The Central Coast Tennis Classic is in its sixth year with new additions to the Templeton Tennis Ranch facility as well as an ever-growing list of alumni who have gone on to do special things on the world stage.
Since 2017, the $60,000 USTA tournament has been an early stop on the pathway to the world stage for many highly ranked players.
“It's really exciting to be part of that," Templeton Tennis Ranch Founder, Owner and CEO Ralph Goehring said. "The USTA structure of bringing more of these kind of tournaments to the tennis community and helping those pros get to where they want to go in their career.”
Players like current No. 3 in the world Jessica Pegula played in this tournament back in 2018 as well as two other former tournament champions ranked in the top 100.
“You root for them in other tournaments in other countries, and it's just great to have them come here and play. These are the stars of the future.”
This year, Santa Barbara native Kayla Day is making her third appearance at the Templeton Tennis Ranch coming off multiple appearances in Grand Slams over the past two years. Her biggest win was in 2023 at the U.S. Open when she defeated 20th-ranked Madison Keys.
“I just felt super confident by the time I got there that it didn't matter who I was playing the opponent I was facing because I just trusted my game and trusted myself,” Day said of her last two years.
Even closer than Santa Barbara, senior Cal Poly women’s tennis player and Arroyo Grande native Peyton Dunkle played in a wild card doubles match on Tuesday and although she and her teammate Amy Leather didn’t win, it was a chance for her to get professional tennis experience in a familiar area.
“We were a little nervous at first, but I think after playing a couple of games, we got used to the atmosphere and kind of felt the energy around us, felt the support."
As both local athletes make their way through their tennis careers, the Templeton Tennis Ranch is a place for them to get back to their roots.
"[It] definitely feels like my home tournament," Day said. "I have a bunch of friends and family that come out and watch my matches, so really just feels like a bit more calm, homey to me than most others.”
Goehring also mentioned that the ranch is adding a new pool to the club where community members can improve their focus on their own health.
For a full schedule of the remaining matches, you can visit https://www.centralcoasttennisclassic.com.
