Dingle advances to quarterfinals at USTA National Boys' 12s Championships

Jordan Dingle, of Aiken, upset two seeded players to reach the quarterfinals of the USTA National Boys' 12s Championships during the Thanksgiving weekend at Newman Tennis Center.

Dingle downed fifth-seeded Adam Elliot, of Summerville, S.C., and later defeated ninth-seeded Julian Guerra, of Midland, Mich. In the quarterfinals, he lost to No. 1 seed Jess Jones, of Warner Robins, Ga., 6-4, 6-1.

Jordan Monosky, also of Aiken, won his first-round match before losing and then won two matches in the consolation bracket. William O'Gorman, of Martinez, won a consolation match. Sam Dromsky, of Martinez, won a match in the championship round.  William Wiggins, of North Augusta, won his first-round match and two matches in consolation. Wes Maddox, of Augusta, won a consolation match. Alex Sklizovic, of Aiken, won his first-round match on an injury walkover. Jonas Taylor, of Martinez, and Alexander Handy, of Aiken, competed but had no wins.

In the Girls' 12s, Morgan Taylor, of Evans, won her first- and second-round matches before losing. Rachel Harden, of Martinez, won her first-round match. Kayla Price, of Augusta, won a consolation match. Kelee Smiley, of Augusta, won a first-round match. Brooke Stevens, of Martinez, won a first-round match and a consolation match. Taylor Richards, of Martinez, won a first-round match and a consolation match. Kayla Hergott, of Martinez, won a consolation match. Savannah Gantt, of Beech Island, competed but had no wins.

Taylor and Katie Williams, of Columbia, S.C., advanced to the doubles semifinals.

Top-seeded Jess Jones defeated Charley Force, of Jacksonville, Fla., 6-3, 6-4 in the boys' final. Top-seeded McKenna Root, of Midland, Mich., downed No. 9 Gabrielle Robinson, of Stone Mountain, Ga., 6-2, 6-2 in the girls' final.

Because of rain on Saturday and Sunday, the consolation bracket was not completed.

Junior Tennis League Tournament: The JTL Tournament will accept online registration through 9 a.m. Thursday. The tournament will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Newman Tennis Center. To register, go to csratennis.com

Mundy captains two teams to titles at USTA Adult Mixed League Tournament

Tony Mundy captained two teams to titles at the USTA Adult Mixed League Tournament last weekend.

The 7.0 team called Mundy finished with six wins and no losses. Team members were Tony Mundy, Robert  Lascola, Cynthia Mundy, Jackie Russo, Brian Morton, Chris Tully, Khin Hlaing, Roxane Beaird, Mark Elvington, Kate Magill and Joanne Morton.

The 8.0 team called Scared Hitless and also captained by Mundy had six wins and no losses. Team members were Viet Nguyen, Wendy Allison-Hirsch, Karthik Subramanian, Lisa Duckworth, Cynthia Mundy, Sally Starling, Robert Morgan, Scott Kirchoff, Ian Mercier and Kelly Mercier.

Border Bashers won the 6.0 division with four wins and no losses. Team members were Sandra Ogilvie, Bruce Ogilvie, Mark Nixon, Connie Nixon, Robert Dutcher, Cathy Sirmans, Carlene Clark, Linda Danker, John Budnichuk and Chris Church.

Cheri took the 9.0 division with three wins and one loss. Team members were captain Cheri Hain, Viet Nguyen, Vu Nguyen, Kadi Meldrum, Maria Svensson Costa, Richard Harris, Kelly Hayes, Amy Lowe , Tim Hiebert and Craig Jones.

Hofman Mixed won the 7.0 senior division with a record of four wins and two losses. Team members were captain Wendell Hofman, James Hudgins, Carolyn Inscho, Cathy Moseley, Joye Brotherton, Charles Esposito, Nitin Shah, Nancy Crawford and Janis Snipes.

The five-day tournament which ended Sunday was held at Newman Tennis Center, the Club at Raes Creek and Petersburg Racquet Club.

National 12s Tournament: The USTA National 12s Tournament for boys and girls starts at 9 a.m. Thanksgiving Day at Newman Tennis Center and ends Monday, Dec. 1. Fourteen Augusta area juniors are entered.

