Sept. 8, 2004

Lending a Hand for Les Halles

GW Joins Brasserie Les Halles, Comcast and Legg Mason for Local Youth Tennis Tournament

By Thomas Kohout

The George Washington University joined with Comcast Television, the Legg Mason Tennis Classic and DC Council member Harold Brazil in support of the second annual Les Halles Cup junior tennis tournament for Washington, DC, boys and girls ages 14 and under. The tournament, sponsored by Brasserie Les Halles, ran concurrently with the Legg Mason Tennis Classic at the William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Center in Northwest Washington, DC.

This year’s contest featured a rematch of last year’s finals between the city’s top two junior male players Eric Chavous and Alvin Fludd. Chavous, son of DC Council member Kevin Chavous, defeated Fludd 6–3, 6–2, to repeat as District champion. The girls bracket finished with a grueling three-hour, three-set match between Janae Sydnor and Tamika Mitchell. Mitchell won the match 1–6, 6–0, 7–5.

“I started this event because it was something I would have wanted to do when I was a child,” said Phillippe Lajunie, owner of Les Halles and founder of the event. Lajunie added that like his own experiences, many of the children in the tournament have limited athletic opportunities growing up in the city. “You can play team sports like basketball, but there aren’t many options if you prefer to do something more individual. Tennis is a sport that is an education for life in society, through discipline, control, tactics, strategy and fair play. The competition gives the kids exposure to a professional-styled event, with seedings and a bracket draw and it’s played on the clay courts at the William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Center.”

The objective of the Les Halles Cup is to generate interest and excitement for tennis in youth through their participation in an official international tournament. Les Halles sponsors qualifying events in Miami, Washington, DC, and New York City, with each tournament running in conjunction with a professional tennis tournament — in Miami during the Nasdaq – 100 Open, in New York City during the US Open and during the Legg Mason here in Washington. The winners of the qualifiers receive free trips to compete in the finals, held in Miami during the Orange Bowl in December. The winners from that event will earn a trip to France to attend the French Open.

The University became involved prior to last year’s inaugural event. According to Michael Akin, government relations assistant in the Office of Government, International and Corporate Affairs, GW helped navigate the bureaucratic waters to keep the project on course. The University continued its partnership with the tournament this year, assisting with planning and logistics for the event, as well as making things a little more special by donating Colonials basketball tickets, coffee mugs, Frizbees and other goodies for the athletes and their families.

“GW takes its role in, and of, the city very seriously,” said Akin. “We’re always looking to be helpful whenever we can, especially when it involves local kids.”

“Whenever these kids play a tournament they have to go to the suburbs in Maryland or Virginia,” explained Willis Thomas, Jr., director of tennis at the Washington Tennis and Education Center, and this year’s event coordinator. “Often they’re facing players with better facilities and it can be intimidating. The Les Halles Cup gives them a chance to compete on a more level playing field.”

“This is a great opportunity for our young athletes,” said Brazil, who presented proclamations from both Mayor Anthony Williams and the DC City Council heralding Aug. 13, when brackets for the competition were announced, as “Les Halles Cup Day” in Washington, DC. “This tournament is a great way to show off the stellar skills and abilities of our young players. It also offers these kids an opportunity to meet their role models at the Legg Mason Tournament.”

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu