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Housing Story ( Learn how Aptos has housed aspiring professional Tennis players for 20 years ) By Brent Ainsworth Professional tennis players don’t sign guaranteed contracts to play on the ATP tour. There are no signing bonuses upon turning pro. Paychecks aren’t automatically deposited on the first and 15th of the month, and there’s no such thing as a paid vacation. If the players you see at the $75,000 Comerica Challenger this week play well, they’ll get paid well accordingly. The singles champion will nab $10,800 – not bad at all. But that’s just one lucky (and talented) guy out 32 in the draw. And potentially 28 more might’ve traveled to Seascape Sports Club just for the qualifying tournament, to fight for four coveted spots in the main draw, and failed to make it. Some players have to stop touring more because they run out of cash than because they believe they can’t win. That’s why the free housing provided by Seascape club members and other friends of the tournament is so critical. This tournament is called “75+H,” which means there is $75,000 in prize money plus hospitality, which gives the players the option of paying for their own hotel or motel rooms or stay for free with members of the host club. Usually it’s the more established pros who have experienced a level of success through the years who can afford to pay for hotels week after week. But most of the rookies will gladly take up a Seascape member on the offer and shack up with a brand new friend or family. If the rookies have a great time, often they keep staying with the same family year after year. Some of these friendships can last a long time. As the Comerica Challenger marks its 20th anniversary at Seascape, making it the longest-running annual men’s event on the USTA Pro Circuit, many locals are savoring memories of the players who have stopped by Aptos on their way to stardom – or even to obscurity. Whether it was a future Hall of Famer like Pat Rafter or whether it was a skinny kid from Peru who was playing in his first – and last – Challenger of his career, the stories are just as entertaining to hear these days. Winnie Johnsen, a Seascape member since 1978, has housed many players though the years and says it’s been rewarding. “You gain a real understanding for what these young players have to go through,” she says. “They appreciate the support that the fans and housing people give them, and we appreciate them for what they deal with day to day.” In 1989, the third year of the men’s Challenger at Seascape, Johnsen hosted Bryan Shelton and Kenny Thorne, two good friends from Georgia. They rode bikes from Johnsen’s house to the club each day for their matches. That’s a little bit different than the limos and luxury tour buses enjoyed by players in other pro sports. “We’d put the racket bags on our backs and off we’d go,” Shelton recalls of the bike rides. “It was like a warmup for our matches. Of course, it wasn’t so great after the matches going home. I asked for rides a couple of times.” Shelton and Thorne played doubles together at Seascape and made the final that year. One of their matches took place late during the dinner hour and many spectators were filing out of the club. Johnsen didn’t want to be the only one left to cheer them on. “I got a rooting section together by buying everybody wine,” she says. “I convinced about 10 people to stay and cheer.” She rooted for them until their touring careers came to an end. Today, Shelton – best known for his quarterfinal run during the 1991 Wimbledon fortnight -- and Thorne coach the women’s and men’s tennis teams, respectively, at Georgia Tech, and Johnsen keeps in touch. “Bryan still has the same laugh,” she says. “He still asks about my family. Kenny has four kids now. They are still great friends. Right now they’re running summer camps together.” Shelton adds, “Having Winnie and her friends coming out to support us was fantastic. Support like that makes you build friendships that last longer than our tennis careers.” Cecil Mamiit has played this Challenger about half a dozen times and has stayed with the Truman family of Corralitos all but one time. Peter and Kim Truman say they’ve enjoyed watching Mamitt go boogieboarding with their kids Lexy and Adam just as much as they’ve enjoyed watching Mamiit play – including his singles title in 1998. “It’s been great for the kids,” says Peter Truman, whose family has housed at least one player for the past 12 years. “They’ve been to the Boardwalk together and he’s hit balls to them on the court. He’s brought his niece before and they’ve made friends with her. His father’s been here, too. His mom’s never been here, but she sends Cecil up with Filipino pastries.” Club member Bill Howe housed Andy Murray and his then-coach Mark Petchey last year. Murray, an 18-year-old Scotsman, won the singles title while enjoying a week living in a studio above Howe’s garage in Day Valley. Howe put a microwave oven, a toaster and a small fridge in the studio to make the boys feel at