Junior Tennis League Tournament: The JTL Tournament will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6 at Newman Tennis Center. To register, go online at csratennis.com.

Adult Mixed League in tournament format underway

The USTA Adult Mixed League in a tournament format is underway and runs through Sunday at Newman Tennis Center, Petersburg Racquet Club and the Club at Raes Creek.

Rather than being held over several months, the Adult Mixed League in a tournament format is condensed into five days. Competitors apparently enjoy the format because participation has increased since last year by 50-75 individuals, said Warren Twiggs, adult coordinator for the CSRATA. This season's format has 185 adults and 40 seniors, Twiggs said. The rating categories and number of teams are: 6.0 (5), 7.0 (7), 8.0 (4), 9.0 (2), Senior 6.0 (1) and Senior 7.0 (4).

National 12s Tournament: The USTA National Boys and Girls 12s Championships, which start Thanksgiving Day at Newman Tennis Center, has almost attracted a full draw. Sixty-one boys and 61 girls are entered in the tournament, which will run through Monday, Dec. 1. Competitors from 19 states and Puerto Rico are entered. Augusta area players in the tournament are Wesley Maddox, William O'Gorman, Samuel Dromsky, Jordan Dingle, William Wiggins, Jordan Monosky, Kayla Hergott, Savannah Gantt, Rachel Harden, Kelee Smiley, Kayla Price, Taylor Richards, Morgan Taylor and Brooke Stevens.

Augusta Combo Team advances: The Augusta 5.5 team took first place at the Southern Combo State Championships in Dalton, Ga., Nov. 7-9. They were 4-0 in their preliminary group and then defeated a team from Columbus, Ga. 3-0 in the final. The team members and their records at the tournament are: Paige Bellardino (3-2), Christina Westeberg (3-2), Stacey Percell (5-0), Chavonne Glover (5-0), Laura Reeves (5-0) and Lynn Stanfield (5-0). The team advances to the Combo Sectional Championships in Mobile, Ala., Jan. 23-27.

Manager position slashed: Because of budget cuts in Richmond County, the manager position of the tennis facility currently under construction at the Diamond Lakes Park has been eliminated, said Dick Hatfield, the manager at Newman Tennis Center. A tennis professional will be hired as an independent contractor, Hatfield said. 

Petersburg Racquet Club Junior Satellite attracts 91 competitors

The Petersburg Racquet Club Junior Satellite, a Level 5 USTA-sanctioned tournament, attracted 91 competitors last weekend.

Winners were Boys: 10s, Thomas Huff, Augusta, def. Falkner Hain, Evans, 4-3, 1-4, 1-0; 12s, Braxton Hain, Evans, def. Onyemachi Provost, Aiken, 6-0, 6-3; 14s, Tyler Melvin, Augusta, def. Suraj Kapoor, Martinez, 7-6 (4), 6-1; 16s, James O'Quinn, Augusta, round robin; Coed 8s, Jim Sherman, Augusta; round robin; Girls: 10s, Cameron Frank, Evans, def. Shayanon Pintavorn, Martinez, 5-3, 4-0; 12s, Riya Anand, Martinez, def. Raley Wright, Augusta, 6-3, 6-1; 14s, Brooke Sanderson, Evans, def. Kayla Hergott, Martinez, 6-4, 1-6, 1-0; 16s, Alexandria Cadle, Augusta, def. Kara Hardin, Evans, 7-5, 6-2.

Super Seniors: Three Augusta area teams competed Oct. 25-26 in the Georgia 2008 USTA League Tennis Super Senior State Championship at The Landings in Savannah.

The Men's 60s 3.5 team finished with 3 wins and two losses. Competing on the Men's 60s 3.5 team (record in paretheses) were Don Wells (2-0), James Hudgins (2-2), Richard Zgol (1-3), Tony Bertucci (1-1), Wendell Hofman (2-2), Lonnie Townsend (2-2), Arnold Drake (2-2) and Warren Twiggs (2-1).

The Men's 70s 3.5 team had a record of zero wins and four losses. Competing were Thomas Lanier (1-3), Robert Brown (2-1), James Johnson (0-4), Don Murphee (1-3), Don Ball (1-2), Charles Young (0-4) and Thomas Sheehan (1-1).

