2025 Pell Cup

By Tony Hollins

We had a wonderful weekend at the 2025 Pell Cup. Each of the U.S. clubs was represented as well as an overseas traveler. It is great to see the enthusiasm which has built around this tournament, so much so that next year we will be running two summer events to give more players a chance to scratch their Newport itch. The dates of these will be:

Pineapple Cup – June 25 to 28, 2026

Pell Cup – August 15 to 19, 2026

The entry links for these events will be released in early March of 2026. If you would like to receive updates on these events, please email thollins@tennisfame.com.

This year’s matches kicked off at lunchtime on Wednesday afternoon. The bar was immediately set high with two of the five matches going to the deciding game. Young up-and-comers Jake Faulise and Stathi Kyriakides defeated a strong team in Tom and Eliot Van Buskirk promptly followed by another deciding game with the father-son Philpott team being narrowly defeated by Sewall Hodges and JJ Jones. This was a testament to the depth of the draws. From Pro division to E division, each group was hotly contested.

Congratulations to this year’s tournament winners:

Pro Division – John Lumley & Josh Smith

A Division – Noah Motz & Erik Barker

B Division – Ryan Carey & Tim Welles

C Division – Sewall Hodges & John Jones

D Division – Chris Yalanis & John Levis

E Division – Randy Barr & Reeve Harde

The spirit around the club was wonderful all weekend and the weather abided also, providing a lovely atmosphere. This was only boosted by the wonderful support of Kathy and Sewall Hodges, our Thursday evening cocktail party hosts, and Andrew and Julie Fritz who hosted Friday’s festivities. Thank you, Kathy, Sewall, Andrew and Julie! The Reef welcomed 90 of us to dinner on Saturday evening, bringing the court tennis crowd downtown to the waterfront. The sunset, cocktails, and 3-course meal fueled the players for the final day of play.

A big thank you to everyone who supported the event including the players from near and far, and our NTC Annual Sponsorship Program contributors. As always, Ryan Carey was tirelessly streaming the matches to an incredibly high level. Thank you, Ryan for extending the game’s reach. See you at the World Championship!