Long Island Tennis Magazine September - October 2018

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

Staff David Sickmen Publisher (516) 409-4444, ext. 309 • david@usptennis.com Joel M. Berman President (516) 409-4444, ext. 310 • joel@usptennis.com Eric C. Peck Editor-in-Chief (516) 409-4444, ext. 312 • eric@usptennis.com Brian Coleman Senior Editor (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 • brianc@usptennis.com Joey Arendt Managing Art Director Francine Miller Advertising Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 301 • francinem@usptennis.com Emilie Katz Assistant Marketing Coordinator Scott Koondel VP of Operations (516) 409-4444, ext. 324

SEP/OCT 2018 • Vol 10, No 5

Table Of Contents

Bound for Glory? By Brian Coleman A returning Serena Williams looks to leave her mark on Flushing Meadows after on-court absence, juggling the career of professional tennis player with the newfound role of motherhood. See page 20 Highlights 4 10 14 24 38 42 56

Lee Seidner Staff Photographer

Kyle Gower Intern

Kayla Tan Intern

Jason Hirsch Intern

Caroline Lee Intern

Rena Zervakos Intern

Alex Flicker Intern

Sarah Schwartz 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.

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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.

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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.

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Long Island’s Lipsky Calls It a Career By Brian Coleman NY Open Bringing Skills Challenge to Local Clubs and Events USTA LI Region and Long Island Tennis Magazine Present Kids Day 2018 2018 U.S. Open Preview 2018 Long Island Girls High School Preview By Brian Coleman At the Net With Lisa Dodson By Brian Coleman Beyond the Baseline: Dmytro Kovalevych, Christopher Morley Tennis

By Brian Coleman

Features 6

Sidney Beal III Staff Photographer

Photo credit: Garrett Ellwood/ USTA

Across Long Island … News and Notes From Across the L.I. Tennis Community Wake Forest Men’s Program Takes the NCAA Title! Let’s Take a Closer Look By Todd Widom inPhorm: Setting the Trend in Tennis Apparel in 2018 Adult League Wrap-Up By Kathy Miller USTA Eastern Long Island Region Update Serve and Return By Steven Kaplan What You Can Learn From the U.S. Open By Barbara Wyatt Up or Down: Uniting the Tennis Order Bethpage Park Tennis Center Opening Education Center

By Brian Coleman PGA Tour Superstore: More Than a Golf Shop POP Tennis New York Open Hits National Tennis Center Crest Hollow Hosts Two NYBT Summer Events Play More Points in the Present: Accept-Breathe-Concentrate

By Rob Polishook What’s In Your Backyard?

The Jensen Zone: How Mentally Tough Are You? By Luke Jensen Court Six: Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column By Emilie Katz Confidence: A Player’s Secret Weapon, How to Find It and How to Use It By Dr. Tom Ferraro The Triangle of Success in Tennis By Zeki Tukel Tennis Encounters of Countless Times-Predictions By Lonnie Mitchel USTA/Long Island Region 2018 Tournament Schedule Long Island Rankings

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com Long Island Tennis Magazine is published bi-monthly by United Sports Publications Ltd. • Copyright © 2018 United Sports Publications Ltd.

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Long Isla

Bellmore native and Fr

arlier this summer, 36-yearold Scott Lipsky announced his retirement via a statement on social media. The note brought an end to a successful 15-year professional career that got its start right here on Long Island, and started a new chapter in Lipsky’s life.

“I thought about retiring for most of last year, but then I tore my left knee. Rehab was really rough, and it took a while to get back

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to 100 percent,” said Lipsky. “It made me think about what else I wanted to do with my life. So I started to put things in motion while I was still playing, with the goal of finishing my career at the French Open.”

He did indeed play his last match at the French Open, pairing with Tennys Sandgren at Roland Garros for the final ATP World Tour tournament of his career.

“I’m happy I made the decision to stop,” Lipsky said. “I knew there were going to be times where I missed it, but I’m happy to

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

be home. Retirement has been nice, especially not having to travel for 30 or so weeks out of the year, and I get to spend more time with my family.”

Lipsky enjoyed great success as a doubles player throughout his career, winning 16 men’s doubles titles and capturing a Grand Slam championship in mixed doubles as he paired with Australian Casey Dellacqua to win the 2011 French Open.

He reached the quarterfinals in doubles at each of the four Grand Slams, including the U.S. Open semifinals in 2014 alongside Rajeev Ram. “We got to play the Bryan Brothers on Ashe which was pretty cool,” recalls Lipsky. “We actually got to play two matches on Ashe that week. It was pretty intense playing in that big of a stadium, but I really enjoyed that.”

Lipsky now lives in Orange County, Calif. with his wife, Marie, and son, Matthew.

With his playing days in the rearview mirror, Lipsky has thrown his hat into the coaching ring. He has been coaching a few top juniors this summer, and is set to coach the Men’s and Women’s Tennis teams at St. Margaret Episcopal School.

A high school star himself during his time at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, N.Y. before being a standout at Stan-

Island’s Lipsky Calls It a Career

and French Open Mixed Doubles champ reflects on the pro experience

ford University, Lipsky understands the importance and value of competing on a team in tennis.

“I played two years of high school tennis before Stanford, and I enjoyed all of the team aspects of it, because in general, tennis is such an individual sport,” Lipsky said.

“I encourage any player who wants to be part of a team to definitely play high school tennis.”

Prior to his retirement, Lipsky did have the opportunity to compete in the inaugural New York Open at the Nassau Coliseum, just a few miles down the road from where he grew up.

“It was great. I grew up going to The Hamlet in Commack, so having pro tennis back on Long Island was something that was missing for a long time,” said Lipsky. “I went to many hockey games at the Coliseum growing up, so being on the other side of that and having people watch me play there was surreal. I wish I could have won a couple more matches there, but I really enjoyed my New York Open experience.”

This coming fall will be a bit strange for Lipsky as it will be the first time in a long time that he won’t be at the U.S. Open.

“I’ve been at the U.S. Open every year since I was six or seven, so this year will definitely be a little different,” Lipsky said. “But I’ll watch from afar with my friends and family.”

As he reflects and looks back at his near two-decade run on the Pro Tour, Lipsky is proud of the life and career he has built to which he attributes to the sport of tennis.

“I remember playing in small tournaments when I first started, and it took about a year of playing and winning until I could break even financially,” Lipsky said about his early days as a pro. “It was a tough three to four years when you play in small towns with hardly anyone watching and for

By Brian Coleman

very little money. But you have to put your head down and keep grinding to move up.

I am proud of being able to have played for 15 years. I bought a house, and have a wife and son, all through tennis. It was a great career and I enjoyed almost every moment of it. It was a fun ride.”

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 • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Across Long Isla Hofstra Men and Women Excel Off the Court

Christopher Morley Coach Hosts Roosevelt Children’s Academy Camp

The players on Hofstra University’s Men’s and Women’s Tennis teams did more than just produce on the court, but also in the classroom, as many team members were honored for their academics by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). Ana Canahuate-Torres, Ronia Dolabany, Jasmine King, Alejandra Ruffini and Odessa Stork from the Women’s Team, and Santiago Haas, Coco Haener, Jan Leithner, Nick Silvestri and Marcus Smith from the Men’s Team were named ITA Scholar-Athletes.

Christopher Morley Tennis Coach Hamlet Phillip ran a tennis camp this summer at the Roosevelt Children’s Academy in Roosevelt. The PTRCertified Professional taught the tennis basics to the campers, many of whom had never even picked up a racket before. Phillip said the kids are “phenomenal athletes who are getting better every day.”

Ross School’s Lependorf Captures Summer Open Title Eva Lependorf of the Ross School Tennis Academy took home the title at the L2 Ross Summer Open. Lependorf defeated the top-seed in the opening round and then the number two seed in the semifinals en route to winning the championship.

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… News and notes from across the L.I. tennis community Action Begins in 65 & Over 8.0 League

Syosset’s Pellerito Named a USTA Junior Leader Daniel Pellerito, a native of Syosset, N.Y., was one of more than 30 players named to the USTA Junior Leadership Team earlier this summer.

Players are nominated by their Section for their excellence in tennis and within their community.

Long Island is home to many teams who compete in USTA Adult Leagues, and one more division was just added to the lot as a 65 & Over 8.0 League got underway this summer, including the first ever mixed doubles match at the 65 & Over Level. The participants in the match included Bob Nathan, Steve Greenfield, Susan D’Alessandro, Dave McKean, Pamela Gill, Elaine Cashin, Nancy Rosenthal, Allan Silverstein, Pat Molloy, Stan Froelich, Peggy Gluck and Charles Kaplan.

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across long island continued from page 7 The Hamlet Hosts Tennis Social & BBQ

Long Islanders Lead Team Eastern at Zonals

The Hamlet Golf & Country Club in Commack brought its members together for a night of tennis fun as it hosted a Tennis Social & BBQ. The event was open to non-tennis players and guests, and featured plenty of tennis drills and match play, plus tons of food and unlimited margaritas and sangria.

Long Island’s Rubin Notches Two Big Pro Wins Long Island native Noah Rubin continued his excellent summer on the ATP Tour with some great results in both Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Rubin advanced to the Round of 16 at the BB&T Atlanta Open before being edged by Nick Kyrgios, and then recorded the first top 10 win of his career with a straight-sets win over Wimbledon semifinalist John Isner at the Citi Open.

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Many players from Long Island were selected to participate on Team Eastern in the USTA Zone Team Championships (Zonals) in the 12s, 14s and 16s Division, played in Mercersburg, Penn., Kalamazoo, Mich., and Winston Salem, N.C, respectively.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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2019 New Y

February 9

New York Open Bringing Skills Cha

he New York Open and its ownership, GF Sports, have unveiled a new event promotional platform this summer called “The Skills Challenge.”

The multi-purpose content and event platform is tennis’ version of a grassroots skills competition that has been produced in conjunction with many of the major sports leagues.

Similar to the NFL’s “Punt, Pass and Kick,” MLB’s “Hit, Pitch and Run,” and the PGA’s “Drive, Chip and Putt,” the platform being brought to the market by GF Sports will measure a tennis player’s ability to hit accurate groundstrokes, volleys and serves.

“Measurement is the best tool for improvement at all playing levels,” said GF Sports Senior Executive and New York Open’s Tournament Director Josh Ripple.

“Our goal is to develop the Skills Challenge as both a standalone event platform that will eventually provide for a local, regional, national and even international series of Skills events, while at the same time, enable our ATP Tour franchises to benefit promotionally from naming the regional competitions in con-

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junction with the New York Open and the Atlanta Open.”

During the summer, The Skills Challenge has been rolled out in both GF Sports markets. At the recent BB&T Atlanta Open, the Skills Challenge was made available to players of all age categories and levels, and was featured during several sessions of the ATP Tour event on Stadium Court. Even ATP Tour star Bob Bryan tested his ability on the Skills Course.

Lucky winners were provided tickets to GF Sports’ suite during the U.S. Open, as well as tickets to the 2019 Atlanta Open.

In the New York, New Jersey and Long Island areas, the Skills Challenge was displayed and used at Centercourt Athletic Club of Chatham in Chatham, N.J. during the Saint Barnabas UTR Championships—where again kids and adults had the ability to test their skill in order to achieve prizes and tickets. Even 2018 New York Open player and the eventual winner of the Saint Barnabas event, Noah Rubin, put his skills to the test.

“We find that when you combine competition and measurement, tennis players seem to focus while having a great deal

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

of fun going up against their peers, coaches, parents and others that participate,” said Director of GF Sports Events and Skills Challenge Director Peter Lebedevs. “The aspiration is to offer clubs, pros and various tennis and recreational facilities a unique programming tool that can be integrated into their daily or weekly content, while at the same time, establish the bona fide skills competition for tennis that can become a massive event platform.”

The Skills Challenge provides participating organizations the competition layout and scoring system. GF Sports leaves it in the hands of the clubs themselves as to how they want to add entertaining elements, such as music and prizes, to enhance the player’s experience. Several New York/New Jersey-area clubs have started to test the Skills Challenge in addition to CenterCourt. The platform has been tried at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Sportime, World Gym Setauket, MatchPoint, Orange Lawn Tennis Club, Willowbrook Tennis Club, as well as Bridgehamp-

w York Open

y 9-17, 2019

Challenge to Local Clubs and Events

ton, just to name a few. Atlanta facilities such as Bitsy Grant and Ansley Golf Club have been testing it too.

According to Lebedevs, who is also the Assistant Tournament Director at the New York Open, the Skills Challenge will be implemented in the months leading up to the New York Open. A regional competition will take place where the finalists in the various

age groups will playoff on Stadium and Grandstand Courts at the ATP Tour event in February.

“GF Sports strongly believes that we have a powerful platform that will improve everyone’s tennis and frankly make an engaging introduction of the sport to non-players more interesting and compelling,” said Lebedevs.

“While we may need a few years to

completely have this fine-tuned and brought to the market, just like our bringing the New York Open to the region, it will soon become a tradition and a great opportunity for people of all ages to enjoy the platform and test their skills.”

For more information about The Skills Challenge, please contact Peter Lebedevs at PLebedevs@GFSportsHoldings.com.

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LITennisMag.com • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Wake Forest Men’s Program Takes the NCAA Title!

Let’s Take a Closer Look

By Todd Widom ongratulations and a job well done to my friend Tony Bresky for bringing a National Title to Wake Forest. It is an incredible achievement for a coach to bring a team of players together to win a National Title. His team consisted of both American and foreign tennis players, but no American was in the starting lineup for Wake Forest. If college coaches cannot recruit the top Americans to come to their schools, they go the foreign route and recruit foreign tennis players to have a fighting chance at competing. College coaching is a profession and it is very difficult to land a great college coaching position, so the coaches are always searching for the best talent with the toughest mentalities to represent them and their program.

The starting lineup for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons was very impressive. Of their top six players, five of them currently had ATP rankings when they won the National Title and the rankings ranged be-

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tween being ranked 600th and 1,100th in the world. The sixth player did not currently have an ATP ranking, but once did have a ranking in the 900’s on the ATP Tour. When I played for the University of Miami from 2001-2003, I was constantly facing players at this level. In fact, I was playing against players who were 20- or 21-year-old freshmen at the number one spot. These players had extensive professional experience not only on the ATP Tour, but also throughout Europe playing Club League events. Club League is a chance to play for a tennis club in Europe and play other professionals, while earning a salary for your efforts. The level in Club League is quite high, and what many of the players have realized is that they tried the ATP Tour and it was not for them or were unable to crack into the upper echelon of professional tennis. They then came to the realization that they could use their tennis to attend some amazing universities in the United States and earn scholarships and degrees while still playing a very high level of tennis.

If your child has a realistic chance and shows the ability to maybe one day play at

a high amateur or professional level, as the parent, you need to know who you are hiring to help guide your child to where they realistically could and want to be. This allimportant individual, not individuals, better take a tremendous and priority interest in your child and have a proven record of accomplishment in developing high-level players. I am not talking about the occasional one-hour tennis lesson. If you look at the credentials of these players, do you think playing more junior tennis is the right move or should your child have extensive experience playing professional tennis before they enter the college tennis arena?

This is for your coach to decide what is best for your child. The coach should be the one guiding you and your child to where you could realistically go.

Many parents get very excited that their child is ranked a certain ranking on the ITF Junior Circuit. The experience that these six Wake Forest players have in the starting lineup is far superior than the vast majority of juniors who are running around the globe beating other juniors. These men have beaten men to achieve these rankings.

From my first days of coaching, I have heard parents and kids express how they would love to play the Junior Grand Slams.

As a junior player, I played the Junior U.S. Open one time. It sounds exciting, and it is, but if you want to be playing at the highest level of college tennis, the proof is in the pudding. Play men or women to prepare your child to play men or women at the highest level of amateur tennis.

Todd Widom is a former top 200 ATP professional in both singles and doubles, and owner of TW Tennis, South Florida’s top small group/private tennis training geared exclusively for the high-performance junior, collegiate or professional tennis player. Todd may be reached by e-mail at Todd@TWTennis.com or visit TWTennis.com.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

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Predominantly made of recycled fibers and most often offering sun protection of 50 UV, inPhorm is constantly devising new processes and developing technology to reduce the environmental impact of its apparel manufacturing, while still enabling its wearer more technical properties with cutting-edge, built-in accessory add-ons.

While positioning itself as a global leader in manufacturing ethics, inPhorm is careful to never forfeit quality, from start to finish. inPhorm has once again increased its sponsorships of pros on the tour and has added tennis star and celebrity player, Melanie Oudin, and model, Jeana Frey, as

ambassadors for the brand. You can read about inPhorm’s pros, ambassadors, as well as inPhorm’s most recent efforts in its Pay it Forward campaign by visiting their Web site at inPhormNYC.com.

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USTA LI Region and Long Islan

Kids Day Kids Day Kicks Off the Summer at Crest Hollow

ore than 160 kids came out to Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury for the first of three co-presented USTA Eastern Long Island Region and Long Island Tennis Magazine Kids Day of the summer.

Nassau County Kids Day brought together kids from the Circulo de la Hispanidad Summer Camp, AMC Child Care, Alliance Tennis Foundation, Hicksville Community Tennis Association and Daniel Burgess’ Freeport Tennis Camp for a free day of tennis and fun.

“USTA Long Island and our volunteers are proud to bring these free Net Generation clinics to our Region,” said USTA Long Island Region President Jonathan Klee. “Teaming up with our beautiful outdoor clubs like Crest Hollow makes it a wonderful first experience for many of these children who have never played the

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game. It’s all about the kids, and getting them exposed to tennis at an early age is fundamental to growing the game.”

While several of the kids already had tennis experience, for many of them, this was an introduction to the sport. The kids took part in various drills and clinics put on by volunteers from Sportime and USTA Long Island, while DJCM kept the place lively with music all day long. Off the court, kids took their turn at the dunk tank as they tried to send some of the Long Island Tennis Magazine interns into the water. In addition, there was a facepainting station and other outdoor games such as Cornhole and Kan-Jam. New to the Kids Day this year was the introduction of beach tennis to attendees.

The four sand courts at Crest Hollow allowed the kids to move from the tennis court to the sand.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

“The beach tennis courts were a big hit and a welcome departure from the regular courts which our kids use on a daily basis,” said Terri Arnold-McKenzie, who runs the Alliance Tennis Foundation.

“The dunk tank and face-painting were great additions as well. It’s so important for children in diverse communities, with ethnically diverse backgrounds, to experience our great sport in all settings, from the country club to a pop-up net on a basketball court. Each experience can be equally fulfilling and rewarding when done properly.”

Terry Fontana, who chairs USTA Long Island’s Kids Days, said, “I would say the event at Crest Hollow was spectacular.

