First Leg of USTA Junior Team Tennis National Completed

The first leg of the 2014 USTA Junior Team Tennis National Championships has ended, as two teams – USTA Texas’ 14 and Under Advanced team from Austin and USTA Southern’s 14 and Under Intermediate team from Woodstock, Ga. – captured titles in the event played at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center in Cayce, S.C.

Austin’s “ATA Dream Team” took their second 14U Advanced national title in three years by knocking off USTA Southern’s squad from Madison, Miss., 58-30. Particularly impressive in the win was the Dream Team’s boys’ doubles duo of Tyler Anson and Kyler Benson, who won their match, 6-0, 6-1. The two boys, who have been friends since before elementary school, both played in the 2013 event as well.

“You love every team, and every team is special,” said Austin Coach Brian Notis after the victory. “These kids practice hard, they prepare well and they enjoy the moment. I’m glad they had fun – they earned it.”

In the Intermediate final, USTA Southern kept a national championship in Dixie with the “Eagle Watch Magee” team holding off the USTA Midwest “Liberty Tiger Sharks” of Ann Arbor, Mich., 49-33. In 2013, Southern also earned the Intermediate title – Wilmington, N.C., sending the winning team – making it a back-to-back for the host section.

“It’s hard to put into words how proud I am of these players,” said Woodstock Coach Jason Fleeman. “They were consistently excellent the whole weekend.”

“From the players to the coaches, the parents attending and our entire staff, we had a blast kicking off the 2014 Junior Team Tennis National Championships with this 14 and Under event,” added Alanna Broderick, USTA National Manager of Junior Competition. “You couldn’t ask for better kids. They played hard, supported one another in every match and displayed the type of sportsmanship, win or lose, of which anyone would be proud.”

Competition picks up again next week at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Complex, with the 18 and Under Advanced and Intermediate section winners making the trip. 18 and Under National Championship play begins on Friday, Oct. 24. The evening prior, all 32 participating teams will be heralded during a “parade of sections” on center court to officially kick off the event.

Final Advanced Results
CHAMPIONSHIP: Texas (Austin, Texas) def. Southern (Madison, Miss.), 58-30
3rd-4th: Eastern (Queens, N.Y.) vs. Midwest (Columbus, Ohio), 51-34
5th-6th: Northern California* (Los Gatos, Calif.) def. Southern California (Temple City, Calif.), 51-47
7th-8th: Northern (Minneapolis), Northern California (Berkeley, Calif.), 53-33
9th-10th: New England (Stamford, Conn.) def. Southern California* (San Diego, Calif.) 44-38
11th-12th: Midwest* (Wheaton, Ill.) def. Southern* (Johns Creek, Ga.), 56-36
13th-14th: Mid-Atlantic (Washington, D.C.) def. Mid-Atlantic* (Richmond, Va.), 55-40
15th-16th: Middle States* (Hershey, Pa.) def. Eastern* (Brewster, N.Y.), 53-40

Final Intermediate Results
CHAMPIONSHIP: Southern (Woodstock, Ga.) def. Midwest (Ann Arbor, Mich.), 49-33
3rd-4th: Eastern (Maywood, N.J.) def. Caribbean (Puerto Rico), 45-42
5th-6th: Middle States (Skillman, N.J.) def. Southern California (Coronado, Calif.), 49-37
7th-8th: def. Pacific Northwest (Seattle) def. Southwest (Albuquerque, N.M.), 49-38
9th-10th: Mid-Atlantic (Alexandria, Va.) def. New England (Madison, Conn.), 51-40
11th-12th: Northern California (San Francisco) def. Missouri Valley (St. Louis, Mo.), 52-37
13th-14th: Northern (Fridley, Minn.) def. Hawaii-Pacific (Lahaina, Hawaii), 44-40
15th-16th: Texas (Kerrville, Texas) def. New England* (Longmeadow, Mass.), 45-32
*-Denotes wild card team