NYJTL Brings 600-Plus Together for 27th Annual Mayor’s Cup
The New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) capped off the 27th Annual Mayor’s Cup All-Scholastic Championships at the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis and Learning. The Mayor’s Cup is the largest junior scholastic tennis competition in the United States, with players from a wide diversity of backgrounds and neighborhoods representing, public, parochial and private schools through the greater New York City areas.
With nearly 600 participants, players had the privilege to enjoy the sport they love, while competing at a high level. The event offered free head-to-head competition for elementary, middle school and high school students. Seventeen elementary schools participated in a fun-filled team tennis event, while competitive matches were being played in 10 different divisions.
Below are the results from the 2015 Mayor’s Cup All-Scholastic Championships:
â–ºBoys Elementary Singles: Solomon Brown (Central Park East) defeated Mike Sheppard (Collegiate School) 4-0, 4-0
â–ºBoys Middle School Singles: Ethan Leon (JHS 210Q) defeated Sujay Sharma (MS 67) 7-5, 6-1
â–ºBoys Varsity Singles: Shawn Jackson (Wagner HS) defeated Jonah Jurick (Bronx HS of Science) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
â–ºGirls Elementary School Singles: Natalie Eordekian (St. Sebastian) defeated Sarah Youngberg (Spence School) 4-1, 4-2
â–ºGirls Middle School Singles: Nadeja Maslova (PS 206K) defeated Sonia Tartakovsky (The Chapin School) 6-1, 7-5
â–ºGirls Varsity Singles: Shelly Yaloz (Laurel Springs) defeated Aleksandra Bekirova (Beacon HS) 6-0, 6-2
â–ºBoys Varsity Doubles: Ameer Hosain & Garret T. Sopko (Beacon) defeated Daniel Nover & Douglas Nover (St. Francis Prep) 5-7, 6-4, 6-1
â–ºGirls Varsity Doubles: Alexus Gill & Michelle Khaimov (Beacon) defeated Joanne Chiu & Danielle Young (Stuyvesant) 6-1, 6-0
All matches were competitive, but three matches stood out from the rest. Boys’ Middle School Singles winner Ethan Leon of JHS 210Q had a great match with Sujay Sharma of MS67. Every point was a battle as both players were playing very well, but Leon was just a little bit more consistent. Down a break 4-5 in the first set, Leon broke back at 40-30 after a 30-30 point that last 22 shots. Leon looked comfortable for the rest of the match as he won eight of the next nine games.
“I did well, I was serving good and executing my shots,” said Leon. “I stayed mentally focused.”
Girls’ Varsity Singles winner Shelly Yaloz of Laurel Springs High School competed at a high level against opponent Aleksandra Bekirova of Beacon High School. Yaloz used her defense to keep her opponent on edge, while transitioning to offense nicely. Yaloz was aggressive when the time was right.
“It was windy out here today, so I moved my feet a lot more and went for bigger targets,” said Yaloz. Excited about the award ceremony later in the day, Yaloz, with a big smile, grinned and said, “I feel amazing.”
For the Boy’s Varsity Singles match, Shawn Jackson of Wagner High School and Jonah Jurick of Bronx High School of Science faced off. The match was a grind, as it went down to the wire. Jackson wound up victorious, defeating Jurick 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in a long three-set match. Up 5-0 to begin the match, Jackson looked to be in control for most of the way. Toward the end of the set however, Jackson surrendered two straight games, which gave Jurick some confidence going into the second set in which he won 6-4. After the match, Jackson noted his struggles and also spoke highly of his opponent, stating that Jurick’s level increased in the second set which caught him off guard. Pleased with his victory, Jackson believed his offensive mindedness paid off for him.
“Aggressiveness is why I won,” Jackson said. “If I wasn’t aggressive, he would win the long points.”
Sure, the Mayor’s Cup had great, competitive tennis throughout the day, but that’s not what the entire day was all about. Mayor’s Cup Tournament Director and NYJTL Director of Advanced Training and Competition Elena Bantovska, Mayor’s Cup Chairman and General Manger of the Cary Leeds Center Ron Nano of NYJTL, President & CEO of NYJTL Dr. Deborah Antoine, and Gary Davis of NYJTL, all played important roles in making the day a success.
“It was tough getting everything in, but we did it,” said Bantovska. “I am so proud of everyone, they worked really, really hard. It’s a big deal for the kids … they put this on their resume and feel very proud. Today is all about feeling good, proud and the best in the city.”
Nano also had great things to say about the event.
“To be honest with you, I want to give credit to the staff who really did an amazing job this year. It was the first time that we played this event somewhere other than the National Tennis Center,” said Nano. “We knew transitioning was going to be tough, but they did a great job in delivering to make the tournament happen.”
While on-court teaching young kids the foundation of tennis, Gary Davis had time to give his take on the event. Pleased with the showing, Davis noted, “This is probably one of our better turnouts. As you can see, some parents have come out to watch and now we have an audience so, the event is growing.”
Relating back to the kids, Davis made light of the event and its positive impact.
“You can see the progression, it’s very nice to see that the kids have definitely improved their games,” said Davis.
NYJTL President & CEO Dr. Deborah Antoine was all smiles as she watched the all of the tennis being played.
“It’s such an amazing opportunity for kids to play, be with friends, compete, and the level of sportsmanship that you see in every match the beginning, the middle of it,” said Dr. Antoine. “And when they shake hands at the end it’s really spectacular.”
The takeaways from the 2015 Mayor’s Cup All-Scholastic Championships were upbeat and very positive. All of the events went smoothly and kids and spectators were all smiles, whether they won or lost. The sunny weather and setting of Crotona Park made the day event more special.
Having 600 kids come to the event was great, but wouldn’t 30,000 be even better?
“You can see the turnout today with all the kids and their families, but when you think about it, there are 30,000 kids within walking distance of this place,” said Dr. Antoine.
Problem solved. The brand-new, state of the art Cary Leeds Center has been in the works and will have its grand opening on Monday, June 15. The two-story, 12,000-square-foot clubhouse and educational facility will serve as the home for NYJTL coaches to provide free year-round instruction for young people from beginners to ranked junior players. The Center will serve more than 30,000 families and children in and around Crotona Park, one of the poorest Congressional districts in the United States.
Antoine hopes the facility will be “dignifying to the community it serves and will be a beacon of light and hope to the community.”
