Charity tennis match raises $4K

SHARON — The Sharon Country Club (SCC) hosted an exhibition doubles tennis match on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. The event was held as a charity for the Little Guild Animal Shelter and raised approximately $4,000.

The match featured players Dustin Parente and Jeff Kivitz against John Lippert and Guillermo Garcia Rincon. All four players have an extensive history with the game.

Parente is a three-time Connecticut State Champion and former Division One NCAA player at the University of Rhode Island, who currently leads the tennis program at SCC.

Kivitz is a former nationally ranked junior and All-American captain at Williams College and the eight-time defending SCC club champion.

Lippert played Division One NCAA tennis at the University of San Francisco.

Rincon has a top-25 national U16 ranking in Spain and is currently a coach and player, recently leading his team to a championship in the Greater Hartford Tennis League.

The talent on display was clear for the crowd in attendance, who frequently applauded the players’ impressive feats. The four players had a frequent banter that paved the way for a light-hearted and enjoyable match.

The closest game of the entire match occurred at the start, as team Lippert-Rincon served to team Parente-Kivitz. After a few volleys the pairs found themselves in deuce, which they would re-enter a total of six times before team Lippert-Rincon got the first win. This was in direct contrast to the game that immediately followed, in which Parente-Kivitz smashed through without their opponents scoring at all. Lippert-Rincon found their footing in game five, winning three in a row and ultimately taking the first set 6-3.

The second set opened with two decisive games from Lippert-Rincon, with Parente-Kivitz only scoring once. Parente-Kivitz won the third game, but Lippert-Rincon hit a stride starting in game four that ultimately led to their victory 6-1 in the second set, winning them the match. Throughout every game, both teams treated onlookers to plenty of intense volleys, a handful of powerful and quick serves and plenty of jovial quips on both mistakes and dexterous plays.