Panhandle Tennis Blog: Florida Wins 14s Zone Team Chps.; More

Scheufler Wins 6 Matches for Florida’s Winning Team at USTA Boys’ and Girls’ 14 Zone Team Championships

Gulf Breeze’s Caraline Scheufler was part of USTA Florida’s “Lightning Team” which defeated the Texas Stars 10-8 at the USTA Boys and Girls 14 Zone Team Championships held July 2-6, 2015 in Arlington, Texas.

Scheufler won 6 matches throughout the event to help her team to victory.

Caraline Scheufler

This team event consisted of six boys and six girls per team. There were two flights with six teams in each flight.

“This was truly a team effort as each round a different team member stepped up to clinch the match for us in dramatic fashion,” said team captain Weller Evans of Ponte Vedra Beach. “A great bunch of kids and a solid group of parents made the week fun.”

The Ranger flight, of which Lightning Team was a part, contained two teams each from Florida and Texas, and one each from Southwest and Missouri Valley. Each team played four preliminary round matches. Then the best team from the Ranger flight, the Lightning, played the best team from the Cowboy flight, the Texas Stars for the championship.

For three of the preliminary rounds, each match consisted of six boys and six girls singles matches as well as two each of boys and girls doubles and mixed doubles. In the final preliminary round and the championship match, there were no mixed doubles matches.

Lightning Team won all four rounds of preliminary competition.

Edge Coaches Florida Team to 3rd at USTA Boys’ and Girls’ 16 Zone Team Championships

Coach Edge (top right) with Florida Boys and Girls 16 Zone Team

Pensacola Washington High School tennis coach Michael Edge was a Florida coach for the USTA Boys and Girls 16 Zone Team Championships held in Waco, Texas on July 2-6, 2015.

Edge’s team went 3-1 in preliminary play and finished fourth in the play-off. Good job Coach Edge.

Former UWFer Nicholas Barrientos Wins Silver at Pan American Games

Nicholas Barrientos

Former University of West Florida player Nichols Barrientos of Columbia grabbed the Silver Medal at the Pan American Game in Toronto, Canada on July 15, 2015.

Barrientos reached the final with a 7-6, 7-5 win over another Argentine, Guido Andreozzi. Congratulations Nico.

Barrientos played for UWF from 2005-2008 and was an integral part of the 2005 NCAA Division II National Championship team.

Pensacola to hold First Level 9 Entry-level USTA Junior Event

The first-ever Level 9 USTA junior entry-level tournament will be held on Saturday, July 18, 2015 at Roger Scott Tennis Center in Pensacola.

The non-elimination tournament will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the 28-court tennis center.

Tournament Director Rita Dotson hopes to get a good tournament at this first ever entry level event.

Top enter go to: http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=172188

Or call Rita at (850) 380-5458.

PSA’s 38th Racquet Round-Up Attracts 500 Participants

Everyone is moving at the Racquet Round-Up in Pensacola

The 38th Annual Racquet Round-Up presented by the Pensacola Sports Association (PSA) finished with events held on June 17 at the University of West Florida, and on June 18-19 at Shoreline Park in Gulf Breeze, Fla., with 500 kids participating in their first tennis experience.

All activities were free to the kids attending, and in addition to the tennis instruction there were other giveaways as well.

Guarachi Wins $25K Doubles Title in El Paso, Ups Her Career Rankings in Singles and Doubles

Miramar Beach’s Alexa Guarachi teamed with Boca Raton’s Jennifer Brady to defeat Robin Anderson and Maegan Manasse 3-6, 6-3, 10-7 to win the $25,000 ITF doubles championships in El Paso, Texas.

Alexa Guarachi (letf) and Jennifer Brady in El Paso

Guarachi and Brady, seeded #4, won both their quarter and semifinal matches in third-set tiebreakers as well. The win marked Guarachi’s eighth doubles title with eight different partners in the last two years.

Guarachi has now reached career ranking highs of 379 in singles and 203 in doubles.

Alexa’s next two tournaments are a $50K in Granby, Canada followed by a $25K in Gatineau, Canada.

Three Escambia Teams Reach USTA Florida 40 & Over 4.0 League Section Championships

Three 40 & Over 4.0 teams from Escambia County made the USTA Florida Sectional Championships held July 10-12, 2015. Although two teams had 3-1 records in round robin play, unfortunately due to the tiebreaking rules, none advanced to the final day of play.

The women’s 3.0 from PAC, captained by Karen Penn finished 3-2 for the weekend. Team members that played in Altamonte Springs included Mary Bricker, Jenya Burkett, Julia Elliot, Mickey Hassell, Beth Hudson, Angela Krause, Gloria Langan and Karen Penn.

The 4.0 women from Escambia County captained by Wanda Taylor missed the semifinals by only one win. Furthermore, the team they lost to 1-4 won the championship and in that 1-4 loss, Taylor’s team lost two third-set tiebreakers. It was so very close. That was their very first match of the weekend as well. Team members who played in Daytona included Renee Baggett, Constant Change, Traci Mason, Tammy Moore, Angela Stewart, Chantal Taylor, Wanda Taylor, Tonna Wheat and Debbie Wroten.

The men’s 4.0 team from Roger Scott Tennis Center captained by Calvin Moore also had a chance to make the semifinals but fell short in the total wins department compared to the other 3-1 teams. Players who made the trip to Daytona included Chris Brown, Jeff Crigler, Tim Falzone, Pete Gilroy, Ali Kizilbash, Hal Major, Calvin Moore, Pete Nowak, David Price, Donald Russell and Shane Russell.

2015 Spring Pensacola Junior Team Tennis Draws More Than 150 Players

On the last weekend in June, the Pensacola Junior Team Tennis League held end-of-season matches and an awards party.

Tara Dominguez, league coordinator and promoter for USTA Florida, said “We had about 150 kids, and about six different schools and facilities represented (including Episcopal Day School, St Paul’s, Creative Learning Academy, Montessori Academy, Pensacola Country Club, Roger Scott). We’d love to get more of the public schools involved, and try to grow USTA Kids’ Tennis Clubs at all the schools and get them into the league. The league is for anybody. Today was a big success, even with it being summer. We had 12 courts full, which is great.”

Darion Lopez (left) 12 and Carlo Ghiglino 9 from Creative Learning Center

Winners for the Spring Season are as follows:

•12U Division — Creative Learning Academy: Noah Smith, Carlo Ghiglino, Darion Lopez, Timothy Marshall, Fares Rifai; Captain: Wendy Smith
•14U Division — Roger Scott Team Seelman: Oliver Biggs, Sami Humeda, Fares Rifai, Victor Souza; Captain: Rudy Seelman
•18U Division — Tate High School: Alex Mason, Cami Kennedy, Chloe Stibolt, Kyle Johnson, Kelly Kennedy; Captain: Jennifer Kennedy