LORENZI RACQUET CLUB SUMMER SMASH I

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To start the tournament off the girls 16 and under had their first match as Gabriele Gibson played Alexa Chicarell. The final score was 6-3, 1-

Alexa plays for Durango High School, and helps with the Spanish Trail tennis camp as one of Dan Maccanello's assistants. Dan is also her tennis coach, as he has groomed here game since she began some three years ago. Mrs. Chicarell explained her satisfaction with Dan's over all approach to her daughters game, emphasizing his "Intensity." She had also commented on how she believed the section of this web site which helps other teens find players to play with was helpful. To see the "Junior Find a MATCH SECTION" CLICK HERE.

Last night Stoljanka Pantic told me she had a 2 and 1/2 hour, three set match against Briana Moyle. The match went to Briana 6-2, 3-6, 0-6, but not before Stoljanka made her work for it. Stoljanka is playing high School tennis at Palo Verde High School. She is also on the Junior "Find a Match" list on this site. A player can add their name to this list by clicking here or you can go to the "Junior Find a Match" list and contact someone to play with. VegasTennis.com can automatically set you up to play against other players if you choose. Just indicate that you want to be in the "Junior Challenge" when you sign up. It is free and simple. Or you can look at the list and set up your own matches. Click here for the details.

Also on hand was the Las Vegas jr. Tennis Academy's Robbie Parlade and his entourage of players that he coaches. In this tournament Robbie brought eight players to compete, including three sisters Danica, Danae and Danielle Ingwaldson. The other players are Josh Borns and Dan Racioppi in the 10's, Andrew Craven in the 16's, Joe Macaluso in the 12's and Jingtian Sun in the 14's. All these players are going to Colorado in August to play in sectionals as this junior team won the White 1 Division in USA Team junior tennis finals. They go by the name of "The Fighting Desert Tortoises" and will represent Nevada this August.

This Junior Tennis team is run by the Las Vegas jr. Tennis Academy.

Established in 1997, as the second non-profit community tennis association for southern Nevada, the Academy's mission is to provide a tennis program for middle to low income family's, offering high quality tennis training  at an affordable price, making it available to everyone. The team has attracted players from all backgrounds, but this program offers scholarships and discounts for those who may not be able to afford the higher priced lessons, without compromising on quality or substance. The founder and Director is Leon Vernon, and he is at 894-9032.  About 25 players are currently involved. By offering junior team tennis Leon said it gives kids a chance to see the whole valley playing at a variety of clubs and parks.

And to add to their success they have a number of division titles.  This team has gone to sectionals in 97 (Came in first), 98 (got 2nd in sectional), 2000 (2nd place in sectionals and went to nationals), 2001 (third place). In fact, some of the best players in Las Vegas started with this organization, like Lew Deleon, who is the highest ranked player in Las Vegas in the juniors.

Anyone can play on their team or on any other USA Junior Team tennis team. To contact Leon call 894-9032 or to contact the Nevada Tennis Association to find a team near you call 792-8384.

Friday night tennis at Lorenzi was an event. There were crowds there to watch the matches, and even some players came from as far as Atlanta Georgia, Arizona and Utah to play.

Team Agassi had a number of players out, and their parents and coach Ki Kroll. A number of these players just went to London England to participate in a USA vs England junior tennis event and they got a chance to meet Venus Williams and watch matches at Wimbledon on Center court. Also over in England as a spectator was ClubSport's Kevin Bradley. Las Vegas also had a local professional other then Michael Chang and Andre Agassi in the Wimbledon tournament. In fact this player won Wimbledon. David Pate along with his partner Scott Wilson, won the "Gentlemen's 35 and over" title. Click here to see a full review of David's tennis career.

Aurelie Rodriguez and her sister Virginie, along with their parents came out. Mrs. Rodriguez also plays tennis, as does her husband, both for Summerlin Tennis Club. Her 3.0 ladies team is going to sectionals in Utah this August after winning the District Championships a couple weeks ago. ( Click here to see the pictures and draw from districts.)

