Junior tennis action this weekend in Hat

By JAMES TUBB on June 10, 2022.

Medicine Hat tennis courts will be in full throttle this weekend.

The Medicine Hat Tennis Club is hosting its Junior singles open Saturday for those aged 18 and younger.

Club manager Ken Clement says they have 44 juniors registered and “revved up to play tennis.”

After holding a smaller junior open last year, Clement says the number of players registered indicates an interest in the sport as the club looks to rebound from its COVID-19 limitations.

“There hasn’t been a lot for kids to do for a while,” Clement said. “I think a lot of parents are rather intrigued by tennis and they’re encouraging their kids to give it a try, and the kids seem to be responding.”

Clement says a lot of members are coming out to help Saturday, watch the courts and do other jobs because events like this energize the group.

“People say that volunteerism is dead but that’s not the case around here,” Clement said. “We have a lot of very helpful and very kind hearted people that are willing to help. We’re very lucky to have such a good group here.”

Saturday’s tournament will get off a little after 8:30 a.m., with kids spread out in different round-robin pools across the seven courts. Clement says the day will be a little more spread out than past years but with a little luck the finals will start about 3 p.m.

Those competing will be split in the age categories of seven and eight year olds, U11, U14 and U18. The tournament will feature an open side for kids who have been in the program for a long time and are quite experienced in tennis, and a rookie side for those new to the game. He says players can have a more fun experience and enjoy the game while meeting others at their skill level.

Clement says in the U18 level on the open side, there are four kids competing and two are international students. Atte Garcia is a 16-year-old from Spain and Clement says she grew up playing tennis on clay surfaces. The other student is 15-year-old Danylo Choryl from Lviv, Ukraine, who was sent to Canada by his parents for safety.

Clement said Choryl came out to their men’s doubles night on Wednesday to hit the ball a bit.

“He’s a little rusty, but he’s definitely excited to get out and meet some kids and play,” Clement said.