Tennis players duke it out at ZCTC

Melissa Jester returns a shot with partner Judy Spellman against eventual women’s 7.0 division champions Donna Rockwood and Patty Gilliland. Photo/Carolyn E. Wright/Copyright

Past winners and newcomers have etched their names into the history book of the 32-year-old all doubles Tahoe Tennis Classic tournament at Zephyr Cove Tennis Club.

A record number of teams –121 — played in the July 30-Aug. 2 tournament. There were 170 people playing from as far away as the East Coast.

Hersch and Sheryl Herschman of Zephyr Cove, who started the tournament and ran it for the first 30 years, went home with winners’ shirts. He won the men’s 65 category with tournament director Bob Beutenmiller. They beat Richard Svedeman of Los Altos and Tad Yukawa of Palm Desert, 7-5, 6-3. Sheryl Herschman teamed with Carel James of Carson City to win 6-4, 6-4 in the consolation round of the women’s 7.0 over Ceci Chourre of Carson City and Susan Horst of Truckee, 6-4, 6-4.

Yukawa also made it to the finals of the men’s 50 with partner Ryan Johnston of South Lake Tahoe. They lost to Richard Johnson of Ballwin, Mo., and Terry Ward of Chesterfield, Mo., 7-5, 6-1.

The last players to walk off the courts were the four who battled it out in an epic three-setter in the 8.0 mixed finals. The No. 2 seeds and mother-son duo of Holly and Mitch Rittiman of Zephyr Cove triumphed over the No. 1 seeds Denise Hallerbach and Robert Skinner of Reno, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5.

Brothers Dennis and Jim Thorne, who won the men’s 8.0 division,defend an overhead from consolation round winners Steve Reid and Randall Osterhues. Photo/Carolyn E. Wright/Copyright

Skinner earlier in the day had lost the men’s 8.0 with partner Larry McFall of Reno. The brother duo of Jim Thorne of Sunnyvale and Dennis Thorne of Stateline prevailed 6-3, 6-2.

Hallerbach won the 8.0 women’s title with partner Laurie Sabol of Las Vegas by default. Carol Tretten of Reno and Joyce Youngs of South Lake Tahoe had to forfeit the final because Tretten injured her quadriceps while playing with her daughter, Holly, in the 9.0 category.

Winning the women’s 9.0 over the Trettens were Jeanette Berry and Laura Pierce of Reno, 6-4, 6-4.

Blake Beavers of Plano, Texas, and Holly Tretten of Reno, the No. 1 seeds in the 10.0 mixed, were easily defeated in the finals by Reno’s Dora Lane and Kevin Strawn, 6-3, 6-0.

In the men’s 10.0 division, the No. 1 seeds of Strawn and Tony Matkulak of Reno never dropped a set on their way to winning 7-6, 6-3 over Chris Evers and Dave Hagiwara of Folsom in the finals.

The No. 1 seeds in the women’s 7.0 were knocked off by the fourth seeds in three sets. Donna Rockwood of South Lake Tahoe and Patty Gilliland of Reno, who until this tournament had never played together, beat Carolyn Wright of Zephyr Cove and Becky LeBuhn of Glenbrook, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

Wright also reached the finals in the 7.0 mixed with partner R.J. Gardner of Stateline. As the No. 1 seeds, they were upset by No. 3 seeds Melissa Jester of Zephyr Cove and Heck Mata of Reno, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.

Kurt Massing and Bruce Pate, who traveled from Texas, came up just short of returning to the Lone Star State as winners. Thor Spargo of Fair Oaks and Murray Yoffee of Gardnerville won the men’s 7.0 contest 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Only two teams competed in the women’s 10.0 division. Kim Iliffe of Mill Valley and Keri Mills of Davis topped Carol Akre of Martinez and Cynthia Reddick of Sacramento, 6-3, 6-1.