Mota Helping to Bring Tennis to Morden

By Tennis Canada

Located about 120 kilometres south of Winnipeg, the small community of Morden, Manitoba is home to three outdoor tennis courts. Thanks to Building Tennis Communities (BTC) champion Joaquin Mota, those courts are being put to good use introducing more of the town’s approximately 7,000 residents to the sport.

New to the BTC family as of November 2012, Mota has made great strides. His first task was to simply let people know tennis was available in Morden, which he did through ‘tennis try’ events, including at the town’s block party and at different church events. Now a year into the BTC program, Mota is happy to be involved and focused on his main goals.

“It’s going well so far,” Mota said while attending the 2013 BTC Conference in Toronto last month. “Our vision is to really work on developing a tennis population, but right now, my idea is to really make this available for all the kids – the girls, the boys, and the people with disabilities, so they can enjoy tennis and play tennis for life.”

A tennis fan who moved to Morden five years ago from Mexico City, Mota says he saw the potential of the town’s three tennis courts and wanted to make a difference. While perusing Tennis Canada’s website, he came across the BTC strategy, which provides financial and educational assistance to ‘community champions’ who work on developing quality tennis programming in their own communities.

Mota is now looking ahead at what needs to be done to ensure the continual growth of tennis in Morden and realize his vision, including making the sport available through the cold winter months that lay ahead.

“I think the next step would be a winter program inside the gym and getting more people involved,” Mota said. “And then, moving from only having the BTC support to making a Morden tennis association and developing someone else to take over later on and make it more sustainable as well. Because we are a small community, I think we have more chances to grow because people get more involved and they know each other. So those are my big next steps, but right now I want to concentrate on the winter program to make it great.”

Mota already has about 24 kids interested in the winter program, which will take place in the middle school’s gymnasium.

The future looks bright for the tennis community in Morden, and for Mota, just being able to do his part in offering the sport to the people in his town has been the biggest highlight of his still relatively new experience with the BTC program.

“I think being out there with the community and being able to propose another option of sport to the community is the main achievement so far,” he said. “To the kids who aren’t getting into hockey or the other activities, for them to know this is an option for them to participate in sport – I’m very proud of that.”

For more information about the BTC program and how to join Mota in growing the game of tennis across Canada, please click here.

Top seeds close out dominate season

Kylie Waschuk collected her fourth Tennis Manitoba Open
Tour women's singles title of 2013 at the WWC Indoor Open
held last weekend at the Winnipeg Winter Club.

By Geoff Kirbyson

Kevin Kylar and Kylie Waschuk capped off dominating performances this season by taking home the last singles titles of the year at the WWC Indoor Open.

Perhaps the only surprise of the tournament for Kylar, 19, was how hard he was pushed by Sean LaCap, in a 6-3, 7-5 win in the final. (He had lost only four games in his three previous matches.)

The victory gave Kylar his fifth Tennis Manitoba Open Tour title of the year. In August, he also won his second Manitoba Open singles crown.

Waschuk, meanwhile, ousted Michaela Tennant 6-4, 6-2, for her seventh tour win in the last two years. She also won the Manitoba Open this summer.

How dominant was their domination? Well, neither of the top seeds – and top-ranked players for the 2013 season – dropped a set in Tennis Manitoba singles competition all year.

(Kylar lost to India’s Vijayant Malik at the 2013 Manshield Futures at the Sargent Park Tennis Garden in August.)

Both teens have also played extensively outside of Manitoba during the past year. Kylar is attempting to earn his first ATP points – he came within a couple of games of doing so at Manshield – while Waschuk aims to bulk up her resume in anticipation of joining an NCAA Division 1 team next fall.

In 4.5 singles action, Michael Alano defeated Dennis Cann 6-3, 6-2 on the men’s side while Lana Tennenhouse spotted Angela Earl a 6-0 lead before storming back to take the final two sets, 6-3, 6-1.

Ward Lockhart won the men’s 3.5 division with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Glen Dyck.

