The first Long Island Tennis Magazine Challenge of the year brought nearly 100 players out to SPORTIME Quogue for the perfect combination of competitive tennis on the court and a fun social time off the court.

Across the beautiful courts of SPORTIME Quogue on a sunny day in the Hamptons, teams in six different divisions competed in round-robin group play before advancing to the knockout rounds. The competition was intense on the courts, but it was all smiles off the court as the teams socialized with one another while enjoying catered lunch as well as an extended happy hour on the pool deck.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE RESULTS ON iPlayMe2

In the Women’s 6.0-6.5 division, the pairing of Amy Gillen & Simona Doboli came away with the title.

“The competition here is always great, and we did have to make some adjustments throughout the day,” said Gillen.

Doboli added:

“The players here are really nice so we always enjoy playing at this event.”

For Bonnie Aves & Hazel Zaldivar, they had played doubles together but not in a long time. However, the duo quickly found their chemistry again and, as a result, were victorious in the Women’s 7.0-7.5 division.

“It’s awesome playing with her. She just told me what to do and that’s it,” Aves said tounge-in-cheek.

While Aves was half-kidding, Zaldivar explained:

“I used to boss her around back then and tell her what to do on court, so we figured we would do that again. It worked out for us.”

Justin & Ryan Russo are brothers that typically play singles but decided to pair up for the LITM Challenge, and when it was all said and done, they claimed the championship in the Men’s 7.0-7.5 division.

“We were always singles players growing up and we thought it’d be nice to try some doubles,” said Justin. “It’s only the second time playing together in a tournament, and we just tried to keep the ball in play, put some pressure on, and try not to make as many unforced errors as our opponents. We figured if we could do that we would come out on top.”

Ryan Russo added:

“It was a ton of fun and at such a beautiful place. There were a lot of familiar place, and playing together was something we don’t do that often, so that was nice.”

In the Men’s 8.0-8.5 division, Rob Remo & Joe Mead found a way to play well on the big points by staying relaxed in the most high-pressure situations to earn the title.

“The key for us was the beers and margaritas,” said Remo jokingly. “It kept us loose on court, and we had a really great time. These tournaments are always fun.”

“We played together for about 10 years in USTA events, so we know how to play with each other on court,” Mead added.

Dunja Froman & Tanya Kotov had been talking about playing doubles together and therefore teamed up to compete in the Women’s 8.0-8.5 division. The pairing worked as the duo snuck into the playoff rounds as the fourth seed, but would then go on to pull off big wins to capture the title.

“We were happy when we made the fourth seed and from there on out we played free,” said Kotov. “We had nothing to lose.”

“We’ve played against each other but never together, so we figured today would be perfect,” said Froman. “We have a lot of respect for each other as players to it’s good to have that confidence in one another and we were able to play off of each other. We came out and just wanted to have fun. We love supporting Long Island Tennis Magazine and these events are always a good time. We’ll definitely be back for more.”

Danny Burgess Jr. & Dillon McKenzie teamed up to compete in the Men’s 9.0-9.5 division, and it turned out well as the pairing captured the title.

“We actually play a lot against each other in singles so it was fun to team up and play doubles,” Burgess Jr. “We went to Sectionals last year and played singles and did great, so it was fun to be able to team up today and win.”

The opening event of our 2024 Summer Series showcased the continued success of the LITM Challenge events, which would not be possible without the commitment of the players, both returning and new ones, as well as all the people who help put the event together.

“There are many options for local players when it comes to racquet sports, and we are appreciative that so many players came out and chose our event. To get this many players into this tournament was a real success. I believe this is an indication that players see the professionalism and quality we bring to the events we host, and that they have a great time on and off the court,” said David Sickmen, co-tournament director of the Long Island Tennis Magazine Challenge. “I certainly want to thank our beautiful host facility, Sportime Quogue, as well as my co-director Michelle Stoerback, whose passion and energy for adult tennis is second to none, and our LITM Event staff, who did a fantastic job. Our events stand out from the rest thanks to our sponsors Doterra, iPlayMe2, OSIM, SPORTIME and Town Bagel. We look forward to more community involvement, and are excited to see everyone at our next Challenge.”

The next LITM Challenge will be held on Saturday, July 27 at SPORTIME Hempstead Lake. Registration will be open next week.

We will conclude the LITM Summer Series back at SPORTIME Quogue on Saturday, September 7.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS 

SCENES FROM THE LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE CHALLENGE