THE annual Red Cliffs Lawn Tennis Club Championship begins today and organisers expect participant numbers to bounce back to pre-COVID levels.
Now in its 61st year, the tournament begins with an over-60s social doubles event at 6pm on Friday, before the open singles takes over the courts on Saturday at 9am.
Open doubles competition will follow on Saturday afternoon while mixed doubles action on Sunday at 9.30am will complete the tournament.
Club president Gavin Lynch said organisers expected healthy numbers of entrants to return to the event.
The championship had 120 competitors before COVID-19 hit, dropping to 90 in 2021.
The tournament is a major fundraiser for the Red Cliffs club and this year’s entrants will travel from Broken Hill, Adelaide, Geelong, along with Robinvale and Ouyen.
A name which has stood out in recent years is Paige McLean, who will attempt to win her fourth straight women’s singles title.
The McLean family is no stranger to success in the Sunraysia Tennis community, with McLean’s sister Kaila and brother Tyson winning several tournaments in the region before moving away.
Lynch said he hoped to see more female players attend this weekend in response to Ash Barty’s recent Australian Open victory.
“It will be good if her success could motivate girls to take up the sport and get involved and use her as a role model,” Lynch said.
He said the tournament had a strong relationship with tennis players in Broken Hill that stretched back 20 years.
2021 men’s singles finalists Patrick Reinnke and Nathan Crabb, both from Broken Hill, are expected to again feature at the pointy end of the competition.
