It was a tournament for the ages. Team NorCal went undefeated in the 2017 Boys’ & Girls’ 14 Intersectional Team Championships in Auburn, Alabama, to claim its first ever  Level 1 national team title in NorCal history! Congratulations to the players, coaches and staff for a true team effort. For more information, click here.

From L-R: Brian Chong, Jake Vassel, Max Fardanesh, John Kim, Allura Zamarripa, Yuu Ishikawa, Maribella Zamarripa, Vivian Ovrootsky.

Team NorCal also had a team at the 2017 Boys’ & Girls’ 16 Intersectional Team Championships in Shreveport, Louisiana. The team had a great finish as they placed eighth, but Stevie Gould came home with the 2017 Boys’ 16 Sportsmanship Award. Congratulations Stevie! For more information, click here.

Stevie Gould

It was a fun and successful week for Team NorCal, keep up the good work everyone.

The post A Historic Intersectional Team Championships appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.

The temperatures reached over 100 degrees but it didn’t seem to faze the players at the 2017 USTA NorCal Coed Junior Team Tennis Section Championships. Taking place in Elk Grove, CA, July 21-23, over 150 players and 18 teams competed for a chance to represent the NorCal Section at the USTA Junior Team Tennis National Championships in September at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, FL.

There was some fierce but friendly competition throughout the entire weekend, but in the end, all the kids and coaches had a blast. “This is the first time some of our kids on our 18U Intermediate team are at Sectionals and they loved it,” said Caryn Cranston, the Los Gatos Tennis Academy Coach. “They love the experience, the battle, the environment and enjoy being together.”

Beyond the camaraderie that JTT brings, Lou Maunupau, SFRPD Tennis Programs Coordinator, talked about how much kids love to play tennis and this league gives them more opportunities to play. “Our kids, park kids, love to play tennis so coming here to Sectionals is such a great experience for them,” said Lou, who combined some of his players with the McLaren Park team coached by Wing Yan So. “This is also a great opportunity for them to play against great players and they are happy to test themselves.”

After three days of competition, four teams emerged as section champions. Three teams qualified to represent NorCal in the 18U Advanced, 18U Intermediate, and 14U Intermediate division.

In addition, a team from McLaren Park in San Francisco will also represent NorCal at JTT Nationals in the 14U Advanced division.

Thank you to all the players, coaches, and parents for a very successful weekend.

For more pictures of the event, click here.

Division Winners

Picture on the left – 12U Yellow Ball: Stonegate Tennis Academy.               Picture on the right – 14U Intermediate: California Tennis Club

Picture on the left – 18U Intermediate: Laguna Creek Racquet Club.                                  Picture on the right – 18U Advanced: Bay Club Courtside.

The post Four JTT Teams Heading to the 2017 USTA JTT Coed National Championships! appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.

Team NorCal geared up for a busy summer of national tournaments, starting with the USTA National Clay Court Championships. On July 16-23, 2017, the Championships were spread in different cities around Florida, in Virginia Beach, VA, and Memphis, TN.

Held in Pleasanton, FL, the USTA Girls’ 14 National Clay Court Championships saw twin sisters Allura and Maribella Zamarripa of Saint Helena reach the quarterfinals in doubles. Allura and Maribella fell 6-2, 6-4 to eventual winners Robin Montgomery of Mid-Atlantic and Katrina Scott of Southern California.

Taking place in Fort Lauderdale, FL, the USTA Boys’ 14 National Clay Court Championships, were successful for Max Fardanesh of Albany who advanced to the quarterfinals. Max was stopped by eventual runner-up Jonah Braswell of Florida, with a final score of 6-3, 6-2.

The USTA Boys’ 16 & 18 National Clay Court Championships that took place in Delray Beach, FL, was extremely positive with two players finishing in the top four. Marcus McDaniel of Vacaville took home fourth place in the Boys’ 16 when he reached the semifinals. Marcus fell to Jacob Bullard of Calabasas, CA, 6-1, 6-3 and had a tough battle against Alex Lee of Oak Brook, IL, only losing in three sets 6-4, 6-7, 6-0. In doubles, Ryder Jackson of Nicasio won the title with Robert Cash of New Albany, OH, coming home with a Gold Ball. The duo beat Jeffrey Fradkin of New York, New York, and Phillip Jordan of Spartanburg, SC, 6-2, 6-4 in the final. Congratulations to Ryder!

Picture on the left – USTA Girls’ 18 National Clay Court Championships in Memphis, TN: Katie Volynets. Picture on the right – USTA Boys’ 16 & 18 National Clay Court Championships in Delray Beach, FL: Robert Cash, Matt Berry, and Ryder Jackson.

We have another national champion in the section as Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek claimed the title at the USTA Girls’ 18 National Clay Court Championships in Memphis, TN. Katie beat the No. 2 seed Abigail Forbes of Raleigh, NC, with a convincing 6-2, 6-2 in the final.

Lastly, Raghav Jangbahadur had another great tournament, finishing third at the USTA Boys’ 12 National Clay Court Championships in Orlando, FL. Raghav continues his great season, coming home with a Bronze Ball. He battled but fell to eventual winner Juncheng Shang of Naples, FL, 6-2, 6-4 before bouncing back to win his playoff match against Garen Spicka of Las Vegas, NV, 6-4, 6-3. Raghav also won the sportsmanship award for the Boys’ 12 tournament. Congratulations Raghav on all your success! We would also like to mention Kurt Miller of Los Gatos who won the Silver Playoff draw against Humza Noor of Olathe, KS, 7-5, 6-1 in the Boys’ 12.

USTA Boys’ 12 National Clay Court Championships – Orlando, FL: Raghav Jangbahadur with his sportsmanship trophy.

The USTA National Clay Court Championships are one of the toughest tournament in the US, so congratulations to all the players who participated and we look forward to seeing you all at the next national tournament.