home. Occasionally, they gobbled up the great home cooking at the Howe’s House or shoveled pasta at a waterfront restaurant in Capitola. “It was very comfortable for them because they could come and go as they pleased,” says Howe, who hosted Greg Rusedski 12 years earlier and remains friends with him. “Andy had arrived on the Thursday before the tournament, so he was here a long time. I ended up giving them an extra car and Mark drove it around. They had a great time and we really enjoyed having them. We’re great friends with both now.” Howe has a great photo of himself with Andy and the Howe’s Scottish terrier puppy. “I sent him the photo the week after he was here and asked him to sign it,” Howe says. “He said he’d do it as soon as he had a chance. It was months later when his mother found the photo in Andy’s tennis bag with our crumpled-up address. She made him sign it and sent it to us with a charming thank-you note for our help.” When Murray showed up in San Jose in February of this year, Howe was in the stands supporting the kid in every match. He got to see Murray blow past Mardy Fish, Yeu-Tzuoo Wang, Robin Soderling, Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt to claim the first ATP singles title of his career. “I got to see him over there and he had nothing but compliments for the (Seascape) tournament,” Howe says. “He’s a really good young guy. He’s fiery, but he’s honest and a great person. If I were 19, he’d be my best friend.” Many foreign players visit Aptos during the summer hardcourt season, and often they are seeing the States for the first time. “I like hosting the foreign players,” says Howe, who has also hosted Michael Tebbutt of Australia and Axel Pretzsch of Germany. “They are always extremely polite. For some reason, they feel like a guest in your house and they’re very gracious for everything you do for them. Axel stayed with us a couple of times. He and his girlfriend took their vacation and stayed with us for two weeks, and they are planning on doing it again. We love having the players back after their playing careers are over.” For some reason, Aptos has always been a favorite for Israeli players. And those Israeli players always seem to find their way to Danene Forman’s house. “It’s funny … it’s not like I requested just the Jewish players,” she says. “It’s purely by accident that I happen to get these guys. It’s been wonderful.”
For the past five years, Forman has hosted Harel Levy, probably the top Israeli player of the past decade, and often another countryman. The established rapport with Levy has meant a lot to Forman. In 2001, she lost her son, Marcus, to cancer at the age of 42. Levy made his first visit to Forman’s home in July 2002 and warmly filled a gap in Danene’s life.
“I was ready to have young life in the house,” she recalls. “Harel was the perfect match … the nicest young man, thoughtful and caring. … I’ve been blessed because he is such a nice guy and so easy-going.”
Today, Levy is good friends with Forman’s grandson, Connor Crossley. “Connor got him hooked on Gameboys,” Forman says. “It’s a running competition. Connor plays a pretty decent game of tennis, having benefited from from Harel’s occasional short lessons that are always the envy of our club players who happen to catch the two of them on the court. As a result, Connor makes sure to have the latest, most up-to-date game on the market when Harel is due to come.”
Levy and the other Israeli players know how to work Forman’s washer and dryer, and they are masters of her barbecue. Forman remembers to stock up on lox, bagels, cream cheese, rice and pasta. Yet the players still come to Forman’s condo with bags full of food from the local market. Long after the tournament, Forman keeps in touch with Levy via e-mail and follows his progress on the Internet. She cherishes the long-distance friendship she has with Levy’s father, whom she has never met in person.
“It’s just been a fabulous experience,” she says of housing players. “The players are happy to talk about the other players they’ve played, the conditions at other tournaments around the world, the fabulous places and the places that are so poor. No matter where they go, the desire is there and the good play is there. It’s tough for them out there.”
Dozens of Seascape members have amazing stories to tell about their brushes with tennis greatness – about the time Lan Bale borrowed a fishing rod, the times the Bryan brothers (and their dad) had the club rocking as they played classic rock tunes at the club, the time the Kratzmann brothers turned in Grammy-winning performances at the bowling alley’s karaoke bar. Rick Kepler, Seascape’s director of tennis, loves the annual Ping Pong tournament that is held on the Monday of tournament week.
“We have prize money for it and the guys are really competitive,” Kepler says. “I’m still trying to win the thing after all these years. I got to the final one time and lost to Michael Joyce. It’s one tradition that I really look forward to. Some of my fondest tournament memories are at the Ping Pong table.”
