OPTA Blog

By Mike Holder: In a physical match that took nearly two hours to settle, Greg Artzt defeated Claes Persson 7-6, 6-3 to win the OPRC Summer Tournament Men’s Open Championship. It was an entertaining match that featured high-quality shot-making as both players battled and left it all on the clay. Persson was fast off the blocks in the first set behind his solid groundstrokes and steady play. He jumped out to a 3-0 lead and looked to be heading to a quick result in the set. However, Artzt began to battle back with the turning point of the set coming in the fourth game. On the verge of falling to 0-4, the former Cornell University standout found himself engaged in a much needed, extended, physically challenging game that tilted back and forth from game point to break point. Finally, he was able to break through to get on the board.  The game appeared to shift the tide as Artzt used his quickness, aggressive hitting, and timely net play to work himself back into the set. However, Pe...

UPDATE: OPRC Summer Tournament Crowns Its Champions ** In a previous recap of the tournament, an unfortunate error was made in the Men’s Doubles 9.0 Final. My apologies to all involved. Here is a corrected version: By Mike Holder: After a summer full of matches, the Olde Providence Racquet Club Summer Tournament came to its conclusion last month with Championship Saturday.  The tournament began in June with nine different competitions playing a group stage round. The top players from the group stage advanced into the playoffs which began in late August. Secondary draws were also created for those who wished to continue in the competition. The Men’s Singles and Doubles Finals have been rescheduled and a recap will be coming upon its conclusion. Here is a recap of each division: Men’s 4.0 Singles David Griffin was impressive during the group stage round winning five of his six matches. Buddy Forward won four matches including a 6-3 7-5 win over Griffin. The two would face off ...

By Mike Holder: Pender Murphy is a native of Charlotte, attended Charlotte Latin, and would go on to work in commercial real estate for 25 years. He played tennis at Latin, Clemson University, and professionally for three years. Now, he provides tennis instruction to various schools and organizations in Charlotte through TLA Tennis, named in honor of Andy Avram’s late son, Tucker Leighton Avram. Pender has fond memories of playing matches as a kid at Olde Providence on Tuesday nights against players such as Bane Shaw (Ashley’s father), and William Poore.  Murphy was a ball boy at Olde Providence in 1970 when a 15-year-old Chris Evert beat Margaret Court, just two weeks after Court achieved the Grand Slam. Later, he would serve as a ball boy at the Davis Cup final at OP in 1971 when the Stan Smith-led USA team defeated Ilie Nastase, Ion Tiriac, and the Romanian team.  He recalls, “Back then, the ball boys at the baseline would throw the ball to the opposite baseline versus roll...

By Mike Holder: Since 1937, the USTA Southern has issued their annual yearbook, which is chock full of information on players, tournaments, coaches, and much more. Browsing through one is a walk through the history of tennis in the south. You will find players who went on to play Grand Slams, information on legendary clubs, coaches, and tournaments.  Reading through the publication year-to-year truly gives you a sense of how tennis has evolved in the United States. In the inaugural issue, the reader is given a wonderful history lesson on the origins of tennis in the south and the oldest tennis club in the United States. We learn that the first Southern Champion was C.B. Davis in 1886, and the number one ranked tennis player in the south in 1937 was Bryan "Bitsy" Grant, who went on to twice reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals, and the US Open semifinals. However, it was the 1978 issue that caught my eye. As I scrolled through the pages, I came across the 1977 rankings and five n...

By Mike Holder: Imagine hosting a tournament in which players who accounted for 18 career singles grand slam titles competed for the championship. In the modern era, that type of draw would typically only be seen at a major or perhaps a Masters 1000 tournament.  However, from April 17–22, 1973, that is exactly what occurred at Olde Providence Racquet Club. It was the third edition of the North Carolina National Bank Tennis Classic (also known as the Charlotte or Carolinas Tennis Classic), and greats such as Arthur Ashe, Ken Rosewall, Tony Roche, Fred Stolle, Roscoe Tanner, Tom Okker, and Jan Kodes competed in the 32-man draw. The tournament was part of the World Championship Tennis circuit which was divided into two groups of players who competed in eleven tournaments each, from January through May. The top four players would go on to compete in the season-ending Finals. The remainder of the year, players would migrate to the Grand Prix Circuit, which was managed by the Internation...

By Mike Holder: Tim Wilkison had a long and successful career on the tour which included 6 career singles titles and 10 doubles. He had wins against all-time greats such as Arthur Ashe, Boris Becker, Jim Courier, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, and Pete Sampras to name a few.   The Shelby, NC native competed in tournaments around the world including all four grand slams. He was once the number one ranked junior in the United States and would reach a career-high singles ranking of 23 in 1986 as a pro. Wilkison earned the nickname “Dr. Dirt” due to his aggressive, never give up on a point mentality. He is often remembered for his diving volleys on the iconic grass courts of Wimbledon. Since retiring from the tour, Wilkison has coached players of all skill levels for more than 25 years. What was the most memorable match or event of your playing career?    I would say that the matches held at Grand Slam events are the most memorable.  Regular tour events are fairly generic,...

By Mike Holder: Keith Richardson was born, raised, and still resides in Rock Hill, S.C. He played number one at Appalachian State University (1971-1975) and won the Southern Conference Tournament 3 times (‘73, ‘74, ‘75) at that position. He met his wife, Marilyn, at ASU and the couple recently celebrated their 46th anniversary. They have two children and two grandchildren. After college, Keith played four years on the ATP and USTA Pro Tour (1976-1979). He would become Head Pro at Benvenue Country Club in Rocky Mount and in 1983  joined Wilkinson Bulluck & Co. in the same city. In 1993, he became part of BB&T Insurance Services, retiring in 2009 before returning to Rock Hill where he joined Peoples First Insurance, specializing in Commercial Insurance and Risk Management. After 32 years in the insurance industry, he retired for good. As a retirement gift to himself, Richardson joined Olde Providence so he could play every day against the best players in the country and becam...