Attorney Rusty Webb is working to get a Charleston-based college women’s tennis tournament to, in some ways, model the very popular Western & Southern Open played annually in Cincinnati.
Webb said the Thunder in the Mountains tennis tournament, which is set this year for Sept. 23-25, will take another step forward in its third year. It was cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic.
“This is my way of trying to replicate that (Western & Southern Open) on a smaller level,” Webb said at a Monday news conference announcing this year’s tournament.
Western & Southern is a professional tournament while Thunder in the Mountains features teams from WVU and Marshall. It was announced Monday that this year’s visiting teams will come from the University of Cincinnati and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).
Webb said that’s another step in the right direction.
“Not that it wasn’t good tennis in the past, but we’re going to make the quality better and better,” he said.
This year’s event will also feature food trucks and local craft beers. They’ll be a free tennis clinic for kids on Saturday, Sept. 24, with the players from the four teams handling the instruction.
Marshall Tennis Coach John Mercer said that’s a good idea.
“Local kids in the community can kind of see what the game is about and get a little flavor about it and meet some of the players. They are good athletes but they are also good teachers. It will be fun,” Mercer said.
The tournament, which is free to the viewing public, is played on Charleston’s public courts next to the Kanawha City Recreation Center. Mercer said it’s great to not have to travel very far to face good competition.
“That’s what we are really looking for is good competition and it’s nice that we can do it right here in Charleston,” Mercer said.