The fourth annual Cranbrook Tennis Classic is underway at the Cranbrook Schools Tennis Complex on Lone Pine Road in Bloomfield Hills, with players from more than 20 countries competing for a $230,000 prize purse and a wildcard spot into the U.S. Open.
The ATP Challenger 125 tournament, which opened Sunday, July 19, and runs through Sunday, July 26, won the 2025 ATP Challenger Tournament of the Year award, voted by players and ATP staff out of roughly 210 events worldwide.
"Last year we were named the ATP Challenger Tour Tournament of the Year. That's for the whole world and out of I think 210 tournaments and that was voted on by the players," tournament founder and chair David DeMuth told WXYZ on July 16. "So that's pretty gratifying when the guys experiencing the tournament vote you the best."
DeMuth, executive chairman of DonerColle Partners, founded the event in 2023 alongside his son Alex.
General admission is $20 a seat.
South Africa's Lloyd Harris, who holds two Challenger titles in 2026, won his first-round match Monday, July 20, defeating Moez Echargui 6-4, 6-4 with 11 aces and 84 percent of first-serve points won, according to freelance tennis reporter Noah Poser.
Past Cranbrook Classic champions include Steve Johnson, a four-time ATP title winner, and Learner Tien, now ranked 15th in the world. More than 30 current ATP Top 150 players have competed at the event across its four editions, and the 2025 tournament drew more than 5,000 fans.
Free day for high school players
Feldman Automotive is sponsoring a free High School Tennis Day during tournament week, giving area prep players close-up access to professional competition. The event starts at 10 a.m. at 550 Lone Pine Rd., Bloomfield Hills; check cranbrooktennisclassic.com for the specific date. Additional programming includes youth clinics led by professional players, a wheelchair tennis exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of wheelchair tennis, and mental health-focused sessions with a visiting performance coach.
A trophy rooted in Cranbrook's design legacy
The 2026 championship trophy was designed by Ian McDonald, artist-in-residence and head of ceramics at Cranbrook Academy of Art. McDonald drew on the architectural vocabulary of Eliel Saarinen, specifically the ornamental gates and structural details found across the 315-acre National Historic Landmark campus. Cranbrook alumna Amy Weiks (MFA Metalsmithing, 2012) and her partner Gabriel Smith fabricated the piece at their blacksmithing studio, Smith Shop Detroit, with apprentice Samual Patmon.
Community impact
The tournament is operated by the nonprofit Tennis Forward, with all proceeds benefiting the Palmer Park Tennis Academy in Detroit and Cranbrook Schools. To date, the event has donated more than $100,000 to community programs supporting youth development through tennis.
Mortgage Matchup, powered by United Wholesale Mortgage of Pontiac, is the presenting sponsor. Tennis Channel will carry national and international coverage.
The men's singles final is set for Sunday, July 26. Tickets and schedule details are available at cranbrooktennisclassic.com.
