Kiawah rated fourth among U.S. resorts

Mention a world-renowned tennis resort, and Kiawah Island probably would be among the first ones that come to your mind. The fact that Kiawah Island has retained such a high profile for more than a quarter of a century is stunning. Tennis director Roy Barth and his staff have done a great job.

In Tennis Magazine's latest list of the Top 50 U.S. Tennis Resorts, Kiawah Island Golf Resort is rated fourth. Although that's a couple of places lower down the list than in 2006 when Tennis Magazine last published its top resorts, Kiawah is rated higher than any other resort in a state that is loaded with five other top 50 locations.

Hilton Head Island's Sea Pines Resort is the only other top 10 site in South Carolina, dropping back one place to seventh from the sixth spot it held two years ago. Wild Dunes Resort was 10th in 2006, but fell out of the current top 10 and is now a top 50 resort.

Two other Hilton Head resorts, the Inn at Palmetto Bluff and Palmetto Dunes, join Sea Pines on the top 50 list, while Pawleys Island's Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort is the sixth S.C. resort to make the top 50. California's Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa is rated tops in the nation.

Larkin picks Wofford

Wando senior Lindsay Larkin has committed to play tennis at Wofford and is scheduled to sign a letter of intent with the Terriers on Nov. 12. This is Larkin's third year playing for the Warriors, the four-time defending Class AAAA state girls champions and owners of an 80-match winning streak.

Larkin not only plays No. 3 for the Warriors, she is a Wofford scholar and a Palmetto Fellow in the classroom as well as a member of the Wando Senior Show Choir.

Two SCHSL titles?

With two SCISA state crowns (congratulations, Ashley Hall and Palmetto Christian) already stashed away, there appears to be an excellent chance for the area to finish up with four girls state titles this fall. Wando and Bishop England look like good picks to repeat as Class AAAA and Class AA titlists, while Academic Magnet's road in Class A unfortunately may be blocked by one of the usual powerhouses, Christ Church or Southside of Greenville.

At any rate, all three local teams would appear to be headed for the state championship weekend that starts Friday with the semifinals at Lexington Tennis Complex. Coach Becky Williamson's powerful Wando outfit received something of a lucky break on Thursday when a No. 3-seeded Irmo upended a No. 1-seeded West Florence, 4-2, in the round of 16. That result left perennial power Irmo having to visit Wando on Tuesday. Wando defeated Dutch Fork, 5-1, in the round of 16. Meanwhile, top threat Lexington has to play at surprisingly strong Beaufort on Tuesday.

In Class AA, Bishop England is at home at Family Circle Tennis Center on Tuesday against Manning, while Academic Magnet travels to Green Sea-Floyds for a Class A quarterfinal. The Tuesday winners will advance to the state championship weekend.

Items of interest

--Monday is the deadline for entering the annual Mount Pleasant Junior Tennis Classic, which starts Friday at Mount Pleasant's Whipple Road complex. Contact tennis coordinator Jimmy Millar (856-2196 or jmillar@townofmountpleasant.com).

--Doubles, anyone? Snee Farm County Club will hold a Doubles Extravaganza as its Grand Prix tournament Nov. 20-23. The entry deadline is Nov. 19, with food, music and beverages in the tournament's 20-year-old tradition. Signup is available online at sneefarmtennis.com.

--Andy Roddick and Serena Williams will headline the Roddick Foundation's Rock-n-Racquets benefit on Dec. 13 at the Colonial Center in Columbia. Roddick will take on 6-9 John Isner and Williams will face top 20 pro Caroline Wozniacki in singles. Roddick and Williams also will battle the Isner/Wozniacki team in mixed doubles. Tickets to the event, which is being sponsored by Newberry College, are available online at coloniallifearena.com or by calling 866-472-8499.

--The local Junior Team Tennis group that participated in last weekend's advanced 14-and-under national championships in Mobile, Ala., took fifth place, despite losing three of its original four girls to the SCISA playoffs. Only Porter-Gaud's Mi'Kola Cooper made the trip, while Colleton Prep's Sarah McDonald and Pinewood Prep's Meagan Evans and Shauna Fletcher participated in the SCISA state championship weekend in Sumter. Columbia's Ashley Hawkins served as a substitute. The coed team also included Adam Elliget, Zac Dye, Thomas Spratt and Bailey Kirkland.

--The Thurmond, Kirchner & Timbes team lived up to its regular season success by prevailing as the league champion in last Sunday's final of the Charleston Pro Tennis League at the Players Club. Matt Hane's team needed a win by No. 2 singles player Phil Whitesell in a third-set super tiebreaker against Jay Bruner to post a 3-2 victory over LCTA. Tom Eklund defeated Or Dekel in the No. 1 slot to give TK&T a singles sweep.

--Country Club of Charleston tennis director Lee Brockman has scheduled another "Battle of James Island" for Nov. 15. The competition pits defending champion Country Club of Charleston against teams from Maybank Tennis Center and the James Island Yacht Club. The festivities will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a continental breakfast, followed by men's and women's doubles at the Country Club and Maybank, and mixed doubles at 11 a.m. at the Country Club and Maybank. A covered dish social and awards presentations will be held from 1-2 p.m. at the Country Club. Contact ccctennis@comcast.net to register.

--The Rockin' for Ryan Young Gala is set for Thursday at the Sand Dunes Club on Sullivan's Island. Treg Monty (991-8899) has organized the event to raise money to support Young's pro tennis career. Tickets can be ordered at www.rockinforryan.com.

--The I'On Club's sixth annual Ace Breast Cancer tournament and Pine Forest Country Club's "Racquets for Recovery — Taking a Hard Swing at Breast Cancer" — will be held next weekend. Contact I'On organizer Courtenay Tucker at acebreastcancertennis@yahoo.com, or Pine Forest's Tisha Smith (851-3985 or e-mail Racquets2008@aol.com). Pine Forest's deadline has been extended until Monday. The I'On event will benefit the Hollings Cancer Center, while Pine Forest's tournament will benefit the American Cancer Society.

--Charleston's Brenda Carter led the U.S. women's 60 team to the silver medal in the recent international Alice Marble Cup team competition conducted by the International Tennis Federation in Antalya, Turkey. The U.S. team suffered a 3-0 loss to France in the final as Carter dropped the No. 1 singles match.

Reach James Beck at jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.