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Tennis has been an integral part of Trevor Hubbard's schedule since he started five years ago.
Now nearly 14, New Port Richey's Hubbard has set his sights on playing college tennis.
"I started tennis when I went to a summer camp at Crescent Oaks and playing just took off from there," Hubbard said. "After doing the youth camps, the club invited me to participate in its adult clinics. I keep up pretty well."
The adult clinics at Crescent Oaks are conducted by former ATP player Paul Kronk, who operates the club, and teaching professional Matt Kleber.
"They both taught me the one-handed backhand and say that it has more power, as well as being more varied for different strokes," Hubbard said. "With a one-hander on your backhand, you can hit a slider or a roller or even a flat ball."
In last weekend's Junior Rookie Tournament at East Lake Woodlands in Oldsmar, Hubbard used his backhand in the boys 18-and-under singles competition. Though his opponents were older and somewhat bigger, Hubbard felt he held his own.
Hubbard lost to Dunedin High's No. 1 player in the main draw and its No. 2 in the consolation "but (I) felt pretty good about it. In the first match I got to a tiebreaker in the second set and lost 7-5.
"In consolation play, it was close. I lost in three sets and felt I gained a lot of good experience."
Hubbard lost 6-0, 7-6 (7-5) in the main draw and 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 in the consolation.
Playing in a higher age division was Hubbard's way of gaining experience against the older, bigger and stronger players he may face in high school. Hubbard, a freshman, hopes to join Gulf's team.
"My goal eventually is to play college tennis and then, you never know what may happen," Hubbard said.
ADULT LEAGUE AT REGIONALS: Four of the eight local champions came home regional winners after last weekend's USA Adult League West Regional Championships in Longboat Key.
Winning were the Seminole Lake Tennis Center 4.0 and the Phil Green Tennis Academy 4.5 men's teams and PGTA 4.0 and McMullen 4.5 women's squads.
Regional winners advance to the Aug. 7-9 state tournament in Daytona Beach with hopes of qualifying for national championships.
All four teams were unbeaten in their round-robin competition. Seminole lost two of its 20 individual positions and PGTA's men's team won 19 of its 20.
In a double round robin among three teams, McMullen won 17 of 20 positions, including five of the eight singles slots.
PGTA's women's team clinched with a 4-1 win over Naples. Playing in the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles positions, New Port Richey's Ria Graham teamed with Hank Skoczen to win all four matches in straight sets.
Feather Sound Country Club's 3.5 women's team finished second overall with wins over Tampa (3-2), Naples and Fort Myers (4-1). Only a 3-2 loss to Sarasota kept Feather Sound from finishing first.
The Renaissance Vinoy's 3.0 women went 2-1 with wins of 4-1 over Naples and 5-0 over Punta Gorda. A 4-1 loss to Tampa gave the Hillsborough team the title.
Treasure Bay's 3.5 men's team was 2-2 with wins over Tampa and Naples. The McMullen 3.0 men's team beat Punta Gorda after losting to Tampa.
NET SHOTS: Clint Bowles, No. 1 seed in the boys 14-and-under division in the USTA National Clay Court Championships in Fort Lauderdale, played to a three-set title. No. 14 Jeff D'Adamo won the boys 14 consolation draw.
Jamie Mera advanced to the round of 32 in the 192-player USTA Girls 14 National Clay Court Championships in Plantation.
Kimberly Renspie won the girls 14 consolation in last weekend's East Lake Woodlands Junior Rookie Tournament.
COMING UP: The Summer Classic Too begins Saturday at the Phil Green Tennis Academy in Safety Harbor. Call Green at (727) 724-7729 today. ... Hunter's Green Rookie II is this weekend at the Hunter's Green Country Club. Call (813) 973-4220 to enter. ... The Temple Terrace Adult Summer Bash is Saturday-Monday at the Temple Terrace Tennis Center. Call (813) 989-7178 to register. ... Signup for Pasco tennis leagues is through Aug. 29. Men's and women's singles and mixed doubles will be offered. Call (727) 934-4198 to register.