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!

The future of Richmond tennis was on display Sunday at Byrd Park, and in the current vernacular, it looked “awesome.”

The boys and girls 12-and-under singles divisions of the Davenport City Junior Championships were the featured attractions, but the boys 14-and-under singles final also kept spectators interested during the Memorial Day weekend event.

Perhaps the most intriguing match was between top-seeded Chase Robinson and No. 2 Damian Sancilio in the boys 12s.

Sancilio is the son of Damian Sancilio (the elder), who won the city open singles title in 1984 and again in 2006 at the ripe old age of 42. Robinson’s dad, Cris, was runner-up in 2003 and has claimed multiple doubles crowns.

In a hotly contested match on the same No. 1 court where their fathers had played, Robinson outlasted Sancilio 4-6, 6-4, (10-4).

“I thought it was a great match,” said Cris Robinson. “It was good, high-level tennis. Chase played really well. Damian always plays well.”

Could it have been a preview of the city men’s final in five or six more years?

“There’s so many good boys at this 9, 10, 11-year old age group in Richmond,” added Robinson. “It’s exciting to watch but we all know it’s a long road and they have to keep liking it for a lot more years to come. They’re all making each other better.

“They’re practicing together and that really helps. They’re friends with each other. It’s a fun experience.”

Even though he lost the opening set, Robinson, 10, felt like he still had a chance to win.

“I thought I could come back and get back into it,” said Robinson. “He was playing pretty well. I was nervous going into the [10-point] tiebreaker, but I was confident. I got a good lead, then he won some points at the end.”

Competing against a friend has its advantages as well as drawbacks, Robinson said.

“It’s a little easier because you know what they’re going to do,” he said, “but it’s not very easy to play a friend.”

Sancilio usually wins the matchups with Robinson, but this time the tables were turned.

“I was missing too much,” said Sancilio, 9. “In the tiebreaker and the second set. My game was just gone.”

Such was the high quality of the match that one tournament official said, “I think I could maybe win the girls 12-and-under but not the boys 12-and-under.”

In the girls 12-under, top-seeded Raine Weiss overcame a slow start to beat No. 2 Catherine Lee DeSouza 6-3, 1-6, (10-7).

Weiss fell behind 0-3 in the opening set before claiming six games in a row. She was also down 4-6 in the tiebreaker but rallied.

“In the tiebreaker, I was a little bit nervous because she’s really good,” said Weiss, an 11-year-old bundle of energy who is a fifth-grader at Kersey Creek Elementary in Hanover County. “She has a good backhand and forehand.”

As for playing from behind, Weiss said, “I play better when I get down because I know I have to come back up and win.”

DeSouza, a sixth-grader at St. Bridget School, made Weiss work hard for her trophy.

In the boys 14-under final, top-seeded Ike Jemi-Alade hung on to defeat No. 2 Phillip Andrews 6-3, 3-6, (10-3).

“I just lost all my mental concentration [in the second set],” said Jemi-Alade, a freshman at Cosby High who plays No. 3 singles for the Titans. “He upped his game and played a really good second set.”

Jemi-Alade took a 5-1 lead in the tiebreaker, however, and coasted to the finish line.

“I just thought, ‘It’s the tiebreak,” he said. “That set’s over. Got to  keep going. Gotta win this.’”

In other non-round-robin finals, top-seeded Cole Henceroth beat No. 2 Whit Wallace 4-0, 4-3 in boys 10s, No. 2 Brin Hause defeated top-seeded Sruthi Vegunta 4-2, 4-2 in the girls 10s, and Lilian Horsley edged Caroline Hare 6-4, 7-5 in the girls 18s.

There were a total of 115 entries this year, compared to “90ish” in 2013, according to tournament director Rob Johnston, who managed to get all of the matches completed in two days, thanks to some gorgeous weather on Saturday and Sunday on the Boulevard.

DAVENPORT CITY JUNIOR RESULTS

Doubles:
Boys 18: Andrew Reed/Stephen McCray def. Gabe Hill/Shawn Rosenthal
Score: 8-1

Girls 18: Mythili Vigneshwar/Lilian Horsley def. Ellie White/Allie Straus
Score: 8-4

Boys 16: Billy Troiano/Venkat Cheekati def. Isiah Timmons/Yusufu Ibrahim
Score: 8-5

Boys 14: Ben Oley/Michael Zuccaro def. Christopher Petrinovich/Bryce Raleigh
Score: 8-4

Girls 14: Allison Wandling/Jessica Wills def. Catherine DeSouza/Olivia Saunders
Score: 8-0

Boys 12: Ryan Monroe/Damian Sancilio def. Hatcher Butterworth/Andrew Campbell
Score: 8-4

Girls 12:
Champion: Amber Saeed/Kyla Terrell (87.5 winning percentage)
Finalist: Nayla Turpin/Sarah Oley (81.25 winning percentage)
3rd Place: Olivia Wright/Ashley Hemp (75 winning percentage)

Keith Mumford would be pleased. And very proud of all his friends in the Richmond community and beyond.

Since he passed away at the far-too-young age of 41 in 2009 from complications resulting from a massive heart attack, there has been a tournament in his memory at the Country Club of Virginia, where he was a member.

This year’s event, called the Keith Mumford Memorial Doubles Shootout Tournament, is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, starting with the Junior Kids’ Day on Friday and continuing on Saturday with the adult doubles tournament. It’s a fun-filled day for all concerned.

But the best part of the weekend is the money raised from the event goes to a tennis scholarship at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., where Keith made the team as a walk-on and helped make the Commodores a better unit because of his personality and abilities.

