16 ....Matthew Ramsay ................Bay Shore, N.Y. 17 ....Ian Mitchell Capell ..............Woodbury, N.Y. 18 ....Preet Rajpal..........................Syosset, N.Y. 19 ....Nicholas M. Sica..................Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 20 ....Valentine Le Goupil-Maier ..Oceanside, N.Y. 21 ....Justin Ullman ......................Huntington Station, N.Y. 22 ....Andrew Marc Nakhjavan ....Dix Hills, N.Y. 23 ....Jai Madisetty........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 24 ....James Kyrkanides ..............East Setauket, N.Y. 25 ....Christopher Kokkinos ........Manhasset, N.Y. 26 ....Evan Hirsch..........................Old Westbury, N.Y. 27 ....Justin Alec Blicht ................Woodbury, N.Y. 28 ....James P. Ryan ....................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 29 ....Jagger Gillman ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 30 ....Hunter M. Pomerantz..........Old Westbury, N.Y. 31 ....Curran Varma ......................Manhasset, N.Y. 32 ....Chase Greenberg ................Roslyn, N.Y. 33 ....Nicholas Mark Newell ........Huntington Station, N.Y. 34 ....Jake William Buckley ..........Sound Beach, N.Y. 35 ....Yash Samantaray ................Syosset, N.Y. 37 ....Andrew Thomas Wood ......Garden City, N.Y. 38 ....Martin Charles Racanelli ....West Islip, N.Y. 39 ....Luke Torel Karniewich ........Glen Head, N.Y. 40 ....Rohan Mathur......................Dix Hills, N.Y.

Long Island Boys 18 Singles Rank Name ......................................City 1 ......Christopher McGorty ..........Bellmore, N.Y. 2 ......Benjamin Doron ..................Hewlett, N.Y. 3 ......James George Blatchly ......Locust Valley, N.Y. 4 ......Mitchell Reid Berger............Lake Grove, N.Y.

RANKINGS

5 ......Kyle Hudson Gower............Oceanside, N.Y. 6 ......Samuel R. Yuen ..................Selden, N.Y. 7 ......Nicholas Gajda ....................Smithtown, N.Y. 8 ......Simon Adler ........................Roslyn, N.Y. 9 ......Faran Nazir ..........................Deer Park, N.Y. 10 ....Roberto Sangirardi ..............Lynbrook, N.Y. 11 ....Jordan Diamond..................Mt. Sinai, N.Y. 12 ....George Kaslow....................Port Washington, N.Y. 13 ....Justin Matthew Scuderi ......Smithtown, N.Y. 14 ....Jonathan Gruberg ..............Setauket, N.Y. 15 ....Elias D. Tsalatsanis..............Smithtown, N.Y. 16 ....Tyler Ancona ........................East Setauket, N.Y.

GIRLS Long Island Girls 12 Singles Rank Name ......................................City 1 ......Alexis Madison Huber ........Melville, N.Y. 2 ......Sadhana Sridhar..................Stony Brook, N.Y. 3 ......Jade Eggleston....................Stony Brook, N.Y. 4 ......Emily Tannenbaum..............Commack, N.Y. 5 ......Rose B. Hayes ....................East Moriches, N.Y. 6 ......Anna Vanessa Malin............Oceanside, N.Y. 7 ......Sydney Simmons ................East Northport, N.Y. 8 ......Olivia N. Fermo....................Smithtown, N.Y. 9 ......Ines Roti ..............................Locust Valley, N.Y. 10 ....Daniella Victoria Paikin........Valley Stream, N.Y. 11 ....Olivia Zhang ........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 12 ....Sophia Elizabeth Schutte....Great Neck, N.Y. 13 ....Isabella Sha..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 14 ....Ariana Pursoo ......................Westbury, N.Y. 15 ....Bianca Rose Lorich ............Southampton, N.Y. 16 ....Sarah Gunasekera ..............Mount Sinai, N.Y. 17 ....Madelyn Kay Germano ......Islip, N.Y. 18 ....Remi Berlent ........................Huntington, N.Y. 19 ....Skylor Wong ........................Mount Sinai, N.Y. 20 ....Nicole Kyrkanides................East Setauket, N.Y. 21 ....Ella Griffiths..........................East Hampton, N.Y. 22 ....Nicolette Loeffler..................Syosset, N.Y. 23 ....Vivian Wu ............................Old Westbury, N.Y. 24 ....Janelle Chen ........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 25 ....Ava Thunder Scordo ..........Glen Head, N.Y. 26 ....Skylar Blake Semon............Melville, N.Y. 27 ....Kaitlyn Gerstin ....................Hewlett, N.Y. 28 ....Andrea Irta Brazyte..............Ronkonkoma, N.Y. 29 ....Ida Nicole Poulos ................Manhasset, N.Y. 30 ....Jessica Wang ......................Albertson, N.Y. 31 ....Anna J. Martorella ..............Wantagh, N.Y. 32 ....Bianca Banilivi ....................Great Neck, N.Y. 33 ....Emily Moran ........................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 34 ....Michaela Liz Ben-Sorek......Great Neck, N.Y. 35 ....Kiera Agic ............................Miller Place, N.Y. 36 ....Gabriela Glickstein ..............Commack, N.Y. 37 ....Sofia Maurina Discipio ........Woodmere, N.Y. 38 ....Kady Tannenbaum ..............Commack, N.Y. 39 ....Jolie Nemshin ......................Syosset, N.Y. 40 ....Christasha McNeil ..............Massapequa, N.Y.

