Tahoe Classic tennis begins today

ZEPHYR COVE - Scott Cummins of Dayton and Butch Stillman of Gardnerville are two of the top seeds coming into the 18th annual Tahoe Classic doubles tennis tournament, which continues action this morning at Lake Tahoe's Zephyr Cove Tennis Complex.

Participants from around the local area and the nation are entered in the Dunlop Sports-sponsored tournament, which ends its three-day run on Sunday. Play begins at 7:45 a.m. today.

"We feel we have cultivated the Classic into a first-class event by selecting fair and honest people who are willing to play hard, but won't compromise their integrity in the heat of battle," tournament director M.J. "Hersh" Herschman said.

Cummins and Stillman are top seeds in the featured Mixed B and Century (combined ages adding up to 100 or more years).

Cummins and Joyce Youngs of South Lake Tahoe are seeded No. 1 in the Mixed B division.

"This will be a very balanced division, and literally any of the teams could win," Hirschman said.

Stillman and Herschman are the defending century division champions and have drawn the No. 1 seed for this weekend.

"In this year's event, the top seed doesn't have as much credibility as it sounds," Herschman said. "As many as nine teams in this event have a legitimate chance to win."

Kim Schlagel, formerly of Gardnerville and now a Florida resident, and Nicole Woywood are seeded No. 1 in the ladies' division. Julie Clarke of Mammoth Lakes and Reno's Carol Tretten are seeded No. 2. Helen Laub and Biljana Trpska, a native of Macedonia who plays at the University of Nevada, drew the No. 3 seed.