The first day of the Fort Worth Major Zone was Friday, July 20, and we had a record-high temperature of 106º for that date. So it seemed like a safe bet to ride my bike to TCU to photograph the action in the early evening and chat up some of the players and their entourages. As I rolled into the parking lot, however, I noticed storm clouds, and by the time I had my bike nestled in the new racks at the entrance almost everyone had left the courts. It wasn’t yet raining, but lightning had been spotted so a cautionary horn had sounded for play to stop and players to take cover.

That gave me the opportunity to get to know some of the competitors as they relaxed by their coolers and racket bags. I also got to visit with Bruce Sampley, longtime president of the Fort Worth Tennis Association, while he updated scores and helped me hand out TennisFortWorth.com business cards—thanks, Bruce!

As I unlocked my bike from the rack to head home, the rain finally started, but I was cool with it. No. 1: Rain is good; No. 2: Le Tour de France was nearly done after three weeks of hard racing. Those guys race downhill on slick roads and sometimes get into nasty spills in wet weather. I had it easy. You can find scores for all the matches at the Fort Worth Major Zone on TennisLink. Just click on the "Results" tab.  — Lisa

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