Two Republic players brought home first-place trophies at the 2019 Republic Summer Open Saturday. Elsie Crawford finished first among the girls and Isaac Jordan finished first among the boys. Republic’s Carly McAtee was the girls runner-up.
Three other Republic players made it to the semifinals. Jack Cook and Kolten Swindle both lost their semifinals in the boys bracket, and Katie Stiles made it to the semifinals before losing her match to McAtee.
The tournament the third event in a three-event series organized by area high school programs this summer. More than 50 players participated, representing eight to ten schools, according to Republic assistant coach David Smashey.
“This tournament seems to really fill a niche between just practicing at home with the same people over and over and more expensive, more highly competitive USTA events,” Smashey said. “For a lot of our high school players, gives them a chance to compete with people of similar rank.
“We try to make it affordable and simple to sign up for, and that seems to have attracted a lot of players as the year has gone on.”
Earlier tournaments at Rogersville and Branson filled the same role, and Smashey said the competitive nature of a tournament makes it solid preparation for the school season.
“When it’s a tournament setting, your body feels different. It’s more competitive, and you learn a lot about where you are,” he said. “So there are enormous benefits to our players for sure.”