News

USTA Awards Wheelchair Program Grants to 16 Programs Nationwide, including the GCTA

For the complete press release, download the pdf here.

Wheelchair Tennis a Hit in the Tri-State

Article courtesy of WCPO Channel 9 News. To view the article and video, click here.

CINCINNATI - While the Western and Southern Open recently ended in Mason, a different kind of tennis competition is still thriving in the Tri-State. Mercy HealthPlex in Anderson invites tennis enthusiasts in wheelchairs to compete and develop their skills in the sport. Emmy Kaiser is a wheelchair tennis player and a good one at that. She is from Fort Mitchell and has been playing tennis since she was 5 years old.

Most Saturdays you may find her playing with other wheelchair athletes at Mercy HealthPlex. Every Saturday afternoon from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. teaching pros Keri Preng and Ron Tolley challenge and encourage a growing number of wheelchair tennis players to better their games. Currently ranked No. 1 in the country, Kaiser will represent the United States against seven international wheelchair players hoping to become the US Open Champion. Play begins on Thursday, Sept. 8.

Wheelchair tennis at Mercy HealthPlex is open to the public. More information is available by calling 513-233-6805.

Four Enshrined to Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame

CINCINNATI – A college All-American in doubles, a two-time Ohio high school singles titleist, and two individuals whose names are nearly synonymous with the sport of tennis in Cincinnati were the latest to be enshrined into the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame in August.

Those enshrined were Dan Kronauge, John David Rauh, Bobbie Farley and Jim Farley. Kronauge was nominated in the “Recent Player Category” (those who played within the past 50 years), Rauh in the “Master Player Category” (those who played 50 or more years ago) and the Farleys were nominated in the “Contributor Category.”

“This is a particularly interesting class of the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame,” said Bill Lofgren, who is in his first year as Chairman of the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame and is a Hall of Famer himself. “Kronauge was successful at every level he’s played, Rauh continued the legacy of Tony Trabert at Walnut Hills High School in winning state titles, and the Farley’s and their family have contributed so much to tennis in Cincinnati it’s nearly impossible to calculate.”

The four were inducted on Center Court on Saturday, August 13, during the first weekend of the Western & Southern Open, the latest name for a Cincinnati tennis tradition that is today the oldest tournament in the nation played in its original city.

A reception/luncheon was held in the Grandstand Tent at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason to honor the four prior to the on-court enshrinement.

Kronauge (who now resides in Mason, Ohio) was a nationally ranked junior player and a 1986 high school champion in doubles while at Archbishop Alter High School in Kettering. He was ranked as high as No. 1 in doubles and No. 18 by the NCAA in singles while at Ball State University, and then went on to the men’s ATP pro tour, achieving a career-high ranking in doubles of 175 and winning six titles. He was a singles finalist in 1998 and seven-time doubles titleist (1998-2004) at the Thomas E. Price Cincinnati Metropolitan Championships.

Rauh won two Ohio high school singles titles (1949 & '50) while at Walnut Hills and then went on to captain the Harvard tennis team (in '54). He paired with Jim Brockhoff to win doubles titles at the Thomas E. Price Cincinnati Metropolitan Championships in 1960, '64, & '65, and reach four other Met doubles finals. Outside of tennis, Rauh was the CEO of Clopay from 1975 to 1985, was involved in Cincinnati’s Charter Party, as well as national efforts to reform political campaign financing.

Bobbie & Jim Farley (of Indian Hill) have dedicated a great deal of their lives to the sport of tennis and its promotion both inside and outside of Cincinnati. The parents of two Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Famers (Andrea & Angela Farley), both have volunteered and supported tennis at the international, national and local level. Among numerous other accomplishments, Bobbie has served many years as Chair of both the United States Tennis Association’s Constitution and Rules Committee and the National Membership Committee, and Jim has been founder and Chair of the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame. Both Bobbie and Jim have taken active leadership roles with the USTA/Midwest, the Ohio Valley Tennis Association, and the Greater Cincinnati Tennis Association.

About the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame
Cincinnati is home to world-renowned players, the oldest professional tournament played in its original city, and the first city ever selected by the International Tennis Hall of Fame as its “City of the Year.” The Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame was established in 2002 to honor the individuals who have helped forge the history, tradition and legacy of Cincinnati tennis. Bill Lofgren is the Chairman of the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame, which is a part of the Greater Cincinnati Tennis Association, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

The Selection Committee:
Marguerita Alder, Jim Brockhoff, Steve Contardi, Kathy Graeter, Brian Nester, Phil Smith

The Program Committee:
Bruce Flory, Dick Friedman, Brian Leshner, Carol Meldon, Karen Montavon, Phil Smith

Immediate Past Chairman:
Jim Farley

Past Enshrinees:

