New tennis tournament to benefit oncology research

The first Love-Love Magic City Finish the Fight Tennis Challenge is scheduled for March 4-8. Ladies’ doubles teams will compete at venues around Birmingham including Hoover Country Club. The week-long event will conclude with the Love-Love Tennis Ball on March 8 at the Birmingham Country Club, with dinner and dancing to honor and celebrate the champions.

Boo Mason, tennis pro at Hoover Country Club, was one of the first to support this new event, and he brings extensive tournament planning experience to the table. Under Mason’s leadership, Hoover annually hosts five USTA-sanctioned junior tennis tournaments, as well as an adult tournament. Many tennis fans also attended the famously successful Wayne Bryan doubles clinic that Hoover hosted in connection with the recent Davis Cup matches in Birmingham.

The event will benefit Robert E. Reed Gastrointestinal Oncology Research Foundation, which supports scientific research to make treatment easier for patients with all types of GI cancers. The foundation funds research in Birmingham, led by Martin J. Heslin, M.D., professor of surgery and director of the Integrated Multidisciplinary Cancer Care Program at UAB.

Registration will close Feb. 25. The tournament is open to players of all levels, and teams can register on the tournament website at love-lovemagiccitychallenge.com.

Matches will also take place at Brook Highland Racquet Club, Pine Tree Country Club, Vestavia Country Club, Greystone YMCA, Highland Racquet Club, Altadena Valley Country Club and Trussville Racquet Club.