Matt Burkhartt | Staff Photographer
Rich Reitman of the Green Team serves in a game against the Yellow Team at the tennis tournament at the Chautauqua Tennis Center Saturday. The Green Team won the tournament.
A clamor of shouts and cheers rose from the Chautauqua Tennis Center this weekend. From the sound of it, last Saturday seemed like any other behind the courts.
Early on the bright morning, though, 24 Chautauquans laced up for the annual team tennis competition.
A morning of close matches and gritty tiebreakers, the three-hour tournament provided a morning of continuous play and nonstop excitement.
“Most of the players displayed excellent footwork and precise placement in the tournament,” said Lee Robinson, program director at the Tennis Center. “All of the matches were extremely close.”
These 24 participants of various ages split into four teams of six players, designated by red, blue, yellow and green shirts. Each team played enough one-set doubles matches to compete against each team.
The Green Team — made up of Rainy Evans, Rich Reitman, Harvey Wolsh, Dick Brown, Corinne Rosengarten and Susie Mauer — won the tournament with a total of 52 victories. The Red Team took second place with 43 games.
“Dick Redington, G.I. Hodges and David Levy all stood out on Saturday,” Robinson said. “They played outstandingly.”
Evans and Reitman of the Green Team played one of the most engaging matches of the day against the Blue Team’s Sheri Sacks and Roger Conner. After a nail-biting tie-breaker, Evans and Reitman edged out their opponents with a 7-6 (5) final score.
“That was definitely one of the more entertaining matches of the day,” Robinson said.
Although the Green Team received bragging rights for their successes, they did not cash in on the winnings. According to Robinson, most of the participants are friends and regulars at the Tennis Center, so the yearly competition is traditionally cordial and casual.
“It’s just a fun, enjoyable tournament every year,” Robinson said. “It’s competitive, but, as always, the score never matters after it’s all said and done.”
The Chautauquan Daily 
