Taking place in the extremely warm Fresno/Clovis area, the 2018 USTA NorCal – JTT Summer Section Championships for the Same Gender divisions, was no exception this year. Temperatures reached over 100 degrees, but all 34 teams and 185 players showed passion and grit to complete the long weekend. This year, Tournament Director, Darren Wenger, was constantly monitoring air quality due to the fires. Matches started earlier in the morning at four different sites to avoid the late afternoon conditions.
As it happens every year, the winners get to play in the Gar Glenney Cup, which took place in Irvine, CA, August 18-19 (Results will be announced in a separate post). However, this is the first time that NorCal included the Intermediate teams, adding extra pressure and excitement for the teams. Laguna Creek Racquet Club’s coach, Mark Fairchilds reinforced that feeling by saying that “it was so exciting to be able to bring both the Boys’ and Girls’ 18’s Intermediate down to Irvine.” In addition, “the big highlight for the kids was being able to play Mixed 18’s Doubles in the event,” Fairchilds told us enthusiastically.
Wenger was very pleased with how the tournament went, especially the sportsmanship shown by the players. Wenger recalls how close some of the matches were, making it a very entertaining tournament. “The Boys 18U Advanced division came down to two doubles matches to clinch the title between Chabot and Bay Club Courtside,” Wenger said. “At one point the Chabot #1 doubles team had saved three or four match points to keep their hopes alive, and both doubles matches came down to match point at the exact same time. Bay Club Courtside ended up winning both matches within seconds of each other, to clinch the overall match 4-2. Both teams needed to win both doubles matches to win, and the pressure was high!”
Congratulations to all the teams who participated in the tournament and we can’t wait to see you all back next year!
Picture on the left: Girls 18U Advanced: Chabot College. Picture on the right: Girls 12U Intermediate winner: Four Directions Tennis, San Jose.
Picture on the left: Girls 15U Intermediate winner – Blossom Hill Aces, East Bay. Picture on the right: Girls 18U Intermediate winner – Laguna Creek Racquet Club, Elk Grove.
Picture on the left: Boys 15U Intermediate winner – Bay Club Courtside (Team A), Los Gatos. Picture on the right: Boys 18U Intermediate winner – YTA/McLaren Park, San Francisco.
Picture on the left: Boys 15U Advanced winner – Bay Club Courtside, Los Gatos. Picture on the right: Boys 18U Advanced winner – Bay Club Courtside (Team A), Los Gatos.
You can check out all the pictures here.
Complete match results here.
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