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Local tennis players vie for championship titles

Tournament director Yuri Sohn (left) and Sendhil Kumaran pose for a photo after the awards ceremony for the Men's 45 and over division at the Champaign Park District Labor Day Tennis Tournament. Kumaran won this year's title after defeating Daniel Morris in the championship match, 6-1, 6-3, on Monday.

LEFT: Stepping into the court to hit an aggressive ball, Scott Aikman sets up a point during his consolation bracket championship match against Kevin Martlage. Aikman won the match 6-1, 7-6(4). MIDDLE: RIGHT: Kevin Martlage hits a routine backhand during his match against Aikman during the second set.

All photos by Sentinel / Clark Brooks

LEFT: Kevin Martlage stretches out to put the ball back over the net on a wide shot from Scott Aikman during their consolation championship match. RIGHT: Aikman, who is ranked #4 in the country by the USTA in Men's 75 and over category, hits a put-away volley to end the point.

LEFT: Tim O'Brien rips a one-handed backhand during his Men's Open Division championship match against Hunter Madigan. After dropping the first set 6-3, O'Brien dominated play in the second, forcing a third-set tie-break with at 6-1 win. When the dust cleared after a 10-point breaker, O'Brien finished runner-up, losing the decider, 10-4. MIDDLE: Travis Davis keeps the in play during his doubles match against Ryan Smith and Helaman Lucas on Labor Day. Davis and partner Anish Bose did not advance after the semifinal. RIGHT: Ayrton Nascimento unleashes a ground stroke while playing Trey Smith for the Beginner/Intermediate Singles Consolation title. Nascimento, a visiting scholar from Brazil, won the match after three-set marathon, 2-6, 6-4, 1-0(6).

Helaman Lucas stretches out to poach a short ball while playing with Ryan Smith during their Men’s Open Doubles Consolation semifinal match. The duo advanced to the title bout, winning it 6-2, 7-5, over Hamed Kadiani & Nick Levanti.


LEFT: Trey Smith hits a textbook volley at the net while playing during the second set of his match with Ayrton Nasciemento. Winning the first set 6-2, Lady Luck was not in his favor as he dropped the next two, 6-4, 10-6. MIDDLE: Yuri Sohn updates tournament results on the fly. Sohn is the head teaching pro at Dodds Tennis Center in Champaign and tournament director. RIGHT: Shaun Peterson comtemplates his next serve while playing doubles with partner Jason Zumwalt during their semifinal match against Hunter Madigan and Wyatt Martin. Peterson and Zumwalt went on to win the Men's Open Doubles title.

LEFT: Wyatt Martin rushes forward to attack a drop shot from Jason Zumwalt during their semifinal doubles match. MIDDLE: Paul Cheung hits a routine forehand during his mixed-doubles match against Sarah Benevento & Chris Kuehn. Cheung, and partner Molly Tracy, won the division title, going 2-0 in round robin play. RIGHT: Molly Tracy keeps the rally going with a backhand shot down the middle of the court.

LEFT: Chris Kuehn, a longtime veteran in the local tennis scene, hits a neutral rally ball while playing mixed doubles. MIDDLE: Sarah Benevento celebrates a point with Kuehn. The pair, who won last year's title, finished second at this year's tournament. RIGHT: Sangwon Park serves during the Beginner/Intermediate Singles final. Park won the division after besting Andrew Flores, 6-2, 6-1.


RIGHT: Lino Jo hits a low volley in an exchange at the net while playing doubles against Tim and Daniel O'Brien during their semifinal match in the Men's Open Doubles division. Jo and partner Sam Ryu fell in straight sets 6-2, 6-2 to the O'Brien brothers. LEFT: Daniel O'Brien celebrates his doubles win with brother Tim before playing in the title match an hour later against Shaun Peterson and Jason Zumwalt.

Sam Ryu and Tim O'Brien shake hands while Lino Jo and Daniel O'Brien congratulate each other after their semifinal match in the Men's Doubles Open division.

