Diary of a Region Chair

April 19, 2025

For the second time this year, an Instructors Certification program has been presented by OTA in SouthWest Region.  For the middle two weekends of April (with online work during the in-between days as well), 13 players devoted themselves to learning the fundamentals of tennis coaching under the direction of facilitator Scott Hurtubise.  Along with lots of technical details and management of groups, they learned the importance of professional standards and ethics.

Some of the new coaches are young players, looking forward to summer employment at community clubs.  Others are lifelong players motivated by a desire to “give back” by sharing their love of the game with entry-level players and by helping out at their clubs in whatever way they can.  They’re all vitally important to the health and continued growth of tennis, and we’re deeply appreciative of their commitment.  Thanks also to Scott, to Andrew Chappell at the OTA office, and to the Niagara Academy of Tennis which provided the courts.

April 10, 2025

What’s Spec Tennis?  It’s FAST, FUN and SOCIAL!

This week marked the conclusion of the winter season for Spec Tennis in Niagara.  This modified version of tennis is our answer to pickleball, as it’s easy to learn and gives us a break with a slower-speed ball and a smaller court.  The scoring and general format are essentially like tennis.  It can be played on a pickleball/badminton court, or in the service boxes on a standard-size tennis court.

The game was invented by Nate Gross – a tennis director in the US.  The website has testimonials from other experienced coaches and tennis directors who find it an invaluable addition to their program offerings and teaching aids.  In the future, we hope to see Spec Tennis played as an optional format in all tennis clubs, since it requires no adjustments to regular tennis courts and can be enjoyed by club members of all levels.  It’s particularly helpful for entry-level players, or those for whom injuries make the full-size court and full-speed balls impractical, and for groups of mixed tennis levels in which a small-court game is more enjoyable.

Spec Tennis Niagara plays all winter on Tuesday afternoons at the Niagara Academy Of Tennis in Vineland, and at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Centre on Thursday evenings.  Games will continue on outdoor courts throughout the summer months.

CLICK HERE to check out the website.  Or HERE for the YouTube site.

April 12, 2025

The Annual General Meeting for OTA was held today at Sobeys Centre in Toronto.  Delegates from all of OTA’s 10 regions gathered in the space used as the Players Lounge during the NBO.  The program started with continental breakfast, and ended with lunch in the courtside dining room and tennis in the bubbled courts that are used for practice during the NBO.

Dianne Weatherby presented her final annual report, having chaired the OTA board for four years (term limit).  She introduced the new chair, Arthur Wolf, who also brings a lifetime of tennis experience to the role.  Arthur introduced the starting point for a new Strategic Plan and invited member clubs to reach out with input regarding what is most important from their point of view.  Participation is welcomed over the next couple of months.

The NBO team from Tennis Canada presented an overview of this year’s tournament, with a variety of incentives for clubs to purchase a suite and to promote ticket purchasing among club members.  Clubs were also able to make personal connections with the reps from OTA sponsors.

The AGM is a significant date on the tennis calendar each year,  Clubs are encouraged to attend as it helps to broaden our perspective as well as provide for new connections.  There were 18 of us from SouthWest Region on Saturday (plus two board members who reside in Burlington : KK Magi and Jamie Gordon).  It was a large and busy room, so we were happy to gather 15 of 18 for a quick photo.

April 11, 2025

The long-awaited St Catharines Tennis Club courts at Merritton Park began to spring into life today with a work party that carried on despite a temperature of 4 degrees.

The courts have been lined for play on the bare asphalt in order to take advantage of any better weather between now and when it’s warm enough to apply the tennis-court colour-coatings in late May.

Nets are up and the work crew was fully occupied with erecting windscreens, assembling picnic tables, mounting signs and the notice board, and prepping other amenities.

On the job today : Anne Kravchenko, Arif Ali, Brian Cruise, Chris Richard, Hal Evans, Hank Andrulis, Keith Porter, Larry Greenspan, Oscar Turchi and Paul Bedard.  Tamara Shephard stopped by from the city’s corporate communications department to take this photo and learn more about the club’s plans for the outdoor season.

A full slate of activities is scheduled, with everything expected to be in full swing by the last week of April.  Check out the website at https://www.stcatharinestennisclub.com/

April 4, 2025

Congratulations to Lily Rochon of Oakville, winner of both the U16 and U18 girls doubles in the 2025 Fischer National Indoor Championships.  The U16 was played in Verdun, Quebec with the final being on March 27.  A week later, Lily won the U18 doubles at Sobeys stadium in Toronto.   Her partners were Laurence Demers in the U16 (from Quebec) and Charlize Celebrini in the U18 (from BC).

Lily also reached the singles finals of the U16, where Isabelle Yan emerged as the champion.  

Lily lives in Oakville, and trains at the Ontario Racquet Club in nearby Mississauga.  She had two other national doubles titles to her name prior to this.  It’s becoming something of a tradition for girls resident in SWR to excel in doubles, with Andrea Cabio, Anna Tabunshchyk, Bianca Ceroni, Payton Dith and Alessia Lungu all winning national doubles titles in recent years.  