Long Island Girls 14 Singles Rank Name ......................................City 1 ......Alexis Madison Huber ........Melville, N.Y. 2 ......Jade Eggleston....................Stony Brook, N.Y. 3 ......Julia Kielan ..........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 4 ......Janae Fouche......................Freeport, N.Y. 5 ......Daniella Victoria Paikin........Valley Stream, N.Y. 6 ......Ashley Yu ............................Great Neck, N.Y. 7 ......Lauren Hutton......................Huntington, N.Y. 8 ......Jade Fixon-Owoo................Lynbrook, N.Y. 9 ......Elena Gabriela Hull..............Locust Valley, N.Y. 10 ....Kaitlyn Schwarz ..................Oceanside, N.Y. 11 ....Gina LaRusso ......................Melville, N.Y.

12 ....Sofia Rose Anzalone ..........Center Moriches, N.Y. 13 ....Jillian Rebecca Shulder ......Setauket, N.Y. 14 ....Ivanna Nikolic ......................Glen Head, N.Y. 15 ....Julia Gentile ........................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 16 ....Grace Isabel Riviezzo..........Syosset, N.Y. 17 ....Kristen D. Cassidy ..............Wantagh, N.Y. 18 ....Natalia Caroline Krol............Greenvale, N.Y. 19 ....Jill Olga Lawrence ..............Hauppague, N.Y. 20 ....Olivia Zhang ........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 21 ....Sofia Walzer ........................Port Washington, N.Y. 22 ....Bryn Schlussler....................Bay Shore, N.Y. 23 ....Hannah Rose Niggemeier ..Sayville, N.Y. 24 ....Alexa Villez ..........................West Sayville, N.Y. 25 ....Riley Elizabeth Katzman ....Halesite, N.Y. 26 ....Olivia Anne Nakhjavan ........Dix Hills, N.Y. 27 ....Emma Rae Matz..................Commack, N.Y. 28 ....Soraya Koblence ................Jericho, N.Y. 29 ....Cecilia H. Scheuer ..............Southampton, N.Y. 30 ....Denise Lai ............................Setauket, N.Y. 31 ....Jean Woon ..........................Commack, N.Y. 32 ....Rose B. Hayes ....................East Moriches, N.Y. 33 ....Sarah Gunasekera ..............Mount Sinai, N.Y. 34 ....Lauren Ann Bishop..............Woodbury, N.Y. 35 ....Andrea Irta Brazyte..............Ronkonkoma, N.Y. 36 ....Emily Moran ........................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 37 ....Julia Amelie Raziel ..............Melville, N.Y. 38 ....Andrianna Kaimis ................Commack, N.Y. 39 ....Madelyn Kay Germano ......Islip, N.Y. 40 ....Madeline Sarah Richmond Syosset, N.Y.

Long Island Girls 16 Singles Rank Name ......................................City 1 ......Alexandra Grace Waldman East Hampton, N.Y. 2 ......Elena Artemis Vlamakis ......Garden City, N.Y. 3 ......Hannah Vimod Abraham ....Syosset, N.Y. 4 ......Nicole Kielan........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 5 ......Julia Kielan ..........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 6 ......Kaitlyn Byrnes......................Massapequa, N.Y. 7 ......Elinor Simek ........................Glen Head, N.Y. 8 ......Janae Fouche......................Freeport, N.Y. 9 ......Samantha Lena Galu ..........Jericho, N.Y. 10 ....Christina Lorraine Jud ........Glen Head, N.Y. 11 ....Jill Olga Lawrence ..............Hauppauge, N.Y. 12 ....Montaine LeGoupil-Maier ..Oceanside, N.Y. 13 ....Gina LaRusso ......................Melville, N.Y. 14 ....Eleni Markopoulos ..............Seaford, N.Y. 15 ....Jillian Rebecca Shulder ......Setauket, N.Y. 16 ....Elizabeth Leigh Dwyer ........Cutchogue, N.Y. 17 ....Morgan A. Wilkins ..............Huntington, N.Y. 18 ....Bryn N Schlussler................Bay Shore, N.Y. 19 ....Natalia Caroline Krol............Greenvale, N.Y. 20 ....Ariana Lynn Fixon-Owoo ....Lynbrook, N.Y. 21 ....Carly Menker ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 22 ....Emily Davidow ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 23 ....Madelyn Kay Germano ......Islip, N.Y. 24 ....Andrianna Kaimis ................Commack, N.Y. 25 ....Kaitlyn Schwarz ..................Oceanside, N.Y. 26 ....Andrea Irta Brazyte..............Ronkonkoma, N.Y. 27 ....Morgan Voulo ......................East Setauket, N.Y. 28 ....Madeline Lane ....................Port Washington, N.Y. 29 ....Riley Elizabeth Katzman ....Halesite, N.Y. 30 ....Rachel Bernstein ................Plainview, N.Y. 31 ....Emily R. Victorson ..............Northport, N.Y. 32 ....Amy Schlussler....................Bay Shore, N.Y. 33 ....Fallon Berger........................Syosset, N.Y. 34 ....Jennifer Rose Cox ..............West Islip, N.Y.