LEFT: Molly Tracy and Paul Cheung, winners of the Mixed-Doubles division, pose with their swag bags. In lieu of trophies as in past years, this year's champions received a shoulder bag containing a tournament t-shirt, water bottle, racquet overgrips, ink pens, and string dampners. MIDDLE: Hamed Kadiani concentrates on hitting a two-handed backhand while playing with partner Nick Levanti for the consolation bracket title. RIGHT: Nick Levanti hits a slice overhead shot back over the net while playing with Kadiani during their match against Helaman Lucas and Ryan Smith.

Six champions crowned at Champaign Labor Day tennis tournament

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Jason Zumwalt takes advantage of a weak ball from his opponents during the Men's Open title match at the annual park district Labor Day tennis tournament on Monday. Zumwalt and partner Shaun Peterson, who won the division a year ago, continued their reign as champions for another year after defeating Tim and Daniel O'Brien in two sets, 7-5, 6-1.

CHAMPAIGN - Hunter Madigan dropped just three sets in his four matches at this weekend's Champaign Park District Labor Day Tennis Tournament. Last year's Junior Boys 16-and-under champion, Madigan secured the Men's Open division title, besting former Centennial High School standout Tim O'Brien in a marathon 6-3, 1-6, 1-0(4) finish on Sunday afternoon.

Hunter Madigan
PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Hunter Madigan rips a forehand shot back over the net during his title match again Tim O'Brien. Madigan finished his sophomore season at St. Thomas More with an 18-6 singles record, and went 2-2 at the Class 1A state tournament this spring. He survived the three-set showdown against O'Brien, who had given up just nine games in his first three matches, 5-7, 7-5, 1-0(5).

Madigan started his run through the adult bracket with a quick, double breadstick win over Youngjoo Jing, 6-1, 6-1. He advanced to the quarterfinals to face Charles Crawmer, who cruised past David Sale, 6-0, 6-0, in their second-round matchup.

Crawmer easily took the first set from the 17-year-old upstart, 6-2. The second set was a different story. Madigan changed his strategy and battled to a 5-5 tie before Crawmer retired.

Hyeonmin Jeong, who cruised through his first two matches with double bagels, was the next victim to fall at the hands of the youthful Madigan. In the three USTA-sanctioned tournaments he played earlier this summer, Jeong beat seven of the nine opponents he faced and won the title at the Outdoor Summer Extravaganza @ JTCC. Unfortunately, Madigan proved to be too much, taking both sets, 6-4, 6-0.

Meanwhile, Jason Zumwalt and Shaun Peterson reprised their winning doubles duo to claim the Men's Open Doubles title in an all-Charger affair. Zumwalt, the boys head coach at Centennial High School, and his assistant, Peterson, took on brothers Tim and Daniel O'Brien, both former players at the school, in the final match of the tournament.

In a sport where youth and agility are clear advantages, Zumwalt and Peterson, senior to the O'Briens in combined age, secured the title with a 7-5, 6-1 victory.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Helaman Lucas uses his quick reflexes while playing at the net during his consolation semifinal doubles match against Travis Davis and Anish Bose on Monday. Lucas and his doubles partner Ryan Smith went on to win the Open Division consolation title.

In the past, championship and consolation bracket winners received trophies for their efforts. This year's champions received a swag bag filled with tennis accessories.

"Trophies are getting expensive," said tournament director Yuri Sohn, who is also the head tennis professional at Dodds Tennis Center in Champaign. "We wanted to try something different this year."

Inside the branded racquet bag given to division champions was a tournament T-shirt, racquet overgrips, a water bottle, ink pens, and racquet dampeners.

Below are this weekend's championship results:

Men’s Open Singles Final:
Hunter Madigan defeated Tim O'Brien 6-3, 1-6, 1-0(4)

Men’s Open Singles Consolation Final:
Youngjoo Jung defeated L. Vergari 5-7, 7-5, 1-0(5)

Men’s 45 Singles Final:
Sendhil Kumaran defeated Daniel Morris 6-1, 6-3

Men’s 45 Singles Consolation Final:
Scott Aikman defeated Kevin Martlage 6-1, 7-6(4)

Beginner/Intermediate Singles Final:
Sangwon Park defeated Andrew Flores 6-2, 6-1

