By Tom Flanagan
WEST HARTFORD, CT – Even before this summer, it was no secret that Nicole Frenkel’s tennis future was bright.
After the final point was won at the USTA New England Junior Hard Court Championships, it was clear that her future is glaring.
Frenkel, a resident of Winchester, MA, completed a rare and amazing summer sweep when she took home the championship plaque in the girls’ 16s in a win over Bloomfield, CT’s Melissa Lord at Conard High School.
Earlier in the summer, Frenkel captured the Junior Section Championship at the Yale University Tennis Center and the Junior Clay Court title in Beverly, MA.
"Last year, I finished third in the Sectionals, so I came into the summer wanting to improve on that," said Frenkel, who was seeded third. "There were a lot of really good players in all the tournaments, but I just believed in myself and I never lost it on the court. I just tried to play my game."
Nicole Frenkel (left) and Ashley Noyes
Frenkel’s story gets even more amazing when you consider the fact that she’s just 12 years old and competing against older athletes who are often bigger and physically stronger.
What Frenkel lacks in physical stature when "playing up" in tournaments, she makes up for in dedication and a work ethic.
"She’s in our program every day of the week and she plays a tournament just about every weekend," said Todd Carpenter, who along with Alex Howard, has served as Frenkel’s coach at the Manchester Athletic Club. "What has made her so successful is just her dedication to the sport."
Frenkel, who received a USTA New England Junior Improvement award in 2008, was gracious in victory, offering praise for all of the quality opponents she faced during her dominant summer.
Frenkel appears to be the next in a long line of players from MAC who will be at or near the top of the New England rankings throughout her career.
She was congratulated after her win by fellow MAC player Ashley Noyes, a native of Marblehead, MA and the top seed in the girls’ 18s. Noyes had a terrific run in the tournament, ending with a loss to Dayna Lord in the championship match.
Noyes, who will be a senior at Pingree and has dominated at the high school level, has generated interest from several Top 20 Division 1 college programs, according to her coaches.
Teammates Become Opponents…
In one of the more interesting sub-plots of the Hard Courts, a pair of high school teammates faced off in the boys’ 16s.
In the quarterfinals, top seed Christopher Ellis of Shrewsbury, MA was defeated by Dylan Fletcher of Stow, MA.
Ellis and Fletcher will both be sophomores at St. John’s of Shrewsbury. Last year, the pair helped their high school team to a long postseason run that ended with a close loss to perennial power Wellesley in the Division 1 state championship match.
Match within a match…
Fletcher rode the momentum of beating his teammate all the way to the championship match at the Hard Courts, where he lost to No. 2 seed Rohan Shastri.
Fletcher didn’t go down without a fight against Shastri, a 15-year-old from Williamstown, MA with a cannon of a serve.
The two attracted a large crowd of onlookers during their match when word quickly spread that something Isner-Mahut-esque might take place.
Boys 16 finalist Dylan Fletcher (left), semifinalist Michael Fedorouk and winner Rohan Shastri.
After Shastri took the first set, 6-2, Fletcher bounced back to win a marathon second set, 6-7 (19). Shastri, an affable and talented player who has made a rapid ascension in the rankings, broke the tension on the court and in the stands during the memorable tie-break, drawing laughs when asking aloud, "Has this ever happened before?"
And the winners were:
Boys’ 12: Matthew Lord, Bloomfield, CT; Boys’ 14: Jason Seidman, Woodbridge, CT; Boys’ 18: William Spector, Weston, MA; Girls’ 12: Maria Mateas, Braintree, MA; Girls’ 14: Lexi Milunovich, New Canaan, CT.