PAST EVENTS
What We've Been Up To
2023 Polar Doubles Up/Down Tournament
Hosted by Western Wake Tennis Association and held at the Cary Tennis Park. This year, 19 wheelchair players and their able bodied partners participated in 3 divisions of play (A, B, C). Nick Burnham and Bill Leonard won the A Division. The B Division winners included: Chris Thomas and Dave Cuccaro, Gary Grindell and Helen Leonard and Jackie Jones and Suzanne Trexler. Finally, Chris Dominick and Stacie Fernstrum won the C Division. This has become a must attend event each year!
2nd Annual 2022 Wheel Serve It Up
Wheel Serve NC hosted our 2nd annual Wheel Serve It Up fundraiser benefitting our statewide nonprofit organization. It was held at the Queens University Sports Complex in Charlotte, NC and was an all-day up/down round robin with food and a silent auction. We were thrilled to welcome 100 able-bodied and wheelchair players as well as spectators and even a few dogs for this special day of fun, food, funds and of course tennis. The funds raised will help support Wheel Serve NC programming, players and events in NC.
2022 Charlotte Amateur Tennis Championship
Wheel Serve NC was proud of all our players from across the state for their participation in the wheelchair tennis division at the 4th annual Charlotte Amateur Tennis Championship. Nick Burnham won the A Division. Chris Thomas and Trey Bates won the B Division, while Chris Dominick and James Whitt won the C Division. Great competition and a lot of fun on the courts!
2022 Winston Salem Open
Wheel Serve NC hosted a day of play for its players and volunteers from across the state at the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Complex. We were fortunate to have 8 courts of up/down play with music and lots of fun. USTA NC was as generous as always, and provided tickets for our players to watch the afternoon Open match. We look forward to this day every year!
2022 Smash Cancer Tournament
Wheel Serve NC was fortunate to participate in the 2022 Smash Cancer Charity Tournament hosted by the Greater Wilmington Tennis Association in Wilmington, NC. We had 4 players integrate into this annual able-bodied tournament for a great day of tennis. Our participation in this event helps educate communities on the benefits of wheelchair tennis and highlights how easily it can be played with able-bodied players.
2022 Billie Jean King Cup
Wheel Serve NC held a fun and competitive round-robin event for 18 wheelchair players of various skill levels representing all 6 Wheel Serve programs across the state. We were honored to be joined by the US National Wheelchair Tennis Team. Our players had an opportunity to meet others from different programs, building a network of friendship and tennis. This event would not have been possible without the support from USTA NC, Asheville Tennis Association and the Asheville Racquet Club - Downtown.
With the generosity of USTA NC, Wheel Serve NC players, families and volunteers were given tickets to the Billie Jean King Cup for both Friday and Saturday. We are looking forward to what's next...
2022 Polar Doubles Up/Down Tournament
Hosted by Western Wake Tennis Association and Cary Tennis Park, 18 Wheel Serve NC players from across the state competed alongside their able-bodied partner in one of 3 divisions (A, B, C). Good competition, good friends and lots of fun at all levels of play! Looking forward to next year's tournament in Cary!
Wheelchair Tennis Jamboree
A day of play was hosted by Wheel Serve NC and the Lake Norman Tennis Foundation to encourage new players in the Huntersville area to try wheelchair tennis as well as to recruit new volunteers to our organization. Thankfully we attracted new players and had several new volunteers join us and fall in love with the sport and Wheel Serve NC.
2021 Wheel Serve It Up Fundraiser
Wheel Serve It Up was the first annual fundraiser for Wheel Serve NC held at Primal Brewery in Huntersville. We had a fun day of a mini tennis round robin tournament, silent and live auction, food and friends. We were excited to host wheelchair players, volunteers, USTA NC staff and friends to our very successful and entertaining event. Because of this fundraiser, Wheel Serve NC is better able to support its 6 programs across the state. We are looking forward to next year!
2021 Charlotte Amateur Tennis Championship
The 2021 Charlotte Amateur Tennis Championship brought wheelchair players from 5 of the 6 Wheel Serve NC programs including Charlotte, Cary, Asheville, Wilmington and the Sandhills. The wheelchair division of this able-bodied tournament hosted 17 players in 2 divisions. In the A division, Taylor Wingate won with Nick Burnham as the Finalist. In the B division, Lisa Maddox and Juan Mendez won with Rod Spence and Billy Eno as the Finalist. This tournament continues to grow and bring players from across the state to play together and against each other all while building friendships.
2021 Winston Salem Open Play Day
Wheel Serve NC hosted its first play day at the 2021 Winston Salem Open. Players and volunteers from Wheel Serve Charlotte, Asheville, Cary and Sandhills as well as USTA NC staff joined us for a fun day of tennis, friends, food and competition. Thanks to USTA NC, each player received a free ticket to enjoy the afternoon match, where Veteran Chris Dominick had the honor of flipping the coin to start the match between Musetti and Coria at the Winston Salem Open. We look forward to next year!
2021 Smash Cancer Tournament
Smash Cancer is a charity tournament held annually hosted by the Greater Wilmington Tennis Association. Six players from Wheel Serve NC integrated into the able-bodied event with great success. All of our players did well and in particular, Billy Eno won the Mixed Doubles 5.0, Chris Thomas won the Men's 6.0 Consolitation and Eric Pierce was the Mixed Doubles 5.0 Finalist. Competitive matches were played by Tod Mannig, Christian Felkl and Kelly Flouhouse.
2020 Charlotte Amateur Tennis Championship
The Charlotte Amateur Tennis Tournament celebrated its second successful year in the Queen City. Over 150 total participants were able to take part in the open tournament, which featured singles, doubles, mixed doubles and wheelchair matches. The proceeds benefit the Cynthia Graham Hurd Foundation, memorializing Cynthia, one of the nine people killed in the Emmanuel AME shooting in Charleston, SC. In the wheelchair division, Johnny Ragland won the wheelchair open championship as well as the doubles championship alongside his partner Kelly Flouhouse.