The Women's 60s 4.0 team finished with two wins and three losses. Competing were Nancy Schmolze (0-4), Cynthia Zgol (0-5), Carolyn Inscho (0-3), Pat Hall (2-2), Marilyn Hardin (3-2), Nancy Jackson (3-1) and Nancy Ball (2-3).

Augusta Adult League Numbers: The CSRATA Adult League has 663 players competing on 54 teams this fall. Approximately 100 of those players are competing at two levels, said Warren Twiggs, league coordinator. 

Senior League Numbers: The Augusta Senior League has 155 players on 15 teams competing this fall.

Interested in playing in USTA League?: If you are interested in competing in the Augusta USTA League, contact Warren Twiggs, league coordinator, at 1-800-680-7606 ext. 1.

Indonesians sweep at Raes Creek Tennis Challenger

Sandy Gumulya, of Jakarta, Indonesia, captured the singles title Sunday at the Comcast ITF Challenger event, defeating Tetiana Luzhanska, of Kiev, Ukraine, 6-0, 7-6(5).

The ITL title was the second for Gumulya, ranked No. 255 in the world.

Indonesians also won the doubles title at Raes Creek. Unseeded Yuyuk Basuki and Romana Tedjakusuma, ranked No. 656 in the world, downed third-seeded Mailen Auroux, of Argentina, and Roxane Vaisemberg, of Brazil, 6-3, 3-6, 10-7.

Prize money: Total prize money for the Challenger was $25,000. Gumulya earned $2,900, while Luzhanska took home $1,200. Busuki and Tedjakusuma split $1,400; Auroux and Vaisemberg split $800.

Basuki returns: Yayuk Basuki returned to the pro tour in doubles this year after a seven-year hiatus to raise two children. She reached No. 21 in the world in singles in August, 1997. Her best surface was grass, and she advanced to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 1997. She also advanced to the round of 16 at Wimbledon four consecutive years starting in 1992. Basuki, 37, has a 22-10 record in doubles this year.

Past winners: The Challenger at Raes Creek was held for the fifth consecutive year. Past winners were American Tara Snyder in 2004, Japan's Saori Obato in 2005, Romania's Edina Gallovits in 2006 and Russia's Alisa Kleybanova in 2007. Snyder and Obato have retired. Gallovits is ranked No. 94 in the world. Kleybanova has soared to No. 33, reaching the round of 16 at Wimbledon this year before losing to champion Venus Williams.

International field: Players from 24 nations competed in the tournament. Flags from the countries of the finalists in singles and doubles, plus the United States, stood at center court at the Club at Raes Creek Sunday. The national anthem of Ukraine, Indonesia and the United States were played before the singles final.

Youngest and oldest:  Anna Orlik, of Belarus, was the youngest competitor at 15; Yuyuk Basuki was the oldest at 37.

Augusta State women take four of six singles flights at Chick-fil-A Collegiate Championships

Augusta State women captured four of six singles flights last weekend at the Chick-fil-A Collegiate Championships at Newman Tennis Center.

Winning titles were Fernanda Chiaparini, flight 2; Bianca Machado, flight 3; Camila Correa, flight 5; and Luiza Pires, flight 6. Augusta State's Nathalia Rodrigues lost in flight 1 final.

In doubles, Chiaparini-Rodrigues won flight 1; Marina Ferreira-Machado took flight 2; and Correa-Giovanna Fensterseifer captured flight 3.

On the men's side, Augusta State's Fabien Zermatten beat teammate Lipe Ramos 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 in the flight 5 final. Jaguars' Enrique Boturao won two of three round-robin matches in flight 1, while teammate Igor Vasconcellos won two of three in flight 2.

Augusta Junior Championships: Sixty-eight players competed in last weekend's Augusta Junior Championships, a Level 4 Georgia tournament, at Fleming Park.

In finals, Boys 10: Drew Harris, Martinez, def. Joshua Searles, Evans, 6-3, 6-0; Boys 12: Sam Dromsky, Martinez, def. Will O'Gorman, Martinez, 6-1, 6-1; Boys 14: William Wiggins, North Augusta, def. Aaron Braunstein, Marietta, 6-3, 5-7, 6-0; Boys 16: Robert Anderson, Evans, def. Clayton Grice, Augusta, 6-2, 6-0; Boys 18: Kenneth Mooney, Martinez, def. Nicolas Ortiz, Augusta, 6-1, 6-1; Girls 10: Rachel Harden, Martinez, def. Cameron Frank, Evans, 6-1, 6-1; Girls 12: Kelee Smiley, Augusta, def. Kayla Price, Augusta, 6-3, 6-2; Girls: 14: T'asia Robinson, Augusta, def. Morgan Taylor, Evans, 7-5, 6-1; Girls 16: Katie Krupp, Evans, def. Markeytha Chapman, Augusta, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5; Girls 18: E'lysia Ortiz, Augusta, def. Rachel Quester, Martinez, 6-1, 7-5.

Construction to start at Diamond Lakes: Construction of eight tennis courts (four lighted) at Diamond Lakes is scheduled to start in November, said Dick Hatfield, manager of the Newman Tennis Center.

Garnto and Gearig Brothers Construction, of Evans, received the bid for the project, which is scheduled for completion in six months, Hatfield said.

Diamond Lakes will play host to the Augusta National Public Parks Adult Tennis Championships May 7-10, Hatfield said.

Diamond Lakes is located 4.7 miles from Highway 520 on Windsor-Spring Road.

Olive Garden Junior champions: Eighty-seven juniors competed at the Olive Garden Junior Championships, a Level 4 Georgia tournament, at Newman Tennis Center Sept. 29-30.

In finals, Boys 10: Drew Harris, Martinez, def. Thomas Huff, Augusta, 6-1, 6-2; Boys 12: Braxton Hain, Evans, def. Wes Maddox, Augusta, 6-2, 6-3; Boys 14: Josh Julien, Evans, def. Lee Martin, Gainesville, 7-5, 6-4; Boys 16: Robert Anderson, Evans, def. Patrick Verstraete, Marietta, 6-3, 4-6, 1-0; Boys 18: Ryan Walters won round robin; Girls 10: Kourtney Kinnery, Cumming, def. Emily Daugherty, Savannah, 6-1, 6-0; Girls 12: Kayla Hergott, Martinez, def. Taylor Richards, Martinez, 6-3, 6-3; Girls: 14: Blaire Lasure, Evans, def. T'asia Robinson, Augusta, 6-4, 6-3; Girls 16: Katie Krupp, Evans, def. Hunter Owens, Rincon, 6-0, 6-3; Girls 18: Markeytha Chapman, Augusta, def. Rachel Quester, Martinez, 6-4, 6-3.

Augusta State women at ITA Southeast Region: Augusta State's Nathalia Rodrigues advanced to the "A" Singles quarterfinals Sept 27-29 at the Wilson/ITA Southeast Region Championships in Sumter, S.C. Rodrigues lost to Gabriella Kovacs, of Armstrong Atlantic State University, 6-4, 6-1.

Augusta State's Fernanda Chiaparini reached the round of 16 in the "A" singles, losing to Armstrong Atlantic's Alisa Kagukina 6-0, 6-1.

Augusta State's Giovanna Fensterseifer reached the "B" Singles quarterfinals, falling to Columbus State's Erin Reynolds 5-7, 6-3, 7-5.

Results from the Petersburg Racquet Club Fall Tennis Classic

The PRC Fall Tennis Classic attracted 169 competitors in 11 divisions last weekend.

In the Mixed Doubles Open division, Rebecca Shine and David Snyder won the round robin format.

In the Men's 3.0 division, Jeff Claflin and James Wood captured the round robin title. In the Men's 3.5 final, Chris Daglis/Skip Peterson defeated Scott Barman/Bert Hoglund 7-5, 6-4.  In the Men's 4.0 final, Ian Mercier/Karthik Subramanian defeated Scott Kirchhoff/Tony Mundy 6-1, 6-0. In the Men's 4.5 division, Viet Nguyen and Brian Bowles won the round robin format.

