Tennis Briefs(3): H.S. Team Challenge, Pro Circuit Wild Card, More

High School Team Tennis Challenge at Altamonte Springs in January

Coaches can get their teams ready, and players can prepare for the 2015 Florida high school tennis season by participating in the USTA Florida High School Team Tennis Challenge, to be held Jan. 31-Feb. 1, at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs.

The two-day round robin event, presented by Wilson Racquet Sports, WILL NOT affect high school eligibility. Students are advised to check high school regulations and consult with their school athletic director.

This is a recreational USTA Florida event and not a sanctioned FHSAA event, and players cannot wear school uniforms.

The cost for the event is $20 per player for USTA members, and $30 per player for non-USTA members.

As a fundraiser schools can earn cases of tennis balls by bringing multiple teams. Teams are gender specific and must be 4-6 players, with two lines of singles and two lines of doubles per match. Skill divisions will be intermediate and advanced.

The scoring format will be one 6-game set with a tiebreak at 5-5, and regular-ad scoring.

For more information or to register click here or contact Liz Coates at coates@florida.usta.com.

Daytona USTA Pro Circuit Women’s Wild Card Tournament in January

The Daytona Beach $25,000 Women’s Open, a USTA Pro Circuit event, will host a wild card tournament on Jan. 10-12, 2015, at The Oceans Racquet Club in Daytona Beach Shores, Fla.

The wild card tournament winner will receive automatic entry into the main draw of the Daytona Beach $25,000 Women’s Open, to be held Jan. 18-25, 2015 at the Florida Tennis Center in Daytona Beach.

The wild card tournament finalist, as well as the winner between the back draw champion and 3rd place finisher will receive entry into the qualifying tournament.

Entry deadline for the wild card tournament is Jan. 8, 2015, and the entry fee is $65. Competitors must be at least 14 years of age.

The Oceans Racquet Club is located at 3000 S. Atlantic Avenue, Daytona Beach Shores, Fla., 32118.

For more information or to enter click here.

Miami’s Van Nguyen on Winning U.S. Master’U Paribas Team

Wake Forest freshman and 2014 Wimbledon boys’ champion Noah Rubin (Rockville Centre, N.Y.), University of Virginia junior Julia Elbaba (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) and UCLA senior Robin Anderson (Matawan, N.J.) each won singles matches to lead the United States to a 4-1 victory over host France in the Master’U BNP Paribas Finals last Sunday in Aix-en-Provence, earning the U.S. its fourth straight title at the international collegiate team competition.

Elbaba, the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate champion, went 3-0 in singles over the three-day competition, as the U.S. team — also featuring University of Georgia senior Nathan Pasha (Atlanta), University of Virginia sophomore Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (Charlotte, N.C.) and UCLA senior Chanelle Van Nguyen (Miami) — defeated Ireland, Russia and France to bring the U.S. its fifth Master’U title, all coming since 2009.

Each match consisted of two men’s and two women’s singles matches, one women’s and one men’s doubles match and a mixed doubles match. Complete results from all three days can be found by visiting the Master’U BNP Paribas website.

Boise State men’s coach Greg Patton and California women’s coach Amanda Augustus coached the team. Patton chronicled the team’s experience in an online journal at www.USTA.com.