Vivienne Kulicke traveled a long way to get to the courts at Manker Patten Tennis Club overlooking the Tennessee River.
Originally from Germany, Kulicke is a student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She took a plane and a shuttle to make it to Chattanooga for her first appearance in the Tennessee Valley Open Championship.
And it was a trip well worth the half-day’s travel, because Kulicke played – and won – three different finals Sunday: women’s open singles, women’s open doubles and mixed open doubles.
Aside from her titles, Kulicke was exceptionally impressed with the accommodations the tournament makes for participating players.
“I just love the organization,” Kulicke said. “They provide housing for players, which is really helpful in that you can lower your expenses. They accommodate the place in many ways so you basically don’t have any expenses while you are here.”