March 27, 2025

Charleston, South Carolina :  It was a trip to see the WTA500 tournament while also enjoying the spring that hasn’t yet arrived in SWR.  We were in a VRBO on a residential street and were astonished to come upon this exquisite spot a block away.  The Tiny Tennis Museum is the creation of Jim McCready, one of North America’s foremost tennis collectors. It’s a true labor of love, and had opened just a few days before our visit.  The building is no more than 15’ wide and 25’ deep, but it’s packed with beautiful displays that cover 150 years of tennis history.

You can read about Jim’s collection on his website : The Driftway Collection.

Tennis Collectors of America also has a small website.

March 16, 2025

Porto, Portugal; March 9th : the final match of the W75 ITF tournament : Victoria Mboko (Canada) defeats Harriet Dart (Great Britain) 6-1 6-1.  An emphatic result over a seasoned player ranked #116 in the world. Wow!

It’s Vicky’s fifth singles title of the year, with 25 main draw wins – the most by any player on the ITF World Tennis Tour. Wow!

This definitely creates ripple effects.  On March 13th, it was announced that Vicky will make her first appearance for Team Canada at the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers in Tokyo on April 11-13.  Wow! The team will try to beat Romania and Japan to advance to the finals in November. 

And Vicky has been awarded a wild card to make her first appearance in a WTA1000 event at the Miami Open.  Her first-round match will be on the 18th or 19th, against Columbian player Camila Osorio. They’re in the fourth quarter of the draw, anchored by Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys. Wow!

To top things off,  Vicky is the subject of this terrific article in Tennis Sweet Spot, the newsletter of Carole Bouchard, an excellent writer from France.  Wow!

March 11, 2025

Congratulations to Landon Cruz of Grimsby, presented with the Fair Play Award for the 2025 Yonex Under 12  Ontario Indoor Championships.

Landon excelled in U9 and U10 competition in 2024.  This year, he has dedicated himself to the U12 division despite being still eligible for U10, and  earned enough points in the first two months of the season to win a spot in the qualifying draw for the provincials.  He was among 32 boys, each looking for one of 8 places available in the main draw.  Landon won his first match 6-3,7-5, then won the second round 6-1, 2-6, 13-11.  That cliffhanger propelled him into the main draw, to be one of the 32 top U12 boys in Ontario.  

His first round was very close, losing to Egor Dobrovolsky 7-6(3), 6-2.  The consolation round was even closer, losing to Danniel Zheng 6-4, 5-7, 10-7.  Throughout those four matches, Landon’s comportment and sportsmanship caught the eye of the event organizers, resulting in his selection for the prestigious award.

Landon can be seen on the courts of the Grimsby TC as well as most anywhere tennis will be played in SWR this summer.  Be sure to say hello and let him know his example is appreciated.

March 9, 2025

The Niagara Region Tennis Network manages year-round competition for keen players, anchored by Sunday afternoon team tennis at Youngs Sportsplex from September through May.  Munzil and Tan Qureshi started team tennis in 2017, in tribute to the Canada Games coming to Niagara, and have completed about 24 series since then.  

The 2025 Winter series concluded this weekend, with the Purple Panthers winning the championship after 8 weeks of play.  About 100 players compete in each series, with 64 regulars assigned to the 8 teams and others filling in as needed.  The genius of Munzil keeps the courts filled and the scorelines close … again and again and again.  Huge congratulations to all!

The Spring series starts in two weeks.  It’s an abbreviated round with six teams.

February 19, 2025

The 3rd annual OTA/TPA Tennis Symposium was held today at Sobeys Stadium at York University in Toronto. The event featured on-court presentations of interest to coaches, trainers and other tennis leaders.

Andy Sutton demonstrated strategies for engaging adult players and effectively managing large groups on court. His secrets : (1) Every player is deserving of respect at their present point of experience. (2) Adults are big kids at heart!

Katy Shulaeva spoke of the critical role of creating pressure situations in training, and demonstrated with U12 players how this can be done with care and tact. If we expose kids to the emotions of pressure and adversity every day, they can learn to be comfortable with feeling uncomfortable.

Andre Labelle gave two very special presentations : one on developing doubles skills and tactical priorities for U12 players … the other on key learnings from a 2024 Italian Tennis Federation U14 Match Play Tour. With Italy leading the world in player development in recent years, there’s much to learn. Two key elements for young players : competition in a team environment, and doubles play.

There was also a discussion regarding injuries in young players, especially in spotting potential areas of weakness or misalignment before they develop into serious problems. This was of particular interest to Jenny Brown, part of the SWR contingent on the day. Her practiced eye was able to discern issues in the movement patterns of the young players.
In order to minimize injuries, ACE Tennis partners with Honsberger Physio for its programs.

