March 18, 2008
Coaches in USTA National Hardcourts, Gold and Bronze for ATA
Austin Tennis Academy coaches continue to strive for excellence in competition. Over the March 15th-16th weekend, ATA Coaches Estevam Strecker and Brian Notis captured Bronze in the USTA National 30s Hardcourts Doubles. Coach Notis also teamed with Dallas’ Patricia Zerdan to win his 6th USTA gold ball and 11th USTA ball overall, a truly prestigious accomplishment.
In a doubles draw won by perennial Wimbledon competitor Christo Van Rensburg, Notis and Strecker advanced to the semi-final round, overcoming fellow Texans Greg Gormley and Jason Peters in a close battle: 7-6(0), 4-6, 7-5. Though he did not feel the team played their highest level, Coach Strecker commented that “Brian and I competed very well in the quarter-final round and pulled the match out at the end”. For their high level effort, Notis and Strecker each earned a USTA bronze ball, signifying a third place finish at a USTA national surface tournament.
In mixed doubles, Coach Notis teamed with Patricia Zerdan to win the USTA National 30s Hardcourts. In the final round, Notis and Zerdan defeated Dickson Tennessee’s Todd Smith and his partner, Morrissville Pennsylvania’s Shareen Lai 6-3, 6-3. Coach Notis commented that he and Zerdan played “the big points very big,” adding that, “the match could easily have been much closer on the score cards, we just played very well to close out games.”
For Coach Strecker, the USTA Nationals 30s Hardcourts is the first of what promises to be many more successful USTA surface tournaments, while Coach Notis adds more precious metal hardware to an already brimming collection. As spring turns to summer, the Austin Tennis Academy players and coaches look forward to the ITA Summer Series, where players and coaches will compete together.
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