2016 USTA Hawaii Pacific Yearbook | Page 30

2015 ROYAL LAHAINA CHALLENGER 2015 ROYAL LAHAINA CHALLENGER Royal Lahaina Tennis Ranch | Kaanapali, Hawaii January 25 – February 1, 2015 This year, the Royal Lahaina Challenger presented by American Savings Bank went above and beyond the success of past years. The level of tennis was extremely high and the excitement and drama on the court mesmerized the over three thousand fans that attended the event. The USTA Hawaii Pacific Section, who is the only USTA Section who hosts an ATP Pro Circuit Challenger tournament, was fortunate to retain some majors sponsors this year such as American Savings Bank, Maui Soda and Ice Works, and Maui Visitors Bureau. They also welcomed new sponsors such as the Pacific Media Group, Servco Lexus Maui, Allegiant Airlines, and notably, The Tennis Media Company, who prints the widely viewed Tennis Magazine and runs Tennis.com. The Royal Lahaina Challenger is the first tournament The Tennis Media Company has officially sponsored. It is also the first Challenger tournament of the year, which is a huge draw for many of the pros who want to start the year off strong in Hawaii. Thanks to the sponsorship from Kahiau: A Tennis Foundation, the tournament also saw huge success in its School’s Day, where over 100 kids from Kamali’i Elementary School took a field trip to the Challenger and got to meet past champion, Bradley Klahn, who has a career high singles ranking of no.63 in the world. Klahn had a chance to hit with the kids as well as spend some time for Q&A with the kids. This was a prime example of bringing School’s Tennis to its highest excellence. PROUD SUPPORTER OF THE SPORTSMASTER TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS OF MAUI ©2015 The Coca-Cola Company. POWERADE® is a registered trademark of The Coca-Cola Company. Jared Donaldson – Singles Champion (left), Nicolas Meister – Singles Finalist (right)” The outreach did not stop there. Tennis was brought to the Boys and Girls Club too. Not only did the kids have a chance to get their hands on the racquet and hit a ball, but they also had a meet and greet with the pro doubles pair, Juan-Carlos Spir (Columbia) and Dean O’Brien (Russia). The doubles team was able to bring an international touch to the afternoon, sharing stories and experiences from their hometowns. It was truly a great learning experience for many of the kids, some of which have never left the islands. The meeting made headlines the next day in the Maui News. Finally, over thirty Girl Scouts from troops across the island of Maui converged at the tournament to be introduced to the sport of tennis. Although there were gloomy conditions, the girls were still able to learn about the game and speak to some of the players. These community outreach efforts are put in place to enrich the sport of tennis through the local community and grow the game and interest in the youth of Hawaii. Jared Donaldson 2015 Singles Champion Jared Donaldson & Stefan Kozlov 2015 Doubles Champions Nicolas Meister 2015 Singles Finalist Rhyne Williams & Chase Buchanan 2015 Doubles Finalists 28 Hawaii Pacific Yearbook 2016 Hawaii Pacific Yearbook 2016 29