Tennis Manitoba News Updates

Canada's Frank Dancevic returns the ball to Belgium's Steve
 Darcis during the first singles match of the Davis Cup World
Group quarter-final in Middelkerke, Belgium on Friday.
(Geert Vanden Wijngaert/The Associated Press)

Manitoba Clay Court Championships and Manitoba Jr Open

Last week's Manitoba tournaments' players brought the heat! Both weather wise and on the court. For a full listing of results and more news about what's happening on our home courts, click here.

Tech-Air Manitoba Open
Registration deadline for the 2015 Tech-Air Manitoba Open is NOON on August 10th. The tournament runs at Kildonan Tennis Club August 12 - 21/15.

Western Canada Games Team Named
Head coach Jared Connell and Assistant Misa Tennant have selected the final roster of 8 players. Congratulations to: Monika Popovic, Jennifer Wang, Mackenzie Miller, Devika Deraj, Shawn Sophosath, Earin Hirkewal, Alex Kirbyson, Stefan Barre. Good luck to our team as they head to Wood Buffalo, AB to compete August 7 - 12

Prairie Regionals
24 juniors players from Saskatchewan and Manitoba will compete at Taylor Tennis July 22 & 23 to qualify for outdoor nationals.


New Title Sponsor for Winnipeg's Pro Event
National Bank has signed on as title sponsor of Winnipeg's men's and women's pro tournament. This year's edition of Canada's sixth largest pro tournament will take place August 22 - 30 at Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club. Note to all local players - the men's singles winner of the men's Tech-Air Manitoba Open will receive direct entry into the main draw singles while the women's open winner receives direct entry to the qualifying draw.

Local Officials Make the Cut
Congratulations to Manitoba officials Steven Peers and David Kives - both survived the final cut to officiate the "finals" day at the Pan Am Games in Toronto. Next up for our crew - Rogers Cup in Toronto and Montreal before heading home to work the Winnipeg National Bank Challenger August 22 - 30.

Team Canada
Devastating news for Canada's representation at the Davis Cup. First Milos Raonic, Canada's top player and ranked 8th in the world, is out due to ongoing problems from foot surgery undergone earlier this year. Now Vasek Pospisil will not be playing either vs Belgium July 17 – 19. Pospisil was Canada's next best shot without Raonic. Unfortunately Pospisil has a wrist injury and will be taking the next 2-3 weeks off to avoid further damage.

Portage tennis player wins two titles at Manitoba Junior Open

Shawn Sophasath, right, alongside Tennis Manitoba director
 of tennis development Jared Connell, middle, and runner-up
 Zachary Baron after the 2015 Manitoba Junior Open final on
 July 9 at the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club. (Photo:Sam Unrau)

By Matthew Hermiz, The Graphic

(Portage La Prairie, MB) A local tennis product emerged as king of the court at the 2015 Manitoba Junior Open.

Portage la Prairie native Shawn Sophasath won the boys U18 (under-18) singles event and teamed up with Winnipeg’s Monika Popovic to earn a second title, the U18 mixed doubles crown, at the 2015 Manitoba Junior Open on July 7 to 9 at the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club.

Sophasath,14, clinched the U18 boys title with straight sets win over Zachary Baron 6-4, 6-4 in the July 9 final. That same day he and Popovic defeated Maya Arksey and Baron 7-6(4), 6-4 in the mixed doubles final.

“It means quite a bit, it’s the highest level of junior tennis in Manitoba,” said Sophasath. “It’s good to see that I’m at that level.”

The No. 1 ranked U14 player in Manitoba toppled Connor Davies 6-4, 6-1 to open the boys singles tournament on July 7 before downing Shrey Gupta 6-3, 6-0 a day later to reach the final.

In U18 mixed doubles, Sophasath and Popovic rallied after dropping the opening set of their semifinal against Marcello Audino and Reece Carter on July 8 to win 3-6, 6-0, 10-8.

Sophasath has enjoyed success on the courts for years. The Portage Tennis Club product will make his second appearance at the junior nationals this year. The pure competition that is a tennis match excites Sophasath, who has been playing the game since he was four-years-old.