The post NorCal Juniors Honor Roll: July 2017 appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.

Eight teams competed at the USTA Zone Team Championships July 27-31 which took place all over the countries, while two teams represented the NorCal Section at the USTA Boys and Girls 18s National Team Championships respectively taking place in Urbana, IL, and Claremont, CA.

Congratulations to all NorCal Zonals and National teams for strong results across the board!

One of the USTA National Level 2 Tournament, USTA Zone Team Championship, BG 16 (Northwest) teams took the championship back home to NorCal for the first time in a long time, ousting a SoCal team in the finals! The other 16s team placed third by taking out another SoCal team in the battle for third/fourth. Each day of competition was a grind as both teams rallied from behind to clinch nail-biting victories in the closing moments of the day. The final day was no different, as the championship and third place winners were decided by the last three matches of the day. “One match tied in team matches, so we elected two players to play a 10-point mixed doubles match tiebreaker and both NorCal teams came to support the tiebreaker and that victory helped us earn a place in the finals,” Khoa Doa, the team Manager, remembered. 

Picture on the left – USTA National Level 2 Tournament, USTA Zone Team Championship, BG 16 (Northwest), Salt Lake City, UT: Team Desperado, Champions. Picture on the right: Team Sidewinder, third place.

The USTA BG14 Zone Team Championships took place in Stockton, CA, and Team NorCal couldn’t have defended their home courts better. Team NorCal swept the top three spots by finishing first, second, and third place under extreme heat reaching 90+ degree, making this no easy feat for our band of tough 14s players! Anna Elefant, Coach, had this to say about the week spent with the team: “This group of kids were a delight to work with. Fun, team spirited, coaches totally enjoyed them.”

Picture on the left – USTA BG14 Zone Team Championships, Stockton, CA: Team Broncos, Champions. Picture on the right: Team Bulldogs, second place.

Picture on the left: Team Tigers, third place. Picture on the right L-R: Kurt Miller, Lovedeep Bal.

Also congratulations to the USTA Zone Team Championships – BG12 (West) teams for their efforts while in Tucson, AZ. While they didn’t place in the top spots, two NorCal players won sportsmanship awards out of a large pool of players! Keep it up Natasha Rajaram and Mitchell Lee!

Picture on the left: USTA Zone Team Championships – BG12 (West), Tucson, AZ: Team Eagles, Falcons, and Owls. Picture on the right – L-R: Adam Lucero (Coach), Mitchell Lee, Dan Hiddleson, and Natasha Rajaram.

The Girls 18s National Team fought hard all week long at the USTA Girls 18s National Team Championshipslong and came back with some strong wins and tough losses. In the end, the NorCal team finished in sixth place behind Texas. Even though they couldn’t bring a trophy home, Alex Poorta, the team’s coach, found a lot of positives. “We had two good wins and two tough losses but we beat Florida for the first time which we won by some tough wins,” Poorta said.

The USTA Girls 18s National Team Championships NorCal team in Claremont, CA

The Boys 18s National Team fell against a tough Midwest team in the first round, but didn’t lose another match after that, going 3-1 overall. They had a convincing win against the Carribean 7-0, then beat a good Middle State team 4-3 to finish with a 5-2 win against Southwest.

 

Great week of play for all players. Gooooo NorCal!!!

The post Team NorCal Travels Around the Country for Zonals and National Team Championships appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.

If you thought the temperatures were hot in Sacramento for the Coed Sectional Championships, it was nothing compared to the ones in Fresno for the JTT Same Gender Sectional Championships August 4-6.

The weekend was filled with lots of close and fun matches thanks to the 42 teams competing, and the 275 players battling it out on the courts. The boys and girls teams who won in the 15U Advanced and 18U Advanced categories will be representing Team NorCal at the Gar Glenney Cup taking place August 12-13, in San Francisco at the Bay Club SF Tennis.

After two days of competition, ten teams emerged as section champions.

Thank you to all the players, coaches, and parents for a very successful weekend.

For more pictures of the event, click here.

Division Winners

The post Ten Teams Crowned Section Champions at JTT Same Gender Sectionals appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.

Team NorCal continued its summer with the USTA Boys and Girls National Championships on August 4-13. The level I National Championships took place all over the country in Kalamazoo, MI, San Diego, CA, Mobile, AL, Rome and Alpharetta, GA, reuniting the best players of the country with a US Open Wild Card on the line for the Boys and Girls 18s.

Kurt Miller of Los Gatos had another great tournament at the USTA Boys’ 12 National Championship in Mobile, AL, reaching the semifinals in doubles with partner Andrew Salu of SoCal. Even after a tough loss 7-5, 6-3 against eventual winners Lucas Brown of Texas and Learner Tien of SoCal, Kurt and Andrew regrouped to win the Bronze Ball with the same score 7-5, 6-3 against Leanid Boika of Florida and Quang Duong of SoCal.

Hugo Hashimoto of San Jose continues his successful year with a semifinal appearance at the USTA Boys’ 14 National Championship in Mobile, AL as well. Hugo couldn’t stop eventual winner and No. 4 seed Saud Alhogbani of Mid-Atlantic and was stopped with a 6-4, 6-0 score. In the playoff match, Hugo lost a heartbreaker to Andrew Chang of Texas 7-5, 7-6(4). But Hugo didn’t stop there and finally got a Bronze Ball with doubles partner Alex Han of Missouri Valley. They put up a great fight against Connor and Jake Krug of Florida but lost 7-5, 7-6(6). Hugo and Alex came back strong to win their playoff match 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 against Ozan Colak of Midwest and Alvaro Pedraza of Mid-Atlantic.

Picture on the left -USTA Boys’ 18 and Boys’ 16 National Championships in Kalamazoo, MI: Austen Huang and Sean Sculley (reached quarterfinals). Picture on the right – USTA Boys’ 14 National Championships in Mobile, AL: Luke Neal (reached quarterfinals).

