This weekend will see the first of two major Summer outings for the Lloydminster Tennis Association.
Starting this afternoon and continuing through the weekend, the tennis fraternity in the Midwest will serve off the Border City Tennis Championships at the Bud Miller All Seasons Sport Park.
It’s a chance for people to wet their appetite ahead of the Paul Douglas Tournament which is scheduled for the second weekend in August. Some 50 players will take to the court over the weekend from 5 p.m. this evening and continuing Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m.
Board member with the Association Leo Aguinaldo says Lloydminster players will be on the court tonight and over the weekend will see players who are coming in from out of town. Registration is at 8 a.m.
“We’ve got men’s singles, ladies single’s, men’s and ladies doubles, and mixed doubles. This is a tournament where we created a particular event for beginners, so we can create a welcoming atmosphere for new faces, that’s both club and non-club members.”
Aguinaldo says Saturday is a full day until about 6 p.m. Sunday will see the semi-finals and finals and that should take them to about 3 p.m. The tournament is sanctioned by Tennis Saskatchewan so players will be awarded points and seeded accordingly.
Aguinaldo says this weekend’s event is a build up to the Paul Douglas Tennis Tournament slated for August 13-15 and will see players from across Saskatchewan and Alberta coming to Lloydminster.
“We basically host about 100 players for this tournament every year and we have higher level [intensity] events for this.”
The tournament is in honour of community stalwart and founding association member Paul Douglas who passed on in 2015.
“When one of the co-founders of the association passed, Paul Douglas, we renamed the tournament in honour of his contribution, not only to the sport of tennis, but to the community. He was a philanthropist. This is the 29th edition of this tournament.”
Aguinaldo says all the tournament information will be posted on the Tennis Saskatchewan/Canada website.
Residents can also follow on the Lloydminster Tennis Association social media pages for updates.