Local Student-Athletes Compete in National Tennis Competition
The Houston duo of Xavier Gonzalez and Peter Leung recently reached the doubles quarterfinals during the U.S. Tennis Association’s Boys 16 National Championships played at Stowe Stadium in Kalamazoo, MI. This is the most important tournament of the year for American junior tennis, and this year 196 of the nation’s finest players competed. Past winners in boys 16 doubles include John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, Sammy Giammalva, and Mike Russell.
Gonzalez and Leung defeated four teams en route to the quarterfinals, including two seeded teams. Their bid for a semi-final slot fell short against the Whitehurst twins of Talahassee, FL, as Gonzalez and Leung lost 7-6, 6-3.
As one would expect from a tournament that has a 70-year tradition, there were moments of drama along the way. In the round of 32, Gonzalez and Leung were down 3-7 in the 10-point super tiebreaker and saved a match point at 8-9 before prevailing, 11-9. Gonzalez will be a junior at St. John’s School, and Leung will be a junior at Taylor High School.
