Academy News

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

  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

      Harrison O’Keefe travelled back home to Virginia to compete in the USTA/Mid Atlantic Championship from October 13-15 and came out with the championship trophy. O’Keefe beat Brett Moorhead 6-3,6-3 in the final match to take the title. With the win he will now be the #1 ranked junior in the Boys 18 and under division of the Mid Atlantic Section. Congrats to Harrison for all of his hard work paying off!  

Many academy students participated in the two local tournaments that were held this past weekend, October 19-21. The Dennis Van Der Meer Southern Junior Championships was a Southern Level 3 event held on Hilton Head and the Tennis Shop Junior Super Series was a Georgia Level 4 that was held in Savannah. Our students competed hard and once again had some fantastic results!   Following is a list of our champions and finalists:   Dennis Van Der Meer Southern Junior … read more

  Smith Stearns students won numerous titles at the Van der Meer Junior Classic held September 14-16 on Hilton Head Island. A total of 37 Smith Stearns students competed in the event. For some students this was their first tournament of the new semester and it was surely a great way to start off with a bang!   Following is a list of our champions and finalists:   B16 Champion – Sean Sculley B14 Champion – Alex Sklizovic G18 Champion … read more

      Hampton Drake had a fantastic transition into the boys 18 and under division when he captured the title at his first USTA Southern Bullfrog Designated in the 18’s. Drake defeated Christian Garay in the semifinals and Will Showers in the finals to claim the title.   Congrats to Hampton on a successful summer and a great start to the new semester!