Tennis players young and old paired off Sunday in a brace of new events at Airport Fitness and Tennis (AFT) in West Tisbury.
A junior/senior event, matched the hard serves and biting topspin of five talented 12-year-olds with the finesse and craft of five players ages 60 to 80. The junior players included club regulars Molly, Paige, and Spencer Pogue, Hannah Rabasca, and Max Soll, a Minnesota resident who takes lessons at AFT when he’s in town. Leo McHugh, Bruce Merrill, Steve Pogue, Chuck Scott, and Bruce Llewellyn served it up for the seniors.
Each senior took a junior partner and played the other teams in a round-robin format. Each match proved to be well balanced and competitive, with Bruce Merrill summing up the tourney as “most enjoyable, and something we should repeat.” The club plans to hold another junior/senior event in the near future.
At the conclusion of the opening round of matches, Hannah Rabasca stayed on and joined seven adult players in an AFT version of the international Davis Cup, pitting Team Spain against Team Switzerland. Club owner Connie McHugh coached the Swiss team, comprising Lucia Hayman, Hannah Rabasca, Gavin Franklin, and Tony Omer. AFT pro Sean Pease coached “Spaniards” Mary Breslauer, Penny Franklin, Darren Belisle, and Paul Ulyatt. The teams competed in women’s, men’s, and mixed doubles.
Spain reigned on the day, winning 4-0. Mary Breslauer and Penny Franklin prevailed over Lucia Hayman and Hannah Rabasca in women’s doubles, 8-1. Spain took a 2-0 lead as Darren Belisle and Paul Ulyatt defeated Gavin Franklin and Tony Omer 9-4.
The teams played two tight matches in mixed doubles. Tony Omer and Hannah Rabasca used an effective serve-and-volley game, but fell to Paul Ulyatt and Penny Franklin. Darren Belisle and Mary Breslauer closed out the tourney with a win over Lucia Hayman and Gavin Franklin.