A summer internship with the City of Richmond, Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities and Richmond Tennis Association.

The internship will start as a part time position around May 15, 2015 and will be a 40 hours per week position from June 22nd to August 21st .  Some assigned hours may be evenings and weekends.

Job description:
The summer intern will teach tennis at one or more of the public parks, assist at some weekend events organized by the Richmond Tennis Association, attend staff meetings with the DPRCF, attend RTA board meetings and become familiar with the roles played by DPRCF and RTA to promote tennis in public parks.

Qualification:
A tennis player with demonstrated abilities.

Pay:
$11/hour
No fringe benefits.

Contact:
Bridget Reichert at rtasecretary@gmail.com before March 9, 2015.  Please provide a résumé or curriculum vitae with your submission.

The City of Richmond and Richmond Tennis Association are equal opportunity employers.

Six of the best and brightest Richmond junior tennis players were honored at the annual Richmond Tennis Association awards banquet Feb. 5 on a delightful – and cold – evening at Salisbury Country Club.

The awards are handed out each year to the most improved girl and boy, most enthusiastic girl and boy and the top sportsman girl and boy.

The Ellen Smith Maloney award for most improved female went to Alyssa Hahn, a sophomore at Douglas Freeman High School. Hahn works with a variety of area pros and has recently begun to concentrate solely on tennis after playing several sports growing up.

She has moved from No. 74 to No. 24 in the girls 18s MAS division and from No. 27 to 14^th in the girls 16s in MAS over the past year. Her older sister, Emily, now at Princeton, won the award in 2008.

The Sam Woods award for most improved male, which is the oldest one handed out by the RTA, was given to Paul Mendoza. Because of a broken bone in his shoulder in the spring of 2013, Mendoza entered 2014 with no ranking but ended the year in the top 16 in singles and doubles in the boys 16s MAS category.

Playing for Cosby High School, he finished as the runner-up in 6A South Region singles and was a member of the 6A doubles championship team. Mendoza also made the Richmond Times-Dispatch All-Metro first team.

The Dorothy Chewning award, given to the most enthusiastic girl, went to Morgan Fuqua, a junior at Mills Godwin High School. She is ranked No. 62 in the girls 18s MAS division and is 29^th in doubles.

Fuqua was a member of the 5A state girls championship team last spring and was chosen as the most improved player as a sophomore.

The Greg Semon award, which goes to the most enthusiastic male, went to Joseph Brown, a junior at Douglas Freeman High School. He is ranked No. 26 in the boys 16s MAS singles division and 38^th in the boys 18s MAS category.

He captured the Conference 11 doubles championship with Greg Akerman last spring for the Rebels.

The Richard B. Passloff boys sportsmanship award was given to Chase Bernstine, a sophomore at Goochland High School. He finished 2013 ranked No. 1 in singles in the boys 14s division of MAS. Bernstine is currently No. 2 in the MAS boys 16s category and No. 6 in the boys 18s division.

Bernstine has a reputation among his peers, tournament directors and referees as being a very fair player, always giving his opponent the benefit of the doubt.

The Sue Cain girls sportsmanship award went to Anne Miller, who is a junior at Collegiate School, where she has played on the varsity team since her freshman year. Last fall, she was undefeated in singles to help the Cougars win the LIS championship, making the all-LIS team in singles and doubles.

According to one of her coaches, “Anne is a girl of high character who shows outstanding integrity on and off the court.”

The most improved awards were presented by John DePew, while Joe Grover gave out the enthusiasm awards. Lou Einwick presented the sportsmanship awards.

 The two speakers for the evening were former Virginia Commonwealth University standout Sofia Hiort, who told the audience about the importance of working hard and never giving up, and ex-University of Virginia star Houston Barrick, who spoke about trying to get better every day, and if you get 1 percent better each day, that will make a huge impact on your game.

John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier and James Blake are scheduled to square off at the Siegel Center on April 23, 2015, when the PowerShares Series champions tennis circuit makes a stop at VCU.

For more information about the evening and to purchase tickets visit www.powershareseries.com

It’s late February and there’s snow on the ground. The temperature is in the teens and all the courts are covered with the white stuff, making it impossible to play outdoors.

So what’s the tennis-loving public going to do? Why, gather at Salisbury Country Club for an evening of socializing and watching some of the best players in the area display their talents.

The festivities are called Friday Night Lights, and the seventh annual affair was held Feb. 27 before a capacity crowd that dined on shrimp and grits and prime rib sliders.

