Canada hosted a pair of ITF Masters events in April and the host nation seized upon their home-court advantage. The majority of the trophies will be staying in the Great White North as Canadians claimed most of the titles.
Here is the monthly Masters Tennis update by ABRYSVO.
First, Vancouver played host to one of Canada’s largest ITF Masters event last month, the VLTBC Masters Indoor Tennis Championships, an ITF MT700 event.
The event featured 39 draws with players from around the world. Canada’s Masters represented the home country well, getting at least one hand on 34 of the trophies.
Photo : Vancouver Lawn Tennis & Badminton Club
Canadian men were particularly dominant at the event in Vancouver, winning 10 of 11 singles titles and there was at least one Canadian on every victorious doubles team. They spread the wealth, with 26 different men lifting a trophy.
Hannes Blum was the lone Canadian man to win multiple draws, claiming the 55+ singles and doubles with Keith Leech.
There were four Canadian women who doubled-up in Vancouver. Lynette Li (45+), Mary Potter (65+), and Janice Holloway (70+) all won the singles and doubles in their respective age groups. Shiera Stuart won two doubles titles, claiming both the 40+ and 50+ titles with different partners.
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Dhara Zamudio (30+) of the United States and Yan Pang (35+) of China also doubled up, winning the singles and doubles titles in their respective age groups. Both won the doubles with Canadian partners.
Here is the full list of winners from the Vancouver Masters events. All players are Canadian unless indicated otherwise:
| Men’s Singles | Women’s Singles | Men’s Doubles | Women’s Doubles |
30+ | Patrick Walker | Dahra Zamudio (USA) | Grant Findlay-Shirras/ | Jennifer Tse/ |
35+ | George Jecminek | Yan Pang (CHN) | Patrick Flint/ | Kateryna Filyus/ |
40+ | Justin Kates | Ai Inoue (JPN) | Carson Bell/ | Renata Reid/ |
45+ | Hayssam Hamdy Gaber | Lynette Li | Manuel Calvo/ | Lynette Li/ |
50+ | Ernesto Ponce (MEX) | Jennifer Cherneski | Julien Heine/ | Bronwyn Muirhead (AUS)/ |
55+ | Hannes Blum | Susie Lang-Gould | Hannes Blum/ | Kathy Brashear (ITA)/ |
60+ | Glenn Richards | Carol Lau | Stephen Kimoff/ | Anna McAlpine/ |
65+ | David Fairbotham | Mary Potter | Paul Devine/ | Brenda Cameron/ |
70+ | Michael McLoughlin | Janice Holloway | Warren Lore/ | Janice Holloway/ |
75+ | Thomas Gunton | Elisabeth Lecavalier | No Event | No Event |
80+ | Kenneth Dahl | No Event | No Event | No Event |
Two weeks later, it was Edmonton’s turn as it hosted the MT100 Kay McNeilly Masters Classic. This event was much smaller, with just 17 draws being contested.
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Mary Potter again was a force to be reckoned with in the west, doubling up in the women’s 60+ division with singles and doubles titles. Jennifer Cherneski, Kristina Sanjevic, and Denise Fernandez all also won multiple titles.
Here is the full list of winners from the Edmonton Masters events. All players are Canadian unless indicated otherwise:
| Men’s Singles | Women’s Singles | Men’s Doubles | Women’s Doubles |
30 + | Aaron Ponce Montoya (MEX) | Kristina Sanjevic | Jaypee Arendain/ | Jennifer Cherneski/ |
40+ | Mark MacConnell | Lindsay Harrison | Neil Balos/ | Jennifer Cherneski/ |
50+ | Yanik Deschenes | Tara Adams | No Event | Tara Adams/ |
60+ | Rich Potter | Mary Potter | David Crowther/ | Ainslie Lyons/ |
There were also two mixed doubles draws. Fernandez and Nathan Morrison won the 30+, while Gillian Shea and Bijan Mannani won the 50+.
The next ITF event in Canada will be taking place next week in Montreal.
There were also a couple of Canadian victories abroad over the last month.
Rachel Cruikshank delivered an impressive performance to win the women’s 40+ singles title at an MT400 event in Leicester, UK. She dropped just three games in three matches, delivering three bagel sets, and knocked off the top two seeds from the host nation on her way to the title.
Michel Lessard and Nick Roller claimed the 70+ doubles title at an MT200 event in Rhodes, Greece. They were clutch in match tiebreaks, narrowly getting through their quarter-final 13-11 and then claiming the title with a 10-5 win in the match breaker.
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Feature Photo: Vancouver Lawn Tennis & Badminton Club
