By J. Fred Sidhu, special to USTA.com

Surprise, AZ

In 1990 Johnston captured a doubles title at the Japan Open with Brad Parks, a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, who is considered one of the pioneers of wheelchair tennis.

Johnston became the first wheelchair player to play USTA League tennis approximately 20 years ago and played in his first USTA League National Championship at the Senior level in 2004.

“I was the very first one to play able-bodied USTA League Tennis. I started telling other guys in chairs about it, trying to get them involved,” Johnston said. “There are not many of us. I would say probably 10 to 15 at most.”

When Johnston plays with able-bodied players, he wants to show that he deserves to be on the same court.

He told the story of his first match against an able-bodied player years ago who said he wouldn’t hit the ball hard at him. On the first point of the match, Johnston set the tone as he slammed a shot at his opponent who had approached the net.

Johnston has seen wheelchair tennis evolve since he began playing and is impressed with the high level of the sport today. ”The Open (wheelchair) players now are playing unbelievable,” Johnston said. “The level has risen immensely and the quality of play is incredible. It’s a specialized sport.”

Johnston sees a bright future for wheelchair tennis. “It’s only going to get better and better. The kids are younger and stronger,” he said. “They’re training for it. They’re going through the regular routines that the pros do now. They work out three times a day and do cross-training with weights. They’re top athletes.”

When it comes to promoting USTA League tennis, Johnston has a message for his fellow wheelchair players – “You’ve got to get out there and play. It’s a game of a lifetime. You can play with your friends and family,” he said. “I want them to take advantage of it because it’s going to help their game all over. I would hope that a lot more would do it.”

Back

http://www.florida.usta.com/USA-League-Tennis-Pages/gainesville_miami_ocala_adult_teams_win_at_usta_florida_combo_adult_chps111/

The Gainesville team, playing out of the Jonesville Tennis Center and representing Alachua County, swept Escambia County 3-0 in the Combo Men’s 7.5 division final to claim the championship.

Captained by Gabriel Ghita, the Gainesville squad was comprised of Daniel Berdat, Latchezar Hristov, Eric Kidd, Newton Turenne, Ziad Ghanimi, William Pelletier, Sorin Fratila, David Craig Perkins, David Hou, Erik Bayard, Leonardo Ferreira, Greg Williamson, Kevin Banes, Peter Adhihetty and John Kairalla.

Combo Adult teams are comprised of players 18 years or older in a combined-rating format from 5.5 to 9.5. The combined NTRP (National Tennis Rating Program) ratings of each doubles team may neither exceed the level nor be more than 1.0 less than the level in which they are competing. The NTRP rating difference between the members of an individual doubles pair may not exceed 0.5.

7.5 Combo Champions - JTC Ghita

Sunday, Jan. 29th winners of Florida, New Mexico, Miami, Wake Forest TBA

Saturday Feb. 11 Florida State University 1:00 PM

Sunday Feb 12 University of Illinois 12:00 PM

Tuesday Feb 28 University of South Florida 3:00 PM

Friday March 2 University of Tennessee 5:00 PM

Sunday March 4 University of Georgia 1:00 PM

Friday March 24 Mississippi State University 5:00 PM

Friday March 30 Auburn University 5:00 PM

Sunday April 1 University of Alabama 1:00 PM

Saturday April 14 University of South Carolina 1:00 PM

Sat. & Sun May 12-13 1st and 2nd round of NCAA Tournament Site to be decided

Thank you to Mi Young Lee, who wrote these blogs after long days at the Arizona courts. The following is the final blog from Arizona. Click on the link above to read the whole series.

Sunday, October 23rd

Championship Day

Cockle-doodle-doo! We were greeted at the courts by a sun thinking about rising and a rooster from a nearby backyard. It was chilly again, but the kids quickly warmed up on the courts. The spectators huddled with cups of coffee and whatever extra clothes they could find in the car. The ever-so-efficient USTA officials called the coaches to line up the teams at 7:15 am, 15 minutes ahead of schedule. The surprising thing is everyone was already ready to go. This was the final battle of the tournament. The kids were revving their engines, waiting for the checkered flag to let them loose.

