Locals Zausner and Siegel Inducted Into USTA Eastern Hall of Fame

Junior Tennis Foundation (JTF) recognized six integral members of the tennis community during the 30th Annual Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame Celebration at the Beach Point Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y.

Those inducted into the Hall of Fame Class of 2017 included Dick Zausner, director of Port Washington Tennis Academy, who has given thousands of youth and adults the opportunity to try tennis; Steve Siegel, a former ATP player and director of racquet sports at Plandome Country Club; Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis, a USTA life member who has served on several USTA committees and is currently a Senior U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of New York; and sisters Christine, Patricia and Theresa O’Reilly, former standout Eastern junior players who brought the Duke women’s tennis program to national prominence, then went on to compete professionally.

Proceeds from the celebration benefitted JTF, which provides scholarships and grants for junior and adaptive tennis players throughout the USTA Eastern Section. At the event, two junior players, Akash Mahesh Hongal and Jamila Akhmedjanova, received the David N. Dinkins Scholarship Awards for their accomplishments both athletically and academically.

Since its inception in 1979, JTF has provided more than $2 million for programs and scholarships in the Eastern Section.

Credit all photos to Dave Dellinger