Angelica Sims, who is 8 yrs old, is playing in the 12 and under draw. She has been getting lessons from Ki Kroll, and goes to Red Rock Country Club for their Sunday 9-11:00am match play. She also plays on Red Rocks Junior League tennis team playing in the White 1 division coached by Crombie Hatfield. Click here to see the VegasTennis.com Red Rock Tennis Club Home page.

Also in this draw for the girls 18 and under is Trish Piercy who plays for Bishop Gorman and who also works at the Spanish Trail tennis camps as she helps Daniello Maccanello with the younger players. Her mother and father were on hand to watch her match as they often are. Trish just recently played in the open draw of the Spanish Trail adult tournament. She partnered with Spanish Trail tennis professional Dan Knight. (Click here to see the Spanish Trail mixed doubles tournament review and draw.)

Mr. Murphy was there with his daughter Ali who is playing in the girls 14 and under. He has been working with the Nevada Tennis Association to create a high school and junior high school tennis programs that offers junior tennis players free tennis clinics and lessons. Also there will be a free tennis clinic to prepare players for high school and tournament tennis. Coaches of local tennis teams are also encouraged to participate in the free work shop he has put together for coaches to get together and share ideas and insights into running a local tennis team program. For more information on this free event for players and coaches contact the NTA at 792-8384. Click here for more details.

Now the weather. It was perfect. After a close call with a huge one minute wind storm that looked like the beginnings of a twister, it eventually subsided and made for a clear evening with just the right amount of wind to keep it cool, and bring a challenge to each match. I  myself always enjoy when the elements pick up; because I know it gives me the edge. I know I am not going to let it get to me, leaving me with the possibility of an advantage if they let the conditions get to them. It is a choice. And the battle on the court is one within yourself. If you lose your composure for any reason, you have placed yourself at a disadvantage.

At first the panic was sharp, calls for ending the tournament came out as the first reaction.......as the winds did seem to be above average, even for Las Vegas. But as they quickly became bearable many of the players were not shaken a bit as they played on, leaving it up to Ki Kroll to calm the crowd with the simple resolution to keep playing until water or lighting come from the sky. And Philippe, who is running the tournament for Lorenzi this evening agreed with Ki's suggestion, and the games continued. Slowly the winds died down, and the sky cleared to a perfect night for tennis. It turned out much of the Valley got some rain, but some how Lorenzi was missed.

The best matches of the day, from my view were Jason Harper vs A.J. Bartlett, who came from out of state to play in this tournament. A.J. is a nationally ranked player who made his trip worth while by winning in two sets. But the first set was some of the best tennis I have seen all year. Incredible rally's with both players hitting the ball great consistently. Points were hard fought, bring it to a tie breaker, which A.J. won 7-5. The second set was not as good as something happened as Jason did not play the same game. Jason won the last Junior tournament at ClubSport for the boy's 18 and under.

And a match played earlier that was even closer was Baron Guiffria, who won earlier this morning, played again this evening against Taras Motsney. Taras can be deceiving, as he is not tall, but when he hits there is more then meets the eye. And Baron who just got off a shoulder injury got the fight of his life as this event went two full sets, with barely an inch to spare. It was a very close match that ended up in Taras's favor, winning the last set 7-5.

And the longest match of the evening was Chris Uriarte against one of the players who are here on vacation from Atlanta, Brea Green. Brea's parents and sisters , one of which played in the girls 12 and under , were there to watch and Chris's older brother Michael was there to support his sister. Michael also plays in the boy's 16 and under and just recently made it to the finals of the ClubSport tournament in the 18's category. In fact last night when I was covering the adult doubles tournament there, he was on a court practicing with his little sister. And tonight it paid off as she won the three set, 3 and 1/2 hour match 6-7, 6-1, 6-4.

Ted Shively, who runs the Monte Carlo pro shop, was there with his son Ted (16 and under) and his daughter Valerie. Click here to see VegasTennis.com's Monte Carlo web page.

Julia Baltos also played  today. Her father explained to me how she and her tennis friend Alexys Schuster, who played three matches today and won all three, go to national and Sectional tournaments together.