On the girls’ side, Yuu Ishikawa of Mountain View keeps her very positive year going with a quarterfinal finish at the USTA Girls’ 14 Doubles National Championships in Rome, GA. Yuu paired up with Kimberly Hance of SoCal to be just one step from playing for a national ball. Seeded No. 5, Yuu and Kimberly lost to No. 2 seed Hibah Shaiks and Madison Sieg of Eastern 7-6(5), 6-2.

The USTA Boys’ 18 and Boys’ 16 National Championships taking place in Kalamazoo, MI, also saw some great results. No. 1 seed Ryder Jackson of Nicasio and Robert Cash of New Albany, OH continue their successful partnership, coming home with a Bronze Ball! Ryder and Robert lost in a tough three setter with a final score of 6-1, 3-6, 6-1. Ryder and Robert took care of business in the playoff match to win their second national ball in a row against Eliot Spizzirri of Greenwich, CT, and Spencer Whitaker of Richmond, VA, 6-4, 6-2. It is worth noticing that Ryder and Robert had to get through NorCal duo Zachery Lim of Fairfield, and Marcus McDaniel of Vacaville in the quarterfinals.

Picture on the left – USTA Boys’ 18 and Boys’ 16 National Championships in Kalamazoo, MI: Ryder Jackson and Robert Cash. Picture on the right – USTA Girls’ 16 National Championships in Encinitas, CA: Connie Ma.

Last but not least, Connie Ma of Dublin who just turned 14 year’s old, continues to impress as she reaches the semifinals of the USTA Girls’ 16 National Championships in singles. The only unseeded player left in the semifinals, Connie battled but lost to eventual winner Angelica Blake of Florida 6-2, 6-3. That didn’t faze Connie who came back on court for the playoff match to win the Bronze Ball against Sedona Gallagher (seeded No. 4) of Intermountain 6-3, 6-3!

Congratulations to all the players for participating in the USTA Boys’ and Girls’ National Championships and for some very positive results! Go Team NorCal!

The post NorCal Juniors Honor Roll: August 2017 appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.

Team NorCal competed against Team SoCal on August 12-13 for a chance to keep the Gar Glenney Cup homee. Taking place at the Bay Club SF Tennis in San Francisco, this competition reunites both Section Champions from the 15U Advanced category and 18U Advanced category .

After 48 matches and two days of competition, Team NorCal is keeping the Gar Glenney Cup home for the sixth year in a row thanks to a 31-17 victory. Darren Wenger, USTA NorCal Junior Team Tennis Specialist was pleased with how the overall event well. “This year’s Gar Glenney Cup was a fantastic event and much closer than the final score indicated,” Wenger saidd. “Out of 48 individual matches, 18 matches went three sets with NorCal players winning 11 out of those 18 matches.  With so many close matches across the board, the event could have been won by either team!  The best part of the event was that we saw great sportsmanship displayed throughout the event by both sections, even with so many close matches.”

According to Executive Director Steve Leube, the momentum shifted at the end of the first day when Andre Xiao came back from 5-9 down in the super tiebreak to win six points in a row. “This match really seemed to turn the energy around for NorCal which transferred over to the next day,” Leube explained. “It was an inspirational match for the team, everybody was watching, they were really stocked.”

Congratulations to all the players, staff, coaches and parents present for a wonderful weekend of tennis.

The post Gar Glenney Cup Stays Home for Another Year appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.

The sight at the Berkeley Tennis Club looked much different than usual as USTA NorCal hosted its sixth annual Generation Gap Invitational on August 19. Players usually play in their age category but that day, juniors and adults competed WITH and AGAINST each other, shared their experience, and their love of tennis.

USTA National and NorCal Coach, Alex Poorta, has been a participant for five years and was excited to come back. “This event really brings juniors and adults together, it brings NorCal together,” says Alex, a former top St. Mary’s College player. “This is the only event where there is communication between juniors and adults and where both sides can learn from each other.”

This rang true as you could hear adults passing down their wisdom to the juniors on and off the court, while juniors talked about the modern game. “It’s really fun playing against the adults; their level of game is really different because a lot of them serve and volley,” 13 year-old John Kim explained. “They know how to play since they’ve been through it, so it’s easy to talk to them because they know what to do in certain situations.”

Rising junior Vivian Ovrootsky explained that on top of their words, how they played was also their way of teaching them. “They understand the court and the game better, and passed that knowledge off to me during match play,” Vivian told us. “Their experience rubbed off on me especially during my mixed doubles matches. When my opponents would slice I would come in and take offense for example.”

Beyond the exchange of knowledge, seeing a 13-year-old laughing and high fiving a 40-something year-old, was an amazing sight, making tennis such an inclusive, lifetime sport. Co-founder of the Generation Gap Invitational and CEO of the Nike Tennis Camps, Charlie Hoeveler, was extremely pleased to see the event blossom the way it has. “Juniors get to see two very important things today; the variety of games seniors have, but most importantly, the passion the senior players have for the game,” Hoeveler said. “What they see is maybe how they could be in the future, a lifetime game.”

Bay Area native and renowned tennis writer Joel Drucker couldn’t praise the initiative to mix juniors and adults enough. “I think tennis is such a wonderful game but people deny themselves the chance to play a great range and the more spectrums of colors, styles, shapes, and sizes they play, they’ll grow more as a player and never get bored,” Drucker said. “You can see someone play and almost tell what decade they learned to play by their grips, you see how the whole game evolves and it builds a greater appreciation for the game and your community.”

University of San Francisco Men’s Tennis Head Coach Pablo Pires de Almeida experienced that appreciation as a captain. “The juniors really focus because the adults want to win and that brings the best of competition. As a captain, I only put the juniors in who wanted to play their position so that they owned it,” Pablo explained.

