Tammy Azur is usually found on a tennis court, racquet in hand, a basket of balls to her left. She feeds, she volleys, she demonstrates and describes, she high fives, and she starts again. Like other tennis teaching professionals in Vermont, she is always looking for new ways to engage with her coaching population, offering students keys to success, hoping the summer will give them the time and space to have fun and sharpen their competitive skills. This dedication brought Tammy the 2022 USTA New England Junior Provider of the Year award as it honored not only her impact as a coach but also her ability to bring Vermont’s youth together every summer to train, play, and compete. In 2023, it had her busy organizing competitive events for a wide range of ages and abilities. She was helped in this effort by area coaches and teaching professionals including Middlebury’s Franz Collas, Stowe Tennis Club’s Natalie Doehla, Kids on the Ball’s Jasmina Jusufagić, and Burlington Tennis Club’s Grif Edwards. Together they organized a serious number of matches, tournaments, and Grand Prix events, drawing players from the cities and towns across the state where our sport is flourishing. A rainy summer complicated the schedule, but when the sky cleared and the sun came out, tennis was everywhere. Please find the event and programming details below.
Anna Dauerman, Priya Asher
Champion Oliver Kober (Champion)
Finally, USTA Vermont is committed to building our youth programming opportunities, and while we’re not reaching all the young people we’d like to, we are busy planning for next year, hoping to work with high school coaches, and the VPA, club pros, community Parks and Rec departments, and interested parents to build on the thrilling number of young people who learn about tennis in educational settings through programs like Bennington Aces, Net Generation, or Kids on the Ball. We also want to support the high school players and their coaches who convene every spring to battle it out across the state. By bringing together organizations to collaborate as volunteers, educators, and athletic professionals, we hope to both fund and create opportunities to help young players continue to grow in the game, especially during their extensive off-season. We will keep you posted!
Happy tennis to all!
Joanna Beall, President
USTA Vermont
THE NUMBERS
Town Rec Camps
- Burlington Rec @ Leddy and Calahan- 132 in junior camps (7 week-long camps) and 26 in adult programs
- Essex Junction Rec @ Essex High School – 32 in junior camps (4 week-long camps) and 40 participants in Parent/Child classes
- Essex Town Rec @ Sandhill Park – 26 in junior camps (3 week-long camps)
- South Burlington Rec @ Eastwood Edge- 37 in junior camps (3 week-long camps)
- Williston Rec @ Williston Central School – 32 in junior camps (2 week-long camps)
Junior Team Tennis offers opportunities for weekly match play, ending with a Championship Event
Local League Play
- Format: Weekly matches every Friday from July 7-August 4
- Teams: Middlebury Indoor Tennis (MIT), The Edge, Burlington Tennis Club (BTC), & Kids on the Ball (KOTB)
- Participants: 50+
- Championship: On August 11, BTC hosted teams from The Edge, BTC, and KOTB with six players honored with Good Sport Award
- Champions – Kids on the Ball
- Finalist – The Edge
Junior Team Tennis Advancing League Competes to qualify for New England Sectionals
- Format: Home and Away matches from June 26 to August 3rd
- Teams: The Edge (Red and Blue Teams), Stowe Tennis Club, and MIT
- Participants: Total 45 with 33 playing at the U18 and 12 in the U14 levels
- Champions:
- U14 – The Edge
- U18 – The Edge with Stowe Tennis Club Finalist
- New England Sectionals
- Stowe Tennis Club represented Vermont at the USTA NE Sectionals in Springfield, MA on Aug 9 and 10, coming in third with Ben Nissenbaum, TJ Guffy, Parker Guffy, and Julia Biedermann competing
Vermont Junior Grand Prix Tournaments
- Format: Tournament circuit included U12, U14, and U18 singles and one U18 doubles. Included USTA Level 6 and Level 7 Sanctioned events where players earned ranking points.
Events and Results
June 30, U12 Boys Singles held at Burlington Tennis Club
- Champion: Silas Weeks
- Runner up: Sam Magnant
- 3rd place: Gabe Stanton-Geddes
July 12, U18 Girls Singles held at The Essex (formerly the Inn at Essex)
- Champion: Kate Butler
- Runner up: Pradnya Kekan
- 3rd place: Clio Barr-Brandt
July 8th All divisions held at Middlebury Indoor Tennis (MIT)
18 & Under Division Boys Singles
- Champion: Jackson Murray
- Runner up: Lewis Suchomel
14 & Under Division Boys Singles
- Champion: Nate Yoder
- Runner up: Hunter Harper
18 & Under Girls Singles
- Champion: Scarlet Cararra
- Runner up: Abagail Watelet
14 & Under Girls Singles
- Champion: Olivia Badillo
- Runner up: Sedona Cararra
July 15th & 16
18 & Under Division Boys Singles held at Stowe Tennis Club
- Champion: Jackson Murray
- Runner up: TJ Guffey
- Consolation Round Winner: Parker Guffey
July 28 and 29 Both Divisions held at The Essex Edge
USTA Sanctioned Level 6 18 & Under Boys Singles Division
- Champion: Oliver Kober
- Runner up: Sebastien Bonbabesse
USTA Sanctioned Level 6 18 & Under Girls Singles division
- Champion: Anna Dauerman
- Runner up: Jiya Asher
August 18 and 19 All Events held at the Esex Edge
USTA Vermont Good Sports Award Winners
- U12 – Connor O’Callaghan
- U14 – Sam Norris
18 & Under Boy’s Singles Championship:
- Dylan Torizzo def. Silas Cohen 6-3, 6-0
14 & Under Singles Round Robin Tournament (Advanced Division)
- Champion Red Division: Priya Asher
- Finalist Red Division: Liam Pastella
- Champion Blue Division: Siyona Sharma
- FInalist 2nd Blue Division: Jiya Asher
- Championship: Siyona Sharma def. Priya Asher, 4-3 (7-3)
- 3rd Place Match: Jiya Asher def. Liam Pastella , 4-2
14 & under Doubles Round Robin Tournament
- Champions: Olivia Badillo & Jiya Asher
14 & under Singles Round Robin Tournament (Intermediate Division):
- Champion: Dash Tota
- Finalist: Charles Murphy
12 & under Singles Round Robin Tournament
- Champion: Ty Tota
- Finalist: Amos Murphy
