by Jacob Faulise
The Pell Cup is an annual court tennis tournament held at the National Tennis Club located on the grounds of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The Pell Cup is named in honor of C.C. Pell Jr.’s contributions to the game of court tennis, which included leading a group of devoted players to help fund the restoration of the National Tennis Court, the only public court tennis facility in the United States.
This year the NTC hosted 31 teams hailing from 8 different clubs around the US competing in 6 different divisions. The 5-day event kicked off on August 17th and saw some fantastic tennis played at all levels, from beginners to some of the top professionals in the world.
E Division
This year’s E division was full of competitive 3 set matches, as well as a few lopsided matches courtesy of Brittany Wakim and Libby Gephart from Philadelphia. Mike and John Lanza showed strong improvement in each match they played after having little previous tournament play experience. Kim Hunter and Cissy Sullivan made for a great pairing and delivered three thrilling three set matches in group play. Shirley Freitag and Kelsey Dolan represented Newport well by winning two of their group play matches and making the E division final. Brittany and Libby continued their superb play with a straight set victory in Sunday’s final to win the E Division.
D Division
This year’s D division was split into two four team subdivisions, each with four very tough and well-matched teams. Many of the teams hailed from Philadelphia, bringing their well-rounded tennis skills along with their contagious joyful spirit. In the D1 subdivision Noelle Shiland and Beth Winthrop came out on top after some great comebacks and nail biting three set matches. In the D2 subdivision Kitty Cook and Henry Wilson stormed through group play, winning all three matches in straight sets. Henry and Kitty continued their win streak on the final day, winning the D division in another strong straight set victory.
C Division
Similar to the D division, this year’s C division was split into two four team subdivisions, eight teams all competing for one title. In the C1 subdivision Adam Yaari and Will Hubbard dominated, winning all three of their group play matches in straight sets, and only losing 6 total games! In the C2 subdivision Dave Christensen and Todd Yannuzzi displayed a similar dominant performance by delivering three straight set wins. The C division final was bound to be a great matchup between the two dominant forces of their respective subdivisions. Dave Christensen and Todd Yannuzzi pulled out the straight set victory to win the C division crown.
B Division
The B Division showcased fantastic talent and many long three set matches. There was a wide range of players from young stars in the making to some very mature veterans. Dan and Kate Villiers had some very close matches due to their strong teamwork and communication. Doug Shear and Hamish Dron, who had spent the past few weeks in Newport visiting from Bristol, made a fantastic team and a true force to be reckoned with in the B division. Ross Cann and Eli Segal hopped on the court after having just met each other and quickly made up for lost time by making the B division final. This year’s winning team was a great match, between the all-around classic style of Michael Sullivan and the strong and steady play of Pete Roessler, they cruised through group play. The final was a close match, but Sullivan/Roessler pulled out a three-set win, continuing their dominance of this year’s B Division.
A Division
The A division showcased an extremely high level of tennis in every match. Ryan Carey and John Damon were one of three teams representing Newport in the A’s and they had three strong performances against some very tough teams. Ben and Pete Dickinson played some fantastic tennis and represented the NTC well throughout their matches. Phil Stockton and Shep Skiff played three great matches in group play, and you could see their doubles chemistry develop the more matches they played. They won two of three, earning their bid to the A division final. Kris and Noah Motz, who was also playing in the open division, put on a show in all their matches, winning all three of their group matches in straight sets, setting up a great A division final. In the final Noah and Kris continued their win streak with another straight set victory, making them the A division champions.
Open Division
This year’s open division had three teams mixed with professionals and amateurs, all of whom dazzled us with great tennis and never-ending rallies. Pat Winthrop and Todd Meringoff had two very competitive matches against some of the best players in the world. Tim Chisholm(World Doubles Champion) and Noah Motz faced up against John Lumley(Australian Open singles/doubles Champion) and Rob Whitehouse for a Friday night cocktail match. The energy was buzzing with a packed house and some great food and drink, provided by the fantastic NTC members. Tim and Noah took the win in a three-set thriller. John Lumley and Rob Whitehouse ended up with the win by default in the finals on Sunday, making it John’s fourth Open division title in a row!
Wrap Up
A very special thanks to all those who make this wonderful event possible every year. Thank you to the sponsors for providing the prize purse, the pros who came from long distances and played some great tennis, Kathy Minevitz and Sewall Hodges for sponsoring a fantastic Thursday night cocktail party once again, all of our members for the Friday night cocktail party, Larry Phillips and Midtown Oyster bar for Saturday night dinner, Eli Segal and Pete Dickinson for assisting with marking, and finally Delaney Pothier and Hamish Dron for doing a little bit of everything in helping put on another great Pell Cup. Hope to have everyone back in 2023!
