General
USTA Announces Players and Coaches for 2011 World Team Cup
Mar 17th
USTA Announces Players and Coaches for 2011 World Team Cup
The USTA has announced the players and coaches who will represent the United States at the 2011 World Team Cup. The nation’s top wheelchair tennis players will compete against participants from around the globe, 25 April to 1May, on the hard courts of the University of Pretoria, South Africa. The university, which is one of three ITF regional training centres, has 22 hard courts and is also the main training base for tennis players in South Africa.
South Africa will become the 16th nation to host this prestigious event. Often referred to as the wheelchair tennis equivalent of pro tennis’ Davis Cup and Fed Cup competitions, the World Team Cup tournament brings the world’s best wheelchair tennis players together to compete for national pride in one of the world’s premier tennis team events.
Over 200 players from more than 30 nations are expected to participate in the 2011 event in South Africa.
Representing the United States at the 2011 World Team Cup will be:
Men’s Team Quad Team
Dan James (Coach) Oakdale, Minn. Jason Harnett (Coach) Irvine, Calif.
Paul Moran Northfield, Ill. Bryan Barten Tucson, Ariz.
Jon Rydberg Oakdale, Minn. Nick Taylor Wichita, Kan.
Stephen Welch Southlake, Texas David Wagner Hillsboro, Ore.
Women’s Team Junior’s Team
Paul Walker (Coach) Lakeland, Fla. Keri Preng (Coach) Cold Spring, Ky.
Emmy Kaiser Ft. Mitchell, Ky. Shelby Baron Honolulu, Hawaii
Dana Mathewson San Diego, Calif. Ryan Nelson Sandy, Utah
Kaitlyn Verfuerth Tucson, Ariz. Katherine Stuteville Colleyville, Texas
Team Trainer Team Manager
Jenna Street Colorado Springs, Colo. Jeremiah Yolkut White Plains, N.Y.
Team Staff
William Taylor Wichita, Kan.
The United States Quad Team will look to bring home the quad title for the fifth time in the last seven years at the World Team Cup. The two-time Paralympic Doubles Gold Medalists’ team of David Wagner and Nick Taylor are looking to defend the U.S. quad title that they won over Israel last year.
The USTA was officially designated by the USOC as the national governing body for the Paralympic sport of wheelchair tennis in June 2002, becoming the first Olympic national governing body to earn this recognition. As the national governing body for wheelchair tennis, the USTA manages wheelchair tennis in the United States, including the sanctioning of tournaments, overseeing wheelchair rankings, creating and managing a High Performance program for developing elite disabled athletes, and selecting teams to compete internationally for the United States.
-ends-
From www.paralympic.org
Spring Sports Preview: Redlands Tennis
Mar 17th
By MATT MCLEOD Staff Writer
REDLANDS – Attention parents of Redlands High boys’ tennis players: don’t make any travel plans in May.
Barring a stunning collapse, the Terriers (6-1, 5-0 Citrus Belt League) should be booking their tickets to the CIF playoffs in the near future, thanks to a torrid start that culminated in a 16-2 thrashing of Fontana and 17-1 drubbing of A.B. Miller in their last two matches.
Redlands is good, alright, and don’t believe RHS players don’t have the confidence that comes with talent.
“If we’re talking in league, (Redlands East Valley) is probably still our biggest challenge,” Terrier junior Henry Bjerke said of his team’s closest competition. “But with everyone they lost, they’re not much competition.”
But that doesn’t mean a championship run would be old hat. For RHS, a club that hasn’t captured an outright CBL title since 2006, the crown would fit like Cinderella’s glass slipper – fairy-tale perfectly.
Just ask Brandon Homan.
The senior has already endured three seasons of coming up short of an outright league title.
Now, in his fourth year, Homan has a chance to help set right what once went wrong. He said his goal has always been “mainly to capture a league title.”
As he sees it, if his team stays on the trail it has already started blazing, the goal will be well within sight any time now.
