Roy Emerson Adoption Guild Classic tournament starts Friday at Palisades

The 56th annual Roy Emerson Adoption Guild Tennis Classic begins Friday at Palisades Tennis Club, with a change in the tournament structure this year.

Typically the tournament has ran over two consecutive weekends, but this year it will start and conclude over this Memorial Day weekend. Other local tennis facilities including the Tennis Club, the Racquet Club of Irvine and Mesa Verde Country Club will hold matches, with championship matches on Memorial Day at Palisades.

Adoption Guild tournament volunteers have planned special events including a tournament party Sunday at 6 p.m. at Palisades, which will have local food vendors, complimentary beer and wine and entertainment. The party is free for tournament players, and other guests can purchase tickets at the door for $20.

As for the tournament itself, it’s a United States Tennis Assn.-sponsored event with several different divisions. Prize money will be awarded in the open men’s and women’s divisions.

Local tennis players competing in the open divisions include the all-Newport Beach team of Mazy Watrous and Jennifer Zick (women’s open doubles). Huntington Beach’s Art Hernandez and Max Cancilla are competing in the men’s open doubles, while Newport Beach’s Fernando Zuliani competes with Costa Mesa’s Ivana Vlakic in the mixed open doubles.

Laguna Beach’s Summer Dvorak and Sydney Van Alphen compete in the women’s open singles, while Laguna’s Ramin Pejan (men’s open singles), Neel Grover and Stuart Duncan (men’s open doubles) also compete. Newport Coast’s Chaz Downing is competing in men’s open singles, while Newport Coast’s Natasha Hill competes in both women’s open doubles and mixed open doubles.

Funds raised by the tournament benefit Holy Family Services and Foster Care Agency.

FOUNTAIN VALLEY’S ERICKSON COMPETES IN OPEN WATER 5K

Running in a 5K seems tough enough, but swimming in one?

That’s what Fountain Valley High junior Shayla Erickson did last Saturday at Castaic Lake. Erickson, who swims club for Irvine Novaquatics, finished fourth in the USA Swimming Junior Nationals Open Water 5K.

Erickson said she has swam a few open water events before, but none as big as this one. Her fourth-place time was 1:07:25. Erica Sullivan won the 24-girl competition in 1:05:19.

“It was interesting to do something a little different than just swimming back and forth in a pool,” Erickson said via Twitter direct message. “There are different race strategies for open water than there are for the pool, so getting to work on those with our open water coach has been fun.”

Erickson was a key part of the Fountain Valley girls’ swim team this season, helping the Barons capture their first Sunset League title since 1997. She was the league champion in the girls’ 200- and 500-yard freestyle events. Erickson finished tied for third at the CIF Southern Section Division 1 finals in the 500 free, and sixth place in the 200 free.

Overall, Erickson said she was happy that she competed in the 5K event.

“It was a new and exciting challenge and I’m really glad I did it,” she said. “Even if I had to rush home after, to be ready for prom.”

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Twitter: @mjszabo