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Buildup grows for Open

• Registration now is being held for the fifth annual Stonebridge Open.

Scott Chancey

ALBANY —  Head pro Randy Jobson is once again looking for a huge gathering in what will be the fifth annual Stonebridge Open Tennis Championship on June 22-24 at Stonebridge Golf & Country Club.

“This is probably the largest tournament in Southwest Georgia of its kind,” said Jobson, who added that he is expecting between 140 and 150 players.

“This will not only be great tennis, but there will be a great tennis ambiance. There will be tents where people can watch the matches from. We’re real excited.”

Of course, since this will be the fifth year this event is held, old friendships — as well as rivalries — will be renewed.

“There are a lot of players who play year after year, and they look forward to meeting the same competitors again,” Jobson said.

Quality matches are guaranteed in both the men and women’s singles and doubles categories, and even mixed doubles, because players will be grouped into events based on their USTA ratings. The higher-level divisions should be especially exciting to watch because Jobson said some ofthe players are ranked in the state.

The timing of the tournament also will be appealing to tennis enthusiasts after the French Open concluded this past weekend with Rafael Nadal and Justine Henin winning their third consecutive singles championships at Roland Garros in Paris and the buildup growing for Wimbledon — the third leg of the Grand Slam — beginning the following Monday after the Stonebridge Open is completed.

“To have two big tournaments, one before this tournament, and another one after this, that definitely gets people thinking more about tennis,” said John Vansant III, who is on the tennis tournament committee at Stonebridge.

And although the Southwest Georgia heat can be cumbersome at times, the makeup of Stonebridge’s courts could play to the participants’ advantages when it comes to being comfortable.

“We have seven courts that are unique in a sense that they are 50 degrees cooler on a hot day,” Jobson said. “That’s popular with older players.”

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