Mardy Fish

Frances Tiafoe: From Vero Beach In 2014 To U.S. Open Hero In 2022

Randy Walker · September 12, 2022 · Leave a Comment

Frances Tiafoe, who dazzled crowds with his breakthrough performance in reaching the semifinals of the 2022 U.S. Open, is one of the many great players who have played in the Vero Beach USTA Pro Circuit event, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships.

In 2014, Tiafoe competed in Vero Beach at The Boulevard in his first year of playing professional tournaments while still a junior tennis player. At the age of 16, playing in only his fourth pro level tournament and ranked No. 1296 on the ATP Rankings, Tiafoe reached the second round in Vero Beach, losing to former University of Florida standout Greg Ouellette. The 2014 edition of the tournament also featured American stars Tommy Paul, who earned his first career ATP ranking point in Vero Beach, and Reilly Opelka, both of whom played in the qualifying rounds of the tournament.

Tiafoe’s first career match at a pro tournament, interesting enough, was earlier in 2014 at a USTA Pro Circuit tournament in Florida where he lost 6-0, 6-0 in the first round to Sekou Bangoura, the 2022 singles champion in Vero Beach.

Read of Frances (who was mistakenly had his name spelled “Francis” in draws and news reports) from 2014 in Vero Beach here http://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/10487 and from the Washington Post here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/sports/wp/2014/05/17/an-improbable-tennis-prodigy/

Tiafoe staged one of the greatest wins by an American man at the U.S. Open in the last 20 years when he defeated 22-time major winner Rafael Nadal in the fourth round on Labor Day Monday. He followed up the victory with a win over Andrey Rublev of Russia before falling in a dramatic and entertaining semifinal to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Frances Tiafoe on Arthur Ashe Stadium at the U.S. Open in 2022 (left) and Frances Tiafoe on Court 4 at The Boulevard in Vero Beach at the 2014 version of the modern-day Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships

Mardy Fish, After Making Golf/Tennis History, Set For More Golf In Vero Beach In January of 2023

Randy Walker · August 16, 2022 · Leave a Comment

Vero Beach’s Mardy Fish, the former top 10 tennis star, Olympic silver medalist and the current U.S. Davis Cup captain, made sports history at the 3M Open in Minnesota this summer becoming the first player to play and event on both the ATP Tour in tennis and PGA Tour in golf.

Fish, who grew up playing the Sandridge public golf course in Vero Beach, shot rounds of 81 and 74 for a total of 13 over par, which was 12 shots away from his goal of making the cut. However, he finished better than three established full-time PGA Tour pros, Kevin Stadler, who has a top 10 finish at The Masters and a win at the Phoenix Open on his resume, Wesley Bryan, who won the prestigious Heritage Classic five years ago, and former Korn Ferry Tour standout Brandon Matthews.

Born in Edina, Minnesota and a rabid fan of Minnesota sports, Fish was given a sponsor’s exemption into the event, after six-time Masters champion Jack Nicklaus personally lobbied the tournament on his behalf three years ago.

During a charity event in 2018, he had a chance to play nine holes with Nicklaus, who was amazed at the raw talent of Fish, calling him “The best non-professional golfer I’ve ever seen play” (Read the full article here: http://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/16360)

Although he jokingly labeled himself as a “Country Club Bo Jackson,” Fish actually learned both sports at public facilities, on the tennis courts at Riverside Park and the Sandridge public golf course in Vero Beach, Florida. He returns annually to Vero Beach in January to host his Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Golf Fundraiser at The Windsor Club, where his father Tom is the head tennis pro. The 2023 date for the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Golf Fundraise at Windsor in Monday, January 16, 2023.

Tim Palmer Delivers Introductory Tennis Programming For Youth In Vero Beach

Randy Walker · August 16, 2022 · Leave a Comment

Children in Vero Beach were given the opportunity to be introduced to tennis this summer thanks to Tim Palmer and the Treasure Coast Tennis Association’s Summer Tennis Camp, sponsored by the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation.

For two hours, four days a week over six weeks, Palmer and his cadre of local pros and volunteers introduced tennis to children in Indian River County.

The crescendo of the camp was the “Play Day” held on July 22, as documented here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuFoIcnsi0c

Palmer, the Treasure Coast Tennis Association and the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation are planning more programming in the near future.

