Ryan Baxter and Tom Murphy Motor Up at Detroit Invitational

February 3, 2020
Detroit, MI

WOMEN

Ladies DIT 2020 draw final scores 

The women were so happy to welcome back the Detroit Invitational following a few years hiatus. Players enjoyed a wonderful day of paddle play, perfect weather with a touch of snow and without sun, some competitive matches, and a delicious lunch prepared by the chef at the Country Club of Detroit.

The APTA thanks Tournament Director Madeleine Paolucci for helping bring back the Detroit Invitational and running a great event.

Results:
Champions: Lucy Gorski/ Carolyn Gorski vs. Julie Buechner/Julie Garcia: 6-4, 6-4
3rd place: Emily Mazzola/Annie Rahm vs. Christie Scoggin/Paula Cornwall: 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 7-5
Consolation: Holly FitzSimons/Theresa Sullivan vs Betsy Bernard/Mary Plowman: 7-5, 6-3
Consolation Reprieve: Kelly Cook/Kristen Harrison vs Suzanne Sadek/Lisa Mencotti: 6-4, 6-1

MEN

The Detroit Invitational NRT/Viking PCQ featured a high level of play at the Birmingham Athletic Club and Oakland Hills Country Club. Orchard Lake Country Club hosted the main draw quarters, semis, and finals. Players and fans enjoyed watching the finals while drinking exceptional Michigan produced beers and locally made Buddy’s pizza.

Second seeds Ryan Baxter (the Director of Racquets at BAC) and Tom Murphy won the NRT finals against the top seeds from New York, Marc Powers and Dan Englander,6-1, 6-1.

Ryan Baxter (the one and same) and Ed Burns won the Men’s 90+ the day before (a rare double crown victory in paddle tennis for Baxter) over Brad Pierce and David Pierce, 6-4, 6-2.

In the Men’s Bs, Jim Lareau/Brian Cameron defeated Robert Conway/Kevin Mariciniak for the championship.

Host clubs for the Men’s 90s were Oakland Hills Country Club and Birmingham Athletic Club on Friday and the Men’s B event was run at the Birmingham Country Club.

A special thank you to Jay Reynolds, the hut commander the past two years. This year the Detroit Invitational Tournament used Live Scoring for the first time and kudos go out to Steve Lord for handling this task seamlessly.

The APTA would like to thank Tournament Director Frank Willard and Chris Davis for running a well-attended event. He said, “Our tournament was a great success! Our participants had excellent matches. The tournament continues to grow year after year in our area and we are excited to have the millennials playing and also participating in the tournaments. See everyone next year!”

Men’s NRT/Viking PCQ and Men’s 90+ results can be found on Live Scoring

L to R: Winners Ryan Baxter/Tom Murphy Finalists Marc Powers/Dan Englander

L to R: Winners Ryan Baxter/Ed Burns Finalists David Pierce/Brad Pierce

L to R: Finalists Robert Conway/Kevin Marciniak Winners Jim Lareau/Brian Cameron

Additional photos from the tournament