High school tennis gets a frosh face

PREP FOCUS: Cleveland’s Alex Rovello has the game to make a big first impression

By steve brandon

The Portland Tribune, Mar 20, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (1 Reader comment)

JIM CLARK / P0RTLAND TRIBUNE

Cleveland freshman Alex Rovello’s tennis lessons began at age 2 from his father at Berkeley Park. Now 15, he could contend for a state title.

The new kid in PIL tennis town, freshman Alex Rovello, plays for Class 5A Cleveland.

That’s good news for Peter Jones, a sophomore from 6A Lincoln.

Jones won the PIL singles title last year, when all the league’s teams were in 4A. He’s played a lot of doubles with Rovello and trains with him at Eastmoreland Racquet Club under pro Derin Hibbs.

“I can’t beat Alex,” Jones says. “I’ve probably played him 20 times and lost every time.

“I don’t think he’ll lose a high school match all year.”

Hibbs says he can’t recall Jones winning a set from his Cleveland buddy.

“The sky’s the limit for Alex,” Hibbs says. “His hand-eye coordination is in the top 1 percent in the country.

“And the big thing is he’s an absolute pleasure to work with. I’ve had state champions and nationally ranked players, and he’s way more coachable than any of them.

“He’s become kind of like a little brother to me. Everybody loves him.”

Rovello is ranked 18th nationally among high school freshmen. In the Pacific Northwest, he’s been ranked No. 1 in three age groups. Nationally, he was 27th in 12-and-under, 32nd in 14-and-under and is currently 124th in 16-and-under. He turns 16 on June 25.

He’s so well-known and well-respected in the Cleveland district, he already has his photo framed and hanging up at a neighborhood sports hangout, the Skybox Pub & Grill in Sellwood.

When he was attending Sellwood Middle School, there was talk that Rovello might wind up joining Jones at Lincoln — but he says it was Cleveland all the way.

“I chose Cleveland because all my friends were going there and I wanted to follow in the tradition of the people who made me become as good as I am today,” he says.

In particular, he thanks former Warrior players Cristin and Ashley Sammis, Beau Smith and Jacob Gilden.

Cristin Sammis won the state singles title in 2002; she and Ashley reached the doubles semifinals in 2001.

“I watched them play for Cleveland and thought someday it would be my turn to play tennis as a Cleveland Warrior,” Rovello says.

1 | 2 Next Page >>

Facebook	Digg	Del.icio.us
Newsvine	Stumbleupon	Reddit