Week of November 10, 2023

Boulais Wins Edmonton ITF M25

Singles Crown!

Justin Boulais (above, Oakville) was victorious in last week’s Edmonton ITF M25 Men’s singles tournament at the Royal Glenora Club. 

Coming off representing Canada at the Pan-Am Games, the sixth-seeded Boulais defeated Britain’s Giles Hussey, seeded fifth, 3-6, 7-6 (1), 6-0 in the final. Justin also partnered with Irishman Osgar O’Hoisin to reach the doubles final, where they lost by Walkover.

Tennis runs in Justin’s family. His father Yves is the Tennis Director at the Ontario Racquet Club in Mississauga and a former WTA coach. His mother is former WTA star Patricia Hy-Boulais. He also has a sister, Isabelle, who plays pro tennis and was entered in the Women’s draw in Edmonton.

The tournament victory is Justin’s 2nd career ITF Men’s singles title. Congratulations on a great week Justin!

For complete tournament results, click here.

Cross and Hovde Win Edmonton

ITF W25 Doubles!

Kayla Cross (above left, London) and her American partner Liv Hovde (above right), the third seeds, won last weeks Edmonton ITF W25 Women’s Doubles title, defeating the second-seeded American pair, Allura and Mirabella Zamarripa, 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (7) in the final. For former OTA junior star Cross, the victory was especially gratifying after reaching the doubles final the week before in Toronto at the Tevlin Challenger. The win was very challenging for the pair, with 3 of their 4 matches being decided by 3rd set Super Tie-brakers! Congratulations Kayla and Liv!

For complete tournament results, click here!

2023 U12 Eastern Canadian Team

Championships

The 2023 Eastern Canadian U12 Team Championships were held last week at Sobeys Stadium. Just under 200 U12 athletes represented 45 teams with between four to six players on each, from various regions across Ontario. The teams started out in a giant compass draw over 5 days of competition, with each team being guaranteed 3 team matches. The players were treated to a Pizza party on the final day.

The Championship Flight Final of the girl’s competition saw Team Tennis by Dennis defeat Team Peak Performance #1, five matches to one. Pictured above, Team Tennis by Dennis (left to right) Aleksandra Sopovski, Seemontini Pal, Ava Sanicharan, Elle Tucci and Coach Dennis Dobrovolsky.

In the boys Championship Flight Final, Team Peak Performance #1 defeated Team Ontario Racquet Club 1, four matches to two. Pictured below, Team Peak Performance #1 (left to right) Ata Ozcirpici, Marc Gurin, Eric Gurin, Ilya Sherifali, Vincent Moots and Coach Eddie Brisbois.

The U10 Eastern Canadian Team Championships are scheduled between November 15 to 19 at Sobeys Stadium and Tennis Quebec will be holding similar events in December and will invite teams from Ontario to participate.

For complete U12 results, click here.

Thanks to Tennis Canada for their support.

Photos courtesy of Yvonne Deng.

OTA U9/U10 Court Captain Pilot Program

The OTA, in association with Tennis Canada, has launched a pilot program to provide on-court support to young players participating in the OTA U9/U10 Circuit. The “Court Captain” initiative is designed to help inform, educate, and encourage these young circuit players to promote fair play on the court while they compete.

The role of the Court Captains is to help with on-court support under the leadership of the event’s Tournament Director. It will be the responsibility of the Court Captain to assure that the courts are ready for play and to help provide and reinforce information pertaining to rules and proper competitive player behaviour (ex: reminding players to call out the scores), while also being on-hand to adjudicate on-court rules infractions such as line calls. Court Captains are not expected to deal with parents, give out code-violations and/or track every point. Ideally, the Court Captain will have a tennis background and a good understanding of the rules and etiquette of the sport.

The Court Captain Program aims to recruit individuals (ages 14 and over) who would like to contribute to creating a positive tennis experience. Two primary targets of this program will include high school students looking for community service hours and seniors looking to give back to the tennis community.

