Dorothy “Dodo” Cheney may be 94 years old and slightly slowed by arthritic knees, but she takes no mercy on the tennis courts — and that’s evidenced by the 380 gold balls she has won and prominently displayed in the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club’s trophy case. At this year’s United States Tennis Association (USTA) National Senior Women’s Hard Court Tennis Championships, set to take place at the club May 9-15, Cheney is coming back for more, and she is the top-ranked woman in the super senior age group, 90-and-over. The club’s annual Spring Senior Championships for men will take place in conjunction with the women’s events. Although the men’s events are not national championships, they will feature many senior players who regularly compete in national tournaments. Cheney will be the first to tell you that she loves to win and it’s the competition that keeps her going. She’s not only used to winning, but it’s in her blood. Cheney is the daughter of 1956 hall-of-famer May Sutton Bundy, winner of the 1904 U.S. Championships and Wimbledon in 1905 and 1907, and Tom Bundy, a U.S. doubles champion (1912, 1913 and 1914). Dodo and her mother were the first mother-daughter combination in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Dodo has been winning titles against her like-aged competitors since at least 1957, when she won the first of her 13 consecutive USTA National Hard Court Women’s 40-and-over singles titles. When she was 62, she won her last 40-and-over doubles national title. Since then, she has dominated the over-50, over-55, over-60, over-65, over-70, over-75 and over-80 divisions. Cheney was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004. Last year, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the San Diego Hall of Champions. The La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club is expecting more than 300 tennis players to take on its courts this weekend, with the women’s tournament attracting the best players from all over the country. The club started both the men’s and women’s events and has hosted them since their inception. Named “Club of the Year” for 2011 by the San Diego District Tennis Association and rated one of the “Top 25 Tennis Resorts” by Tennis Resorts Online, the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club’s reputation as a top tennis destination started when it attracted its first major tournament, the Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship, in 1942. Admission to this week-long tournament is free and open to the public, with a snack bar and dining facility on site. There is a nominal fee for on-site parking. Draws will be posted at the beach club and available online at www.LJBTC.com. Daily matches will start at 8 a.m.
