Xavier Gonzalez wins Boys 16 USTA National Open – credits “Little Mo” for the spark that ignited his passion for tennis

Former “Little Mo” participant Xavier Gonzalez won the Boys 16 singles championship at the USTA’s National Open played in Austin, Texas from November 23-25. En route to the title, Gonzalez defeated five opponents. Seeded number two, he triumphed over Shaun Berman (Miami, Florida) in the R32, Tillman Haynes (Dallas, Texas) in the R16, number five seed Lee-Shawn Stein (Edmond, Oklahoma) in the quarterfinals, number three seed Kyle Mautner (Greenwich, Connecticut) in the semi-finals, and Emil Reinberg (Atlanta, Georgia) in the finals.

Master tennis coaches believe that it takes seven years to develop an elite high-performance player. This has certainly been the case with Xavier. His first organized competition was the “Little Mo” Southern California sectional in San Diego in 2005, where he lost both of his matches. Although Xavier did not win the tennis tournament, the tennis tournament won him—“Little Mo” was the spark that ignited Xavier’s passion for the sport.

Xavier Gonzalez has been ranked number one in Texas and top-40 in the nation both in Boys 14 and Boys 16. Following his latest victory at the USTA National Open, Xavier’s Boys 16 ranking improved to #22 in the nation. He is also this year’s “Bob McKinley Sportsmanship Award” winner. Xavier Gonzalez is a junior at St. John’s School, where he plays on the varsity tennis team. He is a two-time team MVP and SPC All Conference selection. This spring he will lead the team as a co-captain.