Upcoming Events

Golf for Tennis! - Aug 14, 2010 at Whirlwind Golf Club at Wild Horse Pass

I am helping the USTA Central Arizona office in a fundraiser to keep programs like Quick Start Schools tennis, Jr. Team Tennis, Quick Start tournaments, and Satellite Jr. Tournaments.

I would like to invite you to a fun day of golf at the Whirlwind Golf Club at Wild Horse Pass. We will be playing the Cattail course August 14th, 2010. This will be a shotgun start playing best ball. This event will start at 7AM with a BBQ lunch afterwards. Prizes for Longest Drive, Closest to the pin, Hole in One, and best team. There will be mulligan's for sale for all of us non golfers. The fee is minimal at $100 per person including lunch and gift bags. I have attached a few flyers to better explain the event. This is a charity event and your donation may be tax deductible.

The Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa have offered all players the chance to "Play & Stay". You can get a room at the resort for only $89 per night. The Aji Spa has thrown in a 20% discount to all those participating, or with a participant in the event. Click here to see what the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort has to offer! The pool and pool bar will be very inviting after 18 holes of tennis players playing golf. This is a great resort and Spa. The discounted room and spa last for the entire weekend from August 13-15.

If you have any questions, please contact Josh Bates at bates10s@aol.com or the Central Arizona district office at 480-639-6701 or via email at Cochrane@PhoenixTennis.com.

Arizona Open Prize Money Tournament - Sep 9-11, 2010 at the Village Racquet Club on Camelback

This is the 2nd largest Prize Money event next to the yearend Mercedes Championships. I am expecting a purse of over $6000. This is an Open Only tournament. It will have Singles, Doubles and Mixed events for money. Last year we had a 64 draw in the Men’s Singles and a 32 draw in the Men’s Doubles. I expect to have at least the same if not more. I would love to have a 32 draw in the Women’s Singles and a 16 draw in the mixed.

The Arizona Open will be held at the Village on Camelback September 9-11, 2010. This tournament brought out some of the best players in the Southwest as well as some up and coming tour players. Clint Letcher from Australia won the singles and the doubles with partner Brendan Moore. They went on to win a few Future matches on the ITF Pro Circuit.

This is a free spectator event and Sponsors are needed. If you are interested in sponsoring this great event, please contact Josh Bates at bates10s@aol.com or 602-826-9048.

Click here to register for the AZ Open.

Southwest Open & 30's - Oct 14-17, 2010 at Val Vista Lakes Tennis Club

This tournament, now run by Bates Tennis Services (BTS), will be held at the Val Vista Lakes Tennis Club October 14-17, 2010.

More information to follow.

Click here to register for the Southwest Open & 30's.

Recent Events

Summerfest Senior Open - May 6-9, 2010 at the Village Racquet Club on Camelback

Summerfest ’10 was a great success. We had an increase in participation over 30%. The Open division was huge with some great players coming in from Southern California. The men’s 50’s was the largest draw I have seen in a long time. Randy Blanchard took the Singles and Doubles in the 50’s. The women’s Open singles was won by a up and coming 14 year old Madison Clarke, knocking out both the #1 & 2 seeds in the process. The men’s Open doubles was very exciting with a couple of former ASU players taking the crown. It was Ryan McBride’s 2nd straight BTS doubles crown.

Summerfest ’10 could not have been as successful without the help from it’s sponsors:

Grovesite stepped up as a new sponsor to BTS tournaments.
All About Tennis always helps out and provided the tennis balls for the event.

Pam Ponwith from All About Tennis won the 45 women’s doubles and came in 2nd for the Open doubles.
Jesse Ponwith from All About Tennis came in 2nd in the Open Doubles losing in a 3rd set tiebreak.

Alex Barragan and Don Ramon Tequila also stepped up to sponsor the event.

Barragan made the semis of the open doubles.

Results:

