Northeast Park Tennis Center hosts USTA Mississippi’s 65 and over State Championships

MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) – The United States Tennis Association of Mississippi (USTA) brought their 65 and over Tennis State Championships to the Queen City over the weekend.

Over 300 participants from all over the state came to Northeast Park Tennis Center to compete. With just 12 total participants from Meridian, most of the competitors had to travel for the event, which benefits the city.

“It’s a great economic impact,” said Pete Mazzella, the director of Northeast Park Tennis Center. “The rest are all eating out here and spending the night at hotels,” Mazzella said.

Besides economic growth for the city, events like this grow the sport in the community. Meridian has a lively tennis community that has grown a lot over the past few years, which USTA Mississippi has noticed.

“One of the reasons we were awarded this tournament was because of the growth we’ve had. It shines a spotlight. A lot of people have talked about how beautiful this facility is, and we love hearing that because we work hard to keep it up,” said Mazzella.

The tournament took place over a three-day span, featuring eight total flights up for grabs. State Championship winners of the 3.5 Women’s flight mentioned that competing in these events keeps them feeling young.

“It’s the comradery of friends is what it’s all about- is friendship. It makes our health better, the exercise. My doctors tell me to keep playing tennis.” said Tina Roberts and Cynthia Rhaly, members of the team.

For a full list of results, visit this link to the USTA Mississippi website.

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