Miami Lakes resident and tennis player, Alyssa Moore, competed in the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Florida Region 8 Girls 12-and-under Tournament winning the first place trophy.
Moore, a seventh grader at Bob Graham Education Center, competed in four matches in her quest for first place, improving her USTA ranking along the way. The tournament, which was held at Shula's Athletic Club on Saturday, February 15, through Monday, February 17, was a level 7 national tournament that had a record total of 85 players for boys and girls 12's and 14's from surrounding counties and out of state.
"I was so excited that I won and it was an amazing experience," said Moore. "I found it even more exciting because I won in my own club. I was so relieved that I won all four matches because they weren't very easy."
Paulo Hexsel, Tennis director for the Athletic Club, has been coaching Moore since she was seven and has seen athletic growth over the years.
"With a lot of hard work, Alyssa is now competing against the very best players in Florida," said Hexsel. "Since that early age, I could see she was a very gifted athlete, very competitive and hard-working. That's when I told her parents we needed to expose her to tournaments."
Moore began competing in rookie tournaments at age 10, winning two tournaments at the rookie level and placing in several others. Moore and her family plan to continue participating in tennis tournaments and training throughout high school and at the collegiate level.
"It is very exciting to have one of my players win a high level tournament and in our own club, where we spend hours every day training, sweating and developing the local Miami Lakes talent," said Hexsel. "Alyssa very well represented not only herself and her family, but also Shula's Athletic Club and the Miami Lakes community."