Scoville Jenkins: Circuit Player of the Week
(Sally Milano, USTA.com - Tuesday, January 24, 2006)

It didn’t take long for Scoville Jenkins to make his presence known on the USTA Pro Circuit in 2006. Playing in only the second men’s tournament of the year, the 19-year-old from Atlanta captured the singles title last week at the 2006 Star Island Classic, a $10,000 USTA Futures event held in Kissimmee, Fla. The victory gave Jenkins the first pro singles championship of his career.

Seeded first in the draw, Scoville pulled out two come-from-behind wins en route to the championship, defeating Korean lucky loser Hyung-Kwon Kim, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-4, in the opening round and then holding off American Alex Kuznetsov, the tournament’s doubles champion, 6-7 (9), 6-3, 7-6 (4), in a semifinal thriller. He went on to notch a straight-sets 7-6 (2), 6-3, victory over No. 2-seeded Eric Nunez, 7-6 (2), 6-3, to clinch the title.

Read More

Jenkins, Young Hold Court at Kids' Clinic in Kissimmee (Associated Press - Wednesday, January 18, 2006)

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Scoville Jenkins and Donald Young showed off their skills to aspiring tennis players at a clinic in celebration of Martin Luther King Day.
The 19-year-old Jenkins, from Atlanta, is a former USTA national boys champion. The 16-year-old Young, from Chicago, finished as the No. 1 junior last year.

Young wasn't much older than some of the Eatonville participants in the "First Serve" program for kids in grades 5-12. Vanessa McCall, 15, said she applies the tips she gets at the annual event.

"I like these clinics because the pros show you what you're doing wrong and what to do to improve your tennis game," McCall said. "Then I go home and practice what they've told me.

Young understands the importance of role models.
"I would've liked to have participated in clinics like this when I was younger," he said. "I liked to watch the pros when I was a kid because they were doing something that I wanted to do. I would hope that I'm a role model for these kids, even though I'm only 16."

Jenkins and Young are playing this week in the Star Island Tennis Classic, a USTA men's futures event.

E-mail: info@sco93.com