Volume 3, Number 1                                                                                                             December  1, 2013

 

 

November was a whirlwind of activity - as the Silver Racquet, Jimmy Dunn and Calhoun Witham weekends attracted players from near and far. Add in the U.S. Ladies' Open, National League and the British Open and you've got an overflowing month of tennis.

 

Some familiar names dominated the winner's circle, but a few new ones were added. Danny McBride makes his first appearance at the number one spot in the Top 25 list. Claire Vigrass continues to dominate women's tennis, while Mark Mathias has begun to leave his mark on U.S. tennis.

 

Steve Virgona won his first British Open Singles title, defeating Bryn Sayers in five sets. Meanwhile, Tim Chisholm became the first American player to win the British Open Doubles. Congratulations to both Steve and Tim. At the conclusion of the British Open, the four potential challengers for the 2014 World Championship were announced and they have a distinct U.S. connection. Read on for all of the details.

 

December has several highlights including the USCTA Annual Awards Dinner & Auction, the Whitney Cup and the National Open. The year ends with Washington hosting the National League Finals in a repeat of last year's match-up between New York and New England.

 

The calendar year may be coming to a close, but never fear, the 2013/14 season has only just begun!

 

Happy Holidays to all.

 

Until next month...

 

Sincerely,  

Jane Lippincott - Editor 

 

 U.S. Court Tennis Association
USCTA ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER & AUCTION
 

USCTA Annual Dinner 

Friday Dec 13th

Cocktails and Silent Auction 6:30

Dinner and Live Auction 7:30 

 

 Please contact Brian Owens  bowens@lenoxadvisors.com

for additional information or to bid on auction items. 

 

 

A partial list of auction items can be found here.  Check the USCTA website in the next week for updates.

 
2013 SILVER RACQUET & NY OPEN HANDICAP
by Zach Sacks
 

The Racquet and Tennis Club played host to the 21st annual Silver Racquet from November 7 - 10. The weekend began with a well-attended and fittingly boisterous stag dinner on Thursday night in memory of Edward F. Ulmann. Generations of fellow batsmen shared hilarious stories throughout the dinner, helping to build on Ulmann's considerable lore. Consistent with Ulmann's status as one of the most iconic players, the Racquet & Tennis club named its racquets court in his honor. Additionally, the North American Racquets Association commemorated the US Amateur Doubles trophy (a stunning racquets bat cast in sterling silver from the late nineteenth century) in the eight-time champion, Ulmann's name.

 

 

For read the complete story and results, 
click here.
2014 U.S. LADIES' OPEN 
by Ryan Carey

The 2014 United States Ladies Open was held at Prince's Court November 1-3.  The field consisted of ten ladies including top U.S. player Amanda Avedissian and featuring the ladies world number one player, Claire Vigrass.

 

The early rounds in singles held true to form and saw the debut of Washington's talented junior upstart, Tess Browne, who showed a fighting spirit and gave the spectators many reasons to believe that she could contend for this title down the road as she continues to develop her game.  Prince's Court's own Mary Livingston and Pat Homer used the home court advantage to their benefit by advancing easily through their first round matches. To continue reading, click here.
2013 JIMMY DUNN

The Jimmy Dunn Doubles were played on November 21-24 in Philadelphia. The results were:
 

Open Division

Rob Whitehouse & Rich Smith def.  Barney Tanfield & Lex Miron

A Division

Ryan Carey & Kris Motz  def.  Andrew  Purcell  & Rich Moroscak 3-6,6-3,6-4

B Division

Jim  Zug & Gary  Swantner  def.  Chris Cushing & Amanda  Avedissian 6-5,6-4

C Division 

Richard Gilder & Jake McCray def.  Schuyler Wickes & Chris Casazza 10-4

D Division

Richard Griffith & Baird Standish def. Melissa  Purcell & Kathy Carson 10-5

E Division

Amy MacMillan & Jennifer  Metzler def.  Scilla Smith & John Broussard 10-2

 

For complete draws, click here.
2013 BRITISH OPEN 
VIRGONA, CHISHOLM TRIUMPH

 

Steve Virgona defeated defending champion - Bryn Sayers - in the final of the British Open Singles. Virgona claimed his first British Open Singles title in five hard-fought sets. The score was 6-4, 6-4, 0-6, 5-6, 6-2.

 

In the Doubles, Tim Chisholm teamed up with Bryn Sayers to beat defending champs, Rob Fahey and Steve Virgona. Described as a five set epic match - the scores were 6-5, 4-6, 5-6, 6-4, 6-0. Chisholm is the first American player to win the doubles title.

 

The British Open was the final tournament in determining the final positions for the 2014 World Championship. The Eliminator Series will have a distinct U.S. feel with 3 of the 4 challengers based in the USA.  First round matches will have Camden Riviere taking on Tim Chisholm and Steve Virgona taking on Bryn Sayers.  Stay tuned for venues and dates.

 

For complete coverage of the Neptune British Open Championships, click here. 
2014 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
     
 

The 2014 World Championship will be held in Melbourne on May 5-10. World Champion - Rob Fahey - will defend the title he has held since 1994. The Challenger will be determined through a series of Eliminator Matches. Potential Challengers are: Camden Riviere, Steve Virgona, Bryn Sayers and Tim Chisholm.

 

For information on the World Championship, click here.

 
PALMETTO CHALLENGE
2013 CALHOUN WITHAM
by Camden Riviere

 

The 2013 Palmetto Challenge took place at the Aiken Tennis Club on the 16th of November. The match featured the top two ranked players in the world, current World Champion Rob Fahey and World Number One - Camden Riviere. The event was hosted to support the efforts of Court Tennis Charleston, who are working with the USCTA to build a court at the Daniel Island Club in Charleston, SC. Before the match started the crowd was treated to a very informative on court presentation from the Daniel Island Company about the hopeful new club.  

 

To read the full story, click here.
UPCOMING EVENTS
DECEMBER
 
2-5
BOSTON
Singles for U.S. based pros and selected amateurs

13
USCTA ANNUAL DINNER
NEW YORK
Annual Awards & Auction 

13-15
WHITNEY CUP
NEW YORK
Invitational Inter-club team doubles 

18
NEW YORK VS.
NEW ENGLAND
WASHINGTON

2014
JANUARY
21-30
U.S. OPEN
NEW YORK
USCTA Open Singles & Doubles Championship

31- 2/2
NOLL CUP
PHILADELPHIA
Level Singles Championship for handicaps 30-39
NATIONAL 
LEAGUE  

 

 The National League Final will be held December 18th in Washington between New York and New England.

 Regular Season
Final Results
 
New York                         18
New England                    11
Chicago                              9
Tuxedo/Philadelphia        4
          
To view the
National League Program,
TOP 25 LIST 
 
We have a new number one...Danny McBride tops the latest list, moving up from the number 6 spot. Find out who the other 24 top players are by  
RECORD ALL SCORES!

RTO STATS
NUMBER OF MATCHES ENTERED INTO RTO IN THE LAST 30 DAYS.
NEWPORT   137
WASHINGTON  124
NEW YORK   123
CHICAGO   101
AIKEN   52
BOSTON   55
TUXEDO   27
PHILADELPHIA  26
LAKEWOOD 0

COMPARED TO -
HAMPTON COURT  246
HOBART   266
MELBOURNE  177
RADLEY   270
Give 'em the old razzle dazzle...
 
Check out Roger Pilgrim's latest blog on his visit to the Chicago court....click here.
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