Lauren Scaglione tried gymnastics, ballet and soccer before she found the sport she loved. That activity was tennis for the then-9-year-old.
From Scaglione's first hitting session 13 seasons ago with the late Lou Presti in Clearwater through her tennis scholarship to the University of Miami, she never stopped playing.
It wasn't always easy for Scaglione, and sometimes she felt a step behind others her age. Dealing with injuries and surgeries while competing for the Hurricanes until graduation in May challenged her determination. Still, the 22-year-old was motivated to compete in last month's SPTC Adult Championships in St.Petersburg.
Playing in the open division, Scaglione beat the No.1 and No.2 seeds to capture her first title in quite a while. Most of all, she said, she regained her love of the sport.
"It really has been about three years since I've played a match, and I felt like an old boxer when I stepped out on the court," Scaglione said. "The first girl I played was 17, had a great serve and was very tall. She was tough but inconsistent. In my next match, I played a girl from Bollettieri's and was able to make a comeback to beat her. When I went into the tournament, my main goal was to have fun and play my best. I had fun, and I now feel like doing it some more."
When Scaglione was 12, she was taking lessons from Kevin Quay with her friends Lori and Christa Grey and Heather Green. When Lori started entering tournaments, Scaglione followed. By the time she completed her eligibility for junior competition, Scaglione had achieved a No.9 Florida singles ranking and was fifth in doubles.
At Seminole High School, Scaglione was undefeated her senior year in 1998 and won district, regional and state crowns all but her sophomore season. The Warhawks won a couple of state titles.
"I'm pretty much a baseliner in singles and just grind it out," Scaglione said. "I love my backhand and especially like to hit it down the line. With my shoulder surgeries, I feel like I'm pretty inconsistent on my serve and can't really rely on that part of my game."
Shoulder problems after a 22-7 singles record her freshman year at Miami resulted in surgery the summer before her sophomore season. A bout with appendicitis and recurring shoulder troubles restricted Scaglione her junior year, and eventually another surgery was performed.
"I spent most of my junior and senior years rehabbing my shoulder and hadn't really played or trained for any matches the last three years," Scaglione said. "Since graduation, I've been teaching at the Vinoy. All of a sudden, it dawned on me there was this tournament at the St.Pete Tennis Center, so I signed up. I started hitting off the ball machine and played a practice match before the tournament."
LEAGUE NEWS: In last weekend's District 12 Senior Men's 4.0 Doubles League playoff, Seminole Lake Tennis Center beat McMullen Tennis Center 2-1 to advance to USA Tennis Florida's state tournament in June.
In a winner-take-all match, Leon Kennedy and Peter Crewe fell 6-2, 6-3 at No.1, giving McMullen a 1-0 edge. Seminole answered with a straight-set victory in No.3 by Tim Kahle and Omar Laimina. Deadlocked at 1, Scott Chambers and Dave Heeder pulled out a three-set victory at No.2 to hand Seminole the championship.
In the 3.5 senior men's playoff, Shipwatch Tennis Club advanced to the final after eliminating McMullen Tennis Center 2-1 on the play of John Finlayson and Henry Van Drunen (No.2) and Fred Glenn and Alan Smith (No.3.) In the championship against PGTA-Gari, Shipwatch fell 3-0. PGTA-Gari moves on to the state tournament in June.
NET SHOTS: In last month's U.S. Tennis Association National Open Junior Championships, Alexandra Cercone and Gainesville's Keri Frankenberger captured the girls 14-and-under doubles title. Also winning was No.13 Joel Samaha (boys 14 singles final). Samaha was runnerup in doubles with Ryan Kim of Miami. Finishing second in singles was Morgan Basil (girls 12).
- News for this column may be faxed to Nancy Morgan, 727 796-5559; e-mailed to namorgan46@msn.com or sent to 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. Please include phone number.
