By Stephen Tobey — Correspondent
Two years ago, Valentina Arlati placed third in the U.S. Tennis Association New England Junior Sectional tournament in the 12-and-under division.
Last year, she was second, again in the 12-and-under division.
This spring, in her first season in the 14-and-under division, she took the next step, capturing the championship on June 28 with a 6-3, 6-2 victory against Heidi Wang of Devens in the finals.
“The girl I played was very good, but I won the last time I played her,” said Valentina, who will enter eighth grade at Concord Middle School this fall. “I went into the finals with more confidence.”
After winning the New England title, Valentina traveled to Plantation, Florida, for the 14-and-under national clay court championships, where she reached the quarterfinals and defeated the No. 2 seed in her tournament run.
“It was a good performance,” she said. “There aren’t many clay courts in Massachusetts. I haven’t played much on clay. The ball travels more slowly on clay, but I got used to it.”
“Athletically she’s very good,” tennis coach Francisco Montoya says. “She’s also a lefty, and … lefties bring variety to the game. They’re very creative.” Courtesy photo
A shift in focus
Valentina credits much of her improvement in the past year to a change in mindset.
“I’ve become more of a competitor,” she said. “Now when I play, I want to get better.”
Her mental approach has evolved while working with coaches Francisco Montoya of Montoya Tennis Academy and Paco Maroto of Alligator Shot Tennis Academy. She trains with both programs in Acton; she sometimes works with Montoya at St. John’s Prep in Danvers or the Pingree School in South Hamilton.
‘She loves to have fun while training, but she’s learning to be more professional,” Montoya said. “She’s built better training habits. She’s always been very talented, but her approach to the game is more professional.”
Though she works hard, she still enjoys it.
“They make practice fun,” Valentina said. “It doesn’t feel like a burden.”
Her style on the court is well-rounded.
“It’s a good all-around game,” she said. “I have a big serve for girls my age.”
Said Montoya: “She can play the full court. She can play the baseline but also come up to the net and put the ball away. Athletically she’s very good.
“She’s also a lefty, and there aren’t many lefties out there,” he said. “Lefties bring variety to the game. They’re very creative.”
The tourney circuit
At the USTA Intersectional tournament, a team event in West Point, New York, late last month, Valentina went 9-1, her mother said. In the girls 14 singles group, she ranks No. 2 in New England and No. 33 nationally.
Up next are the national hard court championships in Rome, Georgia, from August 8-15.
In December, Valentina is scheduled to play in the Orange Bowl tournament in Miami, facing some of the world’s top talent. A year ago, she reached the second round.
Next year, she said she is likely to attend Concord-Carlisle High School and compete for the Patriots. If she does, she would join a long line of outstanding female tennis players at CCHS, including Wendy Crabtree (Notre Dame), Shivani Davé (University of Illinois), Julia Cancio (Williams College), and Maggie Dorr (Tufts University).
Valentina’s already set her sights on competing in college.
“I want to play Division I,” she said, “maybe UCLA.”
Said Montoya: “It’s a goal to go to a top Division I school. In the next year, she’ll be playing the top players of her age. The road is hard but [there’s] a very good support system.”
