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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 27 ,2 01 9 | 46 Alessandro Santangelo was just three years old when his grandma introduced him to ten- nis. "She played a lot, so she got me into it and I loved it," he said. "Now when I'm playing, that's when I'm happiest. Anything that is bothering me, when I'm play- ing tennis, it's not in my mind." Santangelo has had plenty of reason to be happy lately. Enter- ing the OFSAA tennis tourna- ment as the fourth seed, the Georgetown District High School student won all four of his match- es, defeating Benjamin George 8-3 in the final to claim the gold. Both George and Santangelo recorded upsets in the semis to earn their place in the final. After exchanging early breaks with the No. 2 seed Tim Zelikovsky, who he had struggled against in the past, Santangelo came through with another break while leading 7-6 to advance. Meanwhile George, seeded third, knocked off the tournament's top-ranked player. It was Santangelo that would carry the momentum through to the final, though. He got an early break to take a 3-0 lead and held serve the rest of the way to claim the gold medal. "I was trying to be really ag- gressive and went for all my shots," the Grade 10 student said. "Sometimes that doesn't work, but I was really focused and play- ing well and I was making all my shots." That strategy helped offset a service game that was hampered by an abdominal injury. "I was just trying to get my serves in and then work the point," Santangelo said. It worked. He won his first two matches handily, 8-2 and 8-3. OFSAA continued a strong spring for Santangelo. In May, he went to the Cayman Islands for his first International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament. Though he lost his first singles match, he teamed up with the Netherlands Stian Klaassen to win the doubles titles. The duo didn't lose a set in their four matches, taking the final over an American pair 6-4, 6-1. The victory earned Santange- lo his first ITF points, allowing him to enter the world junior rankings. "It's also good for the universi- ty resumé, but I still have two- and-a-half years to go," said San- tangelo, who hopes to either earn a scholarship or turn pro follow- ing high school." COMMUNITY SANTANGELO CLAIMS OFSAA TENNIS GOLD HERB GARBUTT hgarbutt@metroland.com Georgetown District High School's Alessandro Santangelo won all four of his matches, knocking off the No. 2 and No. 3 seed along the way, to claim the OFSAA tennis gold medal. Georgetown District HS photo By Cory Soal R.H.A.D. . . . Lend MeYour Ears We care about your hearing! Professional Arts Building 99 Sinclair Ave., Suite 210, Georgetown 905-873-6642 Serving the community of Halton Hills and surrounding areas since 1992 The Georgetown Or ringing in the ears, does not cause hearing disorders, it may accompany decreased hearing and other ear symptoms such as pressure, unsteadiness or dizziness. Often, it occurs alone. Tinnitus arising from the inner ear frequently indicates more permanent and serious disease. Exposure to a sudden loud noise - a gunshot or explosion, for example results in tinnitus that subsides to a low level of ringing for an extended period of time. Disorders affecting the cochlea (hearing center) of the inner ear can cause tinnitus. To find out more about this common problem call… TINNITUS expert advice? breaking news? today's top stories? where you live? crime? events? what to read? cooking? SIGN UPNOW We've got a newsletter for that. Care about /newsletters