US Open Rackets 2010
James Stout reclaims 2010 US Open Singles Title
Hopton/Coyne win over Smith/Larken in Doubles Finals
The 2010 US Open Rackets Championships concluded Sunday, March 7th with the top prize going to James Stout (professional NYR&T) for the Singles crown while James Coyne (Queen's Club, London) and Will Hopton (Queen's) cruised in the Doubles final at the Racquet Club of Chicago.
Playing before a packed gallery, Stout calmly and expeditiously frosted Coyne's hopes for the US Open Singles title by winning the final 15-7, 15-3 and 15-7. Stout did not drop a game the entire singles tournament going 11-0 and in only two of those 11 games did an opponent get more than 10 points. Stout reclaimed the US Open on title on March 7th after losing it to Alex Titchener-Barrett in last year's roller coaster final in Detroit. Only six days earlier on March 1st, Stout won the US Open Court Tennis Championship and is believed to be only the second person (Peter Latham) to hold both the US Open Rackets and US Open Court Tennis Championships at the same time.
Coyne, 6th seed, played a cracking good weekend of rackets, by upending 3rd seed and former World Champion Harry Foster (Queen's) in a singles quarterfinal match 14-17, 8, 11 and 13 and then sent 2nd seed Alex Titchener-Barrett (Queen's) packing with a 6-15, 8, 12 and 7 decision in the first semifinal. Stout had more trouble than the score shows in his semifinal win over Hopton, winning by game scores of 11, 9 and 9.
In the Doubles draw, the top seeded team of Coyne and Hopton, in their successful defense of the US Open Doubles Championship, wasted very little time in sending the 2nd seeded team of Neil Smith and Jon Larken (NYR&T) to the showers, posting winning game scores of 5, 11 and 12 in that final. To make the finals Hopton and Coyne bested Stout and Mike Gooding (NYR&T professional) in one semifinal while Smith and Larken dusted up Foster and John Prenn (Queen's) in the other semifinal.
Tournament organizers were caught off guard, as early as the round of 16 matches would be played to packed galleries; a sergeant-at-arms had to be posted for crowd seating purposes. Tournament Chairman Colt Landreth, a veteran rackets traveler, player and coach, commented. We were very, very fortunate to have the quality of play that we did have. In fact, some of the four quarterfinal matches would have been decent finals anywhere else in North America. Of the ten players that made the knockout round of the 2010 British Open we had 7 of those players.
Next up for the North American Rackets Association's tournament schedule will be the Western Open from March 18-21 in Detroit. The Western Open Championships will conclude the season's competitive season.
Singles draw and final results, click here
Doubles draw and final results, click here