Written by: Christopher Simnett
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***Chris grew up playing tennis in B.C. and was ranked as high as No. 2 provincially in the U12 and U16 divisions. He played in two junior national championships in the 80s. Now 39 years old, he is the “community champion” for the Tennis Canada Building Tennis Communities strategy in Airdrie, AB, where he lives with his wife and eight-year-old son. Chris spent 15 years as a journalist writing about sports for newspapers in B.C. and Alberta. He now works in public relations in Calgary. To learn more about Chris and his blog, please visit www.alltennis.ca***
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Charlotte Petrick, the top-ranked female under-14 player in Ontario, saw her world junior ranking jump to 754 with an impressive victory at the Copa Universidad Galileo Grade 5 U18 ITF Hard Court tournament in Guatemala City on March 5.
Petrick defeated Daniela Schippers of Guatemala 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in the final, overcoming a tough opponent and partisan crowd to record her first Junior ITF title.
The Niagara on the Lake resident defeated V. Onorato of Venezuela 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in the first round, dumped third-seed Gabriella Chinchilla of Spain 6-3, 6-1 in round two, blasted Brazilian Rebecca Pereira 6-0, 6-3 in the quarter-finals and dumped Maria Medeiros of Brazil 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals.
Petrick’s next event is the Ontario U16 provincials at the Ontario Racquet Club in Oakville/Mississauga this weekend, where she is the fifth-seed.
She plays Samantha Budai in the first round at noon on Friday, March 11.
Pertrick plans to play in 14 Jr. ITF events this season as well as play up to eight (the maximum allowed) events on the WTA Tour.
Petrick holds an A average in Grade 8 at Parliament Oak School in Niagara on the Lake and currently trains at White Oaks Tennis with Richard Cooper and her parents, both coaches, and also ACE Academy in Burlington two times per week. She also spends some time at Bollitieri Tennis Academy in Florida each winter and has been doing that from the age of seven.
