WELL THE EIGHT DAYS OF TENNIS JUST PLAYED STARTED INNOCENTLY AND QUIET ENOUGH WITH 36 MATCHES ON THE FIRST SUNDAY. IT ENDED WITH A TOTAL OF 30 MATCHES ON THE LAST SUNDAY WITH ANDY STONER AND HIS MIXED DOUBLES PARTNER, KRISTY ERICKSON, AND THE MIXED DOUBLES TEAM OF JENNIFER AND JOHN LYONS BEING THE LAST OFF THE COURT AFTER A 3 HOUR FINAL ENDING IN FAVOR OF THE STONER-ERICKSON DUO.

BETWEEN THOSE SUNDAYS, CLOSE TO 800 MATCHES WERE PLAYED UNDER SPECTACULAR DESERT WEATHER CONDITIONS, A WELCOME CHANGE FROM LAST YEARS WEATHER ERASING THE MEMORIES OF A WASHED-OUT FINAL SUNDAY... IN ADDITION TO THE GREAT TENNIS, WE ADDED A FEW NEW WRINKLES, ONE OF WHICH WAS THE FIRST ANNUAL MAUI JIM’S SKILLS CHALLENGE, WITH WINNERS RECEIVING A GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR A PAIR OF MAUI JIM SUNGLASSES.

733 PLAYERS FROM 30 STATES AND FIVE FOREIGN COUNTRIES PARTICIPATED WITH MANY NEW FACES AS WELL AS THOSE WHO HAVE PLAYED IN THIS EVENT OVER 20 TIMES. WE HAD SOME PLAYERS WHO HAD NEVER PLAYED IN A TOURNAMENT OF THIS CALIBER BEFORE GET “SCHOOLED” ONLY TO SEE THEIR “TEACHER” GET SCHOOLED IN THEIR NEXT ROUND. AS I’VE LEARNED OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS MOST PLAYERS DO NOT EXPECT TO WIN THE TOURNAMENT BUT RATHER BE ABLE TO TEST THEIR SKILLS AGAINST SOME OF THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE COUNTRY WITHIN THEIR AGE GROUP. MOST PLAYERS COME FOR THE CHALLENGE, THE CAMARADERIE, THE WEATHER AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE AND EXPERIENCE GREAT TENNIS.

ALL GREAT TOURNAMENTS HAVE SIGNATURE QUALITIES – THE U.S. OPEN HAS BOISTEROUS CROWDS, THE FRENCH HAS THE RED CLAY, WIMBLEDON, STRAWBERRIES & CREAM AND AUSTRALIA, EXTREME HEAT AND A LAID-BACK ATMOSPHERE. WHILE IT MAY BE A STRETCH TO PLACE THE BABOLAT WORLD TENNIS CLASSIC IN A GRAND SLAM CATEGORY, WE DO HAVE SIGNATURE ATTRIBUTES AS WELL – GREAT GOODY BAGS, 7:45 am START TIMES, 2 PLAYER PARTIES AND GREAT PRIZES FOR FINALISTS & WINNERS ALIKE.

AS I’VE SAID MANY TIMES, AN EVENT SUCH AS THIS COULD NOT HAPPEN WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF OUR SPONSORS AND THE INCREDIBLE TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS WE ENJOY. NEEDLESS TO SAY, WE ARE EXTREMELY GRATEFUL FOR THE TIME AND EFFORT THEY DEVOTE TO EXECUTING ON THE PLAN.

TO ALL OF YOU WHO PLAYED AND THOSE OF YOU WHO CAME TO WATCH, HAVE A HEALTHY AND PEACEFUL YEAR AHEAD AND WE HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!