Taylor Townsend is tops among juniors

Taylor Townsend, a 16-year-old from Stockbridge, Ga., who trains full-time at the USTA Training Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., became the top-ranked junior in the ITF World Junior Rankings (for players 18 and younger) on Monday, making her the first American girl to earn the No. 1 ranking since the ITF combined singles and doubles rankings in 2004.

Donald Young was the last American to reach No. 1 in the boys’ rankings in 2005. Coincidentally, Young’s parents were Townsend’s first tennis coaches.

In January, Townsend swept the girls’ singles and doubles titles at the Australian Open, becoming the first American to sweep the junior singles and doubles titles at a Grand Slam event since Lindsay Davenport at the 1992 US Open. In addition, Townsend captured the prestigious Easter Bowl title earlier this month in Rancho Mirage, Calif., where she also reached the doubles final, and she owns a 19-2 singles record in ITF World Junior Competition in 2012.

Townsend is representing the United States this week at the Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas North/Central American and Caribbean Championships, held in Merida, Mexico, April 26-28. The team is coached by USTA Lead National Coach Kathy Rinaldi, who works with Taylor in Boca Raton.

Washington Park product shines at UGA

ATHENS, Ga. --- University of Georgia men’s tennis freshman Nathan Pasha on Monday secured his fourth SEC Freshman of the Week honor of the season when the league office issued its release this afternoon.

Pasha has now won the award in back-to-back weeks in addition to taking the honors on March 28 and Feb. 22. The Atlanta native is riding a team-best nine-match winning streak in singles with an 18-1 dual match record and a 9-1 mark in conference play.

On Saturday vs. Tennessee in the regular-season finale, Pasha put up two more wins on the day to help the Bulldogs to the 7-0 shutout of their divisional rival, including a straight-set win over Taylor Patrick at six singles that got him off the court first for the sixth time in 2012. He then teamed with Sadio Doumbia for an 8-2 victory at No. 2 doubles, which at that point evened things at 1-1 before Georgia eventually went on to claim the doubles point.

Pasha and the Bulldogs head to Starkville, Miss., this week for the 2012 SEC Championships. Enjoying a first round bye, Georgia will take on the winner of the Auburn-South Carolina match in the quarterfinals on Friday at 9 a.m. ET.

UGA's Pasha Freshman of the Week

Georgia men’s tennis rookie Nathan Pasha went a combined 5-0 last week, including two match-clinching victories for UGA at the ITA National Indoors, on his way to the first SEC Freshman of the Week honors of his career, the league office announced Wednesday morning.




The Atlanta native’s stellar play helped the Bulldogs to a 3-1 week, including a trip to the Indoor semifinals at the Boar’s Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Va. He recorded three singles victories at line six to improve to 7-0 in dual match play, while adding a pair of doubles wins with Ignacio Taboada at No. 3.



Pasha’s wins vs. 13th-ranked California in the first round and fifth-ranked Florida in the quarterfinal clinched both of those matches, while he also won vs. top-ranked Southern Cal in Sunday’s semifinal, taking down No. 86 Roberto Quiroz to even the overall score at 1-1. It was his second career win over a ranked opponent.

Catching up with the Amazing Parks Sisters

Man, it's been awhile, but I'm finally back at my blog with more details about Mikayla Parks, who is now 11, and Alycia Parks, now 10. The Parks family has been living in Florida for just over a year and the Parks Sisters have been turning heads and raising eyebrows wherever they go to train. Perhaps one of the biggest highlights came last October, when they met one of their heroes. The girls, along with their dad, Michael Parks, visited the Barnes and Noble bookstore in Palm Gardens where WTA superstar Venus Williams was signing copies of her book, "Come To Win." Williams' eyes lit up when she saw the family approach her table. "Mr. Parks?" she asked, confirming this was indeed the Parks family. "Yes," he answered. Then Venus leaped from her seat to give Mr Parks and the girls big hugs! "Oh my goodness," she said as finally met the tennis-playing sisters she'd heard so much about. "They are beautiful, and very strong," Williams said, who had been given a head's up to expect a visit from the sisters during her book signing.  The tennis legend had seen pictures of Alycia and Mikayla and even heard their voices by phone, but had never met them face to face.  Clearly the youngsters impressed Ms. Venus, who couldn't take her eyes off them. She presented them autographed copies of her book.  Mikayla, who I'm told is a huge fan of Venus, started reading the book immediately. It was a meeting that the Parks Sisters will long remember.