“It’s very competitive, I like rising above others. It takes a lot of defeat going through it too, but it’s something learn from,” he said. “I like that it’s a solo sport for the most part playing singles. You don’t have people who will rely on you so you don’t have anyone who you’ll let down except for yourself.”

The long term goal he’s driving towards is earning a U.S. scholarship to play NCAA tennis. In the shorter term, Sophasath has his sights set on the Western Canada Summer Games, which begin Aug. 7 in Fort McMurray, Alta.

Complete Manitoba Junior Open tournament results are available at www.tennismanitoba.com

Steinbach's Tennis U has it all

Barry Bruce, with everything one would need at Tennis U
 in Steinbach, Manitoba.

By Terry Frey, The Carillon

With Canadian superstars Milos Raonic and Genie Bouchard making their mark on the world tennis stage the last couple of years, interest in tennis in this country could be at an all-time high.

So for Steinbach’s Barry Bruce to launch his Tennis U in Steinbach, which could be one of the finest facilities in the province, if not the country, the timing is right, with interest in tennis, perhaps coincidentally, but certainly fortuitously, at an all-time high.

This project for Bruce, the owner of the McDonald’s franchise in Steinbach, has been in the works for a couple of years, but with the indoor facility now completed at his new building on Acres Drive, it is now open as he is accepting bookings from the public.

Bruce, himself, is one of the top tennis coaches in the province, with more than 25 years of coaching experience who also has experience coaching at the national level and on the ATP professional tour.

Dubbed a world class training centre, a tour of the facility earlier this week left this reporter, who just happens to be an avid tennis buff, absolutely wide-eyed that this facility was located right here in Steinbach.

Bruce has invested more than $1 million of his own money into the facility, which is state of the art in every respect. A serving machine that can serve the ball up to 130 mph. There is also full court radar to measure the speed of serves. Milos would be suitably impressed. And there is a Lobster machine, which can lob the ball in different patterns.

His professional tennis stringing machine is one of only a few of its kind in Canada and is the same machine used on the ATP Tour. Even the playing surface, called plexi-pave, is the finest surface available.

Tennis U is now open for booking individuals to play or for lessons. A variety of lesson rates are available, depending on the equipment used in the process.

An example of rates for court rentals are $40 per hour for singles, which would be $20 per person, or $60 an hour for doubles.

"We are completely self-contained here, " said Bruce, "we have everything here anyone would need in tennis."

One of the things that Bruce is most excited about with his new tennis facility is the new program he is offering for kids called Learn to Play where different balls are used in the program to make it easier for kids to learn the game. He is hoping to start after school and summer programs for kids wanting to learn the game. "The kids will use smaller racquets and foam balls and we can have up to 24 kids on the court at one time."

He is also hopeful that adult leagues will start at the facility as well as hosting some future competitions.

The facility itself is stunning, 11,000 square feet in all with a 40-foot ceiling with brilliant lighting.

For Barry Bruce, Tennis U is a hobby, a passion and a business venture all rolled into one, this truly is a facility second to none.

"It’s fun to see people’s reaction when they see it for the first time, tennis people from around the country," said Bruce with a chuckle, "they are shocked, they can’t believe it’s here."

Article and photo courtesy of Terry Frey, The Carillon

2015 Rogers Rookie Tour Schedule

The indoor Rogers Roger Tour season wrapped up last
Friday at Taylor Tennis in Winnipeg.  

The 2015 Rogers Rookie Tour schedule for Manitoba is now available.

The Rogers Rookie Tour events create a player-friendly environment for children to be introduced to competition at a level suitable for their age and understanding. The matches are played with slower red, orange or green balls on smaller courts, using modified scoring. It is a fun way to start tennis and makes it easy for children to play the game, develop good technique and tactics and a love for the sport.

Get more details at www.tennismanitoba.com

Waschuk repeats on All-GLVC Team

After Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship quarterfinals play,
Waschuk has etched her name in the Bellarmine record books as the
 third winningest player in school history with 99 victories to her credit.

Bellarmine Athletics — Evann Waschuk has put together one of the most noteworthy careers in the history of Bellarmine University's women's tennis program. Now the Knights' senior has another achievement to reinforce her status.

