|
|
The Caribbean women celebrate their victory at the 4.0 Adult National Championships.
© Gregory Shamus
|
|
|
The Mid-Atlantic men won the 4.0 Adult National Championship.
© Gregory Shamus
|
By Melissa Krueger, special to USTA.com
TUCSON, Ariz. — An exhilarating weekend of tennis concluded at the 2012 USTA League 4.0 Adult National Championships with the men of the Mid-Atlantic section and the Caribbean women taking home their respective National crowns.
The women of the Caribbean section were the first to claim their title on Sunday with a close victory over the Mid-Atlantic women 3-2.
Singles player Barbara Rivera finished the weekend undefeated, capping off the tournament with a No. 2 singles win against Mid-Atlantic’s Sara Heppe, 6-3, 6-4.
Co-captains Brenda Massanet and Zuleyka Mendoza were excited to see their close-knit team make it to the finish.
"It was really a journey getting here," Mendoza said. "The team was so committed since the very first minute.
"The thing that got us here and made us champions was just the way that the team was a very, very united team," she elaborated.
The women from San Juan, Puerto Rico, made it to the finals with a win in the semifinals against the Florida section 3-2. The Mid-Atlantic women beat the Southern California section earlier in the day on their journey to the finals 3-2.
In the men’s championship event, the Mid-Atlantic section had a commanding 4-1 victory over the men from the Intermountain section. Like the Caribbean women, the men from Northern Virginia were anchored by stellar singles play.
Stephen Yu went 5-0 on the weekend and finished with a straight-set win over Intermountain’s Chris Bruerton 6-2, 6-1.
After the win, Mid-Atlantic’s captain Christopher Cosca reflected on the team’s journey to Nationals and the support they have back home.
"(Winning Nationals) feels great. We spent a lot — personally, a lot of time, a lot of resources — to get here," Cosca said. "It was a long journey, but it was fun."
On the way to the finals, Mid-Atlantic defeated the Hawaii section, 4-1, in the semifinals. Intermountain faced the Florida section earlier on Sunday and came away with a 4-1 victory to make it to the finals.
Adult 4.0 Final Results
Men’s Championship: Mid-Atlantic (Northern Virginia) def. Intermountain (Salt Lake City), 4-1
Men’s Third Place: Florida (Tampa Bay, Fla.) def. Hawaii (Honolulu), 4-1
Women’s Championship: Caribbean (San Juan, Puerto Rico) def. Mid-Atlantic (Virginia Beach, Va.), 3-2
Women’s Third Place: Florida (Gainesville, Fla.) def. Southern California (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), 4-1