There is certainly something to be said for youth being served on the local tennis scene. The younger you are, the brighter your future.

Fourteen-year-old Jack Muraika became Lebanon Sports Buzz’s youngest ‘Athlete of the Week’ recently when he finished as the runner-up at the 48th annual Mount Gretna Tennis Club’s open tournament. Muraika fell to 23-year-old and former college player Mike Lesko 7-6 (7-3), 6-0 in the event’s championship match.

But the title tilt may have been closer than the final score appeared.

With Muraika more than holding his own from the baseline, the freshman-to-be at Cedar Crest High School claimed four of the match’s first five games. But it was around that point Lesko took control of the play, using the first-set tiebreaker to claim the match’s momentum for good.

Yet Muraika’s greatest accomplishment might have been getting to the championship match at all. He defeated a number of older, more seasoned and higher-seeded players along the way.

Certainly Muraika’s showing in Mount Gretna bodes well for his upcoming years as a Falcon, and should serve as a source of experience from which to draw upon.

– Jeff Falk