“I think we have a pretty good team,” Homan said. “We’re still young but have a lot of guys with experience.”
One glance at the RHS roster reveals depth that no other CBL team can realistically match. The Terriers are loaded, with no fewer than 150 kids who compete in singles and doubles.
Terriers coach Sean Comadena, who is looking to guide RHS to its first CIF championship since 2004, knows he can dip into his bag of tricks at will. Among his assets are Bjerke, Homan and a bevy of talented players.
“It’s just a matter of who can step up and play when they get in there when we have a challenge,” Comadena said.
Given his club’s early success, it would be easy for Comadena to focus on the finish line far down the road.
But not him. He’s too busy enjoying the ride.
“It’s exciting to have the year finally here,” Comadena said. “I knew how good the boys could be.”
RHS now gets set to host REV in the second installment of the crosstown clash March 29 at 3 p.m.
From www.redlandsdailyfacts.com
Preserve tennis culture
Mar 17th
Regarding the letter “Siesta parking space”: I agree that the parking at Siesta Key Beach is frequently limited, and that, if there is a municipal vehicle storage or maintenance facility on the property, that use may need to be reconsidered. However, I strongly disagree with the idea of paving over public tennis courts to accommodate a few more cars.
The Sarasota-Bradenton area has a rich history and vibrant community linked to the sport of tennis. As this paper has chronicled, a host of professional players either live here or have lived and trained here. The nearby Bollettieri Academy is a world-class facility. The Colony on Longboat is still a renowned tennis center, and there are two local private clubs focused on tennis: Bath & Racquet and Serendipity. Most telling however, is that there are no fewer than 38 free or low-priced public courts in our county (srqtennis.com). These serve an active community of singles and doubles players, leagues, school teams, and diehards and amateurs of every age and skill level. We even have our own burgeoning tournament, attracting highly ranked tour players.
Sarasota County needs to support and celebrate our tennis culture, not cover it in asphalt. There will always be parking issues in town, from the beaches to Main Street. If people have trouble finding a parking spot on Siesta Key, I encourage them to ride the SCAT bus or a bicycle. Problem solved.
Turner C. Moore
Sarasota
From www.heraldtribune.com
Djokovic reaches last eight, Roddick out
Mar 17th
Djokovic reaches last eight, Roddick out
Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic extended his perfect record this season to 15-0 by pounding his fellow Serb Viktor Troicki 6-0 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals at Indian Wells on Wednesday.
Although Djokovic needed five match points before sealing victory in 66 minutes, he outclassed his good friend and doubles partner with a superb display of sliced backhands, crunching top-spin forehands and delicate drop shots.
With late afternoon shadows lengthening on the showpiece stadium court, he ended the match with a rasping backhand winner down the line before saluting the crowd by raising both arms skywards.
“I am playing probably the best tennis of my life these last three months,” Djokovic, 23, said courtside. “And it all started with the Davis Cup win (in December’s final) where Viktor was a hero.
“Viktor is one of my best friends, on and off the court, but one of us has to lose. It was tough playing him. He’s somebody I grew up with, was part of my team at the Davis Cup and in juniors.”
Third seed Djokovic will next play Richard Gasquet of France, who upset eighth-seeded American Andy Roddick 6-3 7-6 after clinching a gripping second set tiebreak 7-5.
Gasquet, the 19th seed, raced into a 4-1 lead in the tiebreak but Roddick clawed his way back to 5-5 before the Frenchman ended the match with a sublime backhand service return winner down the line.
“It feels incredible for me to be in the quarterfinals here,” Gasquet said courtside after beating Roddick for just a second time in five meetings.
“I did well with my serve and my backhand, especially on match point. I had nothing to lose and it would have been difficult for me in a third set.”
SECOND SLAM
Djokovic, who claimed his second grand slam crown at the Australian Open in January and his 20th ATP title at last month’s Dubai championships, broke Troicki three times to sweep through the first set.
