2006 Long Beach Open > Californians Go Wild for Beach Tennis At Sizzling Event in Long Beach
Beach Tennis USA concluded the first leg of its 2006 National Tour with a wildly successful event in Long Beach, California on April 22-23.
Lester Cook and Craig Cignarelli, who won the Santa Monica Beach Tennis Open held on April 8-9, made it two in a row as they took home the $1,000 first place purse in the men’s pro division. Cook and Cignarelli defeated Pete Smith, coach of the USC men’s tennis team, and Johan Berg by a score of 8-3.
The event, which attracted over 1,500 spectators, was held on the beach in Belmont Shores. A total of 132 players competed in the pro and amateur tournaments, which was held on Sunday, while 750 others took advantage of weekend-long "open play" and tried beach tennis for free.
Murphy Jensen, Grand Slam Winner and host of "Open Access" on The Tennis Channel, was on hand to host Sunday’s tournament. Murphy’s outrageous personality was on display as he entertained the crowd with hilarious commentary while calling the matches.
As you might expect in Southern California, several celebrities turned out for the Long Beach event. Among the personalities who played beach tennis were Eric Braeden, star of “The Young and the Restless,” Vince Van Patten, host and commentator of “The World Poker Tour,” actors Ben Murphy and Nels Van Patten and actor/writer/producer Tommy Cook.