Paul Delaney

The “Wild Card” event for the 2024 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships will be held Wednesday February 28 through Friday March 1 at the Sea Oaks Beach and Tennis Club in Vero Beach, Florida. The event has been dubbed “the best wild card tournament in the world”

The winner of this event will receive a main draw singles wild card into the $15,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships USTA Pro Circuit event to be held April 22-28 at the Vero Beach Tennis & Fitness Club and the runner-up will receive a qualifying singles wild card into the event. A third place match will be played to determine a “pecking order” as alternates to these positions. Matches are best of three sets with a match tiebreaker for a third set.

To sign up for the event, click on the UTR Sports website here: https://app.utrsports.net/events/205240?_ref=randyw456&shared=true

The schedule of play will be feed-in matches starting at about Noon on Wednesday and then round of 16 matches on Wednesday to follow. The quarterfinals will be played on Thursday at about 1 pm. The semifinals will be played at 10 am on Friday morning, followed by the third place match, after rest and the final will be held at about 4 pm on Friday afternoon. If the event receives more than 24 entries, best efforts will be made to potentially play feed in matches into the final 24 entries on Tuesday afternoon/evening. No promises but we will try and work to give as many players as possible competitive opportunities.

Matches are always supported by hundreds of fans attending daily. See a review video of the 2023 event here https://youtu.be/Pmb49avrsQQ?si=RYGAz6i33gE0cN5o

The winner of the event will have their name engraved on the perpetual “Paul Delaney Cup,” honoring the memory of the former Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation board member Paul Delaney, who was a member of the Sea Oaks Club. In 2024, Matthew Segura, the great nephew of tennis Hall of Famer Pancho Segura, won the event for a fourth time in five editions of the event defeating former Stanford All-American Ryan Haviland in the final.

From the final of the 2023 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships “Wild Card” event at Sea Oaks

Jibril Nettles, a six-foot-six 22-year-old from Detroit, Michigan was the winner of the 2022 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships “Wild Card” championships held at the Sea Oaks Beach & Tennis Club.

Nettles defeated Callum Markowitz, an impressive 15-year-old from White Plains, N.Y., 6-4, 7-6(5) in the final. The win earned Nettles a wild card position into the main draw of the $15,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships ITF World Tennis Tour USTA Pro Circuit event held April 25-May 1 at The Boulevard tennis club in Vero Beach. With his runner-up showing, Markowitz earned a wild card into the qualifying rounds of the event.

Nettles spoke of his victory in his post-match speech as seen on YOUTUBE here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjzZMNXkRQ0

The event returned to Sea Oaks after a one year hiatus due to COVID and was attended by daily crowds of about 400 to 500 fans.

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation dedicated “The Paul Delaney Cup” at the event, in memory of Paul Delaney, the long-time Sea Oaks member and Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Board Member who passed away last summer. The Paul Delaney Cup will sit in perpetuity in the pro shop at Sea Oaks will feature the names of the winners of this annual “Wild Card” tournament. Delaney’s wife, Linda, was in attendance for the final and presented Nettles with the trophy following his victory, as you can see on YOUTUBE here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI4_1SCUW-4

Delaney once participated in a Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships “Wild Card” event in doubles in 2017 at age 82, pairing with 67-year-old John Drnec, falling to ATP-ranked players Isaiah Strode and Miles Seeman. Drnec, in memory of his doubles partner, donated $500 to the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation and challenged everyone to match his donation in Paul’s honor.

Delaney, ironically, graduated from White Plains High School, the same high school where Markowitz is a sophomore.

For ticket information on the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, go to www.MardyFishChildrensFoundation.org or email Lynn Southerly at LSouth1072@gmail.com
Daily tickets will be available for $40 ($30 paid in advance online). Season tickets will be $200 and reserved and sponsorship seating and packages are also available.

Paul Delaney

Mardy Fish “Wild Card” Event To Return To Sea Oaks February 28 – March 1, 2024

Sea Oaks Hosts Mardy Fish “Wild Card” Event; Detroit’s Jibril Nettles Wins Title