Beach Tennis USA

Local Talent Continues To Excel In 2008 Beach Tennis USA National Tour

Ft Lauderdale's own Nick Paalzow and Rick Simeon made their bid for a berth in Beach Tennis USA’s 2008 National Championship with a hard-fought win at the Ft. Lauderdale Open this past weekend. Paalzow and Simeon, who have competed in numerous BTUSA events over the past couple of years, took home the trophy after a grueling match against two young and relatively unknown players, Matt Rock and Derek Madon (both of Ft Lauderdale), winning 8-5.

It was not a total loss for Rock and Madon. The young duo showed they can compete with top beach tennis players as they ousted Sony Ericsson Open Champs Maurice Ruah and Boris Czarnecki in a match that went to a tie-breaker set in the semifinals round.

In the Women's Pro Division, the international team of Ana Maria Zuleta (Ecuador) and Ildiko Csordas (Hungary) faced long-time rival Maria Romo and new partner Mayra Kaefer (both of Miami) in the finals. This time, Zuleta and Csordas were vindicated as they prevailed in a match that also went to a tie-breaker set, 9-8. “We are excited that we finally won an event and are looking forward to carrying this momentum into next week’s event in Miami,” said Zuleta.

Twenty men's teams and six women’s teams competed in the third stop of the Beach Tennis USA’s 2008 National Tour, each vying for a spot in the National Championship later this year. If the level of play at the Ft Lauderdale is any indication of what we can expect at the Sunshine State Slam in Miami this weekend, beach tennis fans are in for some amazing action.

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