Cary Hosts Pro Tennis Tournament All This Week

Cary, NC – Cary has established itself as a home for top-level athletics, from the USA Baseball complex to the Triangle Aquatic Center. And this week, that trend will continue as high ranking tennis pros will compete at the Cary Tennis Park in a championship tournament.

Rising Stars and Established Competitors

The 2016 Atlantic Tire Tennis Championships goes from Saturday, September 10 to Sunday, September 18, with qualifying rounds on September 10 and 11. Sean Ferreira, Cary’s tennis services coordinator, said it is a USTA event, putting it under the same umbrella as the US Open.

“It’s like AAA but you’ve got a lot of players who are playing in the majors but they aren’t having a good year,” Ferreira said. “So the tournament is going to be a combination of rising stars and guys who have been on the road for a long time.”

Among some of the players in the Atlantic Tire Championships are Benjamin Becker, Stefan Kozlov and Tommy Paul. Some players, such as Ryan Harrison, who was a finalist in last year’s tournament, dropped out earlier in the week to remain in the US Open.

“It shows the level of players we have here,” Ferreira said.

There will also be many collegiate All-American players participating in the games.

Ferreira said the Cary Tennis Park has established itself as a top facility in the United States and has impressed players who come from all over to play here.

“They’re blown away not only with Cary overall but by how it’s a public park,” he said. “It’s not a country club where you’d need to play thousands of dollars to register. It’s $3 an hour. I think it’s a reflection of how important quality of life is for us.”

Gameplay In Cary

There are several varieties of tennis courts and each one results in a different kind of game. At the Cary Tennis Park, they have “hard” courts.

“It’s a medium-fast surface so it benefits aggressive servers and baseliners,” Ferreira said. “As opposed to the clay courts they’re using at the US Open up in New York, which are faster and give more top-spin.”

This is the second year Cary has hosted this pro event and Ferreira said it boosts Cary’s profile as a place for the sport.

“It highlights how popular tennis is with our community,” he said. “We’ve had lots of support from sponsors and volunteers and we all want to enhance our experience locally.”

The games also bring attention to the town as a whole.

“It continues to show Cary as a great tennis town and what a special place this community is,” he said.

Tickets can be ordered online. Supplies at the door are limited. Cary Tennis Park is on 2727 Louis Stephens Dr.

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Story by Michael Papich. Photos by Jessica Patrick and Angelica Bite.