Long Island Tennis Magazine September Challenge Brings Sold-Out Event to SPORTIME Quogue

While the 2024 U.S. Open was wrapping up in Queens, Long Island Tennis Magazine was putting a bow on the Summer of 2024 out in The Hamptons, as nearly 100 players from all over the tri-state area came together at SPORTIME Quogue for the Long Island Tennis Magazine Challenge.

Across 20 har-tru courts, players competed in seven different divisions of play, with the day highlighted by great play on the courts, and lively atmosphere off the courts, with players and spectators alike watching matches and socializing on the pool deck while enjoying a large lunch spread and margaritas.

“The Long Island Tennis Magazine September Challenge was a resounding success, and we were proud to once again provide our players with a professionally-run event that included all the amenities they’ve been accustomed to,” said David Sickmen, co-tournament director. “Each tournament, we continue to see returning faces, but are also pleased to keep seeing new players join us, which is a great indication of the event’s growth.”

Players came from all across the Eastern Section to participate including Long Island, New York City, Westchester and New Jersey, which made for a fun day with lots of participants meeting and competing against players they have never played with or met before.

In the Women’s 6.0 – 6.5 Division, Melissa Scheinman & Carrie Lishinsky played their best tennis in the biggest moments of the knockout rounds. After defeating Teresa Mertz & Aly Ahn in the semifinals, the duo beat Amy Gillen & Simona Doboli 6-4 in the championship match.

“We tried to keep it simple, and did a great job of finishing off the points, and hitting it to the part of the court where they weren’t,” said Scheinman.

Lishinsky added:

“The tournament was fantastic. It’s always a great day of tennis with wonderful people, and it was just a fun time overall.”

Cenzig Karakaya & Ray Omid won the Men’s 7.0 – 7.5 title at the Long Island Tennis Magazine July Challenge. The duo came out this time looking to defend that title, and did just that.

After moving past Chris Garfield & Sung Kwon in the semifinals, Karakaya & Omid out dueled Stephen Weiss & Greg Parks 6-4 in the championship match to win the title for the second straight tournament.

“It was just about being patient, a lot of their points came from a style we weren’t quite used to, a lot of lobs and great placement, but my partner played great, his pace was really strong,” said Omid. “We stayed steadfast and it worked out in our favor.”

The pair has been playing doubles together for two years and has developed a great chemistry together, which has manifested in successful results on the court.

“We feel really confident together, and we are able to cover each other really well,” said Karakaya. “We know each other’s weaknesses, and what we’re good at. Ray is always being positive and coming up with good strategies, and we continue to get better together. Our goal now is to go for that three-peat.”

Competing in their first ever Long Island Tennis Magazine Challenge event, Ashley Freger & Kimberly Gershon would walk away with the title in the Women’s 7.0 – 7.5 division, first ousting Shannon Becker & Misha Monticello 6-2 in the semifinals before taking down Pam Widener & Grace Nikki Appel 6-4 in the championship match.

“The competition was great, it was such a fun time,” said Gershon. “We would do these tournaments again for sure.”

The pair only recently began playing doubles together, and as they continue to get better as a team, a result like this goes a long way in building confidence.

“We’re getting better, learning each other’s games and understanding where the other is going to be moving to, and which balls I should go for and which to leave for her, and we did a good job of that today,” added Freger.

Francois Vernet was one of those players who came a long way to compete in Sunday’s tournament as he made the trek from New Jersey to the Hamptons. It paid off as he and Jeff Silverman captured the title in the Men’s 8.0 – 8.5 division, first defeating Dan Kresh & Darren Brachman in a tiebreaker in the semifinals, and then former champions Raimundas Rakauskas & Marijus Kuzava in the finals.

“It was definitely worth coming all the way from New Jersey; the weather was awesome, the food and drinks are such a great addition, it was a really fun time,” said Vernet.

Silverman added:

“We go back a long way and know each other really well, so even though we get on each other’s case during matches, we are able to stay focused. We’re like brothers, there were was some tactics we had to discuss and get right.”

Hayley Mink & Marija Vareikiate played in their first Long Island Tennis Magazine Challenge back in July and after winning the title and having a great time, they decided to head out to Quogue to defend their title.

Mink & Vareikiate were the champions in the Women’s 8.0 – 8.5 division, first outlasting Cecilia Davoli & Jennifer Hurford in the semifinals, before defeating Lisa Trujillo & Rene Trujillo 7-6(2) in the championship.

“We played the LITM Challenge at Hempstead Lake with a few people we knew, and they said we should come back for this event, which is what we did,” said Mink. “Marija’s idea was to bring some people we knew from the City and make a weekend out of it, so it was such a great time.”

Having competed in various tournaments across NYC and beyond, the pairing gave rave reviews to the Long Island Tennis Magazine Challenge series.

“We like this format a lot. You get plenty of tennis, no matter how far you advance in the tournament,” Vareikiate added. “The competition is very good, and since we live in the Metro area, it’s great being able to meet new people from Long Island, and compete against different players.”

An injury kept Atara Simpson out of the Challenge events last year, but played on Sunday alongside her coach Dillon McKenzie in the Mixed Doubles 8.0 – 9.0 division. The duo found their on-court chemistry again to take home the title.

“It’s like riding a bike; a confusing bike,” said McKenzie. “We had to figure out our strengths together again, movement patterns and things like that.”

Simpson added:

“It was an awesome event. We haven’t gotten to play together in awhile so it was fun to be able to play together in the Mixed draw. The event was really well run, it was a lot of fun, and we’d definitely do it again.”

In the top level of the tournament, Chris Kolesnik & Dylan Friedman teamed up for the first time in years to capture the title in the Men’s 9.0 – 9.5 division, as they defeated Junji Nakamura & Koichi Nakamura in the finals.

“We played years ago, but we’re best friends since we were nine so finding that chemistry again was easy,” said Kolesnik. “We know each other’s games, strengths and weaknesses, and how to play next to one another. It’s always interesting playing with your friend, and I think we struck a good balance of having fun while being serious and focusing on winning.”

Friedman won a Challenge event with his father last year, and now adds another trophy to his collection, this time with Kolesnik.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better day, we had so much fun,” Friedman said. “The weather was beautiful, the atmosphere was great, and the hospitality here is wonderful. We couldn’t ask for more.”

The next Long Island Tennis Magazine Challenge will be our annual Thanksgiving Challenge as we move indoors to host the event on Saturday, November 30 at SPORTIME Syosset. Last year’s tournament sold out, so look for more information on the event and the registration link soon.

“These events are always so well put together, and they do such a great job of organizations the draws,” said Omid. “There is great food, drinks, and a warm welcoming atmosphere. The LITM Challenges are different than your normal tournament and are phenomenal.”

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