Nelson tennis players shine at the West Kootenay Open
Published 8:56 am Friday, August 21, 2026
The West Kootenay Tennis Open saw Nelson players rise to the top.
The tournament took place from July 17 to July 19 at the Nelson Tennis Club, where players from across B.C. were in attendance including from North Vancouver, Merritt and Kelowna.
Tournament Director and player Mike Dickinson said he was impressed with how Nelson players performed at the open.
“At the beginning, Okanagan (players) used to be the winners, but now you are seeing more and more Nelson residents taking home the trophy,” Dickinson said.
One of those trophy winners was Tinashe ‘Nash’ Chikanda, for Men’s A Singles. Chikanda also won alongside Dickinson in Men’s A Doubles.
“Tinashe is one of our top players. He played professional tennis in his younger years and moved here and became integrated into the tennis scene,” Dickinson said.
Locals Ivy Robin and Brenda Thomas took home the Women’s A Doubles title, while Ron Van Dyke, Simone Simpson and Dalvini McLean claimed the B division.
In recent years, Dickinson said he has noticed how the tennis club membership has increased and believed that is part of Nelson’s success in the tournament.
“With membership growing, there’s more competition and more people for everyone to play with and improve together,” he said.
There has also been a rise in youth joining junior programs. The junior tournament takes place on Aug. 22.
“The other age group that has grown is people between the ages of 40 and 55,” Dickinson added.
Matches for the Club Championships start Sep. 11 until Sep. 13.
Dickinson wants this positive momentum to keep going for the club.
“We are hoping to create more of an interior rivalry with Okanagan by hopefully having more Nelson players go, visit and play in the tournaments in Salmon Arm and Kelowna,” he said.
“That is the next level for our club. We want to start playing more tournaments and representing Nelson.”