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JOIN US SEPTEMBER 13-15, 2024
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 13
Tennis Under The Stars Opening Night
Opening Night Tennis Tournament, Food Trucks, and Pro-Am Completion
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Saturday, September 14
Sunday, September 15
Live to Play Rock & Rally 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
2024 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
2023 Winners
2023 Championship Finalists
As we mentioned above, inclement weather prevented us from crowning a champion in our Men’s & Women’s Singles and Doubles tournaments as well as our Mixed Open Doubles. So, we’re treating all of the semifinalists as winners, with prize money being given out equally. Here’s the list of semifinalists:
Mixed Doubles Semifinalists
Vasil Ivanov & Isabela Romanichen
Kofi Bowe & Kyndall Ragins
Adli Issa & Juliana Marques
J’erome Adonis & Shay’Tonya Missick
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Men's Doubles Semifinalists
Teodor Cariov & Hayden Shoemake
Corey Campbell & Harris Trismen
Men’s Open Singles Semifinalists:
Corey Campbell
Harris Trismen
Vasil Ivanov
Teodor Cariov
Hayden Shoemake
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Women's Open Doubles Semifinalists
Mikaya Hamilton & Florielvis Hurtado Pernaleta
Isabela Romanichen & Madison Hill
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Women's Open Singles Semifinalists
Sara Suchankova
Anna Fijalkowska
Isabela Romanichen
Madison Hill
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Fast Serve Winners
Corey Campbell
Hoa Tran
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”
2023 By The Numbers
Total USTA players in the Championship
324
Total Junior Division players in the Championship
160
Tournament Purse
$2500
# of Truist Kids' Day participants
57
# of balls used
664
112 mph
Speed of the serve from the male Fast Serve contest winner
85 mph
Speed of the serve from the female Fast Serve contest winner
1,800
# of balls in play over Championship weekend
14
# of Charlotte Amateur Tennis Championship 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.
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