At the end, Team C composed of Phil Graham, Connie Ma, Daniel McCall, Kady Pooler, Claire Soper, Daniel Papacica, Kurt Miller, and Ted Scherman took the trophy home. USTA NorCal Player Development Specialist Beth Workeneh, was delighted to see adults and juniors work together and have fun. “It was great to see such amazing tennis with players that may not ever cross paths.”

For more pictures of the event, click here.

The post A Truly Open Experience appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.

Team NorCal had a very successful month playing at the Zimmerman/Johnson USTA National Tournament that occurred at Stanford University, and at the National Doubles Championships in Orlando, FL, with 12 players reaching the semifinals or better.

National Doubles Championships, Orlando, FL – Boys’ 14: Brian Chong and Max Fardanesh.

The National Doubles Championships which occurred, August 24-26, on the USTA National Campus in Orlando, FL, saw two doubles pairs from Team NorCal advance to the semifinals. In the boys’ 14 division, Brian Chong of Cupertino and Max Fardanesh, of Albany teamed up to take the Bronze Ball home. The team lost to Jonah Braswell and Bruno Kuzuhara of Florida 6-1, 6-4 but bounced back to overcome Louis Cloud of Texas and Ryan Colby of Mid-Atlantic 6-2, 5-7, 6-2. Twin sisters Maribella and Allura Zamarripa of Saint Helena had another great tournament with three victories and a fourth-place finish in the girls’ 16 division. Maribella and Allura fell short against No. 2 seed Carmen Corley of Southwest and Chidimma Okpara of Mid-Atlantic 6-3, 6-3. The twins fought hard, but No.1 seed Kylie Collins of Southern and Gianna Pielet of Southwest prevailed with a 6-4, 6-4 score.

The Zimmerman/Johnson USTA National Tournament took place on September 15-17, with Team NorCal making its mark in most age divisions. In an all-NorCal final, Hugo Hashimoto, of San Jose took the title home over Max Fardanesh, in the boys’ 14 singles division with a 6-4, 6-1 score. In the Boys’ 16 singles, Coby McCaig, of Modesto advanced to the semifinals but fell to Omni Kuma of Southern California 6-2, 6-3. Coby finished in fourth place, losing to Harsh Parikh 6-3, 6-1. Ryder Jackson, of Nicasio continues his incredible summer with a third place finish in the boys’ 18 division. Ryder put up a great fight against the No. 1 seed and eventual winner from Southern California, Timothy Sah, but fell 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Ryder came back strong to win his playoff match against Anders Gibbons of Pacific Northwest 6-2, 6-4.

Zimmerman/Johnson USTA National Tournament, Stanford, CA – Picture on the left: Boys’ 14 singles – Max Fardanesh and Hugo Hashimoto. Picture on the right; Boys’ 18 singles – Ryder Jackson and Anders Gibbons.

On the girls’ side, Team NorCal also had a strong showing, starting in the girls’ 12 division. Priya Nelson, of Sacramento had a great run, with a runner-up finish against Tsehay Driscoll, of Southern California 6-3, 6-2. En route to the finals, Priya had to overcome fellow NorCal player Ria Bhakta, of Saratoga with a 6-2, 6-2 score. Ria bounced back in the playoff match, beating Texas player Reya Coe 6-4, 6-1. Net Generation ambassador and San Jose resident, Vivian Ovrootsky, had another great result with a third place finish in the girls’ 14 singles division. Vivian pushed Leyden Games of Southern California to a third set but eventually fell in the semifinals 4-6, 6-4, 7-5. Vivian put that match aside to win her playoff match 6-1, 6-3 against another Southern California player, Rebecca Lynn. Fourteen year old phenomenon Connie Ma, of Dublin doesn’t show any sign of slowing down as she beat the No.1, No.3, and No. 4 seeds to claim the title in the girls’ 16 division. In the finals, Connie beat Savannah Broadus of Texas 6-0, 7-5. In the girls’18 singles division, Carolyn Campana, of Hillsborough had a great tournament and advanced to the semifinals where she fell just short against Sedona Gallagher, of Intermountain 7-5, 3-6, 6-4. Carolyn recovered well to beat Lauren Stein of Southwest 6-2, 6-1 to take third place home.

Zimmerman/Johnson USTA National Tournament, Stanford, CA – Picture on the left: Girls’ 12 singles – Ria Bhakta. Picture in the middle: Girls’ 14 singles – Vivian Ovrootsky. Picture on the right: Girls’ 16 singles – Connie Ma.

Congratulations Team NorCal on another successful month and we look forward to following you all in the fall.

The post NorCal Juniors Honor Roll: September 2017 appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.

Team NorCal kept their great year going as they competed in several national and international tournaments this past month.

L-R: Jack Pulliam, Stevie Gould, Andre Ilagan.

The USTA National Selection tournament taking place in Honolulu, HI, saw Stevie Gould from Corte Madera, reach the finals. On his way to the finals, No. 3 seed Stevie, beat hometown favorite and No. 2 seed, Andre Llagan of Honululu, HI, 7-5, 6-1. In the final match, Stevie gave it his all but eventually fell to the No. 1 seed Jack Pulliam of Manhattan Beach, CA, 6-3, 6-3. Stevie had this to say about his runner-up finish, “The tournament was a great experience overall, and I feel like I got better as each match went on and hit my stride.” Congratulations on a great run Stevie!

At only 14 years old, Aidan Mayo from Roseville, beat 17-year-old and No. 2 seed Trey Hilderbrand, 6-4, 6-3 in the first round of the Pan American ITF Championship taking place in Tulsa, OK. Aidan then went on to win two other matches to reach the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, Aidan couldn’t complete his dream run and was stopped in the quarterfinals by fellow American Emilio Nava 6-3, 6-1. Congrats on a great tournament Aidan!

