Features

“King of the Hill” Winner, Runner-Up To Receive Mardy Fish Championships Doubles Wild Card

Randy Walker · January 16, 2022 · Leave a Comment

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships announced that the winner and runner-up of the “Open Division” at the annual “King of the Hill” tennis tournament that starts Thursday, January 20 at The Boulevard tennis club in Vero Beach, Fla., will receive a main draw doubles wild card into its annual U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) Pro Circuit event to be held April 25-May 1 also at The Boulevard tennis club.

The King of Hill” (KOTH) is the annual doubles competition featuring tennis professionals from the Vero Beach area who compete in round-robin competitions to the determine the “king” of the local tennis professional. Proceeds from “King of the Hill” benefit the Youth Guidance Mentoring & Activities Program.

KOTH matches run every Thursday in 2022 starting at 6 pm from January 20 through March 3 at The Boulevard. The wild card winner and runner-up team from KOTH will also be the featured night match on Tuesday, April 26 at the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships. Competing players in the Open Division in 2022 are Robert Kowalczyk (The Boulevard), Joseph Van Deinse (Vero Beach Tennis Club), Tyler Marengo (Quail Valley), Sebastian Mendoza (Vero Beach), Chase Perez Blanco (Quail Valley), Yohann Prinsen (Twin Oaks), Eddie Majcher (Stuart), Pavel Zhdanov (John’s Island), Slim Hamza (The Moorings), James Van Deinse (Vero Beach Tennis Club), Billy Almeida (Aquarina Yacht Club), Ryan Lloyd (Palm City), Christian Docter (Sea Oaks), Chris Shakleton (The Moorings), Bernardo Feitosa (The Moorings) and Anton Lof (John’s Island).

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships is the USTA’s $15,000 professional tournament, part of the International Tennis Federation World Tennis Tour, played in Vero Beach since 1995. It is regarded as one of the best entry-level professional tennis tournaments in the world. Proceeds from the event benefit the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the non-profit tennis foundation benefiting children in Indian River County, named for Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, the former top 10 tennis star and the current U.S. Davis Cup captain.

Many former KOTH champions and competitors have played in the Vero Beach USTA Futures, including four-time champion Robert Kowalczyk, the former USTA National Boy’s 18 Clay Court Champion, two-time champion Kriegler Brink, a singles semifinalist at the Vero Beach Futures in 2011, and 2016 and 2018 KOTH champion Mike Alford, a former standout at the University of Florida who played in doubles against current ATP World Tour superstar Denis Shapovalov in the 2016 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships.

For more information on the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, go to www.MardyFishChildrensFoundation.org.

Some of the past competitors at the USTA Vero Beach Futures have gone on to succeed at the highest levels of professional tennis, winning major singles and doubles titles, Olympic medals and Davis Cup championships and earning No. 1 world rankings. Andy Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion who attained the world No. 1 ranking and helped the United States win the Davis Cup in 2007, competed in Vero Beach in 1999. Thomas Johansson of Sweden, who reached the second round of the Vero Beach Futures in 1995, won the Australian Open seven years later in 2002. Nicolas Massu, the 1998 singles runner-up in Vero Beach, won the singles and doubles gold medals at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, beating Fish in the gold medal singles match. Kyle Edmund, the 2013 champion in Vero Beach, helped Great Britain to the Davis Cup title in 2015. Other notable former competitors in Vero Beach include former world No. 2 Magnus Norman, former world No. 4 Tim Henman, 2016 Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic among others.

Tom Fish, Mike Alford and James van Deinse from 2017

Mardy Fish (And Mike Bryan) Highlight MFCF Golf Fundraiser at Windsor Monday, January 17

Randy Walker · December 28, 2021 · Leave a Comment

U.S. Davis Cup captain and Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, along with several former star pro athletes, highlight the field of celebrities who will play in the 2022 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Charity Golf Fundraiser to be played Monday, January 17 at The Windsor Club in Vero Beach, Florida

The event is headlined by Fish, the current U.S. Davis Cup captain former Top 10 tennis star and 2004 Olympic silver medalist. Also participating in the event will be Fish’s former Davis Cup teammate Mike Bryan, half of the “Bryan Brothers,” the greatest doubles team of all time, former standout Major League Baseball pitcher Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox, former top tennis professionals Mikael Pernfors, the 1986 French Open finalist and Vero Beach resident, former European Ryder Cup player and captain Paul McGinley and former ATP player and Harvard University tennis star Thomas Blake.

