News

NEW YORK, NY — The best family tennis teams in the U.S. were determined today after three days of fun and intense competition among 23 teams from 14 states in six divisions of play at the 2013 National Family Tennis Championships at Sportime Randall’s Island in New York City.

“We hope all of the competitors had as much fun playing as we did watching them work together as a team,” said Kathleen Francis, Tournament Director for the National Family Tennis Championships. “Tennis is the perfect sport where families can compete together in this type of setting. As the National Family Tennis Championships continue to grow, we look forward to having more families spend quality time together on the court.”

“This was a great environment for a tournament. You could feel the tennis buzz in New York City,” admitted Jack Bastable who captured the husband/wife title with his wife Kim. “The level of competition was excellent and it was especially challenging to play so many different teams with different styles.”

After round-robin matches on Friday and Saturday, championship and consolation matches were held on Sunday. In two of the championship matches, mother/son and husband/wife, the team that lost in the opening round reversed the result to capture the title.

The six division champions, runners-up and final scores of the championship matches were:

MOTHER/SON – Michele Haggerty & Jackson Cobb (age 14) (Austin, TX – Grey Rock Tennis Club DEF Hallet & Brooks Green Jr (age 14) (Mobile, AL – Orange Beach Tennis Center) – 7-5, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6 tiebreaker)

MOTHER/DAUGHTER: Natalie & Kennan Johnson (age 17) (Baton Rouge, LA – Northwood Club) DEF Karen & Lauren Simeone (age 17) (Collegeville, PA. – Frog Hollow Racquet Club) — 6-2, 6-1

FATHER/DAUGHTER – Aime Ngounoue & Malkia Menguene (age 13) (Washington, DC – Montgomery TennisPlex); DEF Lance & Sadey St. Amant (age 18) (Ocean Springs, MS -Diamondhead Tennis World) – 6-2, 7-5

FATHER/SON: Jon & Tristan Stitt (age 16) (Dallas, TX – Northwood Club) DEF Scott & Jacob Baehr (age 13) (Pensacola, FL – Orange Beach Tennis Center) – 7-5, 6-0

HUSBAND/WIFE -Jack & Kim Bastable (Leawood, KS – Plaza Tennis Club) DEF Jonathan & Michele Drucker (Coral Gables, FL – Weston Tennis Club) – 6-3, 6-3

BROTHER/SISTER – Ben Ward & Lucy Stevens (Pass Christian, MS – Diamondhead Tennis World) DEF Nick & Amber Cruz (Foley, AL – Orange Beach Tennis Center) – 6-2, 6-4.

The 23 teams earned a trip to the national championship after winning an NFTC tournament at their local tennis facility and then winning or earning a wild-card slot into the finals at one of three super regional playoffs at: The Plaza Tennis Center in Kansas City, MO.; The Copeland-Cox Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, AL.; and The Tennis Center at College Park in MD.

“This was a fabulous experience that I just can’t put into words. I’m usually watching Jackson from the sideline, it was so wonderful to share the court with him,” explained Michelle Haggerty who captured the mother/son division with her son Jackson Cobb.

“The competition was great but I really loved the family environment. For me, this was more about having fun than winning,” admitted Jackson Cobb.”

Teams receive travel, hotel accommodations at the Grand Hyatt in New York City, as well as tickets to Arthur Ashe Kids Day on Sunday and opening day of the U.S. Open at the USTA/Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Monday.

“This was just remarkable. We’ve gone to a lot of tournaments at the highest levels and this event was first-class all of the way,” commented Natalie Johnson who earned the mother/daughter title with her daughter Kennan. “The staff did everything for us and really made us all feel like pros for this weekend.”

The 2013 National Family Tennis Championships is being produced by Oasis Sports Ventures/Family Tennis, LLC. Promotional support is provided by Tennis.com, Tennis15-30 and the USTA. Official sponsors include Dunlop Sports, Grand Slam Tennis Tours and Orbitz Partner Network. For more information visit www.FamilyTennis.com.