If you are a 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5 or 5.0 women’s singles or doubles player and are interested in joining one of the teams for the next season, please contact Karen Grams at (949) 457-0691 or sundowners@itasite.com.   Obviously some players will be returning (the pros aren’t the ONLY players that pursue multiple championships J), but we usually have a few openings each season to add new players.  The season runs September through May with a break from mid-December to mid-January.  New rosters must be submitted in August, so don’t delay.

The annual ITA end-of-year party was held Sunday, May 15th.  The rain came early in the morning but left by 10:30 a.m. so ITA did a little party reversal. We had those in attendance dine on the catered lunch first, followed by the raffle drawing.   After that, we started the tennis round robin with all eight courts filled.

We had a competitive tennis division and Joyce Kim and Michael Zhang won that.  They received crystal glasses with pewter tennis racquets on them.  Charlie Niles and Hugh Harvey won the recreational division and each won Starbucks gift cards—did anyone tell them it was a mixed doubles event?

Raffle prizes and some winners were Michael and Anneke Chang—a case of tennis balls, David Matsuyma–a Dunlop backpack and “Players Welcome” doormat, Jason Richolt–a case of beer which he shared with all, Karen Grams–a Wilson racket bag and suntan lotion kit, Sheryl Mattson–a bottle of wine and a can of special leopard print tennis balls (oh la la!), Trung and Sam Nguyen–tennis grips and a Dunlop racket bag big enough to carry either one of them in it, and Nan who won a black and gold racket bag that Ray will most likely claim.

Those were just some of the prizes we can remember but thank you to all who showed up at 11:30 a.m. and we missed those of you who couldn’t make the later start time due to afternoon commitments.

We will be having a summer barbeque round robin so look forward to that announcement.

ITA members have also been asked to play against the Irvine Korean Tennis Association for a fun-friendly tournament.  The Korean Association has graciously offered to provide all the food and ITA will provide the balls and water.  That date has yet to be decided.

All of the present serving ITA board members were re-elected.   Any ITA member who is interested in serving on the board, please let Nan know.

Registration has begun for “City of Irvine Tennis Program presents: A Professional Growth Weekend for Teachers and Coaches of Tennis”. To register for the event, please visit http://irvinetennisdevelopment.tripod.com/.

You must complete the registration form and payment form in order to fully register for the conference. You must have a Paypal account to pay for the event. You can create a Paypal account when you click on the link to pay for the event. If you are having difficulty in paying, please e-mail tennis@cityofirvine.org or call Steve at 949-724-6617.

For more information, please visit the website http://irvinetennisdevelopment.tripod.com/, e-mail tennis@cityofirvine.org or call Steve at 949-724-6617.

Reserve your spot now for the most popular ITA event of the year!

Date: Sunday, May 15, 2011
Location: Woodbridge High School Tennis Center (corner of Alton and Lake)
Time: 8:30am – 1:00pm
Cost: $10 for ITA members or $15 for guests/non-members
RSVP to: Nan at nandiesenng@sbcglobal.net or 949-651-0626

Includes a morning of random tandem mixed doubles tennis (no partner necessary, you may sign up individually), morning snacks, full catered Hawaiian style lunch by Tummy Teasers, short annual business meeting followed by a raffle with fabulous tennis prizes!

In an effort to make the event a more enjoyable experience for everyone, tennis play will be divided into two groups this year:

Competitive Division – higher level group for players seeking more serious tennis, suggested for competitive players 4.0 or above
Recreational Division – lower level group for players seeking decent tennis and a social, enjoyable atmosphere. Suggested for players 4.0 and below or Seniors.

Please include the division you would like to play in when you RSVP to Nan.

An annual sportsmanship award was initiated this year in memory of Jim Adams, a great guy and very  popular  ITA player who recently died of a heart attack.  Another great guy, Trung Nguyen won this year’s award.

The 2011 Irvine Open Tennis Tournament concluded after two weekends of play on Sunday Feb. 16 at Heritage Park.

Aaron Yovan, former University High and UC Irvine star, won the men’s open singles title for the second  consecutive year, defeating Joseph Kasnetz of Honolulu, Hawaii In the final match by a score of 6-2, 6-1.  Yovan was in top form, playing through five rounds without dropping a set and received a $500 cash prize for his effort.

Now in its 21st year, the Irvine Open is a USTA sanctioned tournament sponsored jointly by the Irvine Tennis Association and the City Of Irvine.  John Sustersic, in his 2nd year as tournament director, reported that 147 players participated in this year’s event, competing in 14 categories.  John did another outstanding  job both times. (Even better this year without the rain and mud problems.)  He and his staff thank all of the ITA members who volunteered to work during the two weekends and also those who played in the tournament.  Ray and Nan Ng were, as always, extremely generous in time and effort put forth.  Charlie Niles , Gary Bird and Suzanne Frank worked especially hard and long hours.

Results of other final matches:

Men’s Open Doubles:  Trever Dobson/Andy Gerst d. Darren Yates/Julian Barham 6-4, 6-3

Men’s 5.0 Singles:  Bruce Beinlich d. Keith Hoang 6-7, 6-3, 6-3

Men’s 5.0 Doubles:  Nguyen/Roest d. Thaung/Fong  6-2, 4-6, 6-3

Women’s 5.0 Doubles:  Tina Vuong d. Stephanie Fong  6-3, 6-0

Men’s 4.5 Singles:  Jason Nyguyen d. David LangLe  1-6, 6-3, 6-0

Men’s 4.5 Doubles:  Gallagos/Wong d. Fernandez/Muse  1-6, 6-4, 6-1

Men’s 4.0 Singles:  Jamison Hart d. Ryan Holmes  6-3, 6-1

Men’s 4.0 Doubles:  Abrigo/Ranches d. Matsumoto/Tsubakihara  Def

Women’s 4.0 Singles:  Kim Hackworth d. Jenny Johnson  6-0, 6-4

Women’s 4.0 Doubles:  Frank/Webler d. Bina/Tran  7-6(7-3), 6-2

Mixed 4.0 Doubles:  Bird/Frank d. Hackworth/Sustersic  6-2, 7-6(7-5)

Men’s 3.5  Singles:  Paul Yanez d. Ryan Farshani  6-4, 6-7(7-4), 6-4

Submitted by Joe Bowerbank (949)378-4613

Congratulations to Charlie Niles and his team from Laguna Woods for making it to the Super Seniors 7.0 Men’s finals at Indian Wells this past weekend.

City of Irvine Tennis Community,

Please look out for any non-tennis misconduct on any City of Irvine tennis courts, including but not limited to soccer play and skateboarders.  Recently, there has been an increase in the abuse of tennis equipment on the courts.  Not only is it costly to fix, but also impedes the usage of the tennis courts.

If you witness any of this inappropriate behavior, please contact:

City Park Staff (if available)

1. Park Ambassadors
   1. 949-254-1444
   2. 949-337-5238
2. Irvine Police Dispatch 949-724-7200

The Irvine Open tournament will take place February 5-6, 12-13 in Irvine, Ca.  Entry deadline is February 2, 2011.

Download the Tournament Entry Form

Click HERE to go to the USTA Irvine Open Tournament page.

• Singles, Doubles, Mixed.
• Divisions 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, Open
• Trophies for all divisions except Open ( cash prize )

All Entries Require USTA Membership.

Tournament Director:  John Sustersic 714-335-1631.  ITA number 949-786-8088

New! Member Photo Album. Email your digital photos to gsxrtim76 at hotmail.com if you want them to be posted here.