SRA gets best of Panzo, Shea
Raider freshman among region’s top young players
PAWTUCKET – As Shea High veteran chief Matt Pita watched freshman Sophia Panzo rap outstanding volley after volley during a Division III/Central-B contest against St. Raphael Academy on Thursday afternoon, he couldn’t help but get nostalgic.
“She’s the best female tennis player I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been here over 10 years,” he stated, riveted to the top singles match between Panzo and talented SRA sophomore Blanca Domenech-Gomez at Oak Hill’s Thomas Duffy Courts. “This is definitely unlike anything I’ve seen here; it looks like a match between Division I girls.
“Her ground strokes are so powerful for a player in high school; she has a great first serve, and a top-spin second,” he continued. “She’s got a really solid backhand, one she drives, and she’s a student of the game. She comes to every match with a strategy, and that’s tough to describe to your usual player.
“She has things you can’t teach, and that’s because she’s competed in a ton of USTA (U.S. Tennis Association) tournaments over the years. She’s just laser-focused and loves the sport.”
Panzo had posted a perfect 15-0 league slate (16-0 overall) entering the showdown with Domenech-Gomez on Thursday, but this time fell victim to more consistent volleys and a lot less unforced errors than the victor, who catapulted to a 6-2, 6-1 verdict.
The Raiders ended up losing the match, 7-0, and closed its campaign at 1-15, but Panzo isn’t done yet – far from it. After clinching a victory in the R.I. Singles Tournament D-III qualifier last week, she now will face Barrington’s No. 1, Sarah Erickson, in a tourney first-rounder on Friday, Oct. 22, at Slater Park’s Mike Kenny Courts.
“The last time I had a girl qualify for the state singles tournament was seven years ago, and that was Michelle Guerrero, who happens to be Sophia’s cousin,” Pita said. “Like I said, she’s got it all, and that’s because she’s been playing for so long.”
Before Thursday, Panzo hadn’t dropped even a set since the first match of the season against Classical. That’s why she seemed slightly perturbed with her play against Domenech-Gomez.
“Am I mad? Sure, but she was really good,” Panzo offered with a sad smile. “I can’t be that mad, I guess, because I had a lot of unforced errors, and I don’t know why; it seems everything was flying long or wide.
“I’m mostly upset with my serve; I had a lot of double faults, and that’s unlike me,” she added. “But you have to credit the girl who beat me.”
Panzo indicated she first locked in on tennis after a brief try at soccer.
“I didn’t like it that much; it was too much running,” she explained. “My father (Reuben) signed me up for summer tennis camp at Slater Park when I was seven, and I liked it. I don’t know why, except that it was relaxing and easy.”
Stated Reuben: “We sent her to a few camps as time went on, and she seemed to enjoy it. We knew she was into it because she was always playing with her cousins (Christy and Michelle Guerrero), and she was always watching it on TV. It didn’t hurt we live right across the street (from the Duffy courts).
“She started competing in (USTA-sanctioned) tournaments when she was 10, that after she began working out under head coach Mario Llano at the R.I. Tennis Academy (at Centre Court in Riverside). I know she’s ranked in the Under-14 division (in USTA/New England polls), but we don’t pay much attention to that. We’re no where near the diehards who are out there.
“We’ll bring her to a tournament maybe twice a month in the summer and once a month the rest of the year, and we saw her improvement.”
Turns out, Panzo rates 79th among the premier Under-14 players region-wide, but right now is focusing primarily on climbing the ladder in interscholastic action.
“Mario taught me everything about technique, how to hit the ball and use what shots when,” Panzo said. “I think I’m pretty good because of my coach and all the things he taught me.”
Reuben indicated he’s seen his daughter improve 20-fold over the past 12-24 months.
“She’s involved with more tour- naments and doing more match-play (events) against girls her age and older at the academy,” he said. “I think it’s just more match experience. I know I can’t play her anymore – well, I could, but I’ll lose.”
When Panzo first came out for the SHS squad in late August, sophomore teammate Anike Fernandes (who as the No. 2 singles representative has faced Panzo and lost big) was amazed at her talent level.
“I was shocked when I first saw her; she was so good,” she laughed. “I don’t know if she knows how good she is, but I hope she does. Her game is so impressive; she hits the ball with such speed and accuracy, and she’s graceful, too.
“I don’t want her to think she’s so good she’ll get cocky, but I do want her to know that we as her teammates look up to her,” she added. “Then again, she could never get too overconfident; she’s too nice and funny, both on and off the court.
“I’d say she’s competitive, but it’s at what I call a ‘Sophia level.’ She can be both aggressive and calm at the same time. I remember once when she was playing a girl, and it was a shorter match because Sophia won big, but she felt bad for the girl, so kept calling (opposing) shots in to extend the game. “That’s the kind of player she is.” By the way, it could be that Panzo take on Domenech-Gomez again in the state singles event, as the latter won her qualifier and will face East Greenwich High’s No. 2 singles player Emily Deveney at Slater Park on Oct. 22.