Alex Johnson, left, and Jason Nguyen were first and second place finishers in the Boy’s Singles draw. Both are members of the Portland Athletic Club, host of the High School Kick-Off Tennis Tournament.
PORTLAND, Oregon (March 7, 2011) – Alex Johnson and Madeline Samkutty, both 14, captured the Boy’s and Girl’s Singles titles in the High School Kick-Off Tennis Tournament, held at the Portland Athletic Club (PAC) last weekend, March 4-6.
In the Boy’s Finals, Johnson, a member of PAC, defeated fellow PAC member Jason Nguyen, 17, in two sets. On the girl’s side, Samkutty prevailed in a gripping three-set semifinal match against seventeen-year-old Jennifer Kearns en route to the finals, where she topped Arielle Bradford, 18. Fifteen-year-old PAC member David Govshtein was the Boy’s Singles Consolation winner, while Christina Truong, a senior at Benson High School, took the Girl’s Singles Consolation round.
According to tournament coordinator, PAC’s Alyssa Morrison, it was a jam-packed three days of youth tennis with more than 50 high school players from all over the Portland and surrounding areas participating. “I saw some real high caliber tennis matches this past weekend,” tournament coordinator Morrison said. “I look forward to hearing a lot more about these kids as their high school tennis seasons unfold.”
Since this was a non-sanctioned USTA event, coaching was allowed, and many took advantage of the opportunity. As one of the largest pre-season tennis tournaments in the Portland area, this event offered a great preview of the competition that coaches, players, and teams can expect during the upcoming high school tennis season.
“I started this tournament because I wanted to see a large, non-sanctioned USTA event that provided high school kids with an opportunity to play in a high-quality tournament without having to worry about their ranking or position on their high school line-up,” said Blackburn. “I think this tournament provided these kids with a great warm-up for their high school tennis season.”
To acquire the full tournament results, visit www.portlandathleticclub.net/tennis_academy.asp or call the Portland Athletic Club at 503-292-2649.
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