A team from Atlanta, representing the USTA Southern section, captured the 2015 Junior Team Tennis 14U Intermediate and Advanced National Championship.
The Championships, held at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center in Cayce, S.C., December 3-6, brought together the top 32 teams at the 14U Intermediate and Advanced levels from various USTA Sections throughout the country.
The Atlanta team, also known as the Georgia Terminetters, defeated a team from Marlboro, N.J., 40-29, in the Championship match. On Saturday, they defeated a team from Dallas, 48-30, in the semifinals.
The team is coached by Jason Fleeman and Erman Tanjuatco and features Keshav Chopra (Marietta), Kaanu Patel (Roswell), Joshua Raab (Woodstock), Alonna Wood (Woodstock), Joseph Tanjuatco (Marietta), Jenna Tulenko (Bogart), Lindsay Tulenko (Bogart), Bella Tummillo (Dunwoody) and Justin Waldman (Acworth).
The National Championships serves as the crown jewel of USTA Junior Team Tennis as the nation’s top teams compete for the title. Each year the USTA crowns a national champion in two age divisions (14U and 18U) in both the Intermediate and Advanced play divisions. This year, there are 32 teams from across the United States who have advanced to the National Championships totaling 250 participants.
Established in 1991, USTA Junior Team Tennis provides youth with all of the health and social benefits of tennis in a co-ed, fun and competitive team environment, and allows participants to compete with and against individuals of similar skill and age levels. It promotes social skills and important values by fostering a spirit of cooperation and unity, as well as individual self-growth. USTA Junior Team Tennis is also a fun environment for kids to learn that succeeding is really more about how they play the game—win or lose.
The winning Atlanta area team. Photo by Dave Dellinger
