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.

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.

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

Tennis Manitoba recruiting officials, referees and lines people

Looking for an opportunity to get involved in professional tennis?

Tennis Manitoba is recruiting people who want to be part of our officials crew at the CIBC Wood Gundy Challenger and Manshield Tennis Futures Pro Circuit tournaments being held at the Winneg Lawn Tennis Club from August 16th to 24th.

Interested? Sign up for a free clinic being held on Friday, May 30th, 7 pm - 9:30 pm at the Kildonan Tennis Club located at 17 Valhalla Drive in Winnipeg.

To register, contact Mark Arndt at (204) 925-5660 or info@tennismanitoba.com.

Twitter Recap: World Tennis Day

World Tennis Day in Winnipeg

By Geoff Kirbyson

Some things are just to crazy (or insane) to ignore.

Mark Arndt, Tennis Manitoba's executive director, called me up a week ago with an idea. He wanted to make the coolest video of any tennis organization on the planet for World Tennis Day.

Knowing we only have a couple of indoor clubs in town, I wondered what he could possibly have in mind.

Then he told me he wanted to go to an outdoor club and play tennis in the snow. This, during the coldest winter of out lifetimes.

Somehow this wasn't going to end well.

A quick call to one of the Free Press's video producers, Tyler Walsh, and we were on. Tyler is particularly fond of video projects where there's a good chance that I could get hurt. Losing a limb to frostbite fit the bill.

The idea was we would simulate a game in the snow. Who else in the world would be clever/stupid enough to think of this? Ahem.

We met Mark, Tennis Manitoba president, Bruce Waschuk, and Lillian Wong at Tuxedo Tennis Club last Friday. I believe it was about -45 with the windchill and I had forgotten my Sorel boots at home.

Mark looked like he was preparing to take part in the Iditarod while Lillian went all out and was wearing a tennis skirt over her pants and a visor. Bruce had just come from a meeting, so he was about as unprepared as I was.

Still, the plan was to shoot a 45-second video, how long could this take?

About an hour, we discovered. Normally a cameraman can change his location in a matter of seconds by taking a few quick steps. When those steps involve leaping through thigh-deep snow, well, it takes time.

It also uses up body heat, we quickly discovered.

We started out as any doubles game would with the spin for serve. Bruce and I won and elected to receive. Not surprisingly, Mark hit three consecutive aces. But for Tyler to get all the appropriate angles, Mark probably had to hit about 40 serves. (A similar number of balls will be found on Court 6 in the spring once the snow melts.)

At this point, my toes had switched from freezing to sort of warm. Isn't that a sign that they're totally frozen? I wondered what it was like getting fitted for prosthetic toes.

Now we had to shoot a few diving volleys. Mark was quickly volunteered and nodded his agreement even though he couldn't hear us because of the thick layer of Vaseline coating his entire head. (One of diving stabs even hit Tyler's camera smack-dab on the lens.)

Finally, we were done. If hypothermia hadn't set in, we would have sprinted off the court. As it was, we made it off in slow motion looking like we'd been hit with sedative darts.

I think I'll keep one of those handy the next time Mark has an idea.

See YouTube video and photo album. 

See also Twitter Recap: World Tennis Day

Tweet recap: 2013 Manshield Tennis Futures

Tennis fans in Winnipeg welcomed the return of the Manshield Tennis Futures, a $15,000 International Tennis Federation Pro Circuit event held at Sargent Park Tennis Garden.

Here's a look at the array of tweets that helped highlight the event:

From Winnipeg to Flushing Meadows

John-Patrick Smith had little time to celebrate his first title
of the year, as he travels to New York where he will compete
in the U.S. Open. (Photo: Brian McCann)

By Geoff Kirbyson

J.P. Smith is on a roll heading into the U.S. Open.

The 24-year-old Australia native won the second-annual Manshield Tennis Futures tournament with a hard-fought 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory in sweltering conditions over Ante Pavic of Croatia at the Sargent Park Tennis Gardens Sunday afternoon.

It’s the first title of 2013 for Smith, who is ranked 304 in the world, and the fourth in his career. Pavic is ranked 555 in the world.

