Blazing August heat couldn’t keep nearly 200 tennis nuts from coming out to Wilmington’s Rodney Street Courts to do battle – and raise funds – at this year’s Sickle Cell Tennis Classic. For three-and-a-half decades now, this summer tennis classic has raised over $242,000 to support Sickle Cell research. Thanks to hearty participants and the support of major sponsors like the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Zeta Omega Chapter and the Pearls of Hope Foundation, more than $10,000 was donated to A.I. du Pont Hospital’s Sickle Cell program this year.