Play in the Second Annual KCTL Open!

In addition to their support for KCTL's mission to enrich the lives of children, we know that many of our volunteers and staff were motivated to join our program because they're passionate about tennis. So we're bringing back the opportunity for organized singles tennis play in the form of the Second Annual KCTL Open!

Awesome news, right?! We happen to know know very well how difficult it is to play tennis in New York City. So we're doing the hard part for you: coordinating matches! It's up to you and your opponent to choose a time and place each week.

KCTL_Volunteer Tournament Final

Registration is available to the public and all funds will directly support KCTL's youth tennis programming. To reserve a spot in one of the tournament's three divisions--Men's Competitive, Women's Competitive or Co-Ed Recreational--sign up and submit payment by June 24 at midnight.

Thanks all for your participation. Have fun!

Wimbledon 201

Wimbledon only started yesterday, but it's already seen a few big surprises! Rafael Nadal lost to Belgium's Steve Darcis (ranked 135th): 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (10-8), 6-4. Stanislas Wawrinka lost to Australia's Lleyton Hewitt: 6-4, 7-5, 6-3. And in women's singles, Maria Kirilenko lost to hometown-girl Britain's Laura Robson, 6-3, 6-4.

Check out USAToday's Wimbledon 2013: 10 things to know for some fun facts about this year's Major.

If you want to learn more about the history of the game, check out the KCTL Calendar: Wimbledon. And check back next for the Jon vs. Jon Wimbledon bracket. (Here's the Jon vs. Jon French Open results.)

Jon vs. Jon French Open: And the Winner is... !

Jon T., the T is for Triumph.

We followed both Jon's picks for the French Open for men and women's singles since the 4th round. View post #1 and post #2 to see their early picks. We left off last week with Jon T at 31 pts and Jon W. at 26 pts. Here's how the rest of the tournament played out.

Men's Semi-finals: (3 pts)

Djokovic vs Nadal* (4-6, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 tiebreaker 7-3, 7-9)
Jon T: +3 | Jon W: 0

Ferrer* vs Tsonga (6-1, 7-6 tiebreaker 7-3, 6-2)
Jon T: 0 | Jon W: 0

Men's Finals: (5 pts)

Nadal* vs. Ferrer (6-3, 6-2, 6-3)
Jon T: 0 | Jon W: 0

Nadal clinched the 2013 French Open title, but it was of no help to either Jon. At the end of the men's round, Jon T. with 34 pts still leads Jon W. with 26 pts.

Women's Finals: (5 pts)

Williams* vs Sharapova (6-4, 6-4)
Jon T: +5 | Jon W: +5

Final Tally

With both Jon's getting five points for picking Serena Williams to win it all, the spread stays the same. Jon T. finishes with 39 points and Jon W. finishes with 31 pts. Both had a good showing, the entire bracket was done out of a possible 54 pts. Join us next time when the Jons go head-to-head for Wimbledon!

Jon vs. Jon French Open: Update

Two of KCTL's fearless leaders, Jon T. and Jon W. decided to throw their hats into the ring to compete in a French Open bracket. We left off after the 4th round of men and women's singles, with Thompson beating Williams by a point, 14-13. Let's see how they did:

Men's Singles Quarterfinals: (2 pts each)

Djokovic* vs. Haas (6-3, 7-6 tiebreaker 7-5, 7-5)
Jon T: +2 | Jon W: +2

Nadal* vs. Wawrinka (6-2, 6-3, 6-1)
Jon T: +2 | Jon W: +2

Robredo vs. Ferrer* (2-6, 1-6, 1-6)
Jon T: +2 | Jon W: +2

Tsonga* vs. Federer (7-5, 6-3, 6-3)
Jon T: 0 | Jon W: 0

Results: At the end of the men’s singles quarterfinals, each Jon gained +6 points.

Women's Singles Quarterfinals: (2 pts each)

Williams* vs. Kuznetsova (6-1, 3-6, 6-3)
Jon T: +2 | Jon W: +2

Radwanska vs. Errani* (4-6, 6-7 tiebreaker 6-8)
Jon T: +2 | Jon W: 0

Kirilenko vs. Azarenka* (6-7 tiebreaker 3-7, 2-6)
Jon T: +2 | Jon W: +2

Jankovic vs. Sharapova* (6-0, 4-6, 3-6)
Jon T: +2 | Jon W: 0

Results: At the end of the women’s singles quarterfinals, Jon T. +8, Jon W. +4.

Women's Semifinals: (3 pts each)

Williams* vs. Errani (6-0, 6-1)
Jon T: +3 | Jon W: +3

Azarenka vs. Sharapova* (1-6, 6-2, 4-6)
Jon T: 0 | Jon W: 0

Results: At the end of the women’s singles semifnals, Jon T. +3, Jon W. +3.

Current Tally

Jon T. gains a bigger lead over Jon W. (31 - 26).

Jon vs. Jon: French Open

Two of KCTL's fearless leaders, Jon T. and Jon W. decided to throw their hats into the ring to compete in a French Open bracket. Each Jon submitted their picks earlier in the week and we'll be scoring their choices throughout the rest of the French Open to see who has a reign on the professional game.

Scoring:

• 4th Round winners will be awarded one point.
• Quarterfinal winner wills be awarded 2 points.
• Semi-final winners will be awarded 3 points.
• The winning champion will be awarded 5 points.

