HGCC Tennis Talents To Play At States

When the sparkling new U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) national campus in Lake Nona (part of Orlando) is unveiled this week, much of the Hunter’s Green Country Club (HGCC) tennis community will have the best view of the beautiful $70-million facility — right from the service lines of some of the campus’ 120 courts.

HGCC produced four league championship teams that will compete for a State championship the next two weekends.

The USTA, which was headquartered in Miami Shores for many years before moving to Daytona Beach in 2002, will host sectionals for the first time at the new state-of-the-art complex.

This weekend (Jan. 6-8), the club’s men’s and women’s 6.5 teams — which combines 3.0- and 3.5-rated players — as well as the men’s 8.5 team (combining 4.0- and 4.5-rated players), will compete in Lake Nona.

For the 6.5 men, it is their third straight trip to Sectionals.

The following weekend, HGCC’s 7.5 men (combining 3.5- and 4.0-rated players) will travel to Lake Nona seeking a championship banner.

“I think the last time we sent four teams to one championship was 2002,’’ said head tennis pro Allegra Campos. “It is a pretty incredible accomplishment.”

A number of HGCC men will be playing for at least two of the three mens’ teams competing the next two weekends: Erik Hajek and John Slatniske play for both the 6.5 and 7.5 teams, while Greg Morrissey, Rudy Paul, Chris Baker, Mike Bitting and Richard Helme all played for the 7.5 and 8.5 teams.

The three men’s teams combined for a 19-3 record during the regular season in the best-of-3 doubles format against other clubs in Tampa Bay, including West Meadows, Tampa Palms and Arbor Greene.

Helme (7-0), Hajek (5-0), Ron Reiter (5-0), Jim Dicesaro (4-0) and James Hann (3-0) were among those posting perfect records.

The 6.5 women, who advanced to the semifinals last year, return after going 6-0 during the regular season. The ladies only lost three lines all season, and six different players — Cherie Smith, Marisol Casablanca, Trina Hoyrod, Marisa Martin, Julie Sakre and Nini Torres — finished with team-best 3-0 record.

Casablanca, Hoyrod, Martin and Torres also played on the women’s over-50 combo team that went 3-1 at sectionals in early December, just a tiebreaker away from the championship match.