The first one was held in 2009, and it’s gotten bigger and better every year.

“We have a dead time of the year,” said Scott Steinour, director of racquet sports at Salisbury and one of the leading forces behind the venture. “Everyone was cooped up, so we wanted to have something with a big feature match.

“We wanted everyone to drink and eat and enjoy the night, and so we came up with this idea.”

Steinour said the event has been so successful that “we actually bought a couple thousand dollars worth in carpet. We use it every year, have it shipped in [to cover the two courts that aren’t used for competition with tables].

“It’s been a lot of fun.”

Steinour said the Friday Night Lights name was taken from the television show by the same name. The crowd has ranged from as many as 350 to a low of 250 the first year. This year, there were about 320 taking in the show, he said.

The format involves two other clubs  in town sending players to compete against Salisbury pros in a round-robin doubles affair. There is also a doubles match between four of the top juniors in the area.

This year, four of the best 10-and-under players squared off, with Chase Robinson and Cole Henceroth defeating Evan Bernstine and Damian Sancilio 8-4 in a preview of the future of Richmond tennis.

Steinour and Stuart Bowden represented Salisbury, while Cris Robinson and John Hudson came from Willow Oaks Country Club, and Jason Kinder and Al Thomas made the short trip from acac. They produced some outstanding doubles matches.

Adding to the excitement this year was a winner-take-all feature match between Cesar Grobel of Salisbury and reigning Davenport city champion Michal Ciszek of Willow Oaks.

The (Eric) Perkins Law Firm put up $500 and an anonymous donor kicked in another $500 to the pot, meaning the winner walked away with $1,000 by taking the 10-game pro set.

Grobel, who lost to Ciszek in the Davenport semifinals, got his revenge and the money with a 10-6 victory. So Grobel had a little extra motivation because of the previous match.

“Not only because of that match, but I was playing at home,” he said. “I work here and all the members came to support me. It was a good feeling to be out here playing for the money. That was a great incentive for me.

“It’s always good to play for money. I play very relaxed and it was good.”

Grobel gained an early service break in the opening game, when Ciszek appeared to tweak his ankle chasing a return off the court. The Willow Oaks teaching pro hung in there, however, and played on even terms until dropping his serve again in the 15^th game.

Grobel, who delivered a number of aces, served out the match at love to wrap it up.

“I tried to be a little more aggressive,” said Grobel. “I served better today than the other day. I tried to take the net a little more. I play a better match. I connect with a lot of first serves and got a lot of free points out of it.”

Steinour said it would be nice to keep the winner-take-all match, but that it would likely depend on someone putting up the money each year.

There was also a silent auction, featuring items like a three-night, four-day stay in a Wintergreen condo, two seats at a Washington Kastles team tennis match in July, and a round of four golf package at Salisbury.

The Richmond Tennis Association and the Virginia Tennis Association were involved in the event for the first time as sponsors of the auction and received all of the proceeds from it to fund their tennis programs.

When Friday Night Lights started, Steinour wasn’t sure how successful it would become but he liked the concept.

“We thought it would be a fun thing and an annual thing, where members would mark it off on their calendar,” he said. “They know the name, and it’s become a brand unto itself. The members have turned out every year.

“It’s a big social event. You’ve got about half watching the match, and half socializing and drinking and meeting friends.”

RTA is proud to present the 6th annual Midlothian Athletic Club Wheelchair Tennis Open where  tennis players on wheelchairs will impress you with their ABILITIES.   Donate, volunteer, play in the Sportable Run/Roll Social on Friday night and come watch!  

Donate to the Richmond Tennis Association, a 501(C)(3), to support the 2015 MAC Wheelchair Tennis Tournament!  All of your donations will be tax deductible.

Donate today at our gofundme page

Six thousand dollars will provide a player dinner,  entry fees and hotel rooms.  Every donation helps.  For example, a $25 donation will buy a player dinner and a $50 donation will pay the entry fee.  Some participants are wounded warriors, others overcame paralyzing accidents and others are making the most of birth bodies.   All are connected by determination, their will to conquer obstacles and live lives to best of their ABILITIES. 

RTA is grateful to sponsors and donors who are already making the MAC Wheelchair Tennis Open an enriching experience.  Thank you to Midlothian Athletic Club for hosting the tournament, VCU-Bertier Foundation and Data Technologies for sponsoring.   Visit us and like us on Facebook-MAC Wheelchair Tennis Open!

