Two Maryland Teams Advance to JTT Nationals

In July, more than 200 kids and 27 teams from around the state gathered at McDonogh School in Owings Mills, MD to participate in the Junior Team Tennis (JTT) State/District Championships. Thirteen teams then moved on to play in the Sectional tournament at Mary Washington University in Fredericksburg, VA in August.

And now two Maryland teams will compete for the JTT National title in Surprise, Arizona from October 21-24 for 14's and 28-31 for 18's.

Team Danger (formerly known as Team White), of St. Mary’s County Tennis Association, will play in the 18 and Under Intermediate division and the Tweeners of Montgomery County will be competing in the 14 and Under Advanced division.

Team Danger’s Dream Season

A national title was not always on the forefront for Team Danger.

“Before the Districts, our coaches expectations were mild,” said coach and co-captain Derek Sabedra. “We just wanted to win some matches and be competitive.”

Yet as the season continued, the team that is comprised of three separate St. Mary’s schools (two of which are rivals) bonded and became what Sabedra calls “one magnificent team.”

The previous two years have yielded zero head to head victories and Team Danger were up against tough opponents at States. The team fought through Talbot County, Howard County, and Montgomery County to claim the State Championship.

Afterwards, the team received a proclamation from the St. Mary’s Board of County Commissioners and was honored on centre court at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, DC.

“It was an incredible experience,” proclaimed Sabedra, who is also the head coach of St. Mary’s College (Md.) Tennis.

Team Danger had little time to soak in the celebrations as the Sectional tournament coincided with the start date for high school fall sports.

The stress and headache would prove to be no match for the determined Team Danger as they defeated the Orange Team (West Virginia), the South East Tennis Learning Center (District of Columbia), and Worldgate Aces (Virginia) to face Advantage (West Virginia) in the finals.

Team Danger took home the Sectionals title with a tight 31-26 win to earn a berth to Nationals.

With this victory came accolades from State Delegate John Bohanan, House of Representatives Steny Hoyer, and a proclamation from the Governor’s Office of Martin O’Malley.

“The JTT is awesome as you watch each player develop into a better person,” said Sabedra. “All of the players, parents, coaches have formed a tight St. Mary’s County family throughout the JTT season and our run in the play-offs.”

And with many supporters behind them, Team Danger will look to take their season of “mild expectations” into Surprise, Arizona for the National title.

Friendship and Success

Holly Welch, coach and captain of the Tweeners, knew exactly who to turn to in making a successful JTT team. Her children, Nicole, 14, and Jack, 11, have been playing JTT for four years and began recruiting their friends to join the team.

“They came up with an amazing group this season,” said Welch. “The players are all friends and genuinely like each other and enjoy the time playing together.”

With this chemistry, the Tweeners won Montgomery County by a wide margin and finished second to Green Spring Racquet Club’s team Aggressors at Districts, losing by only two games.

Welch used all of her players and allowed different players to participate in the singles matches to give everyone a chance to contribute. The second place finish motivated the kids to perform even better and they turned in a great effort at Sectionals.

The Tweeners swept through the competition and won a whopping 120 games to only 24 lost, beating out Salisbury Moreno (Virginia), The Nets II (Virginia), and Aggressors (Maryland) to earn a trip to Nationals.

And now the team looks forwards to an exciting trip to Surprise, Arizona and will continue to have fun with each other along the way.

“Being a part of JTT has provided [the kids] with a great opportunity to get all the benefits of a team sport,” said Welch. “Our players support their teammates throughout the matches, practice together, celebrate together and basically enjoy the whole process.”

“Everyone that saw the team at Districts and Sectionals commented on how well we got along and how much fun it looked like we were having,” added Welch.

It would seem that friendship and success go hand in hand with the Tweeners.

This article was written for USTA Maryland and can be viewed here.

Mid-Atlantic’s Diamond Adams Shines On and Off Court

Eighteen-year-old Diamond Adams is a true gem of a tennis player.

Adams, who was introduced to the sport at the age of five by her father, enjoyed a successful high-school career at Bishop McNamara and earned a full scholarship to play Division I tennis at St. John’s University beginning this fall.

“I look forward to participating in the Big East Conference and hopefully the NCAA championship,” Adams said about playing for the Red Storm.

And her ambitions as a successful athlete are not limited to the tennis courts.

