Oh, brother! Junior tournament championship was a family affair

Joshua Hicks, 10, and Benjamin Hicks, 7, both of Cape Girardeau, entered their first tennis tournament Saturday.

The brothers found success out of the gate, making their way to the finals in the 12-and-under division at the Jammin' Juniors Tennis Tournament, which concluded Sunday at the Southeast Missouri State tennis complex.

Joshua Hicks received a first-round bye before cruising 8-1 in the semifinals. Benjamin Hicks won 8-2 and 8-0 to earn his spot in the finals.

That set up a match Sunday that was going to leave their father with mixed emotions.

"I'm going to be stressing out," said J.C. Hicks with a laugh, when asked for whom he would root.

As it turned out, Joshua got the best of his younger brother in Sunday's championship match, winning 8-6.

Joshua Hicks started learning the game at the age of 5 from his father, who played in high school and still plays regularly in the community. Benjamin Hicks followed the same path.

The boys practice twice a week hitting with players throughout the area along with their father. On Saturdays, they take part in youth practices taught by area instructor Donna Ryan along with J.C. Hicks.

"J.C. works with them a lot, and they're good players," Ryan said. "The thing about J.C. is he doesn't just teach them to hit the ball, he teaches them the etiquette."

J.C. Hicks, an associate pastor at Fruitland Community Church, makes sure to instill in his sons the importance of fair play and sportsmanship.

"As Donna would say, it's a gentleman's game, and I'm trying to teach them to be gentlemen," J.C. Hicks said.

Those teachings appear to be hitting home, as Joshua Hicks described his favorite things about tennis as "playing fair, and being good in sportsmanship."

Benjamin Hicks echoed his brothers sentiment about sportsmanship, but was not afraid to admit he enjoys winning as well.

"I like it sometimes because I win," Benjamin Hicks said. "I also like it sometimes because you get exercise."

With the skill level and hitting ability of the two boys, this could be just the first of many tournament finals for them. Whether Joshua and Benjamin Hicks continue to progress and become more competitive in the sport will be up to them, according to J.C. Hicks.

"If they continue to enjoy it, and it's a passion," J.C. Hicks said. "It's one of those things as a parent you don't want to live through the kids. Every year I ask them if they want to continue."

While Joshua Hicks won Sunday, their matches are not predictable. "Sometimes I win, and sometimes Benjamin wins," Joshua Hicks said.

There were two other championship matches Sunday.

Patrick Duffy won the boys 18-and-under title, beating fellow Central High School student Will LaFoe 6-3, 6-1.

Sikeston's Jenni Dewitt captured the girls 18-and-under crown, defeating Jackson's Sarah Detring 6-0,6-1.

In all, about 24 players participated in the two-day tournament. This is the 35th year for the tournament, which once went by the Boatmen's Tournament, according to Ryan, tournament director.

"We had a really good turnout, and for a change we had a lot of girls," Ryan said.