TENNIS: Annual NCTA state singles tournament slated for weekend

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on December 8, 2016 9:57 AM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Jenny Phelps always has a "Plan B."

And she's putting it to good use this weekend.

When Hurricane Matthew thrashed eastern North Carolina in early October, Phelps and her N.C. Tennis Association staff realized the 2016 edition of the N.C. State Singles Championships wouldn't get played as scheduled that weekend.

In fact, Phelps wasn't sure of a new date.

She didn't want to cancel the well-organized tournament that annually draws 400-plus competitors from eight regions statewide and is contested in a tradition-rich historic tennis town like Goldsboro. Phelps and Scott Barnard, Goldsboro Parks and Recreation Department director, stayed in touch via phone and email once Hurricane Matthew churned its way up the eastern seaboard.

"Jenny has always said this is one of her favorite places to have a tournament because of the people. As a last resort, canceling was the last thing that we wanted to do...were going to avoid that at all costs," said Matt DiLascio, adult leagues event coordinator for NCTA.

"It wouldn't be good for the players. It wouldn't be good for us. And worst of all, it wouldn't be good for Goldsboro, which has been through enough. We wanted to bring something positive to the area. We were really able to do that by getting this event rescheduled, making it a priority."

The three-day tournament gets underway Friday morning at four venues -- the John Allen Farfour Courts at Herman Park, the Goldsboro Events Center, Charles B. Aycock High School and Green Ridge Racquet Club in Snow Hill.

Teams in 16 divisions will compete for state championships in a round-robin format. Each team will play a best-of-three singles match with two points needed to clinch a win.

Back for the second time in three seasons is Neuse River League 4.0 men's champion Goldsboro. The foursome is comprised of Lucius Smith, former Rosewood tennis coach Clifton Greenup, Mark Hess and Seng Here. Smith, Greenup and Hess played in the 2014 event.

Opening-round pairings and match times were not available.

Holiday schedules forced several players to withdraw. DiLascio gave them the option of accepting a refund or donating their fee to the hurricane relief effort in Goldsboro. A tournament room has also been set up for players to donate toys and canned goods to assist needy families.

"You know what? Ninety-nine percent of the people were really understanding," DiLascio said. "There were a lot of things that were bigger than tennis that weekend, that week, that month. You really have to separate yourself from that. People were reaching out to see what they could do to possibly help.

"You guys have been through so much. The fact we're able to have this tournament now is just a blessing."

Each of the past three years, the multi-day tennis tournament has been a boon to the local economy and the travel and tourism industry.

DiLascio anticipates upwards of 300 players will participate this weekend. They'll get the opportunity to dine in new restaurants and stay in new hotels as the town continues to recover from the devastation left by Matthew.

"They are so invested in Goldsboro, the people are, and they're trying to show the tennis players who are guests this weekend all that it has to offer. That stood out immediately," DiLascio said. "Everybody is 'all-in' to make sure that their guests from all over the state have a good experience. I know that we are bracing ourselves for some cooler temperatures than we were originally hoping for when this event was planned in October.

"What was uncertain has given us the opportunity to turn this into something positive."

Goldsboro submitted a bid in the spring and was awarded the NCTA State Singles Championships for 2017 and 2018.