As always, it is the volunteers and tennis pros that make up the event. And without the kids, this could not have happened.”

sland Tennis Magazine Present

ay 2018 Kids Day Debuts in the Hamptons at Shinnecock Tennis Club

For the very first time, Kids Day was presented in the Hamptons, as Shinnecock Tennis Club hosted the second Kids Day of the summer, with 100-plus kids from Future Stars Tennis Camp and the Suffolk County YMCA coming out for a day of tennis fun.

“It was really a great day. The kids seemed happy and we had a great turnout,” said Shinnecock Tennis Club Owner Daniel Oliva. “Having people come from different organizations that we really don’t get to associate with normally has been very rewarding. I hope to continue to do things in a cooperative and community-based way in the future as a way to bring the East End together. We’re all so fragmented and separated, that it makes it difficult to take a breather and host a fun event under one umbrella, whether it’s here at Shinnecock or anywhere else. I was very happy to host Kids Day and proud to be the first one out here to host this type of event.”

DJCM was spinning beats all day long and the New York Open Skills Challenge was on hand to give kids a chance to win prizes by showing off their tennis talents.

“We’d love to see this event build, and do more things like this out on the East End,” Oliva added.

Terry Fontana, Chair of USTA Long Island’s Kids Days, said, “The Kids Day event at Shinnecock Tennis Club was just great.

Daniel Oliva has wanted to get involved

with the USTA and this was his first event.

The New York Open, Future Stars Tennis Camp and Sportime Kings Park all were helpful contributing their staff and time to this wonderful event. The plan is to go ahead and continue to hold this event in the Hamptons for years to come.”

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kids day 2018 continued from page 15 More Than 150 Attend Final Kids Day at The Hamlet

The third and final Kids Day of 2018 descended onto the grounds of The Hamlet Golf & Country Club in Commack, as more than 150 kids showed up for the Suffolk County Kids Day of the summer.

“It’s wonderful to see the smiles on the kids’ faces at Kids Day. I marvel at their en-

thusiasm, both from seasoned players, to the novices who have never before picked up a racket,” said Randi Wilkins, who heads up the Suffolk County Kids Day Committee.

“Every year, we surpass the previous year’s attendance, and hopefully we are growing tennis on Long Island through these events.”

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

Kids from the Suffolk JCC in Commack, Central Islip Community Tennis, Burn Exercise Group, YES and Girls Inc. came out to The Hamlet to take part in the free event.

Unique to the Suffolk County Kids Day was “Big Bertha,” Sportime’s bouncy house, which was out for all to enjoy on The Hamlet’s center court all day.

Just like the previous two Kids Days of the summer in Woodbury and the Hamptons, the groups were divided up into different stations throughout the multiple courts where they practiced a variety of tennis drills, led by the pros from Sportime Kings Park.

“The Hamlet Golf & Country Club was proud to host Suffolk County Kids Day for the third year in a row,” said Bruce Moodnik, Head Tennis Professional at The Hamlet.

“Giving kids a place to play, learn and enjoy tennis where they may not otherwise have the opportunity, is such a rewarding feeling.

Their smiles tell the whole story. The Hamlet will continue to host and promote events like Kids Day, and continue to grow the sport whenever possible.”

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Tennis Magazine

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

s it does every year, the 18 & Over and the 40 & Over season flew by! At the time of this article, playoffs are in full swing and a couple of regional matches have been played. So far, the teams advancing to Sectionals are:

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l 18 & Over 2.5 Women from Long Beach, captained by Pat Hoeffner l 18 & Over 3.0 Women from Sportime Lynbrook, captained by Rosalynn Steele & Diana Hensley l 18 & Over 4.0 Women from Sportime Syosset, captained by Dawn Schosberg & Gigi Banks l 18 & Over 4.5 Women Sportime Lynbrook, captained by Suzanne Markowitz & Marcia Silverman l 18 & Over 5.0 Women from Sportime Lynbrook, captained by Tina Buschi & Hali Katz l 18 & Over 3.0 Men from Sportime Lyn-

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brook, captained by David Schulman l 18 & Over 4.0 Men from Christopher Morley, captained by Joseph Bullaro & Joe Zara l 18 & Over 4.5 Men from Carefree, captained by Adam Kolenberg l 18 & Over 5.0 Men from Carefree Racquet, captained by Ben Marks So, with the 18 & Over and 40 & Over season almost behind us, it is safe to say that it was light on grievances which is obviously a good thing as it means there was little drama!

We had a new problem this season though and that is the number of forfeited courts. It was so bad that I have had captains tell me they are done captaining, as it has become just too hard. I had a couple of teams pull out mid-season. I had clubs complain about the holding of courts for months and the lost revenue for forfeited courts, and the worst part, a few divisions

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

were decided by the amount of forfeited courts teams received. How do we combat this? I am open to suggestions, so please e-mail me your thoughts, keeping in mind that I must stay within USTA rules.

The first thing that needs to be considered is the amount of teams a player plays on. Please keep in mind that captains need a commitment from their players. If you plan to only play two or three matches for a given team, make sure the captain knows that from the start. Every match should be played at the same time (the breaking up of matches was also out of control) as this is a “team” format which encourages friendship building and team camaraderie. That seems to be getting lost, as women players play with a partner in a match at noon and that partner is now their opponent at 7:00 p.m. There are ideas to think about, and like I said, I would love to hear any ideas you may have.

The Long Island League Committee has a few things to discuss when we meet in November, such as a possible increase in roster size, the request from many that the 40 & Over League be one court of singles and four courts of doubles (have not yet discussed how that would affect the 4.5+ Division). Give me your suggestions by Nov. 1 so they can be a part of the agenda.

Next up will be the Tri-Level League.

This League consists of three courts of doubles, one at the 4.5 Level, one at the 4.0 Level and one at the 3.5 Level. The TriLevel League will play from the beginning of October to the beginning of December.

If you are interested in serving as a captain for a team, please let me know.

The Mixed Doubles League will begin in December for the 18 & Over Mixed

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The 2.5 18 & Over Women’s team from Long Beach, captained by Pat Hoeffner have advanced to Sectionals

Headed to Sectionals to compete is the 18 & Over 3.0 Women’s team from Sportime Lynbrook, captained by Rosalynn Steele & Diana Hensley

League. The 40 & Over League will start a month or so later and will run longer to avoid overlap as much as possible.

I will be getting an e-mail out to last year’s Tri-Level and Mixed captains by the end of August. If you did not captain a team last year but would like to this year, please e-mail me at Miller@Eastern.USTA.com.

Congrats to the 18 & Over 4.0 Women’s team from Sportime Syosset, captained by Dawn Schosberg & Gigi Banks, for moving on to compete at Sectionals

This past summer season, we had our 65 & Over Men’s Leagues grow from last season, but we need more 65 & Over Women to join us! For the first time, Long Island has a 65 & Over Mixed Doubles League. I want to thank Al Silverstein and Sue D’Alessandro for all of their hard work in getting this off the ground.

Any 65 & Over players interested in

playing, please let me know.

I will have our complete list of the 18 & Over, 40 & Over, 55 & Over, and 65 & Over League winners in the next issue!

Kathy Miller is Manager of Carefree Racquet Club and is also the Adult League Coordinator for USTA/Long Island. She may be reached by e-mail at KathyM65@aol.com.

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LITennisMag.com • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Bound for Glo A returning Serena Williams looks to leave her mark on Flushing Meadows after on-court absence

By Brian Coleman

s I sit down to write a story about Serena Williams with the 2018 U.S. Open on the horizon, it’s difficult to come up with enough words and adjectives to describe the storied career of the 23-time Grand Slam champion.

Serena returned to the WTA Tour earlier this year at Indian Wells and faced a long road back to returning to the player that captured 20-plus Grand Slam titles. Her return came just six months after she gave birth to her first child, daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., and her first match was against older sister Venus.

Big sister just happened to be Serena’s last opponent before she left the Tour because of her pregnancy, at the 2017 Australian Open, where Serena prevailed in straight sets. Venus would come out victorious in the big return match at Indian Wells in March, but having Serena back playing competitively was a welcome sight to the tennis world.

“I haven’t played in over a year,” Serena said after the match. “It [losing] is definitely not less disappointing. I wish it were, but it’s not…But then again, I wish it wasn’t. Then I wouldn’t be who I am. So I just have a long way to go, and I’m looking forward to the journey.”

After losing in the opening round of Miami, Serena powered her way through three rounds at Roland Garros, before having to withdraw from her Round of 16 showdown with Maria Sharapova.

But Williams’ body recovered in time for Wimbledon, where she pursued her eighth title at the All-England Lawn Club. She lost just one set in six victories on her way to the finals where she squared off against a familiar foe, Germany’s Angelique Kerber.

“It was such an amazing tournament for me,” said Serena after her 3-6, 3-6 loss to Kerber. “I was really happy to get this far. It’s obviously disappointing, but I can’t be too disappointed because there’s so much to look forward to. To all the moms out there, I was playing for you today, and I tried.”

That notion is something that Serena has taken very seriously. The 36-year-old has been more than open about sharing both the joys and challenges of being a new mother, which goes a long way when one of the greatest athletes of all-time shows that even she is vulnerable to life’s struggles. Recently, she shared a post on social media revealing that she had been dealing with postpartum depression and grappling with her feeling that she wasn’t doing enough for her child.

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on page 22 Long Long Island Island Tennis Tennis Magazine Magazine •• September/October July/August May/June 2018 2018 • continued LITennisMag.com • LITennisMag.com 2018 • LITennisMag.com

ory?

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bound for glory? continued from page 20

“Last week was not easy for me. Not only was I accepting some tough personal stuff, but I was just in a funk. Mostly, I felt like I was not a good mom,” Serena said in the post. “I read several articles that said postpartum emotions can last up to three years if not dealt with. I like communication best. Talking things through with my mom, my sisters, my friends let me know that my

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feelings are totally normal. It’s totally normal to feel like I’m not doing enough for my baby. We have all been there…Although I have been with her every day of her life, I’m not around as much as I would like to be.

Most of you moms deal with the same thing. Whether stay-at-home or working, finding that balance with kids is a true art.

You are the true heroes. I’m here to say: If

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

you are having a rough day or week—it’s ok—I am, too!”

Almost instantly, that post received an immense amount of feedback from mothers and non-mothers everywhere who expressed their gratitude for her candor and honesty.

“You shed powerful light on moments when you felt most weak, from your perilous experience giving birth and postpartum depression, to the anguish you felt at knowing that little Olympia took her first steps while you were off training for Wimbledon,” wrote Leslie Gray Streeter in The Palm Beach Post.

“And on days when myself and other mothers don’t feel like ‘the true heroes’ you say we are, at least that thought lifts my humble cape just a little bit off the ground.”

Serena has inspired millions with her oncourt success, but is now doing so much off the court to inspire and uplift many more with her revealing commentary following the birth of Alexis. She has been outspoken about other issues in recent weeks as well, pointing out the alleged bias in drug testing in tennis.

“And it’s that time of the day to get ‘randomly’ drug tested and only test Williams.

Out of all the players, it’s been proven I’m the

one getting tested the most. Discrimination?

I think so. At least I’ll be keeping the sport clean,” Serena tweeted recently. “But I’m ready to do whatever it takes to have a clean sport … so bring it on! I’m excited.”

She has also posted on social media about unequal pay in the workforce, referring to statistics in wage gaps between black women and white men. These are just a couple of the many ways that the 23time major champion remains socially conscious and continues to use her platform in the media spotlight for positive change, even more so as she has started her newest and most important role: Being a mother.

One constant that has also remained is her desire to win and win at the highest level.

Her run to the finals at Wimbledon showed that she still has plenty left in the tank, but finding consistency and remaining healthy is a major factor in sustaining that success.

Her journey back to form has not been without its speed bumps along the way. At the Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, Calif., she suffered the worst defeat of her career at the hands of Great Britain’s Johanna Konta,

a lopsided 6-1, 6-0 defeat in just 51 minutes, and the first time ever that Serena won just one game in a match.

“I know I can play a zillion times better, but I have so many things on my mind that I don’t have time to be shocked about a loss that clearly wasn’t when I was at my best,” said Serena after her loss to Konta. “I can

only try to be there and fight, which is what I was doing out there. I moved a lot better, too, so I’ll take the positives where I can.”

Serena is expected to rest ahead of the U.S. Open, and recently pulled out of the Rogers Cup in Montreal citing personal reasons. Despite her rust and continuous recovery from her health scares, expectations will be high for the American in Flushing Meadows. She is a six-time U.S. Open champion and has the ability to work her way through the women’s field once again.

The U.S. Open certainly missed Serena’s presence last year, and having her back playing on Arthur Ashe Stadium will be a welcome sight for tennis fans and New Yorkers alike late this summer. While her impact transcends anything she does on the tennis court, seeing Serena Williams back playing in important matches just feels right, and will only add to the excitement for the 2018 installment of the U.S. Open.

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 • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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2018 U.S. Open Preview August 27-September 9, 2018 USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center l Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

What to watch for at the 2018 U.S. Open Will the youngsters turn the corner?

On the men’s side, the Grand Slams have been dominated by just a handful of players for the better part of the last decade, but will that change at this year’s US Open? Players like Alexander Zverev, 21, and Dominic Thiem, 24 (pictured), have been mainstays inside the Top 10 now, and both had their best Grand Slam showings earlier this year at the French Open, Thiem a finalist and Zverev a quarterfinalist. It will be interesting to see if they can translate that onto the hard courts of Flushing Meadows, and add their name to the list of Grand Slam champions.

Can Djokovic double up in second half of 2018?

It was a welcome sight seeing Novak Djokovic back in top form at Wimbledon, where he won his first major title since the 2016 French Open.

“I had many moments of doubt, I didn’t know if I could come back to this level to compete,” Djokovic admitted afterwards.

The Serb may have climbed back to the level that saw him dominate the ATP Tour for a stretch of time in 2015 and 2016. The U.S. Open will be a big test for Djokovic to see if he can maintain that level over the course of back-to-back Grand Slams.

Defending champ Stephens seeks repeat The 2017 U.S. Open women’s final was a dazzling display of American tennis, as Sloane Stephens defeated Madison Keys, and Stephens hoisted the first Grand Slam trophy of her career. Stephens has followed that big victory up with some successful tournaments in 2018, winning the Miami title and reaching the French Open final, but has since been up-anddown with her play. She lost in the opening round of Wimbledon and bowed out early at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. Stephens is the type of player who embraces the big matches, and as the defending champion, she hopes to have plenty of big matches over her two weeks in Flushing Meadows.

How will Halep follow up on French Open title?

World number one Simona Halep won the first Grand Slam of her career at the French Open this year after three previous defeats in major finals. Although she bowed out early at Wimbledon, the Romanian is without a doubt a contender at this year’s U.S. Open. With championship pedigree under her belt, one key thing to pay attention to will be if she can avoid having a letdown in the early rounds of the tournament as she looks to double up on her maiden Grand Slam title.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

2018 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW Which version of Andy Murray will show up in Flushing Meadows?

When you pull up Andy Murray’s page on ATPWorldTour.com, it looks strange to see his ranking listed as 375th in the world. But before June of this year, Murray hadn’t played a match since last year’s Wimbledon as he battled a hip injury. He played inspiring tennis at the Citi Open where he fought through three consecutive three-set matches, one of which didn’t end until 3:00 a.m. He did not compete at Wimbledon because he said his body wasn’t ready to take on best-of-five set matches, but will be ready to do so at the U.S. Open? A former U.S. Open champion, Murray will be eager to show that he still has what it takes to compete for Grand Slam titles as he begins his run at the U.S. Open.

Anderson seeks continued success in the Big Apple After winning the inaugural New York Open in February, Kevin Anderson said one of his goals for the year was to win more titles. Now he hasn’t won any titles since his triumph on Long Island, but he has still played great tennis this year.

Anderson has reached the quarterfinals in Miami and Indian Wells, and the semifinals in Madrid, before powering into the Wimbledon finals. His last two tournaments in New York have seen him reach the U.S. Open final and win the New York Open title, what will this tournament bring out of Anderson?

With Serena back in fold, is she the favorite?

Despite a lack of match play and just a year removed from giving birth to her first child, Serena Williams enters the women’s field at the U.S. Open as one of the favorites. The key question will be how her body handles the two weeks, especially considering her time off the court leading up to the tournament. If her run to the Wimbledon finals a couple of months ago is any indication, be on the lookout for a deep run at the National Tennis Center by the now 26th-ranked Serena.

Isner and the American men It seems that every time we preview a Grand Slam, one of the talking points is whether or not we see the drought of American men come to a close. John Isner seemed poised to do that at Wimbledon earlier this summer when he reached the semifinals, before falling in one of the most epic matches in tennis history, a six-and-a-half hour defeat to the aforementioned Kevin Anderson.

There is certainly pressure on the Americans every time they step out on the court of their home turf at the U.S. Open, and this year, the ninth-ranked Isner will feel that pressure to a greater degree.

Revamped Louis Armstrong Stadium to Debut at 2018 U.S. Open Photo credit: Ashley Marshall/USTA

At the 2018 U.S. Open, the brand new Louis Armstrong Stadium will be unveiled, a revamped 14,000-seat court with a built-in retractable roof. The new Stadium will feature nearly 40 percent more seating than the previous capacity of 10,200. A total of 7,400 seats in the upper bowl will be general admission, while the remaining 6,600 seats in the lower bowl will be reserved for Louis Armstrong Stadium ticket holders.

A key feature of the new Stadium will be a retractable roof, complete with natural ventilation that allows for air flow throughout the entire Stadium, making it the first ever naturallyventilated tennis stadium with a retractable roof.

The opening of Louis Armstrong Stadium marks the completion of a five-year, $600 million transformation of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, a project privately continued on page 26 LITennisMag.com • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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2018 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW Revamped Louis Armstrong Stadium to Debut at 2018 U.S. Open continued from page 25

funded by the USTA. Other upgrades over the past two years include a retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium as well as LED lighting, a new 8,125-seat Grandstand Stadium, a new Food Village adjacent to Grandstand Stadium, and an expanded southern campus that includes new tournament courts and enhanced fan amenities, including platform seating for 3,000 so that fans could enjoy an unobstructed view of U.S. Open-seeded players while practicing.

“The new 14,000-seat Armstrong, with its built-in retractable roof, gives the U.S. Open a second stage that is second to none,” said Katrina Adams, USTA President and Chairman of the Board. “It allows us to present a reliable and predictable schedule that will be unaltered by weather. Now, with two stadiums with

roofs, you know that if you’ve got a ticket to the U.S. Open, you’re going to see tennis regardless of the weather conditions.”

Armstrong Stadium will feature 14,250 individual terra cotta louvers on the exterior to help circulate air throughout the venue, similar to horizontal window blinds. The louvers keep driving rain and some direct sunlight out, while allowing for fresh air to come through and ventilate the seating bowls. Even when the roof is closed, air will circulate around both the upper and lower seating bowls.