A senior Bonanza tennis player, Hunter Campbell, played tonight as his friend and parents came to watch him go against Ryan Gardner in the boy's 18 and under. Ryan won the match giving him a seat in the final on Sunday.

Alexa Chicarell played a second match today as well against Candynce Boney, who was also playing her second match of the day as she won earlier this morning. Candynce also is playing in two sections of the draw, 14's and 16's. To get through the 14's draw she may have to face Racquel Martinez, who's mother and coach Dina Basil were there to watch her win tonight. Dina, who not long ago was playing professional tennis now coaches local players. She told me at one point was in the top 500 in the world and at times still plays in local open tournaments. Tomorrow morning at 9:00am she is playing open doubles with her partner Leslie Jacobs at the ClubSport Adult indoor championship.

Saturday and Sunday Tennis....at Lorenzi was busy with fans and players coming from three states to play in this unique tournament that turned out to be a Midwest affair. A family here on vacation from Atlanta Georgia decided to enter their two daughters is the girls 12 and 10 and under. The greens also had their parents with them, making it three Atlanta generations here for the Lorenzi Summer

To me ages are insignificant, and people attach importance to something that is meaningless. It is like an imaginary world of evaluating someone based on age. "I beat someone older then me", "I lost to someone younger then me"...so what...it ,means nothing. The game is within yourself and that is what needs to be championed. So to me I am not shocked that Stan plays up, in fact until I hear others mention it I think nothing of it, and from his attitude, he doesn't either. There are some 11 year old players that can beat 35 year old men. Age means nothing.

The past means nothing. Often times a player holds on to the history of play, because they lost or won in the past they some how believe the lie that it will turn out the same. This false comfort or fear, offers nothing. If a player lost in the past or beat an upcoming opponent that means nothing. On any given day, any player can take the crown. And there were a number of these moments this weekend. Traveling through both the 12 and 14 and under draws to the finals Julia Baltas won both. And in the 14 and under girls she beat a player who has beaten every time in the last two years. But today Julia was able to show that the past is the past and every day is new. She went virtually untouched through both draws, with her grandmother and father there to support her. John, her father,  had made the point that she and Alexys Schuster play often and travel together to various national and sectional tournaments. And these two girls had to play one another in the semifinals. While Alexys only took two games from her, the girl is showing a more fearless game on the court. Or maybe she was just inspired with the presence of her father on court side who has made a point at being at all her matches this weekend. Her mother, as usual, was also on hand with Alexys sisters. She said that Alexys would not leave until she saw Julia's final match through. So they stayed and watched.

Click here to see Video Highlights of past tournaments.

In the girls 12 and under final was Alicia Karafa, playing against Julia Baltas. Alicia was the Lorenzi jr. Novice tournament winner for the 12/14 under earlier this summer, and she also came in second place for girl's 12 and under at ClubSport's Summer Kickoff. Click here to see the ClubSport Review, 383 photos and Draw. This time she also made it to the finals and took second place. To get there she beat the Desert Palm Junior Open winner Virginie Rodriguez, Ally Kenny and Daniella Ingwaldson. Both her parents were there, as her father always is. And her brother Alan played in the boy's 14 and under. Alan made it through the first round , beating the eventual winner of the consolation draw Ian Magid, 6-3, 6-4. But was unable to get past Austin Schofield. Austin was hitting the ball hard and well, often times looking like one of the 16 or 18 year old players.....but what is age but a number...The first set was very close with Austin pulling it off 7-5, and the second fell in hand 6-2. Schofield then advanced only to be stopped by Brett Campo in a very close match, almost going 3 sets. But Brett won the first set 6-4 and the second set in a tie breaker 7-6 (7-3). Both Austin's Mom and Dad were there. Austin is also one of the first players to be listed in the junior "Find a Match" section where juniors can put their name so other juniors can contact them to play. Also on the list is Asia Muhammad, Farwa Husain, Alec Runyon, Julia Baltas, Michael Uriarte, Lew Deleon, Stoljanka Pantic, John Fayeghi, and it's growing.  If you want to play Austin or any other player on the list, or if you want to add your name to the list, ...click here. Parents and coaches who want to coordinate and build this list are welcome to do so. Simply get the players e-mail and permission from their parents and you can use my site to publish it. VegasTennis.com keeps your e-mail confidential and forwards you the messages from players who request to play you. Contact me by clicking here.

