LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — It’s not often that a group of kids will get a chance to play with professional tennis players, but that happened Friday morning inside the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center on the University of Kentucky campus.
“They enjoy it, look around and see. They probably have more fun than the kids. This is a fun event, glad to do it every year,” said John Backer, the president of the Lexington Open.
The Open is in town once again this week, and event organizers once again made it one to remember for the patients of Kentucky’s Children's Hospital. About 10 of them were serving and volleying with the best.
“I like it now,” Sera Davis said when asked if she liked the sport. “I’m hitting it like crazy."
She’s come a long way, considering she needed a kidney transplant last year at this time. Kate Cook, who nearly died from complications due to E. coli, is also a fan and said she’d like to begin taking lessons like her brother does. She shared the court this morning with the world’s 147-ranked player, Mark Lajal.
“I'm really happy to be here, it's so nice. We're playing with the little girl over there (Kate), and she's improving so fast, and it's so cool to see,” Lajal said.
On the court, players will be competing for the $75,000 top prize, APT points, and their world rankings. The tournament also uses this as an opportunity to make cash donations to various charities and the UK tennis program.
“We’re also able to give them a lot of exposure. I think it’s been a win/win for our partners,” Backer said.
“We're hopeful an event like this with the Children's Hospital kids and other children's events, that we're introducing them to this great game,” Backer said.
The tennis matches, played by the pros, will continue through Sunday with the Men’s and Women's singles finals. For more information, click here: Home | Lexington Open.
