Hayley Carter celebrated two titles Sunday at the revived Chattanooga City Championships at Manker Patten Tennis Club, winning the women's open singles final and teaming with Brandon Deering to prevail in the mixed open doubles final. Carter, whose family lives in Chattanooga - though she is set to begin work as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State this week - is a seven-time All-American and former No. 1-ranked college player who wrapped up her time at North Carolina this spring. She won in straight sets against former Baylor School star Drew Hawkins, who as a senior this spring won her third consecutive singles state title. Carter and Deering needed only two sets as well, though their match against teenaged siblings Kate and Charlie Thel was more competitive at 6-2, 7-5. Lucas Plesky was the men's open singles champion, beating Turner Voges 6-2, 6-1, while Eric Roddy and Ray Roddy beat Daniel Plaisted and Luke Plaisted 7-5, 2-6, 10-4 to win the men's open doubles championship. In women's open doubles, Meg Bandy and Sue Webb teamed to beat Madeline Benson and Sydney Dattilo 6-0, 6-1. Forrest Simmons, a former local junior star who returned to the area three years ago after a 40-year absence, spearheaded the return of the City Championships after being added to the Chattanooga Tennis Association board. He said he has been given too much credit for the revival - Orlando Lourenco at the Champions Club gave him the idea, he said, and the tournament committee and Manker Patten people have done much of the work - but he admitted being delighted with the product. "It's been amazingly collaborative," Simmons said Saturday night, "and other than the heat it's (gone well). We said we'd be happy to have 65 to 70 total players and 12 to 15 in the men's and women's opens, and we ended up with right at 100 overall and 27 men and 15 women in the open divisions. And we've learned some things that will make it even better in the years to come." Simmons followed three years at Baylor School with three at Wesminster in Atlanta before playing collegiately at North Carolina.
Basketball
- Reggie Upshaw Jr., a former star at Baylor School and Middle Tennessee State University, will continue his basketball career as a professional in Europe. Upshaw tweeted "Blessed to be able to sign my first pro contract" and emoticons of a basketball and Germany's national flag this past week after it was announced he had signed with the Tigers Tübingen of the Basketball Bundesliga. According to a story on the Daily News Journal's website, Upshaw's contract is for 10 months and comes after he played for the Milwaukee Bucks in their NBA summer league this year. Listed at 6-foot-8 and 228 pounds on MTSU's roster last season, Upshaw averaged 14.5 points and 6.8 rebounds while totaling 85 assists, 40 steals and 31 blocks as a senior. He also helped the Blue Raiders earn upset victories in the NCAA tournament each of his final two college seasons.