Pro tennis player Lloyd Harris wins singles gold at inaugural Indiana Hardcourt Championships

BROWNSBURG – Lloyd Harris stood on the court at Brownsburg High School Tennis Complex with a blue sharpie in one hand and a yellow ball in the other. The South African professional had just vanquished Hawaii native and U.S. representative Andre Ilagan in the finals of the inaugural Indiana Hardcourt Championships, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6), on Sunday.

Doused in sweat from his championship match, the US Open qualifier met young fans at midcourt for photos and autographs. He was crowned champion at an event meant to bring professional tennis back to Indiana. It was a six-day spectacle that was a part of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challenge Tour and showcased professional singles and doubles tennis players from all over the world.

The event ended with Harris climbing the mountain of tournament success and showing love to the youngsters that were in awe of his game. His first visit to the Hoosier State added to the mission of reestablishing professional tennis as an annual sporting event in Central Indiana and highlighting the people that paved the way.

“I had a great week, I had a good time, and we played a lot of games,” Harris said. “Hanging around, waiting for the heat, for the rain and for everything. We made it fun and we had a good time. They took care of us, how we needed it, so it was a good event, and I really had a good time.”

A time was had for Harris, whose championship voyage included wins over USA’s Andrew Fenty in the Round of 32, 7-6(2), 6-1, and Netherlands’ Mees Rottgering in the Round of 16, 7-5, 6-4. He knocked out Great Britain’s Harry Wendelken, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5, in the quarterfinals before he prevailed over USA’s Daniel Milavsky, 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-3, to qualify for the finals match.

His crowning moment in the finals featured some adversity. Down 3-0 in set two, he stormed back to keep victory within reach and clinched the win in a tiebreaker.  

“I felt like I was playing well today,” Harris said. “Obviously, it was my fifth match in five days so starting the second set, I felt a little fatigued there a little bit but I felt I was playing a high level, which is one unlucky point to go (to) that breakdown and played a couple of good games to fight back. Felt positive overall and obviously happy that I could come through in two sets.”

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The week-long event was presented by The Ed Brune Fund, named after the founder, general manager and director of Indianapolis Racquet Club. He was a tennis legend that supported pro tournaments and helped grow the youth sport. He died in April 2021.

Legacy awards were presented in honor of Brune and Barbara Wynne — a tennis pioneer who was inducted into the Indiana High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 2002 and the United States Tennis Association Midwest Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000. She died last month.

More: Barbara Wynne, Indianapolis tennis legend, dies at 93

The Indiana Hardcourt Championships was like a love letter to the people that helped elevate and promote the game.

“We’re trying to bring back professional tennis to Indiana to signify, No. 1, the roots that we have in tennis,” said Doug Brune, Ed’s son. “We’ve got Hall of Fame people that have given significant amounts of service to tennis, both national and locally, and this tournament just helps kind of rejuvenate and restart that for the state.”

Harris walked away with singles gold, while the duo of Gonzalo Escobar and Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha secured the doubles titles over Robert Cash and Bart Stevens, 6-4, 6-1, on Saturday.

The Indiana Hardcourt Championships culminated in a battle between Harris and Ilagan — a match where there was little room for error. Tennis fans watched a professional match and bared witness to a new yearly tradition in Brownsburg.

“We’ve had support for this tournament from all over the state,” Doug Brune said. “There’s a long list of people that have worked really hard to make Indiana what it is today on the tennis scene.”

Marc Ray is a high school sports reporter at the IndyStar. He can be reached at marc.ray@indystar.com , and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pro tennis player Lloyd Harris wins singles gold at inaugural Indiana Hardcourt Championships