According to Lee Mumford, Keith’s father, the money collected from entry fees, combined with outside donations and matching gifts, has been enough to fund two scholarships at Vanderbilt, one athletic and one academic.

“It’s been absolutely heart-warming to see people step up and contribute to another [academic] scholarship,” said Lee Mumford.

Keith was not a championship-caliber player but he could hold his own with just about anyone. He enjoyed the competition, whether it was the club member-guest tournament, or the state and city tourneys, or the Anthem Club Challenge.

Win or lose, Keith was happy. Happy with how he had played and won, or happy for those he lost to in a competitive match.

It was rare to see Keith without a smile on his face because he enjoyed the game of tennis – and life — so much.

He also liked teaching the game, which he did for a while at Briarwood (now ACAC) and Salisbury Country Club, as well as the streets of New York City. Keith also worked for the Richmond Tennis Association, helping youngsters learn the game.

For the first time, the RTA is getting closely connected with the popular annual event.

“The RTA wants to be involved with the Mumford family, who have been longtime friends of the RTA, since both Keith and Chris [Mumford] were products of the junior program,” said Ginny Wortham, president of the RTA.

Following his death, the RTA named its sportsmanship awards at the Davenport City Championships in honor of Keith.

“I am excited about the future partnership of the RTA and the Mumford tournament,” said Wortham. “With over 130 players entered this year and a network of support for the event throughout the Richmond tennis community, I think the event is going to continue to grow drastically over the next few years.

“What a wonderful way to remember a great man and spend a day enjoying a sport we all love.”

It’s too late to register for the Mumford Memorial Doubles Shootout this year but certainly never too late to contribute to the scholarship. Contributions can be made by mailing a check (payable to RTA, with Mumford on memo line) to RTA, P.O. Box 17612, Richmond, Va., 23226.

The Junior Kids’ Day is Friday and juniors can register ($20) at CCV from 3:15 to 3:30 p.m. They will be separated by levels and play games with top area pros beginning at 3:30 and lasting until 4:45. All of the children are invited to stay for pizza and popsicles after the matches.

The real tournament gets underway Saturday morning at 8:30 and will feature some of the top doubles tandems in the area. This event is sanctioned by the USTA and Mid-Atlantic section, so points are awarded for advancing through the rounds.

In addition to the open divisions for men and women, there are age groups, ranging from 35, 45, 55 and 65. So there’s something for nearly everybody who enjoys swinging a racquet and getting some exercise on a fine spring day.

Keith will no doubt be looking down at the proceedings and smiling at everyone having a great time in his memory. He’ll be sorry he can’t join in but has probably arranged enough matches in heaven to keep him busy for a long time.

Almost three years ago at the McDonald’s Mid-Atlantic Clay Court Championships, then 15-year-old Anna Fuhr experienced one of the finest moments of her budding tennis career when she upset Virginia Commonwealth’s Katarina Yergina, the third-winningest player in program history.

One day later, the local junior standout suffered through one of the lowest points of her life when she hurt her left wrist in another match at Salisbury Country Club.

“I just hit a backhand and it popped,” said Fuhr. “I finished the match but I really went from 100 percent hitting a backhand to not being able to hit a single backhand or even hold a racquet. It got so bad that I couldn’t open a door or brush my hair.”

The injury would bother her for the next 14 months – until she finally found someone who could figure out what was wrong and fix it – but it also enabled her to add another weapon to her arsenal – a slice backhand.

A two-handed backhand, which she previously used, was out of the question because of the pain.

Since she is right-handed, “I never stopped playing,” Fuhr said. “I really focused on my slice backhand. So I could play matches.”

After being unable to get any answers locally about her wrist, Fuhr’s parents took her to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where Dr. Richard Berger, a noted orthopedic surgeon, discovered the problem and was able to finally repair it with surgery on a tendon.

“Right now, it’s 100 percent,” she said. “I don’t have any problems with it when I’m playing matches. It’s been really pain-free.”

Armed with what her coach, Gonzalo Garcia, calls “today’s game,” Fuhr will graduate from The Steward School on June 2 and head south to Atlanta and Emory University, which won the NCAA Division III women’s team championship on May 21.

Fuhr has been playing tennis since she was “old enough to hold a racquet.” Both of her parents, Joy and Ed, played the game. In fact, Joy was a touring pro (known as Joy Cummings) and quite a good one, ranked as high as 145^th in the world.

But there was never any pressure placed on Anna to follow in her mother’s footsteps.

“You only have that one chance to have your childhood,” said Joy Fuhr, “and do what you want to be doing. So yes, we knew about the game. Yes, we enjoyed tennis. It’s a good thing to do. But you’re more worried that you’re somehow going to be influencing their decision in a bad way.

“Making them do things just because they want to please you. Or because you did it, they want to be like you. I was more worried about her playing tennis for the wrong reasons or doing it just because we liked tennis. So that’s one reason we didn’t go out of our way to schedule her stuff. She had to do it herself.

“We just wanted to be extra sure that she really wanted to do it.”

Garcia began working with Fuhr when she was eight and continues to this day. Garcia worked with Spain’s Davis Cup team and was an assistant coach for VCU’s men’s team for several years.

“She’s so gifted,” said Garcia. “As a coach, I rarely get to see players like that come along. She has today’s game. She’s a hard hitter. She’s aggressive. She takes charge. She makes things happen. In that sense, she has it all. For sure, she’s the most gifted girl I’ve ever taught.”

Fuhr has used those “gifts” to become one of the top junior players in the area. She’s been ranked in the top five (for singles) in the Mid-Atlantic section in every age group (12, 14, 16, 18) and has beaten some of the top juniors in the country along the way. She’s also considered the No. 2 girls recruit in the state for the Class of 2014.

