GOSHEN- Fresh off his run to the state championship match last month, Goshen High School’s Braeden Gelletich won a high-level United States Tennis Association (USTA) 18-and-under national tournament in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Monday, July 3rd.
Gelletich, the seventh seed, defeated Callum Markowitz of White Plains 6-0, 2-6, 10-0 (tiebreaker) in the championship. Gelletich had never beaten Markowitz before the Chattanooga showdown. He also finished fourth place with Markowitz in the doubles draw at Chattanooga.
“This win definitely gives me confidence because I was playing in an older age group against some really good competition,” Gelletich, 16, said. “I think the key for me was my groundstrokes and outlasting my opponents with my conditioning because it was very hot in Tennessee. It was a great tournament for me heading into the clay court season and I hope to build on this.”
Last month, Gelletich became the first Section 9 player to reach the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA)boys’ tennis championships, losing to Commack’s Eddie Liao 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the championship. Gelletich’s run to the state final culminated the most dominant performance by a boys’ singles player in Section 9 history.
Gelletich is being recruited by several Division I colleges and will be making visits in the next few months. His next two summer tournaments will be the USTA Clay Nationals in Delray Beach, Fla. on July 9th and the USTA Hard Court Nationals in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Aug. 4th.
