The COVID-19 pandemic hit everyone hard in the sports world, but for many of the high school seniors playing spring sports, they lost perhaps their last chance to play competitively.
However, high school tennis players here in Arizona will still have a chance to compete for a state title. It may not be AIA sanctioned, but Gold Key Racquet Club and the Southwest International Tennis Academy (SWITA) will host the 2020 Arizona High School State Tennis Championships May 28-June 14 for all D1, D2 and D3 high schools who had their seasons canceled.
The event will feature both a boys and girls bracket for the top 32 singles players and top 16 doubles teams in each division in the state of Arizona, and there will be some wiggle room to allow seniors to participate. Players must be listed on their 2020 high school tennis team roster to compete.
"We want to do this for the kids, we want them to have a great experience," said Tournament Director Luis Ridaura. "The seniors couldn't compete, so we want to give them that closure before going to college. We want them to play one last tournament for their high school here in the state."
Ridaura says CDC guidelines will be followed, and social distancing measures will be in place for spectators. Tennis is inherently a distance sport, but the tournament will sanitize the balls.
The division two tournament will take place May 28-31, followed by division one June 4-7 and then division three June 11-14. Each participant will receive an event T-shirt, and trophies will be awarded to the top three finishers in each division.
If you're interested in playing, click here.