For the past year, Fuhr has been hitting with Tatsiana Uvarova, a former All-American at VCU who teaches at Raintree Swim and Racquet Club.

“She’s very steady, aggressive,” said Uvarova, winner of the last two McDonald’s MATA women’s singles titles. “She reminds me a little of me. She sees the court pretty well. She knows how to use the strategies. I’m sure she’ll be successful [in college].”
Now 18, Fuhr began playing on the varsity team at Steward when she was in the sixth grade and was a member of the squad for five years (missing her sophomore and junior years because of the injury). She was the Spartans’ No. 1 singles and doubles player since the seventh grade.

In the two years she was eligible for post-season play (eighth and ninth grades), Fuhr was the League of Independent Schools (LIS) state singles and doubles champion. She added the Virginia Independent Schools (VIS) singles title to her resume both years.

Her career record at Steward for singles and doubles (including conference and non-conference matches) is approximately 111-6.

Since Steward is a small, private school, Fuhr hasn’t gotten to play a lot of the top public-school players in high-school competition. That has meant less recognition for her in the local newspaper, although she was named first-team All-Metro by the Richmond Times-Dispatch as a freshman. Fuhr has, however, battled some of the area’s top juniors in USTA tournaments, and during the past three years has lost only to Emily Hahn, who now plays for Princeton.

“I’m really ridiculously competitive when it comes down to it,” she said. “So it’s always been frustrating not being able to play in those big state tournaments, regional tournaments, all those things the big public schools like [Mills] Godwin get to do.

“But it’s a tradeoff. You go to Steward so you go to a smaller school. You can’t have it all.”

Fuhr tried not to let the wrist injury keep her off the court but it was a constant reminder that something was wrong in her left wrist. It turned out to be a torn extensor carpi ulnaris tendon, which was discovered by Dr. Berger.

Dr. Berger found that players with a power-laden baseline style, such as Fuhr, are especially vulnerable to these kind of injuries. He has performed operations on stars such as former U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro and did the same with Fuhr.

What Dr. Berger did was repair the tendon and reconstruct the sheath that it lies in. He also removed a cyst on top of Fuhr’s wrist.

“Anybody else would have waited until full recovery,” said Garcia. “She used that as an opportunity to work on her slice backhand. She had to hit every single backhand with a slice. You can imagine how much better that slice backhand has gotten.

“We talk about it now. I say, ‘Anna, that injury, I know it was bad but out of all the bad it was, you got your backhand slice so much better. The backhand volley, too. She was always positive coming to practice, even when she couldn’t move her left arm.”

In addition to keeping up with her tennis game, Fuhr served as president of the junior and senior classes at Steward. She is a member of the National Honor Society and finishes high school with a grade-point average of 4.2.

“I love being busy and having things to do,” she said. “I’m pretty good at time management and being organized. So I was efficient when I was doing things. I wasn’t one of those people that played tennis for six hours a day. I worked out before school all through high school, so I would have more time after school. It worked out pretty well.”

Fuhr was also able to play on the team with her younger sisters, Laura (as a freshman) and Sarah (as a senior).

“That was the biggest reason I played this year, was to play with Sarah,” she said. “That was the highlight of my season. It’s probably the only time I’m going to play with her and that’s way more important to me than the competition.”

So Fuhr will be taking her game to another level in the fall, and Garcia is certain she’ll do well there too.

“I talked to the Emory coach,” said Garcia, “and said I would be very surprised if she does not climb up to the top spot. Maybe not the freshman year but sophomore or junior year, she should be at the top. She has all the tools. She will do really well in college.”

When the Richmond Tennis Association decided to move the open division of the Davenport City Tennis Championships from mid-May to mid-June in an effort to attract more entries, it was something of a gamble.

The hope was to attract more college and high-school players, most of whom would be finished with their school team obligations by then. But it’s also the final week for public high schools, when exams are held, and beach week for others.

“We tried to find a weekend that would work for both high-school and college players, and one that didn’t conflict with adult league matches,” said Ginny Wortham, president of the RTA.

“While no weekend will ever be perfect, I’m thrilled with the quantity and quality of players in this year’s tournament. Bill Carli, Rob Johnston, Bridget Reichert and others did an amazing job recruiting players into the draws.

“They have worked tirelessly leading up to this year’s tournament to ensure it’s a success.”

The date change certainly seemed to work in the men’s singles division, where the field of 28 is sprinkled with high-school and college players, while including one of the area’s top teaching pros and a former champion in Michal Ciszek.

Ciszek, the head pro at Willow Oaks Country Club, is the top seed in the men’s field. The native of Poland won the title in 2010.

While Ciszek will be the heavy favorite, he could face some stiff competition from No. 3 seed Cesar Grobel, an assistant pro at Salisbury Country Club, in the semifinals. There are also some strong high-school and college players looming in his half of the draw.

Two-time defending champion Eric Shulman has some tough opposition in his half, too, most notably fourth-seeded Jeremy New and Brett Moorhead, one of four players co-seeded No. 5 Ryan Radke, runner-up the past two years, is also in Shulman’s half.

The men’s quarterfinals and semifinals will both be played on Saturday at Byrd Park, with the final set for noon on Sunday.

The women’s draw, while it doubled from last year, attracted only four players. But what it lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality.

Wortham, the defending champion, faces Laura Ramthun in one semifinal on Friday at 6:30, while a battle between top juniors, Anna Fuhr and Nina Sorkin, takes place Saturday morning. Sorkin played No. 1 singles for Deep Run High School, and Fuhr was Steward School’s top player.