Brett Campo up until the finals was undefeated in this tournament. But there he met the ageless Stan Breland, who took home the number one trophy with a 6-2, 6-2 win. And this is on Sunday, the day after I witnessed one of the closest matches of the tournament. Saturday night, in a three set brawl, Stan played in the 16 and under semifinal against Andrew Craven. Andrew is a franchise player for the  Las Vegas jr. Tennis Academy. And in this tournament he showed why. He sailed through the first two rounds winning both matches  6-0, 6-1, and 6-2, 6-0, then in playing stan he showed the ability to adjust and play the hard hit ball or the Stan spinning lob special. But most importantly, he was able to deal with the perceived pressure of an extremely close match.

More then once stan was at match point, and more then once Stan took the momentum , and each time Andrew stayed calm as can be, steady. And this steadiness helped keep him consistent and able to hold on to a win that almost eluded him as he came back often in that third set to take it 7-5. The final score was Craven 6-7(7-5), 6-2. 7-5.

Robbie Parlade, his coach, was there for all his players matches.

 A lot goes on at these tournaments. There is a dynamic, the illusion that it is different then any other match is there. And a coach or parent has the opportunity to address the multitude of issues that arise in these events. When I play down at Baskin park, at times I will offer a bet, even if it is as small as a dollar. Some how it brings out the true character of a person. Instead of being unaware and a hack, a person then begins to play, and it takes on a quasi tournament air. To me it is always a tournament. In other words I am always playing and living with full awareness and attention....Giving it a 100%. "I am just out here to have fun"... is that suppose to mean..."I came out to not give it a 100%"... "This is only practice"... is this to mean "When I practice I don't always focus."

There are a numerous amount of mental currents going through the players mind at any given point in the game and it is the challenge of mastering these currents and not being effected by them that is paramount.............. "I am up",..... "I am losing",........ "They cheated me", and all the other  mental nonsense that try's to take a player out of being aware. The champion can see these "Thoughts" and let them stroll by like  clouds in a sky. And as these ebbs and flows may take down their opponent, they are not effected. Does this mean you will always win? No. But you will know in yourself you played right, and it was by no mental lapse of your own that cost you the match. No regrets.  Often these close matches come to a single moment where the pressure is on, and the player dismantles or stays firm. And there are matches one does win solely because they did not crack in these moments of truth. Regrets only come when you chose to fall prey to these currents and let them take you under.

Discovering and mastering these principles is what many of these players and parents, and coaches are seeing at these tournaments, as they bring light to an individuals character and how they handle a variety of situations. This includes the parents and coaches on the sidelines, and how they handle the currents,  which is often better or sometimes worse. What kind of support is it to be emotionally and mentally swayed on the sideline while the player is focusing on playing the game. Do they look over and see an example of how to be under the perceived pressure or do they witness something else?

Well, big Stan Breland, little Stan's Dad, always seems to be able to keep the same disposition whether his son is up or down. He explained to me how he likes the matches to get down very close as it provides an opportunity for his son to experience and overcome the perceived pressure of this situation. He himself played high school football at Clark High School and young Stan was on his way to do the same. Until one day he came home and informed his Dad that he wanted to play tennis. At the Girl's and Boy's Club in Las Vegas, kids have to try out for the team and based on attitude and a willingness to give it a 100% they are either accepted or not. If so they have requirements to stay on like community service, grades and helping to do jobs at the club. For this they are afforded a number of opportunity's like playing in local, sectional and national tournaments. Just recently a number of the players and their coach Ki Kroll were invited to Wimbledon to participate in a match with teens from New York verses players from England. They also went to see Wimbledon with seats on center court and were able to meet Venus Williams. After meeting some other players, getting autographs and some souvenirs they flew back to the United States and the next week here they are at Lorenzi.

