For the first time ever, USTA Southern California held its Adult Sectionals over three consecutive weekends, spanning from the final weekend of July until the second weekend in August. Over 1400 players from all 13 areas traveled to Beach Cities and competed at Marina High School, Seal Beach Tennis Center and Lakewood Tennis Center.

All events held were for players aged 18 and over, and ranged in levels of play between 2.5 and 5.0. Qualifying rounds were held over the first two days of each weekend, while championship matches were all held on each Sunday. Competing for sectional titles was crucial, as winning at each level not only secured a team championship, but also guaranteed a spot  at the 2024 USTA National Championships.

WEEKEND ONE (JULY 26-28): 18 & OVER SECTIONALS – 3.0 / 4.5

Kickstarting the first weekend of play, the 3.0 and 4.5 men and women battled it out from Friday, July 26th until Sunday, July 28th. Within the qualifying rounds, the 3.0 men competed in a round robin, all of the women competed in flighted matches with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals, and the 4.5 men played in unflighted matches with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals. Of the flighted and unflighted matches, the four semi finalists duked it out to determine a champion. 

The 18 & Over 3.0 National Championships will take place between October 18-20 at the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego, California, while the 4.5 National Championships will commence from November 8-10 at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex in Surprise, Arizona. 

3.0 MEN – Led by captains Krunal Mistry and Michelle Kramer, the Los Angeles “Tremblors” dominated their round robin, completing an undefeated weekend and earning themselves the title as 3.0 men’s champions. En route to their title, LA took down teams from Beach Cities, San Gabriel Valley and San Diego. The squad finished their weekend with an overall record of 3-0, with an individual match score of 14-1 and a stellar 28 sets won to only 3 lost. This title was just the second of the Sectionals’ season for Los Angeles, and the first for both captains. Earning recognition as finalists, Jon Pang and Peter Yen’s SGV “Dare Doubles” compiled a 2-1 record over the weekend.

3.0 WOMEN – Completing a sweep at the 3.0 level, Los Angeles picked up its second Sectionals championship of the weekend, this time in the women’s division. Captained by Elaine Low and Brenna Opelka, the LA “JBees” went undefeated in their flight, defeating teams from San Diego, San Fernando Valley and Ventura. Earning a spot as one of four teams to make the playoffs because of their record, the JBees were placed into a bracket with two other teams from San Diego and one from Orange County. There, the “JBees” kept their impressive play alive, taking down OC in the semifinals before completing their championship weekend with a 5-0 win over Cathy Edwards and Candace Gyure’s SD “Balboa Smashers.”

4.5 MEN – Claiming the area’s first title of the weekend to add to their section-leading fifth overall, Orange County left Beach Cities as men’s 4.5 champions. Led by Francesco Nguyen and Leonard Wang, the OC “Body Shots” went undefeated in their qualifying matches, beating teams from San Gabriel Valley, Beach Cities and Los Angeles. Advancing to the playoffs, OC handedly defeated a team out of San Diego, before squeaking out a close 3-2 win in the finale over Neal Skuro and Colin Tang’s SFV “Wyld Holes.”

4.5 WOMEN – Becoming the only area to have won at least three championships over a single weekend this Sectionals’ season. Los Angeles took home the hardware in the women’s 4.5 division. Facing defeat in their first match of the qualifiers to Orange County, Mandi Collier and April Hartstein’s “Slay All Day” squad rallied, winning their next two matches over San Diego and San Fernando Valley in convincing fashion. With the best overall record in their flight, LA advanced into the playoffs, where they would defeat Ventura in the semifinals before facing off against another LA team in the finals. With the title and bragging rights at stake, “Slay All Day” commanded the entire match, defeating Lauren DiFazio and Lauren Hummel’s “Alley Cats” by a final of 4-1. With this victory, April Hartstein joins OC’s Michael Gu as the only captains to have led their teams to two Sectionals titles this season. 