Long Island Girls 18 Singles Rank Name ......................................City 1 ......Grace Graham ....................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 2 ......Claudia Ruiz ........................Glen Head, N.Y.

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LONG 3 ......Larissa Danovitch................Sagaponack, N.Y. 4 ......Eleni Markopoulos ..............Seaford, N.Y. 5 ......Ellen Huhulea ......................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 6 ......Rebecca Elizabeth Stern ....Dix Hills, N.Y. 7 ......Victoria Evelyn Villalba ........Oyster Bay, N.Y.

Boys & Girls Sectional Rankings (as of 04/23/15)

BOYS Sectional Boys 12 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 4 ......Isaac Smith ..........................Glen Cove, N.Y. 5 ......Sam Reichbach ..................Syosset, N.Y. 7 ......Logan Paik Chang ..............Old Westbury, N.Y. 15 ....Aman K. Sharma ................Glen Head, N.Y. 22 ....Alexander Karman ..............Port Washington, N.Y. 42 ....Peter Anastasakis................East Norwich, N.Y. 52 ....Alex Eli Vinsky......................Westbury, N.Y. 56 ....Ian Schunk ..........................Westhampton Beach, N.Y. 61 ....Mark Ryan Taranov ............Valley Stream, N.Y. 64 ....Michael Weitz ......................Roslyn, N.Y. 77 ....George Scribner Bader ......Water Mill, N.Y. 86 ....Max Daniel Safir ..................Old Westbury, N.Y. 88 ....Joseph Perry Boyle ............Setauket, N.Y. 94 ....Jared M Phillips ..................Plainview, N.Y. 98 ....Michael Hayden Singer ......Greenlawn, N.Y. 104 ..Ty Nisenson ........................Port Washington, N.Y. 106 ..Anthony Casale ..................Old Bethpage, N.Y. 108 ..Brandon J. Lin ....................Great Neck, N.Y. 113 ..Joseph Monticciolo ............Coram, N.Y. 115 ..Arin Siriamonthep................Greenvale, N.Y. 123 ..Ryan E. Shayani ..................Old Westbury, N.Y. 129 ..Dylan D’Agate......................Melville, N.Y. 132 ..Justin Y. Shen ......................Glen Head, N.Y. 136 ..Sohrob Yavari ......................Syosset, N.Y. 139 ..Evan Joseph Rupolo ..........East Patchogue, N.Y. 141 ..Matthew Kronenberg ..........East Setauket, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 14 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 1 ......Spencer Brachman ............Commack, N.Y. 2 ......Cannon Kingsley ................Northport, N.Y. 3 ......Daniel Eric Pellerito..............Syosset, N.Y. 4 ......Ronald Hohmann ................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 10 ....Neel Raj................................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 27 ....Michael Medvedev..............Oceanside, N.Y. 30 ....Abinhav Srivastava..............Melville, N.Y. 32 ....Billy G. Suarez ....................Huntington, N.Y. 34 ....Kabir Rajpal..........................Syosset, N.Y. 35 ....Logan Paik Chang ..............Old Westbury, N.Y. 37 ....Karan Amin ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 39 ....Sujay Sharma ......................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 40 ....David Raphael Weiner ........Glen Head, N.Y. 51 ....Jack Flores ..........................Huntington, N.Y. 63 ....Niles Ghaffar ........................Massapequa, N.Y. 78 ....Sam Reichbach ..................Syosset, N.Y. 80 ....Maxwell Moadel ..................Brookville, N.Y. 90 ....Adrian Krisofer Tsui ............Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 95 ....Valentine Le Goupil-Maier ..Oceanside, N.Y. 98 ....Evan Brady ..........................Glen Head, N.Y. 99 ....Benjamin Reichbach ..........Syosset, N.Y. 100 ..Luke Karniewich..................Glen Head, N.Y. 101 ..Avi Anand ............................Dix Hills, N.Y. 109 ..Jack Louchheim..................Sagaponack, N.Y. 116 ..Lazar Ivan Markovic ............Lattingtown, N.Y. 120 ..Rohan Gaddam Reddy ......Glen Head, N.Y. 134 ..Aman K. Sharma ................Glen Head, N.Y.

