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Andrew Salu & Maria Drobotova
win The “Little
Mo” Grand Slam
Andrew Salu (San
Diego, California) and Maria Drobotova (Boca Raton, Florida) won the “Little Mo”
Grand Slam at the PGA National Resort & Spa recently. This was the second
year the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation offered a player this unique
chance to win the “Little Mo” Grand Slam. If a player is
able to win their division at each of three Internationals tournaments, they
will receive the tallest trophy ever given in junior tennis — a 6 foot tall
trophy.
In honor of Maureen Connolly’s
Grand Slam in 1953, MCB created the “Little Mo” Grand Slam – the ultimate
challenge for junior players. Maureen was the first woman to win the Grand Slam,
winning all four majors in one calendar year. She is still the only American
woman and the youngest at age 18 to have accomplished this magnificent feat.
Although her career only spanned three years, many premier sports writers
consider Maureen to be the finest of all female players. To put the significance
of her achievement into perspective, only five players have won the Grand Slam
in singles.
Maria and Andrew won the first leg
at the “Little Mo” Internationals in San Diego, California in July, the second
leg at The West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York in August, and the
third and final leg in Florida from December. Both players also won the “Little
Mo” Nationals in October, making them winners of the “Little Mo” Golden
Slam.
The “Little Mo” Internationals in
Florida featured 340 players from 41 countries – the top young stars of the
future. The dates for the 2015 “Little Mo” Internationals are posted on www.mcbtennis.org
Maria Drobotova
(age 10) is in fifth grade and goes to school at Del Prado Elementary School.
Maria was born in Kyrgyzstan and started playing tennis at age 3; she moved to
Florida when she was 7 years old because of tennis. In her spare time, Maria
enjoys drawing, singing, and skiing. She has over 100 trophies.
Andrew Salu (age
9) is in third grade and is homeschooled. He trains at the Rancho Santa Fe Club,
and his favorite players are Novak Djokovic and David Ferrer. In his spare time,
Andrew enjoys go-carting, swimming, scooters, and ping pong. In addition to his
achievements in “Little Mo”, Andrew has won six designated USTA tournaments in
the 10 and under division, including SCTA sectional doubles and has also won the
Los Caballeros designated tournament at age 8 which makes him the youngest
winner of an SCTA designated tournament in many years.
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