The USTA announced that Armstrong Stadium will feature five matches per day, one more than Arthur Ashe Stadium— including two Night Sessions for continuous tennis action all day long.

U.S. Open Prize Money Hits New Record Payout

Prize money at the U.S. Open will reach a record $53 million for the 2018 installment of the final Grand Slam of the year. Each singles champion will receive $3.8 million, the largest payout in U.S. Open history and a $100,000 increase from last year.

Similar to the past three years, the USTA is improving the 26

payouts for the first three rounds of the tournament to drive more of the increases to the majority of the players.

“2018 is a significant year in our history,” said USTA Chairman of the Board and President Katrina Adams. “Not only is it the 50th anniversary of the tournament, we also have completed the five-year transformation of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. We know that we are poised for incredible growth moving forward.”

Prize money at the U.S. Open has increased by 57 percent since 2013. The U.S. Open was the first tournament to offer equal prize money to men and women competitors in 1973. The total $53 million purse for the 2018 U.S. Open is more than a five percent increase on the $50.4 million offered in 2017.

In the men’s and women’s singles tournaments this year, players will earn $54,000 for playing in the main draw, $93,000 for reaching the second round and $156,000 for advancing to the Round of 32. They will take home $266,000 for reaching the fourth round, $475,000 for contesting the quarterfinals and $925,000 for making the semifinals. Reaching the final is worth $1,850,000, an increase of $25,000 over last year.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

2018 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW Both the men’s and women’s doubles champion teams will earn $700,000, the highest in U.S. Open history.

First- and second-round losing teams will earn $16,500 and $27,875, respectively. Teams reaching the Round of 16 will

receive $46,500, quarterfinalists will win $85,275 and semifinal teams will take home $166,400. Finalists will collect $350,000.

In addition, the U.S. Open Qualifying Tournament will offer more than $3 million in prize money for the first time.

Round-by-round individual prize money for the US Open is as follows: Singles l Winner: $3,800,000 l Runner-Up: $1,850,000 l Semifinalist: $925,000 l Quarterfinalist: $475,000 l Round of 16: $266,000 l Round of 32: $156,000 l Round of 64: $93,000 l Round of 128: $54,000

Doubles (each team) l Winner: $700,000 l Runner-Up: $350,000 l Semifinalist: $166,400 l Quarterfinalist: $85,275 l Round of 16: $46,500 l Round of 32: $27,875 l Round of 64: $16,500

U.S. Open to Utilize Serve and Warm-Up Clocks In a joint initiative between the USTA, ATP and WTA, the 2018 U.S. Open will use a serve clock and a warm-up clock to try and increase the pace of play. The clocks were initially used in the Qualifying, Juniors and Wheelchair draws of last year’s U.S. Open, as well as the American Collegiate Invitational and the Champions Invitational, and will now also be used in all main draw matches.

Serve Clock l Players will have 25 seconds to begin their service motion, although a chair umpire will have the ability and discretion to pause the clock. They will have the ability to resume the clock from the same time or reset the clock to 25 seconds. l During a game, this 25-second clock will begin once the chair umpire has announced the score following the previous point. The receiver is responsible for playing to the server’s reasonable pace. l If the player has not started the service motion at the completion of the 25-second countdown, the chair umpire will issue a time violation. l After even-numbered games, the chair umpire will start the clock when the balls are all in place on the server’s end of the court.

Warm-Up Clock l A one-minute clock will begin when the second player or team entering the court arrives at their chair(s). l If, at the end of that one minute, a player is not at the net, they will be notified by the chair umpire and subject to a

post-match fine, although this will not be a time violation. l A five-minute time clock will begin following the coin-toss and begin the warm-up period. During this time, the chair umpire will make announcements informing the players of the three-minute, two-minute, one-minute, 30-second and endof-warm-up marks. l Following the conclusion of the five-minute warm-up period, a one-minute countdown will commence. At the end of this countdown, a player must be ready to play. l If a player is not ready at this juncture, the chair umpire will announce a start-of-match violation, and the player will be subject to a post-match fine. This will not be a time violation.

U.S. Open to Have Electronic Line-Calling for All Matches The USTA has announced that the U.S. Open will become the first Grand Slam to have electronic line-calling for every match this year. Last year, the tournament had seven courts with the capability of electronic calls.

Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, Grandstand and Court 17 will all have an instant-replay team within the arena, and there will be a centralized office to handle the electronic review process for matches on all other courts.

“We think it’s the right thing to do,” said U.S. Open Tournament Director David Brewer. “It’s the fair thing for the players. We should provide a tournament where the conditions from court to court, no matter whether it’s Court 15 or Arthur Ashe Stadium, are as close to identical as possible.”

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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2018 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW Where to Eat at the U.S. Open Along with the best tennis and entertainment in the world, the U.S. Open offers premium dining experiences—from Mojito Restaurant & Bar, to Champions Bar & Grill, a classic American steakhouse.

Whether you are in the mood for a light snack, lunch, dinner, meeting friends for cocktails or satisfying a sweet tooth, the restaurants on the grounds at the U.S. Open can cure any craving.

Aces: Located on the Club level in Arthur Ashe Stadium between Gates 3 and 4, Aces is available to Courtside Box seat holders and Luxury Suite guests. Loge and Promenade Subscription Series ticket holders may purchase restaurant passes. Enjoy local and seasonal seafood creations by Chef/Innovator of Restaurant Associates and creator of Ed’s Chowder House, Ed Brown, with sushi prepared by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. Open for lunch, dinner or after the matches.

Champions Bar & Grill: Also located on the Club Level in Arthur Ashe Stadium between Gates 3 and 4, Aces is available to Courtside Box seat holders and Luxury Suite guests. Loge and Promenade Subscription Series ticket holders may purchase restaurant passes. Champions Bar & Grill is a modern take on the traditional clubhouse atmosphere, with classic leather and wood accents in a contemporary setting. The Grill features premium steaks, hearty salads and fresh seafood prepared by Michelin Star Awarded Chef Marc Forgione of American Cut. You won’t miss a moment of the action with live matches on our many TVs. U.S. Open Club: The U.S. Open Club is located on the ground floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Club is available to all Subscription Series ticket holders for a nominal entrance fee and is included in select Loge seat subscriptions. With its striking contemporary décor, the U.S. Open Club is famous for its Chef’s Table and seasonal selections of eclectic American cuisine. Open for lunch, dinner or after the matches.

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Heineken Red Star Patio Café: Soak up the beautiful surroundings of the US Open grounds at the charming outdoor Heineken Red Star Patio Café, located outside the US Open Club. Enjoy fresh selections of seasonal foods paired with a Heineken or a summer specialty cocktail. The Heineken Red Star Patio Café is available for all ticket holders.

Stop by for lunch, dinner or after the matches.

Mojito Restaurant & Bar: Located on the ground floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium near the Heineken Red Star Patio Café, Mojito features a menu inspired by Chef Marcus Samuelsson. Experience Mojito’s luscious flavors with Latin specialties in our whimsical garden enhanced by multiple TVs showing the live matches. Mojitos is available for all ticket holders. Join us for lunch, dinner or after the matches.

Emirates Sports Café: The Emirates Sports Cafe is located on the west side of the South Plaza, adjacent to Court 7 and positioned above the U.S. Open Collection Store. With a spacious, ideal setting to unwind and keep track of the matches, guests can enjoy the café’s laid-back atmosphere and assortment of food and drink offerings.

Emirates Sports Cafe is available for all ticket holders.

Food Village Enjoy regional cuisine and specialty items at the U.S. Open Food Village where you can grab and go or find a seat to relax and take in the U.S. Open atmosphere, including: l l l l l l l

Angry Taco Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop BLT Fish Shack Creperie Curry Kitchen Farm to Fork Franks & Fries

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

l l l l l l l

Fuku Grey Goose Bar Hill Country BBQ Korilla BBQ Lavazza Cafe Melt Shop Neopolitan Express

2018 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW Kelly Clarkson to Headline Opening Night Ceremony at NTC Music superstar Kelly Clarkson will headline the Opening Night Ceremony at the 2018 U.S. Open during a special celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of the event. The Grammy Award-winning artist and first-ever “American Idol” winner will take the stage inside Arthur Ashe Stadium prior to the Evening Session on Monday, Aug. 27.

Clarkson’s performance will be the centerpiece of a ceremony that will include former U.S. Open champs and other special guests. The ceremony will conclude with a special rendition of the National Anthem by a performer to be named later.

“We are honored to have such a talented performer join us in this very special year,” said USTA Chairman of the Board and President Katrina Adams. “Kelly Clarkson’s musical versatility,

her unparalleled presence and, of course, her voice will make this a night to remember.”

Texas-born Clarkson, who recently released her eighth studio album, “Meaning of Life,” is among the most popular artists of this era, with total worldwide sales of more than 25 million albums and 36 million singles.

The Nashville-based singersongwriter first came to fame in 2002 as the winner of the inaugural season of “American Idol.” Clarkson’s debut single, “A Moment Like This,” followed and quickly went to number one on Billboard’s Hot 100, ultimately ranking as the year’s best-selling single in the U.S. This past year, Clarkson hosted the “2018 Billboard Music Awards,” in addition to appearing and winning as coach on the 14th season of “The Voice.”

Top reasons to love the U.S. Open Celebrity sightings Celebrities, like the rest of us, love tennis. Spotting athletes, actors and musicians in attendance throughout the tournament becomes quite common, with the U.S. Open bringing out celebs such as former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Ricky Martin, Alec Baldwin, Michael Jordan, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Sean Connery, John Hamm, Bruce Willis, Ben Stiller, and many more to Flushing Meadows.

When you are on grounds this year, keep your eyes peeled for your favorite celebrities!

Entertainment from start to finish From live music to interactive games and kids tennis sessions, there’s something for everyone at the 2018 U.S. Open. It starts with Arthur Ashe Kids Day on

Saturday, Aug. 25, which features games and activities all over the grounds of the National Tennis Center, as well as a stadium show in the afternoon featuring top stars from the worlds of tennis and music.

The Grounds Festival will feature Net Generation Tennis on 14 courts, and a wide range of activities for children of all ages and skill levels. The Stadium Show will feature musical performances from Echosmith, In Real Life and more, along with appearances from defending U.S. Open Champions and world number one Rafael Nadal, 2018 Wimbledon Champions and past U.S. Open Champions Novak Djokovic and Angelique Kerber, and 2017 U.S. Open Finalist Madison Keys, with co-hosts Skai Jackson, Alex Aiono and Radio Disney’s Morgan.

Tennis under the stars Night tennis at the U.S. Open is where fans will create memories for years to come. Late-night tennis has been a tradition at the Open since 1975, when New Zealand’s Onny Parun defeated American great Stan Smith at the West Side continued on page 30

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

29

2018 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW Top reasons to love the U.S. Open continued from page 29 Tennis Club in Forest Hills, N.Y. Who can forget Andre Agassi, at the age of 35, coming back from two sets down to defeat James Blake in five sets in 2005?

After the match, Agassi said, “At 1:15 a.m. for 20,000 people to still be here … I wasn’t the winner, tennis was. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this good here before.”

The magical run by Jimmy Connors at 39-years-old in 1991 included a five-set win over Patrick McEnroe that ended at 1:35 a.m. You never know what to expect at the Open, but it is often worth staying up late to find out.

Practice court access A two-story practice gallery debuted at the 2014 U.S. Open.

This allowed fans a better view of their favorites stars as they warmed up for matches on the practice courts.

What made this area even better is that you could view Courts 4, 5 and 6 from the same spot by simply turning around. The practice courts are always packed with fans looking to catch a glimpse of players or get autographs, but this new viewing area allowed people to be a bit more spread out. Make sure to stop by and track down your favorite stars on the grounds of the National Tennis Center.

The stars shine brightly in Flushing Meadows The best players in the world are in our own backyard, competing here in New York for three weeks (including qualifiers and practice days).

Whether you are a fan, casual player or a serious player, you will not want to miss out on your chance to get up close with the best players when they come to town for the final Grand Slam of the year.

2018 U.S. Open Schedule (Schedule subject to change) Session 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 22 23 23 24 24

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Day Monday Monday Tuesday Tuesday Wednesday Wednesday Thursday Thursday Friday Friday Saturday Saturday Sunday Sunday Monday Monday Tuesday Tuesday Wednesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Friday Saturday Saturday Sunday Sunday

Date 08/27 08/27 08/28 08/28 08/29 08/29 08/30 08/30 08/31 08/31 09/01 09/01 09/02 09/02 09/03 09/03 09/04 09/04 09/05 09/05 09/06 09/07 09/07 09/08 09/08 09/09 09/09

Session Time 11:00 a.m.

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Noon 4:00 p.m.

Noon 4:00 p.m.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

Matches Scheduled Men’s & Women’s R1 Men’s & Women’s R1 Men’s & Women’s R1 Men’s & Women’s R1 Men’s & Women’s R2 Men’s & Women’s R2 Men’s & Women’s R2 Men’s & Women’s R2 Men’s & Women’s R3 Men’s & Women’s R3 Men’s & Women’s R3 Men’s & Women’s R3 Men’s & Women’s Round of 16 Men’s & Women’s Round of 16 Men’s & Women’s Round of 16 Men’s & Women’s Round of 16 Men’s & Women’s Quarterfinals Men’s & Women’s Quarterfinals Men’s & Women’s Quarterfinals Men’s & Women’s Quarterfinals Women’s Semifinals Men’s Doubles Final or Mixed Doubles Final Men’s Semifinals Mixed Doubles Final or Men’s Doubles Final Women’s Final Women’s Doubles Final Men’s Final

COMING IN NOVEMBER

Distribution scheduled for 11/01/18

This edition will feature: • Top Coaches Roundtable Discussion • Tennis Travel Destination Guide • Holiday Gift Guide • 2018 Girls High School Season Recap

Distributionacross 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 next edition of Long Island Tennis Magazine November/December 2018!

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by October 2018 LITennisMag.com • September/October • Long Island1, Tennis Magazine 31 For more information, please call 516-409-4444 or e-mail Advertise@LITennisMag.com

U S TA E A S T E R N L O N G I S L A N D R E G I O N

Hofstra University Summer Camp Adds Tennis for All

Campers at the Hofstra University Summer Camp tried something new this summer and had a blast doing it. For the first time, Hofstra’s Tennis Camp Director Sunny Fishkind introduced tennis to every camper in the program, not just the ones signed up for the tennis specialty.

Sunny said she had never done this program before in her 33 years at Hofstra Summer Camp and explained how the program works.

“About 1,800 children attend one of Hofstra’s many Specialty Camps each summer,” said Fishkind. “In the morning, children ages six to 10 attend specialty camps. I run the tennis camp.

When the morning is over, my tennis children go to different groups with counselors who take them to lunch and then in the afternoon they have swim and recreation.”

For older children, the schedule is reversed, with swim and recreation before lunch and specialties in the afternoon.

“This summer, I had the idea to introduce the children that had not signed up for tennis camp to try tennis,” Fishkind said. “I asked Terry Ryan, the Director of Hofstra Camps, to schedule the recreation groups to come to tennis once during the summer. He 32

thought the idea was great and even helped me set up a demonstration in the gym while the children were getting to camp in the morning. I called up children and had them play some Net Generation games so all the campers could see the fun.”

In the program’s first 10 days, Fishkind and Heather Corriel, a tennis instructor who helped with the program, gave more than 200 non-tennis campers the opportunity to try tennis using the games and character building skills of Net Generation.

“I have had wonderful support from USTA Eastern and Net Generation, which supplied most of the equipment,” Fishkind said.

The campers were all on board for tennis fun. Nine-year-old Rylie said she was surprised to find that she liked tennis.

“It was fun,” she said. “I liked hitting the ball to my partner, and bouncing the ball on the racket. I am going to ask my mom to sign me up for tennis lessons after camp.”

Lilly, also age nine, said, “Tennis was fun!”

She especially enjoyed “rolling the balls to the colors.

TJ, also nine, added, “I liked hitting the ball over the net and I liked hitting the colors. I liked everything. It was fun!”

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

U S TA E A S T E R N L O N G I S L A N D R E G I O N

Summer Tennis Fun for Kids: Nassau County Parks Summer Recreation

As part of the Nassau County Parks and Recreation sevenweek summer camp, USTA Eastern and the USTA Long Island Region offered tennis programming at four local parks: Eisenhower, Wantagh Park, Cantiague Park and Nickerson Beach. USTA Eastern sent a Net Generation-approved coach to each park to run two-to-four hours of tennis per week for the five- to 12-year-old campers, most of whom had never played before. The coaches who led the camps were Akiko

Tohmatsu, Lisa Goldberg and Lou Hutchinson.

“At the conclusion of the camps, we provided information on how children can continue playing tennis,” said Neil Thakur, USTA Eastern Tennis Service Representative for Long Island. “We estimate that more than 700 children participated in the tennis programs during the course of the summer camps.”

Pictured here, Carefree Racquet Club’s Lisa Goldberg teaches campers at Eisenhower Park.

USTA Long Island Kids Days The USTA Long Island Region was excited to bring three summer Kids Days to the area this season. More than 160 children attended the first Kids Day, held at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. Participating groups included Circulo de la Hispanidad Summer Camp, AMC Child Care, Alliance Tennis, Hicksville Community Tennis Association and Daniel Burgess/Freeport Tennis Camp. Additional Kids Days were held at the Shinnecock Tennis Club in Southampton and at The Hamlet in Commack. Long Island Tennis Magazine co-sponsored all three events and helped provide many fun activities, including face painting, a dunk tank and a DJ. Tennis activities were provided by USTA LI volunteers.

USTA Long Island Executive Board l l l l l

Jonathan Klee, President Sunny Fishkind, Vice President Mike Pavlides, Past President Craig Fligstein, Treasurer Terri Arnold-McKenzie, Secretary

For more information on the USTA Long Island Region, please visit LongIsland.USTA.com, e-mail USTAOnLongIsland@gmail.com, visit us on Facebook at USTA Long Island and follow us on Twitter @USTA_LI. LITennisMag.com • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

33

Serve an

By Steven Kaplan

he experience of junior tennis is selfcentric by its very nature, which is similar to the experience of growing up with a period of skill building, and later, a time of ability challenge. Childhood and adolescence is defined by the cultivation of self-investment and personal growth, and while most young aspiring players feel charity starts at home, it should be recognized that when you have more, you have more to give. If you share your good fortune, you elevate yourself as well as others. For young tennis players, giving back is not just the act of doing good, it will help them do well.

President John Fitzgerald Kennedy challenged the nation 57 years ago at his inauguration to “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

Times have changed, but the value of service to others is immemorial.

