Austin Tennis 2010 In a Nutshell

Here's a recap of the past year, click on the link to see all the stories from each month.

January: UT Men ranked #8 in preseason polls...Berry Creek Open Results....UT Women top Rice...CATA Nothing but Doubles results...UT Men beat Cal at National Indoors.

February: Austin Players make Super Bowl picks...UT Men win against A&M...Mabry and Abilene Results...UT Men advance to semis at ITA Indoors...Waco Senior Major Zone winners.

March: UT Men lose to top ranked UVA...Courtyard Classic results and pictures...USTA National 30's Championships...UT Women blank K-State...Courtyard Classic Senior MZ results...UT Men beat OU 6-1.

April: Chris Haggard Interview...Houston Open results...UT Men beat Tulsa...UT Women upset Northwestern...CATA Spring Fling Results...Men's 4.5 USTA Preview....ATB goes to Bocage...UT Men beat A&M again...Lakeway Upsets Austin Wild in week one.

May: Austin Wild beats Westover....UT Men take Big 12 Championships...St. Eds Men advance to Final Eight...Barbara Garza Interview...UT Women fall to Baylor in Sweet 16...UT Men lose to OU in NCAA's...Westwood Pictures and results.

June: Landsharks Win Men's 4.0 league...Men's 4.5 Update...Controversial DQ in 4.5...Seniors Having a Ball win Sectionals...Mixed Doubles Update.

July: Jorge Bouffier update....Austin Winners at San Antonio MZ...Mixed Doubles Update....Men's Senior 4.5 finale...Sectionals Updates and Pictures.

August: Austin players comment on Sectionals....Sectionals Week 2 results....Donnay X Series Rackets Review...Summer Jam Results and Pictures...Horseshoe Bay Summer Results.

September: Labor Day Open Pics and Results...Patty Fendick McCain Interview...Senior Sectionals Update...ATL Updates...Austin Teams head to Mixed Sectionals.

October: Hill Country Classic Draws and Updates...ATB Interview with John Valenti...Combo Sectionals Results...Project Nepal Fundraiser a success...ATB hits 200,000 mark.

November: Austin Winners at Masters Tournament....Westover Super Seniors take second at Sectionals....Austin 10.0 team at Nationals...Tri-level Winners...Black Monday.

Ashley Weinhold Interview

ATB note: Kristi Francis contributed this interview with Ashley Weinhold, who is currently ranked #327 in the world.

KF: As far as I know, (excluding Andy Roddick who really trained in Florida for most of his life) you are Austin's only homegrown touring tennis professional. Can you provide us with a little background information regarding your early tennis life in Austin? How old were you when you started? Where did you train?

Weinhold: I was born in Tyler, TX and my parents worked at Hollytree Country Club. That's where I first started when I was about 3 years old. We moved to Georgetown when I was 4. My parents were at Berry Creek Country Club for many years. When I was in 6th and 7th grade I went to St. Stephens Episcopal School and Tennis Academy. When all the coaches and players left St. Stephens and built Austin Tennis Academy, I went also and I've been there ever since. I did move to Boca Raton, FL for about a year in a half between ages 16-18 to train with the USTA national coaches at Chris Evert's Tennis Academy. But I've been back home in Austin for the last few years.

KF: You had considerable success as a junior, winning gold balls and national titles. At what age did you decide to forego college and head out on to the Pro Circuit?

Weinhold: I decided to forego college after I won G18's Hard Court Nationals in 2007. My first "pro" status tournament was the 2007 US Open. I had been playing Pro Circuit tournaments as an amateur since I was 14.

KF: It seems as though the trend is now for more top level junior players to go to college first and take a few more years to mature and train before trying to make it as pros. Do you have any regrets about not going the collegiate route? If you had gone to college, where would you have played?

Weinhold: I try not to live with any regrets and I'm glad I picked the pro route. My goal wasn't to play college tennis, it was to play pro tennis. I was treating my junior years of training as if I were going to play pro tennis. I do feel like I've matured more over the last year or so in many areas. The colleges I was in contact with the most were Virginia, Florida, Georgia Tech and Texas. I probably would have ended up playing at University of Virginia.

KF: What does your pro schedule look like? How many tournaments do you play a year? Do you set specific goals for yourself in terms of ranking or prize money?

Weinhold: This year I played 20 tournaments. I was injured for the first 6 months of the year so I played tournaments off and on until the summer. I'll aim for about 25 tournaments in 2011. The first few months of the year I'll be playing the USTA Pro Circuit events. Hopefully I'll build up my WTA points and ranking to see what other events I can get into around the time of Wimbledon. I have set a number of goals I would like to accomplish in 2011. They involve many aspects including my ranking, prize money, titles, physical, technical, strategic, and mental goals.

KF: This question is from my ten year old daughter. What is your favorite thing about being a tennis professional and your least favorite thing?

Weinhold: My favorite thing is getting to travel around the world, seeing new places and meeting new people. My least favorite thing is spending so much time away from my family at home. Being a tennis professional definitely has its advantages and disadvantages.

