True North’s Valdes and Divine Savior’s Kettlewell are Dade Tennis Players of the Year
Both Gabriel Valdes and Lauren Kettlewell have become excellent tennis players individually around the world.
Both, however, were reminded this year how much fun and fulfilling it was to play in a team setting as each finished their seasons as state champions.
Valdes, a junior at Miami True North Classical Academy, and Kettlewell, a senior at Divine Savior Academy in Doral, are the Miami Herald’s Miami-Dade County Tennis Players of the Year.
Valdes, who went unbeaten during the regular season, winning district and regional titles, was part of school history as he anchored True North’s boys’ squad to its first ever team state championship.
Valdes defeated several of the county’s top players, not losing a match until the Class 1A team final against overall state champion Ricardo Espaillat from Boca Raton St. Andrews. But Valdes, who also made the finals with doubles partner Caleb Chow, had the last laugh as they secured the team title following a 4-2 victory.
“It’s been a tough past couple of years, but we finally pulled it off,” Valdes said. “Our team energy was great and we were able to split the doubles point. Our singles were in a grind for hours. It’s great when you hear your teammates scream and then you see them shake hands because they won and it’s a great feeling.
“I feel like school tennis is always good for tennis players’ improvement. It teaches you to care about your teammates and want them to do well.”
Valdes grew up admiring Roger Federer, who he said always played “beautiful tennis,” and has since tried to emulate pros such as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. He also once got the chance to drill with women’s pro Danielle Collins.
“Their competitiveness is unbelievable. They’re all there for one thing,” Valdes said. “They make it clear they’re there to win and I found that really interesting.”
Kettlewell had that same drive this season while making school history for Divine Savior.
Kettlewell completed an impressive run through Class 1A, culminating with her first overall singles state championship. She also reached the overall doubles final with her partner, Anabella Parente.
Beyond just tennis, Kettlewell is the first athlete in the history of the school, which opened in 2004 to win a state championship.
“The season was super fun. As a whole team, we put all of our energy into it. Winning state and getting to the finals with my doubles partner was great,” Kettlewell said.
Kettlewell, who has signed with Boston University, had been away from team competition for a couple of years, but was happy to return to it this season. Her success on the court made it all the more worthwhile.
“It prepared me because I was away from the team environment for a while,” said Kettlewell, who plans to study data science at Boston University. “The team itself taught me a lot about how to support each other.”
