Fakas Goes One Better at Sportime Randall’s Island Championships

Little by little, Little Neck tennis player Rebecca Fakas is getting better.

After losing in the first round of the BJKNTC Junior Tennis Classic Championships in Flushing , Fakas made it past the first hurdle this weekend at the Sportime Randall’s Island Championships in Manhattan, defeating Nava Kidon of NYC 6-1, 6-2 in the Girls 16-and-under division, before losing 6-2 6-0 against Jessie Cruz of New Rochelle in the quarterfinals.

“This tournament was on clay courts, which works a lot better with my game,” said Fakas, who is about to be a sophomore at Benjamin Cardozo High School. “I like to put slice on my shots, which is more effective when the court is slower.”

Competing under the lights in her first match on Friday night, Fakas was able to track down Kidon’s groundstrokes time and time again, drawing her opponent into numerous unforced errors.

The Little Neck native swept through the first five games of the match, and after a competitive start to the second set, reeled off the final three games to advance past her opponent.

“Pretty much everything was working out there,” said Fakas. “I was moving really well and getting a lot of balls back, and eventually she would get frustrated and miss.”

The quarterfinal match yesterday evening saw Fakas square off against a much higher quality opponent. Cruz, a nationally ranked player in the Girls 14-and-under division, used a high looping forehand to set up powerful backhand drives, taking control of the rallies and playing first strike tennis.

Fakas took Cruz’s shots on the rise to offset the spin coming from them, resulting in Cruz overhitting some of her groundstrokes and allowing Fakas to take a 3-1 lead.

However, the New Rochelle native began to find the range on her powerful baseline game, pushing Fakas around the baseline before rushing the net for winning volleys. Reeling off 10 straight games, Cruz quickly raced to a 6-3 5-0 lead.

“Today was a completely different match,” said Fakas. “I would hit what seemed like a winner and she kept getting them back.”

Despite facing a seemingly insurmountable lead, Fakas continued to fight. She erased three match points with an ace and two groundstroke winners to get on the scoreboard in the second set, and even held a game point on Cruz’s next service game. However, a backhand steered wide from Fakas ultimately wrapped up the match.

Despite the loss, Fakas said there is momentum to be taken from this event as she prepares for other top-flight junior tournaments this summer.

“It’s rare for me to get past the first round at these events, so it was nice to have that happen here,” said Fakas. “It’s definitely something to build on.”