Late Thursday evening, the league office announced Waschuk's inclusion on the All-Great Lakes Valley Conference Team. It is the second straight season that the Knights' senior has received the acknowledgement.

Waschuk did nothing short of stockpile victories this season. The Canadian from Winnipeg, Manitoba, built a 15-4 record in singles play and a 15-6 mark in doubles competition with junior Caitlin Hanley. She was 13-3 in matches established as No. 1 singles.

Buoyed by her sterling senior season, Waschuk shot up to No. 3 on Bellarmine's all-time wins list with 98 leading into the GLVC Tournament. Against conference competition this season, she gained three wins apiece in singles and doubles action.

Waschuk laid the foundation for a standout campaign early, regrouping after her losing her first singles match of the season to rattle off 11 consecutive victories. That streak included triumphs over GLVC colleagues Missouri-St. Louis, Truman State, William Jewell and Southern Indiana. During the impressive span, she was named GLVC Player of the Week on Feb. 17.

Waschuk capped the regular season with three consecutive singles victories, including a pair against conference counterparts Saint Joseph's and McKendree. Her 15 singles wins thus far rank among the single-season top 10 at Bellarmine since the 2006-07 season.

Waschuk also had a long string of dominance in doubles play during the regular season. She and Hanley registered eight straight victories bridging the fall and spring seasons, the last two over conference affiliates Missouri-St. Louis and Truman State. They would go on to triumph over league foes William Jewell, Illinois Springfield, Saint Joseph's and McKendree.

Get more Manitoba student-athlete #CollegeTennis updates on Twitter.

Tennis Instructors Course

Tennis Manitoba is pleased to be hosting an Instructors Course from April 30th to May 3rd, 2015. The four day course will take place in Winnipeg at the Norwood Community Centre. Prerequisite online e-learning modules will be provided as part of the course. The course fee is $300.

For additional details, click here.

See also...

• Instructors Course Info Sheet
• Online Registration

Knights' Waschuk named GLVC Tennis Player of Week

INDIANAPOLIS – Bellarmine University senior Evann Waschuk has been named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Week in the sport of women's tennis, the conference office announced Tuesday.

In two victories Sunday against GLVC rivals Missouri-St. Louis and Truman State last week, Waschuk combined for a 4-0 record at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles.

In the Knights' 5-4 win over the Tritons on Sunday, Waschuk was the only BU player to be involved in two victories. She teamed with junior Caitlin Hanley for an 8-5 win in doubles play over Lina Parra and Natalia Carvalhais, and then edged Renee Verboven 6-4, 4-6, 10-7 in singles action. Behind Waschuk's performance, BU was able to squeak out the victory.

Bellarmine followed later that day by meeting Truman State, and Waschuk helped set the tone with Hanley for an 8-1 triumph with a decisive 8-3 win in doubles play. She then delivered her final victory of the weekend with a 6-2, 6-2 result over Kim Birenbaum, triggering a sweep for the Knights in singles action against the Bulldogs.

In the process, Waschuk maintained her upward climb of Bellarmine's all-time wins list. Her four victories on Sunday pushed her into eighth place with 82.

A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, this is Waschuk's first career weekly award and the first for a Knight since Caitlin Hanley was recognized by the league on March 25, 2014.

Sources: GLVC and Bellarmine Athletics.

Get more Manitoba student-athlete #CollegeTennis updates on Twitter.

Canadian Tennis Coast-to-Coast: Tennis Manitoba and their digital innovations

Article courtesy of Tennis Canada.

As part of the process leading up to a 2015 re-brand of Tennis Canada, we travelled to each province to meet with the presidents and executive directors of the Provincial Tennis Associations (PTAs) to learn what tennis means on a grassroots level in their region. Over the next three months, we will feature a different province weekly and learn more about the various themes that embody tennis across the country. To read articles from the rest of the series, click here.

Popularizing the Universal Tennis Rating System

Though tennis in Manitoba may be less prevalent when compared to Ontario and Quebec, due to a smaller population, the province has made several unique contributions to the fabric of tennis in Canada. This includes the popularization of the Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) system. UTR is a tennis ranking system that provides players across the world with a common language to determine their level of play. There are 16 levels of tennis, which are based on actual match results without regard for age or gender. Bruce Waschuk, president of Tennis Manitoba, has led the charge for the spread and promotion of UTR.