In the early 1990s, former USC players Adam Peterson and Jon Leach slept on the kids’ bunkbeds at the Kepler condo (Kepler himself played at USC and has an automatic bond with every Trojan). “I don’t think Jon has to sleep on a bunkbed these days,” Kepler says, referring to Leach’s marriage to Lindsay Davenport.
Which party gains the most from these relationships, the players or the hosts? Maybe it’s a toss-up. Everybody wins.
“It has withstood the test of time,” Shelton says of the Comerica Challenger. “The people they have there putting it on make it very special for the players. It adds to the whole feel of the tournament.”
****
Brent Ainsworth is the features editor at the Marin Independent Journal newspaper and lives in Novato. He covered the Challenger for the Santa Cruz Sentinel from 1988 to 1996 and has since served as a media coordinator for the tournament.
$75,000 Comerica Challenger $75,000 Comerica Challenger
A USTA Pro
Circuit men’s tennis tournament
July 17-23,
2006 * Seascape Sports Club, Aptos, Calif.
PRO TENNIS EVENT
MARKS 20TH YEAR IN APTOS
Thursday, June 15, 2006 – Seascape
Sports Club in Aptos will celebrate 20 consecutive years of offering
international-caliber professional tennis when the $75,000 Comerica
Challenger gets under way July 17 at the club near the cliffs of
Monterey Bay.
The tournament, the
oldest continually held men’s event on the U.S. Tennis Association Pro
Circuit, has introduced Northern California tennis fans to many young
players who graduated to greatness through the years. Patrick Rafter was
a 20-year-old Australian ranked in the 200s when he visited Seascape in
1993. He won the singles championship at Seascape and eventually won two
U.S. Opens and a No. 1 world ranking.
James Blake, ranked No.
7 by the ATP as of mid-June, made several stops at Seascape on his way
up the rankings. Twins Bob and Mike Bryan played the Comerica Challenger
a handful of times and today are among the top doubles players in the
world and Davis Cup stalwarts. Michael Chang, one of the greatest
American players of the past 50 years, played here twice. Last year’s
singles champion, Scotland’s Andy Murray, is now ranked No. 45.
The action begins at the
2006 Comerica Challenger on July 15-16 with a 32-player qualifying
tournament that will advance four players into the main draw. Viewing is
free for spectators on qualifying weekend. Main-draw play begins July 17
and continues through the Sunday afternoon championship matches in
singles and doubles on July 23. Feature matches will be at 5:30 p.m., or
shortly thereafter, each weekday.
Tickets are $16 Monday
through Thursday during tournament week, $20 Friday, $22 Saturday and
$24 Sunday. A Friday-through-Sunday pass is $50. Kids 6-12 are admitted
at half price and younger children get in free. Groups of 10 or more are
offered 20% discounts, and all tickets purchased at Comerica banking
centers are 20% off.
For more information,
call (831) 688-1993 or log onto
www.seascapesportsclub.com.
Pre-tournament media
contact: Brent Ainsworth,
tnsscribe@aol.com or (415)
307-1443.
( 2005 Releases Below )
$75,000 Comerica Challenger
A USTA Pro Circuit Event at Seascape Sports Club, July 9-17
(APTOS, Calif., JULY 17)
– Andy Murray of Dublane, Scotland won the $75,000 Comerica Challenger in
Aptos, Calif., defeating Rajeev Ram of Carmel, Ind. 6-4, 6-3. Murray
recently received international media attention when he made it to the
third round of Wimbledon, advancing further
than any other player from Great Britain in the draw. He played Sunday’s finals with the same intense focus, and well thought out shot-making that spectators in Aptos have been enjoying all week long.
Both Ram and Murray received wildcard entries into the draw. Murray received 60 ATP points, and $10,800 in prize money for winning the $75,000 Comerica Challenger. He is also the youngest player to win the tournament in its 19 year history, and the first wildcard contestant ever to win the event. Ram received 42 ATP points and $6360 in prize money.
Ram had his opportunities in
the first set. Serving at 5-4, he had two chances to even the match at
5-5, but Murray kept coming up with big service returns, eventually
winning the set with a down the line uncontested back hand winner.
"I had to work hard to make the right shot, Rajeev was getting to passing shots that nobody else has been getting to. It seemed like he would just stick out his racquet, and the ball would come back,” said Murray.
