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Photo by John Wagner

Photo by John Wagner

FAIRBANKS — Patty Jones didn’t hesitate when asked why her family traveled across the country for the Midnight Sun Tennis Tournament.

“The hot weather,” Jones said. “It’s too hot in Florida.”

Indeed, the high temperature in Bradenton, where the Jones family lives, was 91 degrees on Saturday. Fairbanks experienced a pleasant high of 62 — ideal weather for the main tournament this year organized by the Fairbanks Tennis Association.

Fairbanks is unique in another way to Bradenton.

“(Friday) night was pretty cool. We were out here until a little after 11 p.m.,” tournament director Lou Gross said.

Added Jones: “That’s the first thing we noticed. There’s no lights.”

There has been, however, plenty of solid play in a variety of singles, doubles and mixed doubles divisions at the Dan Ramras Community Tennis Courts, as rain threatened but for the most part held off Saturday. Many participants even signed up to play in multiple brackets.

For the Jones’, 17-year-old Kyle is having the most success, as he’ll take on former Monroe Catholic High School standout Jason Ringstad in the men’s open singles championship today.

His parents, Patty and Jerry, are happy they chose the Interior for a week-long vacation after discovering the tournament on the Internet. It’s their first trip to Alaska.

“The people are very nice. It’s a much slower pace than in Florida,” Patty said, adding that she has yet to be tailgated while driving.

Candy McCall is also a southerner, and she moved from Atlanta to McKinley Village near Healy in 2006. McCall, who has played tennis since age 12, makes the two-hour drive to Fairbanks about once a week in summer.

“I like playing here. There’s a real nice community of tennis players,” said McCall, who teamed with Anne Hauer but was eliminated from doubles competition on Saturday afternoon.

McCall's tennis background was influenced by her father, who is a member of the Georgia Tech University Tennis Hall of Fame and was a ranked player in the south more than 60 years ago. The women’s 6.5 doubles division produced a thrilling championship on Saturday, as Coleen Hawes and Patty Boertje came from behind to edge Connie Olson and Gwen Ramras, 4-6, 6-1, 10-8 (tiebreaker).

Most divisions will wrap up with finals this afternoon. Some highlights include Deb Fitzgerald — who won two third-set tiebreakers on Saturday — against Ressie Roy in women’s 2.5 singles; Kelsey Peterson and Jessa Boertje clashing in women’s 4.0 singles; Eric Ringstad and Chris Poole meeting in 18’s singles; and Jared Lees — who is not yet a teenager — taking on Kade Fitzgerald in 16’s singles.