Bucks County residents took center stage on Arthur Ashe Stadium — the largest tennis stadium in the world — at the 2023 US Open Tennis championships in Flushing, New York. Over Labor Day, young Bucks County tennis players, all participants of Bucks County Tennis Association programs, participated in a Net Generation “Kids On Court” event. Also in the US Open limelight was BCTA program director and co-founder Laura Canfield, who awarded US Open trophies to the main draw mixed doubles champions in front of an internationally-televised audience.
BCTA coaches Craig Batten and Steve Johnson led the 24 BCTA junior players, who demonstrated tennis skills on 36-foot courts using red, low-compression balls and shorter rackets.
“For them to go out into the largest tennis stadium in the world and get to play on that court, I think it just lights a fire under them,” said Johnson.
After the Net Generation exhibition, BCTA’s Sydney Fitzgerald tossed the coin for the evening’s main match and posed for a photo with Aryna Sabalenka and Daria Kasatkina prior to their round-of-16 contest.
This is the third consecutive year that Canfield, who also serves as vice president on the United States Tennis Association national board of directors, was selected to award championship trophies on Ashe Stadium. In 2021 and 2023, she awarded trophies to the runner-up and champion teams in the women’s doubles finals and this year to the mixed doubles teams.
“It truly is an honor and a privilege to award trophies at the world’s most celebrated professional tournament,” Canfield said. “It is equally rewarding to have joined our BCTA public park tennis kids being showcased on the world’s largest tennis stage via Net Generation. We are so proud of them!”
Net Generation is a celebration of a game where no one sits on the sidelines. Tennis is easy to learn and tailored for all ages and abilities, giving kids a game that will help them build friendships and learn skills they’ll use for life. For more information, visit netgeneration.com. Athletes representing BCTA were:
Grace Byrne – Warrington
Kiera Check – Doylestown
Sofia Corbin – Warminster
Lily Cosenza – Richboro
Owen Czaplicki – Doylestown
Eric Escoto – Doylestown
Ethan Escoto – Doylestown
Sydney Fitzgerald – Warrington
Violet Freeman – Perkasie
Tyler Higdon – Ivyland
Evaleigh Homa – Perkasie
Rosalyn Homa – Perkasie
Elliot Horner – Doylestown
Anastasia Korshun – Jamison
Matthew Lynch – Warrington
Lucas Munn – Warrington
Jason McFadden – Quakertown
Sarah Olguin – Chalfont
Aayush Patel – Warrington
Shane Riso – Doylestown
Asher Schmidt – Doylestown
Brad Schmidt – Doylestown
Brighton Schmidt – Doylestown
Maria Zavyazkina – Chalfont
The national and regional award-winning nonprofit BCTA provides quality, affordable and fun community-based tennis programming in partnership with local municipalities/school districts at over two dozen outdoor (and sometimes indoor) public sites throughout Bucks County. A major advocate of youth and adult tennis as a whole, the BCTA annually services over 2,000 participants countywide. For more information, visit buckscountytennis.usta.com.