Our final battle was against the advanced team from Hawaii. (In a sign of friendship and spirit of the games, we presented their coach with a Gator lei. Never had the Hawaiian coach been presented with a lei before by a non-islander!) This would determine the winner of our flight. Our own little championship battle for 13th place nationally. Out of 12,615 teams nationally. Not bad.

The doubles and singles courts went on simultaneously. Hyunsoo Ryan Joo played the boys’ singles court for this match. He is known for his strong, steady style of play. He exhibited his skills on the court today as he relentlessly ran his opponent from side to side, angle to angle, shot after shot. His tenacity and concentration were evident throughout this grueling match. Kendal Wilby was our girls’ singles player for the day. She is a determined warrior on the court, more focused and more heavy-hitting when she faces controversies and pressure. She was forced to play at a very high level for a very long, contentious match today, and she delivered. Harry Cacciatore and Jared Lee played boys’ doubles together for the first time in this tournament. (For each match, we had different line-ups with different combinations, requiring our players to be versatile and flexible enough to play with any other player on the team on a moment’s notice.) Their opponents looked semi-professional with extreme angle shots, perfect lobs and penetrating groundstrokes. And yet Jared and Harry encouraged one another through challenging rallies and situations to somehow emerge as the victors.

Emily Louie-Meadors and Lillie Mehan represented our team on the girls’ doubles court. One of the Hawaiian girls hit the ball so hard that it was difficult to even track the ball as an observer. We could only flinch. Despite that, Lillie and Emily not only returned her bullets as effective groundstrokes but took them as volleys, never giving up any ground. They didn’t give up much ground in points either and claimed victory for their court. Grey Cacciatore and Ellie Wright played mixed doubles on the final court. Ellie was on fire with her sizzling groundstrokes, and Grey added every variation of shot imaginable to the partnership. They fought their way to a third-set tiebreak and never gave up.

Each court sported a mighty battle to the finish. There were no easy matches, no weak competitors. Not even close. The will to win was strong on both sides of the net. No one won or lost for lack of skill, resolve or effort. This was not a match won by individual effort. The match came down purely to team effort. Every player had to bring it on the court today. And it took the mixed doubles team once again to determine the fate of the championship. This time, they delivered those final points necessary to seal the victory! We were victorious over Hawaii.

To place the competitive nature of this tournament in perspective, we had lost to the ultimate 4th place team from Virginia Beach by a mere three games. Talk about tight competition!

At the closing ceremonies, we were doubly surprised to be awarded the prize for Best Team Banner. All our kids filed out onto the stadium floor to receive their awards. Smiles lit their faces as they proudly represented their beloved Florida.

Whatever place we finished at the end, we were already a championship team in our hearts. Every single player tasted the thrill of victory, every single player tasted the bitter agony of defeat, and every single player played every single match. We started off as a team, and we walked out of the tournament as a team. More importantly, we stayed as a family. The defeats made us stronger and more determined. The victories sweetened the memories. This nationals experience will live on in our memories forever.

September 15, 2011

After playing USTA League tennis for more than 25 years and never advancing to nationals, Gainesville’s Bobbie Mehan suddenly has a family full of national championship contenders in 2011. In the same year Mehan, her sister and her daughter are all advancing to USTA League National Championships in Arizona.

Mehan, the QuickStart 10 and Under Tennis director and assistant pro at the Jonesville Tennis Center in Gainesville, Fla., began playing USTA League tennis out of college in Kansas City. Then it was league tennis in Chicago, Atlanta, and for the last 10 years in Florida.

“Altogether I’ve played forever and never gotten to a nationals,” she says, laughing. “That doesn’t seem possible does it, after playing that many years.”

