THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 12, 1994 TAG: 9408100132
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 26 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, CURRENTS SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 108 lines
FOR THE NEXT half-dozen years or so, they can look for a Grover to carry home one or more of the championship awards from the Baker Damron Eye Center Junior Tennis Tournament at Elizabeth Manor.
Actually the monopoly by the Grovers, who live in Suffolk, already has started.
Twelve-year-old Michelle Grover, the oldest of Lee and Jan Grover's three tennis-talented children, won the 16-under girls title in the 27th annual tournament on Friday.
Brother Nate, 10, was the winner in both the 10-under and 12-under boys divisions.
Younger brother Barton didn't win - but then he didn't play. He's only 5-years-old and already swinging a mean racket.
``Believe it or not,'' said Jan, ``but he was just a year old when we handed him his first little racket. All of our children started playing tennis very early.''
Jan is a professional and formerly was the pro at the Cedar Point Country Club. She was the 1990 Mid-Atlantic Tennis Professionals Association coach of the year. At present she's concentrating on being a mom but tennis still has a major place in the family.
Michelle, who was ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 2 in the Mid-Atlantic at 12-under, is ranked in the top 10 at 14-under. It's just a matter of time before she moves to the top at the older level.
In winning the 16-under girls in the Baker Damron, top-seeded Michelle whipped Kelly Austin of Virginia Beach in the final, 6-4, 6-2. She coasted to her crown with an opening 6-1, 6-1 win, a 6-2, 6-2 victory in the quarterfinals and a 6-1, 6-0 triumph in the semifinals over Richmond's Shelley Daughtrey.
Austin, the No. 2 seed, topped Ashley Krupin of Richmond in the other semifinal, 6-3, 6-4.
Last year Michelle won the girls 14-under title and two years ago she was the 12-under champion.
Nate Glover, winner at boys 10-under last year, defeated David Ancarrow of Seaford in the final, 6-0, 6-1.
Moving up to the 12-under division, Nate then bested Ross Byrd of Virginia Beach for that title, 7-6, 6-2. Chesapeake's Martin Black fell to Grover in the semifinal round, 6-1, 6-1. Byrd eliminated Taylor Hume of Norfolk, 6-2, 6-0.
Before entering the Baker Damron, the two Grovers dominated the Allied Coloids junior tournament in Suffolk. Michelle didn't lose a game in winning both the 14 and 16-under girls titles. Nate won the 10 and 12-under boys titles and paired with Barton to win the 10-under boys doubles crown.
Michelle is a rising eighth-grader at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy. Nate is a fourth grader at the same school.
The feature of the three-day tournament, trimmed back one day from its usual format and winding up on Friday instead of Saturday, was the boys 18-under singles finale between Brock Parker of Richmond and Alex Johnston of Virginia Beach. Parker, the top seed, posted a 7-6, 6-1 victory.
Johnston was unseeded because he has played sparingly this summer and is recovering from a back injury.
But one delighted onlooker at Johnston's march to the final was Norfolk Academy tennis coach Mike Horstman. Johnston, a rising senior, is returning to Norfolk Academy in September after attending Woodberry Forest last year. He played at Academy as an 8th, 9th and 10th grader.
``Alex is on a stretching program,'' said Horstman. ``His back problem resulted from tight hamstrings. He was able to play only a half-season at Woodberry.''
The boys 16-under final went to Craig Rice of Suffolk on a 6-4, 6-2 win over Mike Duquette of Virginia Beach. A 10th grader who plays No. 1 at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, Rice beat Duquette's brother Chris in the semifinal, 6-3, 6-1.
Mike, playing up a division, is only 13 years old. The Duquettes are sons of Norfolk Academy boys lacrosse coach Tom Duquette. They played together in the boys 18-under doubles, falling to Johnston and Vic Oppleman of Lynchburg in the semifinals, 6-1, 6-1.
The boys 14-under singles winner was Derrick Perry, a former Portsmouth resident who now lives in Richmond. Perry bested Kevin McClellan of Poquoson in the final, 6-1, 6-2.
Perry was seeded No. 1 and McClennan No. 2. Perry thumped Glenn Benson of Virginia Beach in the semifinal, 6-0, 6-0. Last year Perry was a semifinal loser to Mike Duquette.
In the girls 12-under singles Kate Marks of Franklin topped Chelsea Green of Suffolk in an exciting championship match, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. Marks ousted Anne Shelton of Richmond in the semifinals, 6-2, 6-1, while Green advanced with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Melissa Holland of Windsor.
Kelly Smith of Richmond, the No. 2 seed in 18-under girls, defeated Chesapeake's Sara Guthrie in the final, 6-1, 7-5. Guthrie, a member of the Great Bridge High School team, upended No. 1 seed Winston Forbes in the semifinals, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.
McClennan and Ancarrow paired to beat Grover and Josh Dishong of Alexandria in the boys 14-under doubles, 6-0, 6-1.
Rice and Parker captured boys 18-under doubles with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Johnston and Oppleman.
Austin and Michelle Grover teamed for the 16-under girls double title, beating Krupin and Daughtrey in the final, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.
The tournament drew a Swedish entry, Bisawer Tadious, who presently lives in Washington, D. C. Tadiuous dropped his first-round match in 16-under boys singles to George Watkins of Norfolk, 6-7, 6-2, 6-0.
Due to a conflict with zone play, the tournament entries were down this year. There were 110 participants. Last year 136 competed. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
Nate Grover returns the ball in the Baker Damron Eye Center Junior
Tennis Tournament at Elizabeth Manor.
by CNB