Tennis Topics
Published: July 12, 2009, Richmond Tennis Association website
McDonald's tournament attractive to players, sponsors
by John Packett, RTA Staff Writer
How badly do people want to play in the McDonald's Mid-Atlantic Open Clay Court Tennis Championships at Salisbury Country Club?
Well, Kano Solomon drove more than 14 hours from Boston for his first-round match today against Daniel Kane-West. "I actually came straight here ... to the courts," said Solomon, who was penalized three games for being late but still wound up beating Kane-West 4-6, 6-1, 6-1.
"This is a nice tournament. I like it a lot. It's very social and people are very friendly. It's a beautiful tournament."
That's exactly what Bill Barnes and Scott Steinour had in mind when they agreed in 1999 to take over this tournament, which had been played at Atlantic Coast Athletic Club (formerly Briarwood) and was then known as the State Clay Court Championships.
"It's grown quite a bit since 1999," said Steinour, who is also director of tennis at Chesterfield County club.There was $10,000 in prize money available 10 years ago, and the purse has swelled to $30,000 this year, with the winners of the men's and women's singles titles taking home $3,000. That has attracted stellar fields in recent years.
"The prize money has definitely had something to do with the quality of play," said Steinour. "Everyone enjoys all the stuff we do for them, too. The skyboxes have been a huge success. Plus, all the amenities we provide for the players."
Food and beverages are available throughout the tournament and a catered party highlights the week.
This year, Salisbury was able to place a skybox over the walkway between courts, so that players and sponsors can watch activity on six courts. The skybox straddles courts 1-4 and the two show courts right off the large pavilion.
Thanks in large part to the work of Barnes, sponsorships have increased from five in 1999 to 49 this year, Steinour said. Barnes, a tennis player himself who is a franchisee owner of several area McDonald's restaurants, enjoys backing the tournament.
"Our commitment in 1999 was to eventually have the best tennis tournament in Virginia," says Barnes. "We have exceeded that goal."
David McNamara, a native Australian who is the head men's coach at Middle Tennessee State, has been coming to the event since 2006.
"I've played a lot of tournaments around the world," said McNamara, a former touring pro, "and Scott puts on a great show. I've built up some great relationships here ... some really good friends. I love the golf. It's getting better every year. I love it."
McNamara, who has been runner-up in the men's draw the past two years, is seeded second behind Sanam Singh, who played No. 2 singles for the University of Virginia this spring and reached the semifinals of the NCAA tournament in May.
Former U.Va. standout Huntley Montgomery is the No. 3 seed, followed by Salifu Mohammed at No. 4. Romain Ambert is fifth, with Willow Oaks Country Club pro Michal Ciszek sixth, Drew Courtney seventh and city champion Martin Stiegwardt No. 8.
On the women's side, two-time defending champion Petra Rampre is the top seed. The native of Slovenia is followed by last year's runner-up Shadisha Robinson, former Virginia Commonwealth standout Tatsiana Uvarova and ex-VCU star Olga Borisova.
Lindsey Hardenbergh is the No. 5 seed, with Alison Ojeda No. 6, Natalia Cretu No. 7 and Richmonder Chrissie Seredni eighth.
The tournament started today and runs through next Saturday, when both the men's and women's singles finals will be held starting at 4 p.m.
"I actually haven't played a tournament since this tournament last year," said McNamara. "It's the one week on the calendar that I make the time to come here. It's extremely well run. I've been staying with the same family for four years."
Solomon came on strong after a slow start to reach the second round and earned some much-needed rest after his long trip.
"At the beginning, I really couldn't move," said Solomon, a former No. 2 player at Hampton University. "That's why I kept falling all over the place. I was just trying to keep digging, and I knew my legs would eventually get better."
Richmonder Sears Driscoll also enjoys playing in the tournament every year, though he doesn't have very far to drive.
"Food, drinks, tennis. It's a lot of fun," said Driscoll, after beating Worth Richardson 6-0, 6-1. "It's worth the entry fee, even if you only get a couple of matches. You have to actually be one of the top two or three guys expecting to win some money.
"Everyone else plays in it because it's so much fun. It's great to see the U.Va. guys and some of the other good players battle it out."
There is no admission fee and large crowds are expected for the evening matches during the week.
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