The women’s final is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday at Byrd Park.

Even the men’s and mixed doubles gained some traction this year. The men’s doubles field, headed by top-seeded Ed Butterworth and Matthew Foote, has 20 teams, and several of them are formidable foes for the favorites.

Grobel and Scott Steinour are the No. 3 seeds, with the collegiate pairing of Moorhead and Liam Sullivan and the prep duo of Bryce DePew and Paul Mendoza adding some spice to the draw. The father-son tandem of Mark and Chase Bernstine is also intriguing.

In mixed doubles, Moorhead and Wortham are the favorites, with Shulman and Sorkin the No. 2 seeds in the field of 10. There are a pair of father-daughter entries in this event, Butterworth and his daughter, Audrey, and Jon and Laura Ramthun.

Just three teams entered women’s doubles, but each of them is top shelf. The trio of Katie Blow-Bridget Reichert, Anna Fuhr-Lindsey Wyeth and Wortham-Leslie Butterworth will battle it out in a round-robin format.

The tentative plan for Sunday is to have the mixed doubles final at 9 a.m., followed by the men’s singles at noon and the men’s doubles championship at 3.

Link to full draws and results

A year ago, the three Bernstine brothers cleaned up in the junior divisions of the Davenport City Tennis Championships.

Now, the eldest, 15-year-old Chase Bernstine, is taking aim at the open division. Specifically, the men’s singles category, where he faced one of the top juniors in the area in the opening round Wednesday at Hermitage Country Club.

The match was moved from Byrd Park because of thunderstorms that persisted from the afternoon into the evening and forced all play indoors. Some of the first-round matches were also played at the Country Club of Virginia.

Bernstine and Matthew Fernandez, who played No. 1 singles for Prep League champion St. Christopher’s this spring, battled on pretty even terms through most of their match before Bernstine posted a 6-3, 7-5 victory.

The two juniors traded powerful ground strokes, and each came to the net on occasion to try and put away winners,

“He’s a pretty good player,” said Bernstine, a rising sophomore at Goochland High School. “You can’t really hit winners off of him. You have to work the point. There was a lot of intensity. A lot of ups and downs. I was kind of glad to pull it out.”

A  left-hander, Bernstine appeared on the verge of closing it out when he  served for the match at 5-4 in the second. But Fernandez hung in there and erased five match points to even the set at 5-all. But the rising junior at St. Chris couldn’t go any further.

Matthew Fernandez

“I think where I messed up was once it got to 5-all, I kind of relaxed and let off the pedal a little bit,” said Fernandez, who plays out of the Westwood Club. “If I could go back and change something, I would try to be focused a little more at 5-all.

“But credit to him, he hit some big shots at 5-all. He came up with the goods.”

After wasting the match points, Bernstine didn’t lose his composure and broke Fernandez’ serve in the 11^th game before holding his serve at love to end it.

“It was all kind of a blur,” said Bernstine. “I tried to go for a big serve but I didn’t really play percentage points. Then when I was up 40-love again [in 12^th game] I didn’t want to do the same thing so I decided to play the percentage and do a serve and volley.”

As a “reward” for reaching the second round, Bernstine meets second-seeded and two-time defending champion Eric Shulman Thursday at 6.

“It will be a really good experience, to try to see where I’m at,” said Bernstine. “I want to use these matches, wins and losses, as a springboard for my future.”

Chase’s father, Mark, is the director of tennis and fitness at Hermitage and has seen his son progress through the years.

“His thing is he tends to play a little bit defensive sometimes,” said the elder Bernstine. “One of the things we’re working on is him playing a little more aggressively. Trying to really take advantage of his lefty serve. Mix in some serve and volley.

Chase Bernstine

“I’m happy with where he is now. He’s got a lot of potential. His game should grow and improve.”

Only two seeded players took the court on Wednesday and both of them advanced easily.

Ryan Radke, runner-up to Shulman the past two years, coasted past Conner Moncure 6-1, 6-2 while Brett Moorhead blanked Michael Sions 6-0, 6-0. Radke and Moorhead are part of a group co-seeded fifth in the field of 28.

Top-seeded Michal Ciszek isn’t scheduled to play his first match until Friday against Harris Blair at 6:30 p.m. at Byrd Park.

Wednesday Results

Men’s Singles
Chase Bernstine def. Matthew Fernandez 6-3, 7-5
Harris Blair def. Andrew Carey default
Travis Miller def. Trent Singleton 6-1, 6-3
(5) Brett Moorhead def. Michael Sions 6-0, 6-0
Justin Cerny def. Reginald Beard 6-1, 6-0
(5) Ryan Radke def. Conner Moncure 6-1, 6-2

Men’s Doubles
Cosby/Fernandez def. Quinn/Terrell 6-3, 7-5
Carl/Harrell def. Khuorn/Napier 6-2, 6-0

Women’s Doubles
Butterworth/Wortham def. Fuhr/Wyeth 6-2, 6-2

Mixed Doubles
Parrish/Stafford def. Mitchell/Rhoney 6-1, 5-2 ret.
Butterworth/Butterworth def. Morgan/Vigneshwar 2-2 ret (injury)

Second seeds aren’t usually tested in the opening match of a tournament. Such was not the case Thursday when No. 2 Eric Shulman took the court against 15-year-old Chase Bernstine in the round of 16 at Hermitage Country Club.

Shulman had an idea of what he was going to face, and he soon found out how difficult it was going to be. The first two games went to deuce three times, and the two-time defending champion managed to pull out both of them.

“After those first two games, I knew I had to use my speed and conditioning in order to scrap out a lot of his aggressive balls,” said Shulman, who had to work hard for a 6-3, 6-4 decision. “Make him play one or two extra balls.”

