St. Petersburg Country Club players continue to dominate
By NANCY MORGAN
Published November 16, 2005
Suzanne Ratledge and Dr. Frederic Guerrier defended their singles club championships at St. Petersburg Country Club.
Ratledge won her third consecutive title and Guerrier his 10th. Their final matches were highly competitive, with Ratledge stretched to three sets by Vickie Smith and Guerrier battling Troy Holland for the fourth straight year.
"Every time I play Troy, I think he's going to beat me," Guerrier said. "I can't give him an inch and must really focus."
Ratledge was challenged by Smith because of their varying styles.
"I'm a lefty and a hard hitter mostly from the baseline," Ratledge said. "Vickie and I have totally different games, and I had to concentrate."
Guerrier, a St. Petersburg physician since 1981, joined the club in 1991 and used tennis as a stress reliever. Arriving in Miami from Haiti when he was 16, Guerrier hadn't played until then and relied on his speedy soccer skills to help him succeed on the court.
"When I first started playing at the club, I certainly took my lumps until I became a more astute player," Guerrier said. "The keys for me are my speed and not playing to my opponent's strength.
"Troy has beautiful shots and especially is effective with his crosscourt backhand. I try not to give him an opportunity for that shot or an overhead," Guerrier said. Holland, who competed in high school tennis at Lakewood then St. Petersburg Catholic, describes Guerrier as a crafty player. "He's very fast and tracks down even my best hit balls," Holland said. "Even if I'm playing well, it takes 3-4 good shots to get past him, and that can be frustrating because it's hard to hit that many good shots."
Guerrier also plays at Renaissance Vinoy, including the 8.0 mixed doubles league, and at Treasure Island Tennis and Yacht Club in the 8.5 Combo Men's League. A couple of years ago, he won the 5.0 K-Swiss singles league crown.
Ratledge, who started playing as a youth growing up in Minnesota, found herself on the Racquet Club courts with players such as former professional Betsy NagelsenMcCormack when both were high-schoolers at Northeast.
"I didn't play on the high school team, but I was in some of the club activities," Ratledge said. "I stopped playing for a while but got back into it about seven years ago.
"I play a lot with my husband, Jerry, and he's helped my game a lot. He works with me on singles and has always been a good supporter of my playing."
NET SHOTS: Nearly 200 players competed in the 16th annual Pete Wolfberg Championships at St. Petersburg Tennis Center last weekend.
Among the winners were top-seeded Agatha Ambrozy (girls 12-and-under), Kara Kucin (16) and Jorge Guerra (boys 16) and No. 2 Nicholas Gallauer (boys 18). Adam Ambrozy was second in the boys 10, as was Alex Fisch in 14. Among the consolation winners were Emily Dvorak (girls 14), Robert Dvorak (boys 12) and Garrett Betsarakis (16).
More than 280 players were in last weekend's 13th annual Frenchy's Gumbo Tennis Classic, a benefit for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pinellas County. Fifty-six men's teams, 52 women's and 36 mixed challenged for titles in the three-day Clearwater tournament. Straight-set winners in the four women's divisions included Barb Emery and Debbie Walker (3.0), Charlotte Tao and Jill Faw (3.5), Janet Poort and Julie McGuire (4.5) and Gail Gibson and Kim Cashman (5.0). Lisa Durkin and Mari Workman survived a three-setter in 4.0.
Brian Graham and Steve Scherlop (men's 3.0), Jeff Kopelman and Larry Nickerson (3.5) and Kent Wright and Tejas Patel (5.0) won in straight sets. Mark Hoestra and Mark Whitwell (4.5) and Gerald Alvarado and Jason Lewis (4.0) won in three.
Winners in the mixed divisions were Barb and Craig Emery (3.0), Martha McElveen and Jim Nadar (3.5), Donna Coddington and Troy Felland (4.0), Susan Kiniry and Whitwell (4.5) and Gibson and Jim Dundee (5.0).
Kyle Bulleit beat Logan Elder in a third-set tie-breaker to win the 12-and-under division in the Junior Singles Tennis League. For information on the next league, contact courtsrus@verizon.net
LEAGUE NEWS: Shipwatch Tennis Club's 8.0 senior mixed double team leaves this week to compete in the National Eastern Regional Championships in Pensacola. Shipwatch qualified by capturing a state title last month. Players include Mickie and John Gelestor, Angie and Tom Lincicome, Vicky Tuller, Mike Carrigan, Janice Stone, Mary Jane Evertz, Tim Kahle, Les Spang and Tony Ruggiero. They will face squads from Michigan, Maine, Virginia and Louisiana in a five-team round robin. The squad posting the best overall record is the champion.
A captains meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Nov. 29 at East Lake Woodlands Country Club for Senior, Super Senior, Super 70 and Senior mixed doubles leagues. For information, contact clevin01@tampabay.rr.comadwswiz@msn.com or meehan100@yahoo.com COMING UP: The Fall Tennis and Golf Camps, for juniors 6-14, are scheduled for Monday-Nov. 25 at Treasure Bay. For information, call 360-6062.
News for this column may be faxed to Nancy Morgan, 796-5559; e-mailed to namorgan46@msn.com or sent to 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. Please include phone number.