Manitoba initially implemented UTR to help improve tournament player selections and draw seeding. Because of Manitoba’s smaller population, there is not an abundance of tennis players at all the various age and gender event categories. To solve this problem, Manitoba now uses UTR for running level-based tournaments, where draws may have players from multiple age groups and both genders. Manitoba also uses UTR to realize new initiatives that help grow tennis participation, as well as help existing players find a better game. These player ratings allow juniors to find more appropriate local tournament competition. This is a stark difference from previous years where extensive travel was the norm for many competitive Manitoba juniors.

“UTR felt like a natural part of tennis culture in Manitoba,” said Tennis Canada CMO Mark Healy. “It was expected in conversations around the courts, and innately followed in all tennis play.”

Working to Bring Tennis to the Forefront

Manitoba hosts two professional events as part of the ITF Pro Circuit, a $15,000 men’s Futures and $25,000 women’s Challenger, which both take place in Winnipeg in August. Manitoba emphasizes the build-up around the tournaments, focusing on new programming and catering to a young demographic. Before these tournaments came to Manitoba, it was very hard to drum up interest around tennis. Tennis Manitoba executive director Mark Arndt, Waschuk, and their team worked hard to bring these ITF events to their province and it is now paying dividends through increased tennis participation.

“Our two ITF tournaments are the showpieces of tennis in the province,” said Arndt. “They are the key to unlocking other forms of tennis participation.”

The harsh weather in Manitoba makes outdoor winter tennis nearly impossible, which is in line with the rest of Canada. Fortunately, there are several indoor clubs that buoy tennis participation throughout the winter, such as the Winnipeg Winter Club and Taylor Tennis. Manitoba’s tennis clubs are unique because they have a rich, albeit small, culture around clay courts.

“The culture of tennis in North America usually manifests itself through hard courts,” Healy remarked. “But clay courts are popular and growing in Manitoba – it was very refreshing.”

Digital Innovation

Manitoba is very sophisticated when it comes to digital marketing, which has led to a large social following. The province has its own successful digital marketing campaigns, but has also agreed to help test any new digital strategies that Tennis Canada may have. This collaboration will lead to synergies for both sides and hopefully for all digital marketing in Canada.

Tennis Manitoba believes that two factors keep people from playing tennis: finding a partner and finding a place to play. To combat the latter, Manitoba took an inventory of all known tennis courts in the province and created a custom Google Map for Manitobans looking for a nearby court. It is extensively used throughout the province and is a highly visited page on Tennis Manitoba’s website.

Looking for a place to play tennis in Manitoba? Check out the
Tennis Manitoba Court Locator at www.tennismanitoba.com.

A trailblazer in the area of UTR, Manitoba is also trying to push it to new heights by combining it with technology. The Tennis Manitoba team inputs all tournament match results that take place in the province into the UTR system, which calculates a tennis player’s level of play rating. This leads to improved player development, as well as an increase in player satisfaction from more compatible match play.

Strong leadership, passionate tennis players, and innovation in UTR help make Manitoba a very significant tennis contributor in Canada, with lots of potential for the future.

Provincial Tennis Associations (PTAs) are the provincial arms of Tennis Canada and are essential parts of growing and developing interest and participation across the country through their local initiatives. Our mission to grow the game of tennis in Canada would not be possible without the committed and tireless efforts of the PTAs.

2015 Western Canada Summer Games Try-out

Team Toba at the 2007 Western Canada Summer Games.

The Western Canada Summer Games are fast approaching, and Tennis Manitoba is looking to select a training team of 12 players (a combination of boys and girls) to begin preparation for the competition this summer.

The tennis event at the Western Canada Summer Games is a unique competition where players compete as a team for their province. The Games can be a great experience for players aspiring to play University tennis, as many former Team Manitoba members have gone on to secure a US-based college tennis scholarship.

