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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Top-seed Brayden Schnur of Ontario won the boy’s Under-16 title at the Rogers Junior Nationals in Verdun, QC on Saturday, while second-seed Erin Routliffe, also of Ontario, took the girls’ crown.
Schnur defeated his doubles partner, Ontario’s Robert Shulman 7-6(5), 6-0 in the championship match at the Club de Tennis Ile des Soeurs. On Friday, Schnur and Shulman won the doubles title.
Routliffe also eclipsed her doubles partner in the girls’ final, edging top-seeded Evangeline Repic of Ontario 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.
The Under-12 Rogers Jr. Nationals wrapped up at Calgary’s Tennis Academy with third-seed Felix Auger Aliassime of Quebec snagging the boy’s title with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-0 victory over Quebec’s Alexis Galarneau in the championship match.
Vanessa Wong of Ontario won the girls’ title with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over fellow Ontarian Amy Wagowsky in the championship match.
Tyler O’Meara of Ontario won the boys’ Flight 2 title with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Quebec’s Nicaise Muamba, Michael Anthony Tummillo of Quebec won the Flight 3 title, beating Quebec’s Nazar Achour 6-3, 6-0 in the final and Daniel Fainblum of Ontario beat Alberta’s Matush Polakovic 6-0, 6-1 to take top honours in Flight 4.
Ines Milosevic of Ontario defeated Ontario’s Brindtha Ramasamy 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 to win the girls’ Flight 2 title. Ashleigh Jacobs of Alberta won the Flight 3 crown with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Quebec’s Emilie Corbett while Alberta’s Tereza Simonova was tops in Flight 4 with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Jessie Gong of B.C.