Successful applicants will be provided with an official uniform which includes a t-shirt and cap and a $100 stipend for each tournament. Students enrolling in the Court Captain volunteer program can obtain hours for high school credit (if applicable).

For more information on the Court Captains program, email ota@tennisontario.com and write “Court Captain info” in the subject line.

Another Green Means Go Event

at Sobeys Stadium!

Members of the Iroquois Tennis Club in Scarborough took part in the OTA’s Green Means Go program earlier this week at Sobeys Stadium. The participants were treated to general play, instructional tips, a Yonex racquet demo and giveaways. Special thanks to organizer Yew Meng Heng for helping to organize the players! Green Means Go is an OTA program designed for 50+ players. Encourage your community club executive to book your clubs’ date at Sobeys! There is one availability left this year – December 4. 2024 dates to be announced soon. Contact Ely Schwartz at eschwartz@tennisontario.com to book. For more information on Green Means Go, click here.

Check Out the Latest ONTENNIS Podcast

The ONTENNIS Podcast presented by Merchant of Tennis caught up with Pierre Lamarche to talk all things tennis. Player, coach, mentor, Captain, Hall of Famer and Academy builder; there is no one who has contributed more to Canadian Tennis than Pierre. Listen in as Pierre talks about his early days as a player and later as a coach and Davis Cup/Fed Cup/Olympic captain while at Tennis Canada. Learn how he built the high-performance academy business in Canada through the founding of All Canadian Sports Management and ACE Academy. Find out where he sees tennis in Canada in the future and much more! A must-listen to for any fan of Canadian tennis! Check out the episode on Soundcloud here or search ONTENNIS on Apple and Spotify podcasts. Enjoy!

Yonex Senior Provincials Nov. 24 - Dec. 3

at Sobeys Stadium

Entry Deadline November 16!!!

The Yonex Senior Provincial Championships in Memory of Tony Collings will take place this year at Sobeys Stadium. Age categories starting from Over 30 will compete in singles and doubles action over a 2-week period. Doubles competition will run from November 24 to 26 with the singles being played from November 30 to December 3. The entry fee includes one singles and one doubles or two doubles, player gift and a social event on Friday, December 1 at the Sobeys Stadium Players Lounge. The entry deadline is November 16. If you would like to enter but are not an OTA registered competitor, click here to join. To enter the tournament, click here.

Mission Elite Mental Performance

Development Training

Mission Elite Mentality: The Official Mindset Academy of Mission Elite.
Mental Performance Development and Sessions for Pros, NCAA Players, Juniors, Beginners and Adults.

Mission Elite is proud to announce that both 1-on-1 and Weekly sessions with mental performance coaches will be accessible through their Mindset Academy in Mission Elite Academy.

The Mindset Academy will look to educate and help build the mentality, perspective, awareness and actions essential for the utmost peak performance.

The weekly class sessions will be led and overseen by Mission Elite CEO, Raheel Manji. Raheel's experience has led him to win multiple pro titles, compete at the ATP Masters 1000, and win an ITA National Summer Championship as the #1 singles and doubles player for Indiana University. He has coached and consulted at all four Grand Slams, a Power 5 Sweet 16 NCAA program, a Top 5 NCAA Recruiting class, and continues to work with some of the best players in the world. Raheel also holds certificates of completion in Neuroplasticity and Sports Psychology, while being trained in Psychology of Performance.

If you'd like to work with Raheel, now is your chance!

Registration for the weekly classes are officially open!

The 1-on-1 sessions will be led by the available Mission Elite Mentality coach of your choosing.

WEEKLY CLASS SESSIONS: FALL TERM

November 14th - December 12th

Mission Elite Mentality will host its weekly class sessions on Tuesdays from 5 PM to 6 PM ET during the fall term.

