A new event – The Martin Cup – was added to the US court tennis fixtures list on October 27-29, 2023. Honoring long-time champion, Alastair B. Martin, the event is an intercity team court tennis doubles tournament for seniors. It is modeled on the extremely successful and popular Whitney Cup that has been played annually for nearly a century.
The “first edition” took place at Westwood Country Club. Like the Whitney Cup, it is a doubles competition but with three pairs aged in their 50s, 60s and 70s, thus matching the World Masters team categories.
Washington fielded two teams that played each other on Friday afternoon. In the 50s Bill Barker and Matt Fraidin beat John and Kris Motz two sets to one. In the 60s, Marty Hublitz and Mark Philpott beat Steve Hufford and Ralph Nappi two sets to one. In the 70s, with the outcome on the line, Haven Pell and Peter Cannon (on loan from New York) beat Bernie Elero and Art Horowitz two sets to love. One Washington team moved to the third fourth playoff on Saturday afternoon, while the other advanced to the Sunday morning final.
On Saturday morning, Philadelphia played Aiken for the other place in the Sunday final. In the 50s, Anders Cohen and Kenny Soffer beat Geoff Ellis and Michael Sullivan two sets to one. In the 60s, Anders Cohen and Kenny Soffer (doubling up by playing in both age groups) beat John Ioli and Jerry Mount two sets to love. Finally, in the 70s John Schellenburg and Dick Tanfield beat Paul Sauerborn and Louis Rinaldini two sets to love. Aiken would play that afternoon while Philadelphia advanced to the Sunday final.
On Saturday afternoon, Washington faced Aiken in the third/fourth playoff. In the 60s, Marty Hublitz and Mark Philpott beat John Ioli and Jerry Mount two sets to love. In the 70s, Paul Sauerborn and Luis Rinaldini beat Bernie Elero and Art Horowitz two sets to love. In the 50s, which was the deciding match, John and Kris Motz faced off against Geoff Ellis and Michael Sullivan with Aiken winning by two sets to one to take third place.
That evening two dozen players and spectators got together for dinner in one of Westwood Country Club’s many restaurants. In after dinner remarks, Haven Pell thanked all the players for having the courage to be early adopters of the new idea. He said, “The Martin Cup is intended to offer exciting intercity competition to former Whitney Cup players who have ‘aged out’ and to others who have not had that opportunity. Perhaps most importantly, it honors the Martin legacy by gathering the senior US court tennis community for amateur team competition.”
The Sunday final pitted Philadelphia against Washington. In the 60s, the well exercised Kenny Soffer and Anders Cohen beat Steve Hufford and Ralph Nappi two sets to love, and Philadelphia closed it out when Dick Tanfield and John Schellenburg beat Haven Pell and Peter Cannon by the same margin. Bill Barker and Matt Fraidin avoided the shutout by ending the Soffer Cohen winning streak at three again by two sets to none.
There was unanimous agreement that the first-time tournament was a big success and that it needed to become a permanent annual fixture.
The Martin Cup itself is a repurposed trophy won multiple times by Alastair Martin and has been donated by Simmy Martin Jain and Christopher Martin, two of Alastair’s grandchildren.
