Tournament Player Profile: Sidney Wright

  1. How long have you been playing tennis?  I have been playing tennis for 11 years. 
  2. Where do you practice?  I practice at Harbor Square Athletic Club. 
  3. Do you play other tournaments?  I played the Grizzly Open in 2019, and the HSAC tournament in June 2021. 
  4. What is your proudest accomplishment so far in tennis?  I am proud of being the #1 singles seed for Meadowdale for the last three years. I’m also proud to be captain of my team. 
  5. Do you have a favorite player? I like Coco Gauff because she’s young and very talented. It will be fun to watch her career.  
  6. How would you describe your game?  I try to play tennis aggressively, consistently and strategically. 
  7. What are your future plans in the sport?  My future plans are to have a great Senior year at Meadowdale! I would also like to play tennis in college so I’m looking into that right now.

Tournament Player Profile: Aaron Lee

  1. How long have you been playing tennis?  I have been playing tennis since the summer before 4th grade, so 8 years now. 
  2. Where do you practice?  I usually practice at the Kamiak tennis courts, but I also have played at tennis clubs such as Columbia and Mill Creek. 
  3. Do you play other tournaments?  I try to play USTA tournaments throughout the year, and I have also played in other local tournaments as well when they arise. 
  4. What is your proudest accomplishment so far in tennis?  My proudest accomplishment so far in tennis has been playing as the Varsity Singles 1 player at Kamiak since my freshman year, it’s a role that I take great pride in having and one that I always work towards being worthy of. 
  5. Do you have a favorite player? My favorite player is Roger Federer, he’s the reason why I started playing tennis and I love the elegance he exudes whenever he steps on the court. 
  6. How would you describe your game?  I would describe my game as unconventional. I love to mix in different strokes such as slice, dropshots, and lobs into my game to keep my opponents from getting into a comfortable rhythm and I like to move my opponents around.
  7. What are your future plans in the sport?  My future plans with tennis aren’t completely clear yet, but what I do know is that it will always be an important aspect of my life and be a lifelong recreational activity I can enjoy.

Tournament Player Profile: Shubhi Handa

  1. How long have you been playing tennis?  I have been playing tennis for 7 years.
  2. Where do you practice?  I practice at the Mill Creek Tennis Club.
  3. Do you play other tournaments?  I have played other USTA tournaments.
  4. What is your proudest accomplishment so far in tennis? My proudest accomplishment so far is becoming the number one varsity singles player on my school’s tennis team.
  5. Do you have a favorite player? I really admire Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka.
  6. How would you describe your game?  I can’t really describe my game very well other than saying I love long rallies and playing strategically.
  7. What are your future plans in the sport?  I just wish to play tennis for as long as I can and have fun as well as continue to improve.

Summer Smash Q&A

Why would I choose to play the Summer Smash, rather than a USTA tournament?– Most USTA tournaments charge between $55-65 for singles, many don’t offer doubles and none offer mixed doubles. The Summer Smash charges $30 for singles, and $25 per doubles player, and EVERY player receives a tournament t-shirt. The focus of USTA tournaments is to compile points and rise in the rankings; at the Snohomish Summer Smash, it’s not about the points! We believe competition can be fun as well.

When do matches start?– The tournament will start at 12 pm on July 22nd; from there on out, matches will start each morning at 9 am. Matches will go until dark, playing under our court lights.

I want to play, but I have to work one day- Email the Tournament Director, and let him know your schedule; we may have flexibility to enable you to play.

What’s the difference between Silver and Gold?– Players taking part in the Gold Division are high Varsity players; many have played in USTA Intermediate and Advanced tournaments, and some have competed at State. Silver Division players are lower Varsity and JV players, who have maybe played a USTA Beginners or Intermediate tournament or two.

Tournament Player Profile: Ben Silber

  1. How long have you been playing tennis?   I have been playing tennis since I was about 5 years old. So 13 years.
  2. Where do you practice?  I practice at Harbor Square, during the summers I would play at Snohomish summer camps as well.
  3. Do you play other tournaments?  I play other tournaments quite often. Before covid, USTA tournaments were a normal part of my life and a typical weekend.
  4. What is your proudest accomplishment so far in tennis?  My proudest accomplishment so far in tennis would be winning Wesco district title back to back the last two years.
  5. Do you have a favorite player?  My favorite player is Marci Fucsovics. He grew up in the same small town in Hungary that my family is from. He also just made it into the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, his best tournament so far.
  6. How would you describe your game?  I’ve had trouble with this question before as it’s very hard for me to describe my own game. In singles I prefer long rallies where I am able to move my opponent around. But in doubles, serve and volley is my go-to as it is the most effective.
  7. What are your future plans in the sport?  My future plans in the sport are vast. At University of Oregon, where I am going to college, I will be the team manager for the men’s team so I will be in charge of stringing rackets and game-day activities. My degree will be in sports business and with my love for tennis who knows what will come after that. I know for sure I will be a lifelong member at Harbor Square (unless Andy kicks me out).

McDaniel’s Do It Center announced as Premier Sponsor for the 2021 Summer Smash!

The Snohomish Summer Smash announces that McDaniel’s Do It Center, winner of the Everett Herald Reader’s Choice award for “Best Hometown Hardware Store” and meeting every hardware, paint, yard and garden need in Snohomish since 1966, will be the Premier Sponsor for the tournament this year. McDaniel’s has been a longtime supporter of athletics in the Snohomish Community; please visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mcdanieldoitcenter, or their website at https://www.mcdanielsdoitcenter.com/.

The Junior Smash shines in the Sun!

The rains stopped, the Sun came out, the courts dried off, and 44 players from 27 schools showed up to the SHS courts and spent the day playing competitive tennis. When the dust settled, there were seven division champions…

Girls 11-13 Silver Champion Ella Smith
Boys 11-13 Silver Champion Ryan Leilabadi
Boys 11-13 Gold Champion Nathan Kim
Girls 14-15 Silver Champion Katelynne Wyckoff
Girls 14-15 Gold Champion Hannah Wells
Boys 14-15 Gold Champion Drew Jansen

2nd Annual Junior Smash is returning in June!

After a one-year hiatus, the Junior Smash tennis tournament will be returning to the Snohomish High School tennis courts on Saturday, June 12th. A one-day singles tournament, the Junior Smash is an opportunity for players ages 11-15 to play competitive tennis and develop their game. Boys and Girls will have each have two age groups, 11-13 and 14-15, with each age group having two divisions: Gold and Silver Singles. Trophies will be awarded to each division winner. Cost to play is $15