On Tennis by James Beck

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Rogers, 17, hoping to hit Family Circle Cup jackpot

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Is the Charleston area on the verge of having its own world-class women's tennis star? Was Shelby Rogers' domination of the recent Smash Junior Cup a preview of things to come? Read story.

Elliget's dream washed away

Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010

Adam Elliget is one of South Carolina's premier junior tennis players. The 13-year-old from Summerville dominated boys' 12 in the state in 2009. Yet, the South's fourth-ranked 12-and-under player didn't earn a state ranking in his age group for 2009. Read story.

Pretty handy guy to have playing on the next court

Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010

Tennis players often are some of the luckiest people around. And for more reasons than one.

Not only do many of the tennis complexes in the area have defibrillators on site along with personnel trained in their usage, but often a doctor or a health professional is on the same court with you or on a nearby court. Read story.

Fenno, two others reach No. 1

Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010

Junior tennis in the state has a new star. Brant Fenno earned the state's top boys 10 ranking for 2009. Girls 16 standout Patricia Kirkland and boys 16 star Connor Clements were the only other local juniors to earn No. 1 state rankings for 2009. Read story.

Newcomers hold key to league tennis' popularity

Sunday, Jan. 10, 2010

Local league tennis participation has skyrocketed in the last decade to more than 3,200 participants as Ken Edwards steps up as president of the Lowcountry Tennis Association in the wake of Bob Peiffer's 16-year reign as the organization's leader. Read story.

Players search for USTA's rationale

Sunday, Dec. 27, 2009

Nearly a month after USTA league tennis' colossal bump-up escapade, players are still trying to figure out the rationale behind the event. Read story.

League tennis bracing for a major makeover in 2010

Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009

Just when the USTA's league tennis rating program moved into a position where a minor fine-tuning might create a more even playing field at most levels, the computer system has gone berserk. Hopefully, league tennis is too enduring and fantastic to suffer real pain from its latest surgery. Read story.

Scarpa's invention makes it to Big Apple

Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009

Skip Scarpa's ReelSticks have hit the big time. The U.S. Open's National Tennis Center is showcasing ReelSticks these days. If you're not familiar with Scarpa's invention, ReelSticks have the capability to end the need for switching singles sticks out and in between singles and doubles. Read story.

Everything fell into place for Wando

Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009

Charleston-area teams owned SCISA tennis this fall, just as Wando's girls ruled the High School League's Class AAAA. It's really a tribute to local tennis that Ashley Hall, Colleton Prep and Palmetto Christian swept all three SCISA crowns: AAA, AA and A. That's probably a first. Read story.

Wando takes sixth straight; Raptors fall

Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009

Wando added another jewel to its crown Saturday by winning a record-tying sixth straight Class AAAA girls tennis state championship with a 4-2 victory over Mauldin at Sumter. Meanwhile, Academic Magnet fell, 6-1, to Christ Church in the Raptors' bid to win their first title. Read story.

Fischer's addition boon for Cyclones

Friday, Oct. 23, 2009

Jeanette Fischer is getting a special treat this fall. She's playing high school tennis, something that isn't possible back in her native Germany. A beneficiary of Fischer's treat is the Porter-Gaud girls tennis team. Read story.

Ashley Hall, Porter-Gaud on collision course for title

Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009

Ashley Hall looked like a sure bet to repeat as SCISA Class AAA girls' tennis state champion until Jeanette Fischer showed up at Porter-Gaud from Germany as a foreign exchange student. Read story.

Wando girls' streak intact — barely

Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009

The state record for consecutive dual match wins almost escaped the five-time Class AAAA state champion Wando girls tennis team. It almost happened Sept. 24 when coach Becky Williamson took her reserves for a Region 7-AAAA match at Berkeley. Read story.

Ashley Hall, Wando may be state's two best girls teams

Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009

Ashley Hall and Wando both lost heavily from last year's state championship teams, yet they are right back where they were in 2008. They may well be the state's two best teams in girls high school tennis, whether SCHSL or SCISA. Read story.

New Bishops coach learned an important lesson from Owens

Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009

Kristin Fleming learned an important lesson from legendary Bishop England girls' tennis coach Patricia Owens: How to accept state championship trophies. Read story.

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James Beck

James Beck began working for newspapers in Charleston in 1971. He has served as sports editor of The News and Courier, and executive sports editor and systems editor of The Post and Courier. He has written a tennis column for the newspaper since the 1970s. He won the national U.S. Tennis Association's Media Excellence Award for 2003, becoming the first winner from the nine-state Southern Section. A native of Bamberg, Beck holds an undergraduate degree from Limestone college and a master's degree in business administration from The Citadel. He and his wife, Carrol, have two daughters.



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