Immediately following the match, Smith Tweeted that he’s off to New York City for the U.S. Open, where he’s going to compete in men’s doubles. He is currently ranked No. 72 in the world in doubles.

Smith defeated Cameron Norrie of Great Britain in the semi-finals, 6-1, 6-2 on Saturday, while Pavic beat American Evan King 6-3, 6-2.

The loss ended a great week for Pavic, who had told organizers earlier this month while in Calgary that he was playing so poorly he wasn’t even going to enter Manshield. Instead, he came to Winnipeg, won the doubles and knocked off No. 1 seed Filip Peliwo in the quarter-finals.

See also...
> Aussie Smith Crowned Champion at Winnipeg Futures
> Pavic and Smith Reach Winnipeg Futures Final
> Pavic Haunts Peliwo
> Winnipeg Futures down to Semifinals; Pokrajac Wins Doubles Title
> Peliwo Continues March in both Singles and Doubles
> Two Canadians in Quater-Finals at Winnipeg Futures
> Kylar Nearly Makes History
> First Round Complete at Winnipeg Futures
> Road to U.S. Open runs through Winnipeg
> First Round Underway at Winnipeg Futures

Aussie Smith Crowned Champion at Winnipeg Futures

John-Patrick Smith notched his first title of the year at the 2013
Manshield Tennis Futures, held at the Sargent Park Tennis
Garden, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

By Tennis Canada

Australian John-Patrick Smith has been crowned champion of the Manshield Futures, as he ousted Ante Pavic of Croatia 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the final of the $15K ITF Pro Circuit event at Sargent Park Tennis Garden in Winnipeg on Sunday.

Seeded No. 2, Smith started slowly against his No. 7-seeded opponent, as he was broken in his first service game. But after dropping the opening set, Smith was able to come back strongly to nab the win. During the match, he also reeled off an impressive 13 straight points.

“I started the week off slowly but seemed to get into the groove, similar to the final where I lost the first set but went on to win,” Smith said following the match to Radio-Canada.

For the 24-year-old, the Manshield Futures is his first 2013 title and fourth overall. Smith is currently ranked world No. 304 and he will hope his performance in Winnipeg can provide him momentum through the rest of the season as he aims to better his career-high of No. 210.

Smith will next head to the US Open, where he will participate in the doubles draw alongside fellow Aussie Paul Hanley.

“I’ll have 10 minutes [to enjoy the victory] – that's the length of the ride to the airport and then I have to focus on New York,” he said. For more information about the Manshield Futures, please visit www.winnipegfutures.com.

See also...
> From Winnipeg to Flushing Meadows
> Pavic and Smith Reach Winnipeg Futures Final
> Pavic Haunts Peliwo
> Winnipeg Futures down to Semifinals; Pokrajac Wins Doubles Title
> Peliwo Continues March in both Singles and Doubles
> Two Canadians in Quater-Finals at Winnipeg Futures
> Kylar Nearly Makes History
> First Round Complete at Winnipeg Futures
> Road to U.S. Open runs through Winnipeg
> First Round Underway at Winnipeg Futures

Pavic and Smith Reach Winnipeg Futures Final

John-Patrick Smith provided the Manshield Tennis Futures
fans with a dominant performance in his semifinal
victory over the younger Cameron Norrie.

By Tennis Canada

No. 7 seed Ante Pavic of Croatia and No. 2-seeded Aussie John-Patrick Smith will face off for the Manshield Futures title after they captured semifinal victories over their qualifier opponents at the $15K ITF Pro Circuit event in Winnipeg on Saturday.

Pavic ended the impressive run of American qualifier Evan King with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph. Pavic didn’t face a single break point in the match en route to earning his position in the final.

Eighteen-year-old Cameron Norrie of Great Britain could not challenge Smith, who won 6-1, 6-2. Smith reeled off nine consecutive games during the duel, and won 53 total points to Norrie’s 29.

Both finalists will be looking for their first 2013 singles title in Sunday’s championship match. The two competitors have played each other twice before, with both Smith and Pavic picking up one triumph. Smith is ranked world No. 304 and is looking for his fourth career professional title, while Pavic is No. 555, with two career trophies. Pavic is hoping to net the title sweep in Winnipeg, as he and Canadian partner Milan Pokrajac clinched the doubles crown on Friday.