76

ISLAND

135 ..Richard James Kelly............Manhasset, N.Y. 139 ..Alexander Karman ..............Port Washington, N.Y. 143 ..Sol Yoon ..............................Commack, N.Y. 145 ..Josh Gelfond ......................Port Jefferson, N.Y. 148 ..Aaron Marcos Vinsky ..........Westbury, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 16 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 4 ......Ryan Goetz ..........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 11 ....Athell Patrick Bennett..........Valley Stream, N.Y. 13 ....Yuval Solomon ....................Plainview, N.Y. 16 ....Sean Mullins ........................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 17 ....Daniel Eric Pellerito..............Syosset, N.Y. 22 ....Sean Patrick ........................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 24 ....Colin Francis Sacco ............Brightwaters, N.Y. 28 ....Alan Delman ........................Great Neck, N.Y. 33 ....Daniel Shleimovich..............Syosset, N.Y. 39 ....Kyle Hudson Gower............Oceanside, N.Y. 40 ....Cannon Kingsley ................Northport, N.Y. 43 ....Pete Siozios ........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 44 ....Rajan Vohra..........................Glen Head, N.Y. 45 ....Patrick Maloney ..................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 47 ....Mark Julian Baker................North Baldwin, N.Y. 48 ....Daniel Weitz ........................Roslyn, N.Y. 54 ....Michael Medvedev..............Albertson, N.Y. 59 ....Keegan James Morris ........Franklin Square, N.Y. 64 ....Athanasios Bilis ..................East Hampton, N.Y. 65 ....Emmanuel V. Vacalares ......Hicksville, N.Y. 86 ....Sangjin Song ......................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 87 ....Bruno Paolino Alves............East Hampton, N.Y. 91 ....Brian Shi ..............................Jericho, N.Y. 93 ....Gardner Howe ....................Locust Valley, N.Y. 98 ....Timothy Hayden Nacca ......Garden City, N.Y. 102 ..Andy Zhou ..........................Commack, N.Y. 104 ..Matthew Franklin Porges....Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 110 ..George Kaslow....................Port Washington, N.Y. 111 ..Julian Thomas MacGurn ....Amagansett, N.Y. 120 ..Daniel Meinster....................South Setauket, N.Y. 125 ..Andrew Marc Nakhjavan ....Dix Hills, N.Y. 131 ..Brady Berman ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 134 ..Austin Egna..........................Port Washington, N.Y. 137 ..Xin Eric Yu............................Manhasset, N.Y. 138 ..Nicolas Demaria ..................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 140 ..Luke Sandoval ....................Garden City, N.Y. 144 ..Carl Grant ............................Sagaponack, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 18 Singles— Long Island Players

RANKINGS

96 ....Ryan Goetz ..........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 106 ..Fernando de Paiva Filho ....East Hampton, N.Y. 113 ..David Henry Reinharz ........Rockville Centre, N.Y. 114 ..Jake Sandler........................Lynbrook, N.Y. 115 ..William Bader ......................Water Mill, N.Y. 119 ..Duane Davis ........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 123 ..Palmer T. Clare ....................North Bellmore, N.Y. 127 ..Florimond Le Goupil-Maier..Oceanside, N.Y. 129 ..Daniel Khodosh ..................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 133 ..Joseph James D’Orazio ....Saint James, N.Y. 147 ..Brian Shi ..............................Jericho, N.Y. 148 ..Aziz Rashidzada ..................Dix Hills, N.Y. 150 ..Dylan Davis..........................Dix Hills, N.Y.

GIRLS Sectional Girls 12 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 4 ......Rachel Arbitman..................Hewlett, N.Y. 20 ....Amy Delman ........................Great Neck, N.Y. 22 ....Ivanna Nikolic ......................Glen Head, N.Y. 33 ....Madison Smith ....................Glen Cove, N.Y. 41 ....Rose Hayes..........................East Moriches, N.Y. 43 ....Soraya Koblence ................Jericho, N.Y. 47 ....Kaya Amin............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 48 ....Alina Rebeca Lyakhov ........Great Neck, N.Y. 49 ....Rebecca Suarez ..................Huntington, N.Y. 60 ....Janelle Chen ........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 62 ....Kavina Amin ........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 63 ....Janae Fouche......................Freeport, N.Y. 64 ....Tatiana Robotham Barnett..Port Washington, N.Y. 65 ....Olivia N. Fermo....................Smithtown, N.Y. 82 ....Alexis Madison Huber ........Melville, N.Y. 89 ....Bianca Rose Lorich ............Southampton, N.Y. 90 ....Hailey Stoerback ................Saint James, N.Y. 93 ....Jade Eggleston....................Stony Brook, N.Y. 95 ....Gabriela Glickstein ..............Commack, N.Y. 97 ....Emily Tannenbaum..............Commack, N.Y. 98 ....Madeline Richmond............Syosset, N.Y. 102 ..Sadhana Sridhar..................Stony Brook, N.Y. 113 ..Madelyn Kay Germano ......Islip, N.Y. 114 ..Sarah Gunasekera ..............Mount Sinai, N.Y. 123 ..Ella Griffiths..........................East Hampton, N.Y. 126 ..Anna Vanessa Malin............Oceanside, N.Y. 131 ..Ines Roti ..............................Locust Valley, N.Y. 147 ..Daniella Victoria Paikin........Valley Stream, N.Y. 150 ..Lauren Zola..........................Rockville Centre, N.Y.

