GRASS SLAM

Agawam Hunt will be hosting the Grass Court Slam on August 1-4, 2024.

The Grass Slam is the third Slam in the Series that covers the three major surfaces, hardcourt, clay and grass.

 

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​2023 grass slam summary

 

New England Grass Slam: Great Grass Play at Agawam

 

The final of the L4 New England Senior Slams took place at Agawam Hunt, located on 130 wooded, riverside acres in Rumford, RI, on August 24 - 27. Eighty players from across the country gathered for great play. Special thanks to Tournament Director Dustin Goldenberg for running an efficient and enjoyable event. We are grateful for Agawam’s hospitality to all the players and for maintaining the high quality of the grass courts.

 

Here are some highlights:

 

Singles Competitions (56 players)

 

The men’s 50s singles draw had eight entrants. Top seed Alastair Chapman did not drop a set and defeated second seed John Tashiro in the finals. In the back draw, Juan Carlos Alvarez de Soto took third over Nagaraj Vutukur.

 

The men’s 55s singles tourney was sizable with 12 competitors and a non-seeded player taking the field on the way to the gold. Jeffrey Callan took the fourth and first seeds in straight sets to reach the semis before beating James Burda, the #2 seed. Steve Gulla won the backdraw over Anthony Mesiti.

 

Six players comprised the men’s 60s singles draw. David Roth lost a total of five games in the event, and

Chris Stevens won the back draw.

 

The men’s 65s had eleven players. Stan Mescon overcame a tough three set first round against Chris Holmes and split sets against first seed David Robbins Tien, who retired due to injury. Stan then went all the way to gold by defeating #2 seed Jeffrey Prudden. Holmes then won bronze.

 

The men’s 70 draw had eleven players and an upset. James Nelson beat first seed Edward Paige in the quarterfinals. Second seed Dirk Dugan beat Paul Masters in a tough final. Daniel Heitzman took third over Kenneth Kelly.

 

Four players competed in the men’s 75 draw with George Deptula beating the #2 seed Bruce Leibig and then needing three long sets against Joseph Touzin to win the title.

 

In the men’s 80s event, Henry Steinglass beat Charles Neimeth in straight sets. And Nicholas Ourusoff and Malcom Swanson duked it out in the men’s 85s with Ourusoff taking the win.

 

Doubles Competitions (12 Teams)

 

The men’s 55 doubles held a round robin with three teams. James Burda and Eric Nixon held their title from 2021 and dropped only eight total games against the teams of Mark Gelsinger / Andrew Canning and Dirk Dugan / Peter MacPartland.

 

The men’s 65s doubles also used a round robin format with Stan Mescon and Alan Turner going 2-0 against Dirk Dugan / Glen Anderson and Rafael Molina / Kenneth Kelly.

 

Paul Shaw and David Fish dominated the men’s 70s round robin beating the pairings of William Busiek / Paul Masters and Kevin O’Neil / Rufus Yerxa.

 

In the men’s 80s round robin, Edward Underwood and Henry Steinglass lost a total of five games against the two other teams – Charles Neimeth / Peter Fiore and Holbrook Hyde / Raymond Brodeur.

 

The Party

 

There was also a free beautiful buffet luncheon  provided by the club for the players that was very well received.

 

The cocktail party was terrific with great food, wine and beer.  However, it was not well attended because it was held Saturday afternoon when it rained and many players were playing indoors at the Bass River Tennis Club in nearby Beverly.  More shrimp and other food for those that came!

 

We give special thanks to Paul Fairchild and his assistants, John Shane, Umpire Tom Fayed, Linda Parkins and others for making this an outstanding event. Also, a thank you to the club members who graciously assisted at the desk.  Many players are hoping they will agree to have it again next year.

 

HARDCOURT SLAM     CLAY SLAM