Boar’s Head event picks up sponsor

A former UVa star. The possibility of some big-name tour players. A fan-friendly tournament.

And now, a title sponsor — Virginia National Bank.

Yes, the Charlottesville tennis community is starting to get excited about the brand new $50,000 Challenger men’s tennis event that is coming to town later this month, according to Boar’s Head Sports Club tournament director Ron Manilla.

“We’re getting a lot of calls because the word has started to spread around,” Manilla said. “The buzz is out. I think the fact that Somdev is coming has created a huge buzz. His return has definitely pumped things up.”

Somdev, of course, is Somdev Devvarman, the former two-time NCAA champion at Virginia who has been making some noise on the pro tour. The 129th-ranked Devvarman, who has trained out of Keswick since turning pro two summers ago, led India to an upset win over South Africa in the Davis Cup last month. Prior to that, the Chennai, India, native upset U.S. Open quarterfinalist Marin Cilic at the Legg Mason Classic in Washington before making it to the second round at the Open.

The Charlottesville tournament will get underway with qualifying rounds, which are free and open to the public, on Saturday, Oct. 31 and Sunday, Nov. 1. The main draw, which will feature as many as nine matches per day, begins on Nov. 2 and has an all-day admission fee of $7 ($5 for Boar’s Head members).

The tournament will include mainly players who are ranked within the top 200 in the world, but Manilla is optimistic that there will be at least a couple of big-name players on hand since the only other Challenger event during that time frame is taking place in Asia.

Participants may include the likes of Taylor Dent, Vince Spadea, Scoville Jenkins and Donald Young.

Treat Huey, Devvarman’s former teammate at Virginia, is also expected to compete.

One of the nice things about the indoor event, according to Manilla, is that — with the exception of Halloween night — there will be a featured singles and doubles match every evening. “It’s great for those who work — this tournament allows them to come and see matches,” Manilla said.

Manilla and the staff at Boar’s Head, who have been hosting the Boyd Tinsley women’s tournament for the last eight springs, had always hoped to bring a men’s tournament to Charlottesville. When Louisville, Ky., recently pulled out, Manilla pounced at the chance to become a regular in the Challenger rotation.

“We only took it because we want to have it for very many years,” Manilla said. “The Tinsley event is one of the top events on the women’s tour and that’s one of the things that made them look at us first. It’s exciting.”

The final piece of the puzzle was the partnership with Virginia National Bank.

“It’s the first time that men’s professional tennis is coming to Charlottesville in this format, so we’re all excited — very excited,” said VNB president and CEO Glenn Rust, who hopes to involve the Boys and Girls Clubs and Special Olympics in the event. “I think people are going to be in for a treat when they see how hard that ball comes.”

And, Devvarman just so happens to be a spokesperson for Virginia National.

“We’re very excited that he’ll be playing in the tournament,” Rust said. “We just thought there were a lot of good community tie-ins.”

The event is in need of ball boys and girls, ages 10 and over. Those interested should contact Manilla at the Boar’s Head Sports Club.