On the girls’ side, 15-year-old Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek also reached the quarterfinals, but couldn’t overcome the No. 1 seed and eventual winner Whitney Osuigwe of Florida, 6-1, 6-4. Katie beat the No. 5 seed on her way to the quarterfinals, Hurricane Black, 6-3, 7-5.

Picture on the left – “Little Mo” Nationals in Austin, TX: Nav Dayal. Picture in the middle and on the right: Cooper Han.

The post NorCal Juniors Honor Roll: October 2017 appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.

The end of October and the month of November were very busy for Team NorCal as they competed in several national and international tournaments around the country.

Several junior players competed in the South Carolina ITF that took place in Lexington, SC, with two of them reaching the semifinals. Stefan Leustian from Mather is back in the headlines with a great run to the semifinals of the tournament. Stefan couldn’t overcome JanMagnus Johnson of the USA and lost 6-2, 6-3, not before beating the No. 7 seed. Aidan Mayo of Roseville continues his great season with a quarterfinal finish in singles, playing against players up to three of four years older than him. He was defeated by Yeudy Villar of the Dominican Republic 6-3, 6-3 but Aidan had an event better doubles tournament, reaching the semifinals with Alexander Bernard of the USA. The pair lost a tough battle against Brandon and Nicholas McKinney 6-4, 6-4.

From L-R: John Kim’s mom, John Kim, Jon Glover (USTA National Coach).

Team NorCal sent three players to Les Petits As – USA Playoffs, in Port Saint Lucie, FL, with two of them qualifying for the prestigious tournament. Les Petits As is the biggest 14 and Under tournament in the world and has seen the likes of Rafael Nadal and Martina Hingis win. In order for the US players to qualify for the tournament that takes place in Tarbes, France, in January 2018, the USA Playoffs reunites the best 16 boys and 16 girls for a chance to earn their trip overseas. John Kim of Sunnyvale punched his ticket for the main draw of the tournament, thanks to a runner-up finish. John was stopped by Evan Wen of New Jersey in the final, in a tough 7-6(4), 7-5 match. Check out his interview during the tournament here.

L-R: Vivian Ovrootsky and Robin Montgomery.

On the girls’ side, Vivian Ovrootsky also made her way out of the round robin to reach the semifinals. Vivian wasn’t able to stop the future winner, Katrina Scott of Woodland Hills, CA, but bounced back to qualify for the qualifications draw of Les Petits As, thanks to her 7-6(11), 6-0 win in the playoff match again Robin Montgomery of Washington, DC. Check out her fun interview during the USA Playoffs here.

Team NorCal also had great results at the Evert American ITF in Boca Raton, FL, with Marcus McDaniel of Vacaville winning the tournament! Marcus came back from one set down to beat Toby Kodat of Bradenton, FL, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. Marcus, who was unseeded, beat the No. 4, No. 10, No. 8, and No. 11 seeds on his way to the title. Marcus also reached the finals in doubles with Alexander Lee of the U.S.A. The pair seeded No. 4, put up a great fight in the finals, pushing Jordi Redelijk and Michael Sun of the U.S.A. to a third set super tiebreak 7-6(3), 1-6, 10-4.

Congratulations to all the players who competed this past month and we look forward to following you during your next tournament!

The post NorCal Juniors Honor Roll: November 2017 appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.

The setting for the 2017 10U Fall JTT Section Championships Orange Ball division was perfect: the sun was shining, beautiful view of the city, and players eager to go out on the courts and compete. The Bay Club SF Tennis played host to 12 teams and 66 players for the first weekend of the Fall JTT Section Championships on November 11-12, and it was a smashing success. The one day event saw the top NorCal teams compete for a chance to be crowned Section Champion.

At the end of the event, three teams took home the title of Section Champion.

In Flight A, Tennis For Schools/Conidi Grech Tennis edged the NorCal Tennis Academy to win by 3 games. “Tennis For Schools/Conidi Grech Tennis lost to NorCal Tennis Academy by three games in Spring Sectionals but won against them head to head to clinch the title this time around,” Darren Wenger, USTA Northern California Junior Team Tennis Specialist, recalls. “Needless to say, they were pretty excited to improve on their close finish from last season,” Wenger said.

Flight B saw the Rafael Racquet Club bring the crown home to Marin County after a great tennis display. Rafael RC won their flight by 11 games over Lifetime Tennis Sunnyvale.

Flight C finished as one of the closest flights ever in the history of the event. Three out of the four teams finished within one game of each other.  Los Gatos Tennis Academy finished in first with 71 total games, but only after coming back from seven games down after their first match of the day. The Lagunitas Country Club team finished with 70 games, along with Alpine Hills who also won 70 games. Lagunitas CC ultimately finished in 2^nd place via tiebreaker against Alpine Hills. “There were a lot of competitive and close matches this past weekend, but what transpired most importantly was great sportsmanship,” Wenger happily states.

“I want to thank the coaches, Bay Club SF Tennis, and all the players/parents for a fabulous event. We look forward to another great Section Championship in 2018!”

Division Winners

FLIGHT A	FLIGHT B	FLIGHT C
Conidi Grech Tennis	San Rafael Racquet Club	Los Gatos Tennis Academy

Sportsmanship Winners

FLIGHT A	FLIGHT B	FLIGHT C

The post Three Teams Emerge as 10U Orange Ball JTT Section Champions appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.

The weather might have taken center stage for a couple of hours, but it was soon tennis that took over the courts of Broadstone Racquet Club in Folsom, CA, on November 17-18, during the CIF/USTA Regional Girls Tennis Championship.

After a two and a half hour delay, it was finally time to hit the courts! In the first round, Los Gatos prevailed over Red Bluff 7-0, St. Francis Sacramento overcame Dougherty Valley 4-3, while St. Francis Mountain View cruised against Del Oro 6-1, and Monte Vista took the last semifinal spot against Lowell 6-1.

