
2023 GACTA Middle School Tennis League Starting Soon!
The 11th season of GACTA’s Middle School Tennis season is starting soon. This no-cut program welcomes players of all levels. Matches will run from late March through mid- May at tennis courts in the Gainesville area.
Participating schools include: Westwood, Kanapaha, Oak Hall, Jordan Glen, Oak View, Fort Clarke, Lincoln, and Howard Bishop. If your school is not listed and you are interested in starting a program please contact Anne Koterba, program coordinator at akoterba@nullaol.com or call 352-665-9544.
This year, we will be using an online registration system, which will go live on February 20th, 2023. See green “Register Now” button below and click on it. Scroll down to select the school you are registering your student for, then click “Add to Cart” and then go to right column Your Shopping Cart and click “Continue” to access the Registration Form. For more details about the program, click here: http://gainesvilletennis.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-middle-school-tennis-fact-sheet-2-1-23.pdf


Eastside Boys Tennis Falls Short of State Title
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20140415/ARTICLES/140419763/0/search
Published: Tuesday, April 15, 2014 at 11:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, April 15, 2014 at 11:39 p.m.
The Eastside boys tennis team fell short in its effort to unseat defending Class 2A state champion Pinecrest Gulliver Prep on Tuesday, losing four singles matches and both doubles to the Raiders at Red Bug Lake Park in Casselberry.
Trailing Gulliver Prep’s 19-point total, the Rams finished as runners-up with 12 points, their highest finish since winning the 3A championship in 2000.
“It was a good run for us,” EHS coach Dave Porter said. “Each year we’ve improved, and we need another year to get to Gulliver Prep’s level. I believe with another year we can actually win a state title.”
Eastside advanced four players to singles finals before losing in straight sets to Raiders players, including freshman Benjamin Brandt at No. 2, Maxwell Curtis at No. 3, Hyunsoo Joo at No. 4 and Samuel Cockey at No. 5. Cockey gave Gulliver Prep the toughest match of the finals, pushing Robert Rogue in a 7-6 (1), 7-6 (5) defeat.
“We knew our best chance was to win it in 4 and 5 singles,” Porter said. “I think with a little more experience our guys could have pulled it out.”
In the No. 1 doubles final, the Rams’ top pairing of Curtis and Joo dropped a 6-1, 6-3 match to the Raiders’ Baker Newman and Chase Perez-Blanco, a UF signee, after winning their semifinal match against Tampa Jesuit’s Max Azzarelli and Palmer Evans.
Eastside’s No. 2 doubles team of Brandt and Derek Li also stumbled against a Gulliver Prep pairing, losing a 7-6 (5), 6-1 match to Robert Rogue and Andre Libnic.

A to Z with Peter Slaton
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20140411/ARTICLES/140419966/0/search
Correspondent, Gainesville Sun
Published: Friday, April 11, 2014 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, April 10, 2014 at 6:35 p.m.
YEAR: Senior
POSITION: No. 1 singles, No. 1 doubles
HEIGHT: 6-foot-1
WEIGHT: 165 pounds
Area tennis player I would pay to watch play: My partner (at No. 1 doubles), Jacob Gordon. He’s got a big first serve, and he fights. That one-handed backhand, when he gets in it, is pretty sweet.
Best movie I’ve ever seen: “The Intouchables” (a 2011 French film).
Coach Paul Spradling’s best words of advice for me: “Move your feet, keep the ball in play and stay relaxed.”
Dinner on an ideal night? Leonardo’s 706.
Easiest class or part of my school day: Ms. Paxson’s environmental science.
Feeling I had after winning the District 3-3A title last week in my first year as Gainesville High’s No. 1 singles player: It means a lot. I just felt like it was my time to step up to the plate and perform.
Greatest tennis player in the world right now? Roger Federer.
Hoisting the state championship trophy as an individual competitor at the Class 3A state finals next Friday in Altamonte Springs will take … Focus. That’s going to be the main thing. I’m going to have to work for every point, limit my unforced errors and keep my feet going.
NOTE: Slaton won two state titles as the Hurricanes’ No. 3 singles player in his sophomore and junior seasons.
Interesting thing about me off the court: I’ve played piano since fifth grade.
Joker on the team? Definitely Jake Gordon, without a doubt. He adds funny comments, and he doesn’t laugh at his own jokes, which makes it even funnier.
2013 High School Tennis District Champions
High School Tennis Girls:
P.K. Yonge
Eastside High School
Buchholz High School
High School Tennis Boys:
Oak Hall (fourth straight District Championship)
Eastside High School
Gainesville High School