Sunday’s final will take place at 12 p.m. local time. Admission to the Sargent Park Tennis Garden for the match is free. Fans can follow live scoring from www.tenniscanada.com and find out more information about the Manshield Futures at www.winnipegfutures.com.

See also...
> Pavic Haunts Peliwo
> Winnipeg Futures down to Semifinals; Pokrajac Wins Doubles Title
> Peliwo Continues March in both Singles and Doubles
> Two Canadians in Quater-Finals at Winnipeg Futures
> Kylar Nearly Makes History
> First Round Complete at Winnipeg Futures
> Road to U.S. Open runs through Winnipeg
> First Round Underway at Winnipeg Futures

Pavic Haunts Peliwo

Ante Pavic (left) discusses critical point strategy with partner
Milan Pokrajac during the third set in the Manshield Tennis
Futures doubles championship match.

By Geoff Kirbyson

Filip Peliwo will be having nightmares about Ante Pavic after getting knocked out in both the singles and doubles at the Manshield Tennis Futures Friday.

The Croation Pavic, who was seeded seventh, defeated the Vancouver native and No. 1 seed in the singles 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 at the Sargent Park Tennis Garden.

Then a couple of hours later he partnered with Milan Pokrajac, another Canadian, to defend their top seed and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with a 6-0, 4-6, 13-11 win over Peliwo and David Sofaer from Australia in the men’s doubles final.

The top seeds were down two mini-breaks at 8-4 in the deciding super tie-break and saved off one match point before prevailing.

The men’s semi-finals start Saturday morning with Pavic playing Evan King from the U.S. (Pavic had won the first set at press time) and Cameron Norrie from Great Britain will take on J.P. Smith from Australia at 1:00 p.m.

Smith is the highest-ranked player left in the draw (No. 299 in the world.)

For more information about the Manshield Futures, please visit www.winnipegfutures.com.

See also...
> Winnipeg Futures down to Semifinals; Pokrajac Wins Doubles Title
> Peliwo Continues March in both Singles and Doubles
> Two Canadians in Quater-Finals at Winnipeg Futures
> Kylar Nearly Makes History
> First Round Complete at Winnipeg Futures
> Road to U.S. Open runs through Winnipeg
> First Round Underway at Winnipeg Futures

Winnipeg Futures down to Semifinals; Pokrajac Wins Doubles Title

Croatian Ante Pavic ousted Canadian Filip Peliwo in today's
 singles quarterfinals by a score of 4-6 6-1 6-4.

By Tennis Canada

The Manshield Futures is down to the semifinals following action at the Sargent Park Tennis Garden in Winnipeg on Friday, with the two remaining Canadians in contention for the title – Erik Chvojka (Montreal) and Filip Peliwo (Vancouver) – both ousted in the quarters.

No. 1-seeded Peliwo was bested by No. 7 seed Ante Pavic of Croatia 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. After dropping the first set, Pavic came back strong to earn the win and a semifinal match-up versus qualifier Evan King of the United States. King, currently ranked world No. 941, overcame compatriot Alexander Sarkissian 7-6(7), 5-7, 6-2.

Chvojka, who was seeded No. 5 in Winnipeg, was forced to retire from his match versus British qualifier Cameron Norrie at the 4-0 mark of the first set. Ranked No. 1346, 18-year-old Norrie will be well rested for his semifinal battle opposite No. 2 seed John-Patrick Smith of Australia. Smith eliminated Tunisian Haythem Abid 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.

A thrilling final on Friday also brought the doubles draw to a close, as Canadian Milan Pokrajac (Toronto) and Pavic pulled off the victory. The winning pair dished out a bagel in the first set before their opponents, Peliwo and Aussie David Soafer, climbed back into the match and really began to challenge them. It ended with a tight match tiebreaker but Pokrajac and Pavic – the No. 1-seeded duo – were able to clinch a 6-0, 4-6, 13-11 triumph for the title.

Live scoring of Saturday’s semifinals can be found at www.tenniscanada.com. For more information about the Manshield Futures, please visit www.winnipegfutures.com.

