The Davenport City Tournament

Rachel Gale & Charles Einwick, Winners, with RTA Member Tracy Jones

Cris & Melissa Robinson, finalists, Mixed Doubles

Tracy Jones presented the awards to finalists Cris and Melissa Robinson and winners Charles Einwick and Rachel Gale in front of a packed gallery of family and friends. Lou Einwick, Exec. Director of the RTA estimated the crowd to be "somewhere under 10,000".

The first set lasted over an hour, unusual for the fast net play of mixed doubles. The Robinsons lost the first set when they weren't able to convert at 6-4 in the tiebreaker. Gale and Einwick then won the second set 6-3.

It was the first time Rachel and Charles had paired-up for tournament play. Charles stepped in at the last minute when Dominion pro Joe Cappellino had a family emergency. Lou thanked both Cris and Melissa for their strong support of the RTA - both Cris and Melissa were entered in multiple events.

Always the go-to guy for a pithy quote, Lou remarked that "watching your child play tennis is the ultimate in self-flagellation". It can't be too bad when he wins, though, Lou!

Karolyn Hall & Rachel Gale, Champions

Lindsey Wyeth and Karin Whitt were sitting pretty at 6-4, 5-1, but Karolyn Hall and Rachel Gale dug in their heels and stepped up their play to take the set in a tiebreak. Wyeth and Whitt led again in the third set 3-0 when Gale woke up from a rather sluggish start and took control of the remainder of the match. The next six games were all Hall/Gale.

"We really wanted to win this one, and we had our shot," said Lindsey. "This one was hard to lose. Karolyn did a great job pounding her hard, flat groundstrokes. I tweaked my elbow a bit during the second set and couldn't take them out of the air."

"They played awesome," said Rachel. "Karin didn't miss a thing in the first set. She had great hands. They could have won and they deserve a lot of credit. These were difficult conditions (the wind was brutal) and this was definitely won of the top three toughest matches I've ever played."

Rachel, who has now claimed the triple-crown of city singles, doubles and mixed titles three times now, made a surprise admission following her doubles match.

John Snead & Ed Butterworth, Champions

Jamie Hevron & Damian Sancilio, Finalists

Damian Sancilio and Jamie Hevron lost a bit of their edge after losing a hard fought first set to John Snead and Ed Butterworth. Ed credited Snead's return of serve for their success while John said it was Ed's quick hands at the net. Charles Einwick, who played in the semis against the title winners said it was Ed's big kick serve that made a difference.

All of those playing attributes gave Snead and Butterworth the clear victory in the Men's doubles final against Richmond Country Club pro Jamie Hevron and Sancilio of Courtside West. Butterworth is the Head pro at Burkwood Country Club.

Damian Sancilio and his 18 mo. old son

Damian Sancilio wins the Men's Singles trophy at age 42, 22 years after winning it the first time, making history as the oldest men's open champion. Sancilio had a hand in bringing Sheldon, his opponent and a native of Denmark, to Richmond. They met at a tournament abroad. Sheldon was recently hired as the Head pro at Westwood Club. He was hesitant about playing in the tournament but Sean Steinour and Damian talked him into it. Sean, the reigning champion, missed this year's tournament due to a family wedding out of town.

"This was unexpected....it's different from the first time I won the title. Back then I still had aspirations of playing on the tour. Then, I felt more like a player. Now, I feel more like a coach. Not that I don't savor the win. I do. It's nice to win it. But if one of the kids that I coach goes to Nationals in Kalamazoo and wins it, I would love that even more," Sancilio said after his historic win.

Miles Sheldon receives his finalist trophy for men's single. Said Lou Einwick, "Today, fans were not only able to see good tennis, they saw smart tennis."

Damian Sancilio takes in the love of family and friends following his 2 hour match with Miles Sheldon. The match went into tiebreaks in the first and third set. The title was 'unexpected', said Damian.

Mary Davis with her daughters. Mary plays on the Championship team at Burkwood Country Club.

Karolyn and Rachel joined fans on the lawn enjoying the 2:10 men's singles 'war'.

Lou congratulates Charles on his mixed doubles win.

Saturday's semifinal match featured Charles Einwick and Clint Greene vs. Snead and Butterworth. Clint is the Tennis Director/Head Pro at Fredericksburg Country Club.

During the men's doubles warm-up, two cars sped down the Boulevard, with one ending up smashed into the Columbus monument. Fans ran to the aide of the driver, who was eventually pulled from the car and placed in an ambulance.

Sisters Kathy May and Melissa Robinson played the title winners closely, losing the first set in a tiebreak.

Damian's son insisted on supporting his dad and being part of the crowd.

Lindsey discusses the source of last year's pain with Pat Anderson of Ridgetop.

Martha Condyles and Mary Davis consider the "what if" possibilities following their loss in the semifinals.

Steve Shannon, from ACAC, and a bud, who has no problem making himself comfortable during the Semis on Saturday.

For Jeff Eisenhard, it's always about the snacks. In this case, home-made salsa.

The Carters and the Eisenhards were in the gallery all week. The Richmond Tennis Association appreciates their support, as well as that of Davenport & Company, our event sponsor. Fans like these help keep the City Tournament a vital and viable tournament. Thank You!