The semifinals took place under the lights due to the rain delay, making it for a very entertaining night. St. Francis Mountain View had to battle against Monte Vista to punch their tickets for the final round the next day. After St. Francis Mountain View took an early 3-1 lead, Monte Vista came back but couldn’t close it out, as St. Francis Mountain View squeezed in one last point to win a close 4-3 contest. In the second semifinal which played under the lights, Los Gatos had an easier time against St. Francis Sacramento with a 5-2 victory.

Then, it was finals day! An exact rematch of the Section Championships that took place a few weeks earlier, Los Gatos had beaten St. Francis Mountain View 5-2. The outcome might have been the same with Los Gatos winning, but the match was even closer with a 4-3 overall score.

Picture on the left: Los Gatos with the winner’s trophy. Picture on the right: St. Francis Mountain View and Los Gatos posing before the finals.

Congratulations Los Gatos on being the CIF/USTA Regional Girls Tennis Champions! Thank you to all the teams for participating and to everybody who helped put on this event.

The post Two Titles, One Team! appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.

The end of the year might be near, but Team NorCal is looking to finish strong with the last couple of major tournaments. First, the Eddie Herr International tournament for Boys’ and Girls’ 12-16 year-olds took place in Bradenton, FL, at the same time as the Eddie Herr ITF (BG 18 and Under). Then Team NorCal traveled to Plantation, FL, to compete in the Orange Bowl International Tennis Championship.

The Eddie Herr International tournament, which was played Nov. 22-Dec. 3, was extremely successful as four NorCal players reached the semifinals or better in Bradenton, FL. In the Girls’ 12 division, Ria Bhakta of Saratoga won three matches to make it to the semifinals. Ria fought hard but fell to No.2 seed Tsehay Driscoll of the U.S.A. 7-5, 6-1. Ria also reached the semifinals in doubles with Emma Roeck of the U.S.A. where once again Tsehay Driscoll was waiting for her with Ava Krug of the U.S.A. Unfortunately, the pair couldn’t change the outcome as they lost 6-3, 6-3.

Eddie Herr International – Bradenton, FL. Picture on the left: Ria Bhakta. Middle picture: Ria Bhakta and Vivian Ovrootsky. Picture on the right: Ria Bhakta and Emma Roeck.

In the Boys’ 14 division, Aidan Mayo of Roseville is finishing the year the way he started it: on a high note. Aidan advanced to the semifinals only to be stopped by his doubles partner Alexander Bernard of the U.S.A. 6-3, 6-1. The friends put aside their singles match to team up and reach the semifinals in doubles. The pair won two matches before falling to eventual winners Victor Lolov and Evan Wen of the U.S.A. in a battle 4-6, 6-2, 10-7. In the Girls’ 14 division, Vivian Ovrootsky of San Jose, proved once again why she is one of the top junior players in the country. Vivian took home the title in singles, beating Linda Fruhvirtova of Czech Republic 7-6(4), 6-4 in the finals. But she was hungry for more and reached the semifinals in doubles with Hina Inoue of the U.S.A. The pair gave it their all and pushed their opponents Estefania Gonzalez of the U.S.A. and Lorelyz Marrufo of Venezuela to a third set tiebreaker but fell 7-5, 2-6, 13-11.

Eddie Herr International – Bradenton, FL. Picture on the left: Linda Fruhvirtova and Vivian Ovrootsky. Picture on the right: Vivian Ovrootsky.

The last NorCal player to finish in the top four is Keenan Mayo of Roseville at the ITF Eddie Herr (18 and Under). Keenan had a fantastic run in doubles with partner Adrian Andreev of Bulgaria, winning the title while being unseeded, against Alan Rubio Fierros of Mexico and Dostanbek Tashbulatov of Kazakhstan 3-6, 6-4, 10-4.

ITF Eddie Herr – Bradenton, FL. L-R: Dostanbek Tashbulatov, Alan Rubio Fierros, Keenan Mayo, and Adrian Andreev .

Congratulations to all the players who participated and we look forward to an even better 2018!

The post NorCal Juniors Honor Roll: December 2017 appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.

For the last team event of the year, The Pacific Cup came down to the wire with the winner being determined by games! At the end of the three three-day event, Team NorCal took home the Pacific Cup with 289 games, in front of Southern California who finished with 268 games. Pacific Northwest and Intermountain were third and fourth with 242 games and 199 games respectively.

The Pacific Cup reunited the top ranked boy and girl from 12s, 14s, 16s and 18s in singles from the four sections listed above on December 1-3, in Beaverton, Oregon at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center. Team NorCal was represented by Priya Nelson (Girls’ 12), Makenna Thiel (Girls’ 14), Connie Ma (Girls’ 16), Kate Duong (Girls’ 18), Rudy Quan (Boys’ 12 ), Ryan Torres (Boys’ 14), Aryan Chaudhary (Boys’ 16), Stevie Gould (Boys’ 18), and coached by Andrea Norman and Carrie Zarraonandia.

The overall event was extremely close up to the end with Team NorCal being down nine games before their last match against Southern California. “The players were great, they were focused and supportive of each other all weekend,” coach Andrea from Team NorCal said. “SoCal and us played the other two teams first and SoCal had done better than us, so it tells you their fortitude.” Even though it was freezing cold inside as well, Team NorCal didn’t let that affect them, bundling up all weekend with hoodies and down vests. “Rudy had a blanket he so all the kids borrowed it Sunday morning,” Andrea recalled laughing.

Overall, the team had a great time, even though the beginning of the trip was a little bit challenging. “One of our flights was delayed on our way to Portland, and while waiting for our 15-passenger van, a low tire turned out to be completely flat,” Andrea said. “Thank god we noticed it before we left. We ended up making it to our first match on time, but other than that, everything was great.” After the competition was over, the team made their way to the Nike factory store for some shopping before heading home.

“The level of competition was quite good. I’m very proud of the way the kids treated each other and the event, I was really impressed,” Andrea said in closing.

