Recap: 2025 USTA Missouri Valley Rally in the Valley Championships

Madison Evans, who captured the Girls’ 12s doubles title alongside partner Allison Brown, echoed how Rally in the Valley brings the section’s junior tennis community together. She detailed why sportsmanship is significant and how she displays it during matches.

“Everyone lives in different states, and I don’t get to see them much—only at tournaments. So, it’s nice to see my friends and get to hit with them,” Evans said. “Sportsmanship means to me being kind and giving the other person credit if they play well or hit a good shot. It’s OK to be mad, but if they hit a good shot that you can’t get to, then you should congratulate them.”

Evans’ older sister, London Evans, was one of a select few individuals to repeat as Rally in the Valley champions this year (full singles/doubles champs and sportsmanship winners are listed below). London Evans has now won three consecutive Rally in the Valley singles titles, each coming in a different age group (Girls’ 16s, Girls’ 14s, Girls’ 12s).

After capturing the Boys’ 16s singles title last year, Anish Poojari took home the Boys’ 18s singles championship this year. TJ Shanahan won the 2025 Boys’ 18s doubles flight with Arjun Reiland after snagging the Boys’ 16s doubles division with Dutch Prather a year ago. And Adelyn Gross earned the Girls’ 16s doubles crown with Madeleine Bridges a year after winning the Girls’ 16s singles title.

A trio of players pulled off the difficult feat of winning both the singles and doubles championships this year. Damien Robinson (Boys’ 12s), Lennart Hammargren (Boys’ 16s) and Skye Madatali (Girls’ 18s) double dipped and will have their name added to the championship banners that hang during the tournament each year.

Rainfall three of the four days caused delays and some matches to be moved indoors, but players and spectators stepped up to help squeegee the outdoor courts. Tournament Director Lisa Minihan deftly updated the schedule so no matches were canceled and scoring formats weren’t shortened. All singles participants got to play four full matches courtesy of the tournament’s compass-draw format.

“My heart swelled with pride seeing the USTA Missouri Valley tennis community come together to navigate these challenging moments,” Azan said. “We have the best players, families and coaches out of the 17 sections. It’s a privilege to work for them, and I feel immense gratitude and pride for our junior tennis community.”

Sportsmanship Winners

Standout behavior was displayed throughout the Rally in the Valley Championships, with sportsmanship awards given to one player in every age group. The Rally in the Valley sportsmanship winners were as follows:

• Miles Markham, Boys’ 12s (USTA Heart of America)

• Gus Geubelle, Boys’ 14s (USTA Oklahoma)

• Taytum Jones, Boys’ 16s (USTA Oklahoma)

• JohnPaul Huston, Boys’ 18s (USTA Oklahoma)

• Ghillian Harper, Girls’ 12s (USTA Oklahoma)

• Eliya Ward, Girls’ 14s (USTA Heart of America)

• Sophia Gooch, Girls’ 16s (USTA Oklahoma)

• Shelby Smith, Girls’ 18s (USTA Heart of America)

Tournament staff, players, parents, coaches and spectators are encouraged to nominate individuals who demonstrate exemplary sporting conduct for the USTA Missouri Valley SuperSport campaign. The grand prize winners (one junior and one adult) of this initiative will earn a trip for two to the 2025 US Open in New York City. Learn more and nominate by clicking here.

To view full results from the 2025 Rally in the Valley Championships, click here. Check out the dedicated Rally in the Valley website by clicking here.