It’s Easy to Sign Up for the AMD E-Newsletter

The Board of Directors of the Allegheny Mountain District wish you all a healthy and happy Holiday Season and a prosperous 2008.

2007 was a very good year for tennis in the District. More than 2,000 of our adult members played USTA League Tennis and adult tournament tennis showed new signs of life after years of decline. Our 1,000 juniors not only entered USTA-sanctioned tournaments in record numbers but continued to excel in sectional and national events.  Alison Riske of Peters Township earned a No. 1 national ranking in Girls' 18 this fall, while AMD players were ranked No. 1 in Middle States in Girls' 18 (Lauren Greco),  Girls' 14 (Ronit Yurovsky),  Boy's 18 (Casey Watt), Boys' 16 (Chris Mengel), Boys' 14 (Bjorn Fratangelo) and Boy's 12 (A.J. Catanzariti). A remarkable achievement indeed.

(Click here for more)

The 2007 PNC International Tennis Classic not only showcased world-class women tennis professionals Nov. 4-11 at Club4Life in Monroeville, Pa. but it also was a stage for top local amateur players and a large number of dedicated volunteers. The tournament drew another strong field of professionals, including Olga Govortsova, 19, of Belarus, ranked No. 50 in the world, and six others ranked in the top 100. After a week of great tennis, the singles championship was won by Ashley Harkleroad of Ringgold, Ga., who defeated Olga Pouchkova of Moscow, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the final.  Stephanie Dubois of Montreal and Alisa Kleybanova of Moscow successfully defended the doubles title they won in 2006 with a super-tiebreaker victory over Raquel Kops-Jones of Fresno, Calif. and Abigail Spears of Valley Center, Calif., 6-4, 4-6, 10-6.

Six local amateurs were awarded wildcard entry into the tournament by the tournament promoter and demonstrated their abilities earlier in the tournament week.

• Alison Riske, 17, of Peters Township, drew Govortsova for her very first match in the main draw. She played credibly but lost 6-2, 6-2.  Then Riske teamed with Gail Brodsky, a teen pro from Brooklyn, N.Y. and they defeated Maret Ani of Estonia and Andreja Klepac of Slovenia in doubles when Ani had to retire with an injury, with the score tied 5-5 in the first set.  They then lost to Jill Craybas, Huntington Beach, Calif.  and Sunitha Rao of India, 6-0, 6-3.
  
  
• Kristy Borza, No. 1 singles player at the University of Pittsburgh, won her first Qualifying match over Mami Inoue of Bradenton, Fla., 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-4 then lost to Petra Martic, Croatia 6-0, 6-2.  In doubles, Borza teamed up with Russian teen-ager Maria Mokh and took the opening set from the team of Govortsova and Poutchkova, before bowing.
  
  
• 
  Greco & Liggan
  Jessica Johnson Guyaux of Sewickley and Kellie Schmitt of Bethel Park scored a major upset in doubles by defeating Govortsova and Poutchkova in a super tiebreaker in the main draw, then lost in the quarterfinals to Harkleroad  and Christina Fusano of Plymouth, Calif.
  
  
• Lauren Greco of Oakmont, who won the Class AAA PIAA high school state championship the day before, played credibly in a Qualifying match against veteran pro Kelly Liggan of Ireland, losing 6-4, 6-3.(Greco & Liggan)
  
  
• Jackie Hughes of McKeesport, AMD’s top-ranked adult, lost to the Qualifier’s 3rd seed, Anna Tatishvili of the Republic of Georgia, 6-1, 6-0.

(Click here for more)

Casey Watt, 17, of Gibsonia, Pa. and Ronit Yurovski, 13, of New Kensington both won National Open titles this fall. Chris Mengel, 15, of Pittsburgh placed second in the Boys’ 16 national open in Grand Blanc, Michigan.

Watt captured gold at a USTA National Open in Toledo, showcasing the game which made him one the nation's top college prospects. The Notre Dame University signee was the tournament's top seed and did not disappoint, winning seven consecutive matches en route to the championship. Watt, who is ranked No. 1 in Middle States and No. 9 nationally bounced the No. 2 seed, Drew Courtney of Clifton, Va., 4-6; 7-6; 6-2 in the final.

Yurovsky, won two separate Level 4 Sectional Championships this year in two different age divisions Girls’ 14 and 16. She may have saved her best for last, winning the Cincinnati Open, a Level 3 G14 National Championship. Yurovsky never dropped a set in winning the 32-draw event, including a 6-4, 6-2 win over the No. 1-seed, Kasey Gardiner, in the finals.

(Click here for more)

Hank Hughes, a Glen Creek tennis pro for the past 15 years and AMD’s Seeding Coordinator for almost that long, has been named Head Tennis Pro/Director of Tennis at the Mt. Lebanon Tennis Center. Teaching pro Rob Gregoire has teamed up with Craig Perry at Club4Life. Perry and Gregoire are leasing the courts from club owner Rashid Hassan and filling them with clinics, individual lessons, tournaments and collegiate matches.

Western Pennsylvania girls captured the Class AAA high school team title and won three of the four individual titles at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) state championships. Since the PIAA went to two classifications in 1998, this was only the second time the WPIAL won three individual titles.

Shady Side Academy won its first girls’ state team championship, blanking all four foes 5-0 in the tournament, including Hempfield in the finals. SSA senior Lauren Greco won the Class AAA singles championship by defeating Hempfield's Lauren Hankle, 6-3, 6-4. It was the fifth year in a row a girl from the WPIAL won the title.

In Class AAA doubles, Peters Township sophomore Julie Stroyne and senior Emily Palko won the championship with a 6-3, 6-2 victory against North Allegheny's Kelly Whelan and Jen Larimore. Stroyne and Palko did not lose a set in the tournament.

In Class AA doubles, sisters Karli Timko, a junior, and Tanya Timko, a freshman, of Chartiers-Houston won the title with a 6-2, 7-5 victory against Mercyhurst Prep's Rebecca Haener and Griffin Currie. The Timkos also didn't lose a set in the tournament and became the first team from the WPIAL to win a PIAA Class AA doubles crown. The WPIAL came close to a fourth title, but Quaker Valley senior Cate Stewart lost in the Class AA singles final to Wyomissing's Martha Blakely, 6-0, 6-1.

At Pittsburgh College Day 2007, hosted by Club4Life in Monroeville, Pa. Nov. 17, it was 25 college coaches who helped guide nearly 50 student-athletes across the bridge from high school to college.

"College Day was worthwhile because I got to meet many different coaches and learned how college tennis works," said Chris Nixon, a 16-year-old junior from McMurray, Pa.

Seniors had the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of dozens of college coaches.

(Click here for more)