Tennis | Nick Bollettieri Women's Invitational Singles Tournament at the Sarasota Open to feature rising female tennis talent
LAKEWOOD RANCH -- Could the next Venus or Serena Williams, Monica Seles or Lindsay Davenport be practicing her serve on a tennis court in Bradenton or Sarasota?
That could be the case if you ask Chris Marquez, head tennis professional at the Athletic Center of the Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club, the new site of the 2015 Sarasota Open that began Saturday.
Marquez has been coaching 18-year-old Lakewood Ranch High senior Ashley Bongart since she was 9. Bongart and seven other young female tennis players will be featured in the Nick Bollettieri Women's Singles Tournament.
The women's portion of the Sarasota Open, which has been a part of the tournament for five years, will run concurrently with the men's singles quarterfinals during the second weekend of the Sarasota Open, beginning on Friday.
Marquez is confident that Bongart, who is ranked No. 5 in Girls 18 Singles in Florida, will hold her own in the upcoming tournament, named in honor of Bollettieri, an International Tennis Hall of Famer and founder of IMG Academy in Bradenton.
"I feel if she plays well, she can hang with anybody. She's been working really hard and playing good tennis. No match is easy, but if she loses, she won't get blown away."
Marquez credits Bongart's athletic build and her height -- 5 feet, 11 inches -- for her strong serve, which he says could help produce a win for Bongart if she keeps it together during the three-day tournament.
Bongart, who has been training in Lakewood Ranch since she was a tot, is comfortable on the green clay courts there. She plays competitively with the Lakewood Ranch High team, which is headed to the state tournament Monday. This fall, she will move to the college level when she enrolls at the University of Tennessee on a tennis scholarship.
"Having the Open in Lakewood Ranch makes it a lot more special," Bongart said. "More people will come, watch and support me. Of course, my dad (Ranch High tennis coach Ed Bongart) and Chris will be there. I plan on stepping into the court and taking advantage of my serve and forehand," Bongart said. "If I'm in control of the point and play aggressively, I'll be fine."
Bongart's dream since she first started playing tennis has been to become a professional. If she takes a different turn in life, staying in the sports field and becoming a sports broadcaster after college is something Bongart would enjoy.
At United Tennis in Bradenton, director and head coach Gabriel Trifu is focused on developing his 13-year-old student, Gia Cohen, the youngest member to play the Sarasota Open Women's Singles this year. Cohen ranked fourth in Florida in her age group and 14th in the Girls' 16 Singles group.
"The Sarasota Open is a great experience for a young girl like Gia, and she will learn a lot from it. She has ease when the ball takes off. It's just a matter of how well her nerves hold up," said Trifu, who likens Cohen to a rising Lindsay Davenport, once ranked No. 1 in the world.
What motivates her the most about singles' tennis, Cohen says, is the game rests solely on her shoulders.
"I'm not a fan of team sports. It bores me a bit. I like hitting the ball and depending on myself. If I do well, I can say I did it, I won the match on my own."
Cohen, who has played Bongart and Brooke Lashway, 17, of Bradenton, another player on the 2015 Sarasota Women's roster, is looking forward to the tournament with no real pressure.
"I'm the youngest, so I should just go out and play my hardest because even if I lose, I would have lost to someone older than me," said Cohen, who plans on remaining homeschooled throughout high school while training full-time.
A complete list of men's and women's players in the 2015 Sarasota Open, along with a daily schedule of events, ticket and parking information is available at sarasotaopen.org.
Kathryn Moschella, Lakewood Ranch reporter can be reached at 941-745-7010. Follow her on Twitter@MoschellaHerald.
This story was originally published April 12, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Tennis | Nick Bollettieri Women's Invitational Singles Tournament at the Sarasota Open to feature rising female tennis talent ."