All are welcome to join in on the FUN on Sunday, March 22nd 1-3 PM at Three Chopt Recreation Club.

FREE raffle, prizes, games, and of course TENNIS!

For more information email Rob Johnston at tcrctennis@gmail.com

Basketball may be in the spotlight these days but a little bit of March Madness took place on Virginia Tech’s courts during the weekend of Mar. 6-8 in Blacksburg.

With a big assist from former Deep Run High School star Hunter Koontz, the Hokies upset No. 23 Notre Dame 4-3 and then shocked second-ranked Duke 6-1 two days later.

The victory over the Blue Devils was one of the biggest in school history, and by far the best win for Tech since the Hokies joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004.

“This was a great win for our program,” said Va. Tech coach Jim Thompson. “We were down a player [No. 1 Amerigo Contini] in singles [vs. Duke] and for the guys to come in here and step up, really shows our depth.

“I’m proud of this team and the work that these guys put in every day to be the best they can be.”

After conceding the doubles point  to the Blue Devils, Tech claimed every  singles match, including No. 3 singles, where Koontz outlasted 99^th ranked Raphael Hemmeler 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-3.

Koontz is one of two seniors in the top six for the Hokies, who improved their collegiate ranking from 44^th to 15^th with the two upsets. Koontz, who is 11-0 in dual matches playing mostly at Nos. 3 and 4 singles, led Deep Run to back-to-back Group AAA state championships before signing with Tech.

Forty-eight hours prior to the Duke victory on March 8, Tech had pulled out a 4-3 decision over Notre Dame on the same courts. Again, the Hokies lost the doubles point before rallying to capture four of the six singles matches.

Koontz was part of the victorious group, winning at No. 4 singles over Billy Pecor 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).

With two more wins over Boston College and Clemson last weekend, Tech improved its record to 12-1 overall and 4-0 in the ACC, its best start ever in conference play. Tech’s only loss came to North Carolina in a non-league match. The Hokies will meet the Tar Heels again in a conference match in Blacksburg on March 29.

Meanwhile, former Cosby standout Brett Moorhead is playing No. 5 singles and No. 3 doubles for James Madison. The Dukes have struggled out of the gate, with a 4-7 record, but are 1-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association with the most of the season left.

In the Ivy League, senior Max Schnur has been slowed by a flu-like bug and hasn’t played much singles lately for Columbia. The former Collegiate star has been playing No. 1 doubles with Ashok Narayana and the duo is ranked 20^th in the country.

The defending Ivy champions are currently ranked No. 23 in the nation with a 6-3 record.

At Princeton, former Douglas Freeman standout Emily Hahn has played sparingly so far due to some sickness. The junior won the only point for the Tigers in a 6-1 loss against then eighth-ranked Stanford at No. 6 singles when she pulled out a three-set victory.

Princeton opened the season with five straight losses but has won four of its last five to stand at 4-6.

Tyler Carey (Cosby) and Evan Charles (Deep Run) are in their final season of helping Mary Washington remain one of the top Division III men’s schools in the country. The Eagles are 11-3 and ranked 17^th in the latest D-III poll.

Carey holds down the No. 1 singles position while Charles plays mostly at No. 4. They are a formidable duo at No. 1 doubles.

On the women’s side at UMW, freshman Caroline Mosberg (Deep Run) and junior Ashley Price (Deep Run) are doing their part for the Eagles, who are 7-3 and ranked 23^rd.  Mosberg is at the top of the singles lineup while Price is in the lower half.

Michael Holt, a junior out of Mills Godwin, plays No. 1 doubles and Nos. 2 and 3 singles for Washington and Lee, which is off to a 7-3 start. He and Christopher Hu are 5-1 at the top spot in doubles for the Generals.

At Flagler (Fla.) College, former Mills Godwin and Grove Christian School standout Kelly Stewart is unbeaten (6-0) in singles while dividing her time between the Nos. 3, 4 and 5 spots. In doubles, she and her partner, Barbora Sebkova, are 7-1 at Nos. 2 and 3.

The Saints are ranked 28^th nationally among women’s Division II teams with a 7-4 record.

Another ex-Deep Run standout, Logan Eldridge, is doing her part to make sure Christopher Newport remains in the thick of the women’s Capital Athletic Conference race with a 7-3 record. Eldridge has gone 7-2 in singles at Nos. 4 and 5 and 9-1 in doubles at No. 3 with partner Alexandra Drye.