Fish has been described by six-time Masters champion Jack Nicklaus as “the best non-professional golfer that I have ever seen play” and has translated his talents on the celebrity golf tour. Fish will be gearing up to attempt to win the celebrity title at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club for a fourth time just days after appearing at this event. Fish also won the prestigious American Century Celebrity Golf Championships at Lake Tahoe in 2020.

Golfers interested in participating in the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Golf Fundraiser should email Mardy Fish’s father, Tom, the President of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, at Tfish@aol.com or Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Executive Director Lynn Southerly at Lsouth1072@gmail.com. Paid positions for a tax deductible contribution of $500 are available. Non-golfers are also encouraged to attend for the same price and receive a VIP experience on the 17^th hole at Windsor, where Fish will be playing the hole with each participating foursomes, along with breakfast and for the awards lunch. Registration and breakfast begin at 8:00 am with an 9:00 am shot-gun start, followed by a 1 pm luncheon and awards presentation. PNC Bank, a long-time supporter of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, is the presenting sponsor of the event.

Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., the 18-hole links style course at Windsor is a masterpiece in traditional golf course architecture. The par 72 course features an undulating panorama of native trees that border gentle rolling fairways, unobstructed by houses.

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishChildrensFoundation.org) was founded in 2007 and currently supports over 2,200 children in 15 elementary schools, six middle schools and two after school centers in Indian River County, Florida by funding after-school exercise, nutritional and enrichment programs in a safe environment to prepare them for healthy, productive and successful lives. The Foundation introduced the “Six Healthy Habits” in 2012 which are Get Sleep; Drink Water; Exercise Daily, Eat Healthy; Brush and Floss; Make Friends.

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation also hosts an entry-level U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit event April 25 – May 1, The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, that will be held at The Boulevard club in Vero Beach. Sponsorships, box-seats, tickets and pro-am spots are available for the event by emailing Fish or Southerly.

Mardy Fish and Paul McGinley — Mardy Fish, the U.S. Davis Cup Captain, with Paul McGinley, the former European Ryder Cup Captain, at the 2020 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Golf Fundraise at Windsor

Reilly Opelka, Tommy Paul Entertain at The Boulevard

Randy Walker · December 11, 2021 · 1 Comment

Reilly Opelka, the No. 26-ranked tennis player in the world, and Tommy Paul, the No. 43-ranked player in the world, showed off their skills in a special charity exhibition match in front of a sold-out crowd Thursday night at The Boulevard Tennis Club.

The special event, organized by Vero Beach’s world renowned sports physical therapist Gary Kitchell, benefitted the Sally Wilkey Foundation and could mark the start of annual December tennis charity exhibition with big-name tennis professionals during their brief off-season.

“I’m very grateful for these two top young Americans who are definitely stars on the rise,” said Kitchell of Opelka and Paul, both of whom he has worked with on the ATP Tour. “For them to come and support the Sally Wilkey Foundation, and on of personal level, come and support me as a friend, it means a lot to me.”

The event started with an entertaining question-and-answer session with Opelka and Paul, moderated by Kitchell, followed by a one-set match between the two upstart American tennis stars, won by Opelka 7-6 (7-5) in front of an enthusiastic and appreciative Vero Beach tennis crowd.

Opelka and Paul, both age 24, are part of a new generation of U.S. tennis players who are looking to return American men’s tennis to the upper echelons of the game. An American man has not won a major singles championship since Andy Roddick won the U.S. Open in 2003 and the United States has not won the Davis Cup since 2007. Both Opelka and Paul have played Davis Cup for the United States, captained by Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, and both have showed glimpses of breaking through into the top 10 in the world rankings. Opelka reached the singles final at the Canadian Open in Toronto, one of the biggest events on the ATP Tour, and the semifinals at the Italian Open in Rome. Paul is fresh off winning his first ATP singles title at the Swedish Open in Stockholm last month.

Opelka, who stands at 6-feet 11-inches tall, is known as one of the fastest and best servers in tennis. However, it was Paul, who stands at 6-foot-one, who shined more with his serve, delivering no less than three aces during the one-set match. While Opelka mainly “kicked” his serve in during the night, he did connect on several rocket forehands, including a passing shot winner to close out the match at 6-5 in the tiebreaker.

The Sally Wilkey Foundation is a non-profit organization that enriches the lives of vulnerable local children through tennis. It helps to fund tennis for children who would not otherwise be able to afford to play, offering weekly tennis lessons as well as educational support, meals and equipment.