Tennis Manitoba will hold an open tryout on Friday, January 30th, at Taylor Tennis from 5 to 7 PM. A parents information meeting will follow. There is no fee for the tryout. All interested players must register by Monday, January 26, 2015.

For additional details, click here.

Online Registration (click here)

Rookie Tour hits Winnipeg Winter Club

The Winnipeg Winter Club saw 18 up-and-coming players between the ages of 5 and 13 years of age hit the tennis courts at the recent Rogers Rookie Tour. Some serious fun was had by all who attended, which is a key emphasis of Rogers Rookie Tour events.

Tournament organizer, Robert Kennedy, liked the competitive spirit and sportsmanship demonstrated by the kids. All participants came out winners, as each player walked away with a nice prize pack which included a T-shirt, sack pack, water bottle, cap, tennis ball and a Rogers Rookie Tour certificate.

The Rogers Rookie Tour matches are played with slower red, orange or green balls on smaller courts, using modified scoring. It is a fun way to start tennis and makes it easy for children to play the game, develop good technique and tactics and a love for the sport. 

The next Rogers Rookie Tour event is scheduled for November 30th at the Winnipeg Winter Club. Sign-up and schedule details can be found at www.tennismanitoba.com.

Under 10 Provincial Team Training Program

Tennis Manitoba will offer a new introductory tennis program starting this October for young athletes born during 2005 and earlier. The introductory sessions are aimed to develop a solid foundation of tennis skills, and will use a variety of games, drills and activities to develop coordination, balance, agility and speed. Kids will also learn tennis scoring, as well as beginning tactics and strategies for playing matches.

The full program will run 30 weeks from October to June, and is broken into 3 sessions of about 10 weeks each. Successful participants will be selected at an evaluation camp scheduled for 3 - 5 p.m., Saturday, October 4 at the Norwood Community Center.

For additional program details, click here.

Parents interested in having their child participate in the program are to contact Jared Connell before 4 p.m. Wednesday, October 1, 2014, at jared@tennismanitoba.com.

Tennis in Canada continues remarkable growth in participation and popularity, recent study shows

More than 6.5 million Canadians played tennis this past year; 32% increase from 2012

Toronto, September 8, 2014 – Tennis Canada announced Monday the results from a 2014 national research study on the health of the sport of tennis in Canada. The study shows that in the past 12 months, more than 6.5 million Canadians played tennis at least once. This is a 32% increase over 2012 when the last participation numbers were tracked. Popularity of the sport is also on the rise with 51% of Canadians saying they are either somewhat or very interested in the sport, up from 38% in 2012.

“We expected significant growth having not conducted this research for two years, so we are extremely pleased with these results which show that tennis continues to be on the rise in Canada at the grassroots level,” said Kelly D. Murumets, President and CEO, Tennis Canada. “There are several factors that can be attributed to this incredible development including the tremendous success of our athletes on the international stage, our two world-class tournaments, strong partnerships with provincial associations, private coaches and clubs, and dedicated volunteers and community leaders running programming across the country. The data shows that Canadians view tennis as a safe, family-friendly, affordable and accessible sport with many physical, social and emotional health benefits.”

Of the 6.5 million participants, 5.3 million play at least four times per year while nearly 1.7 million are considered frequent players who hit the courts at least twice per month during the summer. This is also a 32% increase in frequent players when compared to the 2012 report.

Also showing double digit growth is participation and interest amongst youth. More than 600,000 children between the ages of 6-11 picked up a racquet in the last year. More than half of those children played at least four times in that 12-month span; this is an increase of more than 80% for that age group. The study also shows that the majority of the new fan interest in the sport overall is coming from a younger demographic.

Participation based on region is fairly proportional to population, with British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec leading the way. Overall interest growth remains steady across the country, with the most significant rise coming out of the Maritime Provinces where fan engagement with the sport has tripled over the past two years. With three new facilities having opened on the East Coast in Fredericton, Truro and Dartmouth over the past 18 months, in addition to Halifax playing host to the upcoming Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Play-Off tie, Atlantic Canada is emerging as an important market for tennis in the country.

The study was conducted among 3800 Canadians from across the country by Charlton Strategic Research Inc. and this assessment of both participation and fan interest will continue on an annual basis moving forward.