Rank Name ......................................City 5 ......Lubomir T. Cuba..................Massapequa Park, N.Y. 11 ....Brenden Volk ......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 13 ....Jesse M. Levitin ..................Manhasset, N.Y. 17 ....Josh Silverstein....................Great Neck, N.Y. 19 ....Eric Wagner ........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 20 ....Athell Bennett ......................Valley Stream, N.Y. 22 ....Bryant J. Born......................Manhasset, N.Y. 24 ....Sean Mullins ........................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 27 ....Daniel Grunberger ..............Great Neck, N.Y. 38 ....Chris Kuhnle ........................Shoreham, N.Y. 49 ....Colin Francis Sacco ............Brightwaters, N.Y. 50 ....Travis Leaf............................Dix Hills, N.Y. 59 ....Brian Hoffarth ......................Fort Salonga, N.Y. 62 ....Sean Patrick ........................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 63 ....Pete Siozios ........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 67 ....Alexander Lebedev ............Island Park, N.Y. 69 ....Dylan Granat........................Woodbury, N.Y. 73 ....Stephen Gruppuso..............Bayport, N.Y. 76 ....Michael James DeNigris ....Islip, N.Y. 84 ....Rajan Jai Vohra....................Glen Head, N.Y. 86 ....Mark Julian Baker................North Baldwin, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 14 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 4 ......Lea Ma ................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 12 ....Maryam Beshir Ahmad ......Albertson, N.Y. 16 ....Merri Kelly ............................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 24 ....Rachel Arbitman..................Hewlett, N.Y. 28 ....Amy Delman ........................Great Neck, N.Y. 34 ....Francesca Karman..............Port Washington, N.Y. 36 ....Steffi Antao ..........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 39 ....Alexa Susan Goetz..............Greenlawn, N.Y. 50 ....Denise Lai ............................Setauket, N.Y. 57 ....Calista Sha ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 71 ....Madison Jane Williams ......Glen Cove, N.Y. 72 ....Kimberly Liao ......................Commack, N.Y. 90 ....Julia Kielan ..........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 93 ....Ivanna Nikolic ......................Glen Head, N.Y. 95 ....Lucia Hu ..............................Roslyn, N.Y. 108 ..Jade Fixon-Owoo................Lynbrook, N.Y. 124 ..Madeline Richmond............Syosset, N.Y. 126 ..Alexis Madison Huber ........Melville, N.Y.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com

127 ..Ally Friedman ......................East Hampton, N.Y. 135 ..Hannah Vinod Abraham ....Syosset, N.Y. 141 ..Soraya Koblence ................Jericho, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 16 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 11 ....Alexa Graham......................Garden City, N.Y. 12 ....Lea Ma ................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 13 ....Claire Handa ........................Point Lookout, N.Y. 17 ....Jasmine Olivia Abidi............Glen Head, N.Y. 29 ....Ashley Lessen......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 30 ....Celeste Rose Matute ..........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 36 ....Jacqueline Rae Bukzin........Manorville, N.Y. 41 ....Merri Kelly ............................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 46 ....Courtney B. Kowalsky ........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 68 ....Trinity Chow ........................Glen Cove, N.Y. 74 ....Nicole Kielan........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 75 ....Stephanie Chikvashvili........Melville, N.Y. 82 ....Amanda Allison Foo............Manhasset, N.Y. 84 ....Oliva Rose Scordo ..............Glen Head, N.Y. 104 ..Theodora Brebenel..............Glen Head, N.Y. 111 ..Michelle Roitgarts................Roslyn, N.Y. 112 ..Francesca Karman..............Port Washington, N.Y. 113 ..Julia Kielan ..........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 118 ..Calista Sha ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 124 ..Abigail Carrie Okin ..............Amagansett, N.Y. 125 ..Morgan Wilkins....................Huntington, N.Y. 128 ..Samantha Lena Galu ..........Jericho, N.Y. 132 ..Emily Shutman ....................Huntington, N.Y. 138 ..Nicole Rezak........................Merrick, N.Y. 144 ..Julieta Eulau ........................Oceanside, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 18 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 1 ......Madison Battaglia ..............Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 7 ......Alexa Graham......................Garden City, N.Y. 11 ....Taylor S. Cosme ..................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 12 ....Madison Courtney Appel....Locust Valley, N.Y. 29 ....Courtney Provan..................Dix Hills, N.Y. 46 ....Mia M. Vecchio....................Manhasset, N.Y. 48 ....Celeste Rose Matute ..........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 70 ....Rebecca Elizabeth Stern ....Dix Hills, N.Y. 73 ....Ashley Lessen......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 76 ....Stephanie Nakash ..............Great Neck, N.Y. 79 ....Shanice Nadia Arthur..........Glen Head, N.Y. 80 ....Ellen Nicole Huhulea ..........Rockville Centre, N.Y. 87 ....Claire Handa ........................Westbury, N.Y. 90 ....Merri Kelly ............................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 103 ..Aimee Manfredo..................Shoreham, N.Y. 106 ..Lauren Ann Livingston ........Sands Points, N.Y. 107 ..Michelle Carnovale..............Massapequa, N.Y. 108 ..Amanda Allison Foo............Manhasset, N.Y. 115 ..Danielle Mirabella ................Wantagh, N.Y. 129 ..Nicole Kielan........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 132 ..Katie Jane Cirella ................Woodbury, N.Y. 136 ..Michele Sheila Lehat ..........Great Neck, N.Y. 140 ..Mara Danielle Stewart ........Oceanside, N.Y. 141 ..Vanessa Scott......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 143 ..Dominique Woinarowski ....Syosset, N.Y. 144 ..Courtney B. Kowalsky ........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 147 ..Ester Chikvashvili ................Melville, N.Y.


