NEW HAVEN – Stars like Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport are taking center stage at the Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament in New Haven, but Lo-I and Tyler Ruefenacht of Newtown had their own moment on the court earlier this month.

The Ruefenachts were contenders in the finals of the Pilot Pen Family Classic Tennis Tournament. After qualifying by defeating three other teams in the mother/child 14-and-under category at the preliminary tournament held at Middlebury Racquet Club in May, the Ruefenacht mother-son team represented the Middlebury club in New Haven.

Though they lost the first match, the Ruefenachts went on to win first- and second-round consolation matches. 

“I was just happy to be able to play in the Pilot Pen Family Classic with my son, Tyler, and was thrilled that we finished as the consolation finalist,” said Lo-I. “We fought hard, but lost to a Long Island mother/daughter team 6-1, 6-3. For me, it was great just to be able to have this experience with my son.

Tyler, 12, will be entering seventh grade at Newtown Middle School this fall. He is also currently serving as a ball kid at the Pilot Pen for the professional players.

“Playing with my mom was an awesome experience,” said Tyler. “Running hard for six hours in the heat was tough, but my mom and I made it through. I learned I really need to work on taking my time and setting up my first serve and I also learned that to be a good player, you must be ready no matter what time the match is, even if it’s at eight in the morning.”

The Middlebury Racquet Club is preparing for its fall season with junior clinics, adult instruction and round robin schedules currently being planned with availability for new players. For further information, call Middlebury Racquet Club at 758-1727.