Hayes Duo Earn Silver in Mother-Daughter Doubles Tennis Tournament

The mother-daughter pair of Maria and Rose Hayes haven’t had many opportunities to compete together, so when they do, they consider it a treat. Little did the East Moriches duo know, though, that they’d be taking home silver medals from just their second tournament appearance.

“Competing together is a win-win experience for us, and while it is all about the journey, not the results, you might have a few surprises along the way,” Maria Hayes said. “We share the love of the game, and it was a wonderful experience competing with my daughter. We definitely want to do it again.”

The pair played in the U.S. Tennis Association Level 1 National Mother/Daughter Doubles Tournament at Club Green Meadows in Vancouver, Washington, last month. They competed in six indoor matches on hard court across three days and earned spots in the finals in both the open and mothers-over-60 brackets.

“At home, I play almost 100 percent on clay court,” the mother said. “We had a few days to practice together before the tournament, but I had to adapt quickly to hard-court pace and timing.”

In the 60-and-over draw, they topped the California-Oregon duo of Lisa and Morgan McIntosh, 6-3, 6-0, and bested California’s Bryce Kristal and Marilyn Morrell-Kristal, 6-1, 6-2. They were edged by the Colorado-California pair of Hiko and Mariko Fritz-Krockow, 6-3, 2-6, 1-6, to finish with the second-best record.

In the open tournament, they beat Washington’s Tracy Qi and Julia Zhang, 6-2, 6-3, before surpassing the Kristals in the semifinals with another 6-2, 6-1 showing. This time, the former Westhampton Beach tennis standout and her mother fell, 6-0, 6-2, to Washington’s Lindsey and Rochelle Whelan.

“There were other young players in the tournament who hit the ball very hard, but my mom adapted to the surface and played strategic with the weapons that she had,” Rose Hayes said. “Our communication also improved as the matches went on, but most importantly, we reminded each other that we were here to have fun and enjoy the time we had playing together.”

The pair first competed together in August 2022 at the USTA Level 1 National Mother/Daughter Open Doubles Tournament at Longwood Cricket Club in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. That competition was played completely on grass courts.

“Grass court is, in my experience, the hardest surface to play on. The ball plays faster because it skids on the grass and it also doesn’t bounce very high,” Rose Hayes said. “But what I like most is the atmosphere at the mother-daughter tournaments is much different from juniors and college tennis — it feels refreshing. Tennis is a sport that brings people together, and what is so great about it is you can play it for a lifetime.”

The pair took the first set of the first match in the Round of 16 of that tournament, 6-0, before their opponents bowed out due to illness. In the quarterfinals, they fell, 6-2, 6-0, but won the back draw.

“After that tournament, we realized that we could be a great team,” the younger Hayes said. “My mother had also just turned 60, so we became eligible to play in the 60-plus category and not just the open. This was another incentive to play this tournament. Later in the year, when we were planning out what our summer looked like, we saw the opportunity to play in Vancouver as it was closer to where I would be staying for the summer.”

The Gonzaga University rising sophomore competed in all 23 matchups for the Division I Zags her first season, mainly in the No. 6 singles slot, though she saw time at No. 5 and No. 4 and even competed at second and third doubles. Hayes’s singles record was 16-7, and highlights included a game-clinching match win on the road against Tulane University last spring.

“I’ve definitely gotten physically stronger and matured as a player after playing a year of college tennis,” she said. “An area in particular where my game has grown is playing doubles. Before, I just wanted to ‘go with the flow’ to see where the point went, but now I step up to the line with a plan.”

Hayes said she thanks her mother for introducing her to a sport that has become so much a part of her life. Maria Hayes played one year of junior college tennis in California — 38 years ago — but was on the state Junior College Championship team in 1986 and was a San Diego County doubles champion with her sister in 1978 and 1979. Rose Hayes was named All-American her senior year, was tabbed All-State five times and was a three-time Suffolk County singles champion, not to mention a five-star tennis recruit.

“My mom and I have always been close,” Hayes said. “Not only is she the one who introduced me to tennis, she was with me a majority of the time to take me to practice or tournaments, so now that I have spent a year away from home, I value my time with my mom that much more.”

The daughter said that while the pair always strives to win, especially when competing against teams of tennis professionals and other current college athletes, relishing in that shared passion is what ultimately made them decide to compete together — although they do make a pretty strong duo.

“Whatever the result, Rose and I have a good time,” Maria Hayes said. “We go in there guns loaded and give it our best. If you do not put yourself out there, you will never know.”

While the Gonzaga student-athlete has her immediate sights set on another collegiate season, she said she’s looking forward to the chance to compete with her mother again soon.

“My mother is the one who gifted my tennis, and now we get to share experiences like this together,” Hayes said. “Not a lot of other kids can say that they’ve gotten the chance to play a tennis tournament, or any kind of sporting event, alongside a parent. Of course, we want to win, who wouldn’t, but I am so grateful to have the opportunity to play a sport I love alongside someone I love so much. There is so much to be grateful for in our world.”