Another member of TEAM AGASSI is Jasmine Muhammad.  Jasmine was just recently a 16 and under finalist at Club Sport's Summer Kick-Off. (Click here to see that review, photos and draw.) She won both the girl's 16 and 18's division. To get to the 18 and under final she played Trish Piercy winning a very close first set 7-5, then taking the second quickly at 6-1. In her other match she faced sectional ranked 14 and under player Sheryl Bon, who was able to get one set from Jasmine, forcing a third, but Jasmine came back and won the third set convincingly 6-0. Final score Muhammad 6-2, 1-6, 6-0. To get to the 16 and under finals she had a good 3 set match against Briana Moyle. In the finals she played another Agassi team member Candynce Boney. Candynce also went home with two trophy's as she was in the finals of the girl's 16 and 14 and under, coming in second in both.

In the girl's 14 and under Ali Murphy made it to the quarterfinals after defeating two opponents. In the quarterfinals against Candynce Boney the first set she lost 0-6, but came on strong in the second, almost forcing a third set. But perrenial finalist Candynce Boney pulled off the second set 7-5 to win the match.

Ali's father was there and he explained the various programs he is putting together with the Nevada Tennis Association. This includes a pick up tennis event each week, and some tennis clinics for junior players. Parents interested can talk to him about participating. The girl's 10 and under was won by Alexys Schuster. Also in the finals was Alam Shaw, who gave Alexys a very tough first set, forcing a tie breaker. But Alexys won the tie breaker  and the second set to win the number one trophy. Alam got the finalist trophy.

On Saturday night was some of the best Junior tennis I have seen. First Jason Harpers match was number one...but Saturday night I witnessed numerous sets that rivaled the one Jason and A.J. played the other night. With Austin Schofield and Brett Campo, Stan Breland verses Andrew Craven and Michael Uriarte verses A.J. Bartlett, it is rare to see three great matches like this back to back as they were, with near perfect weather in Las Vegas. There was a great looking shot of silent thunder in the distance and clear night sky above.

On center court was by far the best match of the tournament and one of the best matches I have ever seen in tournament tennis. Michael Uriarte and A.J Bartlett both showed up Saturday night to play some great tennis. The first two sets were of epic proportions as they played extremely well, rally's and rally, well hit volleys, consistently making great plays, getting almost UNgetable balls, and getting them well, and winning points with winners, far less then those won by error.

A.J. lost the first set 3-6. Then in the second set is was a battle of will back and forth. Michael had the chance to win the match as it was 5-4. But A.J. Held serve then came back and made the break when it counted, forcing the third set. Something happened there at the end of the second set. Because the third set, while I did not see it, the score shows  it did not resemble the high quality tennis that was played in set one and two. The final set went to A.J. 6-1, securing him a seat in the finals which he would later play and win against Ryan Gardner in two sets. Ryan got the number two trophy, and A.J. took home one of his two number 1 trophy's of this tournament. A.J.  also won the champions trophy in the boy's 16 and under beating Andrew Craven in two sets as well. Andrew took home the number two trophy.

Both of Michael Uriarte's parents were on hand to support their son. They explained how he just got back from a tennis camp in Irvine California where he enjoyed it a great deal. Michael is a typical example of a player who is just asking for an opportunity to play others. And by doing so he picks up new ways to win each time. Not because he is made up differently then another player, but because he is awake and alert when playing and as a result adjusts his game intuitively. Whether or not that perspective was there in the third set of this match, I do not know, but the first two sets were perfect. His father, Mr. Uriarte plays racquet ball quite often at ClubSport Green Valley, and was once a professional Jaialai player.

A.J. 's parents and coach Dave Smith of St George Tennis Academy drove up for the event. A.J. is ranked in the boy's 14 and under and played up this tournament for the first time with tremendous success. He has given local player Ryan Gormley and Brian Miller some great matches in the past and today he has met  many more Las Vegas tennis players thanks to this journey from Utah. A journey that is not seldom, as his brother played one year at UNLV and his father comes to town on business or for the various tournaments. His brother, Eric Pelton, is now the Tennis Director at the Vail Tennis Club in Colorado. 

