The 2007 Jimmy Dunn Court Tennis Tournament brought 68 players to Philadelphia in 6 different flights, from as close as a block away ( “A” champion Ted Manges) to as far as London ( Richard East and his band of Marauders). The weekend was a centenary celebration of the Philadelphia Racquet Club’s facility. The club was at its zenith and spared no expense in providing a truly memorable weekend for its participants. Bill McLaughlin and his committee truly outdid themselves with their organization and flawless execution. Due to so many divisions, play commenced for some of the locals beginning Wednesday night and again on Thursday night. There was a big push on Friday to get all the matches in on time so that everyone could enjoy the cocktail party sponsored by Tiffany. It was a great opportunity to see wonderful gift ideas displayed beautifully by the models in attendance. Tiffany gave everyone who attended a china miniature Tiffany box and presented a plate commemorating the centenary to club President Glenn Partridge on behalf of the club. The night proved just the start to a wonderful weekend. Saturday play continued throughout the day again with matches being played on time to accommodate everyone to get ready for the Saturday night Black Tie extravaganza. 375 people were in attendance for our Centennial celebration of our club at its 215 South 16th Street location. Emceeing the event, Bill McLaughlin called on the past Presidents of the Club to say a few words. Ed Noll, our current General Manager, received a standing ovation and thanked the Presidents for all of their hard work in keeping the club going through all of its good and tough times. He also took time in thanking all of his staff who work so tirelessly for all of the club’s membership. After the speeches and dinner the club rocked until the wee hours with a band in the Reading room and a Cabaret jazz group at our Lunch Counter. It was a magical night where the guests were treated to a red carpet night. Sunday started way too early for some but as players know, “play must be continuous”. Some contestants were able to get fortified by a tremendous brunch. In all it was a grand celebration of a grand facility. Special thanks go to our Professionals, Head Pro Rob Whitehouse and his assistant Barney Tanfield, to the visiting Professionals who assisted in the marking, to Ed Noll and his entire staff, to our current Club President Glenn Partridge and the entire Board of Governors, to Andrew Purcell and his Athletic Committee, to Bill McLaughlin and his Centennial Committee, and especially to Paige Yager and her Entertainment Committee.
The Open division consisted of four very evenly balanced teams leaving the title up in the air for whoever brought their best game. That team wound up being Ivan Ronaldson, head professional at Washington’s Prince’s Court and Rich Moroscak also from Prince’s court. Their combination of superb volleying from Rich and superb forcing from Ivan led them to three tight victories over tough opponents.
In the “A” division (also thought to be anybody’s to win or lose) it was 4 Philadelphian’s who made up the final match of the tournament. Christian Bullitt and Norris Jordan faced off against Andrew Purcell and Ted Manges. Spectators and players alike remarked that the match had a curiously surrealistic flow with momentum switching as often as the teams changed sides. It was Manges and Purcell who ultimately maintained control at the end of the match squeaking out a victory in the third set.
The “B” tennis saw very competitive matches through the round robin rounds, with the team of Steve Sader and Matt Hyde having impressive wins over David Boenning and Jane Lippincott and then again against John Noel and Jack Graham to make the final. Bill McLaughlin and Michael Do’s dominant serving helped edge out both Kirk Poulton and Blake Henderson and Brian Owens and Mark Lewenstein to grab the other slot in final. The final saw Sader and Hyde hit more openings whether they were off the strings or off the handle than any “B” final in the history of the event.
The C Division was also another division that was up for grabs, from division one we saw Bill Cartier and Jacque Bromberg squeak out a Three set win over Jules Zacher and temple Grassi 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, to make it to the finals. Division two was a bit of an upset with newcomers Mark Carson and Jordan Krevitz overpowering the field with two straight set victories to reach the finals. Nerves and experience played a role in the Finals with Cartier and Bromberg winning 6/3, 6/2.
The D division had mix of old and new names which is great to see. Division 1 Schuyler Wicks and Justin May came up one game short in the third set to Andy Kinzler and Vin Maiello. In division two Gary Multer and David Sterrett made too many great gets to squeak out wins against Arthur Drane and Jen Winthrop and also over Joe Tomaino and Bill Burgin. The Finals Sterrett and Multer were much too strong for Kinzler and Maiello 6/3, 6/3.
The E division saw some spirited rallies throughout the weekend. The Finals went too Arthur Whitcomb(R&T) and Richard Gilder (Tux) over Bill Russo and Skip Elliott (Newport) 6/2, 6/2.
Complete results for the weekend are attached.