The strategy worked, as Bernstine made a number of unforced errors, particularly when he had some chances early on.

“I definitely had a couple of chances to go up against him,” said Bernstine, a rising sophomore at Goochland High School. “But he came up with some big serves, some big returns when he had a chance to. I was definitely happy with the way I played.

“Just some unforced errors that I need to work on for the future. I knew I had to play aggressive if I would have a chance against him.”

Shulman, a former No. 1 player for Christopher Newport and an assistant coach for the men’s team, coasted through the opening set – except for one stretch where he inexplicably lost eight straight points – but ran into trouble again in the second.

Bernstine had three break-point opportunities in the second game but couldn’t capitalize on any of them.

“It was kind of difficult to go for some of them after all those chances that I had in the first set,” said Bernstine.

Shulman broke serve to take a 2-1 lead and was in front the rest of the way. The only hiccup came when he lost his serve at 5-2 and was penalized a point in the next game for slamming a ball onto the court. Earlier he was warned for hitting the backscreen with his racquet.

Bernstine held his delivery to close within 5-4 but Shulman quickly recovered and served out the match at love.

Shulman was very impressed with what he saw from Bernstine’s game.

“For his age, the way he hits his lefty forehand as hard as he does, he got a real bright future,” said Shulman, 24. “When he gets through his growth, and gets stronger and stronger, he’s going to be real tough to handle, especially when he gets to be a junior and senior.

“He’s a class act on the court. His serve and volley threw me off a little bit. His one-hander [backhand] was one of his strengths. It didn’t break down like I thought it would. He was mixing it up, using his slice as well. All around, he was tough to deal with today.”

Shulman became the first player to reach the quarterfinals, which aren’t scheduled until Saturday, weather permitting, at Byrd Park. The remainder of the round of 16 gets under way this afternoon if the weather cooperates.

Because of intermittent thunderstorms, matches were played indoors Thursday at Hermitage, the Country Club of Virginia and acac.

The only other seeded player in action was Christopher Radke, one of four players co-seeded fifth in the draw of 28. Radke, the younger brother of Ryan Radke, runner-up to Shulman the past two years, ousted Taylor Napier 6-2, 6-2.

Thursday Results

Men’s singles
#2 Eric Shulman def. Chase Bernstine 6-3, 6-4
#5 Chris Radke def. Taylor Napier 6-2, 6-2
Zach Carl def. Chris Cosby 4-6, 7-6, 1-0 (5)
Baxter Carter def. Danny Khuorn 6-4, 6-1
Feibelman def. DePew 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (4)
Grant Sarver def. David Magner 7-5, 1-6, 1-0 (10)

Men’s doubles
Butterworth/Foote def. Cosby/Fernandez 7-5, 7-6(5)
Moorhead/Sullivan def. Cerny/Kinder 6-1, 6-2
Carli/Williams def. Carey/Reed 0-6, 6-4, retired
Gonzalez/Oakes def. M. Bernstine/C. Bernstine 5-7, 6-4, 1-0
Cappellino/Thomas def. Brown/Carey 7-6(2), 6-4
Blair/Carter def. Hayes/Singleton 6-7(4), 6-4, 1-0

Mixed doubles
#1 Moorhead/Wortham def. Parrish/Stafford 6-1, 6-2
Jon and Laura Ramthun def. Clark/Kolawole 6-1, 6-0

Clubs throughout Richmond host L7 and L8 tournaments which provide opportunities for area juniors to gain tournament experience and improve their state and regional rankings. These tournaments require a USTA membership.

McDonald’s Satellite #1- L7
Raintree Swim & Racquet Club
June 16-19

McDonald’s Satellite #2- L7
Burkwood Swim & Racquet Club
June 23-24

McDonald’s Futures- L8
Three Chopt Recreation Association
June 24

McDonald’s Satellite #3- L6
Hermitage Country Club
June 30- July 3

McDonald’s Futures- L8
Woodlake Swim & Racquet Club
July 7-11

McDonald’s Satellite #3- L7
Midlothian Athletic Club
August 12- 15

If she needed some inspiration before her semifinal match in the women’s singles division of the Davenport City Tennis Championships, Ginny Wortham got all she needed from her mother’s performance in the Richmond Women’s Golf Association final earlier Friday.

Lindsay Wortham, who is the holder of three city women’s tennis titles, captured the RWGA championship with a stunning 1-up victory over Lyberty Anderson on Hermitage Country Club’s Sabot Course. It was her third RWGA crown.

Friday night, Ginny Wortham outlasted Laura Ramthun in enough baseline rallies to post a 6-2, 6-1 decision on one of Hermitage’s indoor courts. Matches were moved indoors for the third straight day because of thunderstorms.

Play began at Byrd Park under sunny skies but storms moved in after about an hour and sent players scurrying for cover.

“My Mom is awesome,” said Ginny Wortham. “My Mom competes better than anyone I know. She’s so mentally tough.”

Ginny Wortham showed some of that toughness herself by forcing Ramthun into errors after long exchanges or hitting outright winners following other long rallies. Ramthun is a rising junior at Virginia Tech, where she walked on to the women’s team.

Wortham will be playing in her sixth straight final when she faces Nina Sorkin Saturday morning at 11 at Byrd Park. Sorkin was given a walkover into the final when her opponent, Anna Fuhr, sprained an ankle earlier this week.

Wortham will be seeking her fourth city championship but will be tested by Sorkin, who went undefeated in high-school competition this spring as a freshman at Deep Run and is coming off the 5A state singles title earlier this week.

