Published: August 13, 2008 09:47 pm      

Bell takes singles title at ERC

Several local tennis players took part in the Edmond Wilson August Junior Open at Edmond Racquet Club this week. Edmond Memorial’s Caitlin Bell and the doubles team of Lucas Swisher and Blake Thomas each took home championship trophies as the open tournament wrapped up Wednesday.

Bell continued her strong summer with a title in the Girls’ 16 singles finals. The Lady Bulldogs standout opened play with a victory over Chelsea Larsen, 6-0, 6-0, and knocked off Lexie Maytubby in the finals, 6-4, 6-1. Bell also won both of her doubles matches with Megan Montgomery in round robin play.

Swisher and Thomas took three straight matches to win the Boys’ 16 doubles title. The Edmond duo opened the tournament with a win over Edmond’s Matt Jones and Bruce Umali in three sets, 7-6, (7-2), 6-3. Swisher and Thomas then knocked off Norman’s Christopher and Joshua Marrs in the semi-finals, and downed Edmond’s Nate Avery and Richard Tong in the finals, 6-3, 7-5.

Jones and Umali went on to place third, after knocking off the Marrs boys in the consolation finals.

Avery and Riley Hale of Edmond also had strong showings in the tournament, with each finishing in third place. Avery bounced back from a first round loss to Robert Jackson to win the consolation finals of the Boys’ 16 singles tournament. And Hale won two straight over Ben Wellington and Jacob Gillespie of Arcadia to place third in the Boys’ 14 singles tournament.

Edmond’s Alex Burnstein was one of the top local competitors in the satellite tournaments. He beat Rustin Wagaman of Oklahoma City, 4-1, 4-0, to win the Boys’ 14 single white satellite finals.

USTA tournament action returns to Edmond Racquet Club next month, with the Edmond Wilson Fall Junior Open on Sept. 6 and 7. The event will feature open and satellite competitions.