With a hop, skip and a bounce – alongside with a extensive array of winning photographs – Jack Kennedy of Huntington, N.Y., was aspect of two USTA Boys 14 Countrywide Clay Courtroom Championships victories at the Westgate Tennis Middle in Dothan on Sunday.
Kennedy gained the singles title by defeating Gus Grumet of Mills Valley, Calif., 6-2, 6-4 and then teamed with Sebastian Bielen of Glen Cove, N.Y., to earn the doubles championship by beating Yannik Alvarez of Cumming, Ga., and Ryan Cozad of Alpharetta, Ga., 6-3, 6-3.
The animated Kennedy didn’t brain letting out a shout just after a strong shot, or skip over to his towel to wipe away some sweat or even strike a muscle pose right after a gain.
But most of all, he exhibited huge tennis abilities in putting away his opponents throughout the week-very long match.
“It’s a really large accomplishment for me and my workforce and my family members,” Kennedy explained. “This was a target of mine to obtain and I lastly did it.”
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It concluded a major thirty day period for Kennedy, who won an early July tournament in Greensboro, N.C., leading up to the victory in Dothan.
“That was a event I played prior to this to get ready for aggressive match perform,” Kennedy claimed. “I come to feel like that event really gave me self-assurance heading into this tournament.”
It was the 1st ever meeting concerning the two singles finalists on Sunday and it took a although for Kennedy to sense comfy versus the continuous participate in of Grumet, a mild-mannered competitor who was awarded the sportsmanship award for the match.
“His backhand was a tiny effective in the starting … he was heading for his pictures,” Kennedy said. “But then when I bought employed to it and was managing the details a lot more, I received much more at ease and the nerves ended up undoubtedly significantly less.”
An additional key for Kennedy, as it experienced been during the event, was a fall shot that experienced Grumet hitting into the internet often at the time achieving the ball.
“The fall shot is really helpful to provide the man or woman ahead, especially if it’s heading nicely,” Kennedy mentioned.
With rain interrupting engage in generally through the study course of the 7 days together with sizzling, sunny temperature at other moments, Kennedy stated a lot of achievements revolved all around staying powerful mentally.
“The ailments down below are incredibly challenging from where by I am in New York, but it was also incredibly hard mentally with all of the rain delays and anything,” Kennedy reported. “I just experienced to be organized for just about every match and bring my all.”
Though Kennedy experienced performed in a tournament in Alabama (Cell) in the earlier, it was his 1st excursion to Dothan and he came absent amazed.
“It’s a fantastic facility to host a tournament,” Kennedy explained. “There are various courts that are extremely, extremely good. I love almost everything all around it and how it was operate by all people.”
Close to 200 players from throughout the country took part in the countrywide event for junior gamers ages 13 and 14. It was the to start with of its magnitude that has been hosted at the Westgate Tennis Heart, Azalea Swim & Tennis Club and Dothan Place Club.
“We’ve been setting up for this about six months and it is just incredible to see it all materialize,” reported Aaron McCreight, the CEO of Stop by Dothan. “I believe we have accomplished a really superior job of dancing all over the rain drops and receiving this thing in. To be on agenda right after the 7 days we have had was pretty incredible.”
McCreight mentioned the town has a two-year arrangement with USTA to host the match and he’s hopeful it will flip into a extended time period deal.
“We just hope with these two yrs that we’ll exhibit they are superior off keeping listed here alternatively of going somewhere else,” McCreight claimed. “We took this from Miami … we’re by considerably the smallest location hosting a Degree I championship for USTA.
“I think we’ve tested ourselves. We have 32 courts in two miles of every other. Display me another town that has that. We have the hotel rooms, we have the dining places and we have the sights absent from the courts to entertain the folks even though they are listed here. So we have everything they will need and almost everything that they want.”