Meanwhile, on the men’s side, all but one of the eight seeded players managed to reach the quarterfinals, scheduled for 8 a.m. Saturday. The semifinals are set for 11 a.m. but could be a little later depending on what happens in the quarters.

The lone seed to fall was Christopher Radke, one of a quartet of players at No. 5. He lost to Travis Miller 7-5, 6-2.

Both third-seeded Cesar Grobel and No. 4 Jeremy New were forced to three sets before winning.

Grobel, a teaching pro at Salisbury Country Club, rallied to beat Zach Carl 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, while New, runner-up in this tournament in 2011, came from behind to defeat Justin Cerny 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in a hard-hitting affair.

“He [Cerny] was playing really well,” said New. “It really wasn’t that big a shift. Close games in the first set and a lot of close games after that, too. Things just started going my way a little more. He’s got some game.”

Top-seeded Michal Ciszek, the 2010 champion, shook off some rust in handling Harris Blair 6-3, 6-1. The match was tied 3-all before Ciszek, head pro at Willow Oaks Country Club, began to dominate the proceedings.

“He was using my pace very well,” said Ciszek. “He’s very quick, very fast. So I adjusted my game to what he was doing and it worked out much better. My serve was working. It never seems to disappear. My forehand is still pretty good.”

Others seeded winners on Friday evening were Ryan Radke, Chris Wallace and Brett Moorhead. All were co-seeded fifth. Second-seeded Eric Shulman had gained a berth in the quarterfinals with a victory over Chase Bernstine on Thursday.

In the Saturday quarterfinals, it will be Ciszek vs. Wallace and Grobel vs. Miller in the top half, and Moorhead vs. New and R. Radke vs. Shulman in the bottom half. The latter match is a rematch of the last two finals, won by Shulman.

In addition to Hermitage, matches were played indoors at Salisbury Country Club and the Country Club of Virginia.

Friday Results

Mens Singles
#1 Michal Ciszek def. Harris Blair 6-3,6-1
#5 Chris Wallace def. Baxter Carter 6-1, 6-0
#3 Cesar Grobel def. Zach Carl 5-7, 6-1,6-1
Travis Miller def. #5 Chris Radke 7-5, 6-2
#5 Brett Moorhead def. Seth Feibelman 6-1,6-1
#4 Jeremy New def. Justin Cerny 4-6, 6-2,6-1
#5 Ryan Radke def. Grant Sarver 6-2,6-4

Women’s Singles
Ginny Wortham def. Laura Ramthun 6-2, 6-1

Mens Doubles
#3 Grobel/Steinour def. Carl/Harrell 7-5,6-3
#5 McMillen/Parker def. DePew/Mendoza 6-3, 6-4
#5 Radke/Radke def. Carli/Williams 6-4,6-2
#2 New/Shulman def. Blair/Carter 7-5,6-4

Mixed Doubles
Thomas/Wyeth def. Kinder/Summers Default
Shulman/Sorkin def. Ramthun/Ramthun 6-3,6-2

Nina Sorkin should have been worn out by the time she took the Byrd Park court Saturday to play Ginny Wortham in the women’s singles final of the Davenport City Tennis Championships. Read full article by John Packett in the Richmond Times Dispatch

Before he took the court on Sunday morning to face Eric Shulman in the men’s singles final of the Davenport City Tennis Championships, top-seeded Michal Ciszek “warmed up” with his 3 1/2-year-old daughter, Sophie.

Read full article by John Packett in the Richmond Times Dispatch.

Play Days welcome players of all ages and ability. Participants will attempt to SERVE, RALLY and SCORE, while results are not documented.

Play Days are a way for kids to play tennis in a non-elimination, fun, competitive environment. Players participate at their level against opponents of similar skills. The emphasis is placed on participation, effort and sportsmanship, as opposed to highlighting the achievements of any one player. Players are grouped by age and ability, and game modifications allow each child to experience success.

Richmond Play Day Circuit Events

May 31 5:00-8:00 pm
June 20 9:30-12:30 pm
July 11 9:30-12:30 pm

All events take place at Three Chopt Recreation Club

To register for these events please click here

View Play Day Circuit Flyer

Play Days are a wonderful way to get ready for that next step of playing USTA Jr. Team Tennis and USTA Junior Tournaments.  For more information about the benefits of becoming a USTA member, click here. While membership is not required to participate in USTA Play Days, any child new to the USTA, and 10 years old or younger, can sign up FREE for a first year membership!

Thanks to re-alignment by the Virginia High School League last year, the number of team and individual tennis champions in our area increased by leaps and bounds this season.

The biggest winners were the Mills Godwin and Midlothian girls’ teams, and the Maggie Walker Governors’ School boys’ team, each of which claimed championships in their respective divisions.

In addition, three boys and one girl won individual crowns in singles and two girls’ doubles teams finished as champions.

Although it proved to be a huge headache for the local newspaper trying to keep up with all the teams and tournaments, the divisions (that were separated by school-size) gave more players more chances to take home trophies.

On the private-school side, St. Christopher’s won its first Prep League championship since 1998, edging Woodberry Forest and Trinity Episcopal for the title when the No. 2 doubles team of Matthew Fernandez and  Baxter Carter emerged victorious in the last match.

The most prestigious championships went to Nina Sorkin of Deep Run and Shyam Venkatasubramanian (or Venkat as he is known) of Henrico.

Sorkin, who played No. 1 singles and doubles for the Wildcats, didn’t drop a set all season in finishing with a 27-0 singles record as a freshman. The 15-year-old teamed with senior Caroline Mosberg to add the 5A doubles title.

