August 2016 – AUSTIN TENNIS ACADEMY

Ashley Weinhold Earns Spot In US Open Doubles Main Draw

Austin Tennis Academy student Ashley Weinhold earned her way into the main draw of the women’s doubles at the 2016 US Open Tennis Championships in New York City with her partner Caitlin Whoriskey.

“It’s really great to back at the Open,” Ashley said. “It’s always been one of my favorite places to play since Juniors.”

Weinhold has earned 5 doubles titles since the start of 2015, 4 of them with her partner for the Open, Caitlin Whoriskey.

“Caitlin & I have had a lot of success together as a team, especially lately & I believe we deserve to be in this position,” Weinhold said. “It’s going to be her first main draw of a slam experience which is really neat for her. This will be my third time playing women’s doubles here so it’s a little more familiar to me. This one might mean the most, though. I feel like we’re in a great place to play well here. We’re really looking forward to this opportunity. It’s a nice way to cap off our Summer run & an exciting lead into our fall as we try to get into bigger events. Can’t wait to play this week!”

As a junior, Ashley won G18s Nationals in 2007, earning her a main draw spot in the U.S. Open for the first time. That year, she played singles, doubles mixed doubles, junior singles and junior doubles.

Ashley and Caitlin open the tournament against the 10th seeded team of Vania King and Monica Niculescu. The ladies will learn the exact day/time of the match later today. For Ashley, she’s excited to get back into that New York City energy.

“There is a special feeling and buzz you get when you’re here playing on home turf,” Ashley said. “The atmosphere is electric.”

Good luck, Ashley and Caitlin!

20 ATA Players Earn A Spot in USTA National Hardcourts

The USTA Super National Hardcourts tournaments unfolded earlier this month, with a record 20 ATA Academy players earning a spot in the event – a quarter of the entire Academy group.

The biggest junior USTA tournament of the year, the winners in both Boy’s and Girl’s 18 singles and doubles earns a wildcard into the US OPEN Grand Slam in New York City.

“This summer’s nationals has an excellent showing for ATA players,” ATA CEO Jack Newman said. “This was the single highest number of Academy players participating in a super national event since the program’s inception.”

B16&18 took place in Kalamazoo, MI

Leading the way was Erik Kerrigan and Payton Holden, graduates of ATA College Prep for the Boy’s 18. They both ended their junior career with a great last tournament, before heading to University of Chicago and Princeton to start their college careers.

Erik made it the farthest in the tournament of all Texas players, reaching the round of 32 before losing to the #5. Erik then won his 4th rd consolation match.

Payton Holden made it to the round of 64 by taking out the #31 seed 6-0, 6-1 and earning the tournament’s player of the day award. He then made it to the the 4th rd in the consolation.

“Both Erik and Payton finished their junior tennis careers with great playing,” Newman said. “Both hit out on the ball, played their distinctive brand of tennis and competed with poise and vigor.”

Wilson Hamilton, Granville Kaynor and Alejandro Rodriquez all competed in B18 singles and doubles.

Roger Chou was the only ATA player in the B16 singles and he went 2-2.

Harrison Chiu made it the furthest in B16 doubles. Harrison and his partner Harvey Maughan made it to the rd of 16.

“Harrison Chiu created a legendary life story,” Newman said. “32nd alternate, showed up early for sign in hopes of snagging a doubles spot. A boy walks up to the doubles sign in desk and says “my partner broke his toe I need a new one” and Harrison steps up and says “I can play” the boy agrees. And they make it to the round of 16. Legendary.”

B14 took place in San Antonio, TX

Max Schmidhauser competed in B14 singles and doubles. He went 3-2 in singles play.

B12 took place in Little Rock, AR

James Cockrell and Jake Riezebeek competed in B12 singles and doubles. James went 2-2 in singles and Jake went 1-3 in singles.

G16&18 took place in San Diego, CA

Abigail Chiu led the way for G18 in singles and doubles. Abigail made it to the round of 16 in doubles and went 3-2 in singles play. Abigail, a senior this year at ATA College Prep, will attend Dartmouth in 2017. Alex Mjos also played in the G18 singles and doubles where she made it to the round of 64. She will head to University of Southern Florida next fall.