February 15, 2025

Ten eager future-coaches are undertaking the TPA Instructor Certification program this weekend and next at the Niagara Falls Racquet Centre.  About half are from SWR, with Niagara, Hamilton and Halton all represented.  Others have traveled from Newmarket and London despite the heaviest snow event of the season. 

Course conductor Scott Hurtubise is also the tennis director at NFRC.  With over 2500 coaches trained throughout his illustrious career, he’s often on the road for these programs and thus happy to be hosting on his home courts. 

Congratulations to the new trainees : we’ll be needing each of you this summer!

February 14, 2025

Happy Valentines Day from Court 1.

This foursome has been playing together each Monday and Friday morning from 9:00-10:30, from mid-October through to May, ever since Youngs SportsPlex opened in Welland in 2012.  As correspondent Gene Kiernicki says : “Yikes, that’s a long time!”

During the outdoor season, play moves outdoors to the Welland TC and various other groupings.  Their friendship extends to socializing along with their families for holidays, birthdays, theatre, pool parties and special events.

It’s often said that tennis extends the life expectancy of players, and group friendships are a huge contributing factor. We’d love to hear other such stories from around the region.  What’s yours?

February 9, 2025

It isn’t very often that a Canadian player wins a 500-level tournament, so today’s Dallas Open is definitely worthy of note. Denis Shapovolov defeated Casper Ruud to earn the biggest title of his career.  His tough draw required wins over Miomir Kecmanovic, Taylor Fritz (#1 seed), Tomas Machac (#6 seed) and Tommy Paul (#3 seed) before meeting the #2 seed in the final.

Christopher Clarey is a highly-respected tennis writer and observer.  He wrote this very complimentary appreciation on his substack newsletter :

A Shapo Revival?  Bring on the dazzle.

Congratulations, Denis!

February 3, 2025

It’s the morning-after-the-night-before, the weekend having been spent watching the Davis Cup tie in Montreal. Pete Borkowski does a great job of writing for the Tennis Canada website and you’ll find the story here. From the local point of view, Captain Frank Dancevic did Niagara so very very proud as always, and Dr Taran Ohson (Kinetic Cleanse in Hamilton/Burlington) played an important role in keeping the team healthy and fit.

Canadian tennis fans came from far and wide, including Paul, Peter and Jane Bedard from Niagara. They’ve known Liam Draxl all his life, so were delighted to see him play alongside Vasek Pospisil in what turned out to be Vasek’s 35th and final Davis Cup.

Remember the name Liam Draxl. And if ever you have an opportunity to see him play, best advice is run-don’t-walk to that court as fast as you can. He embodies the Joy of Tennis and is huge fun to watch.

Photos by Pascal Ratthe

February 2, 2025

Victoria Mboko will forever be connected to Burlington tennis for all those who watched her play throughout the city since 2010. Relocation to Montreal for the National Training Centre came around the time of the global pandemic, and injuries brought other speed bumps.

But today, Vicky Mboko is back on track and flying high. At age 18, her WTA ranking today is 215 and she’s just won her third professional tournament of 2025. Congratulations!!

Fans find her on the socials, and there’s also much to read about her on the www. Here are a few links :

ITF Player Profile
Tennis Canada Player Profile
OTA : All in the Family
OTA : Growing Up Down Under
TC : Where I’m Raised

January 24, 2025

David Orde, Manager of the Rosedale Tennis Club, was happy to host Andrew Chappell, our OTA Manager, Membership & Regional Development, at the club today.  Andrew made the drive to Hamilton to bring congratulations for the club’s remarkable achievement in rebuilding its four hard courts and adding the dome covering.

Increasing our indoor court capacity is top priority for both Tennis Canada and OTA.  During 2024, five new facilities became available in Ontario, with a total of 25 indoor courts.  Two are in Peel Region (PRC Mississauga and PRC Brampton) another in Vaughan (SmartVMC Racquetsports by ACE) and one in Newmarket (Keith Davis Tennis Centre).  But Rosedale’s project is the only one undertaken by a community club.

This was made possible by years of planning, alongside relationship-building with the City of Hamilton.  Rosedale’s track record, combined with the City’s positive experience with its support for the Ancaster TC, led to an interest-free loan to close the gap on the capital investment needed.  The loan will be repaid in a few short years, making funds available for other such projects.

This brings Rosedale’s indoor capacity to 8 courts, with a total of 12 courts available during the outdoor season.  The club celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023, and we can’t imagine a more outstanding way to begin a new century.  Congratulations!

January 23, 2025

It’s winter in Ontario, snowy and sub-zero outside.  Our tennis fix comes by way of the Australian Open, with the late evening matches in Melbourne showing up on TV during early-morning breakfast in our time zone.  Crank up the coffee and the fireplace.  Enjoy the lively and colourful tennis world down-under. 

This superb semi-final finished in full daylight here (after midnight in Melbourne), with Madison Keys coming out ahead of Iga Swiatek by a score of 10-8 in the third-set tiebreak. Awesome tennis!

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