In the Women's 3.0 final, Kerry Gomez/Deanie Barksdale defeated Leigh Keels/Kim Kelly 6-1, 6-4. In the Women's 3.5 final, Vicki Collins/Shali Denton downed Tiphani Batchelor/Laura Hollingsworth 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3). In the Women's 4.0 final, Lisa Duckworth/Gail Jones defeated Victoria Daniel/Trudie Gill-Keenly 7-6 (4), 6-2.

In the Mixed 6.0 final, Robert Dawson/Karen Staten defeated Helen Campbell/Thomas Campbell 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (8). In the Mixed 7.0 final, Daniel Ballard/Linda Reich downed Darlene Mullen/Skip Peterson 5-7, 6-3, 1-0 (8). In the Mixed 8.0 final, Kelly Mercier/Karthik Subramanian defeated Viet Nguyen/Jackie Russo 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (8).

Georgialina Junior Results: Kelee Smiley, of Augusta, had the top performance among area competitors at the Papa John's Georgialina Junior Tennis Classic Championships at Newman Tennis Center Aug. 30 through Sept. 1. In the Girls 10 division, Smiley won two matches in the championship division before losing to third-seeded Haley Harman, of Birmingham, Ala., 5-7, 6-3, 1-0. She then won three consecutive matches to take the consolation bracket, downing Kennedy Wicker 6-3, 6-3.

In the Boys 14 division, Taylor Powell, of Martinez, won three matches in consolation. In the Boys 12 division, Jordan Dingle, of Aiken, reached the championship quarterfinals, where he lost to Korey Lovett, of Hendersonville, N.C., 6-2, 3-0 (retired). Dingle then lost in the consolation semifinals to James Hughes, of Carrollton, Ga., 6-4, 5-7, 1-0.

In the Boys 16 division, Cory Jenkinson reached the quarterfinals, where he fell to Gregory Galush, of Cary, N.C., 7-5, 7-6 (6). Also in Boys 16, Kenneth Mooney, of Martinez, won two consolation matches before losing to Norman Chang, of Duluth, Ga., 2-6, 6-1, 1-0.

In the Girls 10 division, Rachel Harden, of Martinez, won two matches in consolation before losing to Amirah Muhammad, of Duluth, Ga., 6-0, 6-1 in the quarterfinals. In the Girls 12 division, Morgan Taylor, of Evans, won two championship matches before losing to Kayla Price, of Charlotte, N.C., 6-1, 6-2. Also in Girls 12, Hollis Sherman, of Augusta, won a match in the championship round and one in consolation. In Girls 16, E'lysia Ortiz, of Augusta, won a match in the championship round and then won three matches in consolation before falling to Chloe Willetts, of Winston Salem, N.C., 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

Other area junior competing in the tournament were William O'Gorman, William Wiggins, T'asia Robinson, Blaire Lasure, Jessica Taylor, Brooke Stevens, Stefan Haerle and Alexander Kirov.

The Southern Level 3 tournament drew 289 competitors.

Lichty hired: Julie Lichty has been named the CSRA Junior Tennis League coordinatior. Lichty replaces Michelle Scott, who relocated to Southern California to accept a positon with Lab Corp.

Junior Tennis League signup: The signup deadline for Junior Tennis League is this Wednesday at midnight. The pros meeting is at 12:30 p.m. this Thursday at El Alazon Restaurant. Captains meeting is at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21 at West Lake Country Club. A Junior Tennis League QuickStart Carnival will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 at Petersburg Racquet Club. For more information, call Julie Lichy at (706) 650-0601.

Shepard on the mend: Irene Shepard, of Martinez, ranked No. 1 in the nation in the Women's 80 division, underwent rotator cuff surgery July 28. Shepard won the first two legs of the Grand Slam earlier this year, capturing the clay title in Huntsville, Ala. and the hardcourt crown in La Joya, Calif. She said her surgeon, David Hunter of MCG Sports Medicine, told her that internal recovery takes six months.

Three Augusta teams finish second at 2008 USTA League Tennis Mixed Doubles Championship

Three Augusta teams finished second at the 2008 USTA League Tennis Mixed Doubles Championship last weekend at five sites in the Augusta area.