A.J. 's coach explained in length the tennis scene in St. George and the creative ways in which he and his partner are making it thrive. One such idea which I saw to be great was a 3 to four hour weekly match play tournament every Saturday for all ages. They play first to 3 games sets, best of 3 sets. And they go through a whole draw like this , getting an average of 20-25 players a week. Here the players have an opportunity to play in a match like environment that does not allow for lapses in focus and puts a premium on each point. No room for slack. This gives the player an opportunity to play adults and juniors which they might otherwise not ask.."Do you want to play."

 While playing they can get a sense of changes they want to make to their game, tweaking this or that. Dave Smith was saying that he often sees aspects of his students game and knows there is no need to say a word as the player will eventually see it themselves.  Often his student already knows what to do and the adjustments to make, through his own sense of things and he is often just there to affirm that ....is if to say..."I see what you see and I agree."

Each player has within themselves an ability to adjust and improve just through playing and intuitively adjusting their game. Playing other players I will often see how they hit a shot or notice a weakness in my game and through that insight make the adjustment naturally, and a good parent and coach is present  and sees these moments of evolution as they occur and is available to affirm and address them as the situation arises. And often times, it is not a physical adjustment but a mental one.

Taking second place in the boy's 18 was Ryan Gardner. To reach the finals he  won his match with Hunter Campbell 6-1, 6-4. The winner of the boy's 18 consolation was Jason Harper. Angel Gestov made it to the quarterfinals of the boy's 14 and under before losing to the 14's winner Stan Breland in two sets.

Taras Motsny and his dad were in action. Taras won the boy's consolation round at Club Sport's Summer Kickoff. (Click here to see that review, This time it was the main draw final he won after a high and low challenge in the final. When Robert Shawhan told me his son lost the first set and was down 5-2 in the second I said "It's not over." To me, any "Thought" that it is , is a lie. If it was 6-2 then it would be over. It is 5-2. 20 minutes later I saw the score at 5-4, then 5-5, then 6-5, then 7-5 as Robert took 5 games in a row to win the second set. Now Robert just needed not to celebrate, because the match was not over. Just because you come back and win a set one does not celebrate,

  Then Taras came storming back in the third to win it 6-2. Taras took the champions trophy and Robert took the finalist trophy. The only other

TEAM AGASSI, not only took the 14 boy's. 16 and 18 girl's, but the boy's 10 and under as well. Brendan Aguilar had a great match against Eric Herzfeld, who gave him his toughest competition of the tournament. It went three sets with Brendan winning 6-4, 6-7, 6-2. In the final he met Josh Burns who took the second place trophy. The final score of this finals match was 6-2, 6-4. Josh plays tennis at Lorenzi at their Tuesday night Junior tennis clinics. Also placing for Team Agassi was Candynce Boney with two finalist trophy's and Ismael Gibson with a consolation draw Champion trophy. Martinez Miles also played in the tournament for team Agassi and was on hand throughout the whole event to watch all his team mates matches.

Ismael bounced back from his main draw loss to win the consolation draw without much contention, only losing two games in two matches. Also Selina Brown took home the consolation draw's Champion trophy for the girl's 12 and under. She played the girl from Georgia, Biawa Green. Biawa fought her way into the final after a long three set battle with Allie Bergen which ended 0-6, 6-3, 6-1. But in the final Selina took the trophy with a score of 6-3, 6-1.

The duration award goes to Ted Shively, who after losing his first matches in both the 16 and 14 and under main draws, played well, wining every match getting him into the finals of the 14 and 16  consolations. At 7:00am Sunday Ted played in the semifinals of the consolation round of the 14 and under, winning  in two very, very close sets to Michael Gestov. The first set was a tie breaker score of 7-5. The second set was 6-4, leaving Ted in the finals to be played later that afternoon at 12:30.

 At 10:00am Ted was in the 16 consolation finals. It was a classic, as he won the first set 7-5, lost the second 4-6, then came back in the third set in what turned out the be a three hour three set battle between him and Eric Cericeross. It was neck and neck, but in the end it was Ted's day, or Ted's tournament, as he won the third set 6-3 to win the consolation draw.