2002 – Bill Talbert & Tony Trabert
2003 – Barry MacKay, Paul Flory, Tom Price, Al Bunis, Ruth Sanders Cordes, Kathy Graeter & Nat Emerson
2004 – Bill Lofgren, J. Howard “Bumpy” Frazer, Marty Wolf & Clara Louise Zinke
2005 – Andrea Farley, Reuben Holden, Caroline Kuhlman, Jim Brockhoff & Jack Guggenheim
2006 – Henry Bunis, Steve Contardi, Winona Closterman & Carol Brestel
2007 – Heather Hairston-Propp, Joe O’Brien, Dave Power & Carol Tanner
2008 – Charles Thomas, Carl Lindner, Rich Lindner & Jeff Wolf
2009 – John Cook, Lynn Nabors-McNally, John Peckskamp, Angela Farley Wilson
2010 – Joe Leytze, Jim Meakin, Kara Molony-Hussey, Bill Pendl

GCTA Asks for Your Support in the Annual Fund Drive

The Greater Cincinnati Tennis Association continues to act as a conduit for area grant funds and encouragement of tennis programs. We do this with your generosity. We hope you will participate with us this year in supporting tennis through our annual fund drive.

In past years we have been able to help fund local programming and initiatives through your support. For example, 2010 saw tennis instruction for young people changing dramatically due to the recognition that very young players need an environment which allows them to learn to play tennis and not be swamped by the size of the racquets or the speed of the ball. Then there was the need to find affordable courts (usually means free) and someone to teach them how to play the game. All of this resulted in a new way to teach tennis called QuickStart… smaller sized racquets, lighter, slower balls, smaller courts & trained pros to teach. Next on the list was the challenge of getting parents, pros and teachers involved. This is where GCTA is involved.

GCTA Grants were made available for a program named "Adopt a School" in which arrangements were put in place to take QuickStart equipment and training into school system's Phyical Education units. Local pros sponsor a school, providing the QuickStart Pro and the program. This first year fifteen schools have agreed to add tennis to their PE programs and interest is growing.

Additionally, our Prince Rookie Tournament Series for ages up to 14 is still growing. Twenty sessions are on the 2011 schedule. Sixteen area Clubs are looking forward to hosting the twenty sessions and the additional Age 8 & Under QuickStart sessions. The entire series is being reformatted to follow the new guidelines for junior tennis. GCTA applauds the various teaching pros, officials and clubs who have stepped up to bat in absorbing the changes.

To make a tax deductible donation to the GCTA, please send a check made out to the GCTA to:

Greater Cincinnati Tennis Association
P.O. Box 30197
Cincinnati, OH 45230-0197

USTA 10 & Under Rule Change: Tournaments to use QuickStart format

Effective January 1, 2012 there will be new rules governing competition for 10-and-under tennis tournaments. The new rules require that these tournaments be played using slower-moving and lower-bouncing balls, on smaller courts and utilizing shorter, lighter racquets. Using this new QuickStart Tennis play format, kids are able to rally and play the game early on. That makes tennis fun and increases the likelihood that kids will come back to play again and again, improving their skills with each trip to their local court.

The specifications for the revised system hold that all tournaments for those ages 9-10 be played on 60-foot courts using orange low-compression tennis balls and regulation nets (3 feet at the center) or, for those more experienced and more skilled players, on 78-foot courts with green lower-compression balls. Tournaments for those 8 and under are to be played on 36-foot courts using red foam balls and nets at a height of 2 feet, 9 inches. To learn more about the new rules, visit the USTA's page here.

The Mens Pro League 2011-12

The Men's Pro League has started another promising year. Forty of our strongest area players love to battle it out on Friday nights from September thru March. You can find them at a different club each week and the prize money goes to the top three teams. This year the matches are held at Western Tennis & Fitness Club, The Club at Harper's Point, Queen City Racquet & Fitness Club, Five Seasons KY and South Regency Fitness Center.

The League also donates a portion of its prize money each year to benefit the tennis community. It has adopted GCTA as its charity partner to help with its mission to expand tennis for all. You will find the league listed here on our Donors Page.

If you love to watch good tennis, the league will begin at Western Tennis & Fitness Club. Click on their website listed our links page for the details of this year.

History of Cincinnati Tennis Books On Sale! 

Two books written by Cincinnati Natives have hit bookshelves!

The Origin & History of The Cincinnati Metropolitan Tennis Tournament by Brian Nester with a foreword by Tony Trabert was first released this past summer at the annual Met Tournament. Nester has devoted countless hours in researching old articles from the local papers to chronicle a detailed history of the Metropolitan Tournament as it was and is now. The book features a wide array of articles that have been 'clipped' out beginning with the first ever Met tournament. This is a book for Cincinnati Tennis fans! Books are $12 each and can be found at both Kenwood Tennis Pavilion and Samuels.

From Club Court to Center Court: The Evolution of Professional Tennis in Cincinnati by Philip Smith is currently in its ninth edition. This is the first complete compilation of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters & Women's Open ever produced. The book chronicles all the tournaments' years, including the earliest starting in 1899 to 1968, known as the Pre-Open Era. Never before published details are also included in this detailed history. Books are $17.95 including shipping and handling. To order, call 513-651-0303 or email info@cincytennis.com .