For more information contact coach Tim Palmer

ph. 772-480-1876

tpalmer@socket.net

Mardy Fish To Make PGA Tour Golf Debut

Randy Walker · July 18, 2022 · Leave a Comment

Mardy Fish, Vero Beach’s own former top 10 tennis star, Olympic silver medalist and current U.S. Davis Cup captain, is set to make some sports and tennis history on the PGA golf tour.

Fish will make his debut on the professional golf tour at the PGA Tour’s 3M Classic in Minnesota July 21-24 becoming a rare athlete to play professionally in more than one sport. Fish, who was born in Edina, Minnesota, received a sponsor’s invitation to the event, based on his great success on the celebrity golf tour and his passion for and popularity in Minnesota pro sports circles.

Fish will be joining a field that includes former Masters champions Hideki Matsuyama and Danny Willett, former Open Championship winner Stewart Cink, former PGA Championship winners Jason Day and Jason Dufner, former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover and former Players Championship winners Rickie Fowler and K.J. Choi. Television coverage will be on Golf Channel and CBS.

“This guy can play,” said 3M Championship Tournament Director Hollis Cavner of Fish. “He will not embarrass himself. He’s a great golfer and it provides an interesting storyline as we get closer to the tournament.”

During a charity event in 2018, Mardy had a chance to play nine holes with Jack Nicklaus, who was amazed at the raw talent of Fish, calling him “The best non-professional golfer I’ve ever seen play” (Read the full article here: http://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/16360). Fish will become the third tour-level tennis player to also compete on the PGA Tour, joining former U.S. and Wimbledon champion Ellsworth Vines and Frank Conner.

Fish annually returns to Vero Beach in January to compete in his Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Golf Fundraiser at the Windsor club. The 2023 event is tentatively scheduled for Monday, January 16, 2023. For more information and to sign-in and sponsor before spots and positions sell out, please contact Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Executive Director Lynn Southerly at LSouth1072@gmail.com

Mardy Fish (left) with former European Ryder Cup Captain and now Golf Channel host Paul McGinley at the annual 2022 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Golf Fundraiser at Windsor in January

Third Time A Charm For Bangoura, Rodriguez at 2022 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships

boyona · May 2, 2022 · Leave a Comment

The third time was a charm for both Sekou Bangoura and Ricardo Rodriguez Sunday in the singles and doubles final at the $15,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships at The Boulevard.

Both veteran professional tennis players were competing in their third career finals in this elite USTA Pro Circuit ITF World Tennis Tour event but were without a victory here. All that changed for both players as Bangoura defeated rising young American Ethan Quinn 6-4, 6-3 to win the singles title and Rodriguez paired with another young American Nisesh Basavareddy to win the doubles title over the University of Kentucky pair of Liam Draxl and Millen Hurrion 6-4,6-3.

Bangoura previously lost in both the singles and doubles final in Vero Beach in 2019, falling to Dmitry Popko of Kazakhstan in singles and with Boris Arias, to Italians Lorenzo Frigerio and Adelchi Virgili in the doubles final. Rodriguez lost in two previous singles final in 2018 to Juan Benitez of Colombia and in 2021 to Jerry Shang of China.

Bangoura is a former standout from the University of Florida who calls Bradenton home and is ranked No. 572 in the ATP rankings, having been ranked as high as No. 213 in 2016. At age 30, he is the oldest player in the field and defeated four teenagers and a 20-year-old to win the title. He also escaped from a 0-3 third-set deficit to 16-year-old Cooper Williams in the second round.

Quinn, a wild card entry into the tournament by the U.S. Tennis Association, will move within the top 900 in the ATP rankings that will allow him now direct entry into $15,000. He is a freshman at the University of Georgia but currently red-shirting.

Rodriguez and Basavareddy did not even know each other before the start of the tournament but after Rodriguez signed into doubles without a partner, co-tournament director Randy Walker introduced him to Basavareddy, who also did not have a partner. Then, when Rodriguez and Basavareddy were the first team who did not qualify to get into the doubles draw, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation awarded their remaining wild card entry into the tournament. They are the first wild cards to win a doubles title in Vero Beach.

Read more of the singles final from respected tennis writer Harvey Fialkov in TCPalm here: https://www.tcpalm.com/story/sports/2022/05/01/mardy-fish-foundation-tennis-tournament/9587228002/

To watch the post-match awards ceremony for the singles final, click here: https://youtu.be/zyOrH64bQrY

To watch the post-match awards ceremony for the doubles final, click here https://youtu.be/iR4ya55sJbc