Weich wins Men’s Open

By Ryan McCracken on August 27, 2018.

rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken

Raymond Weich had to dig deep on Sunday at the Medicine Hat Tennis Club.

With his first MHTC Men’s Open title in six years up for grabs, Weich quickly found himself staring down a one-set deficit to reigning champion Calvin Heller — who has won the event four times in the past five years. But the 23-year-old dug in his heels and stormed back to retain the local crown with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory.

“He just came out firing,” Weich said of his opponent, adding he brought the play to Heller in the second and third sets. “I changed things up, started moving in a little bit, taking things early and taking his time away. It was tough.”

The Medicine Hat product took his game to Milwaukee and was a member of the Cardinal Stritch University Wolves tennis team from 2013 to 2017. While he decided to leave the competitive game behind him, and currently attends chiropractic school in California, Weich says he’ll always come back for the Hat Open whenever he has the chance.

“Usually I miss this tournament because I’m always back in the States but I was able to come back in play it,” said Weich. “It’s always good to come back to the Hat and see everybody you know and play with them. It’s a great time.”

Almost immediately after winning the championship, Weich picked his racket back up and returned to the court with his younger brother Niall to play for the men’s doubles championship against Boris Holan and Trevor Riddell. While the pair lost the match in a third-set tiebreaker, 7-6, 6-3, 7-6, Weich says nothing compares to playing with his brother.

“I love playing with him. He’s just a natural athlete,” Weich said of playing with his younger brother. “He wants to be a basketball player. I’m trying to convince him that he could go somewhere with tennis but he’s sold on basketball. I still beat him once in a while, but he takes me down here and there too.”

Kristen Norris took the Women’s Open championship after defeating Tracy Heller in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1.

Like Weich, Norris went on to play for the women’s doubles crown alongside her mother Linda, but the duo fell 7-5, 6-1 to champions Lauren Danroth and Erika Miller.

Eryn Comeau topped Corrine Peters, 6-0, 7-6, to take the women’s consolation title, while Sheila Reinheller and Aliesha Bensler defeated Doris Deminick and Lily Laurent, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, to win the women’s doubles consolation final.

Quinlan O’Driscoll won the intermediate men’s singles bracket after defeating Brock Hale 6-2, 6-3 in the final, while Paul Avery bested Gary Laurent 7-6, 6-3 to take the intermediate consolation title.

Cory Streifel won the men’s consolation title with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 victory over NickDouvas, while Dave Reinheller and Noel McAllister defeated Riley Danroth and Doug Thomas, 6-4, 6-0, to win the men’s doubles consolation final.

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