Tennis Briefs(4): USPTA Clay and Division II Award Winners, More

Palm Coast Rolls Out ‘Masters Tennis’ Social, Weekly Programming at Belle Terre; Next Free Event June 2

More than 30 players, most experiencing the fun short-court tennis option for the first time, took part in a Masters Tennis Social event on May 1, 2015 at the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club in Palm Coast, Fla.

The event was a kick-off for weekly Masters Tennis play and programming in the Palm Coast area.

The Masters Tennis format is played inside a 60-foot-lined court (within a regulation-size 78-foot court), using slightly slower and lower-bouncing “orange balls” that are not as difficult to get to. Easier on shoulders, elbows and wrists, Masters Tennis is bringing former players back to the game and introducing new players with the easy-to-learn yet competitive format.

The event, overseen by USTA Florida Masters Tennis Coordinator Christine Murphy and other USTA Florida staff, featured free food, beverages, raffle prizes and on-court play.

“I think we struck gold for the facility and community with this event,” said USTA Florida Associate Executive Director Andy McFarland. “Hopefully this event will continue to build on the Masters tennis program here and get more players involved.”

The next free Masters Tennis Social/Silver Sneakers event will be held at Belle Terre in Palm Coast on Tuesday, June 2 from 9:30-10:30 a.m.

For additional Masters Tennis play opportunities in the area contact:

Plantation Bay — Dave Brown, dbrown@icihomes.com
Trails Racquet Club — Jan Buenner, jan@trailsracquetclub.com
Nova Road — Jacqui Johnson, jacquelineljohnson64@gmail.com

For more information on Masters Tennis programming in the Palm Coast area, e-mail tennis@flaglerschools.com or visit www.ustaflorida.com/adulttennis/masters-tennis.

2 Florida Winners Honored at NCAA Division II ITA National Awards

Two Florida college players or coaches were honored this week when the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced its 2015 national award winners for Division II men’s and women’s tennis.

Award winners from Florida were Martin Parkes of Saint Leo University who was named the ITA Assistant Coach of the Year, and Mark Heimberger of Palm Beach Atlantic University who received the ITA/Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship.

Parkes flourished in his role as interim head coach at Saint Leo last season, helping the men’s team to No. 4 in the ITA Division II National Team Rankings, its highest ranking in program history. Now back in his role as assistant, Parkes has helped significantly with player development and coached the team’s rise from No. 14 at the beginning of the season to No. 5 in the current ITA Rankings and a 16-6 overall record. He also impacted the local community by participating in events to benefit John Isner’s charity and organizing numerous events.

Heimberger has learned through his leadership experiences that his goal in life is to “live simply so that others may simply live.” The Palm Beach Atlantic team captain and Student Athlete Advisory Committee representative has contributed over 180 hours to various non-profits organizations in addition to spending 20 hours per week with the tennis team.

Heimberger has helped with children at a safe house that allowed them to escape from exposure to gangs and crime, volunteered at St. Luke’s University Hospital and visited nursing homes to spend quality time with the elderly community. He was recently accepted to medical school at Indiana University.

For more information on the ITA Awards program visit www.itatennis.com/AboutITA/AbouttheITA.htm.

Florida Players Raise Trophies at National USPTA Clay Court Championships

Several veteran USPTA players added to their trophy cases by claiming championships at the national $10,000 United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Clay Court Championships in May at the Landings Yacht, Golf & Tennis Club in Fort Myers, Fla.

Adrians Zguns (Orlando) added a seventh overall singles title to his collection after winning the men’s open singles division. Zguns defeated Paulo Barros (Winter Garden, Fla.) 6-1, 6-1. The win was his second singles title of this year’s USPTA Surface Championship season. Zguns also won the same division at the USPTA Hard Court Championships in Tyler, Texas, in October.

Players capturing multiple titles were Frank Vermeer (Jacksonville), Hans Gallauer (St. Petersburg) and Julia Farina (West Palm Beach).

Here is the list of champions:

Men’s Open Singles
Adrians Zguns (Orlando) def. Paulo Barros (Orlando) 6-1, 6-1
Men’s 35 Singles
Paulo Barros (Orlando) def. Franco Mata (Naples, Fla.) 6-4, 6-4
Men’s 45 Singles
Frank Vermeer (Jacksonville, Fla.) def. Jeff Cohen (Boca Raton, Fla.) 6-2, 6-2
Men’s 55 Singles
Hans Gallauer (St. Petersburg, Fla.) def. Patricio Madariaga (Miami Beach, Fla.) 6-2, 6-1
Men’s Open Doubles
Mathieu Soto (Boca Raton, Fla.)/Stefano Ianni (Miami) def. Franco Mata (Naples, Fla.)/Paulo Barros (Orlando) 6-1, 6-3
Men’s 45 Doubles
Frank Vermeer (Jacksonville, Fla.)/Jeff Cohen (Boca Raton, Fla.) def. Patricio Madariaga (Miami Beach, Fla.)/Darryl Fornatora (West Palm Beach, Fla.) 6-2, 6-2
Men’s 55 Doubles
Hans Gallauer (St. Petersburg, Fla.)/Gewan Maharaj (Tampa) def. Armor Persons (Fort Myers, Fla.)/Arup Dutta (Parkland, Fla.) 6-2, 6-2
Mixed Open Doubles
Frank Vermeer (Jacksonville, Fla.)/Dominque Levin (Jacksonville, Fla.) def. Rudy Obregon (San Antonio, Texas)/Renee Deane (Cape Coral, Fla.) 6-1, 6-3
Mixed 45 Doubles
Patricio Madariaga (Miami Beach, Fla.)/Susie Brown (Delray Beach, Fla.) def. Jeff Diggs (Cape Coral, Fla.)/Kerry Kendrick (Sanibel, Fla.) by default
Women’s 45 Singles
Julia Farina (West Palm Beach, Fla.) def. Karen Rembert (Boca Raton, Fla.) 6-3, 6-3
Women’s 45 Doubles
Julia Farina (West Palm Beach, Fla.)/Carolyn Franca (Tampa) def. Susie Brown (Delray Beach, Fla.)/Kimberly Jones (Fort Myers, Fla.) 5-7, 6-2, 7-6

The final opportunity to earn a spot in the USPTA Masters Invitational is the USPTA Grass Court Championships presented by PaycheckCity.com, to be held May 29-31, 2015 at Desert Highlands Racquet Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. Entry deadline for the Grass Court Championships is May 19. Registration is online at www.usptaplayer.com/club/uspta-championships.

Tampa Kids Team Tennis Challenge on May 30-31

Tampa Tennis at Hillsborough Community College will host a Team Tennis Challenge for junior players age 18 and under on May 30-31, 2015, in Tampa, Fla.

Parents can register children as teams, or as individuals to be put on teams. Registration for the event closes on May 25 at 11:59 p.m.

The cost for the event in $25 per player for USTA members, and $35 for non-members. Food and refreshments will be available.

“This is a team event, with four minimum and six maximum players per team,” says organizer Liz Coates. “Players can register as an individual or register and join a team.”

For more info e-mail Coates@florida.usta.com or see the tournament Tennislink site at http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=169852.