CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The 5th Annual Thunder in the Mountains tennis tournament is returning to Charleston with some top regional talent slated to compete.
The tournament will begin on Friday and conclude on Sunday and will be hosted at YMCA Kanawha Valley in Charleston. The tournament was originally slated to be held at the Schoenbaum Tennis Courts in Kanawha City, but due to forecasted rain, all matches were moved indoors.
Thunder in the Mountains will now be played as a women’s open singles tournament, with both college and high school athletes competing. Cash prizes will be given out to the top three college finishers.
Members of the WVU and Marshall tennis programs will compete, as well as top high school players from West Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey. Highlighting the college athletes participating will be WVU senior Michaela Kucharova, while University High School’s Lyla Byers, the 2024 Class AAA West Virginia state champion, will highlight the amateur competitors.
Tournament spokesperson Rusty Webb says young tennis players need to get to the Capital City to see the talent in action.
“I’m begging middle school, high school, grade school, anybody who plays tennis to come and watch this outstanding tennis, inside and out of the weather,” Webb said on “580 Live” with Dave Allen Thursday.
Webb says the tournament will have back draw matches, so all players get to play at least twice.
“We’re going to have a back draw, so if a player loses, we’re going to give them a guaranteed two matches,” Webb said. “If somebody losses, we’re going to let them play a back draw, so they can get at least two matches in.”
Webb, who previously served as the director for the Thunder in the Mountains tournament, says he was originally supposed to be heading south this week, but the rain from Hurricane Helene allowed him to stay for another year of the action.
“I was not supposed to be here,” Webb said. “I was supposed to go to Florida, and everything got cancelled because of the rain, and I’m tickled to death that I get to stay and watch it.”
Round one of the Thunder in the Mountains tournament will begin Friday at 10:30 a.m. Saturday features two semi-final matches beginning at 11 a.m. and the tournament finals will be on Sunday at 10 a.m.