The Tennis Development Centre Cup (TDC Cup) for Alberta U10s was held on December 8-9 at the OSTEN & VICTOR Tennis Development Centre in Calgary.  This team-based tournament is supported by Tennis Canada as part of their Tennis Development Centre Program.  Read more.

It was a high-energy, action-packed weekend for the forty players and their coaches.  Points were hard fought, games and matches were closely contended, and the slightest of margin determined the winning team.

The event attracted ten teams from Alberta’s Tennis Development Centres, with two boys and two girls on each team.  Clubs represented were: the Alberta Tennis Centre (2 teams), the Calgary Tennis Academy (2 teams), the Saville Tennis Centre (4 teams), the Royal Glenora Club, and the Calgary Winter Club.

A  Close Contest

The tournament started with each of the ten teams stacking up court time as they played four other teams in a round robin format (two divisions of five teams each).  Based on results, the top four teams moved on to the semi-finals.  In one semi-final the Alberta Tennis Centre (1) played the defending champion Saville Tennis Centre (1).  In the other, the two Tennis Academy teams squared off.  Both semi-finals were close with many matches ending in a 1-game difference.

When it was time for the final, two Calgary teams had worked their way to the top of the ten-team roster:  the Alberta Tennis Centre (1) vs the Tennis Academy (1).  The ATC team won both of the boys singles matches.  Their boys went undefeated through the tournament.  Then the Tennis Academy girls came to the rescue winning both of their singles.  Their girls were undefeated as well.  So the tally was 2 matches for each team.  On to the doubles competition to determine the team winner.  The ATC boys continued their winning streak in the doubles match.  Not to be outdone, the Tennis Academy girls summoned their tennis superpowers and evened the score again, at 3-3 matches for each team.  

To settle the tie, the tennis organizers pulled out their calculators and went through the game sheets to determine which team had won the most games through the six matches.  When all was said and done, the winner was announced as the Tennis Development Centre, the host team, with the narrowest of margins.   A classic team tennis ending.

Competition With a Good Dose of Fun

Derek van den Berg, Tennis Alberta’s Technical Director of Tournaments and Provincial Programming, commented on the tournament highlights:

“I think the highlight of the event was the team atmosphere.  Many players spent their free time on the bench cheering for their teammates.  The kids get a positive, fun, team experience which we don’t have a lot of in Alberta.  Players were playing for their team, which is a different type of pressure than regular.  The event itself was competitive, but the goal was for everyone to have fun and show good sportsmanship.  It was a good opportunity for players to form friendships and just be kids.”

A Busy January and February for U10s

In addition to the Tennis Development Centre Cup, the U9/10 Future Stars Circuit in Alberta includes 17 tournaments held between September and March.   Read more.

The upcoming tournament schedule for the U10 teams is a busy one:

  1. Jan 3-6. Alberta Tennis Centre (Calgary)
  2. Jan 10-13. Tennis Academy (Calgary)
  3. Jan 24-27. Tennis Academy (Calgary)
  4. Jan 31-Feb 2. Royal Glenora Club (Edmonton)
  5. Feb 14-17. Red Deer Tennis Club (Red Deer)
  6. Feb 21-24. Alberta Tennis Centre (Calgary)
  7. Feb 28-March 3. Saville Sports Centre (Edmonton)

 

 

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