Beach Tennis Invades West Coast

America's Newest Sport Kicks Off 2006 National Tour On California Sand

NEW YORK, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Beach Tennis USA, the organization
that launched the sport of beach tennis in North America last year,
will kick off its much-anticipated 2006 National Tour in April with
two weekend events in Southern California.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060228/NYTU047 )

Santa Monica will host the tour's first tournament, April 8-9, while
Long Beach has been chosen as the site for Beach Tennis USA's April
22-23 tournament. Both California events will feature high-caliber
play by local tennis pros as well as top-ranked players from last
season's tour.

There also will be a "Fun Division" for those who are more interested
in learning a new sport while enjoying a fun day at the beach. Tennis
rackets and tennis balls will be provided and there is no fee to play.

Beach tennis is played on a regulation beach volleyball court. Using
regulation tennis rackets, two players on each team try to hit a
tennis ball back and forth, directly over the net, without letting it
hit the sand. Only one hit per team is allowed on each volley and
scoring is the same as in tennis: 15 - 30 - 40, with no-ad at deuce.
If a player's serve hits the net and goes over, it counts-just as in
beach volleyball.

"I don't think anyone ever thought you could get sandy playing tennis.
I found out first-hand and look forward to the beach tennis events in
2006, especially when they come to the West Coast," said Sinjin Smith,
beach volleyball legend and former president of the Association of
Volleyball Professionals (AVP). "I'm a huge tennis fan, and of course
can't get away from the beach and volleyball, so it was only natural
that I try beach tennis- and I loved it!"

Last year, Beach Tennis USA held tournaments and "learn and play"
events in cities along the East Coast. Through an aggressive
grass-roots campaign, the company introduced beach tennis to people of
all ages and skill levels as over 25,000 Americans played the sport
between last May and September. And the U.S. Beach Tennis Open
Championship held last Labor Day weekend in Long Beach, NY, featured
players from Virginia, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Aruba and
Holland as well as New York City.

The founders of Beach Tennis USA are Marc Altheim, a New York City
real estate developer, and his uncle, Fredric Finkelstein, a New York
marketing and advertising executive, and Sjoerd de Vries, of Aruba.
They started the company with the ultimate goal of making beach tennis
a mainstream American sport.

"Given Southern California's fitness-minded culture and extended beach
season, we're confident that beach tennis will be embraced by both
serious athletes as well as recreational beachgoers this year," said
Marc Altheim, Founder and Commissioner of Beach Tennis USA. "This game
is addictive. Once you start playing, you can't stop."

After the California events, Beach Tennis USA will head cross-country
to Florida and then work its way up the East Coast. In addition to pro
level competition, events in each city along the tour will include
teaching clinics for adults and children who want to learn how to play
beach tennis. For the tournaments, Beach Tennis USA will draw its
talent pool from 2005's top-ranked players as well as newly recruited
pros in the cities that will host the tour events.

Players wishing to compete in either of Beach Tennis USA's California
weekend tournaments should contact James Russo at (212) 318-1828 or
jrusso@beachtennisusa.net. For a full listing of events on the Beach
Tennis USA 2006 National Tour, visit www.beachtennisusa.net.

About Beach Tennis USA

Based in New York City, Beach Tennis USA is committed to introducing
Americans of all ages to the competitive excitement and recreational
benefits of beach tennis. Company founders Marc Altheim and Fredric
Finkelstein also established a governing body, the National Beach
Tennis Association, in anticipation of the sport being played
competitively throughout the U.S. To learn more, visit
www.beachtennisusa.net. SOURCE Beach Tennis USA