Senior Nicole Parker is 8-3 at No. 6 singles for Longwood, which has gotten off to a 5-7 start.

Jerry DePew never wanted to be in the limelight. But when it came to getting plenty of work accomplished behind the scenes in the local and area tennis community, the Midlothian resident had few peers.

As president of the Richmond Tennis Patrons Association, and later the Virginia Tennis Association and the Middle Atlantic Tennis Association, DePew spent countless volunteer hours making sure everything was done the right way.

He was known as a quiet and humble man, but his passion for the sport knew no bounds.

“Jerry was the, quote-unquote, quintessential quiet man,” said Lou Einwick, a past president of what is now known as the Richmond Tennis Association and the tournament director of the long-running men’s indoor event in Richmond that ended in 1984.

“You really never knew about Jerry because he was very, very quiet but very, very good in whatever he undertook. Everybody had great respect for him.”

DePew, 88, died on Feb. 23, leaving behind a legacy in the local tennis community that will long be remembered on and off the courts.

“Two things about Jerry,” Einwick continued. “He never was out front, the person you were taking pictures of, but I don’t think anybody ever, ever, ever had a bad word to say about him.”

Einwick recalled that DePew was in charge of player transportation duties during the tennis tournament. DePew’s job for 48 years was as a location and design engineer for the Virginia Department of Transportation, so he had plenty of experience in that regard.

“His main contribution was in 1983 when we had to run the tournament at the University of Richmond and we had the tremendous parking problem,” said Einwick. “He set up a bus schedule, and I honestly don’t know where the buses ran from to the tournament but they ran from somewhere and back.

“That really became an issue when we had that great snowstorm on, I think, Thursday and Friday, of that week.”

Einwick also pointed out that DePew’s service as president of the VTA and MATA showed how well he got along with others.

“Anybody who rises through all the politics of those two organizations to be president deserves a lot of credit,” he said.

DePew served as president of the RTPA in 1976 and was president of the Virginia Tennis Association (1986) and Middle Atlantic Tennis Association (1987) in back-to-back years.

Growing up in Richmond, where he attended John Marshall High School, DePew enjoyed playing all sports, but particularly running track and sandlot football, according to one of his sons, John.

“He was really fast,” said John DePew. “Kids in the neighborhood, and from other neighborhoods, would come and challenge him to a race. He just loved sports. He started playing tennis maybe in his mid-20s. He took it up late.

“When we [John and his brother, Frank] started playing, he really got into [tennis]. It probably ended up being the sport he enjoyed the most.”

DePew enjoyed playing – and stayed on the courts until he was 80 – but what he got the most pleasure from was volunteering and helping out whenever and wherever he could in the local and area tennis community.

“That was probably a bigger part of him than playing,” said John DePew. “He was a weekend player and loved playing, but he was really involved with the tournaments and organizations.”

DePew was tournament director for a number of local and Middle Atlantic junior tournaments, including the Life of Virginia Junior Invitational, which included such future professional stars as Jimmy Arias, Andrea Jaeger and Tim Mayotte.

He also served as state ranking chairman for the VTA and was a delegate to the U.S. Tennis Association on several occasions.

Through it all, DePew always stayed in the background and was content with making certain everything ran correctly.

“He really was doing it because he enjoyed doing it and wanted to help,” said John DePew. “He wasn’t trying to do it for any political reason and anything like that.”

DePew was active in the local and area tennis realm for some 30 years, beginning when his sons began playing junior tennis in 1969. For his many contributions over the years, he was inducted into the Richmond Tennis Hall of Fame in 1997.

Whether you knew him personally or professionally, DePew was the kind of person that people admired for the way he performed his jobs. And he always seemed to know how to push the right buttons to get it done.

“I knew him personally, and I found him to be one of the most thorough and most professional people I ever knew,” said Fred Bruner, a past president of the RTA who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.

“Whenever he took on something, he did it to perfection. He was totally unselfish. His concern was the development of tennis around here. We were lucky to have him.

“He was certainly one of the reasons I got involved in the RTA. When I came back from [law] school, and he was with the highway department, it was very encouraging to see what he had done [in the community].

“He was sort of a role model. He was somebody, a dad, who had done all this, not just to benefit his own son but for everybody. He was just so involved in everything. From Richmond, to the state of Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic.

