TENNIS: SFEO prepares for a Georgia invasion (07/06)

Elizabethtown Tennis Commission director Bo O’Brien had concerns about the State Farm E’town Open’s size because of the date and heat, but his worries turned out to be unwarranted.

After less than 80 players had registered by last Saturday for this weekend’s 19th annual tournament, more than 100 more players registered prior to Tuesday evening’s deadline. The result is a mammoth 21-division event that needs 20 courts at four locations to complete over two days.

Six of those players are from Athens, Ga., and have ties to Michael Argabright, a 1984 Elizabethtown High School graduate and a former tennis director at E-town Swim & Fitness Center.

“For the past three years, I’ve been bringing some of the kids that I coach to the tournament and it seems like every year, the little group of people that we bring gets a little bit bigger,” said Argabright, whose parents still live in the area. “And this year, I’m bringing three kids that I work with and my two kids and my wife’s actually gonna play in the tournament also. … It’s just kind of our Athens, Ga., invasion.”

The SFEO is the largest of the Central Kentucky Tennis Series’ eight summer events. It’s also the second and biggest of the three tournaments held by the ETC, which hosted its annual youth singles tournament last month and will hold the EtownApartments.com Heartland Shootout next month.

SFEO play begins Saturday morning at 20 courts in and around Elizabethtown. Play begins at 8:30 at University Drive Park’s eight courts and 9 at American Legion Park’s four courts, Central Hardin High School’s four courts and John Hardin High School’s four courts.

There are 12 singles divisions (boys’ 18 and under, boys’ 15 and under, girls’ 18 and under, girls’ 15 and under, men’s open, men’s B, men’s C, men’s 30, men’s 50, women’s open, women’s B and women’s C) and nine doubles divisions (boys’ 18 and under, girls’ 18 and under, men’s open, men’s B, men’s C, women’s open, women’s B, mixed open and mixed B). Players can enter up to two divisions.

The brackets were posted Thursday evening on EtownTennis.usta.com and CKTSTour.com. Updates will be posted on those two sites as well as on twitter.com/cktstour and www.facebook.com/cktstour.

This year’s field features players from six states (Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey and Tennessee). The tournament featured 185 players in 2009, a record 207 in 2010 and 184 last year.

O’Brien said the field could easily allow more than 200 players next year with the arrival of the 10 courts at Freeman Lake Park.

“It’s been amazing and I never personally believed it would approach 200, 250 players coming there for a two-day tournament,” Argabright said. “But then again, Bo and Coach (David) Rogers do such a good job of promoting the thing. And they run it so professionally.

“I’ve known Bo O’Brien for a very long time also. And he just does a great job of organizing,” added Argabright. “That’s really what it’s all about when you’re trying to prepare a big event like that. He’s so on top of all the little details. He’s made it huge. And it’s been really, really exciting to watch it grow over the years. Now for me personally, it’s been a really neat thing to bring my kids there to play in it now. I’m really happy that it’s still there so my family can do that every year.”

Nathaniel Bryan can be reached at (270) 505-1758 or nbryan@thenewsenterprise.com.

 

TENNIS

CKTS/ETC

STATE FARM E’TOWN OPEN

ELIZABETHTOWN — Saturday’s schedule for the Central Kentucky Tennis Series/Elizabethtown Tennis Commission State Farm E’town Open:

University Drive PARK

8:30 a.m.

Girls’ 15 and Under Singles

Grace Gorby vs. Amber Pierce

Delaney Hayden vs. Annie DeVries

Kennedy Thompson vs. Amanda Patterson

Mary Dennis vs. Catherine Argabright

Men’s Open Doubles

M. Eden/T. Sparks vs. J. Blevins/M. Blinco

B. Ahmed/R. Haider vs. T. Clark/M. Woods

J. Martin/R. Martin vs. J. Bingham/Z. Thomas

9:45 a.m.

Girls’ 15 and Under Singles

Catherine Yeiser vs. Mackenzie Snow

Hannah Lowman vs. Madeline Jenkins

10 a.m.

Girls’ 15 and Under Singles

Sumer Simmons vs. Katie Fenton

Brigid DeVries vs. Abby Moore

10:15 a.m.

Women’s Open Doubles

C. Hensel/T. Rickard vs. J. Maxwell/V. Williams

10:30 a.m.

Boys’ 15 and Under Singles

Jackson Ponder vs. Hayden Rickard

10:45 a.m.

Boys’ 15 and Under Singles

Sam Embry vs. Jonah Gillespie

11 a.m.

Boys’ 15 and Under Singles

Talha Qurram vs. Michael Argabright

Luke Johnson vs. Trevin Cox

11:30 a.m.

Men’s Open Singles

Matthew Blinco vs. Kenneth Shipp

John Stone vs. Reza Haider

11:45 a.m.

