World Class Men's Tennis
Comes to Charleston  

Photo Galleries:
Clinics / College Players & Local Pros / Media Match / Bryan Bros. v Roddick Bros. / Andy Roddick v. Paul Goldstein

The Lexus of Charleston All-American Tennis Shootout thrilled the crowd at the Family Circle Tennis Center as ATP Tour stars Andy Roddick and Paul Goldstein and World No. 1 Doubles team Bob & Mike Bryan came to Daniel Island for an exciting May 3rd tennis exhibition. Top players from the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, College of Charleston, and The Citadel, in addition to a pair of very talented doubles teams from the Charleston Professional Tennis League, joined these world-class athletes as they put on an impressive display of powerful and entertaining men’s tennis.

As this warm spring day transitioned into a perfect night under the stars, this exciting evening began with four hotly contested tie-break matches featuring the best collegiate tennis talent in South Carolina, top teaching professionals from the Charleston area, and local media personalities who gave their best effort on the court. All four matches were called by event emcee / chair umpire Wayne Bryan, father and coach of Bob and Mike Bryan, who entertained the crowd with jokes and commentary about the matches in progress.

Kicking off the action was a 7:00pm match between The Citadel’s No. 1 Doubles team of Daniel Dossetor / James Eason and the College of Charleston’s 1st Team All Southern Conference tandem of Jimmy Petit and Marcos Digliodo. These cross-town rivals came out swinging, and the crowd really got behind their favorites with roaring cheers after each point on Family Circle Magazine Stadium to begin an evening of high-energy tennis.

The night’s second match featured Clemson duo Sander Koning and All-Time singles wins leader and ACC No. 1 Doubles Champion Ryan Young against University of South Carolina standouts Tom Eklund and Yevgeny Supeko. This match seemed to be gong in Clemson’s favor until chair umpire Wayne Bryan ordered the Tigers players to join hands with a ball girl as they finished the match. Local standout Ryan Young from Charleston turned the tables on Wayne’s idea by giving a racket to his new partner, creating a double-sided tandem, and a million laughs for the crowd.

The third match-up of the night featured Matt Hane, a USTA 5.5 National Champion and current Head Pro at Kiawah Island Resort, and Charly Rasheed who is also a USTA 5.5 National Champion. Charly Rasheed is a Pro at Kiawah Island Resort. They faced off against Stuart Small, another 5.5 USTA National Champion and current Director of Tennis at the Daniel Island Club, and 3-time All-Conference USA selection Toby Simpson, who is also the current Head Coach of The Citadel. While this foursome watched the Clemson/USC match from the player tunnel, they joked about playing long points and just having fun with the event. However, from the first blistering serve, it was clear they were playing with pride on the line. Stuart and Toby pulled out the match, and they all had a great time, but it was the crowd that was the true winner.

An entertaining group of Charleston’s most personable media personalities capped off the evening’s opening matches. Lowcountry Live host Ryan Nelson joined fellow ABC News 4 reporters Anderson Burns & Courtney Ward in a doubles tie-breaker against Post & Courier Tennis Columnist James Beck and Live 5 News Morning Anchor Amy Lutz. Before the match, Amy had concerns about her tennis prowess, but her shots were graceful as she partnered with veteran tennis player James Beck to win the match.

The action stepped up a few notches as Andy and John Roddick appeared from the tunnel with Bob and Mike Bryan to begin the “Battle of the Brothers”. The crowd, already familiar with America’s Davis Cup heroes, jumped to their feet to welcome these Charleston favorites. Andy and John had a 6-5 lead in the 8-game proset as they looked to upset Bob and Mike, but the Bryans, as their coach and father Wayne watched from the wings, were able to put the experience of their world No. 1 ranking to use to break John’s serve, and finish out the match with a victory.

In the final match of the Shootout, Andy Roddick squared off against Paul Goldstein in a best-of-three singles match, and the crowd was pumped with excitement. Andy and Paul battled out a first set filled with lightning-fast serves, deep ground strokes, and amazing angles that was much closer than the 6-3 score portrayed. As the second set played out, both Andy and Paul played to the crowd by joking with each other between points and harassing the chair umpire, but the quality of play was what kept the fans wanting more. Andy pulled out the set and the match just after 10:00pm with a 6-2 score as the crowd was on its feet with applause.

This exciting evening concluded with an on-court gift presentation by Lexus of Charleston General Manager David Yarborough to Andy and Paul for their valiant play and sportsmanship.  Robin Reynolds, Facility and Tournament Director of the Family Circle Tennis Center, shared some kind words for all of the event competitors, and thanked the ball crew for their efforts.  She also thanked the enthusiastic crowd for their continued support of professional tennis in Charleston, and especially for coming out to this event.  Andy Roddick stayed on court for television interviews, and to sign countless autographs for adoring fans that were able to meet these stars face-to-face until they exited the tunnel to conclude the event.