Registration and details for this program can be found at:
https://www.missionelitetennis.com/mindset-academy

If you have any questions or comments, please refer them to our Director of Operations, Don Pierre, at info@missionelitetennis.com.

Nike Holiday Shoes Are In at

Merchant of Tennis

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MerchantOfTennis.com is open 24/7 with shipping and store pickup services available.

Store hours and updated information: www.merchantoftennis.com/pages/contact-us

Connect with Merchant of Tennis:
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Sign up for the latest on products, services and sale events:
www.merchantoftennis.com/pages/newsletter

Shop Gift Cards: www.merchantoftennis.com/collections/gift-cards/

OTA Club and Regional News

Bruce Childs Award Recipients @

Grimsby Tennis Club

The Grimsby Tennis Club honoured two of its volunteers, Carole Webster and Sue Henry, at the club’s recent AGM, presenting them with an OTA Bruce Childs Volunteer Award in recognition of their contributions to the club and the sport of tennis.

For many years Sue Henry organized and ran both sessions of the Ladies’ League with the assistance of Carole Webster. Sue was instrumental in forming competitive, friendly League Tennis, based on skill level. Running the league was not an easy task. Addressing all the various needs of the players and keeping everyone happy was a definite challenge. Sue handled this by having several brief meetings with the ladies prior to play, to discuss the philosophy of league play and give an opportunity for the ladies to give feedback and express any concerns. This demonstrates the efforts that Sue made to make the league a successful and enjoyable experience for all. Both Sue and Carole put in many extra hours above and beyond just organizing the league and would frequently arrive at 6pm to assist with the novice players and encourage them to improve their skills. During the period that Sue was League Captain, the leagues were vibrant and well attended, which is a testament to a job well done.

Both Sue and Carole have been willing and enthusiastic long-term volunteers at the club, helping with many of the social events and tournaments with both set up and clean up. We never had to ask for their help. They would always approach to ask what they can do to assist, whenever available.

Sue and Carole played a large role in helping with the Wheelchair Tennis Tournament. They both worked diligently courtside and attended every single day of the tournament. Carole volunteered all three years and Sue two years, as family visits prevented her from assisting this year. The second year they were put in charge of coordinating the schedule for all the volunteers and I know they spent many hours working together to organize this. Both Sue and Carole engaged on a personal level with the athletes. They even went to the effort of buying a bucket and spade for one of the young athlete’s daughters, so he could take her to the beach at the lake to play in the sand. It was small gestures like these that warmed the hearts of the athletes and made the Wheelchair Tournaments in Grimsby some of the most successful and memorable experiences for the players.

Neither Sue nor Carole have ever served on the Executive, but they have been a very visible, active, and integral part of the club. They are exemplary models of what a volunteer club is all about.

Pictured above, left to right, Carole Webster, club Social Director Amanda Fraser, who presented the awards, Club President Ron Mauro and Sue Henry.

Bruce Childs was a volunteer at a Toronto community tennis club years ago. As a tribute to his hard work at his tennis club in a volunteer role, one of the OTA’s former Board members felt it would be an appropriate and well-deserved tribute to name a club award in his honour. The award was established to recognize an executive member or dedicated club volunteer who has made an outstanding contribution to his/her community tennis club for an extended period.

If you are an OTA-member club executive and want more information on the Bruce Childs Award, contact Andrew Chappell, achappell@tennisontario.com.

Premier Racquet Club Markham Open House 

Premier Racquet Clubs Markham (PRC Markham} Open House Community Festival with Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti and Tennis Legend Daniel Nestor.

Premier Racquet Clubs Markham was thrilled with the outcome of its House Community Festival Event, held on October 21. This fun event featured an unforgettable evening filled with tennis enthusiasts, community leaders, and special guests, including the esteemed Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti and former world No. 1 tennis champion, Daniel Nestor.

