Nathan Blokhin and Owen Medrano recognized at 2015 Little Mo Nationals
Ft. Lauderdale’s Blokhin Wins, Boca’s Medrano Recognized at ‘Little Mo’ Tennis Nationals
A Florida winner punched through at the 18th annual “Little Mo” Nationals presented by Babolat, held at the Austin Tennis Academy in Austin, Texas, in October when Fort Lauderdale’s Nathan Blokhin captured the title in the Boys’ 9 division.
Another Florida native, Boca Raton’s Owen Medrano, received the Sportsmanship Award.
The “Little Mo” Nationals is the only national tournament for boys and girls ages 8-12. It is the culmination of the yearlong “Road to the Little Mo Nationals” circuit featuring the youngest and brightest stars in junior tennis. The “Little Mo” tournaments are designed to be fun and provide good competition for the younger player at the sectional, regional, and national level.
Approximately 1,500 players participated at the sectional level, and quarterfinalists from each age division at each sectional advanced to one of the four “Little Mo” Regionals held in the summer. The semifinalists from each age division at each Regional advanced to the “Little Mo” Nationals.
The event is named for Maureen “Little Mo” Connolly, the top-ranked woman’s player in the world in the early 1950s, winning Wimbledon in 1952-54. In 1953, she became the first woman (at age 18) to win the Grand Slam. “Little Mo” died of cancer in 1969 at the age of 34 in Dallas, Texas.
For the full results go to http://www.usptaplayer.com/tournaments/862/.