See also...
> Peliwo Continues March in both Singles and Doubles
> Two Canadians in Quater-Finals at Winnipeg Futures
> Kylar Nearly Makes History
> First Round Complete at Winnipeg Futures
> Road to U.S. Open runs through Winnipeg
> First Round Underway at Winnipeg Futures

Peliwo Continues March in both Singles and Doubles

It was Filip Peliwo (CAN) / David Sofaer (AUS) getting it done,
6-3 6-4 over Swedes Isak Arvidsson / Markus Eriksson (SWE)
 to get into the doubles finals.

By Geoff Kirbyson

Filip Peliwo is no stranger to pressure.

Even though the 19-year-old is one of the younger players at the Manshield Tennis Futures tournament in Winnipeg, having been the No. 1 ranked junior in the world last year has helped him prepare for moments like this.

On Thursday, he dispatched Sweden’s Patrik Rosenholm, 6-4, 7-5 at the Sargent Park Tennis Garden, setting up a quarter-final match with Croatia’s Ante Pavic, the No. 7 seed, Friday morning at 10 a.m.

The other quarter-finals feature one more Canadian, No. 5 seed Erik Chvojka and Cameron Norrie of Great Britain, an all-American duel between Alexander Sarkissian and Evan King, and No. 2 seed J Smith from Australia and Haythem Abid from Tunisia.

Later on today, Peliwo and his partner, David Sofaer from Australia, will play the top-seeded pairing of Pavic and Canadian Milan Pokrajac in the doubles final.

For more information about the Manshield Futures, please visit www.winnipegfutures.com.

See also...
> Two Canadians in Quater-Finals at Winnipeg Futures
> Kylar Nearly Makes History
> First Round Complete at Winnipeg Futures
> Road to U.S. Open runs through Winnipeg
> First Round Underway at Winnipeg Futures

Two Canadians in Quater-Finals at Winnipeg Futures

Top seed Canadian Filip Peliwo battled hard to get past Patrik
 Rosenholm of Sweden, 6-4 7-5.

By Tennis Canada

The quarter-finals are set at the Manshield Futures, a $15,000 International Tennis Federation Pro Circuit event in Winnipeg, where tennis fans at the Sargent Park Tennis Garden saw two Canadians capture second-round victories to advance on Thursday.

No. 1-seeded Canadian Filip Peliwo, a former junior Grand Slam champion, ousted Patrik Rosenholm of Sweden 6-4, 7-5 to secure his quarter-final position. Peliwo will next be pitted against No. 7 seed Ante Pavic of Croatia, who defeated Canadian Isade Juneau 6-4, 6-3 to advance.

The second Canadian in the quarter-finals is Erik Chvojka, who advanced after prevailing over Great Britain’s Luke Bambridge 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 in the second round. In order to compete in the semifinals, No. 5 seed Chvojka will next need to defeat another Brit, qualifier Cameron Norrie, who upset No. 4 seed Vijayant Malik of India 6-1, 6-4 on Thursday.

Tunisian Mohamed Abid ousted qualifier David Sofaer of Australia 6-0, 6-2, and will now have to overcome the tournament’s No. 2 player, Aussie John-Patrick Smith, to move into the semis. Smith earned his quarter-final position after defeating Isak Arvidsson of Sweden 6-4, 7-6(6) in the second round.

American Evan King will move into the quarters after defeating compatriot Jean-Yves Aubone 7-5, 7-5 in the second round. He will take on the winner of Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis and American Alexander Sarkissian’s second-round match, which will be played tonight at 6:30 p.m. local time. Fans can follow live scoring of this match at www.tenniscanada.com.

For more information about the Manshield Futures, please visit www.winnipegfutures.com.

See also...
> Kylar Nearly Makes History
> First Round Complete at Winnipeg Futures
> Road to U.S. Open runs through Winnipeg
> First Round Underway at Winnipeg Futures

Kylar Nearly Makes History

Winnipeg's Kevin Kylar came close to a big upset over
no. 4-seeded Vijayant Malik of India.

By Geoff Kirbyson

Missed it by that much.

Kevin Kylar came oh-so-close to becoming the first Manitoban ever to earn an International Tennis Federation ranking point during the Manshield Tennis Futures tournament at the Sargent Park Tennis Garden on Wednesday.