LONG Boys & Girls National Rankings (as of 04/22/15)

BOYS National Boys 12 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 32 ....Sam Reichbach ..................Syosset, N.Y. 35 ....Logan Paik Chang ..............Old Westbury, N.Y. 61 ....Isaac Smith ..........................Glen Cove, N.Y. 93 ....Aman K. Sharma ................Glen Head, N.Y. 208 ..Alexander Karman ..............Port Washington, N.Y. 403 ..Peter Vasilios Anastasakis ..East Norwich, N.Y. 716 ..Mark R. Taranov ..................Valley Stream, N.Y. 744 ..Alex Eli Vinsky......................Westbury, N.Y. 824 ..Ian Schunk ..........................Westhampton Beach, N.Y. 828 ..Ty Nisenson ........................Port Washington, N.Y.

National Boys 14 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 10 ....Cannon Kingsley ................Northport, N.Y. 50 ....Spencer Brachman ............Commack, N.Y. 53 ....Daniel Eric Pellerito..............Syosset, N.Y. 65 ....Ronald P. Hohmann ............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 80 ....Neel Raj................................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 135 ..Michael Medvedev..............Oceanside, N.Y. 289 ..Billy G. Suarez ....................Huntington, N.Y. 317 ..Karan K. Amin......................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 463 ..Abhinav Raj Srivastava ......Melville, N.Y. 504 ..Sujay Sharma ......................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 536 ..Logan Paik Chang ..............Old Westbury, N.Y. 646 ..Kabir Rajpal..........................Syosset, N.Y.

ISLAND

663 ..Jack Flores ..........................Huntington, N.Y. 713 ..Sam Reichbach ..................Syosset, N.Y. 891 ..David Raphael Weiner ........Glen Head, N.Y.

National Boys 16 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 36 ....Brenden Andrew Volk ........Dix Hills, N.Y. 63 ....Patrick Athell Bennett..........Valley Stream, N.Y. 148 ..Yuval Solomon ....................Plainview, N.Y. 189 ..Sean Mullins ........................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 294 ..Ryan Goetz ..........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 350 ..Sean Patrick ........................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 352 ..Colin Francis Sacco ............Brightwaters, N.Y. 408 ..Lubomir T. Cuba..................Massapequa Park, N.Y. 413 ..Jesse M. Levitin ..................Manhasset, N.Y. 466 ..Daniel Shleimovich..............Syosset, N.Y. 489 ..Alan Delman ........................Great Neck, N.Y. 556 ..Pete Siozios ........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 570 ..Daniel Eric Pellerito..............Syosset, N.Y. 580 ..Brian Shi ..............................Jericho, N.Y. 587 ..Finbar Talcott ......................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 588 ..Rajan Jai Vohra....................Glen Head, N.Y. 649 ..Travis Leaf............................Dix Hills, N.Y. 662 ..Stephen Gruppuso..............Bayport, N.Y.

RANKINGS

145 ..Daniel Grundberger ............Great Neck, N.Y. 174 ..Alexander Lebedev ............Island Park, N.Y. 243 ..Bryant Born..........................Manhasset, N.Y. 323 ..Sean M. Mullins ..................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 348 ..Athell Patrick Bennett..........Valley Stream, N.Y. 621 ..Brian Hoffarth ......................Fort Salonga, N.Y. 797 ..Brian Shi ..............................Jericho, N.Y. 980 ..Colin Francis Sacco

GIRLS National Girls 12 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 25 ....Rachel Arbitman..................Hewlett, N.Y. 100 ..Amy Delman ........................Great Neck, N.Y. 269 ..Ivanna Nikolic ......................Glen Head, N.Y. 550 ..Madison Smith ....................Glen Cove, N.Y. 647 ..Janelle Chen ........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 747 ..Rebecca E. Suarez..............Huntington, N.Y. 800 ..Kaya Amin............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 916 ..Soraya Koblence ................Jericho, N.Y. 957 ..Janae Fouche......................Freeport, N.Y. 978 ..Rose B. Hayes ....................East Moriches, N.Y.

