On Thursday afternoon, May 22, Newton North and Newton South High School will hold the 20th annual Garden City Cup exhibition tennis match on the South tennis courts.
The event honors the memory of Linda F. Zuker, Newton South’s former assistant girls tennis coach, who succumbed years ago to a rare, virtually untreatable viral disease. A foundation formed in her honor supports youth athletics in the region as well as Tenacity, an organization that promotes tennis in the inner city.
The program consists of two rounds of boys and girls playing mixed doubles, in eight-game pro-set matches, with a tiebreaker at 7-7. Junior varsity will play at 4PM, and varsity will play at approximately 5:15PM. In between, a brief ceremony will honor the players of both schools as well as Pat Gonzalez, Newton South’s retiring Athletic Director.
In all, perhaps eighty players — both varsity and junior varsity, boys and girls — will participate in the event. This tradition, more than two decades old, has helped not only to bring the high schools together but to benefit the wider community as well. It also keeps alive the memory of beloved friend and former coach, Linda Zuker.
Bob Jampol of Friends of Newton Tennis said, “In less than a week’s time, the varsity teams will be competing in the state team tennis tournament. As the season winds down, the Garden City Cup allows the players to compete in the spirit of fun.”
