by Helen Grassi Vest
edited by Amy Wintersteen
The top women from the US traveled to Westwood this May to play in the US Women’s National Championship. Although the draw was small, it provided quality competition. The weekend started with fun round-robin doubles, allowingout-of-towners to get to know the court and the tambour.
The tournament kicked off on Saturday with Victoria Scott taking on Westwood local Tess Browne. Victoria came out strong with her amazing backhand return of serve, moving Tess around and creating great chases. Unfortunately, Tess’s steady play and strong shots while placing the ball all over the court (particularly into that extreme tambour) ultimately gave her the win, 6-1, 6-4.
Next, we had a T&R/NTC match-up, Amy Wintersteen versus Helen Vest. It was clear on court that these two enjoyed every moment on court together. From the doubles the day earlier, Amy and Helen had figured out the court and had some long rallies, including a game with about nine deuces. In the end, Helen won 6-0, 6-1.
Third up was veteran Xanthe Ranger versus newcomer and local Westwood player Ashley Fritz-Patrick. Xanthe used her experience and hard-hit shots to move Ashley all over the court, especially hitting cut volley returns to create short chases. Xanthe took the first set, but Ashley was not deterred. Ashley had learned to use her volley a little more in the second set and stepped in to cut the shots off. Taking the second set from Xanthe, it is clear that Ashley will be one to keep an eye on as a top player in the game. Ultimately, the veteran won the match 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, moving her into the finals.
The first semi-final saw Claire Voegle of the Aiken tennis club versus Tess Browne. Tess did a great job using the tambour to her advantage while also cutting short chases on both sides of the service end. Claire moved well, digging difficult shots out of the corners. Tess managed to maintain her momentum and won 6-1, 6-4.
Our second semi-final was Helen Vest versus Xanthe Ranger. Helen challenged Xanthe with solid serving and good court coverage. Helen used the tambour to her advantage and avoided trouble in the corners, blocking Xanthe’s smooth corner shots. It was a well-fought match however, Xanthe prevailed 6-4, 6-5.
The finals on Sunday between Xanthe Ranger and Tess Browne proved to be the tournament match. The careful observer of the match would note that in the first set, despite dealing with a hamstring injury, Tess made no mistakes and had some amazing side-to-side gets. She took the first set 6-3. But Xanthe Ranger proved that with experience and composure, one can turn things around. In a tight second set, Xanthe used more targets, hitting the grille many times and when missing the grille, she hit the tambour, which added even more pressure to her game. Xanthe took the second set 6-4. With the momentum in Xanthe’s favor, the 3rd set was hers. She continued to use her hard-hit shots, moving Tess from side to side, forcing more errors. Xanthe took the third set and the match 6-2. Final result, 3-6,6-4,6-2
All the players would like to thank Ivan Ronaldson for an exceptional weekend. We would also like to thank the Westwood Country Club and its members for caring for us. Thank you to the USCTPF Player Development Fund for supporting women’s tennis, particularly tournament play. Spending time with other players and competing with playersfrom other clubs is a great privilege, and it’s what these weekends are all about. We hope to encourage more women to travel for tournaments and keep the women’s game competitive and full.
Photos by Caroline Marney ….Check back soon for more photos!