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

National Boys 18 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 42 ....Lubomir Cuba......................Massapequa Park, N.Y. 88 ....Brenden Volk ......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 96 ....Josh Silverstein....................Great Neck, N.Y. 126 ..Jesse Levitin ........................Manhasset, N.Y. 142 ..Eric Wagner ........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

11 ....Lea Ma ................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 140 ..Merri Kelly ............................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 198 ..Maryam Beshir Ahmad ......Albertson, N.Y. 319 ..Rachel Arbitman..................Hewlett, N.Y. 342 ..Francesca Karman..............Port Washington, N.Y. 360 ..Amy Delman ........................Great Neck, N.Y. 576 ..Alexa Susan Goetz..............Greenlawn, N.Y.

612 ..Steffi Antao ..........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 772 ..Denise Lai ............................Setauket, N.Y. 873 ..Calista Sha ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

National Girls 16 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 24 ....Alexa Graham......................Garden City, N.Y. 163 ..Lea Ma ................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 172 ..Claire Handa ........................Point Lookout, N.Y. 271 ..Celeste Rose Matute ..........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 293 ..Ashley Lessen......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 295 ..Jasmine Abidi ......................Glen Head, N.Y. 380 ..Courtney B. Kowalsky ........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 538 ..Courtney Provan..................Dix Hills, N.Y. 772 ..Jacqueline Rae Buzkin........Manorville, N.Y. 996 ..Merri Kelly ............................Oyster Bay, N.Y.

National Girls 18 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 38 ....Alexa Graham......................Garden City, N.Y. 63 ....Madison Battaglia ..............Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 166 ..Madison Courtney Appel....Locust Valley, N.Y. 194 ..Taylor S. Cosme ..................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 521 ..Lea Ma ................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 694 ..Courtney Provan..................Dix Hills, N.Y. 837 ..Celeste Rose Matute ..........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 874 ..Ester Chikvashvili ................Melville, N.Y. 878 ..Aimee N. Manfredo ............Shoreham, N.Y.

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TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. MAY 2015 Friday-Sunday, May 15-17 L3 May UPS at Sportime Kings Park Sportime-Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Entry Level Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Green Ball 12, 78’ Yellow Ball 14-16 (RR) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, May 10 at 9:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail tvanepps@sportimeny.com or call (631) 269-6300. Friday-Sunday, May 15-17 L1B Bethpage State Park May Challenger Bethpage Park Tennis Center 99 Quaker Meeting House Road Farmingdale, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, May 10 at 10:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail rbecker06@yahoo.com or call (516) 359-4843.

Friday-Sunday, May 15-17 L2R Sportime Syosset May LI Regional Sportime Syosset 75 Haskett Drive Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC); Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE); and Intermediate Boys & Girls Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles; $28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Friday, May 8 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail tournamentssyt@sportimeny.com or call (516) 364-2727. Friday-Sunday, May 15-17 L1B Sportime Bethpage May Challenger Sportime Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 8 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail tournamentssyt@sportimeny.com or call (516) 933-8500.

TENNIS SPECIALTY CAMP For boys and girls entering grades 2-9 Sunny and Edward Fishkind, Directors Want to improve your tennis skills this summer? For young novices, we offer the “10 and Under Tennis” (Quick Start) program, while more advanced players will learn techniques like overheads, serves, approach shots, topspin, and slices. You’ll also learn scoring, strategy, and mental toughness as you participate in fun and positive competitions.

For more information, visit hofstra.edu/camp or call 516-463-CAMP. 78

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com

Friday-Sunday, May 15-17 L1B Point Set May Challenger Point Set Tennis 3065 New Street Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, March 22 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail ruiz.clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088. Friday-Sunday, May 15-17 L1B Anuj Agarwal Memorial Challenger at Deer Park Deer Park Tennis Center 30 Burt Drive Deer Park, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Thursday, May 7 at 9:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail deerparktennis@optimum.net or call (631) 667-3476. Saturday-Sunday, May 16-17 L1B Sportime Quogue May Challenge Sportime of The Hamptons 2571 Quogue Riverhead Road East Quogue, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, May 12 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail gmeyer@sportimeny.com or call (631) 653-6767. Friday-Sunday, May 22-24 L1B LBTC Memorial Day Challenger Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys Singles & Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 16-18 (SE); Challenger Girls Singles & Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE); and Challenger Mixed-Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $54.25 for additional singles/$33 for first doubles, $33 for additional doubles. (deadline for entries is Tuesday, May 19 at 9:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail sid@longbeachtenniscenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.


USTA/Long Island Region 2015

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Friday-Sunday, May 22-24 L1B PTST Memorial Day Challenger Point Set Tennis • 3065 New Street • Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, May 17 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail ruiz.clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088. Friday-Monday, May 22-25 L2R May Regional at Huntington Huntington Indoor Tennis 100 Broadway • Huntington Station, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC); Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE); and Intermediate Boys & Girls Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles/$28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Friday, May 15 at 11:00 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 421-0040. Saturday-Monday, May 23-25 L1A GHRC Memorial Championships Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road • Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, May 17 at 8:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail tenniscoach.mc@gmail.com or call (516) 676-9849. Saturday-Monday, May 23-25 L1A RWTTC Memorial Championships Robbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove 142 Glenwood Road • Glenwood Landing, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, May 17 at 8:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail superscoot@aol.com or call (516) 759-0505. Saturday-Monday, May 23-25 L1A Sportime Bethpage Memorial Championships Sportime Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue • Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Advanced Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 8 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail tournamentssyt@sportimeny.com or call (516) 933-8500.

