Sports
Local Tennis Pro Competing in New Zealand During Quake
All players are reportedly safe and accounted for.
A local tennis pro competing in Christchurch, New Zealand, is reportedly safe and accounted for following a 6.3-magnitude earthquake that rocked the city Tuesday.
Rick Leach, a pro at the Newport Beach Tennis Club, is among 40 players from the United States who traveled to New Zealand for the ITF Seniors World Team Championships.
Mark Winters, spokesman for the Southern California Tennis Association, said he received an e-mail from another player in New Zealand reporting that "all players are accounted for."
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"We're happy that he's safe," said Hilary Benedict, a Newport Beach Tennis Club member.
The earthquake struck midday Tuesday and killed at least 32 people, according to an ABC report.
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New Zealand Prime Minister John Key was reported as saying that this could be "New Zealand's darkest day," according to an Associated Press story carried on AOL News. The report quoted Key as saying, "It is just a scene of utter devastation."
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