Charlottesville has always been more synonymous with the University, the arts, the Dave Matthews Band and Mr. Jefferson than with professional sports, but the success of this year's Boyd Tinsley $25,000 USTA Women's Pro Tennis Championships might start to change that. Tinsley, of course, is best known for his role as violinist in DMB and is a lifelong Charlottesville resident. His sponsorship, combined with an entry by the internationally recognized Anna Kournikova, helped make the weeklong tournament a huge success for the host Boar's Head Sports Club and the greater Charlottesville community.
The clay court tournament, held May 11-18 and free to the public, was the second in as many years hosted by Boar's Head, but it was the first year that Tinsley was the title sponsor. According to Ron Manilla, director of racquet sports at the Boar's Head, last year's tournament was moved to Charlottesville from Richmond after a sponsor dropped out. Manilla welcomed the tournament on short notice, thinking it might be just a one-time event but was overwhelmed by the positive response.
"We thought last year it was really awesome," Manilla said. "The Charlottesville community embraced it like crazy."
Determined to keep the tournament for another year, Manilla sought out Tinsley for help just as Tinsley was seeking help from Manilla. Upon completion of his first solo album, "True Reflections," Tinsley decided that he wanted to change his long-standing admiration of tennis as a fan into a passion for the sport as a player.
"At the same time I approached Ron [Manilla] about taking lessons, he asked me if I would sponsor the tournament," Tinsley said. "I've never left Charlottesville, and I'm just happy to give something back to this community."
When asked how his love of tennis started, Tinsley cited following some tennis greats from a generation ago, including Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe. Tinsley is a self-described intermediate tennis player and has been taking intensive lessons three times per week.
When asked the same question, Manilla chose not to make a specific comment and instead only offered a positive review of Tinsley's zeal for his new pursuit.
Tinsley "approaches his music life with a passion, and now he approaches his tennis with a passion," Manilla said.
With Tinsley on board, the tournament received a huge boost in publicity that would only be doubled with the announcement of Kournikova's entry into the draw. The famed Russian tennis star had been rehabbing a torn abductor muscle and chose to use this event as a stepping stone in an attempt to return to the French Open.
The tournament already had attracted about a dozen players ranked in the top-300 in the world, and the addition of Kournikova, who has been ranked as high as eighth in the world, was certainly an added bonus. Her first-round match drew the largest crowd of the tournament and inspired a small media frenzy. The number one seed, however, was upset by Brazilian Bruna Colosio, 6-2, 6-7, 6-4.
For Colosio, it was the biggest win in her young tennis career. It was not only her first win against someone ranked in the top 75 (Kournikova entered at 72), but it was also her first match, win or lose, against anyone in the top 150.
The finals of the outdoor event were moved indoors to a hardcourt surface after rain fell on the tournament's final day. The eventual tournament winner was fourth-seeded Kristina Brandi, who defeated Christina Wheeler in three sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. Brandi is a veteran of nearly 40 Grand Slam matches and was once ranked among the world's top-50 players for a five-year period. Wheeler lost in the first round of this year's French Open and coincidentally knocked off Kournikova in the first round of the 2002 French Open.
The tournament received rave reviews from fans and players alike. Tinsley played an active role, meeting with players and watching several matches. With the aid of the Boar's Head staff, the week certainly made a positive impression.
"I've loved the club since I got here," Colosio said. "The people are always smiling, and it keeps me going. I'm hoping to come back next year for sure."
At this rate, next year's tournament will be even bigger and better than this year's improvement on last year. Tinsley has announced that he will again sponsor the event in 2004.
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