Her women’s 45-and-over team, including sister Bonnie O’Brien, were unlikely USTA Florida Section champions until enduring a series of tiebreak wins during a rainy weekend at the USTA Florida Adult League Championships in July at the Florida Tennis Center in Daytona Beach.

“We were not favored by any means. We were just excited to [advance to] play on Sunday, much less play in the finals,” Mehan said. “It came down to a third-set tiebreaker on the last court for us to win on a Sunday at about 11 o’clock at night [after rain delays]. All the tiebreakers went our way, it was really perfect, it was really close. I think we were taking our [championship team] pictures at 11:15 p.m. that Sunday because of the rain, it was just crazy. There’s not too much of a fanbase around at 11:15 on a Sunday night, but that didn’t matter.”

The sisters Bobbie and Bonnie have played tennis together since high school when their team won the state championship. Bonnie will be the lone player on the team with previous USTA League National Championship experience.

“She did go to nationals one time out of [USTA] Missouri Valley, she got to go to Key Biscayne,” Mehan said. “There’s actually people on the team that have played longer than me — there is one lady on the team who says she has played league tennis for over 40 years and never had gone to nationals.”

One tradition for USTA teams advancing to league nationals is to present the other teams with a gift, and the Gainesville resident is attempting to keep her Florida Gators football passion in check.

“We’re going to come up with something great to represent Florida — I think we should give something ‘Gators,’ something Gator-ish, but we are representing Florida and not just Gainesville,” Mehan said, laughing.

The team roster also includes Ekanong Van Roy, Larissa Williamson, Mary Cribb, Elizabeth Amdur, Jean Vaughn, Kar Yee Fransham, Preetika Pai, Barbara Rozboril, Kathy Bevis, Margot Markowitz, Deborah Hubbart, Zhoe Solaun, Sierra Solaun, Debbie Bowers and Sandra Phillips.

Also advancing to USTA Jr. Team Tennis Nationals in the 14-Advanced division is Mehan’s daughter Lillie.

“I had the additional pressure, because my daughter had already won her sectional weeks before, and I knew she was going to nationals so I had the pressure,” Mehan said. “I thought, ‘Okay! If she gets to go to nationals, maybe this is my year.’ It’s just weird that they’re both in Arizona a week apart.”

For the 14-year-old Lillie it’s also a first-time trip to nationals after much of her team recently moved up from the 12-Advanced division.

“This will be the first time going to nationals for everyone on the team,” said Lillie, who adds the team has already planned their wardrobe changes.

“We’re all planning on wearing the same uniform for every day — like, on the plane we’ll all wear Jonesville or DB [Racquet Club] tennis shirts, and for like the first day we’re wearing black and yellow, and the next day we’re wearing black-out, like black shirts and shorts or whatever, and the next day yellow and navy,” Lillie said. “It’s really exciting, because it’s our first time ever and it’s really fun.”

Now all that’s left for the family is figuring out flights and stay-overs in Arizona to support one another. The 2011 USTA League 4.5 Adult National Championships will be held Oct. 28-30, 2011 at the Reffkin Tennis Center in Tucson, Ariz., while the 2011 USTA Jr. Team Tennis 14-U National Championships will be held Oct. 20-23 at The Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex in Surprise, Ariz.

Real Results from 10 and Under Tennis on Vimeo.

By Cliff Olsen, Correspondent

Published June 4th, 2011

Zachary Goldberg and Jazz Whittaker

2011 GAINESVILLE SUN BOYS TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

ZACH GOLDBERG, GAINESVILLE

Credentials

The 5-foot-11 sophomore, who was part of Eastside’s team that reached state in 2010, was a major factor in Gainesville’s success this spring. Goldberg was 16-3 at No. 1 singles, which included a perfect record against area opponents, and won the District 4-3A title. He also grabbed the district crown at No. 1 doubles with Cole Fiegel and ended with a 17-3 mark. Goldberg’s exceptional season led the Hurricanes to their first district championship since 2007 and to their first trip to the FHSAA Class 3A state tournament since that year as well. At state, he lost his opening-round singles match, but was able to post a first-round victory with Fiegel in doubles action. Goldberg, who turned 17 on Saturday, is ranked 44th in the state in the boys under-18 rankings, according to the USTA’s June rankings.

