It was an honor that was overdue. Ben Navarro, owner of the Volvo Car Open, and his family have been named South Carolina's tennis family of the year for 2019 by the USTA.
For Ben and Kelly Navarro, along with their four children —Emma, Meggie, Earl and Owen — tennis has been a passion and a big part of their lives.
"As a fan, father, and business owner, tennis has brought so much to our family," Ben Navarro said. "Junior tennis has provided a place for our children to learn a work ethic, develop friendship through shared struggle, and learn to handle disappointment, defeat, and sometimes even unfairness.
"Can you think of a better way to develop a resilient person?"
Before taking ownership of the Volvo Car Open in 2018, Navarro's "Love to Play Tennis" program has been a model of success the last few years with an array of outstanding tennis events, from national boys 10 and girls 18 championships to a steady line of International Tennis Federation women's pro tournaments that now have reached the $100K level.
Put the Volvo Car Open and LTP Tennis alongside Emma Navarro's superb year in the world's Junior Grand Slam tournaments, in addition to a solid number of national junior titles over the years, and you have Charleston tennis in a nutshell for the last two or three years.
Emma, the No. 4 junior player in the world, has won a pair of Easter Bowl singles titles, girls 18 national clay court singles and doubles crowns, an LTP ITF doubles title, a Junior French Open doubles title, a Junior Australian Open doubles runner-up, a Junior French Open singles runner-up and a Junior Wimbledon singles semifinal berth.
Ben Navarro's original venture into tennis started when he purchased the old Players Club and turned it into a Love to Play Tennis venue for his two sons and two daughters.
Earl starred on a state championship Academic Magnet High School tennis team, while Emma and Meggie also have played key roles in SCISA state tennis championships for Ashley Hall.
"We are beyond grateful for the impact tennis has had on all of our lives," said Ben Navarro, who also is the founder of Meeting Street Schools as well as the Sherman Financial Group.
Emma Navarro also was selected as the state winner of the prestigious Wilton McKinney Award for tennis.
Notes
• The Randy Pate Tennis Academy at the two LTP Tennis clubs, Mount Pleasant and Daniel Island, dominated the state awards for junior tennis. The Charney sisters, Emma and Piper, have been named the state's junior girl tennis player of the year and the most improved junior girl player, respectively. Both Charneys own No. 1 rankings in the South, Emma in girls 16 and Piper in girls 14. Emma Charney also is No. 2 in girls 18.
Pate Academy players also took both state junior boys awards, Max Smith as boy player of the year and Mitchell Deames as most improved boy. Deames is ranked second in the South in boys 16.
Other local players and events to win state awards included Diane Barker, adult female player of the year; Kiawah Island's Haygood/Grady Memorial Tennis Championship, adult tournament of the year; and John Farelly, diversity outreach and inclusion award.
The South Carolina USTA awards ceremony will be held during the association's annual meeting Dec. 7 at Hilton Head Island.
Southern award winners included Pate Academy standout Coy Simon, the South's No. 1 boys 18 player who was named the junior achievement award winner for boys. Chloe Beck, who has trained part-time at the Pate Academy and is now at Duke University, was the Southern girls achievement winner.
Diane Barker also was selected by the Southern as its player of the year.
• The Charleston Thanksgiving Junior Classic is scheduled for Nov. 29-Dec. 1 at Charleston Tennis Center. The entry deadline is Nov. 24. Registration is available online (tournament number 700045919). Contact tournament director Peggy Bohne at 843-766-7401.
• Shelby Rogers appears to have missed out on winning the Australian Open Wild Card Challenge's berth in the main draw of next year's first Grand Slam. The Charleston touring pro, currently ranked No. 177 in the world, finished as runner-up in the $80K at Macon, Ga., but then lost to Alexa Glatch in the second round in the $80K Tyler, Texas, event, and was eliminated in the first round in the WTA Tour's Oracle Challenger Series in Houston.
Reach James Beck at jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.
