by Stanford White

The 2022 US Open kicked off to great excitement on May 22nd with 13 players competing in a singles qualifying tournament for the two remaining spots in the 16-person main draw. Additionally, 12 teams faced off in the main doubles draw. At stake, a guaranteed $100,000 purse, the largest prize in the history of court tennis. Players came from England, France, and Australia to join the US athletes in the historic event. Ryan Carey was on hand to provide excellent streaming of the matches to viewers around the world.

The singles qualifier saw some fierce matches with Rob Shenkman from Manchester UK at the top of the draw and Leon Smart of Tuxedo on the other side. The rest of the field contained Freddie Bristowe (Philadelphia), Tony Hollins (New York), James Greenley (Washington DC), Henry Smith (Philadelphia), Josh Dodgson (New York), Barney Tanfield (New York), Jon Motz (Washington DC), Pete Dickinson (Philadelphia), Lewis Williams (Leamington, UK), Rob Whitehouse (Philadelphia), and Noah Motz (Washington DC). 

Excellent tennis was on display throughout the qualifier with the top seeds Shenkman and Smart making it into the main draw. Barney Tanfield became the 3rd qualifier to replace James Stout who withdrew due to a pre-tournament injury.

With the main draws set, play began on May 25th with the singles round of 16. Camden Riviere (Aiken) was the number 1 seed at the top with Rob Fahey (Oratory, UK) on the other side. The rest of the field saw Josh Smith (Holyport, UK), Bryn Sayers (Queens, UK), Chris Chapman (Melbourne, AUS), Darren Long (Manchester, UK), Leon Smart (Tuxedo), Ben Taylor-Matthews (Bristol, UK), John Lumley (Philadelphia), Rob Shenkman (Manchester, UK), Steve Virgona (Chicago), Nick Howell (Bourdeaux, FR), Matthieu Sarlangue (Paris, FR), Tim Chisholm (Tuxedo), and Neil Mackenzie (Queens, UK).

The top two seeds of Riviere and Fahey made it through to the semifinals with a couple of battles along the way. The real drama though was in the center of the draw with Virgona winning a 4-set round of 16 match vs Nick Howell and young upstart Leon Smart winning some close matches to advance into the semis. Smart then faced Riviere bringing his magical run to an end. Fahey survived a 4 set match against Chisholm in the quarters and got out to a strong start to overcome Lumley in the semis.

The doubles draw saw the team of Tim Chisholm/Camden Riviere at the top and Bryn Sayers/Ben Taylor-Matthews on the other side. The rest of the field was comprised of Adrian Kemp/Lewis Williams, Darren Long/Rob Shenkman, Josh Dodgson/Leon Smart, Matt Ronaldson/Henry Smith, John Lumley/Rob Whitehouse, Rob Fahey/Nick Howell, Neil Mackenzie/Josh Smith, Tony Hollins/Freddie Bristowe, Chris Chapman/Steve Virgona, and John Motz/Noah Motz. There were many exciting matches with Dodgson/Smart getting through to meet Chisholm/Riviere in the semis and Fahey/Howell advancing to meet Chapman/Virgona. Unfortunately Dodgson/Smart retired in the 2nd set against Chisholm/Riviere due to injury. Fahey/Howell ground out a 4 setter against Virgona/Chapman to advance.

On Memorial Day morning we had a fun break in the action with a Pro-am tournament featuring five of the top pros and five juniors. Calliope Yannuzzi, Hazel Christensen, Campbell Langdon, Johnnie Dawson and Paul Van Nieuwerburgh rounded out the junior field joining with pros Fahey, Riviere, Chisholm, Sayers, and Lumley. Great points and great fun was had as we witnessed the next generation of court tennis players in action.

On the warmest night of the tournament, the familiar match-up of Fahey-Riviere was set for the singles final. Both competitors were in top shape and playing superb tennis. The tennis house was packed with spectators and tensions were high. Fahey battled every point trying to find an opportunity to take advantage of. Riviere methodically retrieved every shot to extend the points. Down 2 sets to love Fahey made a push in the 3rd set coming down to 5 games all. Alas, it was not to be and Riviere emerged victorious as the 2022 US Open Singles Champion.

The following night saw much cooler weather for the doubles final of Chisholm/Riviere, winners of the previous nine US Open Doubles, against the formidable team of Fahey/Howell. The tennis house was packed once again and the question on everyone’s mind was could Chisholm and Riviere make it ten in a row?? The battle was set and Ryan was ready to capture it all with 7 cameras strategically placed around the court. Chisholm/Riviere got out to a fast start in the first set and finished it 6-1. The second set saw Fahey/Howell take an early lead only to see their opponents come back and win 6-4. Chisholm/Riviere took no chances in the third and fought to a 6-2 finish and win the match for their 10th consecutive US Open Doubles championship!

The 2022 US Open at The Tuxedo Club was a huge success and would not have been possible without the generous support of our donors and the participation by all of the pros and amateurs in the tournament. Thank you!!