Tommy Paul, Gary Kitchell and Reilly Opelka

Reilly Opelka, Tommy Paul To Play Boulevard Charity Exhibition

Randy Walker · November 24, 2021 · Leave a Comment

Reilly Opelka and Tommy Paul, two of the top American professional tennis players, will play in a special charity tennis exhibition Thursday, December 9 at 5 pm at The Boulevard Tennis Club in Vero Beach, Florida.

The event, that will feature a question-and-answer session with both pros followed by the exhibition match, will benefit the Sally Wilkey Foundation, the Vero Beach charitable foundation that provides tennis instruction and financial assistance to in-need children in the Vero Beach area.

The event was organized by Vero Beach’s Gary Kitchell, the well-known sports physical therapist, who has worked with Opelka as well as three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe among others. Kitchell will serve as the emcee for the question and answer session as well as the chair umpire for the exhibition match.

“It will be one of the most exciting nights of tennis ever in Vero Beach with Reilly and Tommy, two of best players in the world, showcasing their talents at The Boulevard for a great cause,” said Christophe Delavaut, the Director of Tennis and co-owner of The Boulevard.“We are very thankful to Gary Kitchell, one of your most charismatic and outgoing members, for being the driving force for this top-flight night of tennis entertainment. We applaud Gary’s dedication and service to the sport of tennis and to his current and future efforts to give back to the sport to those who are less fortunate.”

Opelka just completed a breakthrough year on the ATP Tour, reaching the Masters 1000 event in Toronto, defeating French Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas before falling to eventual U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev in the final. He also reached the semifinals of the Italian Championships and the fourth round of the U.S. Open. Standing six-foot 11 inches tall, Opelka is one of the tallest players to ever play pro tennis and is also one of the fast servers in the sports history with his 140 mph-plus delivery.

Paul is fresh off winning his first ATP singles title at the Stockholm Open in Sweden, defeating former world No. 1 Andy Murray en route. He represented the United States at the Olympic Games in Tokyo last summer and was a member of the 2020 U.S. Davis Cup team. His best appearance at a Grand Slam tournament came when he reached the third round of the 2020 Australian Open.

Tickets can be purchased for $75 at www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com. Tickets will cost $90 after December 6. Seating will be limited to about 150 seats in the Boulevard bleacher seating area.

The Boulevard Tennis Club is the leading tennis in Vero Beach and also the home of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships $15,000 ITF World Tennis Tour U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit event held in April.

Sixteen-year-old Jerry Shang Wins 2021 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships

Randy Walker · October 25, 2021 · Leave a Comment

Youth prevailed over experience when 16-year-old Shang Juncheng of China, the No. 1 junior player in the world, defeated No. 3 seed Ricardo Rodriguez, a 28-year-old tour veteran from Venezuela, to capture the $15,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships title with a 7-6 (6), 6-4 win on Sunday.

The victory at The Boulevard Tennis Club marked the third pro title for the Chinese teen at an International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Tennis Tour event, which is also part of the U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit tournament.

Shang, who currently ranks No. 1008 on the ATP computer, impressively won his first pro event at a $15,000 event in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and again at the same level event in Naples, Florida just last week. He will move inside the top 900 in the world by earning 10 ATP singles ranking points with the tournament victory.

“It feels really good for me,” Shang said after victory. “I’m really happy especially these last two weeks which have been back-to-back wins. It’s really special for me to do in the pros. I’m playing really confident the last two weeks. I’m not thinking so much about the shots but just really going for it. And I’m really relaxed and finding a rhythm in my matches.”

Watch Shang’s post-match presentation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlqqP8-BaB8

The No. 613 ranked Rodriguez credited his opponent for a match well played.

“I think the key of the match was he was better than me at the important points,” Rodriguez said. “I had a set point in the first set, and I had a few break points, and he played them all well.

“Honestly, I have no regrets because generally I played a very professional match today that didn’t go my way.”

Watch Rodriguez’s post-match presentation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHrM9vQX9qE

The Beijing native, who goes by the name Jerry, lives with his father in the United States for the past five years, and currently trains at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Shang says he comes by his athletic prowess from his parents, who were both international sports stars in their sport of choice.

His father, Shang Yi, who sat court side watching the teen win the Vero Beach title, was a pro soccer midfielder who played for Beijing Guoan for most of his career. The elder Shang did play internationally – for Xerex in Spain – during the 2003-04 season. His most notable achievement in Spain was scoring a goal against Cadiz CF, a rival team of Xerex.

After retiring from soccer, Shang Yi became a commentator for the Beijing TV Sports Channel before accompanying his son to Florida.