After losing the first set of his first round match to India’s Vijayant Malik 6-3, the 19-year-old Winnipegger won a battle of the breaks (of serve) to take the second set 6-3.

Kylar, who had several outbursts over what he perceived were bad line calls during the match, held a 3-2 lead but was unable to convert a break point for 4-2 and eventually fell 6-4. Malik is ranked 447th in the world.

Two weeks ago, Kylar was one match away from getting that elusive point but he lost a straight sets match at a tournament in Calgary.

Matthew Akman, who grew up playing tennis in Winnipeg, earned an ITF point a couple of decades ago, but by that time he had moved away from Manitoba.

Top seed Filip Peliwo from Vancouver plays his second round match against Sweden’s Patrik Rosenholm at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday.

Manshield Tennis Futures updates are available at www.winnipegfutures.com

See also...
> First Round Complete at Winnipeg Futures
> Road to U.S. Open runs through Winnipeg
> First Round Underway at Winnipeg Futures

Road to U.S. Open runs through Winnipeg

Filip Peliwo returned to Winnipeg with a first round victory,
as he edged out Andrew Ochotta, 6-4, 7-6(4).

By Geoff Kirbyson

Last year, Filip Peliwo used the Manshield Tennis Futures as a springboard to winning one of the biggest junior tournaments on the planet.

This year, he’s hoping to ride his success here, where he’s the No. 1 seed, into the main draw of the U.S. Open.

The 19-year-old Vancouver native got off on the right foot Tuesday with a straight set victory over Andrew Ochotta at the Sargent Park Tennis Garden.

Peliwo had a season to remember in 2012, reaching the final of all four Grand Slam junior events, and winning both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

Peliwo has an off day on Wednesday when all eyes will be on Kevin Kylar, fresh off his victory in the Manitoba Open, who will play No. 4 seed and world No. 447, Vijayant Malik from India, in the late morning draw.

Manshield Tennis Futures updates are available at www.winnipegfutures.com


See also...
> First Round Underway at Winnipeg Futures

First Round Underway at Winnipeg Futures

Filip Peliwo was off to a good start at the 2013 Manshield
Tennis Futures, as he defeated Andrew Ochotta in a close
contest. (Photo: Brian McCann)

By Tennis Canada

Tennis fans in Winnipeg are welcoming the return of the Manshield Futures, a $15,000 International Tennis Federation Pro Circuit event, where the first round of main draw play began at Sargent Park Tennis Garden on Tuesday.

Headlining the tournament is Canada’s own Filip Peliwo, the No. 1 seed who ousted his compatriot Andrew Ochotta, 6-4, 7-6(4) in the first round. Peliwo will now face Patrik Rosenholm of Sweden, who eliminated Canadian George Jecminek 6-4, 6-4 during Tuesday’s play.

Canadians Nikolai Haessig and Philip Bester were unable to find success on the opening day of action, after Haessig was ousted by Sweden’s Isak Arvidsson 6-3, 6-3, and Bester fell to Tunisian Mohamed Abid 6-2, 7-6(4). Abid will take on qualifier David Soafer in the second round, who advanced after his first-round opponent, Sahak Bazrganian, retired at 6-3, 4-2.

The tournament’s No. 3-seeded player, Markus Eriksson, was upset by Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis 3-6, 7-6(0), 6-3, while No. 7 seed Ante Pavic of Croatia recovered after dropping the first set to defeat Dimitar Kutovsky 5-7, 6-1, 6-3.

With the remaining first-round matches set to take place Wednesday, there are plenty of opportunities for fans to catch more Canadians competing for spots in the second round.

Two all-Canadian matches will guarantee that at least two more Canucks make the second round. Qualifier Isade Juneau will take on wild card Hugo Di Feo, with the winner advancing to take on Pavic. No. 5 seed Erik Chvojka will be facing Milan Pokrajac for a second-round berth, with the victor next taking on either recent Calgary Futures champion Brayden Schnur or Great Britain’s Luke Bambridge.

Canadian qualifier Daniel Chu will also be playing American Jean-Yves Aubone in hopes of advancing to the second round.

Stay tuned to www.tenniscanada.com for match updates and live scoring throughout the rest of the tournament. For more information about the Manshield Futures, please visit www.winnipegfutures.com.