Jeronie Barnes and Dane Schmidgall Soar at St. Louis

January 28, 2019
St Louis, Mo
By tournament director Alan Douglas

Main Draw

Back Draws

The 2019 St. Louis Open boasted the deepest field in the tournament’s history. There was outstanding play all weekend with perfect paddle weather, including a light dusting of snow each morning with beautiful overcast skies. 

Men’s Open Draw
32 teams with players from eight different states began play Friday night. By Sunday afternoon, after many tightly contested matches, it was a battle between the top seeds, Jeronie Barnes and Dane Schmidgall, and Brian Panek and Greg Wotring. Panek and Wotring kept it tight in the first set but the top seeds showed everyone how they had earned that seeding. Congratulations to Jeronie and Dane on a terrific win. On Saturday evening, the match of the tournament was a three-hour quarterfinal test of patience between Panek and Wotring and the third seeds, Ian Hintz and local pro Peter Hantack. Panek and Wotring prevailed 3-6 6-3 7-6 to take them into the semifinals. It was a great weekend of paddle in St. Louis and we wish everyone all the best of luck for the remaining season. Play hard and have fun!

Dick Baldwin Invitational 110+
The 110+ draw was played out Friday afternoon with the tournament namesake returning to the finals. Dick Baldwin, at age 79, once again paired up with SLCC pro, Peter Hantack, and they defeated Peter Gunther and Rick Randall. It was a hard fought battle but it just goes to show that experience goes a long way in this sport. Dick Baldwin is an inspiration to all!

The Calcutta
The 2019 Calcutta was a runaway with Todd Zimmerman heading out to dinner with a $300 pay out. Zimmerman and his partner won their last match to seal the win and pocket the cash. 

Bags Tourney
2019 marked the 2nd annual Bags Tournament. Last years champions were upset in the second round by Bob Curtis and Travis Heinemann. Taking first place this year were KC boys Zach Frisch and Grant Priddy, who were finalists last year. Zach and Grant took home 2 M1 Master Athletics paddles. Thanks to Creve Coeur Racquet Club for hosting an incredible Saturday night Party. 

Men’s Open Results:
Main Draw: Jeronie Barnes/Dane Schmidgall def. Brian Panek/Greg Wotring, 6-3, 6-1
Quarterfinal Reprieve:Edwin Lewis/Scott Triplett def. Peter Hantack/Ian Hintz, 6-4, 6-2
Round of 16 Reprieve: Matt McClure/Karl Morgan def. Paul Feder/Kyle Shoff, 6-4, 6-2
Consolation: Mike Carr/Frank Sant def. Peter Gunther/Bill Stude, 5-7, 7-6, (10-7)