About 25 tennis players from across the South converged on Augusta’s Newman Tennis Center for the 10th annual Walton Foundation for Independence Wheelchair Tennis Tournament April 30-May 2.
“Having that many is phenomenal. They’re excited to compete,” said Donald Shapiro, wheelchair tennis instructor for the Walton Foundation’s adaptive tennis clinic, who also played in the weekend’s tournament. He lost to one of his students, Watson Mobley.
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The tournament is among the first to return after the pandemic ceased play for more than a year. Wheelchair athletes from as far away as Louisiana and Miami traveled to play. Several athletes were from the Atlanta area and the rest were part of the local wheelchair tennis scene, Shapiro said.
“When I say local, some are from South Carolina– McCormick, Ninety Six or Greenwood,” he said.
They are local because they participate in the weekly adaptive wheelchair clinics held from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday at the Newman Tennis Center.
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The tournament featured singles and doubles events. The event was sanctioned through United States Tennis Association’s wheelchair tennis.
In the singles’ competitions, Augusta’s Cole Wooten won Division A; Watson Mobley of Waynesboro, Ga. won Division B; and Heath Brunies of Holden, La., won Division C. In the doubles’ category, Samir Jusupovic/Ricardo Castaneda won Division A; Harold Young/Brice Croxton won Division B; and Tim Hartman/Venkata Datla won Division C.
Tennis is one of several adaptive sports offered through the Walton Foundation for Independence, according to Brittany Cannon, the Walton Foundation’s sports, health and leisure coordinator.
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Golf is another adaptive sport, and a golf tournament will be held in the fall. The organization also offers an adaptive water sports day and Camp TBI each summer.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
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