With the U.S. Open in full swing in New York, here on the other side of the country one of the oldest and largest amateur tennis tournaments will be held at Palisades Tennis Club in Newport Beach.
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The 100th Ken Stuart Pacific Southwest Senior Tennis Championships will start Sunday and run through Sept. 13, featuring hundreds of men and women in singles, doubles and mixed doubles divisions and players from multiple states.
In addition to the tournament’s century milestone, the United States Tennis Association will honor Newport Beach as “Tennis Town” in a ceremony at 5 p.m. Sept. 10 with city officials participating.
It’s an appropriate moniker considering the history of tennis in Newport Beach, from its seven private tennis clubs and six city-operated public facilities to its long history of hosting top professionals and amateurs. The city has deep roots in hosting pro exhibitions, World Team Tennis and two U.S. Davis Cup events.
Stuart, after whom the tournament is named, would be exceptionally proud of the USTA honor, considering his lifelong commitment to tennis.
The longtime former Palisades Club owner/operator, Stuart was among the most noted advocates for tennis in Newport Beach and was known for his devotion to the game.
Many of the game’s most famous players have entertained fans in Newport Beach, including Pete Sampras, Michael Chang, Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Boris Becker. On the women’s side, Lindsay Davenport, Billie Jean King, Tracey Austin, Martina Navratilova, Martina Hingis and Chris Evert have played here.
The Pacific Southwest is a USTA Level 2 national senior tournament and carries ITF (International Tennis Federation) Masters Tour status, meaning players can earn both national and international senior ranking points.
The event is regarded as the oldest continuous senior tennis tournament in the U.S., dating back to 1925 with just one interruption during World War II. It has also been referred to as the largest senior tennis tournament in the country and, at one point, the largest in the world.
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The tournament is linked to the golden age of Southern California tennis, and it has hosted players such as Roy Emerson, Pancho Segura, Alex Olmedo, Bobby Riggs, Pancho Gonzalez and Rod Laver before the Open era in the 1960s.
The Pacific Southwest was originally held in Los Angeles and in 1996 moved to Newport Beach, where it has been a fixture on the senior tennis circuit for three decades.
In 1997, the event spawned a men’s open division featuring former world No. 1 Mats Wilander and top-10 American Aaron Krickstein.
The event has historically featured divisions from the 25s to 90s (divisions are based on five-year increments), and this year it is expected to host men’s singles and doubles in the 35s to 90s, plus mixed doubles and family events.
The USTA Southern California Tennis Town series is an initiative that spotlights thriving tennis communities, honoring cities with outstanding facilities, programs and tournaments.
USTA Southern California Executive Director Trevor Kronemann, who played at UC Irvine and for the Newport Beach Dukes in World Team Tennis in the 1990s, will present the city with an etched panel commemorating the Tennis Town designation.
Richard Dunn, a longtime sportswriter, writes the Dunn Deal column regularly for The Orange County Register’s weekly, The Coastal Current North.
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