PPD’s Beach 2 Battleship Triathlon isn’t the only athletic event that brings participants to the Wilmington area. For the fourth year in a row, Wilmington has hosted the U.S. Tennis Association’s N.C. Combo Doubles State Championships, bringing a surge of adult tennis players and countless neon yellow tennis balls.
 
The tournament, which covers two extended weekends – this year, it’s Nov. 6-9 and Nov. 13-16 – draws players and teams from all over the state, said Paula Sneeden, coordinator of the event for the Greater Wilmington Tennis Association, which runs the tournament. Sneeden said that 2,600 players are registered for the two weekends combined: 1,000 players participated this past weekend and 1,600 are expected for the upcoming weekend.
 
Spending by those participants and their family members and friends who accompany them adds up to a significant economic impact, she said, estimating that impact at about $3.5 million for the two-week tournament period.
 
“[Players] come in on Wednesday and stay until Sunday,” Sneeden said Monday. “I have blocked out more than 500 hotel rooms, although some teams rent condos. One team – and teams are from eight to 12 people – rented a house for the entire week. The players stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants and shop in our stores.”

They also play on every available tennis court in New Hanover County and even as far away as St. James Plantation in Brunswick County, Sneeden said, adding that her job as coordinator involves booking from 90 to 100 courts. Each team plays from three to six matches over the four-day period.

Admission is free to tournament games for those who would like to watch.

The Greater Wilmington Tennis Association has bid successfully on hosting the tournament for the next two years, so it will return in 2015 and 2016, Sneeden said.