2015 U23, U26 Championships

May 22, 2015 | US Events, USCTA News

A small, but enthusiastic group of young court tennis players made their way to The Tuxedo Club for two very busy days of play! Players representing The Prince’s Court (D.C.), The Philadelphia Racquet Club, The Boston Tennis & Racquet Club & The Tuxedo Club were represented.

Singles Summary

As expected, Paul Monaghan (Philadelphia) & Erik Barker (D.C.) navigated their respective halves of both singles draws to meet in the Final of both events. After a long weekend of Tennis; both players and the tournament committee decided that one best of three set match would determine the champion for both age groups. The spectators were treated to a great display of tennis from both ends of the court, with Monaghan’s experience & power advantage proved a bit too much for Barker…..this time…though Monaghan and the spectators are aware Barker will be a force to reckon with in the future.

Doubles Summary

Both Doubles Finals had a bit of a Tuxedo feel to them; which was very exciting for the host club as there has been a conscious effort by the committee to get more juniors involved in the game.

The U23 final pitted Monaghan & Graham Vander lee (Tuxedo) against Barker & Adrian Camacho (D.C.). Vander Lee, who has just picked up the game recently and is at school at Rollins in FL (a noted court tennis hotbed) held up well in his first National Championship; but the experience (yes, experience) of Barker and Camacho eased them across the finish line to earn the U23 Doubles title.

The U26 final saw doubles specialist Barker looking for more hardware partnered with John Beam (Tuxedo) vs. Camacho & Daniel Sternberg (D.C.). Beam having grown up playing lawn tennis has transitioned nicely to the ‘parent’ game and all parties that had a chance to see him on court look forward to his continual development. Barker, having played the game since he started walking (rumor has it that Bill Barker (dad) may have had Erik swinging a cut off bat while in a stroller) displayed excellent knowledge of the court and help position Beam to take advantage of his strong volleying skills….earning this new pairing the U26 Doubles title.

The author would also like to add a few THANK YOU’s before closing the book on the U26 &U23 Championships:

To Barbara & Peter Regna along with Chris & Emily Heffernan for their never ending hospitality to players visiting The Tuxedo Club.
To the Tuxedo Racquets Committee & The Tuxedo Club for hosting the event.
To John Lumley & Tim Chisholm for organizing and running the weekend.

Let’s hope the next generation of players participating in the game will all love continues to grow and prosper.