Perfect End to Summer at the LITM Challenge

In the backdrop of the U.S. Open Championships, Long Island Tennis Magazine (LITM) brought together Men’s and Women’s Doubles teams to compete in this summer’s final LITM Challenge Event.

Across the beautiful courts of Sportime Quogue on a sunny day in the Hamptons, teams 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 open bar to keep the day fun and loose.

Playing in their first LITM Challenge event was Tiffany Ritcey & Linda Miller, and the duo won the Women’s 6.0-6.5 division, and have plans to return next tournament to defend their title.

“We’re so happy we learned about this event,” said Miller. “I absolutely loved it and we already inquired about the next one; we’ll be back.”

Ritcey added:

“We balanced each other out well and kept each other engaged. It was so much fun, and we’ll absolutely be back.”

In the Women’s 7.0-7.5 division, Evangeline Boutin & Beth Anderson teamed up to capture the title.

“We communicated really well today and just tried to make sure we kept the ball in play and play our game,’ said Boutin.

One of the keys to their success was staying loose throughout the afternoon.

“Having margaritas brought to you during the middle of a match helped me a lot,” joked Anderson. “But I think we just picked each other up well and made sure to always encourage each other during the matches.”

The pairing of Rob Remolador & Paul Schneider used their experience competing in LITM Challenge tournaments to come away victorious in the Men’s 7.0-7.5 combined division.

“The key to our success was having an amazing time with friends,” said Remolador. “The camaraderie of these events is great, we always have a great time. It’s great seeing familiar faces and meeting new people as well.”

The father-son duo of Mark Friedman & Dylan Friedman captured the title in the Men’s 8.0-8.5 division. Their goal coming out to the event was to just have fun and they were able to do that.

“I just finished playing college tennis, and wanted to do something fun with my dad who still loves playing,” said the younger Friedman. “We went out there and had an absolute blast today.”

Mark Friedman added:

“I thought it was a great event. Everyone was having a good time. I was just trying to stay out of my son’s way for the most part and let him control the matches.”

For the pairing of Carol Cioffi & Barbara Mueller, they did a great job of communicating during their matches which helped them stay focused en route to winning the Women’s 8.0-8.5 division.

“Encouraging each other during the matches goes a long way, we wanted to make sure we communicated and picked each other up,” Mueller said.

Cioffi added:

“This was so much fun. This is a great club to play at, the competition was good and it’s always good getting to play against new people.”

Rounding out the championships was Diann Starcke & Gina Hagedorn who walked away with the Women’s 9.0-9.5 title.

“We have a great dynamic together,” said Starcke. “Our patience helps a lot and we were able to win some of the longer points.”

When asked about her thoughts on the event, Hagedorn said:

“It was awesome; great location and it’s outside, right on the heels of the U.S. Open. It was great.”

Long Island Tennis Magazine is proud to be able to provide these unique Challenge events and bring people together for not only competitive tennis but also a great time off the courts.

“We know that local players have a lot of options of events when it comes to racquet sports, and we continue to be appreciative of all those who participate in our events,” said David Sickmen, co-tournament director. “We like to make sure that we are running events rather than just tournaments, and I think what makes the Challenges stand out is the professionally-run tournament along with the social aspect and the attention to all details. We were lucky to have so many nice people at this tournament which create good vibes, and we’re excited to continue putting on events like these. I want to thank my co-tournament director Michelle Stoerback, without whom the event would not be possible, as well as Sportime Quogue for hosting, and our sponsors OSIM and inPhorm.”

Stay tuned for more information on the next LITM Challenge Event.

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Scenes from the Long Island Tennis Magazine September Challenge