“New” was the theme for the 45th edition of the Litchfield Watercade Tennis Tournament

After a one-year hiatus due to construction, the tournament came back in full force in 2025 with a host of exciting upgrades: brand new high school tennis courts, freshly resurfaced Armory courts, new awards for finalists and consolation champions, and the introduction of junior divisions that stretched the event across three full days.

The newly completed high school courts received rave reviews. With a thoughtfully designed central viewing area, spectators could get closer to the action — a feature that was well received by fans. Just before the tournament, the dedicated Litchfield tennis community stepped up to install wind-breaking slats, ensuring top playing conditions. The newly resurfaced Armory courts were another welcome improvement and played beautifully throughout the weekend.

For the first time, the tournament introduced junior divisions: Boys’ and Girls’ 18U and 15U singles. These new brackets attracted 42 young players, with a schedule designed to complete the junior matches in a single day — a format that proved ideal for out-of-town families traveling to Litchfield.

A passing cold front on Friday afternoon threatened to disrupt the action, but the storms skirted around Litchfield. Aside from a few wind gusts, distant thunder, and light sprinkles, play stayed on schedule. By Friday evening, junior champions and consolation winners were crowned, and the adult divisions kicked off under some smoky skies from Canadian wildfire smoke that was blown in on the back end of the front that rolled through.

Adult competition included Men’s and Women’s Open Singles and Doubles, Men’s A Doubles, and Mixed Doubles — drawing 83 additional players and bringing total participation to a record-breaking 125 competitors! Matches ran from Friday evening into the twilight hours, resumed Saturday at 8:30 AM under perfect blue skies, and continued until 8:30 PM.

Once again, the tournament was played under cooler-than-usual temperatures for this time of year — but the action on the courts was absolutely scorching! Players and fans alike remarked that this year’s tournament showcased some of the best tennis Watercade has seen in years.

What makes the event truly special, though, is that so much of this talent is homegrown — right here in Litchfield and surrounding communities. Many participants have been playing in the tournament for years or have grown up in the Litchfield area and return back to play Watercade. One player shared that he hadn’t been played in the tournament since he was in high school nearly 20 years ago, but returned this year with his son.

We were proud to see not only father-son teams on the courts, but the mixed doubles event was truly a family event for the ages!  The championship featured Vern and Maddie Larsen, a grandfather/granddaughter pairing against the brother/sister combo of Tyler and Rebecca Rousslang.  Vern said that the opportunity to play mixed doubles with his granddaughter was a once in a lifetime blessing.  The brother/sister combo of Lincoln and Isla Dille won the consolation championship in mixed doubles as well!  Finally, Alex Carlson paired with his daughter Elise in mixed and Jo Carlson paired with her grandson Everett.  A wonderful reminder of how tennis brings generations together.

Sunday featured semifinals in Men’s Open Doubles and Mixed Doubles, along with final and consolation matches across all adult divisions. In total, 156 matches were played over the weekend — a testament to the tournament’s growth, the quality of the new facilities, the legacy of the tournament built by Mike Miller and John Carlson and the enduring passion and support of the Litchfield tennis community.

As we do after every tournament, we’ll take time to reflect on what went well and where we can improve — always striving to create the best possible experience for everyone. But truly, it’s what you bring to the tournament that makes it so special.

With that, we drop the curtain on this year’s event. Wishing you good health and good fortune in the year ahead. Thank you again for choosing to spend your time with us at the 45th Litchfield Watercade Tennis Tournament!

Mark your calendars for next year’s tournament: July 9–12, 2026!