The post Comeback Win Secures the Pacific Cup for Team NorCal appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.

It was a fun-filled night as we celebrated junior tennis on December 16, at John’s Incredible Pizza in Newark, CA. Before it was time to hand out all the award recipients their trophies, players, parents, and coaches were treated to an all-you-can-eat buffet and games such air hockey, twister, boogie bump and more.

At 7 p.m., it was time to recognize all the junior players for an another incredible year with awards being handed out by USTA NorCal Executive Director, Steve Leube. We had a great turnout as it was standing room only. You can find a list of all the award recipients below.

Thank you very much to everyone who has contributed to a great year of tennis in NorCal, and we can’t wait to see you back in 2018.

Check out all the pictures from the night HERE.

The post 2017 Junior Awards – Player Party appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.

Team NorCal finished 2017 and started 2018 with a splash, when several players reached the semifinals or better at the USTA National Winter Championships, that took place December 27, 2017 – January 2, 2018.

The Boys and Girls in the 12/14 age divisions competed in Tucson, AZ, and brought home a national title along with other great results. Rudy Quan, of Roseville took home the title in the Boys’ 12 singles division, beating Kaylan Bigun, of Davidson, NC, 6-4, 6-0 in the finals. On his way to claiming the trophy, Rudy defeated the No.1 and No.4 seeds without dropping a set. In the Boys’ 14 singles division, Brian Chong, of Cupertino reached the quarterfinals of the main draw and went on to advance to the finals of the Gold Draw where he put up a great fight against Nicholas Heng, of Madison, AL but lost 7-6(3), 6-3.

In the Girls’ 14 singles division, Anushka Khune, of Palo Alto reached the semifinals but was stopped by Midori Castillo of Bonita, CA, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, the eventual winner. Anushka bounced back to finish in third place, overcoming Emma Charney, of Prospect, KY 6-2, 7-5. In the same division, Priya Nelson, of Sacramento went one step further by getting to the finals, and finished as a runner-up against Midori Castillo, 6-2, 6-2.

USTA Winter Nationals in Tucson, AZ. Picture on the left – Anushka Khune G14s. Picture in the middle – Rudy Quan B12s. Picture on the right – Priya Nelson G14s.

Lastly, in the Girls’ 16 singles division, which was played in Orlando, FL, Allura Zamarripa, of St. Helena, advanced to the semifinals but retired due to injury. Allura retired against the No. 1 seed Gianna Pielet, at 7-6(5), 4-2 and couldn’t play the playoff due to her injury. Allura also got to the semifinals in doubles with sister Maribella Zamarripa, losing 6-3, 6-4 to Carmen Corley of Albuquerque, NM, and Gianna Pielet. The sisters didn’t play the playoff match because of Allura’s injury.

The post NorCal Juniors Honor Roll: January 2017 appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.

Rudy Quan had never participated in a National Level 1 tournament before the 2018 USTA National Winter Championship, so when he entered the competition, his main goal was to play his best and get used to that level of competition. But it looks like Rudy needed no getting used to as he left the tournament with a Gold Ball in his hands and the title of national champion!

Rudy Quan, who lives in Roseville, CA, and trains at Johnson Ranch Racquet Club in Roseville, was introduced to tennis by his Dad, Robert Quan, and started taking lessons at the age of four. Almost 12 years old now, Rudy still enjoys the game as much as he did when he first picked it up. “I like that tennis is non-stop action. I always get a rush of adrenaline when I play,” Rudy explains. His favorite player is a perfect reflection of why he loves the game. “My favorite player is Rafael Nadal because he is a fiery player and I like his personality and his passion for tennis.”

Picture on the left: Rudy at age 4. Picture on the right: Rudy at age 5.

The new national champion definitely got his share of adrenaline rush during the USTA National Winter Championship, winning seven matches in a row without losing a set, and beating the No. 1 and No. 4 seeds! His result was a complete surprise to him, along with the experience of a level 1 national tournament: “I was very excited to play this tournament but didn’t have any expectations coming in, I just knew it was going to be a tough tournament,” Rudy states. “I was really surprised by my result and enjoyed the experience of this type of tournament with a larger draw, longer stay, and the competition level was very high.”

Picture on the left: First tournament win at Laguna Creek Racquet Club at age 7. Picture in the middle: Win B14s Open in Manteca at age 10. Picture on the right: 2018 champion at the USTA National Winter Championship in Tucson, AZ.

Even though tennis is a big part of Rudy’s life, he also plays soccer competitively, with some big tournaments coming, on top of continuing playing in tennis tournaments. Rudy is a 12-year-old boy with plenty of hobbies as he likes to play the piano and of course FIFA on his Xbox. Coming from his best result, Rudy is looking forward to the next tournaments and we, at USTA NorCal, can’t wait to see him compete in 2018!

The post Getting to Know Rudy Quan appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.

The NorCal players never have enough of the tennis courts and always look for opportunities to practice, improve their game, and of course compete. The month of January and early February were no different as Team NorCal traveled to Melbourne, Australia, Irvine, CA, Tucson, AZ, and Claremont, CA, to compete.

Niluka Madurawe during her first round of the main draw at the 2018 Australian Open Juniors

First stop for one of our fierce competitors was Melbourne, Australia. Niluka Madurawe of Sunnyvale, CA, played at the Australian Open Juniors, which took place January 20-27. This was Niluka’s first Grand Slam, however the pressure surrounding a Grand Slam tournament was no match for the Bay Area native who won her two matches to qualify for the main draw. She then played the No. 13 seed in the first round of the main draw and put up a great fight, losing 6-3, 6-4, against Daniela Vismane of Latvia, who went on to the quarterfinals. Congratulations Niluka, this is a fantastic achievement!