During the trophy ceremony, both the 18 year-old Murray and 21 year-old Ram were very gracious when thanking the Usta and tournament directors for their wildcard spots. They went out of their way to thank the families who had housed them through out the tournament. Up next for both players is the Indianapolis ATP Tournament where they have again received wildcard entries into the main draw.
In doubles finals, Eric Taino of Los Angeles and Nathan Healey of Australia won the Comerica
Challenger title defeating Noam Okun of Israel and Harel Levy of Israel
7-5, 7-6 (4). Levy and Okun showed veteran soft-touch shot making in a
tight match that could have gone either way. This was Taino’s and
Healey’s first tournament playing together as doubles partners. They
received $4650 for winning the Tournament. Okun and Levy received $2700.
$75,000 Comerica Challenger USTA Pro Circuit Aptos, Calif. Men Singles Finals Sunday Results Andrew Murray, Great Britain, def. Rajeev Ram, Carmel, Ind., 6-4, 6-3.
$75,000 Comerica Challenger Aptos, Calif. Men Doubles Finals Sunday Results
Eric Taino, Los Angeles Calif.,
and Nathan Healey, Australia, def.
For more information: Media contact: Peter Kepler
Tournament phone: (831)
254-4725
Club phone: (831) 688-1993
$75,000 Comerica Challenger
A USTA Pro Circuit Event at Seascape Sports Club, July 9-17
Andy Murray Dazzles Crowd at Comerica Challenger
The 18-year-old
Murray has been dazzling spectators all week long with
spectacular shot-making and calculated ball placement.
Murray started
playing tennis at age three with his four and a half year old
brother Jimmy in Dublane, Scotland. Recently, he captured
hearts at Wimbledon where he made it to the third round, losing
to 2002 Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian in five sets,
6-7 (4-7) 1-6 6-0 6-4 6-1. Nalbandian
is currently ranked No.19 in the world.
Murray
made if further
than any other
“There were not a lot
of people to play back in Scotland, so my brother and I hit all
the time. I started beating him at
The Comerica Challenger finals are also important to Rajeev Ram, the 19 year-old from Carmel, Ind., Ram defeated Noam Okun, of Israel, 6-3, 6-1. Rajeev’s world ranking has improved nearly 300 spots in his first full year on tour. He is now ranked No. 272. Ram plays from every spot on the court with confidence and fluidity.
“This has been a break-through week for me, I feel like I am playing tough tennis here.”
Okun
will play the Comerica Challenger doubles finals with fellow
countryman Harel Levy. They defeated Lukas
Dlouhy of the Czech
Republic and Bjorn Phau of Germany, 7-5, 6-3. Okun was also a
singles semifinalist at Seascape in 2002. The other doubles
finalists are Nathan Healey of Australia and
Eric Taino of Los Angeles.
USTA Pro Circuit Aptos, Calif. Men Singles Semifinals Saturday Results Rajeev Ram, Carmel, Ind., def., Noam Okun, Israel, 6-3, 6-1. Andrew Murray, Great Britain, vs. Bobby Reynolds, Acworth, Ga., 6-4, 6-3.
USTA Pro Circuit Aptos, Calif. Men Doubles Semifinals Saturday Results Eric Taino, Los Angeles, Calif., and Nathan Healey, Australia, def. Lukas Dlouhy, Czech Republic, and Bjorn Phau, Germany, 7-6(5), 6-3., Harel Levy, Israel, and Noam Okun, Israel def. Matias Boeker, Deerfield Beach, Fla., and John Isner, Greensboro, N.C., 6-4, 6-3.
USTA Pro Circuit Aptos, Calif. Men Doubles Finals Sunday Schedule of Play Not Before 1:00 p.m. Eric Taino, Los Angeles, Calif., and Nathan Healey, Australia vs. Harel Levy, Israel, and Noam Okun, Israel, Followed By Andrew Murray, Great Britain vs. Rajeev Ram, Carmel, Ind.
For more information: Media contact: Peter Kepler Tournament phone: (831) 254-4725 Tournament Desk: (831) 688-1919 Club phone: (831) 688-1993 http://seascapesportsclub.com/challenger/default.htm
$75,000 Comerica Challenger
A USTA Pro Circuit Event at Seascape Sports Club, July 9-17
“ I felt great about how I played except for the one time I lost my serve in the first set” said Murray.