The final event on the Tennis Manitoba 2013 calendar is the WWC Doubles and Mixed Christmas Classic, which will be held at the Winnipeg Winter Club from Dec. 18 to 22.

See also...

» 2013 WWC Indoor Singles Open draw results

» 2013 WWC Indoor Singles Open photo album

» 2013 WWC Doubles & Mixed Christmas Classic
» Tennis Canada's New National Rankings

Tennis Canada's New National Rankings

By Tennis Canada

Tennis Canada is implementing a new National Rankings system that will be effective as of January 1, 2014. As of that day, the existing head-to-head system will no longer be used for the National Rankings. The new Rogers Rankings will be determined based on the number of rounds reached (similar method to that used by the ITF, ATP World Tour, and WTA). This system will be used on a 52-week rollover period and will include the player’s best results (number to be determined).

The existing rankings will be used for the remainder of this year, which will include a year-end rankings run on December 31, 2013.

The new rankings method will be applied to juniors, professionals & open players in Phase 1 (January 1, 2014) and will be rolled out to seniors and wheelchair players in Phase Two (early 2014).

The junior rankings will be comprised of all provincial and national tournaments. Most international junior tournaments, identified Canadian open events and all professional events will also be included. The junior rankings will be a combined rank in which a player’s best results can come from any junior age category event or open/professional event they play in.

The open rankings will include all open events in Canada as well as all professional events.

Please note that all new rankings released after January 1, 2014 will include the results from 2013 under the new ranking method.

For additional details, see New National Rankings FAQ.

Respect in Sport Course

Tennis Manitoba and Sport Manitoba believes in being proactive in ensuring sport in our province is safe and welcoming for all participants. Respect in Sport helps us promote those values through a simple and convenient on-line training course for coaches and sport leaders. It is designed as a tool to assist coaches in identifying and dealing with abuse, neglect, harassment, and bullying in sport.

Tennis Manitoba recommends that all tennis instructors and coaches in our province complete the Respect in Sport for Coaches and Activity Leaders program. There is no fee for the program for coaches in Manitoba. To review course details, click here.

Registration for the on-line course is available at www.coachingmanitoba.ca

Please contact Tennis Manitoba at (204) 925-5660 should you have further Respect in Sport program questions.

Pound Recipient of Norwood Volunteer Award

Norwood Community Centre has recognized Brian Pound as the volunteer of the year for the Norwood Flats community. The award acknowledges Brian Pound's unparalleled dedication to growing tennis programming at the Norwood Community Centre, which includes tennis camps for local children, school and wheelchair programs.

Tennis Manitoba would like to congratulate Brian on his achievement and look forward to continuing to work with him and Norwood CC to grow the sport in Manitoba.

See also: Local’s love of tennis rejuvenates sport at Norwood

Community Centre re-opens repaired tennis courts

The tennis court's at Winnipeg's Windsor Community Centre
on Killarney Street got a facelift.

By CBC News

After Tennis Manitoba criticized Winnipeg for its maintenance of city tennis courts, the Windsor Community Centre has stepped up its game.

The courts at the Killarney Street centre have been resurfaced.

Councillor Brian Mayes says it's exciting for the community.

"I think it's going to be great, people already saying 'I didn't know that that was there before'.  People driving by.  Walking by and I think it's going to be well used," he said.

The community centre held a ceremony to introduce people to the courts. A tennis pro was on hand giving lessons.

Ashe, Becker, Seles – These tennis stars have all played in Winnipeg

Anna Kournikova (left) vs. Monica Seles in an exhibition
match held in Winnipeg on December 15, 2002.

