One-on-One Doubles Tourney Coming This Fall

September 11, 2019 | By Brian Coleman
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Later this fall, one of the fastest growing and possibly most challenging racket sports will arrive in the USTA Eastern Section, as Chestnut Ridge Racquet Club in Mt. Kisco, N.Y. will play host to two One-on-One Doubles Tournaments in early October.

One-on-One Doubles is a half-court, serve-and-volley singles game played crosscourt with the alley included.

Read about the One-on-One Doubles Shootout in Winter Haven, Fla. 

“If I were to rank racket sports on degree of difficulty here is the order that I would choose: Tennis (singles), One-on-One Doubles Tennis, Tennis (Doubles), Squash, Paddle Tennis, Racket Ball, Pickleball, Table Tennis,” said Scott Williams, an author, long-time coach and advisor to former professional player Tommy Haas.

A new rule has been instituted this year: Serving and volleying is optional, but players will be awarded two points for a winning volley, half-volley, overhead and topspin lob that the opponent cannot reach. Both the serve and returner are eligible to make two point plays.

“The tournament’s former mandatory serve-and-volley rule has been lifted and is now optional,” said One-on-One Doubles Founder and Director Ed Krass. “This allows for players to attack the net on their own terms when serving and returning, to include more participation and add more excitement.”

Both the server and returner are eligible to make two point plays.

At Chestnut Ridge, there will be a $300 prize tournament for 4.0 Men and 4.5 Women on Friday, Oct. 11, followed by a $1,800 prize event for Men’s and Women’s Open Divisions on Saturday, Oct. 12.

“I’ve been doing drills like One-on-One Doubles with my students for a long time, it’s a great way to teach doubles skills when you have two or three players,” said Brad Breakstone, Tennis Director at Chestnut Ridge. “I’ve also done countless drills myself for training purposes. When I was in college, my coach told me I needed to learn how to serve and volley, so I’d do this with a teammate at least 30 minutes each practice, and it became natural for me.”

The skills needed to be successful in One-on-One Doubles are transferrable to both singles and doubles play in tennis, which is part of the reason why the tour and the tournament series has become so successful, with tournaments taking place along the East Coast, from Florida to New York.

Both Breakstone and Krass expect the tournaments coming to Westchester to have a deep and competitive field, as well as a lot of excitement from guests and spectators.

“I think we’ll get a big turnout ay this event for several reasons,” said Breakstone. “It’s a short time span so it’s easy for players to commit to. It’s an activity, even though new in a competition format, that so many good players are familiar with. And the prize money is very enticing. And lastly, it has an unbelievable promoter in Ed Krass!”

Beyond the quality level of play on the court, the tournaments feature music played throughout the event, which contributes to the festive tournament atmosphere.

“The brand of One-on-One Doubles Tennis allows coaching, fan participation and music to be played during the tournament, not loud, but in keeping the vibe much more upbeat than a usually quiet tennis tournament,” added Krass. “The fans are encouraged to cheer and to get rowdy throughout the matches. The event is tailor made for New York tennis, and sports fans who want to experience a different production and format of tennis.”

You can learn more about One-on-One Doubles, and its many tournaments put on throughout 2019, by visiting OneOnOneDoubles.com.

 

 


Brian Coleman

 Brian Coleman is the Senior Editor for New York Tennis Magazine. He may be reached at brianc@usptennis.com

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