Editorial: Cracks are a double fault

Friday, Oct. 21, 2005 | 8:20 a.m.

Planning for the 110-acre city of Las Vegas park that runs from Durango and Buffalo drives between Washington Avenue and Summerlin Parkway began 10 years ago. The park, which opened early last month, was eagerly anticipated by local tennis players. One of its main attractions is the Stacy and Amanda Darling Memorial Tennis Center, featuring 23 tournament-quality courts.

A shortage of tennis courts has always forced weekend tennis players here to search city parks and high schools, often in vain, for an open court. So happy have tennis players been to find a court that rarely have they complained, other than to themselves, about the proverbial cracked surfaces. So it was with great enthusiasm that they looked forward to the chance to play on brand-new courts fit for college matches and professionals.

Shockingly, however, all 23 of the new courts are already cracking. As revealed in Thursday's Las Vegas Sun by reporter Dan Kulin, the courts have everything from short hairline cracks to splits that run the whole width of the courts. Additionally, circular cracks are forming around many of the net posts, following the outline of the posts' concrete anchors.

College tournaments have already begun at the courts. Alan Dils, tennis coach at the University of New Mexico, told Kulin that cracks do not generally begin appearing until courts are three years old. He said the net post cracks indicate poor foundations, and that resurfacing the courts would be "only a Band-Aid." He said at his school, six courts had to be completely rebuilt after resurfacing efforts failed.

The cracks are especially disappointing following this week's announcement that the Tennis Channel Open, a professional tournament, will be played at the courts from Feb. 27 to March 5. The Tennis Channel purchased the tournament earlier this year from IMG, a sports marketing and management agency.

The tournament has been played since 1986 at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Hotel in Arizona, and has consistently drawn top professional players. Andre Agassi won the tournament four times when it was played in Scottsdale. Lleyton Hewitt, Jim Courier, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe were also champions there.

A tournament that has consistently drawn that caliber of professional player should not have a single cracked court anywhere in sight, even though only three will be used during the matches. The cracked courts are now the center of a dispute between the city and the firm that built the park, Asphalt Products Corp. The firm says city inspectors signed off on the work, but the city holds the firm at fault. The dispute may have to be resolved in court.

The city is resurfacing the three playing courts needed for the Tennis Channel Open, which we welcome to Las Vegas. This area hasn't hosted a regular professional tennis tournament since the Alan King Tennis Classic last played at Caesars Palace in 1985. However the issue is resolved between the city and Asphalt Products, all of the courts at the Darling Memorial Tennis Center, many of which the pros will use for practice, should be in perfect condition come February.