Johanson and Petrick win Winnipeg Doubles Crown

(Tennis Canada) Canadian teenagers Rosie Johanson and Charlotte Petrick continued their incredible run at the $25K CIBC Wood Gundy Women’s Challenger in Winnipeg on Sunday, defeating top-seeded Brazilian-American duo Maria-Fernanda Alves and Anamika Bhargava 6-3, 6-3 in the doubles final to capture their first career professional-level titles.

After winning their three previous contests in match tiebreakers, 15-year-old Johanson and 17-year-old Petrick were the stronger pair in the final, clinching three service breaks while saving all three break points they faced. In addition to taking out the No. 1 pair in the championship match, Johanson and Petrick also ousted the No. 2 and No. 4-seeded teams en route. It was an impressive week for the unseeded duo, with Johanson not currently holding a pro-level ranking and Petrick possessing a No. 1282 ranking in doubles.

Johanson and Petrick will next be participating in the Canadian Open Junior Championships, taking place in Repentigny, Que. this upcoming week. The most important international junior event to take place in Canada each year, it is an ITF Grade 1 tournament – one level below the junior Slams.

In singles, top-seeded Austrian Patricia Mayr-Achleitner faced little trouble eliminating No. 2 seed Mayo Hibi of Japan 6-2, 6-2 in the championship match. Dishing Hibi her first two lost sets of the week, Mayr-Achleitner won her 17th career ITF Pro Circuit crown. The world No. 85 will now be heading from Winnipeg to New York for the US Open, where she will face No. 29 seed Casey Dellacqua in the Slam’s first round.

On the men’s side of the Winnipeg tournament, the $15K Manshield Men’s Futures saw 20-year-old Liam Broady of Great Britain walk away with the title. The No. 4 seed beat unseeded Aussie Blake Mott 6-3, 6-4 for his third career professional singles trophy. A former junior world No. 2, Broady didn’t lose a set all week.

Canadian Philip Bester and partner Marcus Daniell of New Zealand fell just short of the men’s doubles crown, dropping a 7-5, 7-5 decision to Bulgarian-Indian pair Dimitar Kutrovsky and Saketh Myneni.

Busy Day in Winnipeg Sees Philip Bester Make Semifinals

(Tennis Canada) After rain washed out nearly a full day of play at the $25K CIBC Wood Gundy Women’s Challenger and $15K Manshield Men’s Futures in Winnipeg, it was a busy Friday at the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club as two rounds of action were completed to catch up.

With his two victories on the day, Philip Bester is the lone Canadian still standing in singles at the men’s and women’s joint event. First, he came back from a set down to oust Australian Greg Jones 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the second round before upsetting No. 3 seed Dimitar Kutrovsky of Bulgaria 7-6(3), 6-4 in the quarter-finals.

In the semifinals, 25-year-old Bester will challenge another Aussie, Blake Mott, in what will be their first meeting. Since starting his comeback from hip surgery in June, Bester has now made two semifinals in seven events and will be aiming to advance into his first final.

The second men’s semifinal will pit two 20-year-old seeded players opposite each other. Top-seeded Australian Jordan Thompson, currently ranked world No. 279, will face No. 4 seed Liam Broady of Great Britain, the world’s No. 346-ranked competitor. Neither athlete has dropped a set through three matches in Winnipeg so far.

On the women’s side, Canadians Charlotte Robillard-Millette and Carol Zhao both picked up one victory on Friday to make the quarter-finals before falling in their next matches.

Robillard-Millette, who just last week won her second U18 national title of the year, captured the biggest pro-level win of her young career in the second round by defeating No. 4 seed Tori Kinard of the United States 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. With the win, the 15-year-old advanced into her first professional quarter-final.

A few hours later though, she fell to American Nadja Gilchrist 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 in a hard-fought duel.

The $25K tournament’s No. 3 seed, Zhao easily handled American Parris Todd 6-0, 7-5 in the second round but was eliminated in the quarters by Great Britain’s Isabelle Wallace 6-3, 7-5.

The semifinals will see Gilchrist take on No. 1 seed Patricia Mayr-Achleitner of Austria and Wallace challenge No. 2 seed Mayo Hibi of Japan.