“In high school tennis, it is a team sport, it is not just the individual like I do outside of high school tennis,” said Goldberg, who was effective with his serve and his forehand this season. “The goal was not to get to state by myself, I would much rather go as a team.

“I tried to lead the team as well as I could and be supportive and try and do my best to lead the team to victory in our matches. It was a great year.”

Personal notes

Goldberg has played the violin since he was four years old. He takes lessons every week and plays in the Gainesville Suzuki Players Hausmusik Orchestra.

Quoteworthy

“I felt very excited that I had won the award. It was a goal of mine to win this award, because to win the award, I had to compete well, have a good record and beat the other players in the area. I am very satisfied and grateful that I have gotten this award. It was a goal of mine so I am satisfied that I got it.” – Zach Goldberg

2011 GAINESVILLE SUN GIRLS TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

JAZZ WHITTAKER, P.K. YONGE

Credentials

For the fourth straight year, a P.K. Yonge player takes home this award. The 5-foot-11 Whittaker follows former Blue Wave star Lindsey Cable, a three-time winner of the award, who is now at Stetson. Whittaker posted a 14-4 record at No. 1 singles, which included winning the District 4-1A title, advancing to state as an individual and winning her opening-round match. The sophomore, who relies on her forehand and said she is comfortable playing at the net, teamed with Kiah Turner and the duo won the FHSAA Class 1A state title on the individual side of the doubles bracket. A year ago, the duo won the Class 1A state crown at No. 2 doubles. Whittaker is ranked 57th in the state in the girls under-16 rankings, according to the USTA’s June rankings.

“I thought I had a pretty good year, especially for doubles,” Whittaker said. “I was hoping to get a little further at state (in singles). My goal for state was to come home with some kind of medal and get to the finals in doubles or singles.”

Personal notes

Whittaker, whose older sister Zari is a second-team all-area choice, also played volleyball for the Blue Wave last fall. She said she doesn’t see herself playing again because she said volleyball takes up a lot of time and she wants to focus more on tennis, which she’d like to play in college. Whittaker also owns a 4.23 weighted GPA.

Quoteworthy

“I was just really excited, winning this award was one of my goals and I was hoping that I would get it. I am just happy to represent my school and get my picture in the newspaper.” — Jazz Whittaker

http://www.florida.usta.com/division_winners_crowned_at_the_2011_usta_florida_jr_state

_closed_singles_championships111/

Harry Cacciatore, State Champion B10, Dave Porter, and Grey Cacciatore, Winner Backdraw

A morning rain delay gave way to sunny skies and high humidity on Thursday, the final day of play at the 63rd USTA Florida Jr. State Closed Singles Championships, held June 11-16, 2011, at the Florida Tennis Center in Daytona Beach.

Top-seeded Danielle Collins won the Girls’ 18 title, defeating No. 2 seed Chalena Scholl of Pompano Beach 6-1, 6-1. Collins also captured the 18s title two years ago, and was a 12s division champion. ”I didn’t do well here last year,” said Collins, who earlier this year won the USTA National 18 Spring Hardcourts title. “I’ve been working on hitting the ball harder, and also getting a little more spin on the ball and hitting with a little more variety. I’ve been working out at Bollettieri’s a lot, so all the hard work is paying off.” The St. Petersburg native says she is considering a number of colleges, including Georgia, Miami, Florida, Northwestern and Tennessee among the leaders. “I’ll make some college visits and try to make a decision in August,” Collins said.

