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Tennis

Domijan plays beyond years

By NANCY MORGAN
Published February 9, 2006

At 14, Alex Domijan of Wesley Chapel is developing a big tennis game to go with his 6-foot-4 frame.

His success is evidenced by his 2005 state ranking of No. 7 in Florida in the boys 14-and-under and No. 17 in the 16. Now, the eighth-grader feels ready to compete in the 18 division.

When Domijan was accepted as a boys 18 alternate in last weekend's Orange County Winter Designated in Orlando, he reached the semifinal round by winning four matches, including wins over the Nos. 3 and 5 seeds. In the semifinal, Domijan lost to No. 1 seed Jeff Dadamo of Tampa.

"I've been working on playing more aggressively and getting into the net," Domijan said. "I used to be able to win from the baseline, but now I want to incorporate coming in to the net. If you're playing a five-set match, you'll get more tired from playing at the baseline. Points are shorter when you come to the net."

When Domijan's parents accepted positions at the University of South Florida, the family left Gainesville and the teenager began attending school and training at Saddlebrook Academy. Since August, Domijan believes he's made significant improvement in handling harder-paced balls and in his mental toughness. Along with an increase in his fitness, Domijan is pleased with his progress.

Domijan's mother, Anne Curtis, is chief of cardiology at USF and his father, Alex, is a professor of electrical engineering. Domijan's dad and grandfather introduced him to tennis as a 4-year-old. With a court in his yard, Domijan was eager to play frequently.

"I entered my first tournament when I was 6 and did very badly," he said. "After that, I took a break but then started competing again at 8. I've been competing ever since."

At Saddlebrook, the middle-schooler receives a two-hour private lesson and two more hours with high school players. That, Domijan said, has significantly helped his improvement. In the summer, Domijan had an opportunity to hit with professional Martina Hingis. That experience left him in awe of Hingis' abilities. In December, Domijan reached the final in the Eddie Herr International Junior Championships, a feat he considers quite significant along with his third-place finish in the Orange Bowl International Junior Championships. Last month, Domijan upset the No. 1 seed to win the boys 16 sectional tournament.

He dreams of becoming a professional player and looks to former No. 1 world-ranked Pete Sampras as a role model. Next up for Domijan is the USTA National Open in Augusta, Ga., this month.

JUNIOR RANKINGS: Joining Domijan as Florida's top-ranked singles players are Joel Samaha, No. 11 in the 16; Paul Polarczyk, No. 10 in 14; George Navas, No. 5; and Jeff Dadamo, No. 15 in 18; Anthony Barrancotto, tied for No. 12 in the 12; and Alexander Saltiel, No. 4 in the 10.

Among the girls are Alexis Dorr, No. 19; Christina Liles, No. 16; and Morgan Frank, No. 11 in girls 18; Jamie Mera, No. 9, Alexandra Cercone, No. 6, and Lindsay Dvorak, No. 3 in 16; Kayla Rizzolo, No. 13; Cercone, No. 4; and Danielle Day, No. 15 in the 14; Danielle Collins, No. 3; Julia Jones, No. 8; and Julianne Gruber, No. 20 in the 12; Rianna Valdes, No. 14; and Angel Deng, No. 19 in the 10.

NET SHOTS: Alex Deeb, formerly of New Port Richey, upset the No. 1 seed to win the men's 55-and-over singles at last month's Super Senior Classic Designated Tournament in Naples. Deeb advanced to the men's 55 doubles final with John Pittman of Alabama.

Also last month, Deeb, the No. 5 seed, played to the 55 semifinal round in a USTA Super Senior Category II National Championship in Naples.

Wesley Chapel's Siwei Jin and Sreran Swaminathan teamed to win the men's 4.0 doubles title in last weekend's Adult Winter NTRP Tournament at East Lake Woodlands.

Samaha defended his top seeding to win the boys 16 singles in the Seminole County Winter Designated in Casselberry.

LEAGUE NEWS: Super Senior men's 3.5 action included a 3-0 win for PGTA-Gari over Westin Innisbrook Resort. Collecting straight-set wins were Dick Lashley and Bill Schieman in No. 1, Joe Gari and John Kuhn in No. 2 and Frank Ingram and Robert Anderson in No. 3.

In senior women's 4.0 competition, McMullen gave St. Petersburg Tennis Center its first loss, raising its record to 4-0. Scoring McMullen wins were Ria Graham of New Port Richey and Nancy Morgan in No. 3 and Marion Murch and Hank Skoczen in No. 2.

COMING UP: The Zephyrhills Tennis Association Membership Drive Tournament is this weekend. Call (813) 779-3329. ... A USTA National Open for the boys 14 division is Feb. 17-21 at Cheval Golf and Country Club (813-948-2282) and for the girls 14 at Bardmoor Golf and Tennis Club (727-391-2205.

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.

[Last modified February 9, 2006, 01:31:10]