As the newest addition to Markham's thriving sports and recreation scene, Premier Racquet Clubs Markham is committed to providing the highest level of tennis and pickleball experiences and amenities for enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels. The Grand Opening Event represents a significant milestone in PRC Markham's journey, and they are eager to welcome the community to their state-of-the-art facility.

Event Highlights:

• Special Guests: Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti and former world No. 1 tennis doubles specialist, Daniel Nestor, headlined the Opening Night Event. Their presence added an extra layer of excitement to the evening, showcasing the strong community support for PRC Markham.
• Fun for All Ages: PRC Markham's Grand Opening was designed to be a family-friendly event. Kids and adults alike enjoyed a range of activities, including interactions with a lively mascot, music from a talented DJ, and the opportunity to meet and greet some adorable animals.
• Facility Tours: Attendees had the chance to explore PRC Markham's world-class tennis facilities, featuring 6 indoor courts, modern training facilities, and more.
• Networking and Socializing: The Grand Opening Event provided a fantastic opportunity for tennis enthusiasts to connect, network, and share their love for the sport with like-minded individuals in the community.

"We were thrilled to welcome the Markham community to Premier Racquet Clubs Markham for our Grand Opening Celebration," said Karl Hale, Owner, and Operator at PRC Markham. "Our state-of-the-art facilities and world-class tennis professionals are ready to serve Markham's growing tennis community, and we are honored to have had Mayor Frank Scarpitti and Daniel Nestor join us for this momentous occasion."

About Premier Racquet Clubs Markham:

Premier Racquet Clubs Markham is a state-of-the-art tennis facility dedicated to providing exceptional tennis experiences and training opportunities for players of all levels. Located in the heart of Markham, PRC Markham offers world-class coaching, modern amenities, and a vibrant tennis community.

Media Contact:

Nima Naderi
Communications Manager
nnaderi@premierracquetclubs.com
647-368-7178

We Want Your Club and Regional News!

Is your club hosting a significant tournament or event, does it have an anniversary coming up, is there a volunteer or player who deserves recognition for their contributions? If so, we want to hear about it. Just send a photo and a short write-up to us and we’ll feature it in SPIN in our OTA Club and Regional News section. To submit a story for consideration, just email pmalcomson@tennisontario.com.

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OTA Marketplace

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Mastering Doubles with Daniel Nestor!

Daniel Nestor launches new online doubles training academy!

Canadian tennis legend Daniel Nestor recently launched an online doubles training academy designed to help players maximize their potential when competing in doubles competition. The course is designed specifically for doubles players of all levels, from club players to those heading to the pros!

Daniel Nestor is widely considered one of the greatest to ever play doubles tennis. In his storied 28-year professional career, he earned an impressive record of 91 men's doubles titles, including eight Grand Slam victories, as well as an Olympic Gold Medal in 2000. Since retiring in 2018, Daniel has dedicated much of his time to teaching others the lessons he's learned throughout his career. By sharing his invaluable insights, he helps players like you elevate their doubles game at all levels!

The 41-lesson course includes over 1.5 hours of video content, covering all facets of the doubles game including, serving, returning, partnership strategy, teamwork, the mental game, tips, drills and more!

To learn more about Daniels great new online doubles training academy and to order the online course, click here.

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Let Daniel help you to become a force to be reckoned with on the doubles court!

A Marketplace for Everything Tennis!

Whether you’re pro advertising your coaching services, a company wanting to reach the tennis enthusiast, a club looking for new members or you just want to sell some old wooden tennis racquets – you can reach over 15,000 tennis players in Ontario each week via our weekly newsletter SPIN, with an ad in the OTA Marketplace section. Listings and pictures are only $125 per week and all we need is a horizontal image like the one above (500 pixels deep X 800 pixels wide) and a couple of paragraphs. We’ll do the rest! Need creative help? We offer creative services at a reasonable cost. For more info, email pmalcomson@tennisontario.com. Include “OTA Marketplace" in the Subject line.