KF: And additionally for those of us with young tennis players in the family, what advice would you give them with respect to developing their game?

Weinhold: I think getting involved with Quickstart at a young age would be a great thing. I didn't have that opportunity, but fortunately my dad is very well educated about the game of tennis and got me started off on the right foot. I believe setting goals and working as hard as you can for them is a big thing. Also, make sure you have some fun in the process.

KF: In an era of Amazonian female tennis players, how do you compensate for the fact that you are one of the smaller players competing on the pro circuit? Do you feel as though the game is continuing to head in the direction of uber-tall athletes or will there always be a place for shorter competitors?

Weinhold: There's no doubt that there are a lot of tall and big female tennis players these days. Being small also has it's advantages though...we're generally faster and quicker around the court. We may also have more variety in our game where as someone being really tall may only be able to hit hard groundstrokes and be one dimensional. Justine Henin is the perfect example of a smaller player who can dominate against the bigger players. That being said I think there will always be a place for shorter competitors. Don't underestimate.

KF: Being the tennis geek that I am, I do follow your results on the USTA website through the Pro Circuit results. Do you have a website or Facebook page where your Austin fans could get information regarding your play?

Weinhold: I used to have a website when I was younger...I'll have to work on that for 2011. You can follow me on Twitter @AshleyWeinhold to stay up to date about where I am and my results.

You can also find results at:
http://www.usta.com/Pro-Tennis/ProCircuit/USTAProCircuit/
http://www.wtatour.com
http://austintennisacademy.com

Ball Kids Needed for UT Men's Tennis

ATB received the following email from Rick Garza:

I just wanted to let you know that for the 8th year in a row, Barbara and I will be organizing the Ball Boys and Girls for the UT Men's Tennis Team, and we're looking for kids (9-15 years old) who may be interested in getting involved in the program. Please feel free to share this information with anyone you think may be interested.

We're trying to spread the word throughout the Austin Tennis Community so that as many kids as possible are aware of this opportunity. We don't want anyone to be excluded. And, I want to avoid the inevitable comment of "Oh, I wish I had known about it sooner, because my kids would have loved to have done it."

Even though the matches start in late February, I need to get a solid list of kids by mid January so that I can order shirts and caps for everyone. So if you know of someone who may be interested, please have them contact me as soon as possible.

There will be approximately 10 home matches in the spring. The kids are not required to attend every match, just whatever they can work into their own personal schedules. At the end of the season, we will have a get together with the players and coaches with food, games and autographs.

Last year the kids (and parents) had a great time and learned a lot by being around such a high quality tennis program.

Thank you,

Rick and Barbara Garza
rgarza64@mail.utexas.edu

Happy Holidays From ATB

Hope everyone out there has a great holiday season.

-AT

Men's 4.5 USTA Kudos Thread

Ok, I can't take it, have to post something and even though I try to make this blog about more than just the USTA leagues, you know when I need a "go to" post it's going to be 4.5 league tennis. This is pretty subjective, so let me know what you all think.

Best Singles Players:
1. Daniel Rockey- He had a perfect 7-0 record at #1 singles and only lost one set after he came back from vacation overseas. What set DR apart was solid wins over good opponents like Lee, Torrez, and Root.
2. Maciel Bajkowski - He went 5-0 and only lost one set, and even though he only played one really tough opponent, it's hard to argue with his record.
3. Kevin Lemke- Although he started off the season with a tiebreak loss to the very tough Rick Shirley, Lemke peaked at the right time and demolished his opponents at sectionals, dropping a total of five games in four sets.
4. Rick Shirley- Shirley was a perfect 6-0, including four third set tiebreak wins.
5. Steven Atherton- Went 4-0 in singles play, including back to back wins over Bond and Brandt on one of the hottest weekends of the year.
Honorable Mention: Scott Sevin, Jim Root, Connor Bond, Torch Acosta.

Best Doubles Players:
1 and 2. Fred Hall and Ed Brady, they were 6-0 playing together, no other team really came close to them.
3. Chad Loup- He was a perfect 9-0 on the season, including three big wins at sectionals for Austin Wild. In addition, he completely took over a crucial third set breaker against Old School.
4. Tim Klitch- Playing with a variety of different partners, he went 7-2 on the year, losing only at sectionals and against Hall and Brady in the first match of the year.
5. Chris McDaniel-He was a perfect 6-0 during the regular season and he threw in two solid singles wins for good measure.
Honorable Mention: Trey Nesloney, Alan Williams, Lee Livingston, Jack Bucco, Robert Stapper, Alan Cannaday.

Best Captain:
Mike Davis, despite losing two key players to controversial DQ's, Davis got his team to sectionals and a few games away from making the semifinals.

Most Improved Team:
Westover, led by Gentry Sparling and Darrell Breeden, this team served notice that they will be pushing Austin Wild in 2011.

Sportsmanship Award:
Torch Acosta. He is always fair on the court and never argumentative, it's just about the tennis.

