Racket sports /By Charlie Garfinkel
Yovanoff’s tennis game goes up yet another notch
Updated: 07/20/08 7:02 AM
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- Dave Yovanoff will represent the Western team at the Empire State Games.
Dave Yovanoff, a 17-year-old Eden High School senior, was the star of the recent Empire State Games Western team tennis tryouts.
Yovanoff defeated Andrew Guzick of Rochester, 6-2, 6-3, to capture the No. 1 singles spot for the Western team that will play in the Empire State Games championships in Binghamton later this week.
Yovanoff’s win was especially noteworthy because Guzick had pulled off the upset of the tryouts by defeating highly regarded Hamburg High star Matt Kane in three close sets.
Yovanoff has always had great strokes and has compiled an amazing 68-2 record in league play over the past five years. Although he has been ranked in The Buffalo News’ top 10 tennis players for the past two years, his game has really blossomed this year.
“About five years ago I was involved in basketball, baseball, and soccer,” said Yovanoff, who plays soccer at Eden. “I also played a little tennis and wasn’t really sure what sport I wanted to play on a full-time basis.”
At age 13 he and his parents decided that he should take tennis lessons at the Village Glen. From the start it was evident that Yovanoff was hooked on the game.
As Yovanoff progressed, his coach, Tom LaPenna, made some huge changes in his game. He changed his two-handed backhand to one-handed. This allowed Yovanoff to use a greater variety of shots from his backhand side. The change also enabled him to hit topspin and slice, in addition to chipping and charging to the net.
“The improvement in my backhand has been one of the main keys to the overall improvement in my game,” Yovanoff said. “The improved backhand has made me a more confident player. This is especially true in close matches when shots are hit to my backhand. It is now a force, not a weakness.”
Yovanoff feels that LaPenna was responsible for giving him the confidence to play well in tight situations. LaPenna would set up different situations that greatly improved Yovanoff’s overall game.
For instance, he would have Yovanoff serve in situations in which he would be serving at 4-5, 30-0. La- Penna would encourage him to serve a high bouncing serve to get the ball in play and work the point until he had an opening.
If Yovanoff was having trouble getting his serves in, LaPenna would have him play a whole set using only one serve.
LaPenna also gave Yovanoff drills to improve his foot speed. Yovanoff is now recognized as one of the fastest players in the area.
Other coaches have helped him, including Ross Nwachukwu, Mark Szafnicki and Sherif Zaher.
Nwachukwu, one of Western New York’s all-time tennis greats, was greatly responsible for improving Yovanoff’s mental toughness.
Szafnicki, athletic director at Gow School and a three-time Muny Open doubles champion with Kenny White, was responsible for Yovanoff’s improved serve.
“When Dave first came to me he really was only able to hit a twist serve,” Szafnicki said. “I am thrilled that his hard work has enabled him to now hit slice and flat serves in addition to his kicker with equal proficiency.”
Zaher is the area’s No. 1 ranked player, the University at Buffalo’s men’s tennis coach, and a teaching pro at Miller Tennis Center. He was responsible for improving Yovanoff’s serve-and-volley game.
When Yovanoff was in the 14-and 16-under divisions he had problems closing out matches. He would get nervous and lose matches that he should never had lost. Now, due to the help of his coaches, he is always confident that he can win those close matches.
About a year and a half ago Yovanoff’s game really took off with some big wins over top-ranked Eastern juniors. He defeated Bob McTaggart, who was ranked eighth in the East at that time. Last summer, he won the prestigious Gow School tournament by defeating 15th-ranked (Eastern ranking) Ben Guzick in the finals. He also finished ninth in the Eastern Sectionals each of the past two years.
This past winter Yovanoff felt that his game reached yet another level. He defeated top-ranked Eastern 14-under star Jason Taher (Rochester), who was also ranked in the top 10 in the 16-under division. One of his best wins was a 7-6, 6-3 victory over local star Winston Lin, who is ranked high nationally.
In addition to being an outstanding tennis player, Yovanoff has been an honor roll student since seventh grade. He has a 3.7 GPA and has been approached with scholarship offers by Colgate, Furman, Allegheny and Skidmore.
