by Alexander Kulakov, Tournament Director
This past weekend, the sound of tennis balls, cheering players, and competitive matches filled the UCC courts as the UCC Open returned to campus from September 18–20.
And this wasn’t just another weekend of tennis.
For the first time, Upper Canada College hosted an Ontario Tennis Association-sanctioned tournament on its own courts, bringing 32 top U18 boys and girls from across Ontario to UCC for a three-star junior tournament. For three days, our school became a destination for some of the province’s strongest young tennis players.
For me, seeing the first matches get underway was a pretty incredible moment.
The UCC Open actually began in 2019, when my older brother, Dmitry Kulakov ’22, organized the original tournament. This year, I wanted to bring it back while taking it to another level by making it an official OTA-sanctioned event.
What sounded like a straightforward idea in the spring turned into months of planning.
There were draws to organize, courts and facilities to coordinate, sponsors to find, equipment to arrange, officials to book and about a thousand small details that somehow only become obvious when you are responsible for them. At times, there were challenges. But by Friday afternoon, the nets were up, the tournament desk was ready and the players began arriving.
The UCC Open was officially back.
The level of tennis throughout the weekend was outstanding. A professional roving umpire officiated matches, and players competed for the boys’ and girls’ UCC Open championship titles. Performance Lab also joined us on site, providing complimentary muscle balance assessments for athletes using force-plate technology and computer analysis.
But one of the things I am most proud of is that the weekend became about much more than who won or lost a tennis match.
We partnered with Philpott Children’s Tennis to collect gently used racquets and strings for children who might otherwise not have access to tennis. Players arrived carrying not only their tournament racquets, but also equipment they were ready to pass on. By the end of the weekend, our donation bin was filled with racquets and strings ready for a second life.
Because the tournament coincided with the Terry Fox Run at UCC, the UCC Open also made a contribution to the Terry Fox Foundation.
And the tournament will leave something behind at UCC as well. After tournament expenses, the remaining proceeds are being donated back to the school to support the needs and future improvement of UCC’s tennis facilities.
None of this could have happened through the work of one person.
Our sponsors helped cover everything from tournament balls and score tubes to trophies, software and officiating. The Ontario Tennis Association supported us throughout the process. UCC staff and Facilities helped transform an idea into an actual tournament. Students and parents volunteered their time, Performance Lab brought another dimension to the experience for our athletes, and the UCC community showed up to support us.
That, ultimately, was my favourite part of the weekend.
Tennis is normally an individual sport. You walk onto the court alone, and once the first ball is struck, you have to figure things out for yourself. But putting on the UCC Open was exactly the opposite. It showed what can happen when a community gets behind an idea.
For three days, we had elite junior competition, school spirit, charity, volunteers, sponsors and families all sharing the same courts.
The trophies will eventually sit on shelves. The scores will fade into tournament records, but I hope something bigger lasts.
The UCC Open is back. And hopefully, it is here to stay.
Alexander Kulakov ’29,
Tournament Director of the 2026 UCC Open.
