International Beach Tennis Championships Hermosa Beach

The International Beach Tennis Championships, which will pit the world’s top-ranked players against each other for one of the largest prizes in beach tennis, will be held on the Hermosa Beach Strand Friday through Sunday. Started in Italy more than 30 years ago, the beach sport came to the United States in 2005. In California, Hermosa Beach was the very first city to set up a beach tennis court. The sport, which has grown faster than any beach sport in recent years, involves players using beach tennis paddles and a special tennis ball. The ball is volleyed back and forth without hitting the ground and each team or player can only hit the ball once to get it over net. The atmosphere is far removed from traditional tennis tournaments. Music plays during the competition and a dance party often breaks out on the court when the games are complete. Play begins Friday at 9:30 a.m. with the singles division and runs until Sunday. All matches will be played along the Hermosa Beach Strand just north of the Hermosa Beach pier.