Palisadian Jake Sands, 11, left his mark on the youth tennis community by winning the West Coast Tennis South Bay Fall Junior Open tournament last week in Manhattan Beach. Seeded ninth entering the tournament, the Paul Revere Middle School student took the 12-and-under field by storm, knocking off third-seeded Jeffrey Mah, 6-3, 6-4, in the finale. In the second round, Sands defeated top-seeded Parth Sharma in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1. Yet what is most impressive is Jake’s ability to excel in school while also succeeding on the tennis court. ‘He’s really good at managing his time,’ said Kathy Sands, Jake’s mother. ‘When he comes home from school he sits down and gets his homework done, because he knows he needs to still play tennis.’ Choosing to send Jake to school rather than have him home schooled was something Kathy emphasized. ‘A lot of kids are turning to home schooling so that they can pursue their sports,’ she said. ‘That seems to be a big trend right now. But we’re not going to take that route.’ Tennis also runs in the family, as Jake’s older brother R.J. also performed admirably in the 14-and-under division at Manhattan Beach. R.J. Sands, 12, defeated first-seeded Kodiak Ravicz, 4-6, 7-6, 6-1, in the second round on his way to the quarterfinals. When he’s not on the court, Jake enjoys listening to music and playing other sports. He is also a member of the school’s choir. At Manhattan Beach, Jake continued to carry out his style of play that makes him so effective. ‘I like to play aggressive,’ he said. ‘I have good ground strokes, and I’m really fast, so I can get to almost any ball.’ You don’t need to remind his opponents.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