Not satisfied with winning the high school crowns, she added the Davenport City women’s singles championship in the same week.

Venkat had a much tougher time but the senior completed a 25-0 season by wrapping up the boys 5A singles title.

Hanover High School’s Danny Polk claimed the 4A singles title, capping an outstanding season, while freshman Karl Katlaps of MWGS eased to the boys 2A championship.

Julia Jackson and Karen Pak of Glen Allen gave the area yet another individual title when they won the girls 4A doubles crown.

In team play, Mills Godwin nosed out Deep Run in the 5A South region tournament and went on to easily capture the state tournament. With no superstars in the lineup, the Eagles won their ninth title in the past 13 years and 11^th overall for the school.

Godwin had lost three times to Deep Run before ending the Wildcats’ season in the regionals. In the championship match, the Eagles disposed of George Marshall (Fairfax) 5-1.

Two area teams battled it out for the girls’ 4A championship, with Midlothian overcoming Glen Allen 5-1 in the final. It was the first state title for the Trojans since they captured the Group AA crown in 1986.

Finally, MWGS, led by Katlaps at No. 1 singles, defeated George Mason (Falls Church) 5-1 in the 2A boys’ title match.

The Deep Run boys’ attempt to win their fourth crown in five years fell just short, as the Wildcats were beaten by Thomas Jefferson School for Science and Technology (Alexandria) 5-1 in the final.

All in all, it was quite a spring season for the old Central Region, with more champions than ever earning VHSL hardware in the final week of school.

Play in the most exciting format in tennis and earn a spot to compete at nationals. The leagues will begin July 18th.

Salisbury Country Club in Chesterfield County will host the Mid-Atlantic Clay Court Championships for its 15th year.  The tennis tournament will begin July 8 and conclude on July 13.  The tournament has more than doubled the size of the draw, the number of sponsors, and the number of spectators, since its first year.  This year we are expecting college players, local pros, and coaches from all over the country.  Our goal is to attract top ranked professionals.  Last year we increased the prize money to $7,000 for the mens and womens singles winner.  Our tournament amenities are bar none.  We continue each year to grow this high quality event.

Scott Steinour, the tennis director at Salisbury Country Club says, “We are so proud of how this tournament has grown over the last fifteen years. We are also extremely grateful to our sponsors, without whom this event would be impossible. This event also demonstrates what an impressive tennis community is right here in Richmond. This tournament draws not only top players, but the most appreciative and knowledgeable fans imaginable.”

The tournament’s major sponsors include McDonald’s, Virginia Cancer Institute, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Anthem, Brown’s Volkswagon, Keiter, Haley Automotive Group, SMARTBOX Portable Storage & Moving, Computer Resource Company, Stuller, Connelly, Finfgeld, LLC,  Livewire, Asset Protection Group, Vino Market, Davis & Nyczepir, Capital Waste Services, Lane Homes, Big Herm’s Catering, Mr. Able Propane and Commonwealth Surgical Solutions.  For more information about the tournament, the payouts, the schedule of events, and to register, please log onto www.midatlanicclaycourts.com.

On July 8, POPTAP, the Charity associated with the tennis event and who has partnered with VCU Massey Cancer Center’s Ronald M. Plotkin Memorial Brain Tumor Research Fund, will host the 3r^d Annual Golf event, at Salisbury Country Club, for sponsors and guests.  Please visit the POPTAP website for more information on this great event, www.poptap.org.

Salisbury Country Club is located at 13620 West Salisbury Road in Midlothian. Information about the club is available at www.salisburycountryclub.com or by calling 804.794.6841.

Steve Faraci was a golfer, but he gave up golf when he and his wife, Kate, had their first born, Matthew.  Steve felt that he could not justify the time that golf demands when he and Kate started taking care of a baby.  Steve still needed a physical activity and took up tennis.  Little did he know how significantly his switch from golf to tennis would impact and influence his family.

Steve loved tennis so much that he convinced Kate to learn the sport as well.  He was delighted when their sons, Matthew and George, also began to play tennis.  Matthew has not only learned to play, but he has became a passionate tennis fan.  He watches tennis on television and volunteered, along with Kate, to be a ball runner at the Midlothian Athletic Club Wheelchair Tennis Championships, an RTA event.  Matthew would proudly hold his hands high to show the players how many balls he had under his control, having learned the ways of ball runners from watching grand slam events on television.  MAC Wheelchair Tennis Championship competitors appreciated Matthew and admired his professionalism.

Matthew is a fierce competitor and participates in Richmond Junior Tennis Circuit Saturday events.  Saturdays find Matthew playing in RJTC 10U division events although he is only seven years old.  Steve, Kate, and George, Matthew’s younger brother, were on hand at Avalon Recreation Association to cheer for Matthew at a recent RJTC competition.  Matthew lost in a tiebreak in the semi-final, but the family had a championship class family outing

What is the longest winning streak in the Richmond Junior Tennis Circuit?  On June 28^th Aden Bashir claimed his eighth consecutive 12U boys division championship. As of June 14^th, Aden had accumulated fifty points while the nearest challenger was at fourteen.  Aden is only ten years old until October but has been dominating the RJTC 12U division.  Aden’s performance is all the more impressive because Aden has been playing tennis for just thirteen months

Tennis is a family sport for the Bashir family.  Aden’s parents, Kiran and Arif (known as RF professionally way before Roger Federer), both play tennis, Aden’s older sister Ruksaar plays on a USTA League Tennis team and Ashton, a younger brother, also competes in the RJTC on Saturdays.  Ashton, eight years old in June, is ranked number two in 10U in RJTC.  Although Aden’s paternal grandmother Rehana is not a tennis player, she was an accomplished badminton player while in college in Pakistan.  So racquet sports are in Aden’s family’s blood.

