Island tennis classic to become annual event

The first-ever Gasparilla Island Tennis Classic finished up on Sunday, March 9 with a total of 35 players on the roster that might otherwise not have had a chance to play in a tournament this year.

According to Dusty Hopkins, the publisher of the Boca Beacon which sponsored the tournament, everything went well this year and a bigger tournament is planned for next year.

“Next year’s tournament will be held at all three tennis clubs,” Hopkins said. “It will be held at the Boca Bay Pass Club, the Boca Grande Club and the Gasparilla Inn courts. It will still be open to everyone, whether they belong to a club or not.”

For years the Gasparilla Inn held the Gasparilla Inn Open, a tournament that many island players looked forward to every year to compete, show off their skills and enjoy the companionship of other players. The tradition stopped this year, and Hopkins, a player himself, picked it up and ran with it.

“ A lot of people were very happy this tournament was held this year, and they’re eagerly looking forward to next year,” Hopkins said. “I had a great time too, even though I got ‘spanked’ by a 16-year-old.”

Hopkins said he and the tennis professionals from the participating clubs will be looking into changing the format up a bit for next year, expanding the playing field and the length the tournament will run.

“With three tennis clubs out here, and a lot of players that don’t even belong to those clubs, there’s a lot of tennis fans out here,” he said. “I want to take it back to the days when island families played for fun. This is meant to be a fun, grassroots family event. I’m pleased we could make that happen in 2008, and we look forward to a long association with it in years to come.”

Look for the details for next year’s tournament in early 2009, with scheduled play to begin around the same time in March.