The 2nd Annual Bob O’Connor Summer Tennis Classic, which begins June 21,  will feature the Men’s Open division as a USTA-sanctioned event this year. All players in this division will be eligible for an AMD ranking. There also will be competition in a number of unsanctioned divisions for both juniors and adults.  The tournament’s Kick-off Party is June 19.  Registration is available online through this Saturday (June 14) and information is posted at:

www.BobOConnorSummerTennisClassic.com

Other sanctioned adult tournaments this summer posted on the AMD website (www.amd.usta.com) are:

• June 28 – Clarion Adult Open (USTA-sanctioned open tournament), Clarion, PA
  
  
• July 1 – National Collegiate Clay Court Championships / West Penn Amateur, Mt. Lebanon, Pa. (USTA-Sanctioned as an Adult Open Tournament for men & women as well as an ITA-Sanctioned Summer Collegiate Tournament.)
  
  
• July 23 – West Virginia Open (USTA Middle States Sectional Championships in Adult Open divisions and a number of age-group divisions), Wheeling, WV
  
  
• Aug. 8 – Champion Ford/Hallman Chevrolet Tennis Challenge (a prize-money Adult Open event for men & women ), Pennbriar Athletic Club, Erie, PA

Highland Park Tennis Club hosts a free Recreational QuickStart Tennis Training Workshop Saturday, June 14 from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Highland Park Tennis Courts in Pittsburgh.  Parents, recreational coaches and interested in learning the QuickStart method are encouraged to attend. To register, please contact Hanna Spearman at (412)-373-2996 or email www.hannaspearman@comcast.net.

Club4Life in Monroeville will host both the Women’s 35 and Women’s 55 Interdistrict Championships this summer.  The Women’s 55 will be held July 25-27 while the Women’s 35 will be held Aug 8-10. Players are still being recruited for both teams and are particularly being sought for the W35 team. If interested, please contact Jen Yocca at:

Jennifer.Yocca@morganstanley.com.

A Men’s 5.0 league team is being recruited to compete in the Middle States Sectional championships in August.  Players currently registered as 4.5 or higher are eligible.  If interested, please contact Jim Block at:

Block41@verizon.net

Peters Township has renewed its popular USTA-sanctioned District Ranking (DR) tournament for this summer, beginning June 27.

Other all-age-group junior events this summer include two “Designated” DR tournaments in which double the normal ranking points are awarded. 

These include:

• June 21 -- Oglebay Junior Classic, Wheeling, WV
• Aug. 4 -- Fox Chapel Junior Open, Fox Chapel, PA

AMD juniors are making a great transition to collegiate tennis, particularly in NCAA women’s tennis.  More details are on the AMD website but here are the highlights:

• Kellie Schmitt (Bethel Park) led Marshall University into the finals of the Conference USA championships at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles.  Schmitt was invited to both the NCAA Division I singles and doubles championships and became the first Marshall player to ever win a round in the elite singles championships this spring.
  
  
• Greater Latrobe High School’s  1-2 punch of a couple of years ago – Michaela Kissell and Mary Wilson—saw each other in the NCAA team championships.  Wilson, a sophomore, played No. 1 singles at Quinnipiac where she was MVP of the Northeast Conference.  Kissell, a freshman, played No. 3 singles for Miami.  The Hurricanes won 4-0 and advanced to the Round of 16 where they lost to Baylor.
  
  
• Elise Steiner (Hampton and Fox Chapel) played No. 2 singles for Temple, champions of the Atlantic 10. Temple advanced to the NCAA team championships where they lost to 9th seed Duke in the first round.
  
  
• Annie Houghton of Quaker Valley had a great freshman season at Army, recording a winning record at No. 1 singles and leading the Cadets to the Patriot League title.  Annie’s brother, John, and sister, Kate, were captains of their respective Army teams in 2007 and  remained at the Academy as assistant coaches last fall. Her brother Rick, a junior,  was a member of the Army men’s team this spring.

AMD women also enjoyed success in NCAA Division II and III.

• California University of Pennsylvania and Slippery Rock University both reached the NCAA’s “Sweet 16” round in the team championships.  Cal U. featured a roster of international players while Slippery Rock featured a number of AMD players on the roster, including Kayla and Samantha Blackburn, Laura Handy and Chelsea Gibson.
  
  
• Carnegie Mellon women were ranked 7th in the nation in NCAA Division III and coach Andy Girard was named Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Coach of the Year.  Freshmen Jennifer Chui of Saratoga, Calif. and Alex Nemerov of Lake Forest, Ill.  were both named ITA Rookie of the Year.
  
  
• Meghan Damico (Fox Chapel), at No. 1 singles, led Dennison to a No. 5 national ranking in Division III and to the semi-finals of the team championships.  Damico also competed in the NCAA Division III singles championships.

Pittsburgh Citiparks will host the World Transplant Games, including tennis events on July 14th and 15th  at Schenley Park. For more information visit www.kidney.org/news/tgames/worldgames/history.cfm

The Paul G. Sullivan Championships will be held July 14th – 20th at Frick Park in Pittsburgh.  This long-running non-sanctioned adult tournament  is co-presented by Frick Park Clay Court Tennis Club and Pittsburgh Citiparks. To register go to  www.TennisinPittsburgh.com