2006 National Championship > Men's & Women's Defending Champions Both Repeat At Beach Tennis USA's National Championship During Daylong Event in Long Beach, NY.
The U.S. Beach Tennis National Championship, originally scheduled for Saturday & Sunday, September 2-3, was moved to Monday, September 4 due to Tropical Storm Ernesto, which socked the New York City area with torrential rain and wind over the weekend. Despite the many logistical challenges associated with moving the event to Monday - for example, numerous players had flown in for the weekend to play in the tournament - the event was a huge success as the spectators who crowded the bleachers and the Long Beach boardwalk were treated to intense and thrilling matches.
A festival-type atmosphere prevailed as 25 men's and women's teams competed for a total of $15,000 during the tournament, which was held on the beach at Riverside Boulevard in Long Beach. Murphy Jensen, 1993 French Open doubles champion and outrageous host of "Open Access" on The Tennis Channel, served as guest emcee for the Men's Pro finals and amused the crowd with his irreverent game commentary.
Despite a field of extremely talented teams, Chris Henderson & Phil Whitesell of Charleston, South Carolina successfully defended their national championship title and #1 U.S. ranking by defeating brothers Alex & Henrique Cancado of Virginia Beach, Virginia, by a score of 8-5 in the Men's Pro finals. Whitesell, an extremely intense player who has earned a reputation as the "bad boy" of beach tennis, remained uncharacteristically calm throughout the match - despite good-natured taunting by Murphy Jensen -- and it paid off. He and Henderson finessed their way to the title as they wore down the Cancado brothers with a barrage of perfectly placed drop shots. The lengthy and acrobatic volleys pulled off by both teams had the spectators cheering and on the edge of their seats throughout the match.
For their efforts, Henderson & Whitesell won $5,000 in cash and a free trip to Aruba to play in the International Beach Tennis Tournament in November.
It was a day of repeat champions as local favorites Nadia Johnston & Fabiana Rezak, both of Long Island, powered their way to victory in the Women's Pro division. As they did in last year's finals, Johnston & Rezak outlasted Zeynap Inanli & Elena Jirnova of New York City by a score of 8-6. Rezak and Johnston, who were spurred on by their own hometown cheering section on the boardwalk, relied on near-perfect shot placement to once again best Inanli & Jirnova for the Women's Pro crown and capture the top prize of $2,500.
The national championship was a daylong spectacle that included a free concert by The Mystic, Long Island's premier rock cover band; a demonstration of 2 on 2 volleyball by "Best of the Beach" and a special video screening of "Big Wave Surfing." Throughout the evening the crowd was entertained by Brooklyn rapper/performer Special and the synchronized dance moves of the "Beach Tennis Beauties."
NEWSDAY, the official newspaper of the 2006 National Championship, was on site with its "Impulse Team" while food from Maxx's Deli was provided for our players and staff courtesy of Physicians' Reciprocal Insurers (PRI).
Head and Penn, official equipment sponsors of Beach Tennis USA for the entire 2006 National Tour, once again supplied the racquets and balls for the tournament. Poland Spring and Izze Sparkling Juice provided much-needed refreshments for the players. A portion of the proceeds from the event was donated to the Michelle O'Neill Foundation, a not-for-profit organization based in Long Beach, NY that benefits children with cancer.
Beach Tennis USA wishes to thank Jose Lopez, Commissioner of the Nassau County Department of Parks & Recreation, and Joe Brand, Parks and Recreation Commissioner for the City of Long Beach, for their interest and assistance and for allowing us to once again hold our national championship in Long Beach. Also, many thanks to the Long Island Rail Road for allowing us to display posters advertising the national championship on LIRR station platforms from Penn Station in Manhattan all the way to Montauk, at the end of Long Island, and to offer their riders a discount at the on-site merchandise tent.
Finally, special thanks to Jim Lorenzo and Imagine It Events for the unbelievable job they did in producing the 2006 National Tour and for making this year's National Championship a world-class event.
"In the past 18 months, beach tennis has transcended the boundaries of traditional sport and become a true lifestyle," said Marc Altheim, Beach Tennis USA's commissioner and founder. "We are now the X Games of tennis!" Mr. Altheim noted that tens of thousands of Americans have played this hybrid sport since its debut in May 2005.