Tuesday marked the fourth day of the 101st American Tennis Association (ATA) National Championships, hosted by the USTA National Campus. Moving into Wednesday, a total of 12 titles could be taken home depending on results – seven singles, four doubles and one mixed doubles.

The lone junior final to take to the courts on Wednesday will be the boys’ 10s finals, where Joshua Bayete Miller (Philadelphia, Pa.) and No. 2 Nhylan Westmoreland (Chicago) are set to square off. Both have been dominant in advancing to the championship round, with Westmoreland winning both of his matches 6-1, 6-0 and Miller dropping just five games in total.

Neither Angel Diaz (Caguas, P.R.) nor Charles Nelson (Lehigh Acres, Fla.) lost a game on Tuesday in the four-player men’s 40s semifinals. Diaz was victorious 6-0, 6-0 while Nelson received a walkover. Meanwhile, in the men’s 50s semifinals, top seed Larry Atkins (Oakland, Calif.) and James Brown (Honolulu) took vastly different paths to move into Wednesday’s final. Atkins outlasted Gary Buckhalter (Chicago) 6-3, 2-6, 10-6; Brown upset No. 2 seed Carlos Baez (Manati, P.R.) 6-1, 6-0.

Women’s 45s division No. 1 seed Donnetha Johnson (Houston) breezed through her match on Tuesday by a 6-1, 6-0 score line to get into the championship, where she will take on Tekla Johnson (Kings Mountain, N.C.), who prevailed 6-3, 6-3. The women’s 55s draw will feature the top two seeds – No. 1 Tenagne Daniels (Atlanta) and No. 2 Elaine Parker (Baltimore). Both have given away a mere six games along the way.

Wednesday will see a de facto final in the women’s 60s competition, which is composed of three total players. Carla Baker (New Orleans) and Sheila Brown (Winter Haven, Fla.) each have already recorded a 6-3, 6-2 win over Cheryl Irons-Guynn (Dresher, Pa.), meaning the winner of their matchup will claim the trophy.

No. 1 Emogene Vaughn (Norfolk, Va.) was not challenged in taking her women’s 65s semifinal encounter 6-1, 6-1. She will be across the net from Beverley Ranger (Charlotte, N.C.) on Wednesday, who was impressive in knocking out No. 2 Fenella Cooper (St. Thomas, V.I.) 6-3, 6-4. For the women’s 70s championship bout, top seed Ann Eaton (Houston) and No. 2 Cheryl Pernell (Plainfield, N.J.) will do battle after they both swept through the semifinals 6-0, 6-0.

The lone men’s doubles title up for grabs Wednesday comes in the men’s 45s division. Top seeds Kenneth Myers (Shreveport, La.) and Larry Scheper (Beaufort, S.C.) benefitted from a walkover Tuesday; No. 2 seeds Chuck Jones (Glenside, Pa.) and Ralph Simpson (Neward, Del.) defeated John Albritton (Orlando, Fla.) and Wilson Moran (Winter Park, Fla.) 6-2, 6-4.

A total of three women’s doubles finals are on the slate for day five. In the women’s 40s, the top-seeded Sunshine State tandem of Jessica Fischer and Jennifer Myers, both representing Winter Haven, will go up against Jacqueline Shaw (Collegeville, Pa.) and Shana Smith (Sicklerville, N.J.). The first and second seeds will meet in the women’s 50s championship after toughing out wins Tuesday. No. 1 seeds Tenagne Daniels and Thele Moore (Stone Mountain, Ga.) bested Jamaine Chisholm (Washington, D.C.) and Tracee Barnes (Glenarden, Md.) 6-3, 7-5 while No. 2 seeds Shelena Sanderson (Owings Mills, Md.) and Darlene Queen (California, Md.) came through versus New Orleans duo Jacqueline Bachus and Julie James 6-1, 7-6(3). The only two teams in the women’s 70s, Lavenia Ferguson (Novelty, Ohio) and Laverne Taylor (Hialeah, Fla.) will step onto the court with Nancy Gilbert and Linda Mateen of Cleveland with everything on the line.

In mixed doubles, James Brown and Donnetha Johnson beat Al-Yassa Al-Mahi (Hatfield, Pa.) and Trina Harrison (Newark, Del.) 6-0, 6-1. Should the pair record a victory over Dejuan Mcilwain (Laurel, Md.) and Darlene Queen on Wednesday, that would lock up the title for Brown and Johnson.

Action picks back up on Wednesday starting at 8:00 a.m. with both junior and adult divisions.

For more information on the 2018 ATA National Championships, click here. To learn more about the history of the ATA, click here.

The ATA was born on November 30, 1916, when representatives from over a dozen black tennis clubs met in Washington, D.C., with the goal of promoting black tennis in America. The organization held the first ATA National Championships at Baltimore’s Druid Hill Park in August of the following year; the tournament featured three total draws – men’s singles, women’s singles, and men’s doubles.

The ATA, which is the oldest African-American sports organization in the United States, has produced a number of the world’s top players and coaches. Most notably among these are Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe, the first African-Americans to be ranked No. 1 and to win grand slam titles. Others to grow up training at ATA-affiliated clubs and participating in ATA events include current USTA Chairman of the Board and President Katrina Adams, Zina Garrison, Leslie Allen, Lori McNeil, Chanda Rubin and MaliVai Washington.