BALLY'S Pro and long time touring professional David Pate has just taken the US Open Finalist trophy in the men's 35 and over. To reach the final David Pate and his partner Scott Davis defeated    Jimmy Arias  and   Luke Jensen in a 3rd set tie breaker 10-8.

Last year Local Player David Pate won Wimbledon and went back this season to do it agaisn but was stopped by the very same Luke Jensen that he just beat at the US Open ..  Other local pro Sarah Borwell alos played in Wimbledon this year!!

British number 8 Sarah Borwell made her Grand Slam debut today against 20th seed Gisela Dulko. Borwell acquitted herself well against her Argentine opponent, who whilst not being comfortable on the grass, has shown all the promise to become a future star of the game. Sarah, still struggling with a wrist injury, could keep pace with the teenager, but a single break in each set cost her as she bowed out 6-3 6-4. Sarah has been training with Owen Hambrook at UNLV. Owen has not only taken part in transforming and bringing life to the girls UNLV team , which reached a ranking high of #15 as a team this season, but has been a significant part of Sarah's quest to be a top professional ladies tennis player. Click here to read the article I did on Sarah months ago.
 

David Pate on the other hand, will sit back and smile at the high pressure of the singles environment, as he, as a former touring pro, now brings back that fire of competition just a few weeks out of each year to play in Wimbledon and the US OPEN. In the last number of years he has had great success, in his forties, playing in the men's 35 and over, winning twice at the US Open and once, last year, at Wimbledon. This year , the other former touring professional, Johnny Lane, from the Las Vegas Country Club, will be traveling with David to England to see all the events and take in one of the best run tennis events of the year.

When I did my tournament at BALLY'S tennis club, where David owns the tennis concession, I tried to make it something that would stand out as a "Touch of class" above the rest. For years Wimbledon has had this flare, and there is no reason why this extra yard can not be run by all events and those that participate. VegasTennis.com, and professionals like David Pate and Johnny Lane, can work in conjunction to make Las Vegas tennis not only decent but thriving. Las Vegas is an internationally known town that many love to visit. There is no reason why this trump card can not be cashed in. The promoters of tennis knew this early on when they began the present day tour at Caesars Palace, where David Pate's dad use to coach under Poncho Gonzales. Now, years later, that energy is starting to build up once again. You just wait and see.

The article below was written in 2002 about David Pate's tennis career..

Not only has David Pate played and played well on the professional tennis circuit. He and his partner Scott Davis teamed up to play in the professional Gentlemen's 35 and above doubles. After facing players like Brad Gilbert and other well known doubles players, he and Scott not only made it to the quarterfinals, then the semifinals, then the finals, but they won Wimbledon, playing on center court amidst the Ivy, pomp and circumstance of what many call the most significant tournament of all time.

David and Scott have been playing competitive tennis and winning huge events like this for some time, often unknown to many who play tennis in Las Vegas, until now. This web site is a central place for people to keep up to date on all local and national tennis news and the variety of ways and places to play the game, including local tournament results, pictures, video highlights and more.

Look below for the Life long profile of David's Tennis career. Also at the bottom the page is David Pate's all time Head to Head statistics showing who he has played and what the outcome was along with a number of links to the tournaments and events he has won.

If you have your own David Pate story or piece of information, or photo that can be added to the article below, submit it by clicking here.

By Ryan Wolfington

old.vegastennis.com

Click here to see the Wimbledon Draw won by David.

Below is a full review of David Pate's career. Not all the details are there, as there are many titles and accomplishments I have not touched on. But in my research I have found the following..........

David Pate.......and professional Tennis

By Ryan Wolfington

old.vegastennis.com

With Wimbledon in the air I have chosen to feature a local player who has touched the grass there and on many other surfaces around the world, winning titles and beating the top players, including last years Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanisevic. His name is David Pate. And if you are not familiar and well versed in 1980's tennis or of the very esoteric genre of professional doubles tennis in the 1990's then I will explain. David is a "Professional Tennis player" who not only teaches tennis and Run's the Bally's Tennis program, but was a world ranked Champion who has played on center court at Wimbledon, US Open, Australian open, and was a member of the 1991 US Davis Cup team.

 David began his tennis career here in Las Vegas, playing with Poncho Gonzales at the Caesars Palace. His dad had taught Poncho how to play the game when they were young in Las Angeles, so when Poncho finished his professional career he called Mr. Pate, David's father, and asked him to help him run the Caesars Palace tennis program in Las Vegas. Mr. Pate moved his whole family to Las Vegas, and David has lived here since. He was eleven. It was around 1970 and Caesars Palace was  hot... the place to be. But all David knew was tennis. The high roller scene went by him just like it goes by the rest of us, as Las Vegas is our home and not the mystical wonderland that it is perceived to be in the minds of visitors.

