Tiger Classic Tennis Tournament Set To Begin On Friday, Features Many Of Area’s Best Junior Players

EDWARDSVILLE – The Tiger Classic Junior Tennis Tournament, which will feature some of the best junior players in the St. Louis area, is set to take place this weekend at the Edwardsville Tennis Center, with play set to begin Friday afternoon.

The majority of the finals will be held on Saturday afternoon, with two finals set for Sunday morning. Play is set for boys and girls singles in four groupings, for 12-and-under, 14-and-under, 16-and-under and 18-and-under.

“We are expecting the best junior players from the St. Louis area, and beyond,” said tournament director and Edwardsville High coach Dave Lipe. “We’re hoping for good tennis, and to give the kids a chance to have fun and improve.”

The tournament began back in 1994 at the old Edwardsville High School, now Lincoln Middle School, and has grown steadily since its inception, and is now one of the best tournaments of its kind in the area.

The 12-and-under boys’ tournament will be a round-robin affair, with four players – Jesse Hattrup of Edwardsville, and Charles Randall, Owen Kizer and Chandler Nelson, all of St Louis – competing against one another, while the top two seeds in the other divisions are Colton Hulme of Edwardsville and Rafay Cheema of O’Fallon, Mo., in the 14-and-under, Michael Ji of Chesterfield, Mo., and Gaurav Muthusamy of St. Louis in the 16-and-under division, and Andrew Bower of Alton, and Ben Blake of Edwardsville in the 18-and-under.

Three players will compete in a round-robin in the girls 14-and-under division – Mary Kathleen Beckemeier of St. Charles, Mo., Anna Dunn of Chesterfield, and Kashish Motwani of St. Louis. The top two seeds in the 12-and-under division are Hadley Allaria of Kirkwood, Mo., and Mireya David of Lake St. Louis, Mo., the 16-and-under top seeds are Laura Finnie and Sophie Bly, both of St. Louis, and in the 18-and-under division, the top seeds are Sophia McLellan of St. Louis and Nawal Cheema of O’Fallon, Mo.

In addition, the tournament also serves as a qualifier for a junior Edwardsville Futures tournament.

The idea is to give junior players a chance to improve their skills, and play under tournament conditions.

“We want to give the kids a chance to improve,” Lipe said, “and gain valuable experience.”

Play begins at 12 noon on Friday, and continues into the weekend, with some finals set for late Saturday afternoon, and a pair of finals set for Sunday morning.

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