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USTA Southwest, representing Arizona and New Mexico, and USTA Mid-Atlantic, representing Maryland, took similar paths to the ir first WTT Junior Nationals championship finals appearance, with both teams posting 3-0 records in round-robin group play. USTA Mid- Atlantic was competing with only two girls instead of the usual three, but the short-handed roster didn’t slow them down as they dominated in round-robin play, outscoring opponents 132-72. In the semifinals, USTA Intermountain looked like they would finally be the team to stop them but USTA Mid-Atlantic rallied with a 37-36 Supertiebreaker win to advance to the finals.
USTA Southwest dominated USTA Northern 46-20 to set up the championship showdown. USTA Mid-Atlantic finally ran out of steam in the final as USTA Southwest got off to an early lead and never let up, winning the championship 46-25. USTA Intermountain finished third with a 38-35 win over USTA Northern.
USTA Southwest, coached by Eric Mitchell of Phoenix, includes Ian Mordaunt of Tucson, Ariz.; Erik Sheldon of Phoenix, Ariz.; Courtney Byron of Scottsdale, Ariz.; Molly McDevitt of Albuquerque, N.M.; Andy Cooper of Albuquerque, N.M.; and Anya Dalkin of Tucson, Ariz.
USTA Mid-Atlantic, coached by Joseph Lizardo of Owings Mills, Md., includes Alexander Centenari of Baltimore; Timothy Lozinak of Churchville, Md.; Jolardo de Guzman of Silver Spring, Md.; Grace Cheng of Columbia, Md.; and Carly Van Hollen of Millers, Md.
Spare Time, Inc. / USTA Nor Cal of Sacramento, Calif., coached by Novak Nash and Carmel Hill of Roseville, Calif., took home the Maureen Connolly Brinker Team Spirit Award for outstanding sportsmanship and camaraderie and a $1,000 check. The team lineup includes Calvin Andrews of Sacramento, Calif.; Antone Bulich and Mary Bulich of Granite Bay, Calif.; Drew Madden of Lotus, Calif.; Amanda Griffin of Granite Bay, Calif.; and Lauren Combs of Fair Oaks, Calif., whose father Ben Combs is a co-owner of the Sacramento Capitals of the WTT Pro League.
The weekend of activity also included a visit from former French Open Doubles Champion and WTT television commentator Luke Jensen, who entertained the players with tales of life as a tennis player at all ages.
FINAL RESULTS:
SEMIFINAL #1: USTA Mid-Atlantic def. USTA Intermountain 37-36 (Supertiebreaker)
SEMIFINAL #2: USTA Southwest def. USTA Northern 46-20
CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS: USTA Southwest def. USTA Mid-Atlantic 46-25
2006 World TeamTennis Junior Nationals, Aug. 18-20, 2006 – San Diego, Calif.
FINAL ORDER OF FINISH /Coaches
1. USTA Southwest (Phoenix, Ariz. / Tucson, Ariz. / Albuquerque, N.M.) /Eric Mitchell
2. USTA Mid-Atlantic (Baltimore, Md.) /Joseph Lizardo
3. USTA Intermountain (Littleton, Colo. / Park City, Utah / Boulder, Colo.) / Sue Burke
4. USTA Northern (Fargo, N.D. / Edina, Minn.) / Bruce Gullikson
5. USTA Eastern (Harrison, N.Y. / Greenwich, Conn.) /Stephen Cobb
6. Jack Kramer Club (Rolling Hills Estates, Calif. / Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) / Bill Dunkle
7. Youth Tennis San Diego (Temecula, Calif. / Poway, Calif.) / Conan Lorenzo
8. Spare Time, Inc. / USTA Nor Cal (Granite Bay, Calif. / Sacramento, Calif.) / Doug Atkinson
9. Zina Garrison Academy (Houston, Texas / Missouri City, Texas) /John Wilkerson
10. USTA Hawaii Pacific (Honolulu, Hawaii / Lahaina, Hawaii) Vanne /Akagi-Bustin
11. USTA Southern California Tennis Association / Kern Community Tennis Association (Bakersfield, Calif. / McFarland, Calif.) / Neeraj Rama, Teri Lynott
12. USTA Pacific Northwest (West Richland, Wash. / Kennewick, Wash./Vancouver, Wash.) / Nancy Ansboury
13. USTA Southern (Lexington, Ky. / Benton, Ark. / Lilburn, Ga.) Joe Kroh
14. Smooth Strokes (Powell, Ohio / Smyrna, Tenn.) /Alyce Meadors
15. USTA Middle States (Lancaster, Pa. / Howell, N.J.) / Jim Phipps
16. Pacific Athletic Club (Del Mar, Calif. / La Jolla, Calif.) /Jim Ault
About the WTT Junior Nationals: The WTT Junior Nationals is a premier national junior invitational event featuring 16 co-ed teams from throughout the United States. The teams use the WTT format during their three days of non- elimination draw competition. Team members, ages 18 and under, are selected based on their sectional and national rankings, but are not eligible if they attain a ranking of 1-100 on the USTA Seed Selection List as of May of this year. The 16 teams receive grants of $500 each from Billie Jean King WTT Charities, Inc. to help bring a coach to assist them.
The tournament matches follow the WTT non-elimination round-robin format. Each team is comprised of three boys, three girls and a coach. Team matches consist of eight events; with two sets each of boy's singles, girl's singles, one set of boy's and girl's doubles, and two sets of mixed doubles. The first team to reach six games wins each set. A nine-point tiebreaker is played if a set reaches five all. One point is awarded for each game won. If necessary, Overtime and a Supertiebreaker are played to determine the outright winner of the match.