“My goals this freshman year and beyond is to continue to improve on and off the court maximizing my potential as an athlete,” proclaimed Adams, a White Plains, Maryland resident. “I want to inspire others to play the game and I want to serve the community with humanitarian efforts.”

A Dominant Force

Ranked as high as No. 2 in the Mid-Atlantic Girls’ 14 age group, Adams only played USTA tournaments sparingly during high school but counts her USTA successes as her most significant on-court achievements.

“My biggest accomplishment is ranking in the top three of the Mid-Atlantic for several years for the USTA,” proclaimed Adams.

Highlights include winning several Girls’ 14 USTA/MAS Challengers and Girls’ 16 Challenger runner-up finishes.

And despite the lack of USTA tournament play, Adams was a dominant force for the Bishop McNamara Mustangs and played varsity tennis all four years.

Adams posted an undefeated 16-0 season her senior year at No. 1 singles and won the Washington Catholic All Conference (WCAC) title.

The victories earned Adams the 2009-2010 Bishop McNamara Varsity Women’s Tennis MVP and a spot on the Washington Post All-Met First team.

A Team Effort

Adams was also recruited to play Jr. Team Tennis for The Southeast Tennis & Learning Center (SETLC) and she happily obliged. It was her first year playing JTT and it gave her a competitive outlet while keeping the team atmosphere of high-school tennis.

“Since I did not play USTA tournaments as vigorously as I used to, I obliged to play for the SETLC,” explained Adams. “I found being a part of a team is the most fun and rewarding part of playing JTT.”

The team would finish as the top 18-and-under Advanced team during the DC JTT spring season.

A Rare Gem

Adams has accomplished a lot on the tennis courts and has many victories to be proud of.

When asked about her favorite on-court recollections, Adams simply replied, “Playing tennis with my family has been my best memory.”

Because she is grounded and determined to succeed, this local star will continue to shine bright.

Click here to view this article on the USTA/Mid-Atlantic website.

Aries Wong Is Finding Success in 2010

For Aries Wong, the No. 1 ranked Boys’ 14 and No. 32 ranked Boys’ 16 player in the Mid-Atlantic region, this year has been nothing short of a success.

Ranked No. 9 nationally in doubles, Wong has won two USTA National Open Boys’ 14 doubles titles, the first in February with Jordan Portner of Ellicott City, MD, and the second in July with Kyle Mautner of Greenwich, Connecticut.

Wong is undefeated in doubles, having won all Boys 14s L1 Championship Doubles this year with different partners. He most recently won the Boys 16s L1 Championship Doubles at Green Spring Racquet Club with new partner Robert Renfrow.

“The key part to my success in doubles is my good touch and reflexes at the net and my ability to poach,” explained Wong. “I’m also able to vary my serves to throw off my opponents’ return. I am also easy going and get along well with anyone who's willing to work together as a team."

Wong, ranked No. 28 nationally in singles, isn’t just winning in doubles play. In the July USTA National Open, third seeded Wong made it to the Boys’ 14 singles semifinals, falling to No. 1 seed Jacob Dunbar 6-4, 7-5, before beating No. 4 seed and doubles partner Mautner 7-5, 6-2, to claim third place.

At the USTA Boys’ 14 Super National Hard Court Championships in August, Wong continued his successful streak. Seeded at No. 17, Wong made it to the round of 16 in singles, consolation, and doubles, losing to eventual winner Thomas Mayronne of Monroe, LA, in the consolation draw 6-3, 6-2.

In a year with many victories, this tournament provided Wong with his most memorable win of the year so far. In the round of 32, Wong defeated Ziqi Wang of Birmingham, AL, in three sets 6-3, 2-6, 6-1, in the scorching Texas weather.

“[Wang] beat the No. 6 seed [Chase Perez-Blanco of Miami, FL] so I knew that he was good,” said Wong. “I was able to beat him in the third set 6-1 in the peak of the San Antonio heat at 105 degrees.

“This was memorable for me because this was the first time I played at the hard court Nationals and the first time to reach the round of 16s in the main draw and consolation,” added Wong.

And when asked about his goals for the remainder of the year, Wong had no trouble thinking big.

“I want to make it to the top 15 in the country for Boys’ 14 and in the long term I would like to get a tennis scholarship.”

It would seem that Wong’s successful quest is just beginning.

This article can also be found on the USTA/Mid-Atlantic Website.