Tennis Briefs(3): Makarome Wins USTA Gold Ball; Naples Pro Circuit; More

Jr. Profile: Wesley Chapel’s Makarome Earns Gold Ball at USTA National Team Competition

Wesley Chapel’s Noah Makarome added to his gold ball collection earlier this month at the USTA National Spring Team Championships in Mobile, Ala., helping the Rams to an 8-4 victory over the Panthers.

The competition included 16 teams of eight players — two from each USTA age division — in a four-day tournament modeled on a dual match in collegiate tennis. Teams were selected on the basis of rankings to ensure evenly-balanced competition, but the Rams proved too tough throughout the tournament, winning their four dual matches by 9-3 or 8-4 scores.

Makarome, a high school junior who turns 17 this month, did his part for the Rams, going 4-0 in doubles with Texan Parker Wynn and 3-1 at the No. 2 position in 18s singles. Makarome, who also earned gold balls by taking singles titles at the USTA Winter Nationals 12s in 2011 and the USTA Clay Court Nationals 14s in 2013, enjoyed sharing that accomplishment with his seven teammates.

“A team tournament is really fun because we get to support each other,” said Makarome, who is coached by his father James. “The atmosphere is really different than other tournaments, when you’re just playing by yourself, taking care of whatever you’re doing by yourself. Here you get to warm-up together, help each other. It feels different and really special. We put up a great week and the whole team worked together really well.”

Makarome, who was playing in the tournament for the second time, hopes to start his search for a college team in the next few months.

“I’m just starting to look right now — I’m not really sure where I want to go yet,” said Makarome, whose sister Star is a freshman at Columbia University. “I’ll take some visits, start talking to some coaches now. My sister gives me a lot of advice, helps me out.”

Makarome was one of four Floridians in the boys championship match. Jameson Corsillo of Boca Raton competed in the 14s division for the Rams, while Christian Alshon of Boca Raton and Elisha Thornton of Palm Beach played for the second-place Panthers in the 18s and 12s divisions respectively.

Naples Women’s USTA Pro Circuit Event on March 21

The Academia Sanchez-Casal in Naples will host the inaugural ASC Florida $25,000 Women’s Open, a USTA Pro Circuit event, on March 21-27, 2016.

It is the first-ever such event at the ASC tennis academy and is attracting players from 20 different countries, according to Sanchez. American players on the main draw acceptance list include Jessica Pegula, Katerina Stewart, Maria Sanchez and Kayla Day, and former WTA mainstays Michelle Larcher de Brito and Alexandra Panova.

Players in the qualifying or eligible for wildcards include former Top 10er Nicole Vaidisova, former world No. 1 junior Arantxa Rus, NCAA champ Jamie Loeb, former US Open quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin, and former Florida Gators star Lauren Embree.

The tournament is free and open to the pubic, and includes a wide variety of activities such as a round robin Doubles Pro-Am on Tuesday, March 22 at 3:30 p.m. followed by a player’s dinner party later that evening, and on Saturday, March 26, a free Kid’s Day event for those age 6-10 from 10 a.m. until noon offering a chance to meet current players on the WTA tour and attend complimentary tennis clinics coached by ASC-certified coaches.

For more info go to www.asc-florida.com or e-mail Kathy Prutos, tournament press aide at kprutos@gmail.com.

Registration Now Open for 2016 US Open National Playoffs-Florida Tournament

Last year’s women’s doubles champions Lauren Proctor (Tega Cay, S.C.)/Miranda Talbert (Bradenton, FL)

Players can now register for the 2016 US Open National Playoffs-Florida tournament, where anyone 14 years or older can compete to reach the qualifying or main draw of the 2016 US Open.

Tennis players of all levels can compete for men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles spots in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Registration is open through May 23, and the competition will be held on June 3-5, 2016 at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center on the campus of Florida State University.

The Florida champions and the winners of the other 14 USTA Sections participating will advance to the following US Open National Playoffs Championship events that will take place in conjunction with the WTA tour’s Connecticut Open presented by United Technologies, an Emirates Airline US Open Series event, in New Haven, Conn.:

* Men’s and Women’s Singles Championship, Aug. 19-22
* Men’s and Women’s Doubles Championship, Aug. 21-24
* Mixed Doubles Championship, Aug. 24-27

The national tournament’s men’s and women’s singles champions will receive a wild card into the 2016 US Open Singles Qualifying Tournament, and the men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles champions will receive a wild card into the main draw of the US Open.

For full rules and regulations or to register go to http://usta.usopen.org/US-Open/us_open_national_playoffs.