Emerging tennis stars shine in CityParks tournament

Andrew Birstingl, a talented 16-year-old from Middle Village, won first place in the boys 16-and-under division at the CityParks Foundation's JPMorgan Chase Aces Tennis Tournament in Flushing Meadows Corona Park for the second consecutive year, defeating his opponent, 6-1.
Although satisfied with the triumph, Birstingl, who will be graduating from Archbishop Molloy High School next June, will not be competing in next year's tournament due to the age limit. As to whether or not he will continue to play tennis after college, the teen has other plans in mind.
&#8220Soccer is going to be my main concentration after college, so I won't have much time for tennis,” said Birstingl, an avid tennis player since the age of seven who plays second singles and is on the soccer team at Molloy.
Fellow Middle Village resident Lauren Hagen, 16, meanwhile, sees tennis in her future. Hagen won second place in the girls 16-and-under division for the second consecutive year, and is aiming for a tennis scholarship at college. She plans on participating in next year's competition, which will be her last.
Close to 200 City kids participated in this year's tournament, about 45 of them from Queens. The competitors were sorted by age in three different age groups between boys and girls, with a maximum of 32 participants per division.
CityParks Tennis provides free tennis programs to thousands of children each year in more than 37 parks throughout the five boroughs. Each summer concludes with a tournament held at Central Park Tennis Center for beginners and Flushing Meadows Corona Park for intermediates as part of The JPMorgan Chase Aces Tennis Tournament.