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Tennis4All 2026-2027 Board Elections

Hello T4A Members,

The time has come at which we elect members to the board of the Tennis4All organization for the coming year.  If you are interested in helping T4A continue to provide fun and enriching activities for tennis aficionados and fans, then you should consider joining the board.  The upcoming term will start in mid-September 2025 and will run for one year.

At T4A, we value diversity, commitment to tennis (whatever your level of play), and new ideas.  By joining the board, you will be able to directly contribute to our warm, collegial community and help make decisions about what Tennis4All can and should be in the future.  As always, we thank our outgoing board members for their service.

If you are interested in joining the board, please email Robert Kleist at robert.kleist@gmail.com no later than Friday, 28 August.

Please note:  To be eligible to join the board, you must have been a member for the 2025-26 season and your Tennis4All membership must be active for the 2026-2027 season.

If you would like to learn more about what being a board member entails, please feel free to contact any of our current board members.

Best,

Tennis4All

2026 Fall/Winter Singles League

Hey all,

We’re delighted to share with you the details of the Tennis4all Fall/Winter 2026 Singles Season!

The details are as follows:

  • Your $343 registration fee pays for 9 matches, and includes balls
  • The season runs over 15 weeks, from 9/13 – 12/20, including Thanksgiving weekend.
  • All matches are played at Winchester Tennis Club on Sundays from 6-7:30 pm.
  • We are limited to 46 participants, so sign up as soon as possible, once registration opens!
  • Registration will open Saturday, August 15 at 9 AM and will close when capacity is reached
  • Players may request up to 4 Sundays off; we can guarantee the first two, and we will do our absolute best to accommodate the additional two requests. Please list these in order of preference.
  • In the comments, please list any additional information helpful to scheduling, e.g. if there is someone you typically carpool with
  • We will be sending daily reminder emails to our membership while registration is open. We ask for your patience while we flood your inboxes, but we have found these reminders to be vital to reaching capacity and keeping the league successful and competitive.

How to sign up (starting Saturday, August 15 at 9 AM):

  1. Go to the Tennis4All website Singles League page by clicking HERE.
  2. Click the big blue “Sign up now!” button at the bottom of the page.
  3. You will need to log in to sign up.  If your membership is not up-to-date, you will need to renew it.  If you have any questions about your membership, please email your Membership Director at membership@tennis4all.org.
  4. Complete the application.
  5. Submit payment.
  6. Please note that all three of the following must be successfully completed to be considered registered: (a) membership up-to-date; (b) application submitted; and (c) payment received.

If you’re interested in being a substitute, or have any questions or concerns please let us know. You can reach us both at singlesdirector@tennis4all.org

Your league directors,
John Costello & Ben Woolston

Dethroned!

I know it seems like I just posted an update recently and well….you’re not wrong. But I simply had to write again because there is a new Leader on top of the Challenge Ladder and his name…is Neal Riley!

On the morning of Saturday August 1st, Neal defeated me in a tight match, 7-5, 7-5….I was devastated and exhausted.

Neal was neither of those things. He had more work to do, you see. Later that SAME DAY, Neal made his way over to another challenge and promptly defeated the #1 player, Ronald Grimsby, in what sounds like a grueling: 3-6, 7-6, 10-3 epic!

I have never felt more like a warm-up in all my life.

Whatever.

Well done, Neal!

I also must say Thank You to Ronald (whom I hope to meet sometime!) who unbeknownst to me, started a tradition that I love! He had a little #1 sticker kinda thing and after the match, he gave it to Neal. Lovely idea, Ronald!

Now the question is…how long can Neal hold on?

Will it be Ronald’s revenge?

Or is there someone else ready to rise from the lower rungs and TOPPLE Mr Riley?!?!

I look forward to the homestretch.

Adios for now,

Doug

2 Spots Left!! Tennis Hall of Fame Doubles Social on Saturday, 8/15

Hi Everyone,

Tennis4All is pleased to offer a 2-hour doubles social at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, on 8/15!

Date: Saturday, August 15th

Time: 2-4 PM

Location: Tennis Hall of Fame, 194 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI.

Max number of participants: 24

Cost: $130 per person – Tennis4All Members ONLY.

Atlantic Cup 2026 • Philadelphia • October 3–4 — Call for Players!

Atlantic Cup 2026 • Philadelphia • October 3–4 — Call for Players!

T4A Teammates—it’s time to defend the Cup!

The Atlantic Cup returns this fall, and Team Boston is looking to continue its incredible run. Boston has captured the Atlantic Cup championship each of the past four years, and we’d love to keep the trophy right here in Beantown!

For those who may be new to the event, the Atlantic Cup is an annual team competition between Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, bringing together players from each city’s GLTA community for a weekend of competitive tennis and great camaraderie.

This year’s event will be held October 3–4, 2026, at the Hecht Tennis Center at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia—the same outstanding facility that hosts the GLTA Philadelphia Open.

The competition features both singles and doubles in the Open, A, B, C, and D divisions, giving players of all levels the opportunity to represent Team Boston.

While additional tournament details will be shared in early August, we wanted to get a head start on assembling this year’s team. I’m also excited to share that Doug Arbetter has graciously agreed to serve as Co-Captain this year.