At 12:30 Ian Magid had astutely stayed inside away from the day heat and when it was time he met Ted on the court.  Ian Magid made it to the finals of the consolation and I was able to see him working out with his dad yesterday on the court. He has a two handed back hand , two handed forehand and often serves his second serve with the same pace as his first. His father explained they have just moved here from California about a year ago. He is a teaching professional who runs the tennis clinics and facilities at the Mandalay Bay, where he says eight courts reside. He is also running the Luxor courts which he described as having six courts. A nationally ranked racquet ball player, ranked third at one time himself, he has experienced first hand racquet sports and switched to tennis years ago, eventually becoming a teaching professional. He said he has been offering clinics and one on one lessons to train juniors and adults in the art of racquet ball and tennis competition. Both his sons play, and this year they will represent Palo Verde High School.

During the Sunday matches, John Baltas was communicating by cell phone to Ted's father the updates on the matches events. And just as Ian took the first set, Ted began to quit in the second. But soon after snapped out of it and decided to give it a shot. He then went on a rally to win 3 games in a row making it 5-4 after being down 5-1 just moments earlier. That's when John called his father to give him the update, and Ted on court began to celebrate, but I knew the celebration was a few games early. It was Ted's serve to tie it, but no reason to celebrate yet. And the high was short lived as Ian took that chance to break his opponent and win the finals set and match taking home the consolation Champions trophy for the boy's 16.

Max Chesnoff won the Boy's 12 and under consolation, and it was he who won a previous Lorenzi tournament. He played Brennan Mayfield.

Gabby Gibson brushed off the main draw loss by playing a well fought match against Ernestine Miclat winning after a first set tie breaker and an equally close second set. The final score was Gibson 7-6 (7-3), 7-5. In the final she played Stoljanka Pantic, and the final score here was Gibson 6-2, 6-4. Ki Kroll, Gabby's Coach, and her mother were there to cheer her on, and her father was present Saturday night to offer his support. As usual Stoljanka's mom was there and also coming to see his sister play was  Stoljanka's brother.

Winning the girl's 14 consolation  was Stephanie Griffin who drove up with her mother from Phoenix Arizona to play in the tournament and visit some friends. Her daughter made the trip worth while as it offered an environment for her mother and her sister, who lives in Las Vegas, to touch base, while she kept her tournament alive with wins in the consolation. She played Jessica Dangerfield who also made it to the consolation finals. The final score giving Stephanie the Consolation Champion trophy was 6-0, 6-4. Winning the girl's 10 and under consolation Jade Frampton took the trophy after a close first set against Aurelie Rodriguez that ended in a tie breaker. The second set was 6-1. The whole Rodriguez family was there to watch and be involved in this event.

Running this tournament on the Saturday and Sunday was the Lorenzi Racquet Club's head professional Craig Witcher. He was a coach of UNLV Tennis for over 5 years before taking over Lorenzi,  and he now coaches District champion League tennis teams, offers clinics, tennis mixers for juniors and adults and league tennis teams in almost every level. From what I have seen his pro shop has the most selection of clothes and tennis shoes of any other pro shop in town. They have a ball machine you can practice on, they sell and demo the tennis tutor ball machines, some of which are portable and they offer stringing at $15.00 to $30.00 by Joe who has been stringing for 6 years. I have always gotten my racquets done there and now I get it free in exchange for some advertising on my site. If you want to advertise on my site, or if you notice something incorrect, needing of change, have ideas or suggestions, I am open to participation, correction, suggestions and any idea you may have. This site thrives on your participation. If you see parts of a match I did not mention, simply include your perspective or story in the simple to use e-mail form on VegasTennis.com "Contact page" by clicking here, or e-mail me at VegasTennisCom@aol.com.

In addition, tennis players get a free web page to keep scores, pictures and anything else you want. Simply e-mail or mail me the content and I can put it on a web page. If you know of tennis scores, match results or anything tennis in or about Las Vegas, let others know by submitting it to me so I can put it in the Tennis news section.

Have a nice life....

Ryan Wolfington

old.vegastennis.com

Many more pictures coming........