We live in a time of entitlement, a “Me Generation” in which players are rewarded with great privileges based on ability more than need. To ascend the sport, maybe it’s time that we asked not what tennis can do for us, but what we can do for tennis?

I am no fan of many of the USTA’s policies and operations.

I recognize, however, that as a charity the USTA with its mission to “grow the sport,” owes tennis a debt of service, but owes each of us as individuals, no entitlements. I hear an almost endless list of complaints about the USTA, and while many of these gripes are valid, we must do more than look to burn down institutions to realize reform and positive change.

If each of us takes responsibility for the health of tennis and acts locally to contribute to bettering the sport, we create opportunities. If tennis has made us healthy, happy and bettereducated, we owe the sport and we owe ourselves a debt of service through volunteerism and commitment. Selfish behavior is not a condition, it is a choice, and helping others is enlightened self-interest for many reasons including these:

T

1. It’s required by many high schools With increasing frequency, high schools are demanding community service from students as a mandatory requirement for graduation. Moreover, many colleges and future employers see community service commitments as highly revealing of one having lofty personal character. I’ve heard that it’s very difficult to balance the time demands of school, tennis and social life with community service. There are just not enough hours in the day so I’m told. I suggest that if you want some-

and Return thing done, ask a busy person, especially a motivated and creative person who is an adept problem-solver.

Such ability is essential for tennis and life. A great example is a highly-ranked student of mine who at the age of 15, was appalled at the terrorist bombing of a music concert in Manchester last year. Rather than watch idly, this young players started a “Go Fund Me” Page, and using her strong tennis network, raised several thousand dollars for the victims of this terrible event. This young person has an impressive accomplishment and terrific storyline for college admission and beyond.

2. It provides prospective I am proud to run the largest Special Olympics Tennis program of its kind in New York State for the last 18 years. Special Olympians, especially those athletes who are intellectually challenged, need others who advocate for them.

I am, therefore, even more proud of the many young players from my club as well as others who have volunteered for this program. The amazing work these volunteers perform is invaluable not only for others, but for themselves. Teaching and

ticipant who was struggling? Did you help a younger student that you had seen who was making some of the mistakes that you had once made? Service does not need to be institutional and organized. It doesn’t need to contain an agenda. It can be informal and as simple as an act of kindness.

mentoring is highly empowering since you learn volumes from developing the skill set needed to lead and mentor. Junior tennis, with its enormous time investment demands, can be a sport that narrows a young person’s perspective. Imagine worrying about the trivial challenge of avoiding a double fault after seeing the great physical and intellectual challenges that others face and overcome with courage every moment of every day.

John Muir once said, “Most people are on the world, not in it.” I believe he was referring to our ability to relate and take responsibility for others. Junior tennis tournaments are tests that reveal character. Matches are not the only worthwhile character tests. Serve and return are not just parts of a points, they are an invaluable part of the junior tennis experience.

3. What comes around goes around Service to others does not go unnoticed.

City Parks Foundation, a great charitable organization that I have been fortunate to serve for many years, sponsored a 12-day trip to France in conjunction with The Lacoste Foundation this summer for several lucky participants. The criteria for selection to this experience? Maturity, potential for growth, ability, cooperation of course, but also a willingness to help others who have demonstrated leadership and the assumption of responsibility. Did you focus and listen attentively to encourage others to follow your example? Did you offer kind words of encouragement to another par-

Steve Kaplan is the Owner and Managing Director of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as the Director of Lacoste Academy for New York City Parks Foundation and Executive Director and Founder of Serve & Return Inc. Steve has coached more than 1,000 nationallyranked junior players, 16 state high school champions, two NCAA Division 1 Singles Champions, and numerous highly-ranked touring professionals, many of whom have become prominent tennis coaches themselves. In 2017, Steve was awarded the Hy Zausner Lifetime Achievement Award by the USTA. He may be reached by e-mail at StevenJKaplan@aol.com.

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37

2018

LONG ISLAND GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW

By Brian Coleman

2018 Team to Watch (Nassau County): Port Washington Last year, the Girls Tennis Team from Port Washington compiled one of the most dominant seasons in recent memory as it captured both the Nassau County and Long Island team championships.

Now, the Vikings enter the 2018 season as the prohibitive favorites in Nassau County and Long Island, and are ready for the challenge that presents.

“It was a memorable season, and they want it even more now,” Port Washington Head Coach Shane Helfner said of his team’s mentality. “The girls are working hard this offseason and many of them are competing in tournaments. Many of the players are coming back with championship experience, and that will only help us get there again.”

Port Washington lost its season opener to Great Neck North last year, but then rattled off 17 consecutive wins to finish out the year. While the winning streak and subsequent championships are impressive on their own, what made Port Washington’s success even more remarkable was just how young the team was.

At the heart of that young talent is its top two singles players, eighth-grader Thea Rabman and freshman Martine McGowan.

The two were both outstanding at first and second singles, respectively last year, and will once again anchor the Vikings lineup.

“They are both on the quiet side, but they are leaders in the way that they work and the example they set for the rest of the team. They only know one way to play, and it’s their hardest,” Helfner said of Rabman and McGowan. “I know that they are both playing a lot this summer, and having that first year of playing on a school team and handling that type of atmosphere under their belts will only help them going into this season.”

The strength of the team lies in its depth.

Despite losing three starters from last year, Port Washington has crop of young talent coming up to the varsity level which will 38

2018 Team to Watch (Nassau C

The Port Washington Vikings were crowned both Nassau County Girls High School champions and Long Island Champions last season and aim to repeat again in 2018

Freshman Martine McGowan returns to Port Washington to help lead the Vikings to another Nassau County title

Eighth-grader Thea Rabman returns to the Port Washington Vikings lineup at first singles

make up for the players that have graduated. The wealth of talent pushes the rest of the team to maintain their level and their grip on their spot in the lineup, and that sort of competition brings out the best in everyone.

“We have even younger players coming into our program, and the girls know that

they have to work really hard to keep their spot because we are loaded,” said Helfner.

“It’s important that everyone embraces their role, no matter where they are playing.”

In addition to Rabman and McGowan, many key players will be back for Port Washington as it begins its title defense, including doubles players Brittany

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

2018

LONG ISLAND GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW

ssau County): Port Washington Polevikov, who played first doubles and has been on the team since she was an eighth-grader, as well as the second doubles team of Casey Fanous & Charlotte Forman, who have been playing together for a couple of seasons.

Kelsey Sy went undefeated in the third doubles spot and will return to the doubles lineup once again this year.

It will be tough to top last year for Port Washington after it won its first Nassau County title since 2013 and were crowned the best team on Long Island. But with a loaded roster and championship experience, Port Washington is hoping to be in the midst of creating a dynasty.

“We are entering this season with a different mentality, and we need to under-

2018 Team to Watch (Nassau County): Port Washington stand that every team wants to take down the best,” said Helfner. “We will be getting every team’s best shot, and we have to be

more ready than we were before. We cannot have an off day, and need to be ready for every match.”

2018 Nassau County players to watch l Steffi Antao, New Hyde Park l Rachel Arbitman, Hewlett l Amy Delman, Great Neck North l Julia Kielan, Valley Stream South l Calista Sha, Friends Academy Key dates for the 2018 Nassau County Girls High School season l Wednesday, Sept. 12: Regular Season Begins l Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 13-14: Individual County Tournament l Monday-Sunday, Oct. 15-21: Team County Tournament l Monday-Wednesday, Oct. 22-24: Tentative Dates for Long Island Championship l Friday-Sunday, Oct. 27-29: 2018 NYSPHSAA Championships

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

39

2018

LONG ISLAND GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW 2018 Team to Watch (Suffolk County): Ward Melville The Ward Melville Patriots captured the 2017 Suffolk County Championship, downing Half Hollow Hills East 4-3 in a thrilling contest that came down to the last match.

“We thought we’d probably be able to reach the semifinals, but after that, you never know,” said Ward Melville Head Coach Erik Sussin. “I didn’t expect to win a County Title. It was pretty amazing.”

A year later, the Patriots enter 2018 with slightly different expectations than it did before last season. As defending Suffolk County Champions, the Patriots begin the season with a target on its back as it ventures out into a title defense.

“We lost a total of 10 seniors who graduated, but the majority of those were deeper in the lineup or didn’t play, so we are returning a lot,” said Sussin.

“The strength of our team is those five girls we have returning who were either All-County or All-State. Suffolk is difficult, there is a lot of young talent, but we are ready for the challenge. I do expect us to get back to the semifinals this year, and if we can get back to the finals again, that’s great. A lot of time it comes down to the team you match up against, and it worked to our benefit last year in the County Tournament.”

One of those key contributors from last year’s team is top singles player Denise Lai. The senior has been an AllState player in each of the last two seasons, and will once again anchor the Ward Melville starting lineup.

Lai has reached the second round of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Girls Singles Championships both in 2016 and 2017, and will be relied upon to lead the Patriots in 2018.

“Denise is a really strong player, and she expects to get better each year.

40

2018 Team to Watch (Suffolk

The 2017 Suffolk County Champs, the Ward Melville Patriots, begin the 2018 season with high expectations

Senior Denise Lai is back for Ward Melville for her final high school season

Jade Eggleston returns to Ward Melville’s singles lineup to help lead the Patriots to a return trip to the Suffolk County Championship

She has been in the second round at States, so her goal should be to get to the third round of States this year,” said Sussin. “There is so much young talent in the County, but her goal is to get to States and hopefully reach the third round.”

In addition to Li, Jade Eggleston and

Anna Ma return to the singles lineup, two talented and experienced singles players who will bolster the Patriots’ depth.

Despite playing in Suffolk’s League V, Ward Melville has become a perennial contender in the County. Its talented core is a major reason for that,

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

2018

LONG ISLAND GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW

uffolk County): Ward Melville but so is the team’s preparation throughout the season and its willingness to schedule tough regular season matchups.

“Every three years, we are scheduled to play the League I teams, but I make sure to set up matches with those teams each year, even if we aren’t mandated to play them,” said Sussin. “I want to see what they’re like, and I don’t mind getting losses early in the season. I think by the end of the year, when they do the seeding, the proper teams get seeded high, so we don’t hide from the top teams.”

Ward Melville didn’t lose a match in Suffolk County last season, its only defeat was at the hands of Port Washing-

2018 Team to Watch (Suffolk County): Ward Melville ton in the Long Island Championship.

The team has lofty goals and high expectations entering 2018 as the defending

Suffolk County Champions, and will begin its title defense with a road match against Westhampton.

2018 Suffolk County players to watch l Andrea Brazyte, Connetquot l Taylor Goetz, Harborfields l Rose Hayes, Mercy l Lauren Hutton, Harborfields l Emily Tannenbaum, Commack Key dates for the 2018 Suffolk County Girls High School season l Tuesday, Aug. 28: Regular Season Begins l Wednesday, Oct. 3: Regular Season Ends l Monday-Wednesday, Oct. 22-24: Tentative Dates for Long Island Championship l Friday-Sunday, Oct. 27-29: 2018 NYSPHSAA Championships

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41

at

the

net With

Lisa Dodson

BY BRIAN COLEMAN

rowing up, Lisa Dodson was always a big-time athlete. A four-sport athlete in high school, and the only person ever to be named All-County in four sports in Westchester County, Dodson went on to play basketball and tennis at the University of North Carolina.

She was a walk-on for the Tar Heels Tennis team, and admits that playing in college was the first time she really took tennis seriously. In doing so, Dodson carved out a nice collegiate career, and a couple of years after college, decided to make a run at a pro career.

“I was able to get a sponsor and played on the Tour for about four years,” Dodson said. “I didn’t have the experience the other players had, so I became a serve and volleyer. I ended up earning a world ranking in singles and doubles … it really came out of nowhere. It was then that I realized I really loved tennis, and decided

G 42

to make a career of it.”

After playing on the Tour for a few years, Dodson entered the coaching world, working full-time at The Stanwich

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

Club in Greenwich, Conn., quickly rising up the ranks to becoming The Stanwich’s Director of Tennis. She found that she had the ability to look at a player’s game and break it down in order to provide the right instruction.

“I started thinking about my game and what I do, and then looked at other’s games and found out what was right for that particular person,” said Dodson. “I have the ability to break things down for players and help them progress. I am very direct. I don’t string them along, and I try to draw the very best out of them.”

That direct approach has been at the heart of Dodson’s career. She has carved out a career in what is a predominantly male industry because he has worked tirelessly and showed great perseverance.

“As a teacher, I didn’t really run into any obstacles personally,” said Dodson. “Maybe I got lucky, or maybe I’m just good. Once I got my foot in the

door, the only concern from members was: ‘What are you going to do for us?’

But being a woman is always in the background. And even now, if I sought a job at a different club, it would be tough to get that job considering my age and the fact that I am a woman.

While I haven’t met any opposition in terms of that, I know women who have experienced that.”

As someone who has never let those sorts of barriers impede her career path, she does have some advice for aspiring women looking to break through in the tennis industry.

“What you have to do is prove to people that you are as good, or better, than the other candidates, and that isn’t necessarily based on your playing records,” said Dodson. “You have to be creative and go after the position, which many times, women don’t do because they assume or think they won’t get the job.

Be prepared, just go after it and apply. If you have to work seven days a week for five months, then that’s what you have to do. And if you can’t, then you are not qualified for that job. Show them in interviews that you are confident and have experience. I sometimes think women are too timid or not confident enough when applying for a position.

You need to be proactive and do something about it.”

Dodson’s career has gone beyond simply being a coach and has ventured

into the entrepreneurial world. A while back when she was teaching in California, she was injured and was sidelined for about a year. She decided to put that time to good use and started to develop a tennis teaching tool.

“I had never really thought about creating a product before,” Dodson said.

“Even though I had always made up little things and tools for people to use, this was the time I decided to try and make a real product out of this.”

The product was designed to help with the serve, and her original prototype featured tools from her garage: Jump rope, weights and a cord.

“I knew someone who had a rubber company, and the next thing I knew, I had someone interested in helping me and I decided to manufacture it locally,” said Dodson. “I knew nothing about manufacturing or creating a business, or how to get patents and market a product. It took me awhile and I went stepby-step, and I really took my time with it.”

And with that, the ServeMaster was born. Dodson made sure to create videos and tutorials on how to use the product, because, as she says, “It takes a bit of education to use ServeMaster. The average person can’t use it … it takes watching videos and learning, or having someone help you with it. Because some people can look at it and think it’s a gimmick or a toy.

It’s hard to conceptualize, especially in a still picture.”

Dodson funded the project completely on her own and the product has helped her become a better teacher as well.

“It’s an incredible experience and it has made me an even better teacher and manager,” she said. “It refined my skills, and taught me how to run a business my own way.”

In addition to running ServeMaster, Dodson currently works as the Director of Tennis at Shenorock Shore Club in Rye, N.Y. She still loves what she does each and every day, and even has plans to launch another product in the near future.

“I have a patent on a second product, it’s called ‘TossMaster,’” Dodson said. “I funded the first project on my own, and don’t want to do that with this one, so I am still looking for funding. The goal is to have it on the market by next spring. I’m crazy busy, but I love the game of tennis.

I enjoy trying to dissect the sport, make sense of it, and use that to help other people. Whether they want to rally with their husband, make their high school tennis team or compete on the pro tour, I am enthusiastic about it and get caught up in the excitement of teaching. That’s really what I get out of 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.

www.inphormnyc.com

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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What You Can Learn From the U.S. Open

By Barbara Wyatt n Sept. 10, 2018, two phenomena will begin. First, tennis players will rise from their living room couches, pick up rackets and return to the courts after a two-week hiatus. Second, their tennis skills may have improved—if they were watching closely.

The date marks the end of the 2018 U.S. Open, a time where recreational players will have spent two weeks of near-total immersion watching the world’s best tennis players compete in person at Flushing Meadows or live on television.

When you watch people doing the right thing nearly all the time, the visual image is remembered as though it had been recorded. You’ve learned this since your first tennis lesson. The instructor told you where and how to hit the ball, then demonstrated a tennis stroke. You were asked to mimic all the steps, from preparation to follow-through. Over a few weeks—or months for some—tennis strokes begin to

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resemble those of your instructor.

You used a social learning technique called “Observational Learning.” You watched, retained, and then replicated what you saw.

Think of the questions you asked at your first lesson: How far do I pull back? Where do I put my right foot? Left foot? How do I make the ball land inside the white lines?

Instinctively, you knew what to ask to improve your tennis stroke and you did it. You mastered basic strokes.

Observational Learning is available when watching U.S. Open matches. Only the questions have changed. Select a favorite pro and pose questions that could lock in dynamic improvement to your game.

Watch your pro for the answers. Where do you aim your first serve? Toward the forehand, backhand or the center of the serving box? What tactics do you use when you are down 30-40? Is it different from what you do at 40-30? Where do you aim your return-of-serve? Where do you stand to receive the first serve? Do you change your position for the second serve?

When you watch a match, your brain

thinks it is playing the match. This is why your respiration and heart rate increase when your player is caught in a tough rally.

This is why you jump to your feet when they finally win a point with a killer putaway. This is why you pump your fist at a smashing cross-court angle and your head drops in despair when the next rally ball hits the tape and drops on the other side of the net.

Your favorite pro does the right thing with the best stroke nearly every time. Prepare your questions. Engage your best observational techniques and prepare for a quantum leap in your game.

You’ll learn almost as much from watching a professional match with intention as you did at that first tennis lesson.

Barbara Wyatt is a Writer, Photographer, USTA Official, and Mobile App Developer of iKnowTennis!, the tennis rules app.

Her poem, Ode to Tennis, an amusing poem on the joys and frustrations when learning tennis, is available at Amazon.

She can be reached by e-mail at BarbaraW@iKnowTennis.com.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

Up or Down: Uniting the Tennis Order p or Down is a new tennis apparel company. The company originated with one vision in mind: To Unite the Tennis Order.

The idea for the company stems from the spinning the racket before each match and saying, “Up or Down.� Regardless of what brand of racket you play with, Up or Down applies to all tennis players. Up or Down hopes to capture tennis enthusiasts

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who prefer to wear clothing that identifies them with the sport they enjoy so much.

The company was specifically formed for tennis fans and players.

Up or Down’s performance t-shirts, tanks and collared shirts are moisturewicking for extreme lightweight comfort and breathability while playing on the courts. Up or Down also supplies more leisurely clothing with lightweight hoodies

for cool summer nights and moisture-wicking hooded sweatshirts for colder weather.

Whether you are a tennis enthusiast or just enjoy a weekend game, show off apparel that defines you.

Go to UpOrDownSpin.com and type in “Upordown734� to save 15 percent off all orders through the end of the U.S. Open.

