New England Wins 2026 Men’s 65 Atlantic Coast Cup
The annual Atlantic Coast Cup 65 competition was held July 25–26 at Waynesboro Country Club in Paoli, Pennsylvania. The weather was ideal, with sunny skies, low humidity, and temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s. Waynesboro provided a beautiful setting for the event, featuring 10 impeccably maintained Har-Tru courts and excellent balcony viewing for spectators.
New England opened play on Saturday against defending champion and host Middle States. In a closely contested match, Middle States prevailed 3–2. Stan Mescon and Chris Holmes captured first doubles, while Jon Bates and Harlan Stone won at second doubles after rallying from a 5–8 deficit in the third-set super tiebreak to win 10–8. It proved to be one of several pivotal comeback victories for the team during the weekend.
In Saturday's second match, New England faced perennial powerhouse Mid-Atlantic and earned a hard-fought 4–1 victory. Robbins Tien won at first singles, and Thomas Dunlap claimed second singles in a third-set super tiebreak. At second doubles, Bates and Stone once again mounted a dramatic comeback, overcoming another 5–8 deficit in the deciding super tiebreak to win 11–9. Steve Radigan and Peter Steenbergen added another key point with a straight-set victory decided by two tiebreaks at third doubles. The win kept New England's championship hopes alive heading into Sunday.
New England's final opponent was Eastern, which had endured a difficult Saturday, losing both matches 0-5 while also dealing with injuries. As a result, Eastern was only able to field two doubles teams on Sunday, resulting in defaults in the remaining matches. Mescon and Holmes won at first doubles, while Kelton Burbank and Steve Radigan were victorious at second doubles. Combined with the defaults, New England completed a 5–0 sweep to remain in contention for the title.
The championship ultimately came down to the final match between Mid-Atlantic and Middle States. New England needed Mid-Atlantic to defeat Middle States—but by no more than a 4–1 margin. Either a 3–2 or 4–1 Mid-Atlantic victory would secure the Atlantic Coast Cup for New England. Every court was closely contested, but in the end Middle States managed to win just one match. The 4–1 Mid-Atlantic victory was exactly the result New England needed, allowing the team to reclaim the Atlantic Coast Cup for the first time since 2022.
New England finished the competition with 11 individual match victories, followed by Mid-Atlantic with 10, Middle States with 9, while Eastern went winless. It was a true team effort, with all nine New England players contributing at least one victory over the course of the weekend.
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