He again broke his opponent in the fourth and sixth games of the second before the two Serbs treated the stadium crowd to some of the best rallies of the match in a protracted final game.
Earlier, Spaniard Tommy Robredo and former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina also booked their places in the last eight.
Robredo, despite being hampered by a hamstring strain, crushed American Sam Querrey 6-1 6-3 and del Potro came from 1-6 down in the second set tiebreak to beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 7-6.
Del Potro, who played just three tournaments last year because of a wrist injury, sealed victory with his 13th ace of the match after the German had netted a forehand on the previous point.
“It is not normal to come back from 6-1 down on tiebreaks but I got lucky and I take my opportunities,” said the Argentine who won his eighth ATP title at last month’s Delray Beach International Championships.
Later on Wednesday, world No 1 Rafa Nadal was scheduled to take on Indian qualifier Somdev Devvarman while second-ranked Roger Federer was pitted against American wildcard Ryan Harrison.
From supersport.com
Djokovic, Robredo and del Potro reach last eight
Mar 17th
Djokovic, Robredo and del Potro reach last eight
INDIAN WELLS, California (Reuters) – Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic extended his perfect record this season to 15-0 by pounding his fellow Serb Viktor Troicki 6-0 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals at Indian Wells on Wednesday.
Although Djokovic needed five match points before sealing victory in 66 minutes, he outclassed his good friend and doubles partner with a superb display of sliced backhands, crunching top-spin forehands and delicate drop shots.
With late afternoon shadows lengthening on the showpiece stadium court, he ended the match with a rasping backhand winner down the line before saluting the crowd by raising both arms skywards.
“I am playing probably the best tennis of my life these last three months,” Djokovic, 23, said courtside. “And it all started with the Davis Cup win (in December’s final) where Viktor was a hero.
“Viktor is one of my best friends, on and off the court, but one of us has to lose. It was tough playing him. He’s somebody I grew up with, was part of my team at the Davis Cup and in juniors.”
Djokovic, who claimed his second grand slam crown at the Australian Open in January and his 20th ATP title at last month’s Dubai championships, broke Troicki three times to sweep through the first set.
He again broke his opponent in the fourth and sixth games of the second before the two Serbs treated the stadium crowd to some of the best rallies of the match in a protracted final game.
Djokovic, champion here as a 20-year-old in 2008, will face either American eighth seed Andy Roddick or Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the quarter-finals.
Earlier, Spaniard Tommy Robredo and former U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina also booked their places in the last eight.
HAMSTRING STRAIN
Robredo, despite being hampered by a hamstring strain, crushed American Sam Querrey 6-1 6-3 and del Potro came from 1-6 down in the second set tiebreak to beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 7-6.
Former world number five Robredo broke an out-of-sorts Querrey three times in the opening set and once in the second to improve his record this year to 16-4.
Under overcast morning skies at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the Spaniard struggled with his leg late in the second set and was delighted to have a day’s rest before Friday’s quarter-finals.
“Hopefully it’s going to be alright,” 25th seed Robredo said after grunting and groaning his way to victory from the baseline. “I have had this pain for a month already and in the fourth game of the second set, I felt a strain.
“Luckily I could win,” the Spaniard told reporters later, speaking through an interpreter. “And now I have one day to recover, and hopefully I can go through.”
From www.reuters.com
Mason Takes Another State Tennis Championship
Mar 16th
The Mason High School tennis team ran its string of consecutive state team championships to nine in a row last weekend in Austin. Coming off the closest regional victory in the last 10 years, the team found itself in a very tough draw.
Still playing without all its members, the team took its four seniors, six juniors, one sophomore, and eight freshmen on the road to Austin to compete in one of the toughest fields that has competed in several years. Mason entered the tournament as the number one seed followed by regional opponent, Wall. Reagan County was the number three seed and Brock was the number four. Reagan County, the state runner-up the last three years, was eliminated first round by the number two team from Region IV, Krum.
