By RICHIE HALL
CARMEL – Walking through the lobby of the Carmel Racquet Club, the televisions are all tuned to the French Open, the major clay court tournament that is currently being played at Stade Roland Garros in Paris.
For those tennis fans who are interested in seeing competition on clay, but can’t just jet off to Paris at a moment’s notice, don’t worry. The CRC is giving you another option: The 2023 Midwest Clay Court Championship, which the club is hosting now through Sunday.
The Midwest Clay is a long-time event on the calendar, and as a United States Tennis Association (USTA) Level 3 tournament, it’s an important one, too. The USTA divides tournaments into categories from Level 7, which offers the lowest amount of ranking points, to Level 1, which offers the highest. (A winner at a Level 3 tournament receives 1,800 ranking points, compared to 3,000 for Level 1 and 150 for Level 7.)
Since having a good result at this tournament can help out a player’s ranking, the Midwest Clay attracts a field of top-level players.
“We get some of the best in the country in each of the different age groups,” said Denise Boehnlein, the tournament chair. Both singles and doubles competition are offered at this tournament, with singles brackets ranging from 35’s to 80’s, and doubles ranging from 55’s to 80’s. Each age group is separated by five-year intervals (35’s, 40’s, 45’s etc.)
There are around 135 participants in this year’s tournament. These players come from all over the country, from Florida to California.
“A lot of them are coaches or pros from their area,” said Boehnlein. “So it’s really high-caliber.”
Play began Thursday at CRC with several of the older categories taking to the courts, including matches in the 75’s and 80’s singles bracket. (There were also some singles matches being played at Highland Golf and Country Club in Indianapolis, and that facility will be used for singles matches today as well.) Boehnlein said that those older players serve as inspirations.
“They’re playing at a high level, of course,” said Boehnlein. “I’ve gotten a lot of inspiring stories and speeches about how important it is to keep going, never stop playing. Their little routines that they do to stay healthy and stay on the courts, like their stretches, their exercises, their swimming, what they eat.”
One of those older players is J.B. Hayes, a Carmel Racquet Club member who is still actively playing at age 87. While Hayes isn’t playing in the Midwest Clay this year, he had been a regular participant in the tournament for 10 to 15 years – “too many to count,” he said. “But I started at the younger ages and worked my way up through the 80s. Even when I was 85, I played it one year. I actually made it to the finals that year.”
Hayes
Hayes said he began playing tennis in Danville at age 9, taking part in junior tournaments until he went to college. He was still out watching the tournament, as he knows people that are participating this year.
“There’s a lot of good national players that come in here, and you like to watch them play,” said Hayes. “You might learn something.”
Boehnlein also noted the camaraderie between players.
“They enjoy hanging out, especially on Friday, when we have drinks and we have pizza,” she said. “They love to sit around and chat and watch the other matches go on. So that’s something they really look forward to.”
The tournament welcomes spectators, with no admission. The Midwest Clay will continue with matches today, Saturday and Sunday at Carmel Racquet Club, with play beginning each day at 8 a.m. For a schedule of matches in each age group, click on this link.