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LITennisMag.com • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Frank Dolan, a Nike Worldwide Elite Trainer, will be leading programs at the new Sports and Fitness Performance Center as part of Bethpage Park Tennis Center

Bethpage Park Tennis Center Opening Education Center

By Brian Coleman t has been an exciting summer at Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as the facility has been undergoing extensive renovations. The new look facility will be more than just aesthetically pleasing and a great haven for tennis players, with many new features and programming being added in which will make Bethpage Park one of Long Island’s most unique clubs as well.

From a pure tennis perspective, the facility is getting a complete makeover that will carry it into the new era of sports training.

“We are making quite a few improvements and renovations at the club this summer,” said Steve Kaplan, Owner and Managing Director of Bethpage Park Tennis Center. “Some are more conventional, like redoing the courts and putting in new

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LED lights. We are putting in new curtains and benches, and adding cameras onto the courts. Those are things that will really improve the club. I’m most excited about some of the new offerings in our new clubhouse, though.”

At the heart of those offerings in the clubhouse will be a brand new Education Center. The dream of providing academics at his tennis facility has always been there for Kaplan, and now that dream is becoming a reality.

“I have always wanted to do this, but the idea was never really brought to fruition,” said Kaplan. “We are going to be offering an array of educational services with the intent of having it integrate closely with our tennis programming. What you learn on the tennis court you can take into the classroom, and vice-versa. The exciting

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

part is that we are offering an array of educational services with the intent of having it integrate closely. We will have a classroom and offer classes in STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Math], in body image and weight management, as well as college preparatory services, advisement and SAT prep.”

The classrooms will feature software from Sussman Education, one of New York City’s premier providers of educational software, which is owned and operated by two of Kaplan’s former students.

“We will also have teachers in the rooms that will be assisting, guiding, directing and motivating students, and helping them solve problems,” said Kaplan. “It will be primarily softwarebased, which will permit the ability to teach different ages and levels.”

The third aspect of the new-look Bethpage Park will be the 2,000-square feet expansion onto the Clubhouse, which will be dedicated to Sports and Fitness Performance. Kaplan and his team will be bringing in Frank Dolan, a Nike Worldwide Elite Trainer, to head up the program.

“Frank is someone who I have worked with for a long time and someone I’ve seen have success in developing players,” said Kaplan. “Our philosophy is that a lot of the disconnect and poor stroking patterns are often the result of physical limitations and the player compensating for that. So to progress players and do it safely, you need to look at movements from a technical perspective. We are going to have a tremendous amount of interaction and communication, so trainers are speaking the same language as the tennis pros, and the tennis pros speaking the same language as the trainers. All of the students will be assessed from a tennis and functional view.”

Functional Movement Systems will be at the core of the Sports Performance Center, using the same techniques and models that major NFL, MLB and NBA teams, as well as many military branches, and police and fire departments, use to train.

“Every student working in the Sports Performance Center will be getting a functional movement screen test. Training should be unique and individualized to the specific needs of the student,” said Kaplan. “Everybody shouldn’t be given the

Owner and Managing Director of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, Steve Kaplan, will merge his passion for education with tennis in the opening of the brand new Bethpage Park Tennis Education Center

same training protocol. It should be very evidenced-based upon specific needs.”

A new era will be ushered in soon at Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as it plans on growing its reach and expanding its services under the roof of the completely renovated facility. It will provide more than just lessons on forehands and training with weights, bringing together all the vital components of a tennis lesson that make a well-rounded tennis player.

“I have always believed that tennis is a part of education, and I think that education of your body is synergistic to education of your mind. So I couldn’t be more excited that something I always felt strongly about and dreamed about doing is coming to fruition,” said Kaplan. “To be able to provide the kind of programming that will allow students to use their class-

room education to help themselves on the tennis court is vital. All three components integrate, and the goal is to not only help students ascend academically but also reduce the amount of injuries we see in these players.”

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 • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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PGA Tour Superstore: More Than a Golf Shop GA Tour Superstore is more than just a hub for golf lovers and is quickly making its tennis presence felt on Long Island.

Located at 1254 Corporate Drive in Westbury, N.Y., PGA Tour Superstore has everything tennis players and fans are looking for, carrying all of the latest tennis rackets and equipment from the top names in tennis, including Prince, Babolat, Head, Wilson and more. They also carry a wide selection of tennis apparel and footwear from leading brands, such as adidas, Asics and Nike, as well as grips, strings and other accessories PGA Tour Superstore offers on-site stringing and its expert staff are players just like you, so they can help you out with any questions on stringing and products, and make sure you walk away with the product that is right for you.

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PGA Tour Superstore hosts in-house events and fundraisers year-round, and can help customize your event or tournament by offering gift cards, products,

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

memberships and much more.

For more information on the products and services we offer, call (516) 824-3000 or visit PGATourSuperstore.com/Tennis.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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POP Tennis Mixed Doubles finalists Melissa Tu-Internicola & Brian Wan with Mixed Doubles winners Enrique Catter & Florentina Hanisch

POP Tennis New York Open Hits National Tennis Center ome of the top paddle tennis players in the country arrived in Flushing Meadows this summer as the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center hosted the POP Tennis New York Open, featuring four Pro Divisions and three Intermediate Divisions played over the course of two days.

Played on a shorter tennis court with low compression balls, POP Tennis combines paddle and regular tennis for a fast-paced version of the traditional sport. The tournament featured some thrilling competition and exciting matches in both the Pro and Intermediate Divisions.

The tournament was sponsored by Babolat, USTA Eastern, USPTA Eastern, the New York Open and David Lee Graphic Design who all combined to make the event a tremendous success.

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Women’s Doubles Winners Issa Kintanar and Tristen Dewar celebrate their POP Tennis New York Open victory

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

The winners included:

Mixed Doubles l Winners: Enrique Catter & Florentina Hanisch l Finalists: Brian Wan & Melissa Internicola

Men’s Singles l Winner: Brian Wan l Finalist: Enrique Catter

Intermediate Co-Ed Singles l Winner: Hemraj Dhakal l Finalist: Aishika Yadav

Men’s Doubles l Winners: Austin Doerner & Grant Aronson l Finalists: Enrique Catter & Mitch Kutner

Intermediate Men’s Doubles l Winners: Leandro Fajardo & Tom Tvedt l Finalists: Hemraj Dhakal & Leon Lipo

Women’s Doubles l Winners: Tristen Dewar & Issa Kintanar l Finalists: Kelsey Anonsen & Michelle Sulahian

Co-Ed Youth 8-12 Singles l Winner: Aidan Bart l Finalist: Andre Bart

Wh hat’s in Backyard? ?

Your o r

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Crest Hollow Hosts Two

NYBT Opens Summer Season With Battle on the Beach The New York Beach Tennis (NYBT) Summer Series kicked off at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, as guys and girls took to the club’s pristine sand courts to compete in the summer’s first tournament: The Battle on the Beach.

As an internationally-sanctioned tournament by the International Federation Beach Tennis (IFBT), world ranking points were on the line and the players competed for every last point.

All throughout the day, players could enjoy the beautiful Crest Hollow pool, as NYBT supplied beach games such as

Cornhole, Kan-Jam and Spikeball for players to relax and have fun in between their matches. DJ Curtis McCalla (DJCM) kept the energy going all day and Jamba Juice setup a tent to give out free smoothies to keep players refreshed and hydrated.

After an exciting round of pool play in the morning, the knockout rounds began in the afternoon. Marcia Balbinot & Julia Koulbitskaya took on Sara Burinato & Ivana Andric. While experienced beach tennis players, this was the first time that Balbinot & Koulbitskaya played as partners, and they quickly found their chemistry as they defeated Burinato &

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

Andric in straight sets to win the championship.

“We played well together,” said Koulbitskaya. “We were able to win and had a great time too!”

“We thought we were very consistent throughout the day and tried to fight for every point,” said Burinato. “But it was a really long day, and our first beach tennis tournament, so that became tougher to do in the final.”

On the men’s side, NYBT Founder David Sickmen and his partner, Alex PopMoldovan, took on Matt Garavaglia & Brad Berger in the finals. Sickmen & PopMoldovan took the match 6-2, 6-4 to capture the title.

“Alex came in for the weekend from Florida and it’s always a pleasure playing with him,” said Sickmen. “We hadn’t played together since February, but we played well when we needed to. Overall, the tournament went great! We make sure everything is lively and kept moving. As the organizer but also a player, I know it’s vital to create a tournament environment that keeps people coming back. Our group is very close, has fun both on and off the court together, and we keep getting bigger!”

Balbinot echoed those sentiments: “Good spirits and good friends. That’s what it’s about. It is a great environment to get quality people and players together and play all day long. We call it our beach tennis family. The energy is amazing and the weather was perfect.”

wo NYBT Summer Events

NYBT Returns to Crest Hollow for Second Summer Event New York Beach Tennis held its second tournament of the summer, the NYBT Open, an IFBT Sanctioned World Ranking Tournament at Crest Hollow Country Club.

In the Men’s Division, Kevin Pim, who is a Beach Tennis Coach in Monaco, made the trip to New York, and teamed with NYBT Founder and defending champion David “The Iceman” Sickmen. They defeated Whitney “The Sandman” Kraft & Brazilian Johnny Fonseca in the semifinals, and in the finals, took on former Adelphi tennis player Roey Heymann & former Fordham tennis player Harris Durkovic.

Heymann & Durkovic are each 6’4” so they had the height advantage, but Sickmen & Pim proved to be too strong on this day, using their experience to overcome the size discrepancy, and pull out a 6-2, 6-2 victory.

On the women’s side, Sara Burinato, a former NYIT tennis player, teamed with Sportime teaching pro Kim Stubbe for the first time. They breezed to the finals where they faced off against current NYIT player Ivana Andric & a Beach Tennis veteran, Marcia Balbinot. With both teams paired together for the first time, much of the match would be decided by who could work best together and who could raise their level in the final. Burinato & Stubbe were able to do just that, winning 6-3, 6-2 to claim their first IFBT title.

The tournament had all the features of a

typical NYBT event … great competition on the court and tons of fun off the court.

DJCM kept the energy high and players took part in beach games, while the Crest Hollow food area and pool were hot spots between the matches.

“The best part of these tournaments is how well they are run, even before players arrive. NYBT sends out e-mails and texts to notify players of everything.

Then once you arrive the tournament runs efficiently,” said Durkovic.

“The tournament went perfectly, but what makes it so successful is the group,” said Sickmen. “We have a mix of experienced players and new players,

high school tennis players, college tennis players and adults. It’s a great mix, but everyone gets along on and off the court.

We have had a great group this summer!”

A special thanks to the host club, Crest Hollow Country Club for the use of its facilities and to the Crest Hollow staff for all of their assistance in ensuring the day ran smoothly. Many thanks also to the sponsors for their prizes, giveaways, overall support and for being a part of the NYBT family: Sportime, John McEnroe Tennis Academy, The New York Open, GF Sports, New York Empire, My Game Solutions, inPhorm, 30fifteen, Jamba Juice and PGA Superstore.

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1455 New York Ave Huntington Station, NY LITennisMag.com • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Play More Points in the Present Accept-Breathe-Concentrate

By Rob Polishook, Mental Training Coach MA, CPC remember it like it was yesterday, coaching the Zonals for the 16 & Under age group.

The competition was fierce with top kids from the country. Inevitably, various issues came up before matches.

For example, I received a late-night text from my number two player saying her friend, our number three player, was really nervous about tomorrow’s match. She asked, “What should I do?

How can I help her?” Or the other scenario, where my number four player was sitting at the changeover telling me how many lines his opponent had hit in the previous two games.

So, what’s a player to do? Conventional sports psychology might tell you to ignore your feelings and just play, or even to forget about the score—get back out there and compete. Both ideas sound good, but in fact, they really don’t address the reality of the situation. What is the player experiencing at this exact moment, and what’s the starting point to moving forward?

I’d like to introduce what I call the “A, B, C’s” to regaining your focus when a distraction occurs. Well, wait you say … “sounds kind of gimmicky.”

Call it what you want, but this simple acronym is your roadmap to getting back on track once your concentration has wavered, or you have full blown lost it. The key to the “A, B, C’s” is to be aware that you have lost your concentration. From this point, they can be exercised to help you regain your composure, focus and game.

Let me explain what each letter stands for and provide a description and how to use it given the previous examples:

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l “A” stands for Accept: Using the example of my number two player who was nervous, accept the means to simply accept that you are nervous. Being nervous isn’t bad or good. In fact, I would say that it means that there is a match you care about and feel challenged.

If you didn’t attach emotion to it and simply accepted it, you might say “Okay, I’m nervous” and just let it be. By fighting the nerves, you only make things worse and create an internal dialogue of what will happen next with the nerves. It’s okay to be nervous. Furthermore, if you are nervous, guess who else is likely to be nervous? Yes, that’s right … your opponent! Lastly, your name isn’t nervous, a part of you is nervous. Who wouldn’t be? You are getting ready to put yourself on the line. l “B” stands for Breathe: Yes, breathe! Using the example of my number four player who was complaining that his opponent was painting the lines. We discussed the simple truth that yes, he painted lines during the last six points, unheard of, but true. No need to fight it, it happened. Then, the work became to shift my player’s focus away from the past to the present. He brought his attention to his natural anchor—his breath. Little known fact, breath is always in the present. In order to connect to the present, you can simply just observe it, notice the sound, feel or rhythm for a few seconds. Or you can breathe in to a count of three, hold it for two counts, and breathe out to a count of three … you choose the pattern.

Or simply breathe in and out. Not only does this shift of focus

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

connect you to the present moment, it will help you relax, stay calm and slow down. l “C” stands for Concentrate: Specifically, we are talking about making the choice to focus on what you can control and let go of what you cannot. In the case of my number three player, instead of concentrating on her nervousness, she could concentrate on what she needs to do to prepare for her match the evening before, and then how she wants to play. What is her game plan going to be? In the situation of my number four player, he can concentrate on playing his game, maybe keeping the ball away from his opponent’s forehand where most of the winners came from. And most importantly, know that he cannot control his opponent’s shots. He can only control his shot selection, his effort and how he competes.

Concentrating on what you can control doesn’t guarantee winning, however, it’s your best path.

The “A, B, C’s” are a surefire way to get your game back on track when you lose your focus. Watch any of the top players and you can see when they move through these steps. Make no mistake, the “A, B, C’s” are simple, but are not easy.

Rob Polishook, MA, CPC is Founder and Director of Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group. As a Mental Training Coach, he works with athletes and teams, focusing on helping athletes gain the mental edge. Rob is Author of Tennis Inside the Zone: Mental Training Workouts for Champions. He may be reached by phone at (973) 723-0314, e-mail Rob@InsideTheZone.com or visit InsideTheZone.com.

What’s In Your Backyard?

or more than 25 years, FX Design Team has been transforming outdoor living spaces for clients to entertain over the years with family and friends. Owner Jeffrey Ingrassia heads up his team of designers and artistic craftsmen to give you an experience that will exceed your expectations.

One of the services FX Design offers begins with gathering all a clients’ lifestyle needs and wants, then FX Design’s talented team uses state-of-art 3D imaging to create a virtual tour of their newly designed concept. FX Design wants to help their clients realize their outdoor living space before breaking ground. So whether it’s a pool with an

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extreme water feature, cooking at an outdoor kitchen, or breaking a sweat on a multi-purpose game court, let the FX Design Team create the backyard of your dreams!

FX Design’s talented staff has accomplished many award-winning water features both on Long Island, as well as in other states. Swim in grottos, and walkthrough caves entice guests of all ages, complete with a fun-filled slide for the complete waterpark experience. FX Design’s extreme water features have been credited as being a highlight to clients.

Many homeowners prefer to enhance their culinary skills by cooking on their own outdoor kitchen. These include functional sinks, ice makers, refrigerators,

smokers and pizza ovens. This is guaranteed to turn anyone into a chef in no time. When the sun sets, it’s only the beginning. FX Design’s custom fireplaces, tiki torches and fire rock inserts, combined with accented night lighting, create tranquil settings for guests well into the evening.

If recreation plays a major role in your lifestyle, then don’t hesitate to ask about FX Design’s multi-purpose game courts and personalized putting greens. Add hours to your fun by enjoying volleyball, tennis or shooting hoops, all while practicing your short game of golf with friends and family in your own backyard.

FX Design’s goal is to enrich your lifestyle! So call today to start your transformation!

Visit FXDesignTeam.com or call (631) 882-1932 for more information.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Beyond the Baseline:

Dmytro Kovalevych, Christopher Morley Tennis

By Brian Coleman ne of tennis’ most endearing qualities is that it can be played throughout a person’s lifetime. Beyond simply playing recreationally, you can continue to compete in high-level—even prize money—tournaments into your adulthood.

Take for example, Dmytro Kovalevych.

A coach at Christopher Morley Tennis for the last four years, Kovalevych still regularly plays—and wins—tournaments in the Eastern Section. While he is a few years removed from his college playing days, Kovalevych has not yet hung up his racket for good.

“Christopher Morley is a great place for me to work because there are a lot of topranked juniors that train here, and I serve on their coaching staff, which helps me get better myself,” said Kovalevych. “During the summer, I don’t work on weekends, so

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I am still able to compete in tournaments.”

Kovalevych is a native of the Ukraine where he began to play tennis at the age of seven, but he didn’t get his start in the sport the traditional way. His parents, who were artists, were tasked with creating the prizes for a local tennis tournament, and when the tournament was unable to pay for the work, they offered to provide Dmytro with free tennis lessons.

“The man who offered it was the head of the Regional Federation. So my parents said ‘why not,’” Kovalevych said.

“My level really picked up when I got to be about 10-years-old. I became the topranked player in my age group and won the Under 10 National Championship … I also became number one when I was 16 and was a member of Ukraine’s National Junior Team.”

Kovalevych rose up the ranks as a junior to become one of Ukraine’s top young tennis players, but as he approached his

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

college years, Kovalevych had a decision to make. He wanted to continue playing tennis, but his options were limited in Ukraine.

“There are no team sports in college in Ukraine and so what attracted me to come to the United States was I could still keep playing at a high level,” Kovalevych said. “In the Ukraine, at a certain age, you either stop playing and go right into coaching, or you quit entirely.”

He received interest from colleges in the United States, including Princeton, but was only offered one Division I full scholarship, and that was to South Carolina State.

It was a bit of a culture shock for Kovalevych who was deposited into the historically Black University after coming from Ukraine where, as he said, “there are no Black people.” But while he struggled a bit socially, adjusting to a new culture and a new language, that didn’t matter to

Kovalevych, as he was just happy to still be playing tennis at a high level.

“They were a really good team and the best in the conference when I got there,” said Kovalevych, who went on to lead the Bulldogs to three more Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championships in his tenure there. “It was great because South Carolina State allowed me to continue playing at a high level. The social life was a little unusual because my friends and family were in the Ukraine, and I had to learn a new language. But the guys on the team were so helpful and supporting of me and it was a great four years.”