In Thursday evening’s feature quarterfinal match between 18-year-old Scoville Jenkins of Atlanta, Ga., and 2004 Comerica Challenger semifinalist Bobby Reynolds from Acworth,Ga., Reynolds won a tight three set battle 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 (5). Jenkins hardly missed a ball in the first set, as Reynolds tried working Jenkins backhand, but the speedy Jenkins got around the ball to wheelhouse his forehand down the line over and over. Reynolds came back strong after the first set, moving Jenkins around the court and challenging the youngster at the net. Reynolds had a 4-0 lead in the third, until suddenly Jenkins reached-deep and powered back into the match at one point diving and rolling into the center court wall tying the match 5-5 in the third set. The 23 year-old Reynolds kept to his game plan winning the match in a tie breaker.
"I kept fighting and fighting, what's good about tennis, is that it's two out of three sets" said Reynolds.
Another American to advance to Saturday’s semifinals was Rajeev Ram of Carmel, Ind., defeating fellow University of Illinois alum Amer Delic, of Jacksonville, Fla., 6-3, 7-5. Rajeev’s world ranking has improved nearly 300 spots in his first full year on tour.
Noam Okun also advanced to the semifinals. Okun defeated Glenn Weiner of Long Beach, Calif., 6-2, 6-4. Okun was a singles semifinalist at Seascape in 2002. He will also play in the doubles semifinals with Harel Levy.
For more information about the
Comerica Challenger at Seascape Sports Club, visit
www.seascapesportsclub.com,
or call (831) 688-1993. USTA Pro Circuit Aptos, Calif. Men Singles Quarterfinals Friday Results Andrew Murray, Great Britain, def. Harel Levy, Israel, 6-4, 6-0, Noam Okun, Israel, def. Glenn Weiner, Long Beach, Calif., 6-2, 6-4, Rajeev Ram, Carmel, Ind., def. Amer Delic, Jacksonville, Fla., 6-3, 7-5, Bobby Reynolds, Acworth, Ga., def. Scoville Jenkins, Atlanta, Ga., 3-6, 5-7, 7-6 (5).
USTA Pro Circuit Aptos, Calif. Men Doubles Quarterfinals Friday Results Eric Taino, Los Angeles Calif. / Nathan Healey, Australia, def. Jeff Coetzee, South Africa / Jordan Kerr, Australia, 6-2, 6-4. Harel Levy, Israel, / Noam Okun, Israel def. Nick Rainey, Mercer Island, WA. / Brian Wilson, San Diego, Calif., 6-4, 7-6 (4).
USTA Pro Circuit Aptos, Calif. Men Singles Semifinals Saturday Schedule of Play Not Before 12:30 p.m. Rajeev Ram, Carmel, Ind., vs. Noam Okun, Israel Followed by Andrew Murray, Great Britain, vs. Bobby Reynolds, Acworth, Ga.
USTA Pro Circuit Aptos, Calif. Men Doubles Semifinals Saturday Schedule of Play Not Before 11:00 a.m. Jeff Coetzee, South Africa / Jordan Kerr, Australia vs. Lukas Dlouhy, Czech Republic, / Bjorn Phau, Germany, Not Before 2:30 p.m. Harel Levy, Israel, / Noam Okun, Israel., vs. Matias Boeker, Deerfield Beach, Fla. / John Isner, Greensboro, N.C.
For more information:
Media contact: Peter Kepler
Tournament phone: (831) 254-4725
Tournament Desk: (831) 688-1919
Club phone: (831) 688-1993
http://seascapesportsclub.com/challenger/default.htm
$75,000 Comerica Challenger
A USTA Pro Circuit Event at Seascape Sports Club, July 9-17
Andrew Murray Captures Crowd at Seascape
Murray’s often sublime play helped him defeat Marc Kimmich of Australia 7-5, 6-4, in second-round action Thursday evening at the $75,000 Comerica Challenger at Seascape Sports Club in Aptos, Calif. Using a mixture of spins and slices to keep the hard-charging Kimmich pinned behind the baseline, Murray lead 5-1 in the first set, but Kimmich improved point by point and broke the young Scot twice to climb into contention, Murray then closed out the first set and stayed strong for the second. Through out the two sets Murray kept the same fever-pitched energy that delighted crowds at Wimbledon, where he recently got to the third round, farther than any other British player in the draw. He now advances to the quarterfinals where he will face Harel Levy of Israel.
