About 50 teenagers from across New York City have been hitting the courts for as ball persons the New York Junior Tennis & Learning's Bronx Open tournament in Crotona Park.

“I practice around three to four hours every single day,” Patrycja Filonk said.

Filonk is a 15-year-old with a mean serve who plays with the NYJTL.

“It’s a wonderful experience cause some of them you may have seen when you were younger and you were like wow, I aspire to be like them but now it’s like I’m close to their age,” she said.

The NYJTL has been hosting tournaments for decades, but this is its first time since the pandemic began. The free event comes the week before the U.S. Open begins in the city.

“We have the best players from around the world converge here at the Cary Leeds Center to play in this stop right before the big grand slam,” Joe Ceriello, director of the NYJTL Bronx Open, said.

Ceriello said the nonprofit’s mission is to continue the work of tennis great, Arthur Ashe, by ensuring access to the sport and education for all.

“We have held hundreds of kids have come in for free tennis clinics they’ve been able to play and then they get introduced to this high level tennis,” Ceriello said.

Lynn Murray of the Bronx said she just started playing tennis about four years ago and has never seen a tournament like this in the neighborhood. 

“To see this and know that I can be a part of this in my community, I really got into it,” Murray said.

For Filonk, although she may not be playing with professionals yet, she said these tournaments help improve her game.

“Yesterday there was a match that I was on and I really like both players and it was just really cool seeing both of them try their hardest for each ball,” she said. “They never let themselves down.”