After being exhausted on the court by the drilling and fiercely competitive Poncho Gonzales David was more then ready for High School tennis as he and his brother dominated, together winning numerous state titles. He described the junior tennis scene as much more close knit, with players often competing against one another. Less false pride. He compares that to now where juniors shy away from playing one another as if to avoid the embarrassment of a loss or the perceived stigma of playing with a perceived lesser skilled player. I know I have experienced this attitude witnessing some junior events. Then you hear players complain that they have to go outside of the state for competition. But David's point was he played all the other kid's without hesitation when he was a junior and in turn everyone's game was sharpened and challenged often.

I have witnessed this myself at local junior tournaments that could be stacked with great players but one player says "I am not playing that tournament because it is not "Sectionals" or because "The competition is not good", which leads to another player believing the same attitude. Players are left with the one dimensional development of working with a tennis professional without extensive, ongoing match play. Soon none of the best players are in the draw and the prophesy is fulfilled. When in fact if they all or most played in the tournament, and outside the tournament, you would find that Las Vegas is filled with competition. And it would build on itself. There are certain players, like Michael Uriarte, who if you let him challenge you on a consistent basis, he might get to the point of beating you, and this is not a bad thing, as you would then have the challenge of beating him and so on. Live and play in fear..... or simply play. That is the choice.

 And VegasTennis.com has created a Open, Adult and Junior "Find a Match" section where you can list your name for others to contact you to play and you can view the list to contact people to play. Juniors can challenge adults, fellow juniors, open players can challenge other open players and adults can challenge one another.  I have noticed that players want to play but have an awkward shyness or apprehension for one reason or another why they do not take the nest step. VegasTennis.com also has a free "CHALLENGE" match that automatically sets you up to play other players in your section. It is just like the "Find a Match" but instead of you choosing who to play, VegasTennis.com automatically sets you up with different players randomly. Click here to be in the CHALLENGE. It's free.

Months later at the 1987 Mercedes-Benz Cup in Los Angeles David beat some of the biggest names in tennis at the time. All the while his whole family and many friends crowded the stands as he was asked for scores of tickets each day. This was where his father and relatives had lived, and although he has always considered Las Vegas his home, this is where many family's and friends still lived.

In the first round he beat a once Las Vegas's resident Michael Chang, then Peter Lundgren, then in the third round he beat the most famous Las Vegas professional tennis player of all time, Andre Agassi 5-7 7-6 6-2. He grew up with Philipp Agassi, Andre's older brother as he said they both "Dreamed of being professional tennis pro's and marrying Chris Everett." David became a professional tennis pro.

In the next round he beat Brad Gilbert 6-3 6-7 6-3, and in the finals he met once again Stefan Edberg, the number one seed. But this time it would be David who took home the number one trophy and in front of his family and friends placing it in the air. A two set win 6-4, 6-4. Mission complete.

At the Mercedes Benz Cup in Las Angeles not only did he win the singles title, he won the sportsmanship award, and the most aces award, as he was known as one of the fastest serves in the game at the time. Also he and Kevin Curren won the doubles title. A sweep.

While this was the last major singles title David won, it was just the beginning as he became one of the best doubles players in the world, at one point ranked number 1 in the world and winning the most prestigious Australian Open in 1991. Just the year before in 1990 they won the RCA Championships, and from that point forward many more titles.

In 1989 David had slowly but surely slowed down his tournament play, beginning to "Take it easy" and "Spend more time with my family." It was then that he went and bought out the lease at Bally's where his mother ran the tennis shop. And from that point forward he has been the touring professional and Tennis Director at BALLYS.

But some 4 years ago he got a second wind, as he and his former doubles partner Scott Davis teamed up to go to Flushing Meadows, and compete in the 1998 US Open, where they were the Men’s 35 Doubles Masters Champions. (Click here to see US Open Champions page) . In the last four years they have made it to the finals at the US Open each time, winning the US Open twice. Also in 2001 David and his partner were in the men's 35 Masters at Wimbledon, and this year they made it to the finals and won taking home their first Wimbledon Title in two try's.

Throughout his professional career, David has won 18 Doubles titles and 2 singles titles with over $2,000,000.00 in prize money, going 52% with 181 matches won.

In short, his splaying success is not over or long forgotten. And today when David is not traveling the world to play tennis he is at home with his family, at the tennis courts watching his son play in local tournaments or at the Bally's Tennis Club where he is the head tennis professional. Whether or not one can go there and get lessons on how to win a championship is doubtful. That has to come from oneself. But David does offer one on one and group lessons, including the ability to join one of his USTA tennis league teams. And maybe one night you may get a chance to play him in doubles or singles and win, then, like the person I came across when researching David's records, you can claim "I beat David Pate, Wimbledon Champion, once 18th in the world in singles and #1 in the world in doubles."

That is if he will give you a game...and if you can win.

Bally's Tennis Club phone number is 967-4598
 

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