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Dorchester tennis club hosts pro tournament

E-mail|Link|Comments () July 3, 2009 11:56 AM

Watertown's Erica Robertson was one of the competitors.

By Meghan Irons, Globe Staff

A Dorchester tennis club has been turned into a world-class tennis venue as female players from 22 countries vie for a piece of a $50,000 prize.

Sixty-four women athletes on the USTA Pro Circuit are competing in the tournament, which is being held through Sunday at the Sportmen’s Tennis Club, located on Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester. It’s the club’s third year hosting the event.

Organizers say the tournament, which features local resident Erica Robertson, is a chance for community residents to see top-notch competitors playing world-class tennis.

“What we do is gain access -- and give access -- to the children and adults in the community to learn the game of tennis,’’ said Sidney Cooper, who head’s the club’s tennis program and is the tournament’s director. “To bring in a level of [player of] this caliber really means the world to not only Boston proper but to New England.”

Located near the Franklin Field development, the club is a refuge to the young and old. Children go there to hone their skills and escape crime.

Impressed by its reputation, Mayor Thomas M. Menino named the club as part of his initiative for safety and prevention.

The matches begin daily at 10 a.m. The winner takes home $7,500 of the total prize. Other prizes will be awarded to winners in their respective rounds.

The quarterfinals are being held today, Grayce McCreary, a coach and staffer at the club, said today. The club has both indoor and outdoor courts so the rain hasn't caused any tournament delays, she said.

Robertson, who now lives in Watertown, lost in the first round.