Mason’s first round opponent was Grand Saline. Mason had very little trouble with the Indians. All 19 players competed as Mason swept its first round match 19-0 with the girls’ team losing only four games total. This set up a match with White Oak, the team that soundly defeated Krum at their regional tournament. White Oak was returning almost the entire team of a group that finished sixth last year, so the Punchers/Cowgirls knew it would be a tough match. The doubles teams were able to win six of the seven matches. Singles wins by Matt Banner, Tyler Chew, Trey Schwertner, Margaret Lemke, Traci Jordan and Amanda Hudson secured the Mason 12-7 victory and advanced the team to the semi-finals.
The semi-final opponent was Brock another team with an outstanding boys, team. Mason again dominated the girls’ side and won a couple of key matches early by the boys to secure the win 11-8. Meanwhile, Wall was dominating their semi-final opponent, Krum, by a 10-1 count. The regional rematch was set.
We struggled with Wall in almost every match last week at regionals. We lost all three boys’ doubles matches as well as splitting sets at the number one and three girls’ doubles. The kids realized this was going to be a great match and that they had to play their very best. We had a great week of practice and the kids seemed very much focused all w
When the match started, Mason jumped out in all three girls’ doubles matches as well as the number one boys’ doubles and the mixed doubles, capturing the first sets in all. Wall rallied back in the mixed doubles winning the second set and taking match in a third set tiebreaker. We dropped the number three boys’ doubles, but Paden Hemphill and Andrew Willis staged a rally of their own to come back and win the second set and the tiebreaker to give Mason a 5-2 lead after the doubles. This replaced the 4-3 deficit that we had experienced at regionals.
The girls continued their dominance in singles as they proceeded to win the top four singles matches by Makenzie Mitchell, Margaret Lemke, Kaitlyn Cavness, and Traci Jordan. This coupled with wins by Matt Banner and Trey Schwertner secured the victory and earned Mason its ninth straight team title and its nineteenth championship since1982. This means Mason has won 19 while the rest of the state has won 10. This accomplishment is even great since Mason is competing in the 2A state championships instead of the 1A.
The tennis team would like to thank all those parents, grandparents, friends, and past players that showed up to support the team. A special thanks goes to the Mason Tennis Association for getting all the afternoon lunches ready for the kids and giving us time to rest between matches. It is a blessing to be associated with a school district and a community that supports its kids the way Mason supports our kids. We always have the largest and loudest contingencies. This support does not go unnoticed by the players or the coaches.
The team now starts its second season…the UIL individual season. Mason will be returning three state champions this year as it prepares for another successful tournament in Austin in May.
From www.masoncountynews.com
Florida Tennis Briefs(4): Warner Honored, Campus Kids Days, Gators No. 1, More
Mar 16th
Warner Receives ITA National College Team Sportsmanship Award
The Warner men’s tennis team was honored as March’s recipient of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Team Sportsmanship Award, the ITA announced.
The ITA National Team Sportsmanship Award is a monthly award that goes to one men’s and one women’s team that has exemplified outstanding sportsmanship, character and ethical conduct in the true spirit of competition and collegiate tennis. The winners are selected by the ITA Ethics and Infractions Committee from nominations received from all ITA member institutions (NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community Colleges).
Warner University is a NAIA school, coached by Jose Martinez, and is located in Lake Wales, Fla.
“As the coach I’ve made my entire team focus on respect, responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship and servant leadership,” Martinez said. “We have made strides this year to set ourselves apart from other programs. I take my opportunity as a coach to help guide and teach these young men of the important character traits in life.”
Nominations for USTA National Outstanding Facility Awards Now Open
From www.florida.usta.com
Camacho dies at age 46
Mar 16th
Guam lost one of the most prominent members of its tennis community on Tuesday.
Guam National Tennis Federation president Bill Camacho died of a heart attack at the age of 46.
His family, according to his godson John Camacho Jr., lost a joyous, happy member, the one who brought homemade desserts to their get-togethers.