Sandra Ogilvie's 6.0 team lost 3-0 in the final against Cherokee County. Playing in the final were Elizabeth Dawn Calvert and Robert Dutcher at No. 1 doubles, Connie and Mark Nixon at No. 2 and John Budnichuk and Ogilvie at No. 3. Bruce Ogilvie and Stephanie Ramey also competed during the tournament.

Wendell Hofman's 7.0 team lost 3-0 to Macon in the final. Competing in the final were Nitin Shah and Joye Brotherton at No. 1, Carolyn Inscho and Hofman at No. 2 and James Hudgins and Cathy Moseley at No. 3. Also playing in the tournament were Donna McDowell, Dilip Amin, Janis Snipes and Charles Esposito.

Cherry Hain's 9.0 team finished second to Savannah in a round-robin format. The Augusta team won 15 matches and lost only three, while the Savannah team won 16 matches and lost two.

Competing for Augusta were Hain, Viet Nguyen, Maria Svensson Costa, Ronald McLendon, Andrea Littleton, Kelly Hayes, Amy Lowe, Vu Nguyen and Richard Harris.

Economic Impact: One thousand seventy-three individuals competed in the four-day tournament Mixed Doubes State Championship, which was held at Newman Tennis Center, Fleming Park, Riverview Park in North Augusta, West Lake Country Club and Petersburg Racquet Club. The economic impact in direct spending was estimated at $800,000, said Dick Hatfield, manager of Newman Tennis Center.

College bound: MACH Academy's Dewayne Dixon and Jazmine Scott have earned tennis scholarships at Division II universities. Dixon will be competing at Virginia State, while Scott will be playing at Tuskegee (Ala.) University.

Jones, Collins speaking at conference: Craig Jones, the co-owner of Petersburg Racquet Club, and Pete Collins, the director of tennis at Augusta Country Club, will speak at the USTA Tennis Conference at the U.S. Open. Jones' topic will be "Running a successful high school team practice" on Aug. 24. He will also be a panel member the same day on "Implementing Quick Start." Collins' topic is "Successful doubles: movement priorities and visual clues" on Aug. 25.

Ard hired: Karen Ard was recently hired as a Recreation Specialist IV at Newman Tennis Center. Among her duties are development of after school programs in Richmond County.

Kleybanova move up: The Club at Raes Creek's annual ITF $25,000 Women's Tournament attracts up-and-coming WTA players. Russia's Alisa Kleybanova, then ranked No. 163 in the world, won last October's tournament without dropping a set in five matches. Kleybanova, whose serve has been clocked at 120 mph, reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon in June where she lost to Venus Williams and is currently ranked No. 34.

No 53-year-old player will ever contend for grand slam in tennis

Greg Norman, the 53-year-old Australian golfer, made a remarkable run at the British Open two weeks ago. Ireland's Padraig Harrington defended his title, but the Shark created a lot of buzz during the tournament.

Don't expect a similar feat at a grand slam in tennis. The oldest tennis player to win a grand slam is Arthur Gore, of Great Britain, who won Wimbledon at age 41 in 1909. In the modern era, Ken Rosewall, of Australia, was 37 when he captured the Australian Open in 1972. Jimmy Connors reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open at 39 in 1991.

These were unique accomplishments. Most pro tennis players retire before age 30. A few like Andre Agassi, Connors and Rosewall play after 30 with success.

 The reason for earlier retirement and fewer older champions is that tennis requires more athleticism, in particular more foot speed.  Golf requires less athleticism but more mental acuity.

Women's 4.5 team at Sectional: The CSRA women's 4.5 team competed this past week at the USTA League Southern Section Championships in Mobile, Ala. The team finished 0-4, with six wins and 14 losses. Captain Maria Svensson Costa finished 3-1 overall with a 2-0 record in singles and 1-1 in doubles. Cheri Hain was also 3-1, all in doubles matches. Also competing were Kathy Thornton, Amy Lowe, Sally Sterling, Julie Luther, Lori Thatcher and Kelly Hayes.

Local juniors at the Georgia State Closed: Sisters Kyla and Kyra Scott, of Martinez, won their age divisions at the Georgia State Junior Closed Championships last week at Newman Tennis Center.

