Columbus, Ga- Hurricane Florence has disrupted the lives of millions along the coast, including players originally scheduled to compete in the annual USTA Tennis Tournament in Asheville, North Carolina. With less than 24 hours notice, organizers found a new home for the players ranging in age from 55 and above at Cooper Creek Tennis Courts in Columbus. 

News 3 spoke with Helen Martin, Chairman of USTA, about the last minute change and the economic impact on the Fountain City. 

“This is like a miracle that it happened, but Columbus, Georgia is awesome! We are so lucky that we had a lot of hotel rooms that we could fill up, and we were lucky that we didn’t have a big sporting event or anything that might conflict with us. But everything was perfect and just meant to be,” says Martin. 

The players competing in the sectional tournament in Columbus hail from nine different states. The winner will advance to the USTA National Championship Tournament in Orlando, Florida.