A tennis star is born in Merrick

Merrick tennis phenom Noah Rubin took top honors last week at the Copa del Café, a Junior International Tennis Federation tournament in Costa Rica. The 15-year-old Rubin, who had attended Kennedy High School in Bellmore and is now home-schooled so he can pursue his tennis career, bested players two and three years his senior from Portugal, Great Britain, Russia, Argentina and Greece to reach the finals. Rubin faced 17-year-old Connor Farren in the title match, defeating the Californian 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Rubin is off to Colombia this week for another JITF tournament.

Rubin’s sister, Jessie, graduated from Kennedy High School and is now a starter for the Binghamton University Bearcats, a Division I tennis team. Jessie, a junior who is majoring in English, made the 2011 American East Academic Honor Roll.