Recap on the Tight Races at the 2021 JTT South Bay Playoffs

12U Green Ball

After coaching USTA JTT teams for 15 years, Joe Grech is no stranger to nail-biting finishes. And that was no different for his 12U team this season as they were able to close out a win to earn third place overall against their opponent. 

The match was tied going into the last round and their number four doubles team pulled out an impressive 6-0 win.

“The celebration at the end of the match was great,” Grech shared. “The kids realized they won a very close match and how close they had come to a potential defeat. My philosophy is that it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose, but seeing the kids stay mentally present and playing every point showed them that hard work pays off.”

Grech added that these close matches really help teach the kids an overall life lesson, and that

12U Yellow Ball Flight B

In what was a very competitive flight, the ultimate showdown to determine the gold medal came down to a classic seasoned vs. newcomer team battle.   

Thomas Le at the NorCal Tennis Academy has been coaching teams in JTT since 2004 and he is historically known for having dominant teams that are tough to beat. And while he has been around the block, this year his 12U team went against some fresh competition in the finals and closed out a narrow victory against Palomar Aces.

“Every season you have a new team and Palomar Aces was a great addition to the league,” Le said. “They made a dent against our team. But we were prepared, even though we didn’t know the team. We looked up players, so we knew what type of players we’d be facing, but they were certainly very good.”

“We had so much fun this season and in the playoffs,” said Ramkumar Annasami, Palomar’s coach. “When we started, we didn’t focus on winning, but it was more about getting the kids out there to play and have fun, learn how to play as a team, and build leadership skills.”

And one of the things that Annasami said that helped their journey was their bond on and off the court. Most of the team lives in a small community with HOA courts, so the kids have been playing together before JTT and all of the parents and kids are friends outside of tennis.

It was partly that camaraderie that helped them reach the final round of the playoffs and get another chance at playing NorCal Tennis Academy, who they met earlier this season in another close match.

After a successful season for both teams, the number one spot all came down to one game. 

“Things got exciting. That is when you realize that every match counts and every game counts to the end until the clock runs out,” shared Le. “The opposing team actually did the calculations, and they told us we won by one and that shows good sportsmanship.”

14U Yellow Ball Flight C

In another flight that had many experienced players, the finals came down to a re-match between two teams who had both never made the playoffs before.

Drexler Dy, the coach for Lifetime Sunnyvale, said he and his kids were excited to be in the playoffs for the first time and it brought them together as a team.

“We were focused on giving everyone an opportunity to play, helping them learn how to communicate, and be in the moment and have fun,” Dy said.

And the same could be said for their opponents, the San Ramon Warriors, coached by parents Dinesh Kumar and Pearl Dsouza, team managers.

The team was formed through a Nextdoor post because Kumar and Dsouza wanted their daughter to have the experience of team tennis. 

“We lost our second match of the regular season to Lifetime Sunnyvale, and after that, the kids realized they had to work hard as a team to bond and improve and they started helping each other and all improved their game,” Dsouza said. 

And their work paid off. Not only did the team make the playoffs and win the title, but they all became good friends from their experience.

“They all loved the playoffs and were excited they got another chance to play the team they lost to earlier,” she added. “It gave them a perspective to see how they progressed and winning was the icing on the cake.”

And though his team was unable to pull the final victory through, Dy was impressed by how his team reacted to the pressure.

“It came down to a doubles match and the kids were communicating well during the changeover,” he said. “They were up but then lost two games in a row and I was going to 

10U Orange, 12U Yellow, 14U Yellow

Coach Chris Toli of CT Tennis came into JTT Local Leagues this season with four teams after creating a goal in 2018 to create multiple teams and get their students involved in team tennis. And, so far so good for CT Tennis with three out of their teams making it to the playoffs and placing third overall this season.

“It was a surprising season for us, and the kids and parents all got really into it,” Toli said.

Most of his students were beginners, so Toli said that making the playoffs and having close matches helped the kids learn.“Both our 10U and 12U teams had several close that we won by just a few games, so seeing them compete and how they reacted under pressure was fun,” he said. “JTT is great because you can coach and talk to the players throughout, and this is beneficial as the players are learning the game.”

And with most of his players returning for next season, Toli added the playoffs made all of the kids ready for next year.