Action starts at the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club on Saturday at 10 a.m. local time/11 a.m. ET. Admission is free for all fans.

Bryans learned to win at '99 Games

By: Geoff Kirbyson, Winnipeg Free Press

THE greatest men's doubles team in tennis history learned how to win on the world stage in Winnipeg.

Wayne Bryan, father and coach of Mike and Bob Bryan, said their gold-medal performance at the Pan Am Games in 1999 was a key "ingredient" in their careers, which has seen them win 15 Grand Slam events, 99 career titles and an Olympic gold medal.

"The Pan Am Games gave them a feel of what was to come in the Olympics and the Davis Cup. That was the first time they got to wear the colours of the USA as pros. They've always loved playing for their country," the family patriarch said.

Bryan was flown in by the organizers of the Manshield Tennis Futures and CIBC Wood Gundy Challenger tournaments to put on some doubles clinics for local players and speak at a couple of sponsors' events.

Impressed

He was impressed with the organizers of the fifth-biggest professional tournament in Canada.

"There are a lot of extras out there, the flags, the flowers, the food and quite a few social activities. Most of the tournaments don't do all of that," he said.

Even when he's not with his sons, he's in contact with them every day either on the phone or via email or text. He'll pass on the odd tip when he watches them on television but he makes sure not to go overboard on the advice.

"It's little tiny reminders, not too much. The best coaches don't blabber too much but when they talk it's gold bullion. The players tune you out if you talk too much," he said.

Bryan said the best thing that aspiring tennis players can do when a tournament of this calibre is in town is to go to the site and watch both matches and practices.

"Champions take it in through their eyes not the ears," he said.

The men's and women's events continue at Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club through Sunday. Admission is free.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 22, 2014 C4

'Dream' scenario for Kylar

Kevin Kylar beat Tony Larson of Minneapolis on Wednesday and will
now have a world ranking somewhere between 1,800th and 2,200th.
(KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

Becomes first Manitoban to earn an ATP point in 25 years

By: Geoff Kirbyson, Winnipeg Free Press

Kevin Kylar can now be found on the same rankings list as Roger Federer, Raphael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Sure, he'll probably be a couple of thousand spots below the best players in the world when the new ATP rankings come out in a couple of weeks, but the important thing is he's there.

Kylar, 19, became the first Manitoba tennis player since 1989 to earn an ATP point when he beat Tony Larson of Minneapolis in the first round of the Manshield Futures tournament at the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club on Wednesday.

Matthew Akman was the last Manitoban to turn the trick a quarter of a century ago.

Kylar's 2-6, 6-2, 3-0 (retired) win was his first in eight tries in the main draw of a "futures" level of tournament. It will give him one point and a world ranking in the neighbourhood of 1,800 to 2,200.

"It's awesome," he said. "Not too many people can say they've achieved that. It's been a dream of mine since I was little, so it's great."

"You make all these crazy goals when you're 10 and 90 per cent of them don't come through."

Kylar was particularly happy to earn his point in Winnipeg in front of a home crowd.

"Whether I won or lost the point, they were cheering. They were very helpful, very supportive," he said.

Mark Arndt, executive director of Tennis Manitoba, was quick to point out Akman, who was a star junior in Manitoba in the 1980s, had moved out east by the time he earned his ATP point.

"Kevin is the first true Winnipegger," he said.

Arndt will now shift his focus to building on Kylar's success and growing tennis in Manitoba.

"Will this make a kid want to play and be the next guy to get that point? I think it will. We have to capture this momentum and ride the wave. This is big for Manitoba. It will show the kids playing today that if Kevin can do it, they can, too. We won't be waiting 25 years again," he said.

Kylar may be looking up from the bottom of the professional tennis mountain but he has experience with those at the peak. Last March in Indian Wells, Calif., he warmed up Djokovic for 45 minutes prior to his singles final against Federer, which he won 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3). The victory included a $1-million prize. (Hitting partners, unfortunately, don't get a cut of that kind of money. They work for tips.)

Kylar might not be done compiling ATP points either. He played fourth-seeded Liam Broady from England in his second-round match late Thursday. He lost the first set before the match was suspended due to rain. The match was slated to be completed this morning.