After his collegiate career, Kovalevych began his tenure at Christopher Morley Tennis. He was first introduced to the program after working at a summer camp in New York while he was still in college, and soon after he graduated he was offered a job.

Kovalevych is now one of the top coaches at the facility, and runs much of the 10 & Under programming and classes, while also serving as a member of the coaching staff for top players, including Cannon Kingsley and Spencer Brachmann.

“It is still a new club in a great area, and has some of the best kids in the country to come here to play, which is good for me because training them is really exciting,” said Kovalevych. “I’m also looking forward to developing my own kids, who just began playing Orange Ball tournaments, and eventually, they will move into the green balls.

I am PTR-certified in 10 & Under Tennis. For me, I love working with little kids and trying to improve the program here.”

While Kovalevych is a full-time coach, he has not relinquished his grip on his playing career, as he still competes and wins in many high-level tournaments. A couple of years ago, he won a Bronze Ball at the USTA National Men’s Open, Women’s Open, Mixed Open Indoor Championships at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Just this year alone, he has won two prize money tournaments at Sportime Randall’s Island, and most recently captured the title at the Hampshire Hills Men’s Open in Milford, N.H. His continued success as a tennis player earned him the award of Men’s Open Player of the Year Award” at the USTA Long Island Awards Ceremony earlier this summer.

He is straddling the line between player and coach, which is exactly what he wants to be doing currently, and continue to do so in the near future.

“I am a coach and a player. I still love playing prize money tournaments because I enjoy it and have been successful, so I want to continue doing in that in my free time,” Kovalevych said. “In the next few years, my goal is to get better as a coach. I am getting USPTA-certified and am becoming a Master Professional, and want to have our 10 & Under kids feed into our High-Performance programs, while also helping players like Cannon and Spencer get better. It’s very exciting and rewarding as a coach to see kids get better, and it really makes me happy. My goal is to just keep playing tournaments on a high level as I continue transitioning and growing as a coach.”

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.

How Mentally Tough Are You?

By Luke Jensen atching the U.S. Open and all the Grand Slams are so much fun! What always stands out to me is the moment in every match when the players win or lose based on how they handle turning points. More specifically, how the champions handle pressure!

Pressure will pose this question to you before, during and after your matches: “Are you any good?”

To me, dealing with this foe called “pressure” is the greatest challenge.

Tennis is a simple game played by very complex individuals. My brother, Murphy, tells tennis players this all the time before he talks about tactics or techniques. It is

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the complexity of the competitor that makes us all difficult to coach. What works for Roger Federer may not work for Roger Rabbit.

The coaching approach to every student is an art, and the best coaches find a way to connect their players to the best approaches to dealing with pressure. The bottom line is that the player must decide what kind of pressure player they are: Do they lean into pressure or fold under it?

I feel all of my success came down to tremendous coaching. My parents were a critical component as my life coaches to give me a healthy approach to competition and pressure. I was very lucky to have my parents as former ultra-competitive athletes, but also coaches at the high school level. I grew up in an environment that was always

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

based on an extraordinarily positive mental approach towards the pressure of competition. The tough work ethic reflected the price that had to be paid to be great.

No matter what the result was, success was always built around effort and attitude. If I won that battle every time in practice and in matches, I always gained approval from my parents and coaches. As my skills grew on the court, another aspect entered into my effort and attitude approach. This was a great addition that really turned my performances into more consistent wins.

As soon as I began putting more balls in play from the serves, groundies and volleys in practice, my parents and coaches added consistency to my winning formula. It was made clear that making a ton of errors was not acceptable in matches. It was tough for me at first because I was a big hitter and many of my shots were more like home runs than productive tennis shots. Back then, every massive winner was at the cost of hitting four to five errors in the process. Nothing frustrated my parents and coaches more than a bad attitude, followed by spraying the ball all over the court.

It was drilled into me that my game followed my attitude. If I had a positive approach, my game would respond positively. If I would get mad and frustrated, my game would follow that downward approach. When the best players compete under pressure, it is a consistent approach that wins the day. Accepting the pressures that

come with big matches produces big results. For you to become a better pressure player defines what makes you a great pressure player. Know that even Roger Federer feels nerves and those butterflies are normal.

So the next time you watch the pros and high performers, count the length of the rally. You would be amazed that even with the enormous pace being hit, that the rallies can go for long periods of time. Once you do, take your rally length research and hit the practice courts and count the number of balls you put in play. Even in doubles, where the rallies are short, keep a count of your shots between misses. You will be amazed that focusing on making shots helps you create more winning points.

Always remember our game is lost, not won, so keep your errors lower than your opponent and you will win more pressure-packed matches.

The best ways to approach pressure is with a confidence that does not depend on the outcome of the point. I have always believed I was a positive

pressure player. I can win or lose, but my pressure approach is still a positive one.

Build that mindset into your game and you will win more pressure points!

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 may be reached by phone at (315) 443-3552 or e-mail LukeJensen84@yahoo.com.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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BY

Paire Has $16K Racket Meltdown

E M I L I E

KAT Z

up on match point down.

Paire was fined for “audible obscenity, unsportsmanlike conduct and a lack of giving best effort.” Paire’s fine was more than double the appearance money he made at the tournament.

Sid the Kid Hits With Isner

Frenchman Benoit Paire has been fined $16,500 after a racket-smashing meltdown during a recent first-round loss at the Citi Open to Marcos Baghdatis.

No stranger to ill temper displayed on the court, Paire smashed three rackets and kicked over a courtside bench as he was booed off the court after appearing to give

with National Hockey League superstar Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins at Aorangi Park.

“I got to practice with him … actually got him out on the court for 15, 20 minutes and got to meet him and talk to him and see what he does to stay in shape,” Isner said.

“That dude works his tail off. That’s why he’s the best hockey player in the world. It’s cool. So I’ve gotten to know, through tennis, a lot of other very unique athletes and through that I have learned a lot.”

Stephens Takes Home ESPY

While on a run to the semifinals at Wimbledon, American John Isner hit some balls

Sloane Stephens was recently in Los Angeles to pick up her 2018 ESPY Award Best Female Tennis Player Award. The reigning U.S. Open champion Stephens beat out Garbine Muguruza, Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep in the competition for this year’s Best Female Tennis Player Award.

Stephens was also up for the Best Breakthrough Athlete Award, but lost that to NBA player Donovan Mitchell.

Stephens was a surprise 2017 U.S. Open champion, winning her first Grand Slam title just two months after coming back from foot surgery, and has since won the Miami Open, advanced to the finals at 60

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

Roland Garros, and has risen to number three in the world in the WTA Women’s Singles Rankings.

Mr. Murray Visits Washington

Federer Braves the Elements for TV Show

Ymer Donates Swedish Open Prize Money to Ethiopia

Nineteen-year-old Swede Mikael Ymer received a wild card into the main draw of the Swedish Open in Bastad, defeating Denis Istomin in the opening round before losing in the second round to Fabio Fognini. Although born in Sweden, Mikael and his older brother Elias have parents from Ethiopia. Mikael announced that he will donate the entire prize money from the Bastad tournament to help the underprivileged children in Ethiopia.

“I’ve chosen to donate all my prize money from the Bastad ATP tournament to a cause that is very important to me, where my family and I will help underprivileged children in Ethiopia,” said Ymer. “We want to build a tennis court and give the children opportunities to enjoy and participate in sports. I’d especially like to thank my longtime sponsors Adidas and Babolat, whom both have supported me for many years and through that, I am able to give back to the children by bringing clothes and rackets for them. If you want to contribute also, please DM (@MikaelYmer) or e-mail me, and I will provide you the information on where to make a donation. One hundred percent of the monies donated will go directly to this cause in order to help the children in Ethiopia. No amount is too small!”

Andy Murray unfortunately had to pull out of the 2018 Citi Open in our nation’s capital, but made the most of his trip, visiting the White House and meeting up with D.C. United star Wayne Rooney.

“I’m exhausted after playing so much over the past four days, having not competed on the hard courts for 18 months,” Murray said upon withdrawing from the Citi Open. “I also need to be careful and to listen to my body as I come back from a longterm injury.”

Prior to pulling out of the event, Murray and Rooney had time for a soccer-tennis match on the Citi Open Stadium Court.

They were joined fellow Brit and rising star Katie Swan, who is represented by Murray’s sports agency.

Roger Federer recently appeared in an episode of “Running Wild With Bear Grylls,” a show where host Bear Grylls brings a different celebrity along on his adventures.

Federer and Grylls journeyed to the Swiss Alps, repelling down a waterfall and sampling fish eyeballs during the episode.

“I really hope that my tennis skills are actually going to help me a little bit, with balance maybe, making sure I get through the snow and ice here in the Swiss Alps,” said Federer during the episode. “I’m just a very normal guy that likes to do normal things besides playing tennis. So I think that intrigues a lot of people, to see the other side of the person. I’m sure it’s going to be an epic experience. I believe it shows another side to the person people might know. With me, maybe they see this very focused, strong tennis player who never cracks under pressure and it’s all nonsense at the end of the day. We’re all the same. We all have our fears and I’m very scared of many things, especially when it comes to doing adventurous stuff.”

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.

188 Maple Avenue • Rockville Centre Phone: 516-763-1299 catsrvc@gmail.com

www.catsny.com LITennisMag.com • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Confiden

A Player’s Se How to Find

By Dr. Tom Ferraro ne of a player’s greatest tools is confidence, yet very few know how to develop this state of mind. Most tennis matches are won or lost before the first serve is struck based upon who holds the most confidence. It’s true that practice, excellent ground strokes, a powerful serve, good coaching, proper rest, natural talent, sufficient support and proper nutrition all matter a great deal, but all those things are still no guarantee that you bring confidence onto the court.

Young players are often aware of who their opponent is and how highly they are ranked. This fact usually determines confidence and also the outcome of a match. This is based upon a number of psychological theories, including Leon Festinger’s “Cognitive Dissonance Theory.” Festinger was a Stanford University Professor in Social Psychology who suggested that people desire mental equilibrium and that they desire to fulfill inner expectations. Expectations have a large impact on a person’s behavior and ability to succeed. When applied to tennis, this means that it is mentally conflicting for a player of lesser rank to beat a player of higher rank. Reputation matters and matters a great deal. The more you are aware of your rank compared to your opponent, the more power it will have over the outcome of the match.

I have seen this dramatically demonstrated many times across a variety of sports. I recall watching a first round match on an outer court at the U.S. Open years ago where a virtual unknown was in the process of beating a highlyranked and highly-favored opponent.

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ence:

Secret Weapon, nd It and How to Use It The unknown was up four games to none in the second set after winning the first set easily. It couldn’t have been more obvious that this unknown was on the verge of beating one of the tournament favorites. Then, something odd started to happen. It was as if the unknown player had lost all memory of how to play tennis and proceeded to lose point after point until she finally lost the match. I would say that the reputation of the highly-ranked player was what actually defeated the opponent.

The Cognitive Dissonance that was felt inside the unknown was so great that it forced itself upon the player and insured that the match would end as everyone expected it to end with the more highly ranked being on top.

This scenario happens time after time and is due to the sudden loss of confidence brought on by the awareness that the unknown was going to do the impossible.

Every tennis player on Earth knows

that this issue is real, but the question is what can be done about it. Here is how I coach my players: 1. Do not look at rankings at all before your match. The rankings may satisfy your curiosity, but they in no way help your mental state. If you are more highly ranked, you will go easy on the opponent and not take them seriously.

If you are of a lower ranking than your opponent you will lose confidence, feel intimidated and expect to lose.

2. When you get to the match try your best to ignore your opponent, do not socialize and essentially stay in your bubble. This is the time to gather all of your strength, all your focus and your will to win. Silence tends to be your friend, silence and the will to win. Opponents will often do things either consciously or unconsciously to distract you, and it is your job to ignore it all. Act like a duck and have all these social distractions be like water rolling off your back.

3. You will find that if you can maintain your focus, remain silent and have minimal visual and verbal interaction, you will feel more confident, be far less prone to feel intimidated and find yourself winning more and more.

Confidence can be established by winning more often and by recalling your wins. Confidence turns out to be a fragile thing, and you must learn to guard it jealously. One way to do this is by ignoring your opponent and everything about them. The best at this was Tiger Woods who ignored his opponents so well that they actually began to feel invisible.

They watched him, he never watched them and the next thing they knew, he was hoisting another trophy with a great big smile.

This is how a winner stays a winner.

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 DrTomFerraro.com.

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djcmnyc@gmail.com LITennisMag.com • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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The Triangle of

By Zeki Tukel here are tennis powerhouses in the world, nations that produce more top 100 players than other countries. There are certain regions in some countries that produce better players than other regions of that same nation. There are complex reasons for that, such as weather, socio-economic differences, sports and tennis culture of the region and so forth. But regardless of what country and region you live in, what does it take to create the smallest single unit to achieve success in tennis? It is the triangle of the parents, who have a long-term vision for their child, the coach who has a long-term plan for the player and a good athlete motivated to improve their craft. In this article, I will focus on this triangle, with an emphasis on a long-term perspective and junior development plan based on the merits of the player.

T

How do you develop a long-term perspective and plan?

Tennis is an individual sport. When we look at top 100 pro level players, whether the men’s or women’s circuit, we see a very different style of players, some even with unorthodox shots and game styles.

What we also see is that they exclusively specialize on a style that maximizes their strengths and minimizes their weaknesses. This is the starting point and most important aspect of long-term planning.

Starting when the child is 12- or 13-years-old, a coach must project what kind of style will give that player the best chance of a winning game at the pro level, based on their shots, athletic ability and mentality. This projection is an ongoing process and needs to be updated depending on whether or not the junior player’s abilities change. It becomes less flexible when the player approaches the pro level.

After having a projection, then the long-term plan comes into play of how to build that game style. Here, the most important thing is knowing your player really well. What assets and liabilities your player has athletically, technically and mentally. Knowing your player well takes some time. It takes spending a lot of time on the practice court and seeing a lot of matches.

One of the most important decisions for success is that the parents have to stay long-term with a coach whom they think has a long-term vision and a good executioner of this plan and vision, dayin, day-out. Just think about parents who change coaches often, or send their kids from academy to academy in thinking every coach who works with their child will teach them something new. This is one of the biggest misconceptions of coaching and is a recipe for failure. Change in tennis, like anything else in life, is a process. There is no short cut. That’s the repetition of whatever you are working on until it becomes second nature. Basically what you are trying to do

of Success in Tennis is trying to fill a pool with a one drop of rain every single day with a well-executed practice based on your plan. So whatever your setting is, whether your child is working with a club, in an academy, or with a private coach, the question is “What’s the plan for my child’s development?”

The X-Factor: Parents In this triangle, parents have a big influence and it must be a positive influence. If a coach spends three to four hours a day with a player, parents spend much more time than this with their child. As much as their decisions dictate their child’s development, what and how they talk with their kids has a very big impact on their development. One of the most important things to emphasize to a child is that effort and performance has greater importance than winning. Winning always feels good, gives you confidence and motivation, but what must never be lost sight of is that the goal is to build a distinctive product geared for a higher level. Everybody has to be on the same page with this. Effort is going to make the biggest difference in years of practice and match play.

So the plan comes from the coach, effort

and hard work from the player, and support from the parents. Another crucial thing is to understand that the child always feels the pressure and stress on their own and it is a mistake to create more external pressure.

The right thing to do is to help the child manage pressure rather than overwhelming the player with it. Another mistake for parents is to make the child feel like they are playing tennis for the parents. A tennis career is a long one, so to endure it, the child must be the one who wants it more than the parents and the coach. That gives the child a feeling of freedom. Otherwise, it becomes a chore for the child to satisfy the parents, and at some point, the player is overwhelmed.

Trust and communication Trust must be the foundation of this triangle.

The question is simple: Do you trust your coach to take your child to the next level? I don’t see any grey area on this question. In order to attain success, the player and the parents must have full confidence in the coach. If there is some doubt, it always grows. It is also very important for the coach to believe in the player as well. To build trust between the parents and the coach, com-

munication is crucial. The coach should let the parents know about their long-term, midterm and short-term plans and goals and keep them updated weekly how the process is going. This also helps the parents to be on the same page with the coach, while communicating with their child.

According to research done by tennis coach Piotr Unierzyski, among 1,000 (12- to 13-years-old) players from 1994 to 2002 in 50 different countries, the ones who made it into top 100 professional rankings, their parents were supportive, but not over-involved.

The coach should stay away from giving the parents unrealistic expectations for the long-term health of this relationship. Parents should follow the process, but they should not interfere and should not overanalyze.

Zeki Tukel is a Tennis Professional at Christopher Morley Tennis. Zeki played number one singles for Mercy College New York and was ranked fifth in the Eastern Region. He was the under 18 National Champion in Turkey. With a reference letter from Nick Bolletieri, Zeki is a USPTR certified coach. He has 13 years of coaching experience and has coached some of the top players in the country.

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Tennis Encounters of Countless Times-Predictions

By Lonnie Mitchel nce again, it is U.S. Open time.

What can I say about this Grand Slam tournament that has not been written already. Trying to predict these Grand Slams is a conundrum. I have another type of prediction though ...

My next epiphany happened on the golf course just a few days before putting my thoughts to this commentary. It’s a tennis magazine that I write for, so why write about golf? I always think that golf and tennis are cousins. The game for a lifetime that the USTA often touted as their proverb also applies to golf. There are golf and tennis resorts, golf and tennis country clubs, and many people who play tennis dabble in golf and vice-versa. The social aspect of the two games are similar in that they are both great sports to encounter people, and create and expand a social network.

On this particular day out on the course, I was partnered with two young college kids. In conversation, I found out their other hobby was playing tennis. I was off and running with discussion when I heard about

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their tennis exploits. These two young men were going into their last year of college and were hoping to learn these two sports to help them springboard their careers and be marketable away from the boardroom and classroom. A pat on the back from me was the next thing as we completed our round of golf. Somehow, I knew these young men were going to be successful, I gave them my card and hoped that they will see me for some tennis lessons at some point.

Two days later, I found myself back in my comfort zone, on the tennis courts filling in as a day camp counselor. I was working with several high school kids who were 3.5 Level players at best. Certainly they were good enough to play on their high school tennis team. I knew that these young people were not in the offering for college scholarships in the sport of tennis. They certainly were not skilled enough to become college players at the college where I coach. However, fresh off a bad round of golf, which is certainly not my expertise, during a tennis ball pickup after the day was over, I shared my golf story with these young high school kids. I promised them that sticking with the game of tennis,

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

whether they played high school varsity tennis or college tennis, would open doors . Opportunities would knock on their door and you just don’t know where the game will take you, but you can be sure that the game will provide a positive journey. That’s what our game does … it opens doors and provides opportunities.