In the Girls 16 final, now-three-time Jr. State Closed champ Katerina Stewart, the No. 4 seed from Miami, defeated Sarasota’s Caroline Dailey in straight sets. Last year Stewart played the 14s event and finished in fifth place, after previously winning the 12s and 10s events. Stewart, who hits excessive topspin like her idol Rafael Nadal, and displays a crafty court sense with angles and forays to the net, traded breaks with Dailey during a tight first set 6-4, before pulling away in the second set 6-0. ”She came out strong the first set, I just had to stay focused and not get frustrated,” Stewart said. “In the second set I just did my plan and she went away. My plan was to make her move and hit it to her weaker side, which was her forehand.” Stewart earlier this year finished in second place at the Easter Bowl, and after her Jr. State Closed win on Thursday, celebrated with an order of french fries from the food truck at the Florida Tennis Center. The runner-up Dailey won the US Open Playoffs-Florida title approximately a month ago, and will advance to the national competition and a chance to win a US Open women’s qualifying draw wildcard. ”I thought it was awesome,” said Dailey, who has been playing a mix of junior and pro events in 2011, of the US Open Playoffs event. “It was a really good tournament and I’m glad I played in it.”

No. 4-seeded Madison Bourguignon of Boynton Beach won the all-Madison battle in the Girls’ 14 final, defeating No. 7 seed Madison Harrison of Cortez 6-1, 6-2 in the final. It was the first USTA Florida Jr. State Closed Singles event for Bourguignon, who moved to Florida last September from Washington state. ”I thought I played well, she’s very aggressive so I had to play well,” Bourguignon said. “I was trying to keep it deep on the returns and get a high first serve percentage. I hadn’t really played on clay until I moved here, but since then I like it a lot.”

In the Boys’ 18 final, No. 2 seed Brett Clark of Naples upset top-seeded Zack Mc Court of Sunrise 6-4, 7-6(6), fighting back from 1-5 down in the second-set tiebreak. “I was about to pass out in that second set,” said Clark, who took an early lead in both sets before fight-backs from McCourt. “In the second set I went up 5-3, kind of took a break — wanted to see if I could serve it out at 5-4 — couldn’t, and we held for 6-all. He didn’t really make an error until 5-1 in the tiebreak when he double-faulted twice. From that point on I just dug in deep, found a second gear and won the match.”  It was the first USTA Florida Jr. State Closed Singles title for Clark, who has competed at the event in every division (10s, 12s, 14s, 16s, and 18s). “I’m just so happy,” said Clark, breaking out in a smile. “I’ve never even made the semis here since I played the 10s (division) — this has not really been my best tournament, I’ve never played my best tennis here, but I’m glad (my win) was in the 18s.” Clark is coached in Naples by Mario Fratangelo, the father of friend and hitting partner Bjorn Fratangelo who won the 2011 French Open junior boys title.  ”I haven’t been playing that well lately, I had to fix my forehand and backhand and serve recently, pretty much everything, and it has all come together,” Clark said. “Up until this tournament, I definitely liked hardcourt better, but now I’m switching to clay.” Only 17 years old, Clark says he looks forward to his final year at the event in 2012.

The Boys’ 16 final was the battle of Bradenton as No. 3-seeded Ognjen Samardzic outlasted No. 4 seed Tommy Mylnikov  6-4, 6-7(6), 6-4 in a contentious match that saw both players receive code violations from the chair umpire. ”At 4-2 in the third I was up but blew it, it got to 4-all and I played a clutch game, and won it in the end,” said Samardzic, who watched his opponent hit a second serve long to win the match. It was the seventh year competing at the event for Samardzic, who had never surpassed the semifinals in any division.

