Young wins national clay court title

By NANCY MORGAN

© St. Petersburg Times,
published July 31, 2001

Sukhwa Young added two more gold balls to his trophy collection this month.

In the tennis world, gold balls signify national championships, and the 15-year-old has won six. Young also has a silver ball for a second-place finish and two bronze ones for third-place finishes.

At the USTA National Clay Court Championships held in Rockville, Md., earlier this month, Young, the No. 2 seed, eliminated top-seed James Wan of New York in straight sets for the singles title.

Young then teamed with John Eisner of North Carolina to win the doubles crown.

Not that two national titles weren't enough, but Young was also awarded the tournament's sportsmanship award.

"These results I consider the highlight of this year," Young said of the clay court results and the sportsmanship honor. "I felt good about my play in singles and John and I played well together.

"This was our first time to play -- I called him after the Easter Bowl in April -- and we may team up again, maybe at the hard courts (championships) next month."

At this year's Easter Bowl, Young, the defending champion and top seed, didn't lose a set in seven matches on his way to retaining the title. Young was the first No. 1 seed in three years to defend the top seeding.

The teenager also won the Easter Bowl sportsmanship award.

Young's success is a result of his dedication toward his goals of playing college and professional tennis. Arriving from Alaska in 1997 to attend the Hopman Academy housed at the Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel, Young focused on improving his game and learning fundamentals.

Young's parents, Sun and Jason, work in real estate and don't play tennis. His sister, Hanna, 14, prefers golf. Young, however, is all about tennis.

"When we lived in Alaska, I was No. 1 in the Pacific Northwest Section," Young said. "My coach told me I should move to California or Florida in order to get stronger competition. My family chose Florida. We had heard about Saddlebrook and decided to move here."

Young, nicknamed "Wa-Wa' early in his competitive career for always asking his peers to repeat themselves, has profited greatly from his training at Saddlebrook.

After his first year in Florida, Young was No. 1 in the 14-and-under division. His competitive path included the International Orange Bowl Junior Championships, the Gator Bowl (he won three consecutive years), the U.S. National 14 Team and one of three spots representing the U.S. in the World Junior Tennis Championships.

Coached by Jimmy Brown and Scott Brooks, Young has worked on his serve and volley and the transition phase. Young's next task is developing a bigger serve, which will enable him to take advantage of short returns from his opponents.

"Right now, though, I'm just working on my game and getting ready for the national hard courts," Young said. "I'm hitting more serves -- not changing my form -- and focusing on being under control."

Young quickly put his clay court success behind him in order to prepare for the upcoming hard court nationals. Staying under control, playing each point and focusing on his goals are critical to Young's success.

And perhaps, more gold balls for his collection.

JUNIORS AT PLAY: Competition concludes Thursday in the USTA Zone Team Championships for 16-year-olds in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Becky Gordon and Miranda Gutierrez are competing on the 15-member girls squad in a team round-robin format. Representing Florida, the team is challenging USTA sections Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Southern in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

Young, Yuichi Uda and Konstantin Lazarov leave this week for the USTA Super National Hard Court Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich. The boys 18-and-under singles draw includes 192 players.

NET SHOTS: Doubles league play is available at Veterans Park in Hudson and at the Holiday Recreation Center. Call Veterans Park at (727) 861-3033 or Holiday at (727) 934-4198 for information. Players looking for action in Zephyrhills should call Barry Herscovitch at (352) 518-9184 with the Zephyrhills Tennis Association, a volunteer, community-based organization that plays at McCannon Courts at Zephyr Park.

CALL FOR UMPIRES: Anyone interested in becoming a USTA umpire should contact Terry Logan at (727) 864-3188.

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