Somerset schools to host Open Tennis Fest events

As Lake Cumberland Tennis Association (LCTA) President in Somerset, Ky., Alfie Cheng is always looking for ways to bring more playing opportunities to the area.

Cheng jumped at the chance to apply for a grant from USTA Southern to host Open Tennis Fest events. Created to celebrate tennis in the month of the final matches of the US Open, Open Tennis Fest gives CTAs, NJTLs, public facilities and parks & recreation departments the chance to promote tennis and their organizations.

This is the second year of Southern’s Open Tennis Fest, following years of funding for Fall Tennis Fest events. All of the 2025 events will be in September.

Each host receives $300 per approved event, with a maximum of four events available per organization. Cheng and LCTA are hosting three Open Play Days. Two events will be conducted at Pulaski County High School, on Sept. 9 and Sept. 11, and another event at Southwestern High School on Sept. 10.

“We're a small, rural CTA. We don't have a lot of funds, so anytime we can get a grant like this, it allows us to organize an event at a slightly bigger scale than normal,” said Cheng, who played at Eastern Kentucky University from 1993-97 and represented Malaysia in the 1996 Davis Cup. “We are hoping to expose more players to tennis in a part of the county that doesn't have as many playing the sport right now.”

Focusing on middle school students

One of the Open Play Days will be geared towards middle school players and will start after a middle school practice.

“We're hoping that they'll bring their friends or their parents out to play,” Cheng said. “We're just trying to tap into that market and see if we can get more players. Then, once they are more interested, we can channel them towards programs like leagues and tournaments if that's what they're into.”

LCTA members and coaches will be at the courts during the Open Play Days to provide equipment and instruction. They plan to be flexible to fit the abilities of the players who show up. The main goal is to introduce new participants to the sport and attract them to future LCTA events. The bigger aspiration is to create a connection for them that lasts a lifetime.

“The more funding we get, the more programs that we can do like this,” Cheng said. “It costs money to buy balls, have snacks, get court time and employ coaches. So, any kind of grant gives us an incentive to schedule something, put it on the books and know financially it’s not going to burden us. It’s extremely beneficial for CTAs like ours.”