CTV Sport Star: Kylie Waschuk

Kylie Waschuk was selected as the CTV Sport Star. The top-ranked junior tennis player in the province has captured several championship wins in Manitoba, and will be playing NCAA Division 1 tennis for Loyola Marymount University beginning this fall.

To view video, click here.

Professional Tennis Tournament Coming to Winnipeg

WINNIPEG, MB – Canadian Tennis has never been more successful and now you can watch the next wave of upcoming tennis stars here in Winnipeg playing in a local professional tournament. Pro tennisManitoba is presenting the Manshield Futures and the CIBC Wood Gundy Challenger August 16-24 at Winnipeg Lawn and Tennis Club.

The men’s Manshield Futures tournament and the women’s CIBC Wood Gundy Challenger were held on different weeks in August in the last few years, but for 2014 they will be played simultaneously to create a larger scale tournament and capitalize on the growing interest in tennis across Canada.

“An unbelievable opportunity was presented to host a combined men’s and women’s event. We jumped on it. This has become the 5th largest pro tournament in Canada and we look forward to showcasing world class tennis in our province” says Tournament Chair and Tennis Manitoba Executive Director, Mark Arndt.

Added features to this year’s event include the special guest appearance of Wayne Bryan, father and coach of the Bryan brothers – Bob and Mike. The two are arguably the most prolific doubles team in the history of men’s tennis. Wayne will be doing clinics, meet and greets and guest speeches on August 19th and 20th. He will be available to speak to the media. As well, there will be a pro / am on Monday, August 18 at 6:00 pm.

Admission to the event is free throughout the week. You can also follow the tournament on twitter @protennismb, @winnipegfutures (men’s event) and @wpgchallenger (women’s event).

Go to www.protennismanitoba.com to learn more.

For media requests and to schedule interviews with players, please contact:

Mark Arndt: (cell) 204.799.2224 or (office) 204.925.5660 mark@tennismanitoba.com

Instructor and Club Professional 1 Courses

Tennis Manitoba, the Tennis Professionals Association (TPA), and Coaching Manitoba have partnered to deliver: an Instructor Course and a Club Professional 1 Course.

Instructor Course - August 25th - 28th, 2014

Club Professional 1 - September 4th - 7th & October 2nd - 5th, 2014

Both courses will be at the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club and have several prerequisites which can be found by using the link attached below.

To register click here.

If you have questions, or are having issues with your registration, please contact Marlon at Tennis Manitoba at (204) 925-5660 or email marlon@tennismanitoba.com.

2014 Prairie Regionals

Morgan Waller (SK) and Mackenzie Miller (MB) book
 their ticket to U14 Canadian Nationals.

2014 Manitoba - Saskatchewan Outdoor Nationals Qualifying Event

Tennis Manitoba along with Taylor Tennis hosted a two day regionals tournament which, at the completion, identified players that will travel to the Canadian National Championships.

Congratulations to all that competed.

U12 girls qualifying for nationals in Montreal:

• Reece Carter - MB
• Elinor Shpunt - MB
• Shia Holms - SK

U12 boys qualifying for nationals in Montreal:

• Josh Saban - SK
• Sahand Marzban - MB
• Ben Lortie - SK

U14 Girls qualifying for nationals in Montreal:

• Morgan Waller - SK
• Andreea Ababei - SK
• Mackenzie Miller - MB

Other Manitobans heading to the nationals are:

U14 boys in Montreal:

• Daniel Gharagozloo
• Sahand Marzban

U16 Boys in Mississauga:

• Daniel Gharagozloo

U18 Boys in Mississauga:

• Cole Lacap
• Shrey Gupta
• Daniel Gharagozloo

View Prairie Regionals photos.

Team Prairies Nationals Preparatory Camp

Jared Connell and Emerson Gusmini along with help from Denise Fernandez and Robert Kennedy ran a day camp at Taylor Tennis to prepare the recent qualifying players for the Canadian national championships in August. Great effort was shown by all participants.

Good luck to all at nationals!

Thank you to Narom Sing for the photos. (Click here to view.)