The second day of the 2018 USTA Junior Team Tennis 14 & Under National Championships wrapped up Saturday evening at the USTA National Campus. The day saw the conclusion of group play before action transitioned over to the playoff rounds in both the Intermediate and Advanced divisions. Setting the scene for Sunday, the Texas Section has a chance to take home both team crowns.

Using the World Team Tennis format, each team dual match features five individual matchups – boys’ singles, girls’ singles, boys’ doubles, girls’ doubles and mixed doubles.

The Intermediate semifinals pitted Midwest (Advantage Indy) clashing against Southern (One Hit Wonders) and Texas (Dallas Select) facing off with Mid-Atlantic (Westwood Nuclear Nine). Texas was the most dominant in group play, cruising through Flight C by winning 14 of their 15 individual matchups behind an overall set total of 28 wins and four losses. Also turning in comprehensive performances were Southern (One Hit Wonders) in Flight B and Midwest (Advantage Indy) from Flight A; Southern claimed 13 courts with 26 sets won while Midwest came through in 12 of their individual matchups with 25 sets earned. It was a much tougher road for Mid-Atlantic in Flight D, but the Westwood Nuclear Nine managed to produce a 3-0 record despite going 7-8 on their individual courts.

Midwest got the best of Southern, 52-43, winning four of the five courts to move into the championship dual. All four singles sets were decided by 6-4 or 6-5 margins, but Midwest came out on top in all four sets. After a split of the doubles matchups, the two Midwest singles victors teamed up to polish off the team victory with a 6-2, 6-5 mixed doubles triumph. A trio of straight-set results in favor of Texas powered them to an easy 57-30 win over Mid-Atlantic, who could not build off of a 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 comeback in the boys’ singles contest. Texas countered with a 6-0, 6-1 score line in girls’ singles to go along with a sweep of the doubles. That was followed up by a come-from-behind win by Texas in the mixed doubles.

Both representatives of the Texas Section survived group play to qualify for the Advanced semifinals. It was wild card entrant Dallas Select with the more impressive effort out of Flight D, dropping one lone court and a mere five sets en route to a 3-0 record. In Flight A, the ATA Dream Team also secured all three of their duals with a total of 11 individual matchup wins thanks to 23 sets captured. Joining them were Northern (SLP Yeti’s) and Southern (Atlanta Smashers). Neither had much trouble advancing out of their respective flights, with Northern posting a 14-1 record on the 15 courts they contested while Southern grabbed 12 of the 15 matchups their players took part in.

In the end, both of the Texas teams survived the semifinal round to setup an all-Lone Star State championship showdown. The ATA Dream Team and Northern ended their dramatic dual tied at 50 games apiece and each squad winning seven sets. However, the Dream Team was able to secure three of the five courts to be named the victor. The only contest to not be decided by a match tiebreak was the boys’ singles, where Northern won 6-4, 6-3. The Dream Team hung on for wins at the girls’ singles spot (6-5, 2-6, 1-0) and the boys’ doubles line (6-1, 5-6, 1-0). Meanwhile, Northern clawed their way to a 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 result in the girls’ doubles. As was the case for nearly every matchup, the mixed doubles could have gone either way, but the Dream Team rallied back for a 5-6, 6-4, 1-0 margin. Southern also pushed Dallas Select to the brink, but came up just short in a 51-43 final score line. Despite the tight margin, all five courts ended in straight sets. Southern claimed both boys’ contests while Dallas Select emerged victorious in the girls’ singles and doubles. All four of those matchups featured one set that went to a tiebreak. Dallas Select was able to put some separation between the two with the mixed doubles score, a 6-1, 6-4 victory.

With the threat of severe weather in the area on Sunday, all matches will now begin at 7 a.m. Both championship duals, taking place on Collegiate courts 1-4 and 7-10, will be broadcast live and can be watched here.

Established in 1991, USTA Junior Team Tennis provides youth with all of the health and social benefits of tennis in a coed, fun and competitive environment – all while allowing participants to compete with and against individuals of similar ages and skill levels.

With more than 85,000 players competing nationwide, USTA Junior Team Tennis brings players together to enjoy camaraderie and teamwork, providing a fun environment for kids to learn that succeeding is really more about how they play the game – win or lose.

Each year the USTA crowns a national champion in two age divisions (14U and 18U) in both the Intermediate and Advanced classifications. In last year’s 14U competition, the OC Dream Team representing the Southern California Section brought home the Advanced crown while Northern California’s Cal Tennis Club The Council captured the Intermediate title.

For a complete breakdown of all Advanced and Intermediate flights, along with full daily match schedules, click here.