Andy Colombo has known Alex Jorne for 17 years. Perhaps no one in the area is better suited to judge the Brighton graduate’s tennis acumen than the former two-time NCAA All-American.
Even he has been impressed with what Jorne has been able to do in recent weeks.
“I haven’t seen him be this focused in a long time,” Colombo said. “From work to they gym to training, I think he did a lot of things well. He started to see the results and stuck with it and got better.”
Jorne has emerged as the top player in the Rochester area following a summer that saw him win the Rochester District Singles and Doubles titles.
In between victories, Jorne has begun his teaching career, working with youth players at Colombo’s tennis academy at the Mendon Pool and Racquet Club.
“Tournaments on clay are not my favorite, so I had to work my way into physical shape,” Jorne said. “My success in the postseason is largely due to the fact that I was ready to play.”
Jorne used a dominating serve and controlled the ground strokes in his victory in the singles tournament. The top seed cruised to the finals not losing a set along the way.
Jorne ran into a pair of difficult matchups in the semifinals and finals respectively in Ryan McCormick and Gordon Quinton.
McCormick and Jorne train together, so he knew he wouldn’t be able to surprise the former Irondequoit standout. Quinton used a variety of shots to keep Jorne off balance, but Jorne was able to secure the 6-2, 6-4 victory.
“I used my first and second serve effectively and with power more consistently,” Jorne said. “I really controlled ground strokes. I used using that mainly my semifnal. I feel like I did a good job controlling tempo as well.”
Jorne teamed with Tennyson Saucedo to fend off a tough challenge from Rob Pickles and Quinton just to reach the doubles finals, winning 7-6(5), 6-2 in the semis. It was nothing compared to their battle in the finals with Scott Thyroff and Matt Nielsen.
Jorne and Saucedo were able to pull out the first set 7-6, but Thyroff and Nielsen responded by dominating the second set 6-2. Neither team could gain control of the match in the third set, as each team repeatedly broke the other’s serve.
Jorne and Saucedo were able to hold serve and eventually won the set 7-5 to win the match. It was an impressive victory, but not too surprising since Jorne and Saucedo have played together for eight years.
Andy Colombo has known Alex Jorne for 17 years. Perhaps no one in the area is better suited to judge the Brighton graduate’s tennis acumen than the former two-time NCAA All-American.
Even he has been impressed with what Jorne has been able to do in recent weeks.
“I haven’t seen him be this focused in a long time,” Colombo said. “From work to they gym to training, I think he did a lot of things well. He started to see the results and stuck with it and got better.”
Jorne has emerged as the top player in the Rochester area following a summer that saw him win the Rochester District Singles and Doubles titles.
In between victories, Jorne has begun his teaching career, working with youth players at Colombo’s tennis academy at the Mendon Pool and Racquet Club.
“Tournaments on clay are not my favorite, so I had to work my way into physical shape,” Jorne said. “My success in the postseason is largely due to the fact that I was ready to play.”
Jorne used a dominating serve and controlled the ground strokes in his victory in the singles tournament. The top seed cruised to the finals not losing a set along the way.
Jorne ran into a pair of difficult matchups in the semifinals and finals respectively in Ryan McCormick and Gordon Quinton.
McCormick and Jorne train together, so he knew he wouldn’t be able to surprise the former Irondequoit standout. Quinton used a variety of shots to keep Jorne off balance, but Jorne was able to secure the 6-2, 6-4 victory.
“I used my first and second serve effectively and with power more consistently,” Jorne said. “I really controlled ground strokes. I used using that mainly my semifnal. I feel like I did a good job controlling tempo as well.”
Jorne teamed with Tennyson Saucedo to fend off a tough challenge from Rob Pickles and Quinton just to reach the doubles finals, winning 7-6(5), 6-2 in the semis. It was nothing compared to their battle in the finals with Scott Thyroff and Matt Nielsen.
Jorne and Saucedo were able to pull out the first set 7-6, but Thyroff and Nielsen responded by dominating the second set 6-2. Neither team could gain control of the match in the third set, as each team repeatedly broke the other’s serve.
Jorne and Saucedo were able to hold serve and eventually won the set 7-5 to win the match. It was an impressive victory, but not too surprising since Jorne and Saucedo have played together for eight years.
“We are familiar with each other’s weaknesses and listen to each other real well,” said Saucedo, a 2005 graduate of Pittsford Sutherland. “If you can listen to someone and have them feel more comfortable on the court, that is what it is all about.”
Jorne’s love of tennis began on his fourth birthday when his parents gave him a racquet. He spent most of his high school career traveling to tournaments all over the country, but his senior year when he played for Brighton remains one of his favorite tennis memories.
Jorne started his college career at Fairleigh Dickinson University, but transferred to Auburn University for his junior and senior years.
“Once I got (to Auburn) I saw how you get thrown in right away,” Jorne said. “It was tough to adjust to that life. Most of these kids were going off and playing futures and high-level tournaments. It was an experinece, but with a lot of hard work and it turned me into a better player.”