“He was so organized and was always just as fair as he could be. He was such a humble person in all of it, too. He didn’t bring any attention to himself. But those of us around him knew it wouldn’t have happened without Jerry.”

Getting things done in a quiet manner pretty much sums up the life of Jerry DePew. And the Richmond and area tennis communities are grateful that he chose them to lend his time and expertise in helping them for more than three decades.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Richmond Tennis Association, P.O. Box 17612, Richmond, Va., 23226.

Registrations are being accepted for Coach Ed Krass’ 27^th Annual College Tennis Exposure Camp to be held July 7-9, 2015 at University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA.  Former Harvard Women’s Tennis Coach Ed Krass is director of the College Tennis Exposure Camp, the world’s only tennis camp taught exclusively by head college coaches.  The coaching staff for this camp will include Head College Coaches from Bates College, Florida Southern College, Gardner-Webb University, Johns Hopkins University, Longwood University, University of Mary Washington, Mercer University, Randolph College, University of Richmond, Stony Brook University, University of Virginia and Washington & Lee University.  The camp is designed to help junior players learn how to achieve their college tennis goals.  The coaching staff is committed to helping students improve their matchplay strategy, shot selection and shot placement and make the transition from junior tennis to college tennis a reality.

The camp is open to high school and junior tournament players – rising 9^th to 12^th graders — who are interested in playing college tennis.  Players will receive instruction and training from head coaches representing every level of the college game.  Instructional drills and matchplay competition will be conducted in the same style and intensity as a college team practice.  Players will have the opportunity to sample various coaching styles and to receive on-court coaching during their matchplay competitions.  A two-hour round table discussion takes place on the evening of July 8^th where both students and college coaches interact and discuss junior development and college tennis recruiting information.

For more information about the College Tennis Exposure Camp, call (813) 684-9031, or visit the web site:  www.collegetennis.com

Children ages 6-13 are welcome to come out to the Bon Air tennis courts on April 25 from 9 to 10:30 am for fun instruction, games, prizes, snacks, and goodie bags!

Registration is free, but required- get all the information below.

The Family Division of the Davenport & Company Richmond Tennis Championships is a wonderful event brining together players of all ages and abilities to compete in a family-friendly atmosphere. The tournament takes place May 2-3 at Byrd Park.

Entry fee is $20/team.

All matches will be one 8-game pro set with a tie-breaker at 7 all. There will be first round consolation.

Divisions:

Mother/Daughter
Mother/Son
Father/Daughter
Father/Son
Husband/Wife Open
Husband/Wife Over 45

Register online today or email Hugh Waters to register.

The tournament is non-sanctioned so USTA membership is not required.

The McDonald’s Richmond Junior Tennis Circuit (RJTC) is designed to make competitive play more accessible for our juniors. These tournaments are for non-ranked juniors playing bantam or intermediate tennis or looking to start playing L7 or L8 tournaments. These one-day tournaments will be held on Saturdays at clubs throughout the Richmond area. More information can be found here.

2015 McDonald’s RJTC Entry Form

The Junior Division of the Davenport & Company Richmond Tennis Championships will be played over Memorial Day Weekend (May 23-25) at Byrd Park.

Divisions offered:
Boys and Girls 8U through 18U singles and doubles

Register online today.

Register online here

Each week the results from the McDonald’s RJTC tournaments will be posted online. If you have any questions please contact Joe Cappellino at jcappellino@tdcva.com

RJTC Standings- May 19

The end of the 2015 high school season has arrived, and the usual suspects are at the top of the ladder once again.

For each school, the key word is undefeated, as St. Christopher’s, Mills Godwin’s girls’ team and Deep Run’s boys’ team has not dropped a match this spring.

St. Christopher’s won the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I boys’ championship on May 16, routing Potomac School 5-1 in the final at Collegiate’s athletic complex in Goochland County and finishing 15-0.

The previous week, the Saints had finished second in the Prep League tournament, one point behind Woodberry Forest in the flighted competition. St.  Chris also was No. 1 in the final Richmond Times-Dispatch Top Ten poll for area teams.

The state title was the first for the Saints in quite a while, and making it more memorable was the fact that St. Christopher’s only had to resort to doubles in one of the three state matches to decide the outcome.

“I think the competition has gotten a lot stronger through the years,” said Saints’ coach Richard Peyton. “Every year, it seems like the competition is tougher in the state tournament, so it makes it that much more meaningful for us to win it.”