In the Boys’ 14 final, No. 3 seed Chase Colton outlasted No. 2 Reilly Opelka 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the heat to claim the championship. Colton said the heat was oppressive, but the mental battle was the larger part of the match. ”I was up 3-0, playing really well, I backed off and let him in, he started playing more aggressively and I lost the first set,” Colton said. “Second set started the same, went up 4-0, and I told myself to remain calm, keep my composure, try to take balls early, and I won that set. Third set I went down 0-2, didn’t want that to happen, then some more break points and I told myself to really focus, and I won 6-2. It was definitely more mental than the heat. Yesterday was hotter, I felt like I was going to throw up at 7-5, 5-4, 30-love. I just hit two big serves and got out of that match.” It was the first time Colton had achieved better than a third-place finish after six years of competing at the Jr. State Closed. ”I’ve been having a great year, I won a Level 2 Nationals a month ago, I played extremely well there, I got to the quarterfinals of the super-national Easter Bowl, I’ve been having a good year so far, so it’s been just continuing to go up,” said Colton, who says he likes hardcourts and claycourts equally. “I don’t really care what surface it’s on, I like sliding — I slide on hardcourt too — it’s fun to play. I’d love to play on a grasscourt one day — I can’t wait for that day.”

Wesley Chapel’s top-seeded Noah Makarome took home the Boys’ 12 title, easing past No. 3 seed Vasil Kirkov of Tampa 6-2, 6-2 in the final. Makarome similarly made easy work of No. 4 seed Evan Bynoe in the semifinals, beating the Parkland resident 6-1, 6-0.

No. 3-seeded Harry Cacciatore, who with his twin brother Grey is a mainstay in taking home USTA Jr. Team Tennis titles for the City of Gainesville under the team name “G-Power,” defeated No. 4 seed Matthew Fung of Miami for the Boys’ 10 title. In the semifinals Cacciatore defeated top-seeded Harrison Gold of Aventura 6-3, 6-2.

Hallandale Beach’s Amanda Anisimova won the Girls’ 10 title as the No. 2 seed, upsetting top-seeded Zoe Hitt of Miami in the final. Another Wesley Chapel resident won the Girls’ 12 title when No. 2 seed Jaeda Daniel defeated top-seeded Nicole Conrad of Boca Raton 6-3, 7-5. In the semifinals Daniel knocked out the No. 4 seed Melissa Plambeck of Bradenton in straight sets.

Harry Cacciatore State Champion Boys 10 and Under and Matthew Fong, Finalist

Univ. of Florida Communications Office

CONTACT: Kathy Cafazzo at 352-375-4683, ext. 6133

Sophomore Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the third set, forced a tiebreaker, where she overcame a 2-0 hole and earned a 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) victory and provided the clinching 4-3 win against top-seeded Stanford and helped Florida win the 2011 NCAA Championship on Tuesday at Taube Tennis Stadium on the campus of Stanford University.

The second-seeded Gators (31-1) earned their fifth national team title, while ending top-seeded Stanford’s (28-1) NCAA-record 184 consecutive home-match win streak and its 47-match overall win streak. Stanford has not lost at home since Feb. 27, 1999 in a 5-4 loss to Cal and had notdropped a decision since a lost at UCLA on Feb. 26, 2010.

The title is the Florida athletics program 26th national team championship and second this season with the men’s track and field team winning the NCAA Indoor title. “I don’t know what it looked like on TV or in the stands, that took about 10 years off my life,” said head coach Roland Thornqvist, who guided the Gators to his second national championship in his 10-year tenure at UF. “We played phenomenal doubles that really set the tone. Today we really found out how Stanford has a 10-year winning streak. It’s really difficult to win here. It took a gutsy performance and everything we had to push us through to victory. Thankfully

“We knew this was going to be very difficult,” Thornqvist said. “Playing in front of 2,000 fans screaming against you, it was tough. Our freshmen were outstanding this week. That proved to be the difference. Alex Cercone went 4-0 this week and that’s tough to do.”

Thornqvist also led the Gators to the 2003 NCAA title played in Gainesville. “My first one, it was just my second year at Florida and my head was still spinning,” Thornqvist shared. “I was just so excited to be at Florida, I don’t know if I enjoyed it that much. This one is certainly very special. To be able to do it here at Stanford in front of 2,000 hostile fans with probably the hardest-working team I’ve ever had is very, very rewarding.”

