University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Tennis To Take Part in Charity Event
8/4/2017 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
Both current and former Minnesota women's tennis players will be taking part in the 32nd annual Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic Tournament (PTATC) starting today to help raise funds for research to help lessen the suffering caused by childhood cancer.
Current players Mehvish Safdar and Caroline Ryba will be playing in the mixed doubles tournament. With former players Julia Courter and Paula Rincon Otero taking part in the tournament as well.
The PTATC has raised over $4.9 million for children's cancer research since it began. Ryba said she is excited to be able to use tennis as a way to help.
"It's not too often that I get the opportunity to use my tennis as a means of healping others," Ryba said. "Pine Tree is just a great opportunity to make a big difference in helping the amazing cause of children's cancer research. I'm really looking forward to it."
The PTATC is a mixed doubles tennis tournament that has become one of the biggest doubles charity tennis tournaments in the nation. Ron and Maryanne Peterson created the Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic in 1986 when their 12 year-old daughter Julianne was diagnosed with Leukemia. Their mission was to raise money to provide the medical professionals at Children's Hospital a means and a way to research, while still being able to perform the crucial efforts of treating children with cancer.
The tournament has three different draws including an open division, a masters division and a grand masters division. The tournament runs through Sunday Aug. 6 in White Bear Lake, Minn. $15 tickets are available for an individual four-day pass, while $30 tickets are available for families (two adults and two children) for the four days.
For information on the PTATC and Pine Tree, and how to donate, click here.
For information about both current and former Gophers are competing in the tournament, click here.
Updates on how the Gophers are doing in the tournament can be found on the Gopher women's tennis Facebook and Twitter pages.
