’24 Steve Stevens Masters

2024 Steve Stevens Masters

The annual Steve Stevens Masters Championships were held in Toronto on August 25-31. With 12 age categories from 30 to 85, the mammoth event included 621 players from across Canada, with more than 1200 matches played.

Masters tennis has become a global phenomenon, with the ITF World Masters Tour now comprising over 500 tournaments in 75 countries, and 35,000 players registered. Masters tennis provides motivation for adult players to continually improve both their fitness and their tennis skills, while travelling the world with friends old and new. The largest age categories at this year’s Steve Stevens Masters were 55+ and 60+, with 70+ among the fastest-growing. (Interestingly enough, the smallest division was 35+ for women.)

Players competed last week for medals in singles and doubles. Ranking points are accumulated at events over the course of the year, and Tennis Canada invites the top-ranked players to play for Canada in international team competition.

We’ve spotted 24 players from SouthWest Region in last week’s draws. Please let us know if there are others. Congratulations to all, and especially to the champions : Diana Dimmer, Alison Hannah-Taylor, Anne Hill and Keith Porter.

Diana and her partner Lee Myers (who is from SouthamptonTC) won the women’s doubles in both 60+ and 65+ divisions. They’re on the right in the featured photo above, with Irwin Tobias in the centre, and twin sisters Paula Barsky and Francine Bishinsky on the left. Diana was happy to credit Charlotte (Petrick) Hawswell with some helpful playing lessons at the Niagara-on-the-Lake TC in preparation for the tournament.

Keith Porter also was a double winner, taking the 70+ singles versus Brian Millar, and teaming with Rosti Brankovsky (Toronto) to defeat Sydney Azancot (Montreal) and Steve Yesowick (Vancouver) in the doubles. Keith is on the left in the photos below.

Anne Hill (Rosedale Tennis Club) is the 75+ champion in singles and a finalist (with Jeannette McGlone) in doubles. She’s pictured at Toronto Lawn with her gold medal, and in the Tennis Canada photo with Jeannette McGlone from Halifax (on the left) and Liz Lecavalier from Victoria (on the right).

Mark Ableman (50) Tyandaga TC

Jane Bedard (55) Welland TC

Michael Bedard (60) Niagara

Mark Bedard (65) Niagara-on-the-Lake

Paul Bedard (60) Welland TC

Peter Bedard (55) Welland TC

Diana Dimmer (65)* Niagara-on-the-Lake

Anne Douglas (55) Hamilton TC

Steve Fricker (65) Hamilton TC

Susan Hamilton (55) Cedar Springs

Alison Hannah-Taylor (60)* Welland TC

Anne Hill (75)* Rosedale TC

Scott Jeffreys (50) Niagara

Sameer Kochhar (50) Aldershot TC

Anne Kravchenko (55) Grimsby TC

Eliot Macdonald (55) Hamilton TC

Brian Millar (70) Carlisle TC

Mike Mitchell (60) Milton TC

Mike O’Neill (55) Halton

Keith Porter (70)* St Catharines

Anne Rungi (75) Niagara

Paula Sousa (45) Halton

Charles Wright (55) White Oaks

Gil White (65) Welland TC

Irwin Tobias Is Tennis Canada’s Advisor, Masters Tennis & Events. Subscribe to the TENNIS MASTERS NEWSLETTER by sending a request to Irwin’s Email.

View Tennis Canada resources for Masters Tennis.

View The 2024 Masters event schedule in Canada.

View the Ranking system.