On Monday, July 22, 2013, the scenic city of Oxford, Pennsylvania played host to the Just Tennis/Oxford 10 and under/8 and under Tennis Classic.
Pre-Tournament: As I ventured out to Oxford on the day before the tournament to teach a few Sunday clinics, I could feel the anticipation, excitement and buzz in the air surrounding the Penn’s Grove School courts.
I arrived for my first clinic at 9:30AM and already, 2 of the boys 10 and under participants were out there hammering away at balls fed by a ball machine and hustling around the court practicing tiebreakers as if they were playing for their next meal. About an hour or so later, another participant came to get a last minute practice session in with his Mom before the big tournament the following day. Was I in Oxford, or was I at the US Open practice courts? It was really hard to tell! The enthusiasm was contagious, and upon leaving, I could feel the energy.
The participants were an eclectic mix of past Just Tennis tournament participants, Just Tennis program alums and some of the best young players from the Oxford area showcasing their skills in front of their hometown crowd.
8’s: We had three 8 and under participants in attendance who enjoyed some round robin singles action and even got to play some of their favorite games with coach Jared! You know, king of the court, jailbreak, etc.
Here’s a picture of the participants: Ronak (who came away with the bronze), Jude (silver), and our winner for the day with some strong singles rallies: Ashwin
Ashwin and Ronak also played in a clinic that morning, so they got a full days worth of tennis in. Great job guys!
Girls: The girls draw, featuring Sophie Cohen, Esha Velaga (Just Tennis/Picket Post winner), and Talia Levine featured some rallies that were just about as picturesque and awe-inspiring as the Atglen and Oxford countryside views I enjoyed while driving to the tournament.
3rd place: Sophie Cohen put forth a strong showing, testing both Talia and Esha, playing patiently; one point at a time, and utilizing her early preparation to fight for every ball. She showed a ton of tenacity and channeled her inner Rafael Nadal. Ironically, also present for the match was her brand new Shih-Tzu dog, “Rafael NaDog.” Great third place finish for Sophie.
The girls final between Talia Levine and Esha Velaga had some rallies that were so engaging that I’m surprised more of the horse and buggies that constantly trot passively by the Oxford tennis courts didn’t pull in, get their popcorn out, and enjoy the show!
Talia was the victor, earning a hard fought 4-1, 4-0 victory and avenging her loss from the previous Just Tennis/Picket Post tournament held 2 weeks earlier. Might I add, the point construction in this match was fantastic.
Both players patiently waited for their opportunities to attack and/or wear down their opponents. After watching this match, I realized to a greater extent why 10 and under tennis is such a highly touted USTA initiative and is being utilized nationwide. My first words after I heard the score were “that was a REALLY close 4-1, 4-0!” Here is me and the girls winner, Talia. Check out the great photo-bomb by Abhinav’s brother 🙂
The Boys. Man, talk about a fight to the finish! The boys draw featured young up and comer Zach Cohen, local players Connor Ruark, Steven Hartley and Sean Miller, and Just Tennis program alum and top seed, Abhinav Pillai.
These guys were eager to play, and play they did in their 5 round, round-robin format. After each round concluded, the boys weren’t wondering how long their breaks would be. Instead, they were wondering when it would be time to hit the court again for their next match.
Steven Hartley surged off to a solid start, taking down his first 2 opponents (including a tight 3 set win over Connor Ruark). Steven was on pace to win, but in the 4th round, Abhinav Pillai came out serving. He cranked out service winners and powerful, deep groundstrokes to earn the straight set victory over Hartley, the athletic counterpuncher/scrambler.
At that point, it looked like Abhinav was a sure thing to win since he won his first 3 rounds, beat Steven, and Steven took out Connor early on.
But Connor wasn’t going to let that happen without a fight.
In his final round match vs. Abhinav, Connor fought for every ball and didn’t let Abhinav’s big serve get to him, earning him a slight upset with a tight 3 set victory resulting in a 3 way tie between Steven, Abhinav and Connor!
To the scorecards….
Since they were all 3-1, we had to go to total games. When all was said and done, Abhinav eked out a 1 game win with 30 wins, just edging out Connor (29 games) and Steven (28). They were all very excited about the closeness of the matches. As you can see, they all look pretty happy post-match.
The thing that struck me about this tournament was the fact that it was so self sufficient. When the matches got rolling, it was like a well-oiled machine. The players were all good sports and were all just excited to be out there hitting balls and playing matches.
There were no disputes, no negative emotions, and no need for intervention from the Tournament Directors. They fought hard, congratulated each other after tough points and, like true sports, shook hands at the conclusion of each match. They supported each other, they watched each other, they wished each other luck from the spectator section as their friends were snagging their water bottles and trekking out to the court for their next match.
When all was said and done, the long, picturesque drive to Oxford bore quite the resemblance to the long, picturesque rallies that took place on court that day. The tournament was as fun and interactive as it was autonomous. The location was as perfect and pristine as it was remote, and it all worked out perfectly for the players.
Thanks to everyone for a great afternoon tournament! This couldn’t have gone any more smoothly. Can’t wait until we host our third tournament!