“He’s a good cook,” John Camacho Jr. said yesterday. “He makes a lot of desserts: cheesecake, different kinds of cookies, cakes, apple pies.”
He also recalled that his Nino used to tutor him and his cousins when they were in high school, an example of the man’s generosity with his time.
His father, John Camacho, shared similar stories.
“He was a really straightforward guy, not fearful to hold back on his comments on whatever needed to be said,” John Camacho said about his brother, who was a year older. “At the same time, he was very giving, very thoughtful, willing to drop everything on a dime, not just for his family, but for his friends and the tennis community.”
GNTF board member Torgun Smith saw how Bill Camacho gave of his time for tennis. He shared his thoughts in a message to the tennis community to notify members of the federation president’s death.
“Guam tennis will never be able to replace all the work Bill does for tennis. The work he was doing behind the scenes for the development of our sport was remarkable. Often these jobs are thankless but Bill’s passion for the sport kept his energy high and attitude positive and moving forward,” Smith said in his message.
“We don’t even know how much work Bill did for the GNTF because he never complained or in many cases asked for help, he just got the work done. Bill’s sense of humor was amazing, he was always able to keep the mood light in the most stressful of situations,” he said.
Tennis in college
John Camacho recalled when he and his brother were going to college in Hawaii.
He said his brother played tennis for Hawaii Pacific College and then the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
“He’d always drag me out to hit,” John Camacho said.
He said his brother was excited about tennis when they were kids and it carried through to his tenure as GNTF president.
“I think he was really proud of bringing the pros to Guam,” John Camacho said, referring to the recent Davis Cup matches held at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa. “He was looking forward to growing the sport.”
Smith is hopeful that plans to grow the sport won’t die with Bill Camacho.
“Bill was 46 years old. He was much too young to leave us and he had many goals for our tennis community. In his memory, perhaps we can reach some of these goals,” Smith said.
Friends respond
John Camacho said his brother touched many lives, and that was reflected in the number of people who reached out to the family after they learned of Bill Camacho’s death.
“He will be missed.” John Camacho said. “The family is grateful for all the kind words given to my mom and the family. That is what keeps us strong.”
Bill Camacho is survived by his mother, Agnes Camacho of Tamuning, his brothers John and Thomas Camacho, and his sisters Debra Belanger and Angela Camacho.
From www.guampdn.com
Central tennis teams dominate Franklin Co.
Mar 16th
Shelbyville Central’s tennis team opened up its season by slamming District 8-AAA opponent Franklin County in Winchester on a gloomy Tuesday.
The Eagles lost just nine games in their sweep of all seven matches. The Eaglettes dropped the hammer on the Rebelettes 7-0.
Jonathan Smotherman, Kasondra Johnson and the doubles team of Kishan Patel/Zach Nichols all won with a shutout.
Central gets a look at the other side of Region 4-AAA when it trips up to Murfreesboro to battle Oakland on Thursday.
Boys Singles
Kishan Patel (S) d. Hunter Isbell 8-1.
Zach Nichols (S) d. Jonathan McBee 8-1.
Chris Castelow (S) d. Zach Garner 8-3.
Carlos Delgado (S) d. Jesse Castillo 8-2.
Jonathan Smotherman (S) d. Eric Martin 8-0.
Boys Doubles
Patel/Nichols (S) d. Isbell/McBee 8-0.
Castelow/Delgado (S) d. Garner/Castillo 8-2.
Girls Singles
Victoria Dugan (S) d. Alyssa Martin 8-4.
Kasondra Johnson (S) d. Miko Bloom 8-0.
Amy Neese (S) d. Taylor Young 8-1.
Christie Tran (S) d. Sara Wilkerson 8-3.
Kenzie George (S) d. Claire Garner 8-3.
Girls Doubles
Dugan/Johnson (S) d. Martin/Young 8-2.
Neese/George (S) d. Bloom/Wilkerson 8-2.
From www.t-g.com
