The Palisades Tennis Center will host the third annual “Shotgun 21” Tournament on Sunday, July 25, and if this year’s event is anywhere near as exciting as the first two, it’s a day of tennis local residents won’t want to miss. Organizer Steve Bellamy has again lined up a star-studded field for the 32-player unisex, drop-hit tournament, which will start with a qualifying draw from 12:30 to 4 p.m., followed by the main draw beginning at 4:30 p.m. Men and women will play each other head-to-head in a format that implements underhanded serving, no “lets” and no “winning by two.” There will be a minimum of $15,000 in cash and prizes. The inaugural tournament two years ago saw Alex Bogomolov edge John Isner in one semifinal and Phillip King edge Sam Querrey in the other, both by 21-20 scores. In the final, Bogomolov took a commanding 20-11 lead before King reeled off nine straight points to force a winner-take-all championship point. Bogomolov won after a breathtaking 40-stroke rally. Last year, PTC junior Clay Thompson advanced all the way to the final and had four match points, but ATP Tour veteran Vince Spadea ultimately prevailed, 21-20. Other past and current pros who have played the first two years include Taylor Dent, Alexandra Stevenson, Ashley Harkleroad, Donald Young, Devon Briton, Robert Kendrick, Derrick Rostagno, Scott Davis, Chuck Adams, Cecil Mammitt, Jill Craybus, Alex Reichel, Zack Fleishman, Ramon Delgado, Kevin Ulyett and Andre Sa. The tournament also gives some of the PTC’s best players a rare chance to test themselves against the pros–on the very same courts they practice on every day. Last year, Thompson and Palisadian Walker Kehrer (now playing for Stanford) were joined by ranked PTC juniors Blake Anthony, Alex Giannini, Robbie Bellamy and Brandon Michaels, among others. Celebrity participants have included John Lovitz, Gavin Rossdale, Josh Morrow, Melissa Rivers, Elisabeth Shue, Chad Lowe, Donna Mills, James Larosa and Pacific Palisades’ own beach volleyball legend Sinjin Smith. “This is one of the most unique tennis experiences you can ever have–and it’s free to anyone who wants to come out and watch,” Bellamy said. “It’s a great chance to see a ton of tennis from some of the best players in the world in one afternoon. You also get to see men playing against women, which is something you don’t get on the regular tour. I mean, where else would you see a 9-year-old boy playing a 50-year-old woman?’ The rules are designed to “level the playing field.” Servers must strike the ball with their racquet hand above the point of contact. A feed is considered ‘in’ if it lands anywhere on the half of the court from which the feeder is serving in singles and anywhere on the side of the court the feeder is serving to plus the alley in doubles. Players alternate serving five points apiece, switching from the “deuce” or “ad” courts, just like in ping pong. “I’ve played World Team Tennis too and I think exhibitions like this that introduce new rules are awesome,” Bogomolov said after pocketing the $10,000 winner’s check and a $2,000 limited edition Fender Stratocaster electric guitar in 2008. “Anything that attracts more people to the game is only going to help our sport.” Those who want to do more than just watch can pay $50 for a spot in the qualifying tournament. At least four qualifiers will earn wildcards into the main draw and an opportunity to trade groundstrokes with the pros and celebrities. The main draw will start at 3 p.m. and conclude by about 7 p.m. Anyone interested in playing should call 310-573-1331 or visit the PTC Web site: www.palitenniscenter.com.
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