Winners at Sr. Clay Courts

Banana Challenge Deadline Tuesday for Winners and Lottery Entry

TENNIS E-News

Sept. 24, 2007 Vol. VI, No. 99
South Carolina Tennis 2006 Media Award Winner
Hilton Head Island SC

Locals Finalists in Damp Weekend

Whitlow, Iannuzzi, Young, Wiederhorn Beat the Heat at SC Closed Sr. Clay Courts in Litchfield

PAWLEYS ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News via TennisLink) -- HHIslanders Keith Whitlow in singles and Hank Iannuzzi/Bryce Young in doubles made comebacks Sunday to battle through high temps and humidity for third-set final victories in the South Carolina Senior State Closed Tennis Championships. Bluffton's Bob Wiederhorn won a straight-setter singles title. HHI's Eddie Goodson and Fred Carrillo lost in singles finals.

After losing the first day and a half to rain, players played back-to-back no-ad and third-set match tiebreaks until the finals. The mid-July weather on autumn equinox weekend took out more than a couple players, including one who collapsed after a match and required EMS treatment.

Whitlow, the #2 seed in Men's 60s, came back from a set down to defeat #1 Mike Sprengelmeyer 6-7, 6-1, 6-4. Top seeds Iannuzzi and Young won their 60s doubles championship in a third set 9-7 tiebreak over Bud Goodrich/Doyle Loftis. (Score posted was 6-2, 7-6, 7-6(7), but we know that's not quite correct.) #2 Wiederhorn took the measure of #1 Joe Roberts 7-5, 6-1 for the Men's 75s championship.

Goodson upset top seed Larry Rizzo 3-6, 6-3, 1-0(5) in the Men's 55s semifinals Saturday but went down to #2 seed Henry Dowd 6-0, 6-0 in the Sunday final. Carrillo took out 70s #1 seed Johnnie Williams, who retired at 7-5, 4-1 in the semis. The HHIslander lost in the final 6-0, 6-1 to #3 Neil Vroegop.

HHI's #1-seeded Tom Jilly won his Men's 45s semifinal, but defaulted the finals for heat exhaustion. Islander Pat Child took an injury retirement down 6-4, 1-0 in the Men's 50s semifinals. He and Whitlow, #1 in the 50s doubles, won their Sunday semifinals, but defaulted the final.

Lottery and Main Draw

Deadline Extended to Tuesday for Entry into Banana Open Challenge

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- The deadline has been extended for winners and finalists of the local Banana Open tournaments to enter the Banana Open Challenge. The new deadline is Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., Tournament Director Jackie Reynecke announced. That deadline also applies for the lottery by non-winners to get into the draws. The tournament will be Oct. 5-7 at Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center.

Entry forms may be picked up at PDTC for HHI area players. All other participants are welcome to put in a lottery entry. Eligibility is based upon participation in a local banana during 2007 in any of the tournament sites: Montgomery County MD; Asheville and Charlotte NC; Savannah, Warner Robbins, Martinez, Columbus and Jekyll Island GA; Virginia Beach VA and HHIsland.

For information, call PDTC at 785-1152.

October in New Orleans

Spring Lake Odd Couples Will Be Headed to Southern Mixed Doubles Championships

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- SL The Odd Couples came within a match tiebreak of the South Carolina 6.0 Mixed Doubles State Championship. Now, the Spring Lake team, captained by Pat Kenworthy, will be representing the state at the Southern Sectionals in New Orleans.

The Lexington Old Racquets, winner of the SC title, can't get it together for Southerns, so the spot was open and The Odd Couples will fill it Oct. 20-22 in Cary NC.

Mixed Doubles Format

Adult Team Tennis Gets Ready for Fall Season; Combo Rating Levels 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, 7.0

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- The Adult USA Team Tennis (or is it now USTA?) is setting up plans for its fall season that will begin in late October, playing a mixed doubles format, report coordinators Ray Hardy and Tim Ryan on HHI and Bob Brown in Bluffton. The league, which emphasizes fun and health benefits, is adopting a new format this year.

Last year there were five teams competing -- four at Chaplin Park and one in Bluffton. A turnout at least that large is anticipated. The new team format will be combined mixed doubles levels of 5.5, 6.0, 6-5 and 7.0, aiming to adapt to the fewer numbers of 2.5 and 4.0 players compared to 3.0 and 3.5.

Cost for player registration at Chaplin will be $36, which includes TennisLink fee. The $32 fee portion will go to the respective Public Tennis, Inc. branch -- HHI or Bluffton. A format of 10-game pro sets with ad scoring is planned. Mid-week after work practices are planned for Bluffton players on the high school courts. A $39 fee covers league and court fees for Blufftonians.

Matches will be scheduled on Saturdays with the possibility of Sunday afternoon matches because of holidays and tournaments. Each team will play each other twice -- one home, one away. The planned season is Oct. 27 through Jan. 13., with bye weekends 11/17-11/18 (Turkey Tourney), 11/24-11/25 (Thanksgiving), 12/22-12/23 (Christmas), 12/29-12/30 (New Year's).

If you are interested in participating please reply by e-mail -- include your rating -- to chaplinroundrobin@hotmail.com or, in Bluffton, contact Activities Director Robert Brown at 290-2833 for more information..

WANTED: Women's 75s Players for Super Super Super Seniors Teams

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- After seeing an Island Packet story on the new Super Senior Men's 75s leagues, a group of 75s & older women shouted: Hey, what about us?

So, with a Sea Pines team already set to go, Senior Women's coordinator Mary Ellen Arboe is recruiting other 75s women for a distaff version of the men's league. You can contact her at 785-2311 or tennisbeachbums@aol.com.

The 75s is an unofficial official USTA League format organized by Men's coordinator Don Grider. Results, though recorded in TennisLink, will not be calculated in this year's rating determination.

TENNIS E-News FootNote

ooooO First folks first jobs:

( ) Yogi Berra worked in a shoe factory; Joe DiMaggio peeled oranges in a juice plant;

( ) Johnny Depp sold pens by phone; Jerry Seinfeld was a paperboy; Jack Nicholson worked in a toy store;

(___) Barbara Streisand waitressed in a Chinese restaurant; Paul Newman was sandwich boy in Danny Budin's Corned Beef Palace. -- Planet Proctor (Funny Times)

-- Dennis Malick