Men’s Open Singles

Emmanuel Isanda vs. Bilal Ahmed

Noon

Men’s Open Singles

Charles Mitchell vs. Austin Colliver

12:15 p.m.

Men’s Open Singles

Chris Mosher vs. Clint Dockery

12:45 p.m.

Men’s Open Singles

Dale Chadwick vs. Jacob Blevins

Mixed Open Doubles

T. Buckley/B. Nelson vs. T. Rickard/C. Sparks

1 p.m.

Mixed Open Doubles

S. Garrison/M. Sheldon vs. S. Eden/Z. Thomas

1:15 p.m.

Girls’ 15 and Under Singles

TBD vs. TBD

1:30 p.m.

Mixed Open Doubles

S. Humphress/S. Watts-Ryan vs. L. Dye/K. Kiefer

C. Argabright/W. Scott vs. K. Mitchell/C. Mitchell

2 p.m.

Girls’ 15 and Under Singles

TBD vs. TBD

TBD vs. TBD

Mixed Open Doubles

M. Thompson/R. Wafer vs. J. Stone/T. Stone

2:15 p.m.

Mixed Open Doubles

F. Curtis/R. Gravell vs. T. Edlin/N. Fiepke

S. Emerson/J. Wall vs. A. Colliver/J. Sallee

2:30 p.m.

Mixed B Doubles

M. Huff/A. O’Brien vs. H. Ingram/B. Ingram

L. Hagan/J. Hagan vs. J. Sickles/D. Sickles

A. Moore/R. Moore vs. K. Hayes/S. Hayes

2:45 p.m.

Mixed B Doubles

A. Massengale/D. Massengale vs. G. Corbin/S. Simmons

R. Abell/E. Novak vs. H. Dedman/M. Morgan

3 p.m.

Mixed B Doubles

E. Blevins/M. Blevins vs. C. Lanham/S. Tabor

4 p.m.

Boys’ 15 and Under Singles

Ameer Haider vs. TBD

Ethan Kiteck vs. TBD

Girls’ 15 and Under Singles

TBD vs. TBD

Women’s Open Doubles

D. Beauchamp/S. Emerson vs. C. Hensel/T. Rickard

Men’s C Doubles

M. Morgan/T. Yates vs. J. Gillespie/D. Gillespie

4:30 p.m.

Boys’ 15 and Under Singles

TBD vs. Will Andrews

TBD vs. Omar Qurram

5 p.m.

Men’s Open Singles

Kyle Caven vs. TBD

TBD vs. TBD

5:30 p.m.

Men’s Open Singles

Terry Caven vs. TBD

TBD vs. TBD

6 p.m.

Mixed Open Doubles

D. Beauchamp/D. Chadwick vs. TBD

TBD vs. TBD

TBD vs. TBD

TBD vs. TBD

7 p.m.

Mixed B Doubles

H. Owens/L. Salyers vs. TBD

TBD vs. TBD

7:15 p.m.

TBD vs. TBD Mixed B Doubles

TBD vs. T. Buckley/B. Nelson Mixed B Doubles

7:30 p.m.

Women’s Open Doubles

J. Maxwell/V. Williams vs. D. Beauchamp/S. Emerson

American Legion PARK

5:15 a.m.

Girls’ 18 and Under Singles

TBD vs. TBD

9 a.m.

Boys’ 18 and Under Singles

Jacob Markley vs. Hunter Pierce

Joel Nason vs. Collin Sparks

Wells Scott vs. Ryan Abell

Carson McCann vs. Will Reynolds

10 a.m.

Boys’ 18 and Under Singles

Luke Salyers vs. Vasu Patel

10:30 a.m.

Boys’ 18 and Under Singles

Trevor Sanders vs. Richard Shufelt

Ryan Martin vs. Kyler Hart

11:15 a.m.

Girls’ 18 and Under Singles

Hannah Ingram vs. Emily Novak

11:30 a.m.

Girls’ 18 and Under Singles

Emily Hellinger vs. Katie Hayes

11:45 a.m.

Girls’ 18 and Under Singles

Maria Rogers vs. Tylyn Leigh

12:15 p.m.

Girls’ 18 and Under Singles

Mackenzie Snow vs. Jenna Mullen

12:30 p.m.

Girls’ 18 and Under Singles

Autumn Simmons vs. Natalie Fiepke

12:45 p.m.

Girls’ 18 and Under Singles

Kayla Keith vs. Caroline Doherty

1 p.m.

Girls’ 18 and Under Singles

Haley Owens vs. Ali Jordan

1:30 p.m.

Girls’ 18 and Under Singles

Kylee Gorby vs. Aryn Massengale

1:45 p.m.