Men's Singles Round 4:

Djokovic* vs. Kohlschreiber (4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4)
Jon T: +1 | Jon W: +1

Haas* vs. Youzhny (6-1, 6-1, 6-3)
Jon T: +1 | Jon W: +1

Nadal* vs. Nishikori (6-4, 6-1, 6-3)
Jon T: +1 | Jon W: +1

Wawrinka* vs. Gasquet (6-7 (tiebreaker: 5-7), 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 8-6)
Jon T: +1 | Jon W: +1

Robredo vs. Almagro* (6-7 (tiebreaker: 5-7), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4)
Jon T: 1 | Jon W: 0

Anderson vs. Ferrer* (3-6, 1-6, 1-6)
Jon T: +1 | Jon W: +1

Tsonga* vs. Troicki (6-3, 6-3, 6-3)
Jon T: +1 | Jon W: +1

Simon vs. Federer* (1-6, 6-4, 6-2, 2-6, 3-6)
Jon T: +1 | Jon W: +1

Results: At the end of the men's singles, Jon T: 8 and Jon W: 7

Women's Singles Round 4:

Williams* vs. Vinci (6-1, 6-3)
Jon T: +1 | Jon W: +1

Kuznetsova* vs. Kerber (6-4, 4-6, 6-3)
Jon T: 0 | Jon W: 0

Radwanska* vs. Ivanovic (6-2, 6-4)
Jon T: 0 | Jon W: +1

Suarez Navarro vs. Errani* (7-5, 4-6, 3-6)
Jon T: +1 | Jon W: +1

Mattek-Sands vs. Kirlienko* (5-7, 4-6)
Jon T: +1 | Jon W: +1

Schiavone vs. Azarenka* (3-6, 0-6)
Jon T: +1 | Jon W: +1

Hampton vs. Jankovic* (0-6, 2-6)
Jon T: +1 | Jon W: 0

Stephens vs. Sharapova* (4-6, 3-6)
Jon T: +1 | Jon W: +1

Results: At the end of the women's singles, Jon T: 6 and Jon W: 6

Current Tally

At the end of the fourth round picks, Jon T. (14) is edging Jon W. (13) by a point! We he hold his lead for the whole tournament? Check back all week to see how the rest of their choices fare.

The French Open - The 2nd Grand Slam

On Sunday, tennis fans around the world will tune in to focus on Paris for the French Open, tennis' 2nd Grand Slam of the year. The year consists of 4 Grand Slam tournaments played on three different surfaces: Australian Open (Hard), French Open (Clay), Wimbledon (Grass) and the U.S. Open (Hard) where men and women compete for tennis' biggest prizes on their biggest stages. While most of will watch a match from one of these tournaments at some point in our lives, not many of us are aware of the deep history of some of these tournaments and today, we will focus on the history of the French Open.

The French Open is also referred to as "Roland Garros", the name of the famous French World War I aviator and the name of the facility where the tournament takes place (Stade Roland Garros). It is played on "red clay" (red brick dust) but the interesting fact is that the "clay" isn't really clay but is white limestone that is 3 inches thick that is then covered with the red brick dust then watered down to create a coat that gives the clay the look it has.

Rafael Nadal returns the ball during the 2012 French Open tennis tournament in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

The tournament began in 1891 as a national amateur men's tournament for players who belonged to a French tennis club. The original name of the tournament was Championnat de France or The French Championships. The ironic thing is the first winner, H. Briggs, was a Brit but a Paris resident. Women were added to the championships in 1897 and the tournament continued to develop and by 1907, had categories similar to a current tennis tournament format (Men's Singles/Doubles, Women's Singles/Doubles and Mixed Doubles). In 1925, the French Open was open to international amateur players and was recognized as a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.

Ana Ivanovic, French Open final, 2008.

Although we are used to the French being the 2nd Grand Slam and Wimbledon being the 3rd Grand Slam, in 1946 and 1947, they swapped places, making Wimbledon 2nd and the French 3rd. The French Open was also the 1st Grand Slam tournament to take the leap of making the tournament "open" or allowing both professionals and amateurs to compete for the same title.

While the French Open was held in a number of facilities between 1891 and 1927, in 1928, the current Stade Roland Garros facility was built on 21 acres of land.

While Wimbledon is regularly praised for their tradition and long-standing history, the French Open was willing to take risks that other tournaments did not. Time and time again, the French Open made changes that changed modern-day tennis that has barely been recognized. When you tune in during the tournament next week or next time you play, think about how some of the advantages tennis players have now were started at the French Open.

End of Season Jamboree: Congratulations Marcy Tennis Club!

On Saturday, KCTL held it's 3rd annual end-of-season tournaments and community jamboree. It was a great day of tennis and community engagement. All four KCTL sites (Marcy, Tompkins, Lafayette Gardens and Sumner) registered tennis players in our tennis tournaments - one for kids nine and under, and the other for kids ten and up. The tournament was played on eight youth-size tennis courts with the semis and final matches played on the tennis court at Marcy Playground. The tournament was preceded by lots of fun group photos as well as the playing of the national anthem.

Amped music filled the playground all afternoon, and a clown/magician entertained the kids while they waited for their matches. Lunch was provided to our athletes, volunteers and community. Not surprisingly for a group of kids, icees were the most popular item on the menu.

It was really fantastic to watch the kids play, and to meet the kids from other sites that I'm not personally involved at (I primarily volunteer at the Tompkins site.) The kids were friendly no matter what shirt they wore. I saw several moments of camaraderie when after winning a match, the winner consoled the losing player that they had played great, it was a good match and other kudos. My heart just about burst. It made me realize that these kids get it, that character is more important than competition.

The 10 and up tournament came down to two boys from Sumner and Marcy. Marcy won. The 9 and under tournament came down to two boys from Marcy and Tompkins. Marcy won again.

All in all it was a great day. I'm sad for the season to end, but I can't wait for it to start again in the spring! View all the photos from the jamboree on Facebook.