Kyla won the Girls 12s, defeating Jessica Cramer, of Marietta, 6-0, 6-3 in the final. Kyra took the Girls 14s, beating top-seeded Linda Shin, of Duluth, 6-4, 6-1 in the final. Unfortunately, the Scotts will be moving soon to Orange County, Calif. Michelle Scott, Kyla and Kyra's mother, has done an outstanding job as the Junior Tennis League coordinator for the past several years.

In the Boys 14s, Taylor Powell, of Martinez, lost in the quarterfinals to champion Elliot Orkin, of Marietta, 6-1, 6-0. Orkin lost on six games in four matches. Powell received the Boys Sportsmanship Award.

In the Boys 16s, Cory Jenkinson, of Evans, fell in the quarterfinals to Alex Drexinger, of Alpharetta, 7-6, 6-2.

In the Boys 18s, Kenneth Mooney, of Martinez, reached the semfinals, where he withdrew to play in Zonals in North Carolina.

In the Girls 10s, Kelee Smiley, of Augusta, lost in the semifinals to Mallory Gilmer, of Woodstock, 6-3, 7-5.

In the Girls 16s, E'lysia Ortiz, of Augusta, fell in the semifinals to champion Bailey Dodge, of Lawrenceville, 6-2, 6-0.

In Girls 18s, Kay Barksdale, of Martinez, lost in the quarterfinals to Caffrey Francis, of Kennesaw, 6-1, 6-4. Shikha Jerath, of Martinez, won the Girls 18s consolation, defeating Courtney Chaney, of McDonough, in an injury walkover.

Gibson advances to NCAA Division III tennis finals

Cary Gibson, an Augusta Prep graduate and a junior at Williams (Mass.) College, lost in the women's singles finals at the NCAA Division III tennis tournament in May at Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) University. Gibson fell to Siobahn Finicane, of Pomona-Pitzer (Calif.), 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. She finished the season with a 23-8 record.

Playing No. 1, Gibson led Williams to the national team title with a 5-4 victory over Washington & Lee (Va.).

Mullor honored: Augusta State University tennis player Sergi Mullor has been selected as an ITA Division II All-American, the first male from the school to achieve the honor.

Mullor, from Barcelona, Spain, finished the year ranked No. 11 in the nation. He was 19-4 in singles and 18-7 in doubles.

Walters, Motes stand out: Augusta's Jordan Walters and Chris Motes competed on the Furman (S.C.) University men's tennis team that advanced to the NCAA Division I Regionals, where it lost to the University of Tennessee 4-0.

Walter, a sophomore and Lakeside High School graduate, was named to the first team all-conference in doubles. He finished 10-1 in doubles and was 14-11 playing No. 5 singles.

Motes, a sophomore transfer from the University of Georgia and an Augusta Christian graduate, finished the season with a 12-10 record at No. 4 singles. He was 15-6 in doubles.

Walters and Motes were named to the second team all-conference in singles.

Rauscher headed to Virginia Tech: Courtney Rauscher, a homeschooled student from Martinez, has accepted a tennis scholarship from Virginia Tech University. Rauscher also made visits to Illinois, Colorado and North Carolina State. She was ranked in the top 20 in the nation in the Girls 14s. She missed action with abdominal and wrist injuries as an older junior, but she was ranked in the top 100 in Girls 18s.

Jones receives awards: Craig Jones, co-owner and director of tennis at Petersburg Racquet Club, has recently collected an armload of tennis awards. He received the USTA/USPTA Community Award, the USTA Georgia Pro of the Year, the USTA Southern Pro of the Year, Georgia Pro Tennis Association's Director of the Year for a Large Facility and Racquet Sports Industry's Junior Development Champion for contributions to Quick Start, the tennis program for children age 10 and under.

Satellite winners: The champions at the Newman Tennis Center Junior Satellite July 11-13 were: Stefan Haerle, Boys 10s; Onyemachi Provost, Boys 12s; James O'Quinn, Boys 14s; Garrett Craig, Boys 16s; Casey Webb, Boys 18s; Rachel Harden, Girls 10s; Prim Fisher, Girls 12s; Rebecca Smith, Girls 14s; Brenna Carlile, Girls 16s.