Men’s Open Singles - Tim Kpulun def Alex Sarkissian 6-1,6-3
Women’s Open Singles – Madison Clarke def Lauren Colalilo 6-2,6-0
Men’s Open Doubles – Ryan McBride/John Nanosky def Dan Marting/Jesse Ponwith 6-3, 3-6,7-6(3)
Women’s Open Doubles – Jaime Buterbaugh/Lauren Colalilo def Sherri Bronson/Pam Ponwith 6-4 6-2
Mixed Open Doubles – Jaime Buterbaugh/Dan Marting def Clay Taylor/Stephanie Hu 6-4,6-4
Men’s 30’s Singles – Dani Solomon def Clay Taylor 7-6, 1-6, 6-2
Men’s 35’s Singles – Jeff Sikes def Josh Bates 6-3, 6-1
Men’s 40’s Singles – Dan Marting def Curtis Eckmark 6-0, 6-1
Men’s 45’s Singles – Joel Robison def Rich Adams 6-1, 6-1
Men’s 50’s Singles – Randy Blanchard def Dale Phillips 7-5,7-5
Men’s 55’s Singles – Ben Shorter def Lance Chanda 6-0,6-1
Women’s 45’s Singles – Barb Morris def Gretchen Bosselman –May 6-4,2-6,10-2
Men’s 35’s Doubles – Josh Bates/Mike Flynn def Jeff Haase/Mario Verleger 6-1,6-2
Men’s 45s Doubles – Craig Haskel/Bob Maisner def Cort Alcott/Chris Crump 6-1,6-3
Men’s 50’s Doubles – Blanchard/Dane McNeil def Paul Fennell/Dale Phillips 6-1,6-3
Men’s 55 Doubles – Lance Chanda/ Ben Shorte def Greg Edin/ Bob Greenman 7-6,6-3
Women’s 45 Doubles- Sherri Bronson/ Pam Ponwith def Jean Marie Hing/Leslie Rangel 6-3, 4-3 ret.
Mixed 35’s Doubles – Jacqui Pinkham/Jeff Sikes def Bill Austin /Tamara Austin 6-2, 6-4

Click here to see pictures from his event.

2010 Michael Rodriguez Tennis Classic - Mar 17-21, 2010 at Chandler Tennis Center

The 1st Annual Michael Rodriguez Tennis Classic was a success. The event would not have been possible without the help from our sponsors:

Kent Gibson and Desert Home Group Greg Butler and Availe Brian Bates and AZICE

Jesse Ponwith and All About Tennis Karin, Fred and Alec Zapata with Post Net

PostNet

Eric Stoltz and Coach & Willies

And Paul Graco with Sidelines Sports Grill for such a great Player’s Party

Results:

Men’s Open Singles – Bojan Temunovic (2) def. Ryan McBride 6-7, 6-1, 6-1
Men’s Open Doubles – Temunovic/McBride (2) def Sanchez/Pascal 6-3, 4-6, 10-6
Men’s 30’s Singles – Clay Taylor def. Paul Burns 6-3, 6-1
Men’s 35’s Singles – Jesse Ponwith (1) def. Mike Flynn (2) 6-3, 6-4
Men’s 35’s Doubles – Crump/ Alcott def. Bates/Flynn (1) 7-5, 5-7, 10-6
Men’s 40’s Singles – Dan Marting (1) def. John Deogracias 6-2, 6-2
Men’s 45’s Singles – Joel Robison (1) def. Tom Kollock (2) 6-7, 6-1, 6-1
Men’s 50’s Singles – Randy Blanchard (1) def Dane McNeil (2) 6-3, 6-4
Men’s 50’s Doubles – Blanchard/McNeil (1) def. Burns/Witter (2) 4-6, 6-2, 10-3
Men’s 55’s Singles – Lance Chanda (1) def. Ed Raun 7-6, 6-3
Men’s 65’s Singles – David Elmore (1) def. Mike DeMarco 6-3, 6-1
Men’s 65’s Doubles – Mason/Snider def. Elmore/Lapane (1) 7-6,6-3
Women’s 35’s Singles – Kati Puhakainen def. Binki Thalheimer 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
Women’s 30’s Doubles – Puhakainen/Slyker def. Chaiyanan/Meraz 1-6, 6-3,7-6
Women’s 45’s Singles – Charo Deglane def. Karen Tucker 7-6, 6-3

Click here to see pictures from his event.

Tribute to Michael Rodriquez (Written by PTR Pro Linda Wagner at Val Vista Lakes)

It is fitting that this tournament is named for Michael Rodriguez, a young man who loved tennis -- and lived it every day of his life as a player, instructor and pro shop employee.

Michael was not a celebrated pro, not someone that the whole world recognized. But he was an ambassador for the sport on a grassroots level in the Valley of the Sun, known for his class, talent, kindness and humor on or off the court.

Michael was an accomplished player, competitive as an adult on the open level. With great hands and touch, his specialty was doubles, a game he played with joy, laughter and a fierce desire to win. Michael competed in USTA Southwest tournaments as a junior, was No. 1 at Gilbert High School and flourished at Scottsdale Community College.

He excelled as a teaching pro, sharing his knowledge of the game and an infectious enthusiasm with others on the courts at Ahwatukee Tennis Center.

At All About Tennis, Michael was the master of equipment and fashion. He seemed to know everyone in the Phoenix-metro tennis world, and understood the right fit for their game whether in rackets or the latest shoes and fashions.

When Michael died too young from an illness, it was a terrible loss not just for his family and friends, but for an entire tennis community. Naming this tournament in his memory is not just a tribute to Michael, but to the countless other players who have given heart to a game they love.

Those who knew Michael will never forget. For those competing in this tournament who never heard of him, may you live up to its name by playing with passion and grace.

