New England

New Hampshire’s Luneau Earns National Gold

James Maimonis, Manager, Media & Communications | April 13, 2021

 

SURPRISE, AZ - New Hampshire’s Juana Luneau is a National Champion! The New Boston resident, who has only been playing tennis since 2015, captured the Women’s 18 & Over 4.0 title in dominant fashion at the NTRP National Championships in Surprise, AZ.  

 

The three-day event that concluded on Sunday, April 11, featured adult tournament players from each USTA Section who finished the 2019 and 2020 seasons (due to the 2020 championships being canceled) atop their respective NTRP standings list (3.0-5-0).

 

Luneau was one of seven New Englanders who competed in either the 50 & Over event in Orlando or the 18 & Over event in Surprise. 

 

“I was so happy and proud to be out there on the national stage representing New England. This is where I fell in love with tennis, and I hope to get the opportunity to do it again soon,” Luneau said. 

 

In 2018, in just her third year playing tennis, Luneau reached the 3.5 singles finals but fell short. She played both singles and doubles in the same weekend and, while mentally there, her physical fatigue eventually got the best of her. 

 

2021 had a different script however. Three years in the making and her final chance to prove herself in the 4.0 division before moving up to 4.5, it was now or never for Luneau. With doubles being played the following weekend, she could focus her complete attention on singles.   

 

“I don’t usually get nervous, but I did this time. This was my last opportunity in 4.0 and I wanted to make sure I was on my game. If you lose, you’re out, so I knew I had to keep winning,” Luneau said. 

 

That’s exactly what she did, winning 4-2, 4-1; 4-1, 4-0; and 4-0, 4-0 in her three flight matches to advance to the gold bracket playoffs. 

 

And from there, she turned the autopilot on. She dropped just three games in six playoff sets, including a 4-0, 4-0 drubbing in the semifinals, to cruise to her first ever national championship. 

“It was so exciting because I wanted this really badly. I put a lot more pressure on myself this time around,” she said. 

 

While Luneau made her path to victory appear easy, it was anything but. She braved the extreme climate change and unfamiliar elements (heat, wind and sun), had little time off between matches (semis and finals were played at 10 am and 1:30 pm on Sunday) and traveled to Arizona alone. 

 

Adapting flawlessly to the climate and timing factors thrown her way, she found an unexpected source of companionship to help push her through the championship grind.  

 

“Two years ago at nationals (Luneau only played doubles), I met a girl from California named Risa Chung.

She and I are both part Japanese, and we became friends and kept in touch from there,” Luneau said. “I went by myself this year, and when I discovered she and her husband were also making the trip, I contacted her, and we were by each other’s side all weekend long. Their presence made a huge difference for me.” 

   

It was the combination of Luneau’s uniquely dominant game and never-say-die attitude that ultimately propelled her ahead of the rest of the field. 

 

“I don’t think I have a great game or great strokes, so I have to be really consistent and smart on the court. I have to hit a variety of shots and always try to know and exploit my opponents’ weaknesses,” Luneau said, “I never give up and always hit the ball back. People sometimes get frustrated by that, and I kind of like it. The more you get frustrated, the easier it is for me out there.” 

 

Luneau will be back in action in Surprise for the NTRP Doubles Championships from April 16-18. 

 

New England men, Ahmed Faisel and Alastair Chapman, also competed in Surprise. Faisel, from Chicopee, MA, finished 2-1 in his 3.0 flight while Chapman, of Newton, MA, went 1-2 in his 5.0 flight. 

 

Four New Englanders also competed in the 50 & Over championship in Orlando. Sallie LaChance, of Worcester, MA, headlined the group, going 3-0 in her women’s 3.0 flight. LaChance reached the semifinals, where she eventually fell to Carolyn Moore, of Florida. Carla Breton, of Stratham, NH, finished 2-1 in her women’s 4.0 flight. 

 

On the men’s side, Edward Mathias (Avon, CT) finished 2-1 in his 4.5 flight while David Feldman (Brookline, MA) went 2-1 on the 3.5 side. 

 

To see complete results from the NTRP Championships click below: 

18 & Over results

50 & Over results

 

Skip Advertisement

Advertisement

Related Articles

  • Visit the Sharon Murphy Spotlight page
    Sharon Murphy Spotlight
    August 18, 2026
    "This is stupid." That was the verdict from a group of kids at a summer club in Glastonbury, CT, the first time Sharon Murphy laid caution tape across the length of the court, creating six 36-foot courts on one full-size tennis court. The kids wanted to know why. Why couldn't they just play with the yellow ball? Read More
  • Visit the Gravity is Undefeated page
    Gravity is Undefeated
    August 18, 2026
    When I was 34, I heard Stan Smith give a lecture on the role of the head in posture and balance. Being a young, all-knowing coach at the time, I thought it was obvious. Of course posture and balance matter. Seven years later, I had an epiphany. I finally saw what true posture and balance actually look like. It is not obvious. Not even close. I had to pay attention. Close attention. And in my experience, it is the root cause of most technical errors coaches are trying to solve. But once you see it, posture and balance become an essential part of your technical lens. Read More
  • Visit the Bronze at Maccabiah Games page
    Bronze at Maccabiah Games
    August 06, 2026
    Trailing by a set and down 1-5 in the second of a brutal, three-and-a-half-hour bronze medal match at July’s Maccabiah Games, Wellesley, MA’s Janet Pearl was just one game away from losing the medal of her dreams. But Pearl was no stranger to uphill battles. Fighting through a painful elbow injury on top of a multi-year recovery from a knee injury, the 61-year-old refused to give up. Relying on the grit honed over years of rehabilitation, she battled back point after point to win the match and secure the bronze for Maccabi USA, a non-profit sponsoring the American delegation at the Games. For Pearl, the bronze was more than a win; it was the ultimate symbol of perseverance and the official end of her journey to recovery. Read More