On Tuesday, the Gators won the doubles point with impressive play at all three positions and took a 1-0 team lead. The Cardinal quickly regrouped on the singles court, where the hosts jumped out and won the first set on five of the six courts. Stanford senior and third-ranked Hilary Barte was the first to finish, as she defeated Gator sophomore and seventh-ranked Allie Will (Boca Raton, Fla.), 6-2, 6-4, and evened the team scoring at 1-all. The loss snapped Will’s 15-match win streak and marked only her second dual match singles loss this season. There were seven breaks in the second set, and Barte managed the last to break Will in the final game to take the straight-set decision.

Stanford then took a 2-1 lead when 18th-ranked Nicole Gibbs defeated 91st-ranked Sofie Oyen, 6-4, 7-5 on court three. The Gator rookie had a break for 4-3 in the second set, but Gibbs broke and held for a 5-4 lead. Oyen held, as did Gibbs, but the Cardinal earned one final break to win the match. Alex Cercone (Seminole, Fla.) provided the Gators with a singles victory, as she rallied for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 win against Veroncia Li and her 14th consecutive decision. The win, which closed the gap to 3-2 in the team score, was her team-best 37th singles victory. Cercone opened the final set with a break and held for a 2-0 lead. Li broke and held before Cercone also held and the set was even at 3-all. Cercone collected another break and aced on game point to a 5-3 lead. The then broke again and held for the win. Cercone has won her singles match in the last five NCAA matches, the only Gator to do so.

Stanford then put itself one step closer to the title, when Stacey Tan found a way to take out Gator captain Joanna Mather (Duluth, Ga.), 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, on court four and take a 3-1 lead I the team score.The attention then turned to court two, where Lauren Embree was battling 22nd-ranked Mallory Burdette and hero of last year’s 4-3 Stanford win, as well as a vocal and hostile Cardinal crowd. Embree trailed 4-0 in the third set, before ripping off the next four games to even the frame and headed to the baseline to serve, where she lost just one point to take a miraculous 5-4 lead.

While the hoards of fans moved to the stadium courts to watch what it felt would be the clinching decision with Burdette’s large lead, Olivia Janowicz (Palm Bay, Fla.) was quietly leading her third set against Carolyn McVeigh, 5-0. Embree then drew up double-match point against Burdette’s serve, but couldn’t finish either, as the Cardinal won four straight points to win the game and keep the match alive. Embree then lost just one point on her serve for a 6-5 lead. She then won the first two points of Burdette’s service game, as Janowicz drew up double-match point on court six. Burdette rallied to win the next three points, with the third clipping the net-cord and falling into open space and later the fourth point to force a tiebreak. At the start of the tiebreak, Janowicz polished off her 6-7, 6-3, 6-1 victory and tied the team match at 3-all. The win was the Gator rookie’s 19th consecutive victory. “This is honestly better than anything I could have ever dreamed,” said Janowicz of winning the national championship. “I don’t even know how to describe how I’m feeling.”

Embree fell behind 2-0 in the tiebreak but won four straight points and took control. Burdette held her next serve for 4-3 and then evened the match at 4-all. Embree won the next two and set up double-match point, but Burdette fought off both and tied the breaker at 6-all. Embree then dug deep and won the next two points for the 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) victory and the championship. Embree actually jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set, but Burdette ripped off the next six games and whipped the Stanford crowd into a frenzy, as it propelled her to a 3-1 lead in the second behind a pair of breaks. Embree calmed and wore down the hard-hitting Cardinal and she broke in the seventh game en route to taking the second set and forcing a third. “It was so up and down,” Embree shared about her match. “I got off to a really good start. Mallory just started to play better and better as the match went on. In the second set I knew if I hung in there and could get a break and that’s what happened. I got off to a really slow start in the third. Honestly, I really just wanted to stay out there and fight for my team. Joanna (Mather) was down a set and 5-0 (in Monday’s NCAA Semifinal match) and I knew that if she could do it, I could do it. I wanted to fight as long as I could and I came out with the win. “I had different thoughts racing through my mind when I was down 4-0 in the third,” Embree shared. “I kept fighting. I knew I still had a chance no matter what the score was.”

