Suffolk News-Herald

Later this summer, Old Dominion University women’s coach John Hill will hold a two-week clinic at the Suffolk Racquet Club on Godwin Boulevard. If Sunday afternoon was any indication, Hill’s group should become a popular place to improve local court skills.

The coach brought two of his top players and four competitors from the boys team to show their stuff to locals. After Larissa Santos and Maria Martinez teamed with members of the Club in several doubles matches, Izak van der Merwe, Adriano Mello, Zoltan Csanadi and Salmen Mohammed did a doubles demonstration of their own. Van der Merwe is ranked 16th in the country in singles competition, and he and Csanadi are fourth in American doubles.

&uot;I was asked to bring some players over to spread interest in the camp,&uot; said Hill, in his second year of leading the Lady Monarchs. &uot;The camp is open to the public, adults and children.&uot; Hill is a former United States Professional Tennis Registry Mid-Atlantic and Worldwide Coach of the Year, and Virginia Coach of the Year.

&uot;It’s a very good opportunity, because we don’t play tennis in college in Brazil,&uot; said Santos, formerly ranked in the top 10 of 16-year-olds in the South American country. &uot;You either play or you study, and I chose both, so I came here. Today was very fun, because we don’t have this in Brazil either.&uot;

Linda Drummond teamed with Martinez, herself one of Spain’s top teenagers. &uot;It gives you all the confidence in the world,&uot; Drummond, a 10-year-veteran of tennis at Brooks. &uot;If you mess up, you know she’ll be there to pick up the backhand. It makes you want to play better.&uot;

Club president Darden Langston hopes that more and more Suffolkians want to take such a chance as well. &uot;We’re trying to promote tennis by offering lessons and clinics for members and prospective members,&uot; he said. &uot;We’d like to go outside the circle and offer to the new people moving into town. We offer not just a quality place to play, but some professional instruction.&uot; For more information about the camp, please contact Langston at 934-1346.

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Here are the final results from the Virginia Beach Tennis Patrons Association Satellite #4 tournament at the Howard Mast Tennis Complex, completed Sunday:

Girls – 12U singles: Karling Watson

14U singles: Alison Wingo

16U singles: Kelly Maxwell

18U singles: Christina Ruffin

Boys – 12U singles: Kevin Castellow

14U singles: Kunal Kapoor

16U singles: Bart Grover

18U singles: Bart Grover