Eastern Singles at the 2025 NTRP National Championships

Twice as nice. USTA Eastern secured two podium finishes in the singles events at the 2025 NTRP National Championships, held April 4-6 at multiple locations across the country: the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida (18 & Over); the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex in Surprize, Arizona (40 & Over) and the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego, California (55 & Over).

Below, Haskell, N.J.’s Gerardo Valenzuela—who reached the final in the 18 & Over 4.0 division—and Patterson, N.Y.’s Spencer Larson—who claimed third place in the 18 & Over 4.5 division—share their experience competing on the national stage against players from all over the country. *Note: At NTRP National Championships, sets are contested in a first-to-four-games format, with a tiebreak at 3-3.

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Turning last year's disappointment into this year's fuel

At the 2024 championships, Valenzuela played the eventual champion in his division in his very first round robin match—and he ultimately left the tournament disappointed with his results. The draw gods didn’t grant him much better luck in 2025, as he found himself in a group with last year’s finalist. Still, Valenzuela was determined to improve upon his previous experience.

“My expectations were quite high this year,” he said. “I was playing with a lot of confidence and a lot of hunger.” 

Turns out that was the right mix against a previous runner-up. Committed to staying aggressive no matter the opponent, Valenzuela blasted through all three of his round robin matches, dropping zero sets (and just three games) to advance to the knockout stage of the tournament. He continued his dominant form in the quarterfinals and semifinals, and kept his set-winning streak alive all the way through the first set of the final against USTA Florida’s James Smith.

“I actually attended University of Central Florida for college, and the last time I was at the campus was when I was experiencing Tennis On Campus nationals,” he said. “Being back there was a fantastic experience and it truly felt like being back home.”

“It was the most difficult tennis match of my life!”

Like Valenzuela, Larson had last year’s event on his mind—he hoped to “build on” his 2024 quarterfinal appearance. Of course, he didn’t expect his 2025 quarterfinal bout to end up being “the most difficult tennis match of my life!”

“I have to give a shoutout to my opponent, Carlos [Sandoval of USTA Florida],” Larson said. “He was an incredible player and competitor, an absolute baller with an ATP forehand. I really struggled against the pace and heaviness of his groundstrokes. The forehands must have been 80 miles per hour!”

Pushed back by Sandoval’s powerful shots, Larson began to shank the ball and ultimately dropped the first set 1-4. But he resolved to fight until the end.

“I just kept repeating this phrase to myself over and over again: ‘Breathe, stay, make him play,’” Larson said.

“I really enjoyed cheering on my wife,” Spencer said. “She’s an amazing player and I’m so proud of her! We also got to watch and root for Gerardo…well done Gerardo!”

For Spencer, the experience overall encapsulated exactly what he loves about competing in NTRP tournaments in the first place.

“It’s always fun to play against different players and styles,” he said. “We’ve been playing tournaments for about three years and we like them for the exercise, but they are also good opportunities to get stronger and tougher mentally.”

Read about Eastern's doubles results at the 2025 NTRP National Championships