Beginner/Intermediate Singles Consolation Final:
Ayrton Nascimento defeated Trey Smith 2-6, 6-4, 1-0(6)

Boy’s 12 Singles Final: William Guo defeated Jason Cheng 6-4, 6-1

Boy's 12 Singles Consolation Final:
Declan Downing defeated Nathanael Saldeen 7-5, 6-3

Men’s Open Doubles Final:
Jason Zumwalt & Shaun Peterson defeated Tim O'Brien & Daniel O'Brien 7-5, 6-1

Men’s Open Doubles Consolation Final:
Helaman Lucas & Ryan Smith defeated Hamed Kadiani & Nick Levanti 6-2, 7-5

Mixed Open Doubles Round Robin:
1st place Paul Cheung & Molly Tracy
2nd place Sarah Benevento & Chris Kuehn
3rd place Rhoda Lewis & Francesco Botticella




Smith/Bose win tennis title at CPD Labor Day Tournament

Ryan Smith makes a volley
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

CHAMPAIGN - Ryan Smith (right) poaches a ball at the net during hiS Men's Open Doubles match with partner Helaman Lucas Monday afternoon at Lindsey Tennis Courts. The pair defeated Travis Davis and Anish Bose during the consolation semifinal match on the way to the consolation championship title at the 2024 Champaign Park District Labor Day Tennis Tournament. Over 70 competitors signed up for this year's holiday weekend tournament.


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Labor Day tennis tournament date set

Sendhil Kumaran playing tennis
Sendhil Kumaran lines up a shot during a practice match at Atkins Tennis Center. Kumaran and partner Kai Wang won the Men's 35 and over doubles title at the 2023 Labor Day Tournament.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

CHAMPAIGN - The Champaign Park District will host the annual Labor Day Tournament from Sunday, September 1 through Monday, September 2.

The entry deadline for the tournament is at 5 pm on Tuesday, August 27. Adult players can register online at Labor Day Tournament registration. Junior players should register at this link for junior division registration—entry fees for singles $28 for singles and $22 for each player entering the doubles competition.

"I love it," Paul Chang told WCIA last August. Unable to place in the 2023 tournament, Chang has become a regular in the local United States Tennis Association league play, polishing his skills for another shot at a tournament trophy.

There are nine singles divisions for adult players, including Beginner/Intermediate Open (2.0-2.5); Men’s Open; Women’s Open; Men’s 35 and over; Women’s 35 and over; Men’s 45 and over; Men’s 55 and over; Men’s 65 and over; and Men’s 70 and over.

Doubles divisions for adults at this year's tournament include Men’s Open; Women’s Open; Men’s 35 and over Doubles; Women’s 35 and over; and Mixed Open Doubles.

There are three age divisions each for boys and girls 16 and under.

Last year's adult tournament champions were:

Men’s Open Singles Final: Alejandro Gomez

Men’s Open Singles Consolation Final: David Diep

Men’s 35 Singles Final: Bill Cawley

Men’s 35 Singles Consolation Final: Kevin Martlage

Men’s 55 Singles Final:Eric Peterson

Men’s 55 Singles Consolation Final: Nitin Bhosale

Boy’s 16 Singles Final: Hunter Madigan

Men’s Open Doubles Final: Jason Zumwalt & Shaun Peterson def. Hunter Antonisse & Alejandro Gomez 6-2, 6-1

Men’s Open Doubles Consolation Final: David Diep & Chris Sarol

Women’s Open Doubles Final: Cindy Crist & Sarah Kim

Women’s Open Doubles Consolation Final: Shiho Gimbel & Rhoda Lewis

Men’s 35 Doubles Final: Sendhil Kumaran & Kai Wang

Men’s 35 Doubles Consolation Final: Clark Brooks & Charles Nerone

Mixed Open Doubles: Sarah Benevento & Chris Kuehn


The draw for all divisions will be emailed to all participants. For more information, contact the tournament director and Park District head tennis professional Yuri Sohn at (217) 819-3993 or by email at yuri.sohn@champaignparks.org.



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Photos: Sentinel/Clark Brooks