There is no question who the favorite was in the Level One West Side Tennis Boys 18 Singles tournament in Forest Hills.
R.J. Del Nunzio, a highly ranked player in his age bracket and a nationally ranked netter, has all the skills and happens to be on a roll. He has stepped it up over the past two years.
The top seed and Forest Hills resident Del Nunzio, 16, entered into the Boys 18 tournament of 24 players feeling very confident. None of his matches went more than two sets and he played excellent tennis on way to a 6-3, 6-3 decision over Stefan Ilic, also of Forest Hills, in the finals for the tournament on clay courts on Friday, June 25.
“Then my forehand woke up and I went ahead 2-0 in the second set,” Del Nunzio said. “I kicked it in and let my forehand do the work.”
The turning point in the match against Ilic in the 18 Tournament came when Del Nunzio led 4-3 and then won the big game to lead 5-3 in the first set.
“He’s a good player and he’s number one in the East,” said Ilic, who will be entering into his senior year at Forest Hills High School this fall. “He plays aggressively and I know his weaknesses. He has a strong game.”
In the finals of the Grass Court tournament on Saturday, June 26, the fourth seeded netter turned back Billy Bishop of Houston, Texas, 6-3, 7-5, in a very tough match. The turning point came during the second set. Del Nunzio went ahead 2-0 in the second set after winning the first one.
“Then after the score read 2-2 in games, we held serve until it went to 5-5,” said Del Nunzio, who has two more yeas left at Kew Forest High School. “Then in the 11th game, the score went to deuce. I broke him when I hit a huge passing shot on game point. Then I served it out, making three out of five service points. My first serves were good.”
Del Nunzio thus won the junior boys United States Tennis Association (USTA) sanctioned tournaments for the fourth time in different age brackets at Forest Hills.
Seeing action in two tournaments at the same location and on different surfaces did not have any effect on his play. At times during the tournaments he had to make quick adjustments to the next surface in a short period of time during the day.
“Wining both tournaments is big and exciting,” the winner went on. “I expected to do it. But anything can happen and I’m happy that I executed my game plan. Tennis is about instincts. My forehand is what helps me win my matches.”
His play has been constantly improving, and he is looking forward to compete in the qualifying tournament of the United States Open at the USTA National Tennis Center in mid –August.