If you’re interested in playing, please email both:

Please include:

  • Your current GLTA/NTRP rating
  • Whether you would like to play singles, doubles, or both

Fast Facts

  • Dates: October 3–4, 2026
  • Venue: Hecht Tennis Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
  • Competition: Four-city team event featuring Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC
  • Events: Singles and doubles in Open, A, B, C, and D divisions
  • Surface: Outdoor hard courts
  • Ratings Cutoff: The last tournament that will impact Atlantic Cup ratings is the 2026 GLTA Philadelphia Open (August 14–16).
  • Additional tournament details: Coming in early August
  • Captains: Jeff Stohlberg & Doug Arbetter

Interested in Playing?

If you’d like to represent Boston, please email Jeff and Doug with your current GLTA/NTRP rating and let us know whether you’d like to play singles, doubles, or both. We’ll begin building the roster now, with final selections made after the Philadelphia Open once ratings are finalized.

Questions? Feel free to reach out to either of us.

We hope you’ll join us as Team Boston looks to capture a fifth consecutive Atlantic Cup championship and keep the trophy where it belongs!

Jeff Stohlberg
Doug Arbetter
Co-Captains, Atlantic Cup Team Boston

Summer Challenge Ladder Update: Hard Court/Hard Core

We are making our way toward the US Open and as we do, things on the Tennis 4 all Challenge ladder are heating up!

Congrats to Mr. Krasikov for some fairly decisive straight set wins over Mr Chea and Mr Riley to arrive at third place under Mr Wu and Mr Grimsby. Speaking of which, will anyone usurp said Grimsby from the top? Only Time will tell.

Well done to Mr Chea and Mr Riley who continue to battle, both one another (2 matches to 1 for Mr Riley) and for points! (41 for Mr Riley and 37 for Mr Chea). It will be interesting to see how that drama plays out!

Nice job Kevin Lalli who is presently at 3rd place on the points ladder with 30.

Lots of time left and the weather seems to be getting better for tennis (IMHO) so get out there and play, damn it!

Please remember to communicate with one another as challenges are issued. After you challenge someone, text or email them to try and set up a match.  Sometimes it’s still not possible for players to mutually make it work within two weeks of a challenge due to summer plans so remember that you CAN hit Cancel on a challenge even after it has been made. THis frees both you and your challengee up for other possible matches.

As always, let me know if you have any questions.

Yours on the 16th floor,

Doug-less

US Open Pride & Tennis4All

Hello Tennis4All!

We are thrilled to share that the USTA has invited Tennis4All to US Open Pride again this year! As part of this generous invitation, 20 Tennis4All players are provided with wristbands for US Open grounds access on Thursday, September 3rd. Additionally, 12 players will have the opportunity to participate in an on-court activity as part of their US Open experience. Details can be found below:

  • When: Thursday, September 3rd
  • Where: The US Open in New York, New York
  • What: Grounds wristbands, providing access to view matches on all courts except for Arthur Ashe Stadium
  • Who: 20 Tennis4All tennis players
  • The perks: In addition to the grounds pass, 12 Tennis4All players will be participate in an on-court experience prior to the evening matches, as well as potentially being featured on social media and in US Open comms. A few of our members who attended last year’s Pride festivities are featured on the US Open site.

If you would like to participate in this experience, please indicate your interest by completing this Google Form. Players with an active 2026-2027 Tennis4All Membership will be given first priority, and we will confirm if you received a spot by Friday, July 31st.

Please note, you are responsible for your own travel and accommodations that come with participating in US Open PRIDE with Tennis4All. Plan on arriving to the US Open Grounds midday on September 3rd. For reference, two years ago when Tennis4All was invited to the evening session, we were asked to arrive at 1:30pm.

Additional logistics and details will be shared with confirmed attendees. In the meantime, if there are any questions, please contact Sam Smith at lewis.samuel15@gmail.com.

We hope everyone is as excited about this experience as we are, and a huge THANK YOU to the USTA for inviting Tennis4All to US Open!

Spaces Available for Friday’s Clinic at Harvard!

Greetings,

Tennis4All is pleased to announce an ALL levels tennis clinic at Harvard University on Friday, June 26th.

Location – Murr Indoor Tennis Center

max number of players- 30

time – 7-8:30 PM

cost for member – $40

cost for non-member – $50

the link to sign up is here

June 2026 Tennis Clinic at Harvard University

See you there!!

Tennis4All Board of Directors

Grass Reflections

Greetings Challenge Ladder Combatants!

The grass season is upon us. Sigh.

While the pros duke it out in prep for Wimbledon, we here on the challenge ladder duke it out for that esteemed top spot on the ladder that matters.

Speaking of which, well done to Ronald Grimsby who defended his pre-season ranking on top by defeating last year’s champ, Alan Tang, in a 6-2, 7-5 sizzler on June 2nd!

If I know Alan, there will be a second battle.

Early season congrats to Neang and Daniel who lead the Points Competition with 24 and 21 respectively.

Also must give props to Neang for two super tie-breaks in the last few days, both were 11-9 scores, one was a victory (over yours truly, ENRAGING!) and the other was a loss (congrats to Neal)

The web page seems to be functioning well, all hail to Chris Wood: web master-Cat Woman extraordinaire!

Remember that when you challenge someone on the dashboard, you ALSO need to follow up by emailing or texting them to actually set up the tennis match.

See you out there.

Thus ends my grass reflection

-Douglas