Matthew Fernandez, the Saints’ No 1 singles player, got his team off to a great start by knocking off Joe Nardini (ranked in the top 100 nationally in boys’ 16s) 10-5, and No. 2 Stephen McCray added another point with a 10-3 rout of Jason Kwak.

The bottom three matches were on the  court a lot longer, with Charlie McCray (Stephen’s older brother) defeating Chris Caskin 10-7 at No. 4 and Jackson Barkstrom edging Alex Gerson 11-10 (7-3) at No. 5 to make it 4-1 Saints.

That left it up to Alston Hackney at No. 6. Either the freshman could end the competition or it would go to doubles. Although he allowed several championship points to elude him, Hackney finally pulled it out 11-10 (9-7).

“Our guys came out with game today,” said Peyton. “A lot of these guys play at a very, very high level, and I think we were prepared. They really peaked at the end of the season. Some of them played the best matches that they’ve played all year.

“The mental tenacity for these guys was off the charts. I think that was the main reason for our success through this season, and it came into play during the state tournament. They also had an incredible work ethic during the season and the off-season.”

Meanwhile, the Godwin girls are taking aim at their third straight state championship. The Eagles are 17-0 and have been ranked No. 1 in the Times-Dispatch poll all season. They will be seeking their 16^th consecutive regional crown when play begins on May 26.

Led by senior Keerthana Shankar at No. 1 and two more seniors at No. 5 (Elizabeth Dudley) and No. 6 (Ara McCarty), the Eagles have rolled through Conference 11 competition, including three wins over arch-rival Deep Run.

“We had experience coming back,” said veteran coach Mark Seidenberg, who has guided Godwin to 10 state crowns. “Four or five of the girls returning were back in the lineup, and really, almost everybody had some experience.”

Assuming Godwin gets through the regionals unscathed, the Eagles will likely be favored against the northern Virginia schools, Thomas Jefferson (Alexandria) or George Marshall to capture the 5A  state title on June 5-6 in Newport News.

A foot injury to Dudley, however, could put a wrench in Seidenberg’s plans. He isn’t sure if she’ll play singles or doubles in the regional. The other players in the lineup are sophomores Anna Sidhu at No. 2 and Anna Brodzik at No. 3, and junior Morgan Fuqua at No 4.

“I promise you we are not overlooking Deep Run [in the regionals],” said Seidenberg. “They are a really good team. They could easily beat us if we don’t come to play.”

The Deep Run boys reached the 5A state final last year (losing to TJ-Alexandria) and have a good shot at getting there again with new coach Philip Bucska. The Wildcats only lost one player from the top six and enter the regionals with a 15-0 record.

“My expectation going into the season was they were going to get to the same point they got to last year,” said Bucska. “So they just had to maintain their composure through all the matches, and so far they’ve done that.”

The Wildcats had a couple of close calls against Douglas Freeman, however, edging the Rebels twice by 5-4 margins. In the Conference 11 title match, Deep Run swept past Henrico 5-0.

As far as the state tournament goes, Bucska says, “I feel like now they know what to expect from Thomas Jefferson, if we get to that point again, and they’ve got another year of experience under their belts … they know themselves better.”

The Wildcats are led by No. 1 Rahul Jilakara and No. 2 Nick Sorkin. Grayson Brown holds down the No. 3 spot, while Grant Rabalais is No. 4 and Chris Bone No. 5. Senior Eric Pawela has played No. 6 most of the season.

In the individual competition, Deep Run’s Nina Sorkin is the reigning 5A state champion and favored to do it again, while Cosby’s Paul Mendoza should rule the regionals in 6A and Greg Akerman of Freeman figures to claim 5A honors.

This summer there will be a new USTA single gender league. A minimum of 4 girls or 4 boys are needed to create a team. Get all the details here!

FORMAT FOR SINGLE GENDER SUMMER LEAGUE 2015

Georgia Beazley plays tennis for Collegiate in the fall. She runs track in the winter and plays for the lacrosse team during the spring.

“They’re all fun in their own way,” said Beazley, who competes in the 1,000-meter run in track.

Of those three sports, Beazley has a preference for batting the little yellow ball around the court.

“Probably tennis better,” said Beazley. “I like it. The sport is more enjoyable to me.”

Over the Memorial Day weekend, the rising junior at Collegiate dusted off her racquets and won the girls 16-under singles and doubles (with Anne Miller) divisions of the Davenport Junior Championships at Byrd Park.