His mother, Wu Na, who remains in Beijing and visits Florida, is a former international table tennis star. She won a bronze medal in singles and gold medal in mixed doubles in the 1997 World Table Tennis Championships, and a bronze medal at the same event in women’s doubles in 1995.

“My dad played football, soccer, and mom played table tennis so, for me, they chose a sport something in the middle,” said Shang, laughing. “They chose not the big ball though, but the small ball for me.”

Finding a path in tennis rather than either soccer or table tennis seems to have been a smart choice for Shang, which he proved again on Sunday.

The first set of the final was a nip-and-tuck affair that went down to a deciding tiebreaker.

Both players scored two mini-breaks by the time the score was 4-4 in the tiebreaker. Rodriguez missed out on the one set point he had at 6-5, and two points later mishit a forehand to allow Shang to notch the opening set.

Rodriguez also held a break point on Shang’s serve at 5-5 in the first set, but failed to take the advantage when he missed backhand return.

The two players, who actually warmed each other up just hours before the final, exchanged early service breaks in the second set.

At 3-3, Shang rallied to take a lasting lead in the second set. He set up a 15-40 break point opportunity with a winning forehand passing shot. He went on to break serve for a 4-3 lead with a backhand crosscourt winner.

Shang served out the 1 hour, 54 minute match at love, taking the title with a scorching forehand winner down the line.

At this point, Shang believes his junior days have come to a conclusion and he’ll be concentrating on playing these lower level pro events to work his way up the ATP rankings. His junior career climaxed this year with a quarterfinal showing at the French Open, semifinals at Wimbledon and final appearance at the US Open last month.

In the last 25 years, only two former junior world No. 1s – Roger Federer of Switzerland and Andy Roddick of the United States – went on to become world No. 1s on the main men’s ATP Tour.

Undoubtedly, Shang will be hoping to replicate Federer and Roddick’s feat of translating No. 1 status in the juniors to being the best player in the world. If he could achieve that distinction it certainly would make him a superstar back home in China.

While Li Na won two Grand Slam singles titles and reached a career high ranking of No. 2 in the world in the women’s game, no Chinese man has ever even journeyed into the top 100 in the men’s ATP rankings.

“I think that is a big goal because I’m only 16 right now,” Shang said. “But that’s something I’ll look for in the future hopefully, but it’s important to take one step at a time right now.”

Rodriguez believes the future ahead is very bright for Shang, who played a mature and structured match against him.

“What I experienced today was how good he manages important moments and how good he is that his pulse doesn’t shake whenever there are tight moments in the match,” Rodriguez said. “That makes him special, especially with his being so young.”

As Shang’s likely to discover when you’re a professional tennis player you learn to live a life where a different hotel room becomes where you live each week. Taking that into account, players tend to find tournaments they enjoy playing, a feeling which is often bolstered by having success at a locale.

That’s just what’s happened for Rodriguez, who has favored playing at Vero Beach, which is just a short road trip up I-95 from his home in Ft. Lauderdale.

This marked Rodriguez’s second time in the Mardy Fish tournament final. He lost out to Juan Benitez of Colombia 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in the 2018 championship match.

In 2017, he reached the quarterfinals and last year he reached the quarterfinals of the UTR event hosted by Vero Beach tournament organizers.

“Ever since I came here for the first time, I think in 2017, you guys have treated me as one of you, as family,” Rodriguez said in a post-match on-court interview this week. “This is one of my favorite places to come and play. Whenever I do my schedule Vero is always a priority for me. You are one of my greatest friends.”

Rodriguez, who reached a career high ranking of No. 282 in June 2014, has been stalwart for Venezuela in Davis Cup, a high-level international team competition, during his career. He’s played in 18 Davis Cup ties since 2012 for a 22-9 record.

Most recently, Davis Cup provided Rodriguez with a special opportunity to play at the Westside Tennis Club in Forest Hills, NY, which hosted the prestigious US National/US Open for an overall 60 years (1915 to 1920 and 1924 through 1977).

In September, Venezuela lost to South Africa 4-0 in a World Group II Davis Cup tie that was hosted on neutral ground at Forest Hills.

“About a month ago I got the opportunity to play in Forest Hills and that was such a great experience for me,” Rodriguez said. I played 18 times Davis Cup but none of them in such an historic place. That’s little bit of the (payoff) for the hard work and sacrifice.”

In Saturday’s late doubles final, Florida Gator teammates Duarte Vale of Portugal and Johannes Ingildsen of Denmark defeated Ben Shelton, also a Florida Gator, and Liam Draxl of Canada and the University of Kentucky 6-3, 6-4.