NEW HAVEN, CT - As one of the premiere tennis facilities in the country, there's always a certain buzz around matches being played at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center at Yale University.
That electricity was clearly in the air on May 18-22, as a palpable mix of nervous energy and excitement filled the building during the New England US Open National Playoffs.
At stake was an invitation to live a dream shared by anyone who has ever led a racquet - an opportunity to play in the US Open in New York City.
The US Open National Playoffs operate as a series of sectional qualifying tournaments, held in 16 sections throughout the country. The 16 men’s, 16 women’s and 16 mixed doubles champions from each sectional qualifying tournament will advance to the US Open National Playoffs – Men’s, Women’s and Mixed Doubles Championships, held in conjunction with the 2011 Olympus US Open Series.
The winners of the men’s and women’s championships received a wildcard into the 2011 US Open Qualifying Tournament, held the week prior to the US Open. The mixed doubles champion received a wildcard into the main draw of the mixed doubles event at the 2011 US Open.
Winners included Blake Strode (men's singles), Lena Litvak (women's singles) and Strode and Whitney Jones (mixed).
There were no shortage of players willing to take their shot at the Open, and each player - from weekend warrior to scholarship athlete - had their own distinct expectations of success and reasons for playing.
On the men's side, some of the top juniors and college players in New England took part, including Guilford, CT native Tom O'Brien, who arrived at Yale fresh off of completing his first season as an NCAA Division 1 player at Villanova University.
"This tournament is just a fantastic opportunity to test yourself against some great players," said O'Brien, who played in last year's inaugural National Playoffs at the Middle States event. "You see some top flight college players and some future college players in some of these top juniors. Not to mention, there are some really strong men's open players with impressive games."
O'Brien won his opening-round match, a contest that crystallized what the Open Playoffs are all about.
Tom O'Brien
O'Brien, decked out in a Villanova T-shirt and displaying a strong lateral game, stood across the net from Tom Desmond, a veteran player from Charlestown, MA.
Desmond doesn't need to play in the US Open to make his impact on the tennis world.
He runs the Charlestown Against Drugs Community Tennis Association, an organization formed to steer youngsters from one of Boston's toughest neighborhoods toward a lifestyle that focuses on academic and social development while introducing them to tennis.
Not only has CHAD produced quality individuals, but now some of its players are among the top juniors in New England in their respective age groups
Members of the USTA New England staff couldn't resist an opportunity to play in New York City.
Director of Community Tennis Deirdre Tindall and Tournament and Rankings Manager Jim Purington teamed up in the mixed-doubles event.
Tindall and Purington
Mixed doubles took on an entirely different meaning for another team in the field.
Last year, Johnny Hurduc and Marcela Rodenzo Hernandez competed in the men's and women's singles, respectively.
In September of 2010, the pair married, and entered into the mixed-doubles competition.
"We've never played mixed-doubles before, so we decided we'd come out here and give it a try and have some fun," said Hurduc, who lives with his wife in Westport, CT and teaches with her at Intensity in Nowalk, CT.
Johnny Hurduc and Marcela Rodenzo Hernandez
Also on hand to play in New Haven was Blake Strode, the 2010 US Open National Playoffs men's champion.
Strode, 24, grew into tennis as a member of the NJTL network's Ferguson, MS Net Rushers and went on to a sterling collegiate career at Arkansas, where he was named an All-American, a two-time SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the 2009 Division I recipient of the ITA/Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership & Sportsmanship Award.