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JOIN US SEPTEMBER 15-17, 2023
PRESENTED BY
Play with the best of the best in the Queen City
Presented by Atrium Health and the Cynthia Graham Hurd Foundation, the Charlotte Amateur Tennis Tournament is a USTA-sanctioned event that brings together amateur tennis players of all ages and abilities for a weekend of tournament play, civic engagement, and a chance at a $2,500 tournament purse.
There are currently 12,000 adults registered with the Charlotte Tennis Association — and we wanted to give tennis enthusiasts in our city a way to meet and compete with their peers.
We’re doing our part to make tennis the community sport we know it can be in Charlotte — and which is why our tournament weekend features adult social play as well as a Kids Day.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday, September 15
Tennis Under The Stars Opening Night
Opening Night Tennis Tournament, Food Trucks, and Pro-Am Completion
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Saturday, September 16
Sunday, September 17
TRUIST Bank Kids Day & Adult Social Play
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Charlotte Amateur Tennis, & Jr. Invitational Play
Men & Women Open Championship Matches, Divisions Championship Matches, Matches Trophy Presentation, Rodgers Cup
Marion Diehl Tennis Complex
2219 Tyvola Road
Jeff Adams Tennis Complex
1200 W. Tyvola Road
Marion Diehl Tennis Complex
2219 Tyvola Road
A Great Tournament For A Great Cause
Tennis tournament proceeds benefit the Cynthia Graham Hurd Foundation for Literacy & Civic Engagement
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The Charlotte Amateur Tennis Tournament was founded by Charlotte City Council and community leader Malcolm Graham. An avid tennis player himself — he attended Charlotte’s Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) on a tennis scholarship — Graham created the event to give amateur players of all levels and ages in Charlotte an opportunity to play the sport they love and have fun in the process.
Graham’s sister, Cynthia Graham Hurd, was his first tennis coach when they were growing up together in Charlotte, and the one who encouraged him to head to Charlotte to play tennis at JCSU. A lifelong Charlestonian, Cynthia Graham Hurd was a self-proclaimed “book nerd” who grew up to share her love of books and had a tireless desire to help others in her community — as evidenced by her 31-year tenure as an employee of the Charleston County Public Library system.
On June 17, 2015, Cynthia was one of nine people tragically shot on June 17, 2015, while attending a bible study at Emanuel AME Church — just four days before her 55th birthday.
After her tragic passing, Cynthia’s family established The Cynthia Graham Hurd Foundation for Literacy & Civic Engagement to continue her work and legacy through instilling a love and appreciation of reading and creating positive change in our communities.
To learn more about the Cynthia Graham Hurd Foundation, visit
2023 SPONSORS
Without the support of our amazing sponsors, this tournament would not be possible. If you’re interested in being a sponsor for the Charlotte Amateur Tennis Tournament, click on the button below to see our sponsorship levels or email info@charlotteamateurtennis.org.
Presenting Sponsors
Additional Sponsors
2020 Winners
Men’s Open Finals
Benjamin Wayand
Ben, a senior History major at UNC-Charlotte, won four matches to capture the Men’s Open Division Singles title. For his 2019-2020 collegiate season, he was named first-team All-Conference in doubles, and second-team All-Conference in singles as well as being named team MVP. This season, he teamed up with UNC-Charlotte teammate Henry Lieberman to form a doubles team that was ranked in the ITA Top 50 national rankings. He also won 14 singles matches this spring, with seven of those wins ranked at #1 or #2.
Women’s Open Finals
Ruxandra Schech
A sophomore at UNC-Charlotte, Ruxi Schech captured the Women’s Open Singles crown with all straight-set victories after earning the No. 1 seed entering the event. She also captured the Women’s Doubles title with UNC-Charlotte teammate Emma Wilkins. Although Schech's inaugural collegiate spring campaign was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, she made an impact on the program this year as she shared the team lead with 11 doubles triumphs and garnered ITA Scholar-Athlete honors.
Men’s Doubles Final
John Haywood & Rob Haywood
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Women’s Doubles Final
RuSandra Schech & Emma Wilkins
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Mixed Doubles Final
Tanner Haddon & Alexis Robinson
Men’s NTRP Singles 4.5
Philip Gibson
Men’s Singles 4.0
Wade Farrow
Men’s Singles 3.5
Taylor Brown
Men’s Singles 3.0
Nareen Sharma
Men’s Singles 3.5
Omar Punjabi
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Men’s Singles 4.0
Anthony Decandia
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Men’s Singles 4.5
Kevin Green
Men’s Doubles 3.5
Charles Manning & Jordan Teel
Men’s Doubles 4.0
Mario Henry & Lance King
Women’s Singles 4.0
Spencer Cochran
Women’s Singles 3.5
Catalina Knutson
Women’s Singles 3.0
Tiara Perry
Women’s Doubles 3.0
Julie Linder & Mary Collins
Wheelchair Singles
Johnny Ragland
Wheelchair Doubles
Kelly Flouhouse & Johnny Ragland
2019 Winners
Men’s Open Finals
Jan Meyer
A former college tennis standout at Azusa Pacific University, Meyer earned recognition as the No. 1 singles player in NCAA Division II play. A native of Germany, Meyer continues to play tennis whenever he can in addition to working as a Portfolio Management Analyst at Dimensional Fund Advisors in Charlotte
Women’s Open Finals
Jenna Thompson
An incoming senior at South Mecklenburg High School, Thompson is an elite talent who’s ranked as a 5-star prospect and the No. 1 ranked player in North Carolina in the class of 2020. Already committed to Clemson University, she’s currently ranked as the No. 25 junior tennis player in the nation.
