On Oct. 27, 11 wheelchair tennis players came out to take part in one of USTA's wheelchair tournaments  hosted by Rock Hill Tennis Center (RHTC). 

 

RHTC is currently home to the Carolina Rollin’ Rackets wheelchair program, which meets every Friday and offers free lessons for all levels of wheelchair players and their family and friends.   It was chosen as one of 10 locations by the USTA to hold a wheelchair tournaments. 

 

The event kicked-off with a Run/Roll, with 11 wheelchair players and 11 able-bodied players taking part.  The Run/Roll was tournament play that consisted of a “Fast Four” play format, which means that the first team to score four points wins the game, and the first to win four games wins the match. The purpose of this format is to encourage a lot of match play with many different players.  

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During Run/Roll, two surprise visitors made an appearance. USTA Wheelchair Tennis Manager Jason Allen and USTA National Wheelchair Tennis Manager Jason Harnett made a special trip to RHTC.  They joined the on-court fun running through Olympic tennis drills and rotating into match play. Both took time at the end of the tournament to answer questions and talk about their experience in wheelchair tennis. 

 

Players took a break for a light lunch, and returned back to the courts for the singles tennis matches.  There were a total of 19 matches played in the afternoon.  All players commented on how much they enjoyed the format and hope to see more of these tournaments in the future.

 

The day concluded with dinner and a review of a great day of grassroots level tennis.  

 

RHTC plans to add a run/roll event the first Friday of each month.

Kim Ozmon is the Tennis Center Supervisor for the City of Rock Hill