Tennis Briefs(5): Florida French Jr. Runner-up; Collins NCAA Profile; More

Florida’s 14-year-old Anisimova Runner-up at French Open Juniors

French Open Girls’ runner-up Amanda Anisimova (second from right) and champion Rebeka Masarova

14-year-old Amanda Anisimova of Hallandale Beach, Fla., saw her stunning run in the girls’ draw at the French Open come to an end last Sunday when she was beaten 7-5, 7-5 by Swiss 16-year-old Rebeka Masarova.

It was only the second junior slam appearance for the No. 2 seed, who was up a break twice in the opening set over the No. 12-seeded Masarova. Anisimova was also up a break at the beginning of the second set, but could not hold the lead against this year’s Australian Open juniors semifinalist.

“I was really nervous in the beginning, and then at the end I was 5-2 up in the second set and my opponent also was playing very good,” Masarova said following the match. “I did some mistakes and she went to 5-5. I knew I had to break. I held my serve and then I broke her in the end.”

Currently ranked No. 5 in the ITF’s world junior rankings, Anisimova earlier this year won a Grade 1 tournament in Costa Rica. She made her slam debut last year at the US Open juniors, losing in the first round. Last year she was also a semifinalist at the Eddie Herr International Tennis Championships.

The high school freshman was attempting to become the first U.S. girls’ winner at Roland Garros since Jennifer Capriati in 1989.

St. Pete’s Danielle Collins Claims Second NCAA Division I Singles Title, Prepares for US Open

By Colette Lewis, USTA Florida junior tennis writer

When 22-year-old Danielle Collins from St. Petersburg won her first NCAA title back in 2014 as an unseeded sophomore at the University of Virginia, she did not seriously consider turning pro, even after winning a set from No. 2 seed Simona Halep with the US Open wild card she received.

“There’s a lot more I want to accomplish during my time at UVA,” Collins said then, after her unexpected run to the title in Athens, Ga. “I believe [coaches] Mark [Guilbeau] and Troy [Porco] can help me to develop more as a player [by] staying in college for the time being.”

Instead Collins returned for her junior year, where a wrist injury kept her out of competition for most of the fall season. She helped lead Virginia to its second straight ACC tournament title last spring and was again named an All-American, reaching the quarterfinals of the NCAA singles tournament in Waco, Texas.

Healthy for her entire senior year, Collins added a second collegiate major to her collection at the ITA Riviera All-American Championships last October, taking the title without dropping a set, and also won the Oracle Masters title, a new invitational event held earlier in the fall.

A dual-match season that saw Collins go 19-2 at the No. 1 position ended for Virginia in the quarterfinals of the NCAA team tournament. After beating No. 3 seed North Carolina in the Sweet 16, the 14th-ranked Cavaliers lost to defending champion Vanderbilt, so Collins spent her time in Tulsa preparing for the singles tournament. Unlike 2014, the second-seeded Collins was a title favorite, as was top seed Hayley Carter of North Carolina, and after five rounds of play, the ACC rivals met for the championship.

Collins played an outstanding match in the final, beating Carter 6-3, 6-2 to become only the seventh woman in NCAA Division I history to win more than one NCAA singles title.

“I feel like it’s harder winning it a second time than it is the first time,” Collins said in her post-match press conference in Tulsa. “The first time I was a second-year, I wasn’t seeded. My first year at [the University of] Florida I didn’t really play a ton and I was playing lower in the lineup. I wasn’t expected to win it, so I really didn’t have much pressure on me going into the tournament. But this tournament, in some people’s book I was the favorite to win, or predicted to get to the finals, so there was that added pressure, just because of winning it before.”

Collins will complete her degree in Media Studies at Virginia this summer and will prepare for a second US Open main draw appearance, free this time to collect, at the very least, the over $39,000 dollars paid to first-round main draw participants.

“It’s pretty sweet to go out of my college career winning a national championship again,” said Collins, who did not drop a set in the tournament. “I’m just very fortunate.”

