The first month of the new year has already been a busy one with students traveling all around to play in various tournaments. Just this past weekend, the academy saw five students win titles at the USTA Regional Segments in Mobile and Norcross. It was a great way to get out on the competitive court and start the new year with a bang! Harrison O’Keefe won the boy’s 18 and under division in Mobile and was a finalist in … read more
Hampton Drake capped off an excellent year in his junior career by winning two more USTA balls by placing 2nd in singles and 3rd in doubles at the USTA Winter National Championships held December 27th through January 2nd in Scottsdale, Arizona. Playing some of his best tennis, Hampton breezed by #9 seeded Xavier Gonzalez in the round of 16, 6-0,6-2, then followed that up with a convincing win over the #4 seed J.T. Nishimura, 6-1,6-1. In the semifinals he … read more
Smith Stearns students had a great tournament at the SC State Junior Open held November 30 through December 3 at the Citadel in Charleston. Julie Clark was a finalist in the girls 18 and under division, while Liz Williams was a singles and doubles finalist (w/Katie Rankin) in the girls 16’s. Grace Kennedy placed 3rd in the girls 12’s and Kate Christensen placed 3rd in the girls 18’s and won the doubles in the girls 16’s. Other … read more
Hampton Drake & Hayley Carter were honored as USTA/South Carolina award winners this month. Hampton received the Boys Player of the Year Award while Hayley was honored with the Wilton McKinney Award. The annual awards given by USTA South Carolina are intended to recognize individuals who made outstanding contributions to tennis. Award winners are chosen based on their accomplishments during the year and are recognized during the USTA SC Annual Meeting presented by the City of Aiken, which was … read more
Jess Jones reached the singles and doubles quarterfinals of the boys 16 and under division of the Orange Bowl International Championship held this past week in Plantation, Florida. The Orange Bowl is one of the most prestigious junior tournaments in the world as it attracts hundreds of the top international players every year. Jones defeated a top player from Chile in the first round before taking out top ranked Americans Yancy Dennis and Cameron Klinger. In the quarterfinals he … read more
Carsten Fisher made it to the finals of the boys 16 and under doubles championship at the prestigious Eddie Herr International Tournament held November 23 through December 2 in Bradenton, Florida. Partnering with Alexander Knight of the United States, the duo beat the 2nd seeded team from Canada and the Netherlands before falling to the 5th seed from Korea in the final match. This was a fantastic result for Carsten on a big international stage! We congratulate him … read more
Katelyn Jackson won the girls 18 and under championship of the Fall Southern Closed held November 21-25 in Louisville, Kentucky. As a fifth seed Jackson defeated #1 seeded Kenya Jones in the semifinals 6-2,6-2, before dominating Kirsten Ward in the finals 6-1,6-3. By winning the Southern Closed Championship, this marks Jackson’s biggest win in the 18’s. She has moved up to #15 in the USTA/Southern Section in the 18 and under division, while still being eligible to play … read more
We are proud to announce the college commitments of eight of our seniors who participated in the early signing period. Andrew Schafer – University of South Carolina Juan Sheppard – Furman University Jimmy Lange – George Mason University Kelly Dodd – Villanova University Hayley Carter – University of North Carolina Christian Harris – Clemson University Barbara Rodriguez – Boston University Matthew Bishop – Xavier University We know that all of their hard work over the years has paid off … read more
Smith Stearns students had more great results at the recent USTA Regional Segments that were held October 27-29 in various places across the country. At the Norcross Regional Robert Loeb continued to dominate advancing to the finals of the boys 14 and under championship by beating 5th seeded Spencer Brown, 6-4,6-2. In the championship match he lost a hard fought battle to number one seeded Noah Makarome 7-5 in the third set. Loeb also placed 3rd in the … read more
Hayley Carter dominated the competition winning her second straight title at the ITF Junior Circuit Event held in Columbia, South Carolina from November 3rd-11th. She beat American Mia Horvit in the quarterfinals 6-4,6-1, and Rianna Valdes in the semifinals 6-3,6-1. In the championship match she defeated Kaitlin McCarthy 6-2, 6-4 to claim the title. Lats month, Carter teamed up with partner Brooke Austin to reach the finals of a $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in doubles. Also at the … read more
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