Next on the agenda was the USTA Level 3 National in Irvine, CA, from January 20-22. Team NorCal was shining bright in Southern California with seven players advancing to the semifinals or better. Alexander Chang from Berkeley, CA, finished third in the Boys’ 14 singles division with a strong performance in his playoff match, beating Nathan Caoile of Carson, CA, 6-4, 6-1. He followed his singles success with another semifinal in the doubles division with Noah Zamora of San Diego, CA. The pair battled all the way to the end but was edged 8-6 by Eugenio Gonzalez of Tecate, CA, and Ryan Morgan of Pasadena, CA. In the Boys’ 16 singles division, Hugo Hashimoto of San Jose, CA took third place, falling to Jett Middleton of Columbine Valley, CO, 6-2, 6-4. Hugo came back on court like nothing happened to defeat Bruno Krenn of Calabasas, CA, 6-0, 6-3. Hugo didn’t see the last of Bruno, playing him in the finals of the doubles division alongside JC Roddick of San Antonio, TX. Fellow NorCal player Raunak Sood of Los Altos, CA, and Bruno prevailed 8-2. It was a NorCal affair in the Boys’ 16 doubles division, as Max Fardanesh of Albany and Joseph Teh of San Jose, CA, played against Hugo in the semifinals, but withdrew due to an injury.

Madison Weekly of Alamo, CA, also reached the semifinals in the Girls’ 16 singles division. She valiantly competed against the No. 3 seed, pushing Kaila Barksdale of San Diego, CA, to a third set for a final score of 6-7, 6-4, 6-2. Madison attempted a big push in the second set during her playoff match but Jenna Sabile was able to close it out 6-1, 7-6. Anushka Khune of Palo Alto, CA, keeps on making her name for herself, taking the title home in the Girls’ 16 singles division. Anushka defeated Rebecca Lynn of Newport Beach, CA 6-4, 6-4 in the finals. Lastly, Makenna Thiel of Piedmont, CA, joined the NorCal party down in SoCal by winning the whole tournament in the Girls’ 16 doubles division. She played with Sophie McKenzie of Woodland Hills, CA, defeating Jin Yu and Bo-Bae Yu of Portland, OR, 8-1.

USTA Level 3 National in Irvine, CA – Picture on the left L-R: Hugo Hashimoto and JC Roddick. Middle picture L-R: Raunak Sood and Bruno Krenn. Picture on the right: Anushka Khune.

Next stop, Tucson, AZ, for the USTA National Level 3 Tournament that took place the same weekend. Karan Raghavendra of Dublin, CA, made the semifinals of the Boys’ 12 singles division, but lost to eventual winner, Cal Wider of New York, NY. Karan finished in fourth place behind Michael Seversen of Coto de Caza, CA, 6-3, 6-3. Karan had a very successful tournament, reaching the semifinals in doubles with Robert Zhang of Buffalo Grove, IL. The doubles team put up a great fight against Cassius Chinlund of Los Angeles, CA, and Jex Frankel of Venice Beach, CA, falling 8-6. They finished with a great fourth place overall. Parth Hathalia of Santa Clara, CA, was also a semifinalist in the Boys’ 12 doubles division, teaming up with Cal Wider of New York, NY. The pair bounced back to win a very tight playoff match 8-6, against Karan and Robert Zhang. In the Girls’ 12 doubles division, Mireille Chedid-Daley of Berkeley, CA, joined her NorCal peers as a semifinalist, taking fourth place with Ellie Gyuro of Bountiful, UT.

USTA National Level 3 Tournament in Tucson, AZ. Picture on the left L-R: Karan Raghavendra and Robert Zhang. Picture in the middle: Karan Raghavendra. Picture on the right L-R: Sanjana Kumar, Danielle Dyer, Ellie Gyuro, Mireille Chedid-Daley.

The last stop for this Honor Roll is in Claremont, CA, February 10-12, at the USTA National Level 2 Tournament. Team NorCal was well represented once more, coming home with three titles. Rudy Quan of Roseville, CA, continues to impress, sweeping the Boys’ 12 draws, winning the singles final 6-1, 6-1 against Lucas Coriaty of Long Beach. Rudy joined forces with Dylan Charlap of Palos Verdes Estates, CA, to claim the doubles title 6-1 against Lucas Coriaty and Zhengqing Ji of Rancho Santa Fe, CA. Alexander Chang continued his winning ways and triumphed in the Boys’ 14 doubles division, alongside Phillip Deaton of Auburn, WA. The team overcame Tristan Messerli of Rollins Hills Estates, CA, and Learner Tien of Irvine, CA, 6-3 in the finals. Alexander and Phillip had to get through the NorCal team made up of Herrick Thomas Legaspi of Sacramento, CA,and Luke Neal of Larspur, CA,. The future winners barely escaped 7-6(6).

Last but not least, Isabel Santiago of Hayward, CA, made it to the semifinals in the Girls’ 14 doubles division with Tomi Main of Seaside, CA. Isabel and Tomi couldn’t stop the eventual winners, and fell 6-1 to Tsehay Driscoll of La Canada Flintridge, CA, and Cindy Ung of Eastvale, CA. The pair put their match behind them to earn their third place finish 6-3 against Amani Shah of San Diego, CA and Madison Smith.

A big round of applause to everyone who traveled to these tournaments. We look forward to following you throughout the year… Go Team NorCal!

The post NorCal Juniors Honor Roll: February 2018 appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.

Do you know a tennis mom who deserves to be recognized? Nominate a mom with a child in a youth tennis program* and four of them will be chosen at random to receive a $25 gift card from Tennis Warehouse, and one will be featured as USTA NorCal’s Tennis Mom of the Year around Mother’s Day 2018.

To submit your nomination, email Mylene Mukhar at mukhar@norcal.usta.com and we will announce the winners mid-April.

*Must be a Net Generation program to qualify. If you’re not sure about that, we can help you get that information.

The post Nominate a Terrific Tennis Mom for Mother’s Day! appeared first on USTA NorCal Junior Tennis.