Manchester Coach Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award in Newport

For the more than two decades at the Manchester Athletic Club, Montoya nurtured a local gem of a tennis program into national recognition and success. He came from the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida and joined the MAC in 2002, building a premier junior tennis program and sending more than 150 students to NCAA Division I schools.”

Longtime Manchester tennis coach Francisco Montoya received the 2025 Gardner Ward Chase Memorial Award—lasting recognition for outstanding lifetime contribution to New England tennis—during a ceremony last month at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I.

The award, presented annually by USTA New England at its Hall of Fame induction ceremony, recognized Montoya’s more than two decades of service developing junior tennis players throughout the region.  He shared the spotlight with three Hall of Fame inductees honored the same day.

For the more than two decades at the Manchester Athletic Club, Montoya nurtured a local gem of a tennis program into national recognition and success.  Before coming to Massachusetts, Montoya worked as a coach at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, the elite tennis academy in Florida begun by the legendary pro tennis coach of the same name.  In 2002, he joined the Manchester Athletic Club, building a premier junior tennis programs and sending more than 150 students to NCAA Division I schools.

In 2023, he left Manchester to launch his own coaching organization, the Montoya Tennis Academy, which now instructs more than 120 students without a permanent facility.

A USTA National Faculty Coach since 2009, Montoya has also coached at Team USA camps and helped develop future pros, including Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula.  He is a two-time USPTA New England Tennis Professional of the Year and a recipient of USTA New England’s William Freedman Award for junior development.

At the ceremony, Montoya expressed gratitude for the support he’s received:

“I love being on the court and helping kids achieve their goals, but my favorite thing is being part of this (tennis) community where every person is helping one another...”

“This recognition gives me confidence to keep doing what we’re doing,” Montoya added.

“I’m proud to recognize Francisco for his lifetime devotion to junior tennis,” said Bill Mountford, Director of Tennis at the Hall of Fame, who emceed the ceremony.

Montoya shares the stage with this year’s Hall of Fame inductees: players Una Keyes Davis, Peter Lyons, and coach Edmond “Ed” Pagano.