I return to SUNY Oneonta in a few weeks. As a matter of fact, while you are reading this, I am already there coaching our Women’s Tennis team. As you are watching the U.S. Open, I cannot be at Flushing Meadows watching the best players in the world beat each other up on every point. I am on our 12 beautiful tennis courts in Oneonta, N.Y., three-hours from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, training highly-skilled females to prepare for battle.

One of the stories I can share with them is the fact I had the privilege of writing seven recommendation letters for students who graduated this past May. All of them having played four successful years of college tennis. They went on their interviews and sent out to grad school applications with a letter from their Head Coach endorsing them as potentially great employ-

ees, students and a good bet for success.

I am not boasting about the letters I wrote, only boasting about the students who stood out because of their tennis successes and their level of commitment. They handled social situations while traveling great distances in all hours of the day, managing their time to be successful in the classroom. The professors marveled at their accomplishments and so did the future employers and grad school admission counselors. The social doors opened up at the same time. Game, set and match metaphorically! My players won their own U.S. Open having a 15-Love lead at every interview, grad school meeting and just two months later while writing this they won championships of a different type. Not the kind that is given at the U.S. Open, but their championship trophy was given in the form of a diploma, employment and grad school entry. I also explained this to my young golf partners a few days ago.

If you are lucky enough to have a ticket to go to the U.S. Open, I bet if you strike up a conversation with your fellow spectators that you can find something in common be-

sides tennis or golf. You just might find there are opportunities that can be created because you play or know the game of tennis.

Tennis is a special fraternity, much like golf, with much crossover between the two. I cannot play tennis at the level of my some of my former players can anymore.

We can talk tennis though on the golf course and I have played a few rounds with my former players. Tennis is our special bond and we spring-boarded our tennis commonality to other things that allow us to stay close. After a round of golf, they go back to their jobs and return to the tennis court, I go back to coaching tennis, the game I love.

You simply just cannot predict specifically where our game will take you in life, but I can foretell with almost 100 percent certainty that it will be positive with a wonderful expedition. If you have read some of my articles in this magazine, I have written on this topic quite often on the plethora of opportunities that can be had because of your involvement in tennis. What I find interesting is that every time I write something on the dividends

gained from tennis beyond the court it’s not just coincidence that these principles resonate each and every day. It is partnered with the many encounters that I have because of my tennis. Each encounter opens up some type of opportunity. What I wonder during this U.S. Open season is how many more encounters that will promote positive interactions and what opportunities will unfold between now and the next article I write? I predict many more to share.

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. Also coached for Team USA in Berlin and Chile in 2015 and Team USA Maccabiah for the Open Division working with Division I players and professionally ranked in the Israel Games in 2017. Was also named Coach of the Year in 2015 for State University of NY Athletic Conference. Lonnie may be reached by phone at (516) 4147202 or e-mail LonnieMitchel@yahoo.com.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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USTA/Long Island Region 2018

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments.

SEPTEMBER 2018 Friday-Sunday, September 21-23 L2 Bethpage State Park Fall Open Bethpage Park Tennis Center 99 Quaker Meeting House Road Farmingdale, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 17 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail RBecker06@yahoo.com or call (516) 359-4843.

Friday-Sunday, September 21-23 L1B September Sixteens Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Advanced Boys' & Girls' Singles & Doubles: 78' Yellow Ball 16 (SE) and Advanced Mixed Doubles: 78' Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles, $28 for additional doubles (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Sept.

19 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail Andrew@LongBeachTennisCenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, September 21-23 L2 Sportime Syosset September Open Sportime-Syosset 75 Haskett Drive Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 12 (FRLC) and Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 14-16 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Sept. 16 at 11:59 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail KSorokko@SportimeNY.com or call (516) 364-2727.

Friday-Sunday, September 21-23 L1B Point Set Challenge Point Set Tennis 3065 New Street Oceanside, 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 Sunday, Sept. 16 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

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Friday-Sunday, September 21-23 L2 GHRC September Open Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail Vasco.D.Antunes@gmail.com or call (516) 676-9849.

Saturday-Sunday, September 22-23 Youth Progression Green L1 Open, East Setauket World Gym Racquet & Sports Arena 384 Mark Tree Road East Setauket, N.Y. Divisions: Green Level 1 Boys' & Girls' 10 and Under Singles: 78' Green Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Saturday, Sept. 15 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail VTAPR@hotmail.com or call or call (631) 751-6100.

Saturday, September 22 Youth Progression Orange Ball L2 Sportime Bethpage Sportime Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Orange Level 2 Boys' & Girls' 10 and Under Singles: 60' Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Sept. 16 at 11:59 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail KSorokko@SportimeNY.com or call (516) 933-8500.

Saturday, September 22 Youth Progression Orange L1: East Hampton Ross School Tennis Academy 18 Goodfriend Drive East Hampton, N.Y. Divisions: Orange Level 1 Boys' & Girls' 10 and Under Singles: 60' Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Sept. 16 at 11:59 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail CSidor@Ross.org or call (631) 907-5162.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

Sunday, September 23 Youth Progression Orange Level 1: September Open Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Orange Level 1 Boys' & Girls' 10 and Under Singles: 60' Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Sept. 16 at 11:59 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail Andrew@LongBeachTennisCenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, September 28-30 L1 Ross September Championship Ross School Tennis Academy 18 Goodfriend Drive East Hampton, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 24 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail CSidor@Ross.org or call (631) 907-5162.

Friday-Sunday, September 28-30 L1 Sportime Syosset Championships Sportime-Syosset 75 Haskett Drive • Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Sept. 23 at 11:59 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail KSorokko@SportimeNY.com or call (516) 364-2727.

Sunday, September 30 L3 UPS September Open Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard • Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Entry Level Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Green Ball 12, 78' Yellow Ball 14-16 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Thursday, Sept. 27 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail Andrew@LongBeachTennisCenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

USTA/Long Island Region 2018

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments.

OCTOBER 2018 Friday-Sunday, October 5-7 L2 Park Ave Fall Open Park Avenue Tennis Club 100 Partridge Lane Huntington, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC) and Intermediate Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $52.10 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 24 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail Caddy44@aol.com or call (631) 271-1810.

Friday-Sunday, October 5-7 L2 LBTC Early October 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 14 (SE); Intermediate Boys' Doubles: 78' Yellow Ball 12-16 (SE); Intermediate Girls' Doubles: 78' Yellow Ball 12-14 (SE) and Intermediate Mixed Doubles: 78' Yellow Ball 12-14 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles, $28 for additional doubles (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Oct. 3 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail Andrew@LongBeachTennisCenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, October 5-7 L1B Ross Oct. Challenger Ross School Tennis Academy 18 Goodfriend Drive East Hampton, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 1218 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail CSidor@Ross.org or call (631) 907-5162.

Friday-Sunday, October 5-7 L1B Bethpage State Park Fall Challenger Bethpage Park Tennis Center 99 Quaker Meeting House Road Farmingdale, 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, Oct. 1 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail RBecker06@yahoo.com or call (516) 359-4843.

Friday-Sunday, October 5-7 L2 Sportime Syosset September Open Sportime-Syosset 75 Haskett Drive Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC) and Intermediate Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Sept. 30 at 11:59 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail KSorokko@SportimeNY.com or call (516) 364-2727.

Friday-Sunday, October 5-7 L1B Huntington Indoor Tennis Fall Challenger Huntington Indoor Tennis 100 Broadway Huntington Station, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail hitennis@hitennisny.com or call (631) 421-0040.

Friday-Monday, October 5-8 L1B Point Set Fall Challenge Point Set Tennis 3065 New Street Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 16-18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Sept. 30 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

Saturday-Monday, October 6-8 USTA National Level 2 Tournament Robbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove 60 Sea Cliff Avenue Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: Advanced Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 12 (FIC-R16) and Advanced Boys' & Girls' Doubles: 78' Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $145.63 per player (deadline for entries is Thursday, Sept. 13 at 11:59 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail RWagner968@aol.com or call (516) 759-0505.

Saturday-Sunday, October 6-7 L2 World Gym October Open World Gym Racquet & Sports Arena 384 Mark Tree Road East Setauket, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail VTAPR@hotmail.com or call or call (631) 751-6100.

Saturday-Sunday, October 6-7 Youth Progression Green L1: East Hampton Ross School Tennis Academy 18 Goodfriend Drive East Hampton, N.Y. Divisions: Green Level 1 Boys' & Girls' 10 and Under Singles: 78' Green Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Sept. 30 at 11:59 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail CSidor@Ross.org or call (631) 907-5162.

Sunday, October 7 Youth Progression Orange Level 2: October Open Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Orange Level 2 Boys' & Girls' 10 and Under Singles: 60' Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Sept. 30 at 11:59 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail Andrew@LongBeachTennisCenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, October 12-14 Eastern Super Six at RWTTC (National L4) Robbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove 60 Sea Cliff Avenue Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: Super 6 Event Boys' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 18 (FIC-R16) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $124.13 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Oct. 2 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail RWagner968@aol.com or call (516) 759-0505.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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USTA/Long Island Region 2018

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments.

Friday-Sunday, October 12-14 Eastern Super Six at World Gym (National L4) World Gym Racquet & Sports Arena 384 Mark Tree Road • East Setauket, N.Y. Divisions: Super 6 Event Boys' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 12 (FICR16) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $124.13 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Oct. 2 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail VTAPR@hotmail.com or call or call (631) 751-6100.

Friday-Sunday, October 12-14 L1A Sportime Syosset Championships Sportime-Syosset • 75 Haskett Drive • Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail KSorokko@SportimeNY.com or call (516) 364-2727.

Friday-Sunday, October 12-14 Eastern Super Six at Point Set (National L4) Point Set Tennis • 3065 New Street • Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Super 6 Event Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $124.13 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Oct. 2 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

Friday-Sunday, October 19-21 L1B Long Beach October Challenger Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard • Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys' & Girls' Singles & Doubles: 78' Yellow Ball 14,18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles, $28 for additional doubles (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Oct. 3 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail Andrew@LongBeachTennisCenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, October 19-21 L3 RWTT October UPS Robbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove 60 Sea Cliff Avenue • Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: Entry Level Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Green Ball 12 ,78' Yellow Ball 14-18 (RR) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $59.50 per player For more information, e-mail RWagner968@aol.com or call (516) 759-0505.

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Friday-Sunday, October 19-21 L1B Point Set Oct Challenger Point Set Tennis • 3065 New Street • Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 12,16 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Oct. 15 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

Friday-Sunday, October 19-21 Eastern Empire Cup National Doubles at World Gym (National L4) World Gym Racquet & Sports Arena 384 Mark Tree Road • East Setauket, N.Y. Divisions: Boys' & Girls' Doubles: 78' Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail VTAPR@hotmail.com or call or call (631) 751-6100.

Saturday, October 20 Youth Progression Orange Level 1 East Setauket World Gym Racquet & Sports Arena 384 Mark Tree Road • East Setauket, N.Y. Divisions: Orange Level 1 Boys' & Girls' 10 and Under Singles: 60' Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Saturday, Oct. 13 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail VTAPR@hotmail.com or call or call (631) 751-6100.

Saturday-Sunday, October 20-21 Youth Progression Green L1 Sportime Bethpage Sportime Bethpage • 101 Norcross Avenue • Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Green Level 1 Boys' & Girls' 10 and Under Singles: 78' Green Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Oct. 14 at 11:59 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail KSorokko@SportimeNY.com or call (516) 933-8500.

Friday-Sunday, October 26-28 L1B Sportime Syosset Challenger Sportime-Syosset 75 Haskett Drive Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail KSorokko@SportimeNY.com or call (516) 364-2727.

Saturday, October 27 Youth Progression Orange L2: East Hampton Ross School Tennis Academy 18 Goodfriend Drive East Hampton, N.Y. Divisions: Orange Level 2 Boys' & Girls' 10 and Under Singles: 60' Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Oct. 21 at 11:59 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail CSidor@Ross.org or call (631) 907-5162.

Saturday-Sunday, October 27-28 Youth Progression L1 Green Ball East Setauket World Gym Racquet & Sports Arena 384 Mark Tree Road East Setauket, N.Y. Divisions: Green Level 1 Boys' & Girls' 10 and Under Singles: 78' Green Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Saturday, Oct. 20 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail VTAPR@hotmail.com or call or call (631) 751-6100.

Sunday, October 28 Youth Progression Orange Level 3: October Open Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Entry Level Boys' & Girls' 10 and Under Singles: 60' Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Friday-Sunday, October 26-28 Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, L1B Bethpage Park Fall Challenger Oct. 21 at 11:59 p.m.)

Bethpage Park Tennis Center For more information, e-mail Andrew@LongBeachTennisCen99 Quaker Meeting House Road • Farmingdale, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 12 (SE) ter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Oct. 22 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail RBecker06@yahoo.com or call (516) 359-4843.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2018 • LITennisMag.com

LONG Boys & Girls Sectional Rankings (as of 08/06/18)

BOYS Sectional Boys 12 Singles— Long Island Rank Name City 2 ......Jordan Reznik......................Great Neck, N.Y. 5 ......Max Daniel Safir ..................Old Westbury, N.Y. 11 ....Malik Trail ............................Mill Neck, N.Y. 14 ....Dillon Lev Beckles ..............Roslyn, N.Y. 18 ....Ariel Zauber..........................Great Neck, N.Y. 21 ....Aiden Patel ..........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 23 ....Aryan Badlani ......................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 24 ....Sebastian Bielen..................Glen Cove, N.Y. 26 ....Matthew Leonard Zeifman..Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 30 ....Jeffrey Rosario ....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 31 ....Aaron Raja ..........................Old Westbury, N.Y. 32 ....James Yu ............................Smithtown, N.Y. 36 ....David Anosov ......................Oceanside, N.Y. 37 ....Albert Hu..............................Great Neck, N.Y. 48 ....Julian Messina ....................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 50 ....Edward Liao ........................Commack, N.Y. 59 ....Joseph Banilivi ....................Great Neck, N.Y. 62 ....Avery Frekhtman ................Woodmere, N.Y. 75 ....Colin Hui ..............................Syosset, N.Y. 80 ....Juan Perez ..........................Mt. Sinai, N.Y. 91 ....Bryan Volk............................Dix Hills, N.Y. 97 ....Samarth Deepudass ..........Williston Park, N.Y. 101 ..Alexander Sherman ............Hewlett, N.Y. 106 ..Maxim Zlobinsky ................Greenvale, N.Y. 107 ..James Sacco ......................Brightwaters, N.Y. 117 ..Cooper Schorr ....................East Rockaway, N.Y. 122 ..Alex Mazza ..........................Bellmore, N.Y. 132 ..Saje Menon..........................Mineola, N.Y. 138 ..Samuel Lopez......................Huntington Station, N.Y. 142 ..Joseph Romito ....................East Northport, N.Y. 161 ..Russell Notaris ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 166 ..Alexander Weiner ................Southampton, N.Y. 186 ..Aidan Garvey ......................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 191 ..Rocco Roti ..........................Locust Valley, N.Y. 195 ..Daniel C. Rila ......................Peconic, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 14 Singles— Long Island Rank Name City 20 ....Mark R. Taranov ..................Valley Stream, N.Y. 37 ....Stephan M. Gershfeld ........Hewlett, N.Y. 41 ....Michael Ryan Safir ..............Old Westbury, N.Y. 44 ....Daniel Kong ........................Commack, N.Y. 47 ....Aidan O’Connor ..................Manhasset, N.Y. 50 ....Ajer Sher ..............................Jericho, N.Y. 53 ....Ty Nisenson ........................Port Washington, N.Y. 57 ....Aron Bursztyn ......................South Setauket, N.Y. 60 ....Aman K. Sharma ................Glen Head, N.Y. 72 ....Julian Messina ....................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 74 ....Malik Trail ............................Mill Neck, N.Y. 79 ....Dylan D’Agate......................Melville, N.Y. 88 ....Matthew Leonard Zeifman..Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 89 ....Benjamin Grushkovskiy ......Woodmere, N.Y. 104 ..Matthew Strogach ..............Commack, N.Y. 110 ..Daniel Beckles ....................Roslyn, N.Y. 115 ..Christopher Qi ....................Centerport, N.Y. 141 ..Aidan Patel ..........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 150 ..Ryan Newitz ........................Melville, N.Y. 157 ..Jordan Reznik......................Great Neck, N.Y. 171 ..Eli Newman..........................Great Neck, N.Y. 177 ..Justin Shen ..........................Glen Head, N.Y. 188 ..Kevin Chen ..........................Commack, N.Y.

ISLAND

192 ..Murray Litman......................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 196 ..Michael Chan ......................Commack, N.Y. 197 ..Ansh Chadha ......................Westbury, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 16 Singles— Long Island Rank Name City 2 ......Kabir Rajpal..........................Syosset, N.Y. 4 ......Logan Paik Chang ..............Old Westbury, N.Y. 6 ......Sujay Sharma ......................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 7 ......Billy G. Suarez ....................Huntington, N.Y. 8 ......Spencer Brachman ............Commack, N.Y. 12 ....Alexander Karman ..............Port Washington, N.Y. 32 ....Rohan Gaddam Reddy ......Glen Head, N.Y. 36 ....Jared Phillips........................Plainview, N.Y. 37 ....Jack Flores ..........................Huntington, N.Y. 45 ....Justin Oresky ......................Syosset, N.Y. 48 ....Maxwell Moadel ..................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 50 ....Matthew Charles Cashin ....Syosset, N.Y. 64 ....Nicholas Wernink ................Glen Cove, N.Y. 65 ....Joseph Monticciolo ............South Setauket, N.Y. 71 ....Anthony Casale ..................Old Bethpage, N.Y. 77 ....Gabriele Brancatelli ............Westhampton Beach, N.Y. 100 ..Ryan Shayani ......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 117 ..Ian Schunk ..........................Westhampton Beach, N.Y. 119 ..Matthew Kronenberg ..........East Setauket, N.Y. 120 ..Aaron Rittberger ..................Huntington, N.Y. 123 ..Logan Fliegel ......................Lynbrook, N.Y. 136 ..Brian Gao ............................Syosset, N.Y. 144 ..Pius Lo ................................Glen Head, N.Y. 149 ..Alex Vinsky ..........................Westbury, N.Y. 157 ..Arin Siriamonthep................Greenvale, N.Y. 192 ..Rohan Gupta ......................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 195 ..Sean Cohen ........................Plainview, N.Y. 198 ..Luke Burke ..........................East Hampton, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 18 Singles— Long Island Rank Name City 1 ......Cannon Kingsley ................Northport, N.Y. 3 ......Neel Rajesh..........................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 5 ......Daniel Eric Pellerito..............Syosset, N.Y. 9 ......Chene Li ..............................Syosset, N.Y. 10 ....Patrick F. Maloney ..............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 12 ....Pieter Alexander Wernink....Glen Cove, N.Y. 20 ....Karan Amin ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 21 ....Ronald P. Hohmann ............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 23 ....Logan Paik Chang ..............Old Westbury, N.Y. 25 ....Brian Shi ..............................Jericho, N.Y. 26 ....Ryan Goetz ..........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 32 ....Alexander Roti ....................Locust Valley, N.Y. 34 ....Adrian Tsui ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 35 ....Lazar Ivan Markovic ............Lattingtown, N.Y. 42 ....Matthew Charles Cashin ....Syosset, N.Y. 45 ....Maxwell Moadel ..................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 46 ....Evan Brady ..........................Glen Head, N.Y. 47 ....Abhinav Raj Srivastava ......Melville, N.Y. 59 ....Nicholas Wernink ................Glen Cove, N.Y. 61 ....Spencer Brachman ............Commack, N.Y. 76 ....Luke Torel Karniewich ........Glen Head, N.Y. 86 ....Jack Flores ..........................Huntington, N.Y. 89 ....Yoel Andre Yamus ..............Deer Park, N.Y. 111 ..Griffin Schlesinger ..............Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 122 ..Rohan Reddy ......................Glen Head, N.Y. 141 ..Jack Loucheim ....................Sagaponack, N.Y. 142 ..Kian Ziari ..............................Locust Valley, N.Y. 146 ..Billy G. Suarez ....................Huntington, N.Y. 148 ..Sujay Sharma ......................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 152 ..Michael Medvedev..............Albertson, N.Y. 158 ..Kabir Rajpal..........................Syosset, N.Y. 162 ..Niles Ghaffar ........................Massapequa, N.Y.

