by Nick Howell
The IRTPA Players Championship returned to Aiken Tennis Club for the second consecutive year. With 35,000 world ranking points available, the tournament was an important event on the professional calendar, being the penultimate event in the world ranking race before its conclusion at the British Open.
Satellite Tournament
Before the main event got underway, the Satellite Tournament took place, serving both as a qualifying event for the Players Championship and as a tournament in its own right. Players needed to win their opening match not only to progress in the Satellite but also to secure a place in the main draw.
There were a couple of late withdrawals, most notably James Stout, the former Rackets World Champion and world No. 1 doubles squash player, who was forced to withdraw due to family reasons. James had not competed in a world-ranking court tennis tournament since before 2020, and our members were particularly excited about the prospect of seeing him play. While it was disappointing, family understandably comes first, and James has assured us he hopes to return next year.
There was just one qualifying match, between Pete Dickinson and Jack Josephs, which proved to be a very close contest, with Pete edging it 6/5.
Quarter-final day produced a couple of upsets. Vaughan Hamilton, one of the favourites for the title, was beaten by Pete Dickinson, while Josh Dodgson, who has previously recorded victories over top-10 players, lost to Josh Smith. Smith, who has had limited competitive play over the past few years due to injury, showed signs of returning to his best form.
In the evening matches, seeded players Max Trueman and Lewis Williams progressed comfortably to the semi-finals.
Josh Smith continued his impressive run with a comfortable victory over Pete Dickinson in the first semi-final. The second semi-final was a much closer affair, with No. 1 seed Lewis Williams taking on fourth seed Max Trueman. Max took the opening set, but Lewis fought back strongly in the second before eventually securing a 3/6 6/5 6/3 victory.
The final was contested by Lewis Williams, who will soon become Newport’s Senior Professional, and Josh Smith, Newport’s Head Professional.
The No. 1 seed produced an excellent performance in the final, with Josh unable to quite reproduce the form that had taken him through the earlier rounds. Lewis’s consistent play, combined with some unforced errors from Josh, saw him claim the Satellite title with a convincing 6/1 6/3 victory.
Following the final, players, members, guests and sponsors enjoyed cocktails outside the club before gathering for dinner on the court. During the evening, Pro-Am Chairman Brien Grande conducted the Pro-Am draw, pairing 11 professionals with 11 amateurs for the competition.
Main Draw
The following day, the Players Championship main draw got underway, with world No. 2 John Lumley opening his campaign with a comfortable victory over Pete Dickinson.
World No. 4 Ben Taylor-Matthews followed with an equally convincing performance, defeating Satellite finalist Josh Smith 6/1 6/1.
The evening session began with crowd favourite Rob Fahey taking on young Ben Dickinson, who was competing in his first-ever world-ranking tournament. There was a nice connection between the two, as Ben had been a ball boy for Rob during a US Pro final more than ten years earlier. Rob entertained the crowd with his trademark shot-making, while Ben acquitted himself extremely well on the big stage. Fittingly, Rob sealed the victory in style with a backhand into the grille.
The final match of the evening produced an excellent contest between world No. 8 Bryn Sayers and world No. 9 Lewis Williams. Bryn delivered a composed and professional performance to come through in two sets to one.
Day two saw straightforward victories for all four seeded players, Camden Riviere, Robert Shenkman, Nick Howell and Steve Virgona.
Virgona was particularly impressive against Josh Dodgson, with the pair having enjoyed several closely contested matches in recent meetings. On this occasion, Steve was in commanding form, recording a convincing 6/3 6/0 victory.
Following the second day of play, Bob and Jane Hottensen generously hosted a wonderful evening for players and sponsors at their beautiful home. Guests enjoyed a catered reception and a fantastic evening of hospitality. A big thank you to Bob and Jane for opening their home and putting on such a lovely event.
Quarter-Final Day
Quarter-final day produced some outstanding tennis, with the two evening matches in particular providing plenty of drama for the Aiken crowd.
The day began with world No. 2 John Lumley taking on Bryn Sayers. Bryn played an excellent opening set, pushing John all the way before Lumley edged it 6/5. Once John had secured the first set, he settled into his rhythm and produced some flawless tennis to take the second 6/0 and book his place in the semi-finals.
Next up, world No. 1 Camden Riviere faced Robert Shenkman for the second tournament in succession. At their previous meeting at the French Open, Shenkman had taken a set off Camden and was determined to go one better this time. Rob frustrated the world No. 1, who grew up in Aiken, and made him work hard for every point. Despite Rob’s efforts, Camden came through two closely contested sets 6/4 6/4.
The evening session began with Steve Virgona taking on Nick Howell in a match with plenty at stake in the world ranking race. Steve was hoping a victory would improve his chances of qualifying, while a win for Nick would secure his No. 2 position in the race.
Steve came out firing, chasing down everything and playing with tremendous energy to take the opening set comfortably 6/1. Nick gradually found his way back into the match, managing to take the momentum away from Steve midway through the second set to level the match at one set all, winning it 6/3.
Nick carried that momentum into the deciding set, racing to a 3/0 lead before Steve fought back to level at 4/4. Nick edged ahead 5/4 in a close game, but Steve wasn’t finished and had a point to level at 5/5. At deuce, Nick managed to force a couple of errors from Steve to close out a hard-fought victory.
The final match of the evening was every bit as entertaining, with Rob Fahey taking on world No. 4 Ben Taylor-Matthews. It was a match defined by Rob’s remarkable comebacks after slow starts.
Ben raced to a 5/1 lead in the opening set, only for Rob to fight his way back to 5/5. Ben held his nerve, however, producing a very strong final game to take the set 6/5.
The second set followed a similar pattern, with Rob once again finding himself trailing, this time 4/1. In typical Fahey fashion, he refused to give in, winning five consecutive games to take the set 6/4 and force a decider.
Ben started the final set strongly, once again putting Rob on the back foot. This time, however, the deficit proved too much for Rob to overcome, with Ben closing out the deciding set 6/4 to secure his place in the semi-finals.
It was a fantastic evening of tennis, with both matches providing the crowd with some memorable rallies, momentum swings and plenty of excitement.
following the quarter-finals, Geoff and Shannon Ellis kindly hosted a party for players and sponsors at their stunning hotel, The Willcox, located just a short walk from Aiken Tennis Club. Guests were treated to wonderful food and drinks, with fantastic service throughout the evening. A big thank you to Geoff and Shannon for their generosity, hospitality and continued support of the tournament.
Semi-Final Day
Before the semi-finals got underway, the Pro-Am competition, which had been played over the previous couple of days, came to a conclusion. Steve Virgona and Peter Dunne won Group A and Josh Dodgson and Gordon Lawson won Group B.
The first semi-final saw home professional Nick Howell take on world champion and Aiken-raised Camden Riviere. Nick looked to use his power to put Camden under pressure and played some excellent tennis, entertaining the home crowd. The opening set was closely contested, with the players level at 4/4 before Camden pulled away to take it 6/4. The world No. 1 proved too strong in the second set, eventually securing a 6/4 6/3 victory to book his place in the final.
The second semi-final featured world No. 2 John Lumley against world No. 4 Ben Taylor-Matthews. John was simply too good on the day, producing a strong performance to win 6/2 6/3 and set up another meeting with Camden Riviere in the final.
The Final
The stage was set for a much-anticipated final between world No. 1 Camden Riviere and world No. 2 John Lumley. Their previous meeting in the French Open final had been an absolute thriller, with Camden narrowly coming out on top 6/5 in the fifth and deciding set, so expectations were high for another great contest.
Camden saved his best tennis for last, producing a brilliant display in front of his home crowd. John battled hard throughout, doing everything he could to stay in the match and make it a physical contest, but Camden was simply too strong on the day. The world champion secured the Players Championship title with an impressive 6/3 6/1 6/3 victory.
For the final, ball boys were introduced, with four Aiken Tennis Club juniors taking on the responsibility. Henry Kisner (9), Jordan McAlhaney (9), Burck Meyer (11) and Jackson McAlhaney all did a brilliant job, adding a special touch to the occasion and making the club proud.
A Wonderful Week in Aiken
It was a fantastic week at Aiken Tennis Club, with some outstanding tennis, wonderful social events and plenty of golf at Palmetto Golf Club, Augusta Country Club, Old Barnwell and Aiken Golf Club.
A huge amount of work goes into hosting an event of this size, and I would like to thank everyone who helped make the 2026 Players Championship such a success.
A special thank you to Club President Michael Sullivan for his continued support of the tournament. Events like this simply wouldn’t be possible without the backing of the club and its leadership.
I would also like to give a huge thank you to George Handy III, who put in an enormous amount of work with ticket sales and player welfare throughout the week. George took a lot of pressure off me, allowing me to concentrate on running the tournament while also competing. His help was greatly appreciated.
Another special mention goes to Ryan Carey, who did a fantastic job managing the live streaming throughout the tournament, allowing people around the world to follow the action from Aiken.
Thank you also to Grays Real Tennis for generously donating two rackets and for their continued support of the event.
Acknowledgements
Club President: Michael Sullivan
Tournament Chairmen: George Handy III, Bauer Vaughters
Tournament Organisation: Nick Howell
Accommodations: Jerry Mount
Budget: Lucien Papouchado
Commentary: Kevin Kisner, George Handy III, Rob Johnston, Charlie Michele, James Daly, Madison Daly
Development: Frank Mullins
Event Hosts: Shannon & Geoff Ellis, Kadi & Chad Meldrum
Facility: Morgan Milner, Bauer Vaughters
Outdoor Facilities: Shannon & Geoff Ellis, Jason Rabun
Food & Beverage: Cheryl Glance, Robert Glance, Cheryl Marvin, Tom Sargent
House: Stuart Griswold
Merchandise: Nick Howell, George Handy III, Bauer Vaughters
Parking: Frank Mullins, Bauer Vaughters, Stuart Griswold
Player Interviews: Kevin Kisner, George Handy III
Pro-Am: Brien Grande
Sponsors: Rob Johnston, Gordon Lawson, Michael Sullivan, Larry Comegys, James Daly, Madison Daly, Bauer Vaughters
Golf Sponsors: Chad Ingram, Gordon Lawson, Bob Cook, Frank Mullins, Tom Wyatt
Streaming: Ryan Carey, Jenks Meyer
Finally, a huge thank you to all our members and supporters who purchased tickets, attended the matches, opened their homes to visiting players or helped in any way throughout the week. The tournament simply wouldn’t be possible without your generosity and support.
We always welcome feedback and suggestions on how we can make the event even better next year, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back to Aiken for the 2027 IRTPA Players Championship!