And just for fun, let's have a Worst Performance Award:
This goes to an unnamed ringer from a city up North, who we will call "The Dude". He assured a local captain that he was a 5.5 level player who played college tennis in California. The Dude was scheduled to play in a big match, but backed out at the last minute, citing girlfriend problems. Later in the season he was scheduled to play again, and despite being detained by the law, The Dude eventually did make an appearance. He lost in straight sets to a player who played 4.0 last year and he later told his captain that he was too worried about getting bumped up. I don't believe The Dude was asked to play again.

2011 Spring League Schedule

Here's some info on the Spring USTA Leagues courtesy of the CATA Website:

Level Start Date Play Day

Men's 2.5 4/9 Saturday 9am

Men's 3.0 2/6 Sunday Noon/1pm
Men's 3.5 2/6 Sunday 4pm
Men's 4.0 2/6 Sunday Noon/1pm
Men's 4.5 4/9 Saturday 3pm
Men's 5.0 4/9 Saturday Noon

Women's Weekend Leagues
Women's 2.5 4/9 Saturday 9am
Women's 3.0 2/5 Saturday 9am
Women's 3.5 2/5 Saturday 3pm
Women's 4.0 2/5 Saturday Noon
Women's 4.5 4/9 Saturday 3pm
Women's 5.0 4/9 Saturday Noon

Women's Weekday Leagues
Women's 2.5 4/8 Friday 9:30am
Women's 3.0 2/4 Friday 9:30am
Women's 3.5 2/3 Thursday 9:30am
Women's 4.0 2/4 Friday 9:30am

UT Men's and Women's Home Matches 2011

UT Men's Home Schedule 2011

1/29/11 vs. Hawaii 1pm
1/30/11 vs. Rice or Alabama TBA
2/09/11 vs. SMU 3:30pm
3/01/11 vs. Texas AM CC 6pm
3/08/11 vs. North Carolina 6pm
3/17/11 vs. UTSA 6pm
3/20/11 vs. Virginia 12pm
4/02/11 vs. Rice 1pm
4/06/11 vs. Baylor 6pm
4/10/11 vs. Texas Tech 1pm
4/17/11 vs. Nebraska 1pm

UT Women's Matches 2011

1/22/11 vs. Rice 12pm
2/25/11 vs. USF 2pm
2/27/11 vs. Arizona State 12pm
3/12/11 vs. Texas A&M 12pm
3/18/11 vs. Missouri 2pm
3/20/11 vs. Colorado 12pm
4/08/11 vs. Oklahoma State 1:30pm
4/10/11 vs. Oklahoma 12pm

The matches above are only the home matches, for a complete UT Men's Schedule click here, and for the UT Women's schedule click here. Times subject to change.

Here is an article from Texassports.com about the success of former UT players on the pro circuit, focusing on Dimitar Kutrovsky, Luis Diaz Barriga, Miguel Reyes Varela, Josh Zavala and Olivier Sajous.

ATB Holiday Bazaar...aka Rackets for Sale

SOLD. Babolat Pure Drive GT, condition is 9.5/10, grip size is 4 3/8ths, freshly strung with Kirsbaum Spiky Shark at 50 lbs. One of the most popular frames out right now, this one is pretty much perfect, I can't find a blemish on it, $95. Here are the specs. Contact Ruben at Pharr Tennis Center at (512) 477-7773.


Head YouTek Prestige Midplus, condition is 9.5/10, grip size is 4 1/2, strung with Prince Synthetic Gut. The ultimate players frame, this one is also in practically new condition, click here for specs, $95. Contact Ruben at Pharr Tennis Center at (512) 477-7773.


No Longer for Sale. Wilson BLX Pro Open, condition is 9/10, grip size is 4 1/4, strung with a poly/synthetic hybrid. Wilson's new tweener frame, very good shape, click here for specs, $90. Contact Roy Cobb at Rcobb@kpmg.com.


SOLD -Prince EXO3 Black, condition is 8/10, grip size is 4 3/8ths, unstrung but I'll throw in a set of Solinco Hybrid strings (Tour Bite and Vanquish), this is a pretty nice frame but a bit stiff for my elbow, this one has the "string hole" inserts. Asking $60, check out the specs here, and send me an email at atatu2005@yahoo.com if you're interested.


SOLD-Pro Kennex Ionic Ki5, condition is 8/10, grip size is 4 1/2, strung with Wilson NXT. This is a great frame for anyone with shoulder or elbow problems. This is the yellow paint job from a couple of years ago, the current version is white/black/yellow. The specs should be the same as those found here. Asking $50, email me if interested at atatu2005@yahoo.com.

Got a frame to sell ?

Since things are a little slow right now, and in the spirit of the holidays, I'm going to do a "Classifieds-For sale" post early next week...if you have a racket or other tennis item you want to sell, send me a picture, description, price and a contact email or phone and I'll post it on Monday or Tuesday. Happy Holidays.

atatu2005@yahoo.com