Men’s Doubles Final
Ecelza Slearev & Tanner Haddon
Mixed Doubles Final
Spencer Cochran & Parks Thompson
Men’s NTRP Singles 4.5
Philip Gibson
Men’s Singles 4.0
Wade Farrow
Men’s Singles 3.5
Taylor Brown
Men’s Singles 3.0
Jonathan Gross
Men’s Doubles 4.0
Lance King & Dennis Scottbey
Women’s Singles 4.0
Spencer Cochran
Women’s Singles 3.0
Alllecia Butler
Women’s Doubles 3.0
Melissa Morse & Iyuba Karpachoua
MEDIA & PRESS
WBTV
“Charlotte’s second annual Amateur Tennis Tournament is set”
WBTV
“Race, politics and 2020 election take center stage at virtual town hall meeting”
Charlotte 49ers
“Niners captured tennis titles at local tournament”
Charlotte Observer
“Newly confident gun reform activists mobilize in NC and around the country”
The Charlotte Post
“Forum focused on firearms violence as public health crisis; town hall advances observations, activism”
WCCB Charlotte
“Hundreds turn out for tonight’s Moms Demand Action meeting on reducing gun violence”
WBTV
“Charlotte Amateur Tennis Tournament promotes sport and court play”
QCityMetro
“Charlotte Amateur Tennis Championship honors Charleston shooting victim”
Charlotte Observer
“Tennis tournament wants to find Charlotte’s best players and honor church shooting victim”
OUR IMPACT
USTA players in main tournament
156
Number of wheelchair players
12
Tournament Purse
$2500
# of tennis courts used
40
# of balls used
664
32
# of event volunteers
0
# of rain delays
16
# of news stories
13
# of sponsors
In addition to the tennis tournament numbers, the weekend event has made a community impact in Charlotte and beyond. Nearly 1,000 people have collectively gathered for the event’s two Town Hall meetings; “Race, Politics, and the 2020 Election” in 2020, and “Guns: A Public Health Crisis” in 2019. Both of these Town Hall meetings featured a mix of local and nationally-known speakers, including political columnist Mary Curtis, author and professor Jelani Cobb, minister and social activist Rev. Dr. William Barber, and Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action.
Our yearly book drive in conjunction with the tennis tournament has also provided hundreds of books for local students in kindergarten through third grade in both Charlotte and Charleston, and in 2021, we’re partnering with Promising Pages, a nonprofit in Charlotte that collects new and donated books and distributes them to students and organizations — eliminating “book deserts” and providing free resources to those who need it most.
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What is the Charlotte Amateur Tennis Championship (CATC)?The Charlotte Amateur Tennis Tournament is a weekend of amateur tennis play that takes place September 15-17, 2023. Most of the tournament action takes place in two central locations — the Marion Diehl Tennis Complex and the Jeff Adams Tennis Complex.
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Is the CATC an USTA-sanctioned tournament?Absolutely! Last year, 156 players joined us for USTA-sanctioned championship play, and 90 in our inaugural year.
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What are the categories/levels of play?Our categories and levels often depend on the players that register for the tournament — here are the categories we've been able to support in the tournament in past years: Men’s Open Women’s Open Men’s Doubles Men’s Doubles 3.5 Men’s Doubles 4.0 Women’s Doubles Women’s Doubles 3.0 Mixed Doubles Men’s NTRP Singles 4.5 Men’s Singles 4.0 Men’s Singles 3.5 Men’s Singles 3.0 Men’s Singles 4.5 Women’s Singles 4.0 Women’s Singles 3.5 Women’s Singles 3.0
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Why was the tournament founded?The tournament was founded by Malcolm Graham, Charlotte City Council member and community leader, who wanted to pay tribute to his sister — and first tennis coach — Cynthia Graham Hurd, who was tragically killed in the Emanuel AME Church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina in June 2015. Besides fostering Malcolm’s love for tennis, Cynthia was also a 31-year employee of the Charleston County Library System, and loved connecting people of all ages with books and resources about their community and the world around them. That’s why you’ll always see civic engagement and literacy events — like our annual book drive and Town Hall conversations — as part of the tournament’s events. The other, more simple reason is this: Malcolm still loves to play tennis, and we know there are plenty of others in Charlotte who love the sport as well and play for fun. We wanted to give those people an outlet to meet other tennis players, get a little competitive, and support a great cause while they’re doing it. We truly believe that tennis is a community sport as well as a sport for all ages, and we’re doing what we can to foster that community with our annual tournament.
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Are volunteers needed at the CATC?Yes! As the tournament grows, so does our need for volunteers. If you’re interested in volunteering, contact Scott Handback, our Tournament Director, at (704) 300-7940 or email lhandback@methodist.edu.
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How does my business or corporation become a CATC sponsor?We’re glad you asked! There are several levels of corporate sponsorship and benefits. More information can be found under our sponsorship area. Please contact us at info@charlotteamateurtennis.org or 704.576.4568 to discuss sponsorship opportunities.