By Jennifer Kelemen
JACKSON – The USTA $25,000 Women’s Challenger tennis tournament was held March 30-April 7 at the River Hills Club. The event is the sixth longest running challenger event in the country and features competitors from across the globe.
The Women’s Single winner of the tournament was Ulrikke Eikeri from Norway, and the Doubles winners were Chanal Simmonds from South Africa and Masa Zec-Peskiric from Slovenia.

The Challenger features daily tennis play including elimination rounds for the professionals and Pro-Am for those who are not up to professional level but who love to play the sport. Almost every evening Catholic Charities hosted a social event in conjunction with the tournament.

Tuesday night featured a chef cook-off between River Hills Club and St Dominic’s. Wednesday was Margarita and Mexican cuisine, and Friday night was a delicious Crawfish boil. Several nights of the week guests were entertained by the sounds of Dan Hammond.

St. Dominic, the largest sponsor of the event, hosted a ladies luncheon, “Serving Up Women’s Health,” featuring three physicians, Dr. William Dotie Jackson, Dr. Richard Guynes, and Dr. John Baten, who spoke briefly about an issue in their specialty that is important to women’s health.

St Dominic also provided consultations for tennis injuries, a night with The Spa at St. Dominic’s, and heart assessments aboard St. Dominic Care-A-Van.
“Catholic Charities would like to thank St. Dominic’s, Sanderson Farms, Cups/Cappy’s Oil, NewSouth Neurospine, CSPIRE Foundation, WAPT News and all the other sponsors who helped to make this year’s tournament a great success. It is by the generosity of others that Catholic Charities can continue to provide services for those who are in need.