USTA Incentive to Start Red- or Orange-ball JTT Leagues for 10 and Under Tennis Players

Florida tennis providers can start a red- or orange-ball USTA Junior Team Tennis league for 10-and-under players and receive incentives through a four-week period from June 1 to Aug. 31, 2016.

Limited to the first 25 providers who sign up, for each team in the league providers will receive one dozen red or orange balls, and $50 credit to the USTA Junior Team Tennis e-Store.

Only four players are needed for each co-ed team. Leagues now feature increased play opportunities, with more matches and shorter scoring formats guaranteeing kids multiple matches. Level-based play with cooperative line-ups see that kids are placed in order of strength and skill level.

Just one 78-foot court can be used to set up as many as four red-ball courts at 36’x18′ (singles). Play should provide at least three single matches for each player, with scoring first to seven points (tiebreak) or 10-minute timed matches. Providers can easily kick-off the four-week season with a Play Day, followed by three pre-scheduled match days.

Bring Junior Team Tennis to your community by starting a red- or orange-ball tennis league for youngsters and grow the game today. For more info go to www.tinyurl.com/summerjttpromo or contact USTA Florida Junior Team Tennis Coordinator Liz Coates at coates@ustaflorida.com.

Florida 45-Over Men Win 44th Potter Cup in Barcelona

The U.S. Potter Cup team, left to right: Jeff Cohen, Mikael Pernfors, Carl Clark, Tobias Svantesson, Horacio Rearte and Frank Vermeer

A cadre of Florida players comprised the U.S. team that at the end of May brought home the 44th Potter Cup, the Davis Cup-style international team competition for men age 45 and over. The U.S. defeated two-time defending champ Italy 4-3 in the final in Barcelona, Spain, the first win for the U.S. since 2004.

Jeff Cohen captained the team that included Mikael Pernfors, Carl Clark, Tobias Svantesson, Horacio Rearte and Frank Vermeer.

“It was an amazing effort by the U.S. squad,” Cohen said of the competition held at the Real Club de Polo of Barcelona. “The team was down 3-2 after the singles, however they played tremendous doubles, capturing the final two points, giving the U.S. a 4-3 victory. The U.S. team did the USPTA and USTA proud.”

The U.S. squad defeated France 4-1 in their opening match, and Great Britain in the semifinals 4-1 to gain the championship against Italy, which has reached the final in six of the last seven years.

The competition included teams from Spain (two teams), Ireland, Great Britain, Italy, France, Belgium and the U.S. The former French Open finalist Pernfors and Svantesson were just a few of the former ATP World Tour players competing, including Spain’s Alex Lopez Moron, Jordi Arrese and David de Miguel.

The competition has been held since 1973, when the first-ever edition was played in Biarritz, France. It has been held in Barcelona since 1980 and organized by ILTC Espanya, one of 39 senior tennis clubs around the world which includes legendary international tennis players. The Cup format is Davis Cup-style with each match consisting of five singles and two doubles.

For more info go to www.spain.ictennis.net/en-gb/pottercup/rollofhonour.aspx.

Tennis Technology Conference & Expo Set for November

Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) announced its new Tennis Technology Conference is set for Nov. 3-4, 2016, at the Marriott Resort Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.

The Tennis Technology Conference will feature interactive sessions covering the latest developments in products and software to help tennis coaches and club directors and managers to integrate this technology to run their businesses more effectively. Some of the topics that will be covered include: Software Integration for Clubs; Digital Marketing; Match Analysis Video Software; Teaching Apps; Green Initiatives; On Court Technology; Racquet Technology with Software Integration and more.

There will be the opportunity to demo on court as well.

“Staying ahead of the curve is vital,” said PTR CEO Dan Santorum. “That is why PTR has created the first tennis conference dedicated solely to the innovations and technology that will help grow the game.”

For additional information and registration click here.