Tennis Canada’s National Tennis Centre presented by Rogers introduces its class 2022-2023

All the newest on the gamers transitioning to the skilled and faculty circuits
 

The 2023 season is effectively underway, and Tennis Canada is proud to current the members of the 2022–2023 class on the Nationwide Tennis Centre (NTC) introduced by Rogers. Since its creation in 2007, the NTC has hosted some 60 gamers from throughout the nation and constructed a confirmed monitor report that has helped its alumni attain the very best ranges in skilled tennis.

The brand new group is made up of members who arrived on the NTC just some months in the past from completely different provinces.

Boys: Keegan Rice – 16 years outdated (Regina, Saskatchewan), Adam Farag Cao – 15 years outdated (Calgary, Alberta) and Finn Muller – 14 years outdated (Toronto, Ontario).

Women: Emma Dong – 15 years outdated (Vancouver, British Columbia) and Addison Comiskey – 15 years outdated (Ottawa, Ontario).

To seek out out extra about them, watch these official movies. 

“We’re thrilled that these 5 new athletes are becoming a member of the Nationwide Tennis Centre household,” mentioned Guillaume Marx, Head of efficiency at Tennis Canada. “Since its inception, the NTC has made Canada one of many world’s fastest-rising tennis nations, and lots of the Centre’s alumni—together with Félix Auger-Aliassime, Bianca Andreescu, Milos Raonic and Eugenie Bouchard—have joined the ranks of the worldwide elite. We see that very same sort of potential in Keegan, Finn, Adam, Emma and Addison, and we’ll do our utmost to assist them in making their tennis ambitions a actuality.”

2022-2023 athletes

NTC gamers within the transition program

As new gamers arrive on the NTC, others start their transition to the skilled and faculty circuits, together with Victoria Mboko (Toronto, ON), Kayla Cross (London, ON), Marina Stakusic (Mississauga, ON), Cadence Brace (Toronto, ON), Mia Kupres (Edmonton, AB), Annabelle Xu (Montréal, QC), Jaden Weekes (Montréal, QC) and Christophe Clément (Montréal, QC). Collectively, they’d a stellar 2022 season, with the overwhelming majority reaching private bests within the junior rankings.

• Junior {and professional} circuits
  • Victoria Mboko – No.491 within the WTA rankings: She might solely be 16 years outdated and nonetheless eligible to enter junior occasions, however Victoria Mboko of Toronto is gearing as much as compete in skilled tournaments. She is coming off a robust season on the junior circuit. She rose as excessive as No.8 after taking dwelling the title on the J1 Porto Alegre in Brazil, reached the semifinals of two junior Grand Slam championships (Wimbledon and the US Open) and fought within the doubles closing of the junior Australian Open. She additionally made her mark on the skilled tour when she secured her very first title on the ITF occasion in Saskatoon and performed within the Nationwide Financial institution Open and the Granby Nationwide Financial institution Championships.

See what she needed to say about her 2022 season and the targets she has set for herself right here:

• Kayla Cross – No.392 within the WTA rankings: Although she remains to be eligible to compete in junior tournaments, Kayla Cross of London, Ontario, is getting ready to spend extra time on the skilled tour in 2023 and will be a part of the school circuit as early as this summer season. In 2022, she had quite a lot of success in junior doubles. With Victoria Mboko, she gained three titles and battled in two junior Grand Slam finals on the Australian Open and Wimbledon. On the skilled tour, along with collaborating within the qualifying rounds of the Nationwide Financial institution Open introduced by Rogers for a second 12 months in a row, she entered the principle draw of a WTA 250 event for the very first time on the Granby Nationwide Financial institution Championships.

• Marina Stakusic – No. 375 within the WTA Rankings: Stakusic, who’s from Mississauga, started her transition to the professionals final 12 months and had a exceptional 2022 season She competed in her first two WTA Tour occasions: the Nationwide Financial institution Open introduced by Rogers (wildcard) and the Granby Nationwide Financial institution Championships. Whereas Marina was in a position to decide up a qualifying win in Toronto towards an opponent ranked 83rd on this planet, it was in Granby that she actually shined, reaching the second spherical of the principle draw of the occasion. It was the primary time in her profession that she performed – and gained – a primary draw match on the WTA Tour. Along with this accomplishment, Marina clinched a doubles title on the Saskatoon Challenger alongside compatriot Kayla Cross, incomes the primary skilled title of her younger profession.

• Cadence Brace – No. 416 within the WTA Rankings: The 18-year-old Cadence Brace, from Toronto, has additionally begun her transition to the skilled excursions in 2022. Whereas she performed in a number of ITF occasions final 12 months, her finest consequence got here on the Granby Nationwide Financial institution Championships, a WTA 250 occasion, the place she not solely certified for the principle draw but in addition reached the second spherical (a private finest) by beating a High 100 participant for the primary time in her profession. Ranked 1277th on the finish of 2021, she continues to climb the rankings and is presently sitting on the highest rank of her profession.

• NCAA faculty tennis circuit
  • Jaden Weekes (College of Kentucky), Christophe Clément (College of Kentucky), Mia Kupres (Texas A&M) and Annabelle Xu (College of Virginia) are all pursuing their tennis goals on the school circuit within the US.
  • The College of Kentucky presently ranks second within the males’s group standings. On the ladies’s aspect, Texas A&M and the College of Virginia aren’t any.3 and no.7, respectively. Click on here to view the rankings.  

Editor’s notice: the NTC since its creation in 2007

• 58 gamers skilled on the NTC (together with present gamers)
• 42 gamers enrolled within the NTC program (19 ladies, 23 boys)
• 13 gamers on the skilled excursions
• 24 gamers graduated from a US college
• 8 gamers competing on the NCAA faculty tennis circuit
• 6 Grand Slam singles titles gained by previous and present CNT gamers (5 junior championships, 1 skilled)
• 2 CNT alumni on the Canadian group that gained the 2022 Davis Cup
• 12 Grand Slam closing berths by previous and present CNT gamers (9 junior championships, 3 skilled)
• 1,000 coaching hours yearly
• Over 600 hours of educational research yearly

To study extra in regards to the Nationwide Tennis Centre introduced by Rogers, click here.