Callie Creath made it the farthest in Girl’s 16s singles going 3-2. Kristin Kerrigan went 2-2 in singles and Georgia Wright went 0-2 in singles.

G14 took place in Peachtree City, GA

Caroline Wernli went 2-2 in singles and 1-1 in doubles play.

G12 took place in Alpharetta, GA

Sasha Malysheva went 1-3 in singles play.

While this was arguably the best ever year for ATA Academy players ever at Hardcourt Nationals, Coach Newman has but one focus in mind: improving.

“In the next few years, we hope to build on both the number of national competitors we send and the distance they go in their events.”

Coach Newman Recommended Article, “How Does Physical Training Increase Your Child’s Tennis Mental Toughness?”

Physically fit players are less likely to feel discomfort than unfit players in the same match. Therefore, fit players are able to place their focus, energy and attention on helpful processes that increase the chances of success. There are other reasons for the link between physical fitness and mental fitness. Physical pain and emotional pain are housed in the same area of our brain. Stronger bodies, stronger brains! Click here to read the full article from Parenting Mentally Tough Tennis by Anthony Ross.

ATACP Senior Abigail Chiu Claims Gold Ball At USTA Clay Court Nationals

The 2016 USTA Clay Court National Championships unfolded last week, with 14 ATA Academy players competing across all age divisions. The standout performance came from ATA College Prep Senior Abigail Chiu, who brought home a Gold Ball for winning 1^st place in Girl’s 18s doubles – her 8^th National Ball overall.

“This moment in particular was the most special feeling I’ve had after claiming a national ball,” Chiu said. “Between it being one of my last ever super nationals and having my mom witness me winning a gold ball for the first time, it was truly rewarding. The acknowledgment I’ve received especially amongst my ATA peers has made this accomplishment feel even better.”

Abigail traveled to the event, hosted in Memphis, TN, with ATA CEO Jack Newman. Following a tough first-round singles loss, Abigail was able to refocus and earn three-straight wins in singles before her undefeated run in doubles with partner Elysia Bolton.

“I have to give a huge thanks to Coach Newman who played a huge part in this,” Chiu said. “He was so encouraging and gave me great motivation throughout the entire tournament. We had a specific ritual everyday that allowed me to stay calm and focused and I really do credit him in the highest ways. I really believe he is the best at what he does and when you get the chance to travel with him one on one, you come to realize why ATA is so special. Of course I also credit my three main coaches: Coach Doug, Coach Brandon and Coach Dio who consistently take care of me both physically and emotionally.”

Chiu also credited her access to two beautiful red clay courts here at here home Academy; appropriately named The Chiu Family Clay Courts.

“The clay courts at ATA have definitely been nice,” Chiu said. “It’s not so common to have clay courts at your home facility; many of my friends have to travel to Florida or other such places to access them but we’re really lucky here. Not every academy can have such nice clay courts and that’s the reason so many kids across Texas come to ATA for better preparation.”

Newman also credits the courts for the overall success of ATA players on the surface recently.

“We had our best clay court performance this year of any years previously,” Newman said. “Having our players start practicing on clay during the year on a regular basis and exclusively after the summer grand slam for sure helped our performance.”

Beyond the coaching, preparation, and court access, Chiu also credits her partner in this event.

“Elysia is also probably the best partner I’ve ever played with. She is an incredible player and I felt that our games really complemented each other well. The last match was actually our most dominating and confident performance and that’s another reason why winning this has never felt better. It was relieving to finish my last clay court nationals with a title and with a match that I will never forget.”

After spending the week with Abigail and coaching her to a Gold Ball, Newman was clear on how she stacks up against her peers on the doubles court.

“Abigail is the best doubles player of her age in the country (IMHO), for the following reasons–very good serve locations, solid returning from both sides, ability to move forward and control volley height and pace, ability to perform formations effectively without fear.”

The natural step after reaching a goal for Chiu and all ATA student-athletes is simple: set another one. Now, she will focus forward on the next steps in her tennis career.

“The next step for me is getting ready for college tennis. I am planning on tweaking my schedule a little bit so that I can experience some higher level tournaments whether it’s lower lever pro tournaments or more collegiate events. I’ve played junior Texas tennis my entire life and I’m ready to see what it’s like against the girls at the next level!”