July 20, 2021
U-M Adaptive Tennis Takes on the Music City Classic
Four U-M athletes traveled to Nashville to compete in the Music City Classic Tournament. Caiden Baxter, Matt Fritzie, Spencer Heslop, and Chris Kelley competed in multiple events and proudly represented the University of Michigan.
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Caiden Baxter and Matt Fritzie playing doubles together in the Men’s B division. They won the first round decisively but fell short in a close match tiebreak in the second round.
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Matt Fritzie and Caiden Baxter look incredulously at their opponents after winning the first set decisively 6-0 and then letting the second set slip away 5-7.
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Matt Fritzie serving in the doubles match with Caiden Baxter. Fritzie’s serve claims to be the strongest part of his game.
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Spencer Heslop and a paired non-Michigan partner Rafael Martinez hit their rackets together after a point win. They made it to the Men’s B Doubles semi-finals.
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Spencer Heslop prepares to toss the ball up to serve and start the point. Spencer has been a formidable opponent that is new on the wheelchair tennis scene.
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Caiden Baxter prepares to hit a forehand shot while Matt Fritzie watches. It was the first time they played together in doubles and a good dynamic was formed.
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Chris Kelley reaches out to strike a backhand shot during his singles match. He made it to the Men’s A semifinals but lost in a close match tiebreak to Jody Lawhead.
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Caiden Baxter presses the court and strikes a forehand during a doubles match. A lot of times a partner will press forward while their partner falls back to cover the deep ball.
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Chris Kelley hits a fundamentally sound forehand shot during a singles match. Chris hits an aggressive ball that causes difficulty for his opponents.
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A focused Matt Fritzie winds back to hit a cross court forehand during a doubles match with Caiden Baxter.
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A determined Caiden Baxter reaches out for a backhand shot during a doubles match with Matt Fritzie.
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Caiden Baxter bounces the tennis ball as part of his warm up before a match. Every player has their own unique routine/ritual to prepare for the start of match.
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Chris Kelley hydrates during a change over of a match. Nashville has some considerable heat and humidity that can be unrelenting on the tennis court.
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Spencer Heslop hits a forehand shot and puts a lot of topspin on the ball. Spencer lost his opening round singles match but made it deep into the consolation bracket.
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All of the athletes pose for a picture on the tennis court after a banquet dinner with live music. The tournament had great food and entertainment.
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Chris Kelley and Cole Wooten smile after a successful participation in the Men’s A Doubles division.
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Matt Fritzie tossing up a serve in his quad singles finals match. He took a decisive lead in the beginning but ended up losing a very close heartbreaking one in the match tiebreak.
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Chris Kelley throwing up a toss to serve during a match. Chris has a rather strong serve.
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Chris Kelley prepares to toss the ball up for a serve during a Men’s A Doubles match with Cole Wooten. They made it to the Men’s A Doubles Finals but lost in a close finals match.
