Hills Freshman Competes in Randall's Island Tennis Championship

The wins keep coming for Dix Hills tennis player Travis Leaf.

Competing in the Boys 14-and-under division of the Sportime Randall's Island Championships in Manhattan, Leaf made it all the way to the semifinals, defeating Cameron Gruss of New York City 6-3, 6-0 in a quarterfinal match on Saturday night before losing Sunday evening in a tight 6-4, 6-4 match against Anthony Guglin of Bridgewater, NJ.

"I hadn't played on these courts before in about eight months," said Leaf, who is about to be a freshman at . "Even though I had been able to practice on clay courts leading up to this tournament, every court is obviously a little bit different."

Leaf's serve was a primary factor in getting to the final four of the tournament. Mixing up the pace while getting a high percentage of first serves in allowed, Leaf to gain control of the rallies early on and used his forehand to hit winners from all parts of the court.

"That's the one area that's been working really well," said Leaf. "I felt like I was able to get a lot of free points off that shot."

Introduced to tennis at the age of six, the sport has become a way of life for Leaf. He spends approximately 25-30 weekends per year traveling around the region for top level junior tournaments, competing against some of the best players on the east coast. Leaf has also participated in several national level tournaments.

In addition, he also trains several days per week with a private coach at , working on several elements of his game to help bring his tennis to the next level.

"I like hitting different paces and spins to throw my opponent off their game, but have been working a lot lately on just keeping the ball consistent and deep," said Leaf. "Being creative is probably the strongest part of my game, but it's grinding out points that I don't really like."

The hard work on the court has translated into tournament success. Leaf has already racked up two singles titles this year in the 14-and-under division, in addition to a doubles title with Brian Hoffarth of Fort Salonga.

Leaf said he plans to try out for the Boys Varsity tennis team at Half Hollow Hills High School East next spring. While many top level players shun high school tennis to focus on tournament play, Leaf said he sees the benefits in playing for his school.

"Colleges like to see at least one year of high school tennis on your record," said Leaf. "On top of that, we're one of the best teams in the state, so to be able to make the varsity team as a freshman would help me stand out."

Leaf's success isn't just limited to on the court. A straight "A" student at, Leaf said he hopes to use tennis as a springboard into a top academic college in the future.

"School is much more important to me, so I would be ecstatic if tennis helped allow me to get even a partial scholarship somewhere," said Leaf. "Of course, if I ended up being a big shot tennis player and turned pro, I'd take that too."