ST. PAUL – A tennis tournament on Aug. 20-21 hosted by the St. Paul Tennis Club saw players from communities like Mallaig and Lloydminster make the trip to the town to hit the courts.
Warren Aguinaldo, one of the coaches from the Lloydminster Tennis Association, came to St. Paul to return the support that’s been shown to the Lloydminster club by St. Paul players.
“Every year, we hold about two to three tournaments in Lloydminster,” he said. “There’s always been a strong showing from St. Paul, and so this time, we kind of pay it back and check out their facility.”
Noah Shankowski, a tennis instructor with the St. Paul Tennis Club, said the tournament was organized only about a month ago. He explained despite the lack of time to prepare, the tournament saw a good turnout.
According to Shankowski, the tournament was divided into rating categories based on Tennis Canada’s rating guide, allowing a fair competition between players of similar skill levels. A junior category was also added due to interest from parents.
“[Parents] saw we were having an adult tournament, and they said, ‘What about the kids?’ I said, ‘Well, see if I can figure something out,’ so we got that going,” he said.
Aguinaldo praised St. Paul for having a strong tennis community and stating, “You have a lot of juniors still playing through the summer... even the adults, it’s a good mix of levels.”
He noted the tournament was a good opportunity for learning and improving.
“I think for us [in Lloydminster], we’re just fortunate to have a few more players and six courts all in one spot where you get to meet everyone in one spot,” he explained. “Whereas you guys have two different locations, so that’s a different dynamic for us."
Aguinaldo won the singles category, while Seth Cousins and Keegan Lane won the doubles category.