Aden and Ashton are multifaceted athletes and are serious Tae Kwon Do students.  Aden is one step away from his black belt, and Ashton is a yellow belt with green tip.  A brown belt and an eight week winning streak should make Aden who is also on the Kaechele Elementary School honor roll a dominant force on and off tennis courts.

Follow Aden’s progress in the RJTC Saturday series and see how long the winning streak can be extended.

The 2014 USTA MAS Virginia District Jr. Team Tennis Championships will bring winners of local leagues from across the state, showcasing some of the top junior talent in Virginia. Tournament champions and finalists earn advancement to the USTA/Mid-Atlantic Sectional Championships where they will face the best Jr. Team Tennis teams from Maryland, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. Richmond will be well represented this weekend at the Virginia Districs Championships with16 of the 52 total teams coming from the Richmond area.

The teams competing are:

·         ACAC 10U ADV – Mike Gardner, Al Thomas

·         Burkwood 10U INT – Faisal Saeed

·         Burkwood Cole 14U INT – Jennifer Cole, Rodney Cole

·         MTC 12U INT – Gopal Bhagavatula, Michael Arrigo

·         Raintree 12U INT – Julie Finnegan

·         Raintree Racqueteers 14U ADV – Damian Draper, Lori Bowes

·         Richmond Nomads 18U ADV – Brian Randolph, Lynn Maready

·         Tuckahoe Raptors 18U ADV – Michael Fuqua, Christopher Brown

·         Tuckahoe Rebels 18U INT – Michael Fuqua, Christopher Brown

·         Westwood 10U INT – Meg Simonton, Romain Ambert

·         Westwood 14U INT – Chris Wickham, Romain Ambert

·         Westwood 18U ADV – Romain Ambert, Kristi Brody

·         Westwood-DeFilippo 12U INT – Joe DeFilippo

·         Westwood-Fernandez 14U ADV – Jenny Fernandez, Pascal Fernandez

·         Westwood-Wandling 18U INT – Chuck Wandling, Romain Ambert

·         Woodlake-Ritter 18U INT – Jim Ritter

Click for more information on 2014 USTA MAS Virginia District Jr. Team Tennis Championships

It should have come as no surprise when Chris Wallace captured his third men’s 35-and-over singles title Sunday in the Davenport City Tennis Championships at Willow Oaks Country Club.

After all, Wallace is the top-ranked player in the Mid-Atlantic Tennis Association for his age group and was ranked No. 7 in the country last year as determined by the U.S. Tennis Association.

A former Collegiate High School star and All-American at Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Wallace has remained competitive since his junior days and still holds his own on the court with most anyone.

“It’s kind of been a lifestyle choice for me,” said Wallace. “Just trying to stay healthy and stay active. Just something I like to do. I just try to find the time to stay fit and play a few tournaments and stay competitive.”

Wallace, seeded No. 1 in the small field of eight, needed to be on top of his game for his three matches in the city tournament. The luck of the draw put the 39-year-old on the toughest side but he battled his way into the final.

First up was newcomer Sameer Kumar, with Wallace winning 6-2, 6-3.

“Very good player,” said Wallace. “Strong ground strokes on both sides. We had a pretty long, physical match. It was closer than the score indicated.”

In the semifinals, Wallace disposed of ex-junior standout Cary Broocks 6-0, 7-5.

“He was a little off in the first set,” Wallace said, “but really came on strong. The quality of tennis in the second set was pretty high. I was probably fortunate to win it.”

That set up the final with another former junior standout, Bobby Fauntleroy, the No. 2 seed, who had coasted through his half. The match was moved indoors because of rain, which changed the surface from clay to hard.

“We played on a faster surface and Bobby likes to play aggressive,” said Wallace. “Likes to keep the ball low and come in. He’s not much for trading ground strokes. He’s also got a very good serve, so we were pretty consistently holding serve.”

One service break decided the opening set, and Wallace served for the match at 5-4 but was broken.

“He hit some really good returns that game and broke me,” Wallace said. “So we ended up going to the tiebreaker.”

Wallace pulled it out and won the match 6-3, 7-6 (7-3). Had it gone to a third set, a 10-point tiebreaker would have been played instead of a full set.

“All of a sudden, I had won the first set and was up a break in the second and feeling like I’m in control of the match,” said Wallace. “Then when he breaks me, it’s 5-all and comes down to two more games and potentially two more tiebreakers.

“Once you get to that point, anybody could win.”

Wallace, a partner with the Keiter accounting firm, keeps his game sharp by practicing with some of the area’s best juniors, such as Justin Cerny and Tate Steinour, at Salisbury Country Club, where he is a member.

Wallace also played in the open division of the Davenport tournament, where he reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Michal Ciszek. He is scheduled to play in the National Grass Courts at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in August.

In other senior division finals, Robert Musick defeated Neal Thompson 8-0 in the men’s 65 singles title match, and Mathias Schon captured the men’s 70 singles crown with a pair of round-robin victories.

In the only other category up for grabs, Musick and Tom Robertson claimed the men’s 65 doubles title with two round-robin wins.

Here are the final standings from the Summer 2014 tournament series. RJTC Final Standings 2014

Joe Cappellino will be inviting the top 8 players in each age group to the Masters Tournament to be held at CCV on August 16.  If the top 8 players cannot make the tournament then the next person in line (#9) will be invited, and so on until there are 8 players in each draw.  The Masters Tournament is a single elimination tournament.  If players are tied in points then the person who has the highest per tournament average amongst the two will be invited.