By Sean Grassie

It was a big summer for professional tennis in Winnipeg in 2013 – the CIBC Wood Gundy Women’s Challenger was held in July at Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club, followed by the Manshield Tennis Men’s Futures at Sargent Park in August. Having elite international players visit the city, though, is nothing new. Here are some of the other marquee tennis events that have been held in Winnipeg:

Davis Cup – 1970

The city hosted the Davis Cup for the first time in 1970. In fact, two ties were held on back-to-back weekends at the Winnipeg Canoe Club. Up first for Canada was Caribbean/West Indies. John Sharpe got the host country off to an early lead by beating Richard Russell 6-8, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 in front of a crowd of about 800, “most of whom sat through the 3 ½ hour match in blistering temperatures,” wrote the Winnipeg Free Press. The Canadian team also included Mike Belkin and Peter Burwash (a long-time tennis commentator for TSN). Canada went on to beat Caribbean/West Indies 5-0.

Up next for the home side was a tie against New Zealand, also held at the Canoe Club. New Zealand, coming off a win over Mexico, landed in Winnipeg full of confidence. “We’ll probably win 5-0 or 4-1,” New Zealand captain Eric White told the Free Press. The Canadians, though, had other ideas.

Knotted at 2-2, the tie came down to the last singles match: Belkin against New Zealand’s Onny Parun. Belkin, ranked No. 36 in the world at the time, won 6-2, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. “This isn’t like a tournament where you’re playing for a few thousand people,” Belkin told the Free Press after the win. “This is the Davis Cup. This is for Canada!”

Pan Am Games – 1967 and 1999

Winnipeg Canoe Club hosted the tennis events at the 1967 Pan Am Games. Headlining the field was Arthur Ashe, who lost his second straight Australian Open final earlier that year (Ashe went on to win three majors – 1968 U.S. Open, 1970 Australian Open and 1975 Wimbledon). Ashe won a bronze medal in singles at the Pan Am Games and gold in mixed doubles with Jane Albert. In the men’s singles final, Thomas Koch (Brazil) beat Herbert Fitzgibbon (U.S.) 5-7, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in front of close to 2,000 spectators at the Canoe Club. Elena Subirats (Mexico) won gold in the women’s singles with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Patsy Rippy (U.S.).

The Pan Am Games returned to the city in 1999, with the tennis events at the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club. Among the notables making the trip were Alexandra Stevenson of the U.S. (she reached the Wimbledon semifinals that year), 17-year-old David Nalbandian of Argentina (2002 Wimbledon finalist) and the U.S. doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan. The men’s singles gold medal went to Paul Goldstein of the U.S., who beat countryman Cecil Mamiit 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 in the final. In the women’s singles final, Venezuela’s Maria Venta defeated Tara Snyder of the U.S. 7-6, 6-1. Stevenson and Nalbandian each won bronze.

Tennis Exhibitions – 1987 and 2002

In 1987, Boris Becker met Kevin Curren in a tennis exhibition at the Winnipeg Arena. Two years earlier Becker beat Curren in the Wimbledon final, making the 17-year-old the youngest and first unseeded player to win the title. At the arena, local tennis fans got a chance to see two of the biggest hitters in the game, “and some of the patrons – the ones with the high-priced seats behind the baseline – need armor for protection when Becker started to get his serve in gear,” the Free Press wrote. Becker won 3-6, 7-6, 6-1 (in the preliminary match, Canadian champion Andrew Sznajder beat Vitas Gerulaitis 9-8 in a pro-set). After his win, Becker kept reporters waiting for about 30 minutes while he iced his weary arms and legs. “When you get to my age, you’ve got to take care of yourself,” the 19-year-old told the media.

Another tennis exhibition came to the Winnipeg Arena in December of 2002, with nine-time Grand Slam champion Monica Seles taking on Anna Kournikova. What brought the two tennis stars to Winnipeg in the winter? “Maybe there’s some little boy or girl who will come and be inspired by (our match),” Seles told the Free Press. “That’s why we’re coming, we’re introducing young kids to tennis.” Kournikova beat Seles 6-4, 7-5. The exhibition featured four other matches, including a match-up between two Winnipeg junior stars: 13-year-old Sean Lacap and 16-year-old Kyla McNicol.