Hilton Head and Off-Island players vie in 5th year of Tennis Bridge Bowl

The fifth-annual Bridge Bowl tennis championship, comprised of teams from Hilton Head competing against the Off-Island areas of Beaufort County, is set to begin Friday.

Despite the island’s reputation as a tennis mecca, it’s the Off-Island team that has held the upper hand in the event.

“It’s been close every year, but I’m pleased to say we’ve won three of the four years,” said local tennis pro and Off-Island team captain Jonathan Watkins.

And that may be indicative of the sport’s growth across the bridge.

While pickleball may be growing faster than any other racquet sport, both Gavin Cox (Tennis Club of the Lowcountry at Rose Hill Plantation) and Mike O’Regan (Colleton River Plantation Club) say tennis remains a healthy, growing sport.

Both of those facilities, along with South Beach Racquet Club, will host portions of the Bridge Bowl, with the finals to be held Sunday at Colleton River.

“We created Bridge Bowl as a natural way to celebrate the entire local tennis community,” said tournament founder Jon Boyd. “Yes, we tapped into a natural and emerging rivalry between Island and Off-Island active players, but really Bridge Bowl offers a way for our entire tennis-playing community to come together and celebrate the game we love. And it’s been gratifying to see the local clubs eager to host tournament matches as a way to showcase their tennis facilities.”

About 250 players are expected to compete in the event, which is held to benefit the Deep Well Project and Bluffton Self Help.