July 19-20 Stanley Park Open Recap

By Jenn Lin

The 93rd National Bank Stanley Park Open (NBSPO) concluded this weekend in spectacular fashion, crowning new champions and sparking unexpected moments of connection. Featuring crowd giveaways courtesy of Stanley Park Brewing, prize money, perfectly sunny weather, upbeat music, and even a limited-edition beer, the NBSPO brought summer magic to Stanley Park—engaging players, fans, and curious park-goers alike.

Full Circle Moment

20-year-old Alexia Jacobs from Calgary, AB took home the title of Women’s Singles Open Champion this weekend, along with a $7000 cheque, one of the biggest prizes ever awarded at the NBSPO. Playing since she was 3 years old, Jacobs has won 9 ITF junior doubles titles, and she’s now cinched her first Open title at one of her favourite tournaments.

A psychology student at the University of Washington in Seattle, Jacobs attributes a self-confident, unwavering playing style as the key to her success. “I’m a very aggressive player; I’m a big serve, big shot. So, I like staying up in the baseline, staying aggressive, stepping in, taking time away,” explained Jacobs. “I get compared a lot to Madison Keys.”

Jacobs fondly remembers playing in the SPO in her junior years but hasn’t been back to the tournament since, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s such a fun environment. There’s so many people that come out and watch and it’s nice to see your friends. It feels like a community. With the junior tournament also here, it’s inspiring for the younger kids to watch the Open,” reflected Jacobs.

Jacobs, who triumphed over Emma Dong 6-1, 6-3 in the Sunday morning final, will be playing in the Washington State Open in the next two weeks. Dong, who teamed up with Elicia Lin to win the Women’s Doubles Open, is a three-time National Singles Champion and two-time National Doubles Champion. Winner of multiple ITF titles, Dong will be attending the University of Georgia in the fall.

Good Sports, Better Friends

Duncan Chan of Markham, ON defeated his doubles partner and 2022 NBSPO Men’s Singles Champion Henry Ren in a tight 6-3, 7-6 final that exemplified early nerves and first-rate sportsmanship. A 19-year-old studying at Texas Christian University, Chan has an exciting tennis career ahead of him as a 2025 NCAA Finalist.

“We’ve known each other since U12 or U14,” said Ren. Local to Vancouver, Ren offered Chan a place to stay throughout the NBSPO as well as the 2024 Surrey Open, allowing them to grow closer. When asked what he’s learned about Ren, Chan laughed, “He knows a lot of song lyrics… even Korean ones.” Ren shot back that Chan is “incredibly obsessed with bubble tea.” Chan explained, “I’m in Texas all year, right? And there’s like one bubble tea shop for like 10 miles… so in the past ten days I’ve had [bubble tea] like six times. I just need to get my yearly dose.”

When asked what they liked most about the NBSPO, Ren joked, “There’s a lot of money—and also the fans! This atmosphere today is unlike anything I’ve experienced in other professional tournaments. The crowd’s really involved and they cheer for you.” Ren also highlighted the chance to reconnect with players, calling the NBSPO a “yearly get together.” For Ren, four-time finalist and Dartmouth senior, it’s definitely a homecoming.

The day before, Chan and Ren were named Men’s Doubles Open Champions, prevailing over team Andres Chavez and Dmytro Kovkin in a close 7-5, 6-4 match. At one point, the score went back and forth with five deuces and Ren even ending up on the ground, but despite Chavez’s steady serve, Chan and Ren got the better of the pair.

No Trouble for Mixed Doubles

Siblings Enoch and Elicia Lin outplayed Havana Kadi and Jack Davison 6-2, 7-6 to claim the Mixed Doubles Open title and $1600 between the two of them. A winning team—Enoch also succeeded in his J100 ITF Boys Doubles Championship bid this past week, meanwhile Elicia celebrated her Women’s Doubles Open win with Emma Dong.

Wise beyond their years, 15-year-old Elicia and 17-year-old Enoch had much to say about the difference between good and bad pressure: “Good pressure… drives you to, like, try to become better. And any pressure that is not helpful is mainly just pressure that you’re putting on yourself, so it’s easy to let that go.” When asked how they deal tense situations during matches, the Lins said that they tell themselves to just “go for it,” rather than overthink or doubt themselves.

The highlight of their summer, the Lins look forward to returning to the NBSPO each year and will be representing Alberta at the Canada Summer Games next.

Creative Keepsakes

Along with a plaque and prize money, winners of all NTRP categories were awarded a 4-pack of “Park Beer: Tennis Elbow IPA.” With just 1000 cans produced, it was such a fitting way to toast to an unforgettable two weeks at Stanley Park. The special alcoholic beverage is the result of a Tennis BC collaboration, described as “a tropical topspin on a classic IPA” and an “overhead smash to the taste buds!”

Aside from the beer, players and spectators also got the chance to take home National Bank tennis ball-shaped water bottles—a cute and practical tournament memento. In addition, during the Men’s Singles final on Sunday afternoon, you could hear the crowd ooh and aah as they scrambled to catch tennis balls in hopes of winning prizes—a fun touch that further showed the care behind this year’s tournament.

More than just a tennis tournament, the NBSPO is a tradition where memories are made, friends gather, and the community comes alive. Until next year, when the magic returns to Stanley Park.

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Open Winners:

MS Open: Duncan Chan
WS Open: Alexia Jacobs
MD Open: Duncan Chan & Henry Ren
WD Open: Emma Dong & Elicia Lin
MxD Open: Enoch & Elicia Lin

NTRP Winners:

WS 2.5: Paolo Cernicchiaro
WS 3.0: Tessa Walsh
WS 3.5: Jennifer Kim
WS 4.0: Colleen Oneill
WS 4.5: Jenny Fu
MS 2.5: Benjamin Xu
MS 3.0: Siyuan Liu
MS 3.5: Enrique Pena Ochoa
MS 4.0: Pouya Tanouri
MS 4.5: Angus Roderick Macdonald
MS 5.0: Alistair Green
WD 2.5: Jaclyn Chan & Tahnee Lam
WD 3.0: Jessica Madhavan & Nargess Shokouhian
WD 3.5: Lori Irwin & Kaitlin Stephens
WD 4.0: Amy D-O’Connor & Michelle O’Connor
WD 4.5: Natalia Rusanova & Adema Tursunkhanova
MD 2.5: Sui Cheng & Vincent Jian
MD 3.0: Floyd Achtzehnter & Mathieu Depre
MD 3.5: Mark Bertram & John Mac
MD 4.0: Arthur Hobhouse & James Watson
MD 4.5: Matthew Devine & Joshua Zhang
XD 3.0: Hon Chan & Shun Choy
XD 3.5: Sunning Lee & Summer Lee
XD 4.0: Hongjiang Liu & Xiang Feng
XD 4.5 Reid Picken & Alisa Prinyarux

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Author Bio:

Jenn Lin is a Vancouver-based photographer, storyteller and creator of Dogs Will Teach You Love. When she’s not behind the camera or at her desk, Jenn can usually be found on a tennis court! Connect with her on Instagram @jennlin91.