CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – An early morning rain shower could not shut down a fun day of tennis at the 2016 Islander Mercedes-Benz Pro-Am as Ruben Lerma and Melissa Beecroft earned the men's and women's titles Saturday afternoon.
After a three-hour delay, 16 Islanders paired with 16 tennis players from the Corpus Christi community for three great rounds of doubles tennis. Lerma paired with former Islander turned assistant
Guillaume Rauseo in the final to win the men's draw while Beecroft paired with
Jelena Dzinic for the women's title.
"This has become such a special tradition," said Director of Tennis
Steve Moore. "What Mercedes-Benz and Ed Hicks have done for the community and our school with this tournament is just phenomenal. We really look forward to it. Mr. Hicks is a real colorful and fun guy to work with and we see these guys come out, the best players in town, to battle for a chance to go to Pinehurst and then the U.S. Open.
"This was great tennis," continued Moore. "I'm also really gracious to Hester's for bring this great food out. I've said this all the time: This is the best tennis community in the country. I don't think there's any other tennis community that I'd rather be a part of. There are so many people that pour their heart into this event, Gerry Maingot, Penny Maingot and a lot of great people that play in the event."
As the winners of the Islander Mercedes-Benz Pro-Am, Lerma and Beecroft will represent Corpus Christi in the Eastern Sectionals at Pinehurst, N.C. courtesy of Mercedes-Benz. The winner of that event will win a trip to the 2017 U.S. Open.
A week after hosting the Islander Open, the Blue and Green clad were all smiles Saturday. The pro-am format affords the unique opportunity for the Islanders to interact with some of their most fervent supporters in a fun-filled day of tennis.
"The camradarie between the Islanders and the player they pair with is fantastic," said Moore. "It's great for the adult players and a good time for our players to learn from people who have a little more wisdom, not just in tennis, but in life. It's a lot of fun for them too. I see them laughing and having a light moment and they deserve that because they've been working really hard."
The Islanders will return to action on October 6 for the men at the Louisiana Battle on they Bayou and October 7 for the women at the SMU Invitational.