Saturday-Monday, May 23-25 L1A PWTA Memorial Championships Port Washington Tennis Academy 100 Harbor Road Port Washington, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, May 17 at 8:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail tennis@pwta.com or call (516) 883-6425. Friday-Sunday, May 29-31 L1B Sportime Lynbrook June Challenger Sportime Tennis Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, May 25 at 9:00 a.m.) For more information, e-mail tournamentslyb@sportimeny.com or call (516) 887-1330. Friday-Sunday, May 29-31 L1B WG May Challenger World Gym Racquet & Sports Arena 384 Mark Tree Road East Setauket, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail vtapr@hotmail.com or call (631) 751-6100.

Friday-Sunday, May 29-31 L1B Sportime Bethpage May Challenger Sportime Bethpage • 101 Norcross Avenue • Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 22 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail tournamentssyt@sportimeny.com or call (516) 933-8500. Friday-Sunday, May 29-31 L2O LBTC June Open Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard • Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC); Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE); Intermediate Boys & Girls Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 12, 16 (SE); and Intermediate Mixed-Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 12, 16 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $54.25 for additional singles/$33 for first doubles, $33 for additional doubles. (deadline for entries is Monday, May 25 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail sid@longbeachtenniscenter.com or call (516) 432-6060. Friday-Sunday, May 29-31 L1B Sportime Syosset May Challenger Sportime Syosset • 75 Haskett Drive • Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 22 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail tournamentssyt@sportimeny.com or call (516) 364-2727.

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TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Friday-Sunday, May 29-31 L2O Point Set May Open Point Set Tennis 3065 New Street • Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, May 17 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail ruiz.clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

Friday-Sunday, June 5-7 L1B Sportime Lynbrook June Challenger Sportime Tennis Lynbrook • 175 Merrick Road • Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (FMLC) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, June 1 at 9:00 a.m.) For more information, e-mail tournamentslyb@sportimeny.com or call (516) 887-1330.

Saturday-Sunday, May 30-31 PSP L2; HIT LI Eastern Orange Challenger Series #5 Huntington Indoor Tennis 100 Broadway • Huntington Station, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles 60’ Orange Ball 10 (FRLC) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 22 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 421-0040.

Friday-Sunday, June 5-7 L2O Pearl & Moonstone Open Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard • Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles & Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE); and Intermediate Mixed-Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $54.25 for additional singles/$33 for first doubles, $33 for additional doubles (deadline for entries is Monday, June 1 at 9:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail sid@longbeachtenniscenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

JUNE 2015 Friday-Sunday, June 5-7 L1B Sportime Bethpage June Challenger Sportime Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue • Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 29 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail tournamentssyt@sportimeny.com or call (516) 933-8500.

Friday-Sunday, June 5-7 L1B Sportime Syosset June Challenger Sportime Syosset • 75 Haskett Drive • Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, May 29 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail tournamentssyt@sportimeny.com or call (516) 364-2727.

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718.760.6200 (ext. 0) or visit ntc.usta.com © 2012 USTA. All rights reserved.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com

Friday-Sunday, June 5-7 L2O Point Set June Open Point Set Tennis 3065 New Street Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, May 31 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail ruiz.clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088. Friday-Sunday, June 5-7 L1B GHRC June Challenger Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles 78’ Green Ball 10 (FMLC); and Challenger Boys & Girls 10 and Under Doubles 78’ Green Ball 10 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles/$28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Monday, June 1 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail tenniscoach.mc@gmail.com or call (516) 676-9849. Friday-Sunday, June 5-7 L3 Huntington June UPS Huntington Indoor Tennis 100 Broadway Huntington Station, N.Y. Divisions: Entry Level Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Green Ball 12,78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (RR); and Entry Level Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles 60’ Orange Ball 10 (RR) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, June 1 at 9:00 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 421-0040. Saturday-Sunday, June 6-7 L3 RWTTC June UPS Robbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove 60 Sea Cliff Avenue Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: Entry Level Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-16 (RR) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, June 1 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail superscoot@aol.com or call (516) 759-0505.


3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Engineers Country Club • 55 Glenwood Rd. • Roslyn, NY 11576 SPONSORED BY

EVENT INCLUDES • 5 Courts of Tennis fun for all junior players • Hit for Prizes/Speed Serve/Drills/Games • DJ Curtis McCalla • Carnival Games • Dunk Tank • Face Painting • Great Prizes for everyone • Snacks/Drinks

$10 per person for Engineers Country Club Members $15 per person for Non Members LITennisMag.com • May/June 2015 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

For more information, contact Info@usptennis.com

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2015 • LITennisMag.com


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