Embree, who was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Performer, completed the dual match portion of the season with a perfect 24-0 singles record, as she will continue action on Wednesday in the first round of the NCAA Singles Championships.

“Lauren is one of the players who you can always depend on,” Cercone said. “Sometimes you don’t want to depend on a player and put pressure on anybody, but it came down to that today. We knew, I knew that Lauren was going to pull it out because the heart that she has. I had incredible faith in her and I’m proud that she did what she did today.”

Florida was very impressive on the doubles court, where all three teams earned early breaks and held comfortable leads throughout play. The Gator’s number two team of Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) and Sofie Oyen (Leopoldsburg, Belgium) continued its quick work as it provided the first win of the championship with an 8-3 victory against Nicole Gibbs and Veronica Li in 37 minutes. Embree and Oyen capped their inaugural season together with a 9-0 record, netting a win in each of the last five NCAA matches for the Gators. Florida’s number three tandem of Caroline Hitimana (Waterloo, Belgium) and Joanna Mather (Duluth, Ga.) provided the clinching doubles point for the third consecutive match, this time downing Carolyn McVeigh and Stacey Tan, 8-3. The pair had not played together since November, but reunited in the NCAA Quarterfinal round and has been a key to Florida’s doubles success at the championship site. Alex Cercone (Seminole, Fla.) and Allie Will (Boca Raton, Fla.) were leading their match against Hilary Barte and Mallory Burdette when play was abandoned.

Florida also won the doubles point at last year’s NCAA Final, before the Cardinal rallied to collect four singles victories en route to the 4-3 decision. The Gators had not lost a dual match this year when winning the doubles point.

The 2011 event marked the eighth time Florida and Stanford squared off in the NCAA Final, with the Cardinal winning five of those matches and the Gators capturing the title in 1996, 2003 and now 2011.Florida, which ended the year on a 21-match winning streak, posted the 875th win in the program’s 39th season of varsity action, taking the all-time record to an impressive 875-128.

2011 NCAA Women’s All-Tournament Team

Most Outstanding Player: Lauren Embree, FLORIDA

No. 1 Singles: Hilary Barte, Stanford

No. 2 Singles: Lauren Embree, FLORIDA

No. 3 Singles: Nicole Gibbs, Stanford

No. 4 Singles: Jelena Staivuk, Baylor

No. 5 Singles: Alex Cercone, FLORIDA

No. 6 Singles: Carolyn McVeigh, Stanford

No. 1 Doubles: Hilary Barte/Mallory Burdette, Stanford

No. 2 Doubles: Lauren Embree/Sofie Oyen, FLORIDA

No. 3 Doubles: Diana Nakic/Sona Novakova, Baylor

NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships Final

Doubles (ranking)

1. (2) Alex Cercone/Allie Will, UF led (3) Hilary Barte/Mallory Burdette, SU, 6-3 DNF

2. (45) Lauren Embree/Sofie Oyen, UF d. Nicole Gibbs/Veronica Li, SU, 8-3

3. (37) Caroline Hitimana/Joanna Mather, UF d. (74) Carolyn

McVeigh/Stacey Tan, SU, 8-3*

Order of Finish: 2, 3*

Singles

1. (3) Hilary Barte, SU d. (7) Allie Will, UF, 6-2, 6-4

2. (17) Lauren Embree, UF d. (22) Mallory Burdette, SU, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(6)*

3. (18) Nicole Gibbs, SU d. (91) Sofie Oyen, UF, 6-4, 7-5

4. (43) Stacey Tan, SU d. (42) Joanna Mather, UF, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4

5. (54) Alex Cercone, UF d. Veroncia Li, SU, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4

6. (53) Olivia Janowicz, UF d. Carolyn McVeigh, SU, 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-1

Order of Finish: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 2*

Updated records: Florida 31-1, Stanford 28-1

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