Earl Yost Tennis Classic Approaches

Professional tennis players will be bringing their talents to Connecticut in mid-August for the New Haven Open, using the hard courts as a tune-up for the renowned U.S. Open grand slam tournament.

However, before these professional players show up, locals will have a chance to show off their tennis talents on the Manchester hard courts this month.

The Manchester Parks and Recreation will be holding the 14th Annual Earl Yost Tennis Classic from July 14-17 at the Manchester High School courts and at Charter Oak Park. There is still time to register for both residents and non-residents, with July 12 as the last day to sign-up.

There will be nine different divisions playing throughout the weekend, with all ages represented. These single elimination divisions include Men’s Singles, Men’s 45-plus, Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Singles, Women’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles, Boy’s 16 and under Singles, Girl’s 15 and under Singles, and Boy’s 13 and under Singles.

Cherie Baker, who is the tournament director, encourages the public to participate in the event, as well as come out and watch the local talent. Baker is looking forward to yet another competitive tournament this year.

“You’ll be amazed by the talent. It’s becoming more and more competitive every year,” Baker said. “The level of play has gotten better, with a lot more college players now, and the earlier rounds of the tournament are getting harder because of the great depth.”

Baker said the players are predominantly from Manchester and the greater Hartford area. However, 25 towns were represented last year, with players coming from as far as Stamford and Western Massachusetts.

Baker said the best thing about the tournament is drawing in the local talent, who then share the love of tennis with one another.

“It is really a festive atmosphere,” she said. “It feels like a big reunion with all the players getting to see their tennis friends. In the 70s, the tennis boom was such a social thing, and this tournament reminds me of when people flocked to the courts back then.”

The tournament used to be three days, but it has been extended to four days this year, according to Baker. She said this happened because many of the contenders play in multiple divisions, which has resulted in several matches in a short amount of time.

“The tournament can be pretty heavy duty physically,” Baker said. “Players are fighting hard for hours and hours. We had to give them an extra day.”

Players in the Men’s Singles division should be prepared to play as early as 5 p.m. on July 14, while all other divisions will start on July 15 or 16.

The tournament director said they will be looking out for players who are getting dehydrated in the mid-July heat. She said the hard courts are extremely hot, and it is hard to prepare for the heat and the long duration of the tournament.

“We are always on the lookout for people not looking so good. We have plenty of ice packs and water for them,” Baker said. “Some players all of a sudden are walking slow and are beat red, and we will make sure to get them cooled down and hydrated.”

The tournament is named after the late Earl Yost, who was a longtime sports editor at the Manchester Evening Herald and a columnist at the Hartford Courant. Baker said it was quite appropriate to name the tournament after him.

“It’s really nice to give honor to this local sports guy who had a great love for sports and for tennis,” she said. “He knew everything about every athlete in town, and this is just a great tribute to him.”

As for the specific tournament details, adult matches will be the best of three sets. Juniors will play a 10-point match tie-breaker in lieu of a third set. All draws are single elimination.

All finals and check-in are at the Manchester High School courts. In case of inclement weather, Manchester Racquet Club indoor courts may be used for matches.

The fee for singles play is $20.00, and the fee for doubles play is $36.00 per team. The fee includes entry, balls and a tournament t-shirt. Trophies will be awarded to the winners and finalists.

Registration forms are available at the Community Y Recreation Center, 78 North Main St., and they are also available online athttp://recreation.townofmanchester.org/documents/EYTCregistrationform2011.pdf.

For more information, call Baker at 860-655-9514 or the Recreation Dept. at 860-647-3164.