“It’s Memorial Day weekend and I just wanted to play some tennis,” said Beazley, who played No. 2 singles (behind Sarah Johnson) and No. 1 doubles (with Johnson) for Collegiate last fall.

She didn’t have much trouble in the small draw, losing only three games in three matches. The last two were 6-0, 6-0, including the final over Dharani Atluri.

“I feel like I got better as the tournament went on,” said Beazley. “The first match, I was a little rusty but by the last match, I felt a lot better.”

Meanwhile, the boys’ 14 singles title went to Pranav Sabbu, 13, a seventh-grader at Holman Middle School in Henrico County. Sabbu outlasted Charlesten Freeman in a tight final 6-0, 2-6, 1-0 (10-2) to take home the winner’s trophy.

In the tiebreaker, “He was slicing the ball and drop-shoting it, so I decided to stay up at the net more often,” said Sabbu.

For his part, Freeman said, “When I started off [in tiebreaker], my serve wasn’t very good, so he got most of the points from weak second serves. And then he started serving good and he kept breaking me. It was a fun match.”

Freeman, 14, attends Martin Luther King Middle School in the city but since there are no courts there, he goes over to Armstrong High School and works with George Banks, the Wildcats’ coach. Freeman will be a freshman at Armstrong in the fall.

Freeman used to play football and started playing tennis a little over a year ago almost by accident.

“I was coming back from school and got locked out of the house because I forgot my key,” he said. “So I went to Armstrong to get my brother’s key and the athletic director came up to me and asked me if I liked to play tennis.

“So he took me to the tennis court and I was just looking around when coach Banks came over and asked us, ’Do you want to learn how to play tennis?’ It was my friend Mario and I. He said meet him at Armstrong the next afternoon so we did.

“That’s how we learned our fundamentals, and then another friend, Muhammad, came out and then I had somebody to hit with me. But he quit and I kept playing. It seems like a fun sport and I like playing in tournaments.”

Look for Freeman to be in the starting lineup for the Wildcats next spring.

The boys 16 and 18 divisions were combined because of a shortage of entries, and Jackson Backstrom emerged as the winner in a round-robin format. Backstrom went 3-0, which included a 6-1, 6-4 decision over Yusufu Ibrahim, Armstrong’s No. 1 player this spring.

“I thought I put the ball away on him a couple of times, but he’d hit these crazy winners, from way off the court,” said Backstrom, who played No. 5 singles for St. Christopher’s, which won the Virginia Independent Schools Division I state championship on May 16.

Backstrom, a rising junior, was using the Davenport event as a warmup for his next tournament, an L5 event in Newport News on June 13.

“Now that the [high-school] season is over, I’ve got to get my ranking up,” he said.

The annual Davenport event enjoyed beautiful weather all weekend, and was run, as usual, in a fine manner by Rob Johnston, the pro at Three Chopt Recreation Club.

The inaugural 2010 MAC Wheelchair Tennis Open had twenty participants and marked the beginning of a new trend.  The 2015 MAC Open had nineteen entrants and, hopefully, marked a reversal of a trend.

The 2010 MAC Wheelchair Tennis Open (MWTO) was the opening tournament in the Truong Wheelchair Tennis Grand Prix, the first such grassroots wheelchair tennis grand prix circuit in the nation.  The concept has been copied in other parts of the country since then.  The number of participants dwindled to thirteen in 2014 as a number of the players who participated in the original tournament had retired, been injured or moved.  Fully six of the nineteen entered in the 2015 tournament were first time participants in the tournament, and four of the nineteen players were teenagers.

One of the teenagers was Valeria Reyes-Chian, a senior in Chantilly High School.  Valeria is headed to University of Alabama in the fall. Valeria started playing wheelchair tennis when she was eight and has been playing in the MWTO every year.  She is coached by Brenda Gilmore, an accomplished wheelchair tennis player herself.  U. of A. is one of three colleges and universities that fields a varsity wheelchair tennis team.  Valeria plays on the varsity tennis team at her high school.

Other teens entered this year included Nate Melnyk from Long Island, NY who also plays on his high school tennis team.  Cole Wooten from Augusta, GA, and Elijah Bondeson from Richmond, VA rounded out the teen player complement.  Elijah is brand new to wheelchair tennis but his experience in wheelchair basketball positioned him well in tennis. A generous benefactor stepped in and presented Cole and Elijah with scholarships to tennis camps.