Phoenix Motor Company

2nd Annual Phoenix Motor Company Mercedes Holiday Tournament
Held at the Village on Camelback, December 17-20, 2009

The 2009 Phoenix Motor Company Holiday Tennis Tournament was an enormous success. The tournament had over 350 participants and saw over 2000 spectators throughout the weekend. The Men’s Open draw had 77 players from around the world. Twenty Three of them have or had world rankings. Andreei Pavel was the tournament celebrity boasting a former #13 ATP singles world ranking and current #95 doubles ranking.

It was Nick Monroe and Angela Haynes coming back to recapture their titles from the original tournament last year. Angela also picked up a doubles title this year with partner Shikha Uberoi. Nick Monroe and singles finalist Artem Sitak finished second to Andrei Pavel and Gary Donnelly. Andrei was our endurance champion as well, taking home the Mixed Title with partner Nicole Melichar. Pavel played a total of 11 matches over three days. This was a bit more than he was used to playing in 2 weeks at a grand slam.

The NTRP divisions were all full of great players. The 4.5 and 4.0 men’s divisions were completely full with 16 draws. The women’s 4.0 was also a 16 draw. This made team’s battle through 4 tough matches to take home the $500 prize per team.

This year’s tournament paid out almost $20,000 in prize money. It would not be possible without the great title sponsor of Phoenix Motor Company. The Village was the place to be for professional tennis in AZ. The Village was also responsible for the great food and snacks throughout the event. Mark Taylor stepped it up supplying the bottled water and money towards the events. All About Tennis came through with the best tournament shirt in years along with great quality tennis balls. Deschutes Brewery stepped up last minute to help with beverages for the players. AZICE (www.iceinaz.com) and Grovesite chipped in to help as well.

BTS and Josh Bates would personally like to thank all of the sponsors. It would not be possible to run a tournament of that quality without their help.

Please click here take a look at all of the the pictures taken by Randy Spizman and Brian Smith.

See the full list of results here.

2009 Phoenix Senior Open, Oct 23rd - 25th at Phoenix Tennis Center

Phoenix Senior Open was a success. It was made possible with help from the following sponsors:

Bates Tennis Services

Another fun tournament! The Phoenix Senior Open had some great matches. The weather was perfect and the competition was tough.

Here are your champions and finalists:

Men’s Open: Jason Juravang def Andy Green
Men’s 30’s: John Denboer def Jay Cabou
Men’s 35’s Singles: Jesse Ponwith def Bobby Bull
Men’s 35’s Doubles: Jesse Ponwith & Bobby Bull def Josh Bates & Troy Wethe
Men’s 40’s Singles: Dan Marting def Bruce Nichols
Men’s 40’s Doubles: Dan Marting & Bruce Nichols def Paul Fennel & Dale Phillips
Men’s 45’s Singles: Randy Blanchard def Tom Foss
Men’s 45’s Singles Consi: Tim Piganelli def Joe Behmer
Men’s 45’s Doubles: Bob Maisner & Craig Haskell def Paul Burns & John Witter
Men’s 50’s Singles: Dane McNeill def Paul Harbison
Men’s 50’s Doubles: Dane McNeill & Kelly Davidson def Bob Maisner & Steve McCormick
Men’s 50’s Singles Consi: Bob Greenman def Bruce MacCarthur
Men’s 55’s Singles: Bill Austin def Lance Chanda
Men’s 55’s Singles Consi: Jim Allen def Stanislaw Konopka
Men’s 60’s Singles: Greg Kleiner def Mike DeMarco
Men’s 60’s Singles Consi: Alan Sauls def Mark Ashabranner
Men’s 60’s Doubles: David Elmore & Leo Lapane def Ray Price & Ken Brown
Men’s 65’s Singles: David Elmore def Ron Neilson
Men’s 65’s Singles Consi: Ron Pennell def Irwin Flink
Men’s 70’s Sinlges: Jack Sanders def Mike Bird
Mixed 35’s: Bruce Nichols & Nadine LeDuc def Bill & Tamara Austin

2009 Arizona Open, Sep 10th - 13th at the Village on Camelback.

The 2009 Arizona Open was huge success. This year’s Men’s Open singles draw was the largest draw in the Valley with 56 entrants. The women’s draw had a big 13 with great competition. The men’s doubles had 20 teams and the mixed had 6. The Arizona Open paid out a total purse of $3000. BTS and All About Tennis were the Title sponsors with lots of help from Half Moon Sports Grill, Village on Camelback, Cliff Bar, Adidas, Wilson and AZICE.

Chris Letcher the number 1 seed edged out his doubles partner Brendon Moore for the singles championship 7-6(4), 6-2. Brendon might have been tired as it was his 8th match of the tournament. He and Chris went on to win 2 more matches and take the doubles championships as well. We will be following these two on the USTA Pro Circuit and the ITF Circuits .

