Super Seniors Going Global
Martha Downing (Shingle Springs), Doris DeVries (Reno), Claudia Giacomini (Sunnyvale), Brent Abel (Moraga), Ken Robinson (San Carlos), Robert Quall (Merced) and newly minted Hall of Famer Graydon Nichols (Hanford) have been selected by the USTA to represent the USA in Super Senior international competition Nov. 2-7 in Perth, Australia.
These teams are the senior equivalent of Davis or Fed Cup. This year they will be played on artificial and natural grass. The USA is the defending champion of the Queens Cup for women 75 and over and the Bitsy Grant Cup for men 75 and over.
Downing will be the No. 1 player on the 60s Alice Marble Cup team. Giacomini and DeVries have been named to the 70s Althea Gibson Cup team; Abel will be playing on the 60s Baron Von Cramm Cup team; Robinson was selected to the 65s Britannia Cup team; Quall was named to his first Cup team, the 70s Jack Crawford Cup; and Nichols, in contrast, was named to his 11th Cup team, the 80s Gardnar Mulloy Cup.
Natomas RC to Host $50,000 Challenger
What recently seemed like a casualty of the recession is instead a boon to a Sacramento tennis club.
The 24 courts of Natomas RC will host the Natomas/USTA $50,000 men’s professional tennis tournament, where 32 players from the ATP Challenger Tour will congregate. This is the tournament’s fifth year of existence but the first that won’t be played at Sacramento’s Sutter Lawn TC.
The lack of a title sponsor meant that Sutter Lawn forfeited the tournament. Natomas RC played host to a USTA Futures Event back in June, when Australian Carsten Ball won the title. Make it a doubleheader for Natomas RC and tennis director Glenn Davis.
“The USTA was looking for someone to keep this thing going. This is huge step for us as a club to host a professional tournament of this caliber,” Davis said. “For us locally, it creates a lot of visibility.”
First-round action of the event begins on Oct. 5, with the finals scheduled for Oct. 12. Admission is free until the semis and finals (when they will cost $5). Weekday action will accommodate fans with doubleheader evening action, with matches scheduled for 6 p.m.
The Futures Tour — the ATP version’s of Double-A baseball — features young players trying to work their way to pro tennis’ higher levels. Challenger Events are more akin to Triple-A, with older players who’ve had their share of experience. Ranked 131 in the world at the time, Donald Young used his lefthanded groundstrokes and serve-and-volley ability for the 2008 Sutter Lawn title. Young is now 20 and recently competed in the US Open after reaching it through qualifying.
Those attending the Natomas Challenger can expect to watch California-bred Robert Kendrick, who was No. 77 in the ATP world rankings as of press time. Kendrick was the most prominent of those Davis said verbally committed to playing in the tournament. Kendrick played high school tennis at Bullard H.S. in Fresno before becoming a Pac-10 standout singles player at Washington. The 28-year-old rose to prominence at Wimbledon in 2006, where he lost in the second round to Rafael Nadal after winning the first two sets.
Davis said he is excited about the enthusiasm at his club, with members both ceding their court time and opening up their homes to tournament players. He knows that everyone involved has much to gain, even with what will be lost.
“There’s a lot of work involved,” he said. “What impresses me the most is the sacrifices a lot of people here are eager to make.”
Fendick-McCain, Jossi to Enter Hall of Fame
The path toward notoriety oftentimes has humble roots. Patty Fendick-McCain’s journey began en route between her childhood home Sacramento’s Arden Park neighborhood and nearby Rio Del Oro RC. Jack Jossi made Sacramento State a D2 power as head coach from ‘48 to ‘73, regularly winning Far Western Conference titles. He remains one of the area’s all-time winningest coaches, after being the No. 2 ranked U.S. men’s singles player in the ‘40s behind Bobby Riggs.
The pair are among the nominees to be inducted into the newly-minted Sacramento Tennis Hall of Fame, which will induct its premier class during a ceremony on Oct. 7 at Natomas RC. A class of five inductees is scheduled to be honored at the event, officially branded “Legends of Sacramento.”
A committee has been established to elect the inductees. If honored, Jossi would be elected posthumously, as he died in ‘07. More famous under her maiden name, Fendick-McCain starred at Rio Americano High School before becoming an NCAA champ wearing Stanford red. She’s now coaches in burnt orange as head coach of the University of Texas women’s program. Fendick played at Stanford and Rio Americano with another famous NorCal tennis name, Alycia Moulton.
Registration Open for Folsom Jr. Team Tennis League
Looking for a great, affordable sport for your kids to play this fall? Then sign them up for the Folsom Junior Team Tennis League and let the fun begin. The Sacramento Community Tennis Association is offering the new junior team tennis league program from USTA NorCal, open to local area youth, ages 8 to 12. Perfect for the beginner player, the fall team tennis league is an excellent introduction to a sport they can enjoy for a lifetime.
USTA NorCal’s Jim Coyne has spearheaded the effort to grow team tennis for youth in the area, saying, “We’re excited to bring a Jr. Team Tennis League to Folsom. Our program introduces children to tennis in a fun, team environment with easy-to-use rackets and balls. You’ll be surprised how easily and quickly the children will be playing tennis. Join today and be a part of the newest team sport in town.”
The Folsom Jr. Team Tennis League is a six week program, utilizing a local team tennis model developed by USTA Northern California. Junior Team Tennis is a volunteer-based team tennis program played throughout NorCal. The program uses new easy-to-use progression equipment and fun games-based format to get kids playing tennis right from the start and incorporates elements of USTA’s Quickstart format. The league provides hours of fun and competition at a low cost and works well for those who do not wish to travel too far for competition as all matches are played at one site.
The Folsom Jr. Team Tennis League will be hosted by the Broadstone RC, beginning Sept. 26 and running for six weeks for boys and girls ages 8 to 12. Registration can be completed online at www.quickscores.com/scta or by contacting Larry Lambert at folsomjrtennis@gmail.com or at (916) 716-4223.
