2014-15 BOYS TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Martin Joyce • Senior • Hinsdale Central

Martin Joyce of Hinsdale Central in hist first round match during the Illinois
Boys State Championships. Bob Chwedyk / Daily Herald Staff Photographer

In the Midwest tennis hotbed of Chicago, Hinsdale Central's Martin Joyce has been atop the food chain for the past four years. Joyce, who initially was going to sit out his senior year after signing with Ohio State University, returned to the Red Devils lineup exactly one month prior to the state championships. Joyce, quickly returned to top form winning the No. 2 singles flight and giving Hinsdale Central the team championship at the Pitchford 32-team Invitational just a week after returning to the team.

Joyce's return not only kept Hinsdale Central as the favorite to capture their fourth straight team state championship this spring, but also gave him an opportunity to capture his second singles state title. The Red Devil senior whose resume already included a fourth place finish as a freshman, championship as a sophomore and runner-up finish as a junior was poised for a historic run. After receiving the top overall seed, the blue-chip recruit rolled through the state tournament field without dropping a set until meeting Vanderbilt signee Alex Ross in the semi-finals. Joyce pulled through to meet Ross' brother Gianni, the 4th ranked sophomore in the nation, in the finals where he sealed his second straight Singles State Championship with a 6-4, 6-3 victory. The victory by Joyce also helped seal Hinsdale Central's fourth straight Illinois Team State Championship. 

Hinsdale Central coach John Naisbitt, who described Joyce's return as a "surprise", described the importance of the senior saying "Having Martin is a huge plus for us, he's a great competitor. It's a great shot in the arm for our program. He's one of the best players in Illinois and in the country."

Joyce, currently ranked 14th in the senior class by Tennis Recruiting Network, has also had plenty of success in USTA tournaments this year including a championship at the USTA National Selection Tournament (GlenCove, NY) and runner-up finishes at the USTA Midwest L1 Indoor Closed and USTA Midwest Outdoor Closed Championships. Joyce's success also includes a championship at the U.S. Open Playoff Midwest Sectional which qualifies him for the U.S. Open National Playoff and a chance at a wildcard birth in the 2015 US Open.

The Hinsdale Central graduate will certainly stay a household name in the Midwest as he has signed to play his collegiate tennis at Ohio State University. Joyce was also named the 2015 National High School Coaches Association Boy's Tennis Athlete of the Year.

2014-15 GIRLS TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Ena Shibahara • Junior • Palos Verdes Peninsula

Peninsula's Ena Shibahara crushes a forehand this season against Mira Costa.
Daily Breeze File Photo/Steve McCrank

The Peninsula (Ranchos Palos Verdes, CA) junior is one of the most decorated tennis players in CIF Southern Section history. A blue chip recruit, Ena Shibahara has not only dominated Southern California tennis as an individual, but led her Peninsula team to the back-to-back Bay League, CIF Southern Section Division I and CIF Southern California Regional championships. Shibahara was honored as the Daily Breeze Player of the Year for the third straight year last fall. She has won the CIF-SS Individual singles crown for the two straight years with an unblemished record, she hasn't lost a single set.

The success of Shibahara has not only been with her high school program. The UCLA commit recently made history at the prestigious 115th Ojai Valley Tournament. The Peninsula star teamed with fellow junior Jada Hart to capture back-to-back Ojai Valley Open doubles titles. The repeat marked the first time since 2001-02 that a team has repeated as Open doubles champions at Ojai. Shibahara sealed her place in history capturing her first women’s Open singles title. The victories put the junior on a historic list featuring former UCLA star Noelle Hickey (2013), Billie Jean King (1966) and Tracy Austin (1977), as the only women to win the Open singles and doubles titles in the same year.

Shibahara was also the youngest player to make the mixed doubles championship portion of the U.S. Open National Playoffs last fall. Teaming with older brother Shuhei Shibahara, the Southern Cal sensation made it to the finals just one match short of gaining a wildcard entry into the US Open Mixed Doubles Draw. Her efforts were enough to gain her one of eight coveted wildcard spots into the US Open Junior Championships though.

There is no doubt that the future is bright for Shibahara. The scary part for the rest of the junior tennis world is that she still has her senior year ahead of her. There is nothing Shibahara hasn't accomplished in high school tennis, and she has done it in humble fashion capturing numerous sportsmanship awards along the way. 

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