We had a great fight in the back draw too. Brian Grooms won the back draw winning 5 matches after losing his first round 9-7 in the 3rd set breaker.

Other big money winners included the following:

Men’s Open Singles

Winner – Chris Letcher
Finalist – Brendon Moore
Semifinalist – Rodrigo Navarro
Semifinalist – John Nanosky
Consolation Champ- Brian Grooms

Women’s Open Singles

Champion - Shikha Uberoi
Finalist – Nicole Melichar
Semifinalist - Chelsea Orr
Semifinalist – Lauren Colalillo
Consolation Champ- Vanessa Green

Men’s Open Doubles

Champion – Letcher/Moore
Finalist – Barragan/Uribe
Semifinalist - Nichols/Marting
Semifinalist – Neprsteck/Feuer
Consolation Champ- Taylor/Flynn

Mixed Open Doubles

Champion – Marting/Buterbaugh
Finalist – Sanchez/Brakage

Click here to see pictures.

Summerfest 2009 Senior Open - May 7th - 10th at the Village on Camelback.

The second annual Summerfest Senior Open at the Village was true to form. The Open division was highly competetive with Bojan Temunovic edging out Gustavo Sanchez in the final. Dan Marting and Jon Bonfilio braved the heat on Sunday to win back to back matches in the Open Doubles.

We had a great number of spectators as well braving the heat for the entire weekend. The Village was as great as always providing the best facility in Phoenix. A special thanks to All About Tennis for the help with the tennis balls and support throughout the tournament.

The Senior portion of the tournament was also competetive. Here are your champions and finalists:

Men's 30's - Clay Taylor d. Eric Jett

Men's 35's - Jeff Sikes d. Josh Bates

Men's 40's - Troy Wethe d. Randy Blanchard

Men's 45's - Rich Adams d. Tom Foss

Men's 50's - John Witter d. Felix Ponte

Men's 50's Doubles - Milsop/Mandel d. Fennell/Phillips

Men's 55's - Hunter Mattocks d. Lance Chanda

Men's 60's - Austin Mason d. Bruce Mowery

Men's 70's - Pierce Walsh d. Mike Bird

Women's Open S - Jaime Buterbaugh d. Stephanie Handleman

Women's Open D - Buterbaugh/Erickson d. Rangel/Webler

Women's 30's - Lisa Townsend d. Kate Baker

Women's 40 Doubles - Delgane/Knott d. Hing/Phillips

Mixed Open - Barragan/Vulovich d. Rangel/Mandel

Mixed 45's - Delgane/Blanchard d. Parks/Knott

Click here to see pictures from his event.

Phoenix Motor Company Mercedes Holiday Tournament - December 12th-14th, 2008
The Phoenix Motor Company Mercedes Holiday Tennis Tournament was a crowd please this past weekend. Over 500 spectators attended the event. Tour Professionals Nick Monroe and Angela Haynes took home the $3,000 Big Checks for winning their events. Jeff Williams was our Endurance champion as well as the Open Doubles Champion and Open Singles Finalist playing a total of 9 matches over the weekend.

Other Winners include:

Mark Smith & Kevin Gaughan - Men's 5.0 Champions

Dale Phillips & Paul Fennell - Men's 4.5 Champions

Jason Stewart & Nick Cristea - Men's 4.0 Champions

Dale Schaffer & Alejandro Joffra - Men's 3.5 Champions

Tamera Arthur & Leslie Rangel - Women's 4.5 Champions

Kristina Edmonson & Shelli Willingham - Women's 4.0 Champions

Betsy Hanusa & Jeanie Rogers - Women's 3.5 Champions

Click here to see pictures from his event.

USTA Phoenix Senior Open, 2008
The Phoenix Senior Open went off without a hitch. Over 100 players from around the Valley came out to the Phoenix Tennis Center to compete for their age division. The Phoenix Tennis Center was a gracious host for the tournament giving us lots of room to ensure a smooth flow to the tournament. I expect the 2009 tournament to be twice the size and 3 times the fun.

Arizona US Open, September 5th - 7th, 2008
The 1st Annual Transwestern Arizona Open was a HUGE success. It was the largest Open event in the Valley since 2001. Rodrigo Navarro took home the 1st place check of $800 in the singles. Jesse Ponwith and Bobby Bull took home the "Big Check" of $500 for winning the doubles event. It was a test of endurance and fitness. There were a few retired matches due to heat and exaustion. In the end it was a great contest for the high levels of tennis.

Click here to see pictures from his event.

The USTA just awarded BTS with another Open level tournament in the Spring month of April 2009. Keep you eyes open for details.

Our recent Summerfest Tournament, 2008 event at the Camelback Village Racquet & Health Club was a huge success. Thanks to all who came out! (Check out some photos here).

Click here to see pictures from some of our recent events!