Cole will be attending the USTA/ITF International Junior Wheelchair Tennis Camp in Mission Viejo, CA this summer.  About thirty-five youths from the US and Central and South America attend the camp annually and are coached by the national USTA staff.  Elijah is planning to attend a camp at Harvard this fall.

The tournament was supported by sponsorships from the VCU-Bertier Foundation, Data Technologies and Virginia Tennis Association and donations from Grove Avenue Family Dentistry and donors who participated in GoFundMe crowdfunding.

Breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday were provided by Einstein Bros. Bagels at Stoney Point, Chick-fil-A of Chesterfield and the Short Pump Saladworks store.

Drawing prizes were donated by USTA, Washington Kastles, Citi Open, Richmond Raiders, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Adidas, Plaid Racquet, Costco, Kroger, Martins, Gearhart

One is aiming for a second consecutive state title. The other is hoping to get over the state semifinal hurdle.

Both the Midlothian girls’ and boys’ teams have qualified for the 4A state team tournament beginning Monday, and between them, have already won 37 of 38 matches, which includes the 4A South regional championships.

That’s quite an accomplishment for one school.

The girls, led by seniors Allyson Kearns and Stephanie Olson at the top of the lineup, will be seeking their second 4A state championship in as many years. The Trojans (18-1) returned five of their top six players from last spring, so a return trip to the state tournament was all but inevitable.

Midlothian’s only loss was a 6-3 setback to 5A powerhouse Mills Godwin.

“I think the key to our team is we’re very strong one through six,” said second-year coach Ben Pomeroy. “Sarah Holland is a real nice player at number three. Grace Clarke is a sophomore at number four, and she’s got a real determination about her.

“Julia Deaver is very steady [18-0 record]. She joined the lineup as a freshman this year and has been very consistent at number five. Courtney Price’s mobility has been limited because of a knee injury but she has a good serve and a good forehand.”

Olson was runner-up in the 4A South regional singles final, while Clarke and Price captured the region doubles title.

The Trojans will meet Handley (Winchester) in the state semifinals on June 8 at Clover Hill. The winner of that match will face the winner of Hanover-Dominion in the state final on June 13 at Liberty University in Lynchburg.

Midlothian defeated fellow conference foe Glen Allen in the 4A state final last spring after beating Fauquier in the semifinals.

“You don’t really know that much about some of these out-of-town schools because of the new classification system, but I’m fairly confident that we’ll make it to the finals,” said Pomeroy.

On the boys’ side, Midlothian coach David Brohl believes his club has a good chance to reach the final this spring. The Trojans (19-0) lost to Thomas Jefferson (Alexandria) in 2013 and were beaten by Loudoun County last year.

As luck would have it, Midlothian meets Loudoun County again this year in the semifinals on June 8 at Manchester.

“We’re pretty excited about that, playing the team that ended our season last year,” said Brohl.

The winner of that match faces the winner of E.C. Glass-Jamestown in the state final on June 13 at Liberty University in Lynchburg.

The Trojans were confident coming into the season, even though they lost three of their top six.

“We returned our number one player [Matthew Cousins] and that really, really helped,” Brohl said. “We also returned the kid [Kael Rison] who started at number three as a freshman and returned a kid [Bryan  Tucker] who is now a four-year starter as a senior.”

Two freshmen, Alex Knorpp (No. 4) and Venkat Cheekati (No. 5), and sophomore Thomas Jackson round out the lineup. Both Knorpp and Cheekati are lefties with records of 16-1. Cousins won the 4A South region singles and doubles (with Rison) crowns.

“Those lefties are always tough to compete against,” said Brohl. “I’ve got one of them in two doubles and one of them in three doubles, so I’ve got a lefty-righty combination in two of my [doubles] lineups.”

Both Brohl and Pomeroy received Conference 20 coach-of-the-year honors.

Making Midlothian’s accomplishments even more remarkable are the fact it doesn’t have a “home court.” The Trojans have played nearly all of their home matches at other schools because they have only four courts, rather than the usual six.

“We always talk about as long as there are lines and a net, we’ll play,” Brohl said. “Tennis court dimensions are the same wherever you are, the net height is the same. It’s the same balls and same racquets. All the hard courts are pretty similar.

“We don’t complain about where we’re playing. Just be happy that you’re good enough to play a sport and enjoy yourself.”