LIMA – It took a moment or two to figure up the exact number.
Then it clicked: 13-0.
That’s Andrea Arango’s record in Lima Area Tennis Association tournaments since she started playing in them last year.
On Sunday, Arango and partner Jeff Brown picked up another championship by beating John Kidd and Liz Kidd 6-2, 6-4 in the Open Division of the Mixed Doubles City Championships at the UNOH Tennis Courts.
In the 70-Plus Division, the team of Brian Duffy and Kassie Hill won the round robin tournament with 28 points.
Arango’s title was her second in as many weeks after she teamed with Kaylee Davis to win last weekend’s doubles title. Last year, she won the singles and doubles titles.
“She’s the better player,” Brown joked, “obviously, she carried me today.”
Brown – who has run the LATA tournaments the past three years – won the Men’s Singles title earlier this summer and has past City titles in the singles and doubles tournaments.
“I was excited to get to play with him,” Arango said. “He’s my boss (at Westwood Tennis) and boyfriend. We were teammates at UNOH and we’ve hit a lot together. Last year he had a singles tournament going on, but we decided to play this year and it went pretty well.”
Brown is slated to play in a Toledo tournament starting Monday, allowing him to play in this tournament. Though they’ve practiced together often, the former UNOH players had never teamed in actual competition.
“I felt comfortable with Andrea,” Brown said. “She was nervous for some reason, but we’ve played hundreds of times together, played ex-UNOH guys, so I didn’t understand the nerves. But we got the job done, she was clutch when she had to be and I served well, that was the difference.”
While Arango and Brown are quite comfortable playing together, the 70-Plus champs had never even met prior to the tournament.
Brian Duffy, a Chicago resident, was supposed to play with his mother-in-law – Helena Knowles – this weekend as a family bonding activity. But when she got injured, Kassie Hill stepped in. Hill and Knowles have teamed up in doubles play in the past, claiming two consolation championships.
“Kassie was gracious enough to step in and play,” Duffy said. “The first match we had was a little slow and the competition was very good. But after that Kassie and I found our rhythm and moved well together, communicated very well. We had a lot of fun.”
Hill gave a healthy dose of the credit to Duffy for hitting his first Lima tournament like a storm.
“He’s a beast,” Hill said. “His new name is the ‘Brianator.’ He took control and was very easy to work with. His net coverage is phenomenal, he can get to every ball and just put it away.”
Sunday’s finals capped the LATA summer tournament schedule. The association is also in the final weeks of its youth programs at Collett Street. In his third year running both, Brown said he’s getting more comfortable and sees progress being made in the tennis community.
“My goal is to get people out, grow tennis in this community and this is part of the process,” Brown said. “The thing I like the most is seeing the kids come out and compete, the kids we work with on a daily basis and see them have success.
“I’m excited for the future. We’ve got good players in place now, we’ve got a good foundation and it’s just about building on it every day.”
In the Open Division consolation finals, Zach Beachler and Mackenzie Wills beat Brandon Amstutz and Rishika Avvari 6-3, 6-4.
In the 70-Plus Division, Mary Lou Roush and Brad Kelley took second place followed by Consolation Champions Gary Runkle and Joan Collar.
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