Meanwhile, on the court, Alycia and Mikayla have seen their abilities soar after a year of working with some of the nation's top coaches and instructors. A visit to their old haunt,"Racquet Club of the South," for a USTA Regional Level 2 showcase only confirmed what many had believed. Bill Ozaki, Director of Programs and Player Development for the USTA Southern Section, was pleased with what he saw as Alycia and Mikayla showed a mastery of all the strokes, with serves that clocked around 90 miles per hour. Mr Parks told me those serves sound like a rocket going off ! The sisters also showed off the ability to hit a swinging volley which is a difficult shot to execute consistantly. Oh, and by the way, the showcase in Norcross was for the top junior players in the region, ages 12 to 14. Remember, the Parks Sisters are only 11 and 10. It was also dertermined at that time that the girls would begin tournament play early this year and that's been a success so far. The sisters combined to take the doubles title with an 8-0 score in a 12's tournament. Then it was on to the Polo Club for their first singles tournament playing in a year and a half. It was a 14's tourney and Mikayla made it to the semifinals, while Alycia finished the job beating the second seed 6-0, 6-0 and then taking down the top seed 6-2, 6-3. The 14's is where the Parks Sisters are expected to play most of their tournaments this year, and they've already served notice they won't just be satisfied with playing well. They are coming to win.

The month of March started with a trip to Bradenton, Fla., to work out at the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy under the watchful eye of tennis guru Nick Bollettieri. It was the sisters' second time visiting the Bollettieri Academy and the man known for his expert eye for tennis talent was very pleased with their progress. There's a chance this could mean more trips to IMG in the future. I'll keep you up to date on all the latest.  In the meantime, be on the lookout for next issue of USTA magazine. It will feature a story on the Amazing Parks Sisters! This could be an interesting spring and summer – very interesting indeed.

Parks Sisters Visit New York

As promised, I have an update on the Amazing Parks Sisters, who will take a break from their training in South Florida this weekend to attend a Junior Tennis Combine in the Washington, D.C. area .Martin Blackmon of the USTA has told Michael Parks that Alycia and Mikayla will likely begin tournament play early next year. Mr. Parks says that in January Mikayla will be 11, and Alycia will be 10, and he expects them to play level 4, 14's. It should place the Parks Sisters in direct competition with some of the top Juniors in the country, and prepare then for international events. Remember, Alycia and Mikayla have been playing tennis for just two and a half years, and have been based in Florida for less than a year. They've come a long way in a very short period of time.

The eyes of the sports world turned to New York City for the US Open, and the Parks Sisters were there for Opening Day. According to their dad, it was great experience for the girls.While on the grounds of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the Parks Sisters got to watch matches and see how the top players in the world prepare to play in the final slam of the year. While at the Open, the girls also got to take pictures with Katrina Adams, former WTA Tour player turned commentator for the Tennis Channel, and with ATP tour player Donald Young. Young, who lives in Atlanta, has seen his ranking rise during 2010, and came into the US Open listed among the top 100 players in the world. The sisters are big fans of the Bryan Brothers, and they got to say hello to the world's top ranked doubles team while in New York, too. Let it be noted that the media was aware of the Parks Sisters' visit, as former ATP player and coach Brad Gilbert gave them an enthusiastic wave from his perch in the ESPN broadcast booth. Can you just imagine the look on the faces of these two young phenoms as they laid their eyes on Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first time? No doubt it inspired them to play, not in the future, but right then! Michael Parks says he and family friend Keith Mitchell were at the hotel the next day when the girls found a ball and started bouncing it around the room. They just couldn't hold it in any more...Alycia and Mikayla had been watching tennis for two days and wanted to play. Mr. Parks shouted, "Keith, let's get them out of this room and find them a court, quick!" Together the four hopped into a cab and drove to a tennis court not far from their hotel, and there in the heart of the Big Apple, the Amazing Parks Sisters worked their magic. No, it wasn't Arthur Ashe Stadium, or Louis Armstong Stadium. It wasn't even on the grounds of the National Tennis Center,  but for that moment in time, it could have been. You might think this would be enough for a first time visit to New York, but the best part was yet to come. Alycia and Mikayla were special guests of Solomon Smallwood at the Madison Square Garden performance by Justin Bieber. In addition to being in the house for one of the hottest concerts on the planet, the young ladies got to meet a long list of celebrities that included Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Snoop Dogg and Kanye West. The girls took pictures with Boys To Men, Jaden Smith, Usher, and of course, Justin Bieber. It was an amazing evening, but while they enjoyed the music, their father was totally taken with the building itself. Madison Square Garden has long been known as the "Mecca of Basketball." A star basketball player in high school and college, Michael Parks took a moment or two to admire the banners that hung from the longtime home of the New York Knicks. After three days in New York, Michael Parks and his daughters headed back to Florida, and back to their daily workouts on the courts in Boca Raton. The family had taken just a small bite out of the "Big Apple" and the taste was sweet indeed!

Swing Your Racquet For A Good Cause

Whew!!! The rain that passed through our area the past two days has ushered temperatures that feel more like early fall. I don't know about you, but to me this is the best time of year to attack the tennis court. It is also a great time to play tennis for good causes. There are a number of events scheduled for the Metro Atlanta area in the coming weeks. For instance, this Wednesday September 29th, the third annual Breast Cancer Round Robin will be played at the Wheatfield's Reserves Tennis Courts in Grayson. Registration and drills begin at 10am, with the Round Robin lasting from 11am to 1pm. The cost is 25 dollars, and there is also a dessert buffet and lunch, plus a truck sale. To find out more contact Bryan Shepard at onemoretennisnut@aol.com ..
Saturday you can "Serve It Up" for a good cause. The W.E.B DuBois Society is an organization that helps empower black youth in the Atlanta area, and on Saturday October 2nd, the society will host it's annual "Serve It Up" fund raising event from 4pm to 8pm at the Midtown Athletic Club. Area civic leaders and celebrities will take to the courts for an event that includes food, drinks and prizes.If you want to play go to http://www.webduboissociety.org/  to find out about registration.
Finally, on Sunday October 24th, the Racquet Club of the South in Norcross will be the site of the " Scary Tennis Cup". The adult tennis fundraiser will be held from 4pm to 8pm, will include a silent auction, door prizes, goodie bags, and raffles. There is room for 15 men's doubles teams and 15 women's doubles teams..Halloween attire is encouraged.The registration fee of  $35 is tax deductable and all levels of players are welcomed.. To find out more contact: Melissa Anthony at http://www.tenniskidsandteens.com/ ..I would love to play in all of these events, but my football season work schedule won't allow it..That is why I wrote this for you. Hope you can attend and have some fun for me.. I will update you on more tennis for great causes in the area. And, keep you eyes on Sams Passing Shots for an update on the Amazing Parks Sisters who recently visited the Big Apple and met their hero.. watch out for it..

Pro Tennis Here To Stay ???

What  a week at the Atlanta Athletic Club.. The pro tennis tour returned to our town on a week when the nickname " HOTlanta", was more than fitting.Spectators braved the conditions that were unbearable at times, with some needing medical assistance. The fans were not the only ones needing help, Tournament Champion Mardy Fish required an I-V after playing a grueling 3-setter with UGA's John Isner. It brought an end to an exciting week of competition with some of the top players in the world, and we even got to see Andy Roddick's wife and SI swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker. The couple was spotted eating at Waffle House and Mrs. Roddick was sporting a t-shirt that proclaimed Atlanta to be the "Best Tennis Town". That's it, HOT tennis, a HOT model, and  HOT weather that made us all feel scattered , covered and smothered. Andy Roddick did not make hotel reservations for next year, saying this year's tournament happened to fall just right for his schedule. He may be on to something. Just hours after celebrating the success of last week tournament officials said that next years date might be in doubt. The first week of the US Open series could be the same week as the PGA Championship, which is scheduled for the Atlanta Athletic Club . It could leave the Atlanta Tennis Championships searching for a home for next year, or worse, taking a year off. That is not the way an event wants to spend the year after a successful debut..Look for update on this blog site..