Picture taken by Tedd Peterson (c)

GET TO KNOW ME

My name is Sarinah Maduro. I was born in Curacao, a small island in the Caribbean with 175.000 inhabitants. I started practising tennis when I was 5 years old with my current coach, Jason Engelhardt. In the beginning, I did not want to participate in tournaments. It was when I was 8 years that I started participating in our national ranking tournaments….and boy did I lose a lot. But it was my losses that made me train harder to become better. It is because of my hard work, endurance, and perseverance that I can be proud of all that I have achieved so far.

Now that I am 14, I still love the game. I put a lot of dedication into the sport. I can best be described as a hardworking, dedicated, eager to learn, very coachable, fun to be with, and focused person.

MY ACHIEVEMENTS

In 2015, together with my teammate, we became Caribbean Champions in the ITF/GSDF COTECC 12&U Caribbean Team Championship. In that year I ended ranked #1 in our National Ranking in the category U14, and in the Curaçao Masters U14, I was a Finalist.

In 2016, I also ended ranked #1 U14 in our National Ranking. Furthermore, I managed to end the year ranked #14 of the COTECC (Confederation of Tennis of Central America and the Caribbean). I participated in the ITF Junior Circuit Trinidad & Tobago where I became Finalist Singles U14 and Semi Finalist Doubles U14. At the SmartPlayTennisAcademy (Masters) held in Curaçao, I was Finalist Doubles U14, at the WJTC (World Junior Tennis Championship) held in El Salvador me and my teammates finished 8^th place. At the JITIC U14 held in El Salvador, I ended at 22^nd place.

The highlight of 2016 was when I was selected by the ITF (International Tennis Federation) to be part of the ITF Travelling Team. The Team consisted of a girl from Barbados, a boy from St. Lucia and a boy from Jamaica. In the period of June 23 – July 23 we participated in the following tournaments and I achieved the following results:

• Aruba (1 week) (Winner Doubles U14)
• Bahamas (1 week) (Finalist Doubles U14)
• Dominican Republic (2 weeks, one week was training camp) (Finalist Doubles U14)

In 2017 I have achieved the following so far:

• WJTC U14 Dominican Republic (8^th place out of 17)
• COTECC Ranking: nr 11 (d.d. July 3^th, 2017)
• ITF Junior Circuit Trinidad & Tobago (Quarter Finalist Singles U14/ Finalist Doubles U14
• RBC Tournament (Semi Finalist U18) (Curacao)
• ITF Junior Circuit Aruba (TIHTA) (Winner Singles U14/ Winner Doubles U14)
• ITF Junior Circuit Bahamas (Junkanoo Bowl) (Finalist Singles U14/ Winner Doubles U14)
• SmartPlayTennisAcademy (Doubles Tournament): Serie #1 (Finalist Doubles U18) /  Serie #2 (Winner Doubles U18)
• Ranking results in the category U18: R1 (Finalist) / R2 (4^th place) / R3 (3^th place)

WHAT IS NEXT

This is my last year that I am able to play U14 and therefore I am working hard to end my U14 tennis career as a top 10 on the COTECC ranking. My dream is also to participate in the prestigious Eddie Herr International Junior Championships at the end of November.

It is for this dream that I need your help. Any contribution big or small will help me achieve this dream.

CANNOT BE GRATEFUL ENOUGH

I could not have made it so far without the support of all those that always believed in me, my parents, my brother, my coach, my family and friends.

Thank you all so much!

Masha Masha Danki! (as we say it in Papiamentu, our native language).

“I am chasing my dreams, straight to the top, into a sky, that has no limits!” (Robert M. Hensel)