Happy Holidays @White Oaks

For as long as most can remember, there’s been a tournament at White Oaks during the days between Christmas and New Year’s. It’s an ideal time for players returning home for the holidays to get together and renew acquaintances, and spectators enjoy the influx of very talented tennis players.

The 2024 event was played on December 27-31 and dedicated to the memory of Tim Kemp, beloved teaching pro who died suddenly in April. The event is part of the 2024 Circuit Ontario : Open Level 1000 Series, following others throughout the year in Thunder Bay, Ottawa, Markham and Vaughan (at Veneto). With a cash purse of $6000, the event was sponsored by the Ontario Sport Hosting Program (Neil Lumsden, Minister), and additional support from Yonex, Penn, Things Engraved, Merchant of Tennis, Tennis Canada and the OTA.

The women’s singles draw featured 38 players, including several coaches and juniors from SouthWest Region. Anna Tabunshchyk of Burlington is the 2024 champion, winning five matches including the 7-6(6),6-4 final versus Jelena Vico. This turned the tables on the result from the Circuit 1000 at Veneto during the week before Christmas, at which Jelena had won the singles title by defeating Anna in the final.

Anna and Jelena teamed up to win the White Oaks doubles title, defeating Annabelle Ganescu and Madeline Kroupetski 7-6(5), 6-2 in the final. Anna is just 16 years of age and is #238 in the ITF world junior rankings. At the end of January (conclusion of the first semester of her grade 11 school year), she plans to depart for training in Florida then to Antalya Turkey for WTA competition.

The men’s singles draw included 78 players, with Justin Boulais becoming the champion. After losing just 12 games in the first five rounds, Justin faced a stiffer test in the final where he defeated Jayden Templeman 6-3, 7-6(5). Since completing a student-athlete career at Ohio State, Justin has been pursuing professional tennis and achieved a career-high ATP ranking of #382 last October. His impressive play throughout the week was much enjoyed by the spectators, and gave players an up-close experience of tennis at a very high level.

The Boulais family name is easy to find at the Ontario Racquet Club. Justin’s sister, Isabelle, also played at Ohio State and now competes in WTA events. Yves Boulais is Tennis Director at the club and respected as a world class coach. Patricia Hy-Boulais is a Canadian Olympian (Atlanta 1996) and achieved a world ranking of #28 in 1993. She’s also a highly regarded mental performance coach. With a family residence in Oakville, we’re happy to cheer them all on, even though ORC is just across the border in Mississauga.

Men’s doubles was hotly contested from start to finish. Champions are the extra-tall team of Nicola Ion & Leo Lukic who defeated Lorenzo Del Biondo & Alessanvdro Sant’Angelo 6-4 6-1. Sentimental favourites early on were the team of Peter Bedard and Tanner Bedard. They pushed the eventual runners-up to 24 games in what looked like good preparation for father-son international competition now that Peter will be turning 60 years of age in January.

Emma Shea did a fabulous job as tournament director all week, ably supported by a team of officials who logged very long hours on the courts.