Boys’ 18 and Under Doubles

G. Gardner/H. Rickard vs. L. Johnson/J. Ponder

2:30 p.m.

Girls’ 18 and Under Doubles

D. Hayden/C. Yeiser vs. C. Argabright/M. Jenkins

2:45 p.m.

Girls’ 18 and Under Doubles

K. Gorby/G. Gorby vs. M. Dennis/H. Lowman

3 p.m.

Girls’ 18 and Under Doubles

A. Jordan/A. McGonigle vs. C. Doherty/K. Eden

3:15 p.m.

Girls’ 18 and Under Doubles

A. Simmons/S. Simmons vs. C. Despain/K. Fenton

3:30 p.m.

Girls’ 18 and Under Doubles

K. Murray/K. Thompson vs. A. DeVries/B. DeVries

4 p.m.

Boys’ 18 and Under Singles

Tyler Edlin vs. TBD

4:15 p.m.

Boys’ 18 and Under Singles

TBD vs. TBD

4:30 p.m.

Boys’ 18 and Under Singles

TBD vs. TBD

4:45 p.m.

Boys’ 18 and Under Singles

TBD vs. TBD

5 p.m.

Girls’ 18 and Under Singles

TBD vs. TBD

5:30 p.m.

Girls’ 18 and Under Singles

TBD vs. TBD

5:45 p.m.

Girls’ 18 and Under Singles

TBD vs. TBD

7 p.m.

Girls’ 18 and Under Doubles

E. Hellinger/A. Patterson vs. TBD

K. Keith/J. Mullen vs. TBD

7:15 p.m.

Girls’ 18 and Under Doubles

TBD vs. TBD

TBD vs. A. Rexroat/M. Rexroat

John Hardin High School

9 a.m.

Men’s B Singles

Jeremy Simpson vs. Mike Blevins

Justin Rankin vs. Tommy Reed

Clinton Kiteck vs. Anthony Moore

10:15 a.m.

Men’s B Singles

Lance Weiss vs. Brian Wray

10:30 a.m.

Men’s 50 Singles

Jim Kingry vs. Greg Caplinger

11 a.m.

Men’s 50 Singles

Eric Johnson vs. Doug Wray

Billy Smith vs. Dennis Shanks

Noon

Men’s B Singles

Jehanzeb Khan vs. TBD

Claude Benford vs. TBD

12:30 p.m.

Men’s B Singles

TBD vs. Mike Myers

1 p.m.

Men’s B Singles

TBD vs. Cliff Anderson

1:30 p.m.

Men’s 50 Singles

Jody Bingham vs. TBD

2 p.m.

Men’s 50 Singles

TBD vs. Tyrone Sparks

3 p.m.

Men’s 50 Singles

Zan Rexroat vs. Claude Benford

4 p.m.

Men’s 50 Singles

Cliff Anderson vs. TBD

Men’s B Doubles

J. Hollifield/R. Williams vs. J. Rankin/J. Simpson

G. Corbin/J. Wall vs. B. Wray/D. Wray

4:30 p.m.

Men’s B Doubles

W. Andrews/W. Andrews vs. D. Humphress/S. Humphress

K. Craiger/J. Downing vs. J. Cundiff/D. Medley

Central Hardin High School

9 a.m.

Men’s C Singles

Aaron Giles vs. Clyde Patterson

Joseph Lyon vs. Randall Clark

Women’s C Singles

Charlotte Humphress vs. Shannon Murray

Womens’s B Singles

Vicky Harrell vs. Sarah Baker

10:15 a.m.

Womens’s B Singles

Nancy Jo Boone vs. Karen Hoernke

10:30 a.m.

Men’s 30 Singles

Stephen Peerce vs. Lance Weiss

11 a.m.

Women’s B Doubles

K. Blair/A. O’Brien vs. T. Massengale/S. Shanks

11:15 a.m.

Men’s 30 Singles

Dave Brown vs. Jeff Crady

11:30 a.m.

Men’s C Singles

Terry Yates vs. John Sickles

11:45 a.m.

Men’s C Singles

Larry Kohler vs. Jim Kingry

12:15 p.m.

Men’s C Singles

Randy Moore vs. TBD

TBD vs. Kenneth Kiefer

1 p.m.

Women’s C Singles

Sara Knight vs. Charlotte Humphress

2 p.m.

Women’s B Doubles

K. Heintz/J. Page vs. S. Garrison/V. Harrell

C. Lanham/S. Simmons vs. S. Baker/K. Fathergill

2:30 p.m.

Women’s B Doubles

H. Dedman/E. Ingram vs. K. Mitchell/S. Watts-Ryan

TBD vs. A. Heizer/T. Stone

4 p.m.

Women’s C Singles

Shannon Murray vs. Sara Knight