By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
On Friday, June 20, and Saturday, June 21, the inaugural Allegan Summer Open took place at Gary Ellis Courts near L.E. White Middle School.
Allegan High School tennis coach Damien Arthur—who organized the event—said the tournament was a rousing success.
“The feedback has been incredible,” Arthur said. “A few varsity coaches reached out to let me know their kids really enjoyed the event and had a blast. I’m really thrilled with the positive response we received.”
The tournament featured the following events: Boys 18-U and 14-U Singles; Girls 18-U and 14-U Singles; Boys and Girls 18-U Doubles; 14-U Doubles; and 18-U Mixed Doubles.
Players from at least seven cities participated, coming from as far away as Ludington.
In addition to Allegan and Ludington, cities represented included Hamilton, Otsego, Paw Paw, Portage and Caledonia.
“We had 36 singles players across the divisions and 19 doubles teams across the divisions,” Arthur said. “It was a great opportunity for players of all ages to get in some match play, against some great competition.”
The affordability of the tournament was also a big hit, according to Arthur.
“If you played in all three events—singles, doubles and mixed doubles—it would have cost you $39 total,” he said. “Most USTA tournaments are more expensive than that for just one event.
“Coaches, players and parents were really happy with an affordable event that still created an atmosphere of competitiveness driven by sportsmanship.”
Several Allegan players shined at the event, highlighted by a championship for Taylor Fuller and Hanna Kievit at Girls 18-U Doubles. In the finals, the team of Fuller/Kievit outlasted the Otsego team of Sara McCaw and Stella Houseman for the 2-4, 5-3, 10-6 victory.
Other solid performances for Allegan were:
- Girls 18-U Singles Consolation Champion: Sophia Augustine
- Boys 14-U Singles Runner-up: Cam Knoepke
- Girls 14-U Singles Champion: Ava Thompson
- Girls 14-U Singles Runner-up: Madison Knoepke
- 14-U Doubles Champions: Ava Kievit/Savannah Woodhams
- 14-U Doubles Consolation Champions: Ellowyn Waanders/Deacon Morgan
“We had a great turnout for our first year running this event, and the tennis was super competitive,” Arthur said. “Thank you to all of those that participated, and a special shout out to our hometown Tigers for taking home some hardware.
“This gave my high school and middle school players some valuable experience in terms of matchplay and seeing players outside of Allegan. It was a great opportunity to help our players grow and develop their games. I was very happy with the Allegan turnout for this event.”
The idea for the tournament came from Paw Paw boys varsity coach Matt Baleja, who wanted to provide additional playing opportunities for players in the area.
“(Baleja) asked if I would put on this event in hopes of creating a mini circuit for players in Southwest Michigan to get some experience outside of our normal summer programs. Paw Paw has been running a tournament the last few years at the end of July, so he thought it would be good to run one in June.
“Now, we’re hoping to maybe find another host to run one in the future to have more events. So the credit goes to him for pushing me to do it. I’m glad we were able to make it happen.”
Although this was the first Allegan Summer Open, Arthur is no stranger when it comes to organizing tournaments. In addition to running several high school events, he also helps with the Lions Club Tournament that concludes the Allegan Summer Tennis Program each year.
“Running the tournament brackets was just like any event we run during our high school season,” he said. “Trying to keep the tournament flowing as efficiently as possible was, always, a focus.
“Leading up to the event was a little different than what I am used to. You just have no clue who is going to sign up and how big the draws will be until that last day of sign-ups. For high school seasons, you know how many players and teams will be in attendance, and same with Lions Club.
“It was a new experience for me, but definitely one I will do again for the kids in Southwest Michigan.”
Arthur hopes that this tournament and the one held in Paw Paw will help expose even more youth players to the sport.
“Tennis can be a very expensive sport to play, and that can be a barrier to our great game for some,” he said. “Having tournaments like the Allegan Summer Open and Paw Paw’s tournament help foster a great experience for players who want to play tennis.
“Giving kids as many opportunities as possible will help gain interest in our sport, and hopefully help grow the great game of tennis.”
