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Back row, left to right: Brian Smallwood, ICTC Executive Director; Kevin Senich, President, Northeast Ohio Tennis Association of the USTA; Mary Joe Fernandez, USA Fed Cup Captain. Front row (left to right): Kyle McPhillips, Lauren Davis
© John Healey
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CLEVELAND, Ohio – Inner City Tennis Clinics (ICTC), an urban youth tennis initiative in Cleveland, held a fundraising event on Saturday afternoon, May 12 at the Cleveland Racquet Club in Pepper Pike, OH. WTA pro Lauren Davis (currently ranked #168 in the world) played in a singles exhibition against top American amateur Kyle McPhillips who will play in the French Open Juniors in a few weeks before she joins the UCLA Lady Bruins next season. Davis defeated McPhillips 7-6 (4), 7-5 in front of an enthusiastic crowd of local tennis fans and benefactors of ICTC.
Both players are native Clevelanders who have made impressive progress over the last few years to reach the elite levels of the game. USA Fed Cup Captain Mary Joe Fernandez was a special guest and served as the chair umpire for the singles match. "It was great to be part of an event that showcased two of Cleveland’s best-ever players," Mary Joe said. "Lauren and Kyle are very talented and quite appreciative of the local tennis community’s support over the years. They were excited to give back to such a worthy cause as ICTC."
The event helped raise the profile of ICTC which won the USTA Midwest Section’s Outstanding Performance Award in October 2011. In 2010, ICTC was organized as a Community Tennis Association and is part of the USTA’s NJTL network. ICTC programming happens at two public parks in the City of Cleveland every summer. It offers a multi-faceted summer of fun including tennis instruction, a literacy program, a wellness component, physical fitness, and poetry slam. ICTC Executive Director Brian Smallwood commented, "We are grateful to Lauren, Kyle, and Mary Joe for helping us today. It was a celebration of Cleveland tennis – past, present, and future. The star power that they brought to the event was a tremendous catalyst for the continued growth of ICTC. The money we raised and the friends we made will have a significant positive impact on this program."