Mission Resort + Club Near Orlando to Host International Beach Tennis Tournament

Central Florida’s Mission Resort + Club will host a Beach Tennis USA tournament sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation from May 2-5, bringing in nearly 300 players with roughly 80 percent of them coming from outside the United States.

Mission Resort has four beach tennis courts. Beach tennis combines elements of tennis and volleyball and is played in over 50 countries by more than half a million people.

“Here in the United States, beach tennis has just started up as a sport and it’s already very popular,” said former Bolivian Davis Cup player Cesar Villarroel, who is longtime director of racquet sports at the resort. “The sport is already massive in other parts of the world. Just to give you an idea, in Brazil they have about 1.8 million people playing, in Puerto Rico it’s close to a million and in Aruba it’s around 800,000. In the United States, it won’t take long to catch on.”

The first two days will feature professionals while the weekend of May 4-5 will involve amateurs at both intermediary and beginners’ level.

“For the first two days, we will have about 80 players each day,” said Villarroel. “Then we will have about 150 players on the Saturday with another 150 competing on the Sunday. It should be a lot of fun for both the players and for spectators.”

Located in the town of Howey-in-the-Hills, Mission Resort is a 35-minute drive northwest of Orlando or an 80-minute drive northeast of Tampa, and it is home to two championship golf courses.  Mission Resort + Club also includes tennis, the property features jogging and cycling trails, volleyball courts and a marina offering pontoon and bass boat rentals.