Bloor/Ortner Memorial tennis tourney set for July 18-21

The 14th annual Bloor/Ortner Memorial Tennis Classic returns to the area once again over the weekend of July 18-21 at Perkins High School and Court 1. The tournament will have 14 divisions, starting with four divisions on July 18 for the youth level. The annual "Youth Showdown" will be contested on July 18 at the Perkins Community Courts and the Court 1 club. There are boys and girls age divisions of 14-under and 18 under. All players are guaranteed at least two matches, with the format for each division based the number of entries. This will mark the third year that Court 1 has been involved in the tourney. Court 1, Al's Clinics, 100 Women Who Care and the Sandusky Register. "Court 1 has been fantastic," tourney founder John Schlessman said. "We can handle good numbers." Registration deadline is July 16, while the draws will be available on July 17. The cost is $40 per person and registration is done online through USTA Serve Tennis (tournament ID 24-49135). Players do not need to be USTA members to participate. The 18-under doubles tournament for boys, girls and mixed teams will be held on July 19-20. Sets will be to six games and matches will be best two out of three sets. A third set, if needed, will be a super tiebreak to 10. The 18U mixed and regular doubles categories are new this year. There is a maximum of two divisions per person for the weekend, with each team guaranteed at least two matches per division. The entry fee is $30 with a deadline to register of July 17. The tournament ID is 24-08626 to sign up online. "It's a USTA tournament and we've been getting players from the Cleveland and Toledo areas," Schlessman said. "We expect from 80-to-100 players." From July 19-21, there will be divisions for men's singles and doubles; women's singles and doubles; mixed doubles; over-40 men's and women's doubles; and over 40 mixed doubles. Play begins on July 19. There is again a maximum of two divisions per person, with the guarantee of at least two matches per division. The same scoring formats apply. The entry fee is $40 per person in singles and $30 per person per division for doubles. The tournament ID to sing up online is 24-47207. Deadline to register is also July 17. The link to register can also be found at alsclinics.org. Greg Avery and Harry Love — the head girls varsity tennis coaches at Perkins and Norwalk — will serve as tournament managers. For more information or questions, contact BloorOrtner@gmail.com.