Mike Alford, a former standout player from the University of Florida and a pro at Quail Valley in Vero Beach, was the open division winner of the 2016 “King of the Hill” tennis competition held at The Moorings Yacht and Tennis Club in Vero Beach.
Alford won all three of his doubles matches during the final evening of the matches, playing with and against the other three finalists – Robert Kowalczyk of The Moorings, Lennart Jonason of John’s Island and Milos Vasovic of Eau Gallie Yacht Club in Melbourne. Alford, originally from Tampa, is a former four-year letter winner for the University of Florida and ranked as high as No. 14 in the country in the ITA collegiate rankings.
The 2016 season of “King of the Hill” raised more than $35,000 – the most in the history of the event – for Youth Guidance Program in Indian River County
Gigi Casapu, the tournament director for “King of the Hill,” wrote in a season-ending email, “More than 400 enthusiastic spectators watched the final of the finals of the 2016 King of the Hill event.The open division final was one of the strongest we had in years. Robert Kowalczyk of The Moorings in Vero Beach, Lennart Jonason of John’s Island in Vero Beach, Milos Vasovic of Eau Gallie Yacht Club in Melbourne and Michael Alford of Quail Valley in Vero Beach played at their highest ability and kept the crowd very entertained. Every round was very close, and the winner has been decided after a long set in the third round. Supported by a nice crowd from Quail Valley, Michael Alford won every round playing very consistent, and took the title and the King of the Hill trophy at his club – Quail Valley. Lennart Jonason and Milos Vasovic finished in a tie on the second place followed by Robert Kowalczyk on third place. Congratulations to Micheal for winning the event and to Lennart, Milos and Robert for a great night of tennis at The Moorings Club. Many thanks to The Moorings Club for hosting the event, to the Tennis Director Robert Kowalczyk and his staff for preparing the facility during good or bad weather for nine weeks in a row. Many thanks to our sponsors for supporting the event, to all the players in each division for adjusting their schedule of work to be able to play in the event. Many thanks to the volunteers and to all the spectators who attended the event every night.”
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