Top NYC Athletes Compete in Annual Mayor Dinkins Cup
As it does every year, the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning hosted the annual NYJTL Mayor Dinkins Cup this past spring. The event is the largest free junior interscholastic tennis competition in the entire country, and features players from all across New York City representing public, parochial and private schools competing across several divisions.
“The NYJTL Mayor Dinkins Cup showcases the passion and diversity of junior tennis players across the five boroughs of New York City. The 2025 event was our biggest in several years, featuring over 800 participants from 200 schools,” said Tournament Director Michele Cope. “As the largest free interscholastic tournament, the Dinkins Cup provides hundreds of young players the opportunity to compete, learn, and excel at various skill levels. It has become the junior tennis event on the annual calendar for so many students.”
The highlights on the court are numerous and memorable from the main singles and doubles tournaments to the ACES Elementary School Team Competition to the Boys Varsity Tennis Team Championships.
The event is named in honor of New York City’s first black mayor and a dedicated NYJTL board member, David N. Dinkins, who was an incredible supporter of tennis during his distinguished life. This year’s Cup included 550 athletes, and $140,000 in scholarships were given out at the conclusion of the week-long event.
“For me, the most significant memory is the introduction of the new Sportsmanship Award this year, in collaboration with NYJTL,” Cope added. “Four participants from the 2025 NYJTL Mayor Dinkins Cup received this recognition, which underscores the importance of great sportsmanship at this event. I’m honored to partner with the NYJTL and be part of the team that makes this amazing event happen. I wholeheartedly believe in the NYJTL’s mission to help youth develop character through tennis and education. It’s so rewarding to work with these wonderful kids and see that vision come to life.”
The 2025 NYJTL Sportsmanship Winners:
→Akari Weintzen
→Olivia Kang
→Nikolina Tominovic
→An Yu
Below are the winners from all the divisions.
→Boys Varsity Team Champions: Bronx Science High School
→Elementary School Team Champions: PS 100, Bronx
→Boys Varsity Singles Champion: Aaron Tokarz
→Girls Varsity Singles Champion: Mariia Vainshtein
→Boys Varsity Doubles Champions: John Henry Mills & Joshua David
→Girls Varsity Doubles Champions: Savannah Minter & Mariia Vainshtein
→Boys Middle School Singles: Marco Rocca
→Girls Middle School Singles: Daniella Yogumyan
→Boys Middle School Doubles: Marco Rocca & Lazar Vladicic
→Girls Middle School Doubles: Daniella Yogumyan & Keira Isakov
→Elementary Boys Singles: Patrick Okla
→Elementary Girls Singles: Logan Greene
→Elementary Green Ball Boys Singles: Ryan Bueker
→Elementary Green Ball Girls Singles: Olivia Jasilek