SPIRIT AWARD WINNER – Recognized as the team that best showcased SoCal spirit over the weekend, Bakersfield claimed the spirit award. Krista Rodriguez’s team emerged victorious in a competition held through USTA SoCal’s social media channels. This achievement marks Bakersfield as the fourth different area to win this award, joining previous winners from Beach Cities, Central Coast, and San Diego.

WEEKEND TWO (AUGUST 2-4): 18 & OVER SECTIONALS – 4.0 / 5.0

Taking place from Friday, August 2nd until Sunday, August 4th, the second straight weekend of Adult Sectionals commenced, this time with the 4.0 and 5.0 men and women competing. In the qualifying matches, the 5.0 women competed in a round robin, the 5.0 men played in unflighted matches with the top two teams advancing, the 4.0 women played in unflighted matches with the top four teams advancing, and the 4.0 men competed in flighted matches with the top four teams advancing. All teams that advanced would later battle it out in playoff matches to determine the overall champion. 

Nationals for both skill levels will occur between October 18-20, with the 5.0 National Championships taking place at the Scottsdale Ranch Park & Indian School Park in Scottsdale, Arizona, while the 4.0 National Championships will be held at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex in Surprise, Arizona. 

4.0 MEN – Picking up the area’s first Sectionals trophy of the weekend, Orange County took home the gold in the 4.0 men’s division. Over the weekend, Mathew Gonzales and Lee Nguyen led “The Rookies” through their qualifying flight, as they defeated teams from Inland Empire, Santa Barbara and San Diego. After punching their ticket into the playoffs, OC narrowly took down San Diego, before being placed in an all OC finale against Luis Prieto’s “Diamond Hands.” Capping off their undefeated weekend, “The Rookies” were victorious once again, earning their title with a 3-2 victory. 

4.0 WOMEN – Adding a section-leading seventh Sectionals championship for its area in 2024, Orange County was victorious once more, securing the women’s 4.0 title. Regina Jacobs’ “Net Assets” went undefeated throughout their unflighted matches, defeating teams from the areas of San Diego, Beach Cities and Orange County on their way to the playoffs. One of the final four teams remaining, OC pulled out a win during their semifinals match against San Fernando Valley, before besting Roseann DeRosa’s SGV “Mo Better Tennis” bunch in the championship match by a score of 3-2. 

5.0 MEN – At the 5.0 men’s division, Tyler Tulenko captained his “Alta Vista” team to an undefeated weekend, helping Beach Cities triumph for the second time this Sectionals season. Within the qualifying flight, BC would be in control, securing key victories against groups out of Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley and Beach Cities. Clinching a place in the title match along another BC team, “Alta Vista” held on once again, besting Simon Peter’s “Mira Costa” crew by a final of 2-1.

5.0 WOMEN – Taking down the round robin, Carlota LeFon and Sanem Ahearn’s 5.0 women of San Diego were dominant en route to earning a Sectionals title. Keeping their opponents off the scoreboards in three of their four matches, the team from Pacific Beach Tennis Center compiled an overall record of 11-1, as they defeated teams from Beach Cities, Orange County and Los Angeles. With a record of 7-5, Mandi Collier’s LA “Got Balls” were recognized as finalists. Helping San Diego secure their fourth overall title so far, this championship would also be Lefon’s second title of the season, following her capstone victory at the 40 & Over 3.0 / 4.0 Sectional Championships. 

SPIRIT AWARD WINNER – Displaying an impressive showing of Southern California spirit, the ladies of Jennifer Soller’s Ventura County team were recognized as the fifth spirit award winners of the season. With this win, Ventura County becomes the fifth unique area to take home a spirit award, being selected as the victor through polls on USTA SoCal’s social media channels. 

WEEKEND THREE (AUGUST 9-11): 18 & OVER SECTIONALS – 2.5 / 3.5

Duking it out from Friday, August 9th until Sunday, August 11th, the men’