Levy defeated Frank Dancevic of Canada 6-4, 4-6 ,6-2, in his route to the quarterfinals Thursday. Dancevic was a finalist in last year’s Comerica Challenger. Levy was a finalist in 1999, and has played the Comerica Challenger four times.
Friday night’s feature match will be between the hard-hitting 18-year-old Scoville Jenkins of Atlanta,Ga., and 2004 Comerica Challenger semifinalist Bobby Reynolds from Acworth,Ga.Scoville has been quickly climbing as a world ranked tennis player since turning pro earlier this year.
In other second-round play,
Noam Okun of Israel defeated Cecil Mamiit of Los Angeles, Calif., 6-4,
7-5. Mamiit, another crowd favorite, has played the Comerica
Challenger a record eight times, more than any other player in the
draw. He won the tournament in 1998. Noam Okun was a semifinalist in
2002. Noam Okun will face Glenn Weiner of Long Beach, Calif. Originally
from Johannesburg, South Africa, Weiner is making his sixth appearance
at
Amer Delic of Jacksonville,
Fla., will face fellow University of Illinois Alum Rajeev Ram of
Carmel, Ind., Delic and Rajeev Ram played on the same team which won
the 2003 NCAA singles championship. Ram won the individual NCAA
doubles title in 2003, and Delic won the NCAA individual singles
championship that same year. For more information about the Comerica Challenger at Seascape Sports Club, visit www.seascapesportsclub.com, or call (831) 688-1993.
Singles Second Round Thursday Results Glenn Weiner, Long Beach, Calif., def. Eric Taino, Los Angeles, Calif., 6-2, 7-6 (3), Harel Levy, Israel, def. Frank Dancevic, Canada, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, Noam Okun, Israel, def. Cecil Mamiit, Los Angeles, Calif., 6-4, 7-5, Andrew Murray, Great Britain, def. Marc Kimmich, Australia., 7-5, 6-4.
$75,000 Comerica Challenger USTA Pro Circuit Event Aptos, Calif. Men Doubles Second Round Thursday Results Matias Boeker, Deerfield Beach, Fla., / John Isner, Greensboro, N.C. def., Chris Haggard (2), South Africa, / Tripp Phillips, Charlotte, N.C. 6-3, 6-4
Lukas Dlouhy, Czech
Republic, / Bjorn Phau, Germany def., Harel Levy, Israel, / Noam Okun, Israel, def., Rajeev Ram, Carmel, Ind., / Bobby Reynolds, Acworth, Ga., 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-3.
Jeff Coetzee, South Africa,
/ Jordan Kerr, Australia, def.
USTA Pro Circuit Aptos, Calif. Men Singles Quarter Finals Friday’s Schedule of Play
Not Before 10:00 a.m. Noam Okun, Israel, vs. Glenn Weiner, Long Beach, Calif.,
Followed by Followed by Harel Levy, Israel, vs. Andrew Murray, Great Britain, Not Before 5:30 p.m. Bobby Reynolds, Acworth, Ga., vs. Scoville Jenkins, Atlanta, Ga.
USTA Pro Circuit Aptos, Calif. Men Doubles Quarter Finals Friday’s Schedule of Play Not Before 4:00 p.m. Jeff Coetzee, South Africa / Jordan Kerr, Australia vs. Nathan Healey, Australia, / Eric Taino, Los Angeles, Calif., Nick Rainey, Mercer Island, Wa., / Brian Wilson, San Diego, Calif., vs. Harel Levy, Israel, / Noam Okun, Israel.
For more
information: $75,000 Comerica Challenger
A USTA Pro Circuit Event at Seascape Sports Club, July 9-17
Scoville Jenkins, Bobby Reynolds, and Amer Delic Press on at Seascape.
In Wednesday’s feature 5:30 match, Amer Delic of Jacksonville Florida defeated Thiago Alves of Brazil in three sets. 6-3,3-6,6-3. Delic was the 2003 NCAA singles champion for the University of Illinois. 2004 Semi-finalist Bobby Reynolds, also won his second match against No. 8 seed Lukaz Dlouhy of the Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-4. “ I feel like I am getting better and better each time I play at Seascape, I’ve played here 3 times. It was my very first tournament as a pro, and the second time I played here I got to the second round, and the third time I got to the semi finals. I hope I can keep escalating my game here” said Bobby Reynolds. In 2004, Bobby lost to 19 year-old Canadian Frank Dancevic. Dancevic faces Harel Levy in the second round of the Comerica Challenger Thursday. If Dancevic and Reynolds keep winning, they face each again in the semi finals this Saturday.
In other first round doubles matches, Dancevic and fellow Canadian Frederick Neimeyer beat Scoville Jenkins and Sam Querry, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5. No. 4 seeds Chris Haggard of South Africa and Tripp Phillips of Charlotte, North Carolina beat Brandon Coupe and Cecil Mamiit, 6-3, 6-3. Nick Rainey of Mercer Island, Washington and Brian Wilson of San diego defeated Dmitry Tursunov and Vahe Assadourian, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Thursday’s feature match will be between 18 year old Scottish phenom Andrew Murray and Marc Kimmich of Australia. Tuesday, Kimmich defeated No. 2 seed Justin Gimelstob, 6-2, 6-1. Recently, Murray got advanced farther than any other player from Great Britain at Wimbledon losing in the third round to former Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian in 5 sets
For more information about the tournament at Seascape Sports Club, visit www.seascapesportsclub.com, or call (831) 688-1993. For media questions, contact Peter Kepler at (831) 254-4725.
$75,000 Comerica Challenger USTA Pro Circuit Aptos, Calif. Men Singles Second Round Scoville Jenkins, Altanta, GA. def. Tomas Cakl, Czech Republic, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 Glenn Weiner, Long Beach Calif. def. Gioavanni Lapenti (6), Ecuador, 6-2, 6-4 Bobby Reynolds, Acworth, GA. def. Lukas Dlouhy (8), Czech Republic 6-4, 6-4. Rajeev Ram, Carmel, IA. def. Dudi Sela, Israel, 2-6 7-5, 6-4 Amer Delic, Jacksonville, Fla., def. Thiago Alves, Brazil, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
75,000 Comerica Challenger USTA Pro Circuit Aptos, Calif. Men
Doubles
Nathan Healey, Australia / Eric
Taino, Los Angeles, Calif.
Nick Rainey, Mercer Island, WA.
/ Brian Wilson, San Diego, Calif. def.
Frederick Neimeyer, Canada, /
Frank Dancevic, Canada, def.
75,000 Comerica Challenger USTA Pro Circuit Aptos, Calif. Men Singles Second Round (Continued ) Thursday’s Schedule of Play Not Before 10:00 a.m. Eric Taino, Los Angeles Calif. vs. Glenn Weiner, Long Beach Calif. Followed by: Harel Levy, Israel vs. Frank Dancevic, Canada. Followed by: Noam Okun, Israel vs. Cecil Mamitt, Los Angeles, Calif. Not Before 5:30 p.m. Andrew Murray, Great Britain, vs. Marc Kimmich, Australia
75,000 Comerica Challenger USTA Pro Circuit Aptos, Calif. Men Doubles Second Round Thursday’s Schedule of Play Not Before 12:30 p.m. Matias Boeker, Deerfield Beach, Fla. / John Isner, Greensboro, NC vs. Chris Haggard (2), South Africa / Tripp Phillips, Charlotte, NC. Not Before 3:30 p.m. Jeff Coetzee, South Africa / Jordan Kerr, Australia vs. Amer Delic, Jacksonville, Fla. / Huntley Montgomery, Chapel Hill, NC.
Lukas Dlouhy, Czech Republic, /
Bjorn Phau, Germany vs. Not Before 4:00 p.m. Harel Levy, Israel, / Noam Okun, Israel vs.
Rajeev Ram,
Carmel, IA. / Bobby Reynolds
75K Comerica
Challenger
( Santa
Cruz Sentinel Stories, Click Here ) 75K Comerica Challenger A men’s professional tennis event July 11-17, 2005Seascape Sports Club, Aptos
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