by R&TC Professionals
Silver Racquet Invitational Draw 2025
The 2025 Invitational Draw saw playing excellence exceeding previous iterations of the Silver Racquet. The entrants included top talent from the United States, United Kingdom, and France who clashed in the Invitational Draw. The top seeds of Freddie Bristowe (1) and Henry Smith (2) progressed to meet each other in the final but there were multiple excellent performances from across the draw with stellar results from other entrants and qualifiers.
Notable performances include qualifiers Ben Dickinson and Jack Turchetta who made their maiden main draw appearances following spirited competition in the qualifying draw. Dickinson and Turchetta both progressed into the second round, securing victories over John Beam and Andrew Peabody respectively, before facing off, and succumbing against Jonathan Crowell (3) and Matthew Mackin (4) in the second round.
The final between Bristowe and Smith saw a fierce conflict of styles and strategy. Bristowe, who had just come onto court following a long Rackets final, came out attempting to keep the points as short as possible. This style was used to great effect against Henry, securing a first set win of 6/1. Henry was able to play more steadily in the second but Freddie responded by varying his playstyle in order to win the match 6/1 6/3. Freddie’s victory makes him the first player to win the tournament five-times
consecutively.
New York Open Handicap ‘A’ Division
The New York Open Handicap ‘A’ division is one of the top handicap divisions in the country. As a premier open event which brings together pros and amateurs, many tough matches were expected from pros and amateurs alike. The pros battled to close score-lines in the first with only Josh Dodgson progressing into the second round. Dodgson faced off against Jack Turchetta who was able to clinch an 8/6 victory over the R&TC professional, off a receive 30 vs owe 40 handicap.
Turchetta would continue to advance through the difficult draw, his aggressive serve and volley playstyle working to great effect. His unique style brought much difficulty to his opponents and led to him eventually reaching a first-ever final against Parisian Vincent Letonturier.
Letonturier, a seasoned veteran of the game, played a strong floor game against Turchetta, wrong-footing him multiple times at the start of the match. Letonturier held momentum in the beginning but Turchetta eventually found his stride and began to cut off Letonturier’s shots and utilize his strong volleys to change the match in his favor. Turchetta was able to secure an impressive 8/5 win over Letonturier and enshrined his name permanently in gold paint next to the East Court.
New York Open Handicap ‘B’ Division
The ‘B’ Division of the New York Open is established as a draw that sees plenty of consistently entertaining matches. With many new names and repeat entrants, there was top talent from a range of clubs which included Westwood, Philadelphia, Newport, Boston, New York, and Tuxedo.
The first round had multiple matches which came down to the wire. Tim Carroll from
Philadelphia took an 8/7 victory over R&TC member, Dan Laukitis while Browning Platt from R&TC secured an 8/6 comeback victory against Anders Cohen. Similarly, R&TC members Rob Parker and Ludwig Kerck battled for supremacy in their first round match-up. Both having intimate knowledge of the
court, they traded tight blows with one another and constantly kept the momentum of the match in flux. Parker, however, was able to clinch a narrow 8/6 win over Kerck. Parker would continue his progression to the final where he faced off against fellow R&TC member George Tilghman.
Parker and Tilghman kept neck-and-neck in the race to 8 games. Any significant gains by one opponent saw equal gains by the other. The two pushed the score to 7-all and Parker’s return was able to make the difference in the deciding game and he was able to secure a close 8/7 win over Tilghman and a first-ever division victory.
New York Open Handicap ‘C’ Division
The New York Open ‘C’ Division is a noteworthy draw for the new and rising talent and this is reflected in the depth of the draw. Old and new names face off with one another and the various playstyles create the perfect conditions for thrilling matches.
One such match was between the New York All-Comer’s Champion Charlie Isen and the USCTA’s Thomas Pettitt Fellow Kenneth Huang. Both fought hard for the match, leading to a 7-all showdown. Isen was able to capitalize on a series of weak returns by Huang and push the score to 7-all 40-0. Huang was able to save these match points and push the score to 40-all with a backhand down the line winning gallery while playing a hazard chase of 2 yards, securing a slim 8/7 win over Isen.
The final for the Division saw a clash between Max White, a racquets player from Boston, and Patrick O’Callaghan, a former R&TC summer playing guest. White’s playing style was heavily influenced by racquets, constantly utilising boasts on the side walls against his opponent. While White’s footwork and coordination were impressive, O’Callaghan was able to take advantage of the occasional loose ball and provide a spirited defense, ultimately changing the tide to his favor. O’Callaghan was able to secure an 8/6 win.
New York Open Handicap ‘D’ Division
The ‘D’ Division is an exciting battle between recent converts to the game and more experienced players. Nearly half of the players in the draw had been introduced to the game recently and were either completely new to racket sports or were brought in from a squash or lawn tennis background.
One of the most unique matches was between R&TC members Alden Corbett, who came from an ultimate frisbee background, and Malcolm Essaid, from a lawn tennis background. Corbett was able to use his unique frisbee-esque serving style to catch Essaid off-guard. After going down a few games, Essaid was able to find his stride on his return and pushed it to 7-all. The last game saw excellent retrieving as Essaid was able to secure an 8/7 win over Corbett.
Malcolm Essaid and Addison Cilmi from R&TC collided in the D division final, both facing multiple close matches to reach the final. The match was even as they were matched on the forehand and backhand sides. The biggest variation being in serves and returns as Essaid’s serve seemed to perform better than Cilmi’s while Cilmi’s returns outperformed Essaid’s. At 7-all, Essaid was able to string together a series of powerful shots to force errors from Cilmi and secure an 8/7 victory.
Congratulations to all the players and staff for a fantastic 2025 Silver Racquet. The play and camaraderie was exemplary and a testament to all the work that has been put into the event over the years. We look forward to seeing you in 2026.