RANKINGS

170 ..Danny Tocco........................East Quogue, N.Y. 177 ..Avi Anand ............................Dix Hills, N.Y. 178 ..Justin Oresky ......................Syosset, N.Y. 184 ..Michael Safir ........................Old Westbury, N.Y. 185 ..Ryan Shayani ......................Old Westbury, N.Y.

GIRLS Sectional Girls 12 Singles— Long Island Rank Name City 4 ......Ariana O. Pursoo ................Westbury, N.Y. 7 ......Taylor Goetz ........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 10 ....Isabella Sha..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 13 ....Andrea De Los Rios ............Port Washington, N.Y. 14 ....Christasha McNeill ..............Massapequa, N.Y. 22 ....Tara Andrea Kurepa ............Jericho, N.Y. 26 ....Kady Tannenbaum ..............Commack, N.Y. 33 ....Nyla Gershfeld ....................Hewlett, N.Y. 40 ....Sophia Holod ......................East Setauket, N.Y. 44 ....Lara Afolayanka ..................Uniondale, N.Y. 63 ....Lucia Donnelly ....................Bayville, N.Y. 72 ....Catherine Karman ..............Port Washington, N.Y. 74 ....Pressley Fortunato ..............Rockville Centre, N.Y. 81 ....Vishnu Nair ..........................Jericho, N.Y. 90 ....Darian Perfiliev ....................Port Washington, N.Y. 92 ....Eva Sun................................Manhasset, N.Y. 105 ..Anya Konopka ....................St. James, N.Y. 108 ..Nicolina Giannola ................Port Jefferson, N.Y. 110 ..Carina Cristobal ..................Smithtown, N.Y. 111 ..Paige Wygodzki ..................Huntington, N.Y. 114 ..Jordan McCoy ....................Bayport, N.Y. 124 ..Anika Tolat............................Port Washington, N.Y. 132 ..Valerie Simon ......................Hewlett, N.Y. 137 ..Kallin Gochna ......................Glen Head, N.Y. 145 ..Tatiana Lorich ......................Southampton, N.Y. 156 ..Paige Vesely ........................Oceanside, N.Y. 162 ..Matilda Buchen ..................Westhampton, N.Y. 175 ..Kayla Castellano..................Garden City, N.Y. 176 ..Lyla Munter ..........................Great Neck, N.Y. 178 ..Eleni Kontokasta..................Water Mill, N.Y. 182 ..Maria Perez Canedo............Selden, N.Y. 184 ..Maria Perez..........................Centereach, N.Y. 189 ..Natalie Becker ....................Jericho, N.Y. 194 ..Zia Mukherjee ......................Syosset, N.Y. 198 ..Hana Deckman....................Greenlawn, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 14 Singles— Long Island Rank Name City 5 ......Emily Tannenbaum..............Commack, N.Y. 9 ......Rose B. Hayes ....................East Moriches, N.Y. 16 ....Rebecca Suarez ..................Huntington, N.Y. 19 ....Theadora Yael Rabman ......Port Washington, N.Y. 26 ....Gabriela Glickstein ..............Commack, N.Y. 29 ....Olivia Fermo ........................Smithtown, N.Y. 33 ....Emma Sy..............................Port Washington, N.Y. 40 ....Tola Pola Glowacka ............Jericho, N.Y. 41 ....Ariana O. Pursoo ................Westbury, N.Y. 46 ....Hailey Stoerback ................Saint James, N.Y. 55 ....Andriana Zaphiris ................Smithtown, N.Y. 58 ....Ava Scordo ..........................Glen Head, N.Y. 65 ....Samantha Zeltser ................Great Neck, N.Y. 72 ....Kady Tannenbaum ..............Commack, N.Y. 79 ....Kiera Agic ............................Miller Place, N.Y. 88 ....Isabella Dinulescu................Huntington Station, N.Y. 94 ....Ines Roti ..............................Locust Valley, N.Y. 95 ....Taylor Goetz ........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 100 ..Alexandra Ho ......................Syosset, N.Y. 102 ..Christasha McNeill ..............Massapequa, N.Y. 103 ..Andrea De Los Rios ............Port Washington, N.Y. 120 ..Bianca Rose Lorich ............Southampton, N.Y.

122 ..Sophia Holod ......................East Setauket, N.Y. 124 ..Nicole Pinkus ......................Valley Stream, N.Y. 127 ..Hailey Lessen ......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 129 ..Sydney Seid ........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 130 ..Skylar Blake Semon............Melville, N.Y. 133 ..Kira Kronenberg ..................East Setauket, N.Y. 152 ..Isabella Sha..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 152 ..Natalie Kopala ....................Southold, N.Y. 169 ..Alysson Pierro......................Patchogue, N.Y. 179 ..Janae Fouche......................Freeport, N.Y. 181 ..Cassandra Dinulescu ..........Huntington Station, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 16 Singles— Long Island Rank Name City 3 ......Lina Mohamed ....................Mineola, N.Y. 6 ......Maryam Beshir Ahmad ......Albertson, N.Y. 8 ......Rachel Arbitman..................Hewlett, N.Y. 29 ....Kimberly Liao ......................Commack, N.Y. 32 ....Amy Delman ........................Great Neck, N.Y. 33 ....Rose Hayes..........................East Moriches, N.Y. 39 ....Kaya Amin............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 43 ....Madison Jane Williams ......Glen Cove, N.Y. 46 ....Kavina Amin ........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 63 ....Emily Tannenbaum..............Commack, N.Y. 66 ....Janelle Chen ........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 76 ....Sofia Rose Anzalone ..........Center Moriches, N.Y. 88 ....Ally Friedman ......................East Hampton, N.Y. 93 ....Tatiana Barnett ....................Port Washington, N.Y. 96 ....Andriana Zaphiris ................Smithtown, N.Y. 103 ..Emma Sy..............................Port Washington, N.Y. 108 ..Andrea Irta Brazyte..............Ronkonkoma, N.Y. 115 ..Gabriela Sciarrotta ..............Woodmere, N.Y. 116 ..Gabriela Glickstein ..............Commack, N.Y. 129 ..Hailey Stoerback ................Saint James, N.Y. 130 ..Alina Lyakhov ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 135 ..Lauren Zola..........................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 136 ..Olivia Fermo ........................Smithtown, N.Y. 143 ..Alexis Madison Huber ........Melville, N.Y. 148 ..Anna J. Martorella ..............Wantagh, N.Y. 150 ..Sadhana Srididhar ..............Stony Brook, N.Y. 152 ..Kiera Agic ............................Miller Place, N.Y. 157 ..Ariana O. Pursoo ................Westbury, N.Y. 164 ..Bianca Rose Lorich ............Southampton, N.Y. 168 ..Caroline Lee ........................Syosset, N.Y. 179 ..Sophia Schutte....................Great Neck, N.Y. 183 ..Mary Madigan......................Sayville, N.Y. 193 ..Grace Riviezzo ....................Syosset, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 18 Singles— Long Island Rank Name City 7 ......Rachel Arbitman..................Hewlett, N.Y. 15 ....Lina Mohamed ....................Mineola, N.Y. 17 ....Merri Kelly ............................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 23 ....Maryam Beshir Ahmad ......Albertson, N.Y. 53 ....Denise Lai ............................Setauket, N.Y. 55 ....Vitalina Golod ......................Setauket, N.Y. 57 ....Francesca Karman ..............Port Washington, N.Y. 63 ....Kimberly Liao ......................Commack, N.Y. 69 ....Jacqueline Rae Bukzin........Manorville, N.Y. 80 ....Steffi Antao ..........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 87 ....Alexa Susan Goetz..............Greenlawn, N.Y. 93 ....Olivia Rose Scordo..............Glen Head, N.Y. 105 ..Rose Hayes..........................East Moriches, N.Y. 106 ..Julia Kielan ..........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 107 ..Calista Sha ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 111 ..Lea Ma ................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 116 ..Andrea Irta Brazyte..............Ronkonkoma, N.Y. 118 ..Sofia Rose Anzalone ..........Center Moriches, N.Y. 119 ..Trinity Chow ........................Glen Cove, N.Y.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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LONG 128 ..Madison Jane Williams ......Glen Cove, N.Y. 130 ..Amy Delman ........................Great Neck, N.Y. 142 ..Gabriela Sciarrotta ..............Woodmere, N.Y. 144 ..Elizabeth Dwyer ..................Cutchogue, N.Y. 157 ..Madeline Clinton..................Manhasset, N.Y. 158 ..Soraya Koblence ................Jericho, N.Y. 163 ..Janelle Chen ........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 174 ..Ally Friedman ......................East Hampton, N.Y. 179 ..Madeline Richmond ............Syosset, N.Y. 180 ..Kaya Amin............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 182 ..Jill Lawrence ........................Hauppauge, N.Y. 187 ..Olivia Fermo ........................Smithtown, N.Y. 190 ..Kavina Amin ........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 197 ..Natalia Kroi ..........................Greenvale, N.Y. 200 ..Daniella Paikin ....................Valley Stream, N.Y.

Boys & Girls National Rankings (as of 08/02/18)

BOYS National Boys 12 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name City 35 ....Jordan Reznik......................Great Neck, N.Y. 60 ....Malik Trail ............................Mill Neck, N.Y. 132 ..Max Daniel Safir ..................Old Westbury, N.Y. 167 ..Dillon Lev Beckles ..............Roslyn, N.Y. 168 ..Jeffrey Rosario ....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 201 ..Aiden Patel ..........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 248 ..Sebastian Bielen..................Glen Cove, N.Y. 250 ..Ariel Zauber..........................Great Neck, N.Y. 262 ..Aryan Badlani ......................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 306 ..Matthew Leonard Zeifman..Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 373 ..David Anosov ......................Oceanside, N.Y. 430 ..Aaron Raja ..........................Old Westbury, N.Y. 600 ..Edward Liao ........................Commack, N.Y. 885 ..Avery Frekhtman ................Woodmere, N.Y. 893 ..Joseph Banilivi ....................Great Neck, N.Y. 936 ..James Yu ............................Smithtown, N.Y. 964 ..Juan Perez ..........................Mt. Sinai, N.Y. 975 ..Julian Messina ....................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 977 ..Jack Kennedy......................Huntington, N.Y. 988 ..Saje Menon..........................Mineola, N.Y.

National Boys 14 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name City 157 ..Mark R. Taranov ..................Valley Stream, N.Y. 213 ..Aman K. Sharma ................Glen Head, N.Y. 252 ..Daniel Kong ........................Commack, N.Y. 293 ..Stephan M. Gershfeld ........Hewlett, N.Y. 312 ..Jordan Reznik......................Great Neck, N.Y. 391 ..Malik Trail ............................Mill Neck, N.Y. 454 ..Aidan O’Connor ..................Manhasset, N.Y. 610 ..Max Daniel Safir ..................Old Westbury, N.Y. 713 ..Dillon Beckles ......................Roslyn, N.Y. 756 ..Jeffrey Rosario ....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 787 ..Aidan Patel ..........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 930 ..Sebastian Bielen..................Glen Cove, N.Y. 936 ..Ariel Zauber..........................Great Neck, N.Y. 961 ..Aryan Badlani ......................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

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ISLAND

RANKINGS

National Boys 16 Singles— Long Island Players

National Girls 14 Singles— Long Island Players

Rank Name City 11 ....Spencer Brachman ............Commack, N.Y. 22 ....Kabir Rajpal..........................Syosset, N.Y. 38 ....Logan Paik Chang ..............Old Westbury, N.Y. 103 ..Billy G. Suarez ....................Huntington, N.Y. 104 ..Sujay Sharma ......................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 127 ..Alexander Karman ..............Port Washington, N.Y. 147 ..Rohan Gaddam Reddy ......Glen Head, N.Y. 355 ..Jack Flores ..........................Huntington, N.Y. 407 ..Jared Phillips........................Plainview, N.Y. 517 ..Justin Oresky ......................Syosset, N.Y. 598 ..Nicholas Wernink ................Glen Cove, N.Y. 606 ..Maxwell Moadel ..................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 708 ..Aman Sharma......................Locust Valley, N.Y. 722 ..Joseph Monticciolo ............South Setauket, N.Y. 725 ..Mark Taranov ......................Valley Stream, N.Y. 779 ..Matthew Charles Cashin ....Syosset, N.Y.

Rank Name City 72 ....Rose B. Hayes ....................East Moriches, N.Y. 91 ....Emily Tannenbaum..............Commack, N.Y. 156 ..Theadora Yael Rabman ......Port Washington, N.Y. 186 ..Rebecca Suarez ..................Huntington, N.Y. 233 ..Gabriela Glickstein ..............Commack, N.Y. 330 ..Olivia Fermo ........................Smithtown, N.Y. 380 ..Ariana O. Pursoo ................Westbury, N.Y. 388 ..Tola Pola Glowacka ............Jericho, N.Y. 475 ..Taylor Goetz ........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 684 ..Isabella Sha..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 700 ..Emma Sy..............................Port Washington, N.Y. 766 ..Hailey Stoerback ................Saint James, N.Y. 848 ..Kady Tannenbaum ..............Commack, N.Y. 869 ..Christasha McNeill ..............Massapequa, N.Y. 878 ..Andrea De Los Rios ............Port Washington, N.Y.

National Boys 18 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name City 4 ......Cannon Kingsley ................Northport, N.Y. 9 ......Neel Rajesh..........................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 22 ....Daniel Eric Pellerito..............Syosset, N.Y. 27 ....Ryan Goetz ..........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 57 ....Ronald P. Hohmann ............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 66 ....Brian Shi ..............................Jericho, N.Y. 128 ..Patrick F. Maloney ..............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 143 ..Spencer Brachman ............Commack, N.Y. 169 ..Pieter Alexander Wernink....Glen Cove, N.Y. 180 ..Chene Li ..............................Syosset, N.Y. 271 ..Logan Paik Chang ..............Old Westbury, N.Y. 282 ..Kabir Rajpal..........................Syosset, N.Y. 325 ..Karan Amin ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 522 ..Sujay Sharma ......................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 558 ..Billy G. Suarez ....................Huntington, N.Y. 563 ..Adrian Tsui ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 582 ..Rohan Reddy ......................Glen Head, N.Y. 610 ..Nicholas Wernink ................Glen Cove, N.Y. 611 ..Maxwell Moadel ..................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 670 ..Alexander Karman ..............Port Washington, N.Y. 677 ..Evan Brady ..........................Glen Head, N.Y. 823 ..Matthew Charles Cashin ....Syosset, N.Y. 828 ..Alexander Roti ....................Locust Valley, N.Y. 893 ..Lazar Ivan Markovic ............Lattingtown, N.Y. 999 ..Luke Karniewich..................Glen Head, N.Y.

GIRLS National Girls 12 Singles— Long Island Players

National Girls 16 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name City 21 ....Rachel Arbitman..................Hewlett, N.Y. 24 ....Maryam Beshir Ahmad ......Albertson, N.Y. 80 ....Lina Mohamed ....................Mineola, N.Y. 309 ..Kimberly Liao ......................Commack, N.Y. 425 ..Madison Jane Williams ......Glen Cove, N.Y. 456 ..Kaya Amin............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 491 ..Rose Hayes..........................East Moriches, N.Y. 540 ..Emily Tannenbaum..............Commack, N.Y. 562 ..Kavina Amin ........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 731 ..Amy Delman ........................Great Neck, N.Y. 762 ..Theadora Yael Rabman ......Port Washington, N.Y. 816 ..Rebecca Suarez ..................Huntington, N.Y. 921 ..Gabriela Glickstein ..............Commack, N.Y.

National Girls 18 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name City 28 ....Rachel Arbitman..................Hewlett, N.Y. 134 ..Maryam Beshir Ahmad ......Albertson, N.Y. 140 ..Elysia Bolton ........................Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 173 ..Lina Mohamed ....................Mineola, N.Y. 195 ..Merri Kelly ............................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 340 ..Lea Ma ................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 489 ..Francesca Karman ..............Port Washington, N.Y. 563 ..Alexa Susan Goetz..............Greenlawn, N.Y. 589 ..Denise Lai ............................Setauket, N.Y. 769 ..Kimberly Liao ......................Commack, N.Y. 881 ..Madison Jane Williams ......Glen Cove, N.Y.

Rank Name City 42 ....Ariana O. Pursoo ................Westbury, N.Y. 63 ....Taylor Goetz ........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 148 ..Isabella Sha..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 218 ..Kady Tannenbaum ..............Commack, N.Y. 229 ..Christasha McNeill ..............Massapequa, N.Y. 233 ..Andrea De Los Rios ............Port Washington, N.Y. 318 ..Nyla Gershfeld ....................Hewlett, N.Y. 402 ..Tara Andrea Kurepa ............Jericho, N.Y. 811 ..Lara Afolayanka ..................Uniondale, N.Y. 847 ..Darian Perfiliev ....................Port Washington, N.Y. 889 ..Sophia Holod ......................East Setauket, N.Y. 915 ..Carina Cristobal ..................Smithtown, N.Y.

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