Decatur to Host Three Tennis Tournaments in April

Next month, hundreds of high school and collegiate tennis players will make their way to the Jimmy Johns Tennis Center located in the heart of Point Mallard Park for three separate tournaments. Austin High School will host a tennis tournament attracting 32 teams from across northern Alabama and Tennessee the first weekend, April 4-5, 2014. The Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) Region XXII tennis state championship will take to the courts the following weekend, April 11-12, with the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) 4A tennis state championship slated for April 21-22.

Set for April 4-5, 2014, thirty-two teams will be participating in the Austin High School tennis Tournament at the Jimmy Johns Tennis Center. Sixteen boys’ teams are registered to participate and they include teams from Auburn, Austin, Muscle Shoals, Hillcrest, Walker, Trussville, Cullman, Northridge, Tuscaloosa County, Decatur, McGill-Toolen, West Point, Briarwood Christian, Cookeville, Tenn., Hendersonville, Tenn., and Blackman, Tenn. Sixteen girls’ teams will also be competing and they include teams from Deshler, Austin, Muscle Shoals, Hillcrest, Decatur, Tuscaloosa County, West Point, Briarwood Christian, Cullman, Trussville, Northridge, Lauderdale County, Walker, Cookeville, Tenn., Hendersonville, Tenn., and Blackman, Tenn. The first match gets underway on Friday at 3 p.m. and on Saturday, the tournament resumes at 8 a.m.

Three men’s teams and three women’s teams are expected to compete in the ACCC competition April 11-12 where an invitation to Nationals is on the line. This will be the fourth appearance for the ACCC Tennis State Championship in Decatur. The Jimmy Johns Tennis Center hosted the prestigious event in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Faulkner State, Marion Military Institute, and Snead State will have women’s teams competing. Men’s teams looking to capture the title will be from Faulkner State, Gadsden State, and Marion Military Institute. On Friday, April 11, a coaches’ meeting is set for 2 p.m. with the first round of doubles and singles starting immediately after the meeting. Play resumes at approximately 10 a.m. the next morning. For more information on ACCC, visit its website at www.acccathletics.com. 

The Jimmy Johns Tennis Center will host the AHSAA Tennis State Class 4A Tournament April 21-22, making it the fifth appearance for an AHSAA state championship in Decatur. A total of 24 teams – 12 girls’ teams and 12 boys’ teams – will take part in the high school competition which gets underway on Monday, April 21 at 8 a.m. with matches held until sunset. Play resumes on Tuesday, April 22 at 8:30 a.m. For more information, visit www.ahsaa.com. Combined, these tournaments should produce an economic impact of over $75K for the city of Decatur and Morgan County.

  

Located adjacent to the Point Mallard Waterpark, the Jimmy Johns Tennis Center contains four clay and fourteen hard courts including two indoor courts. The venue also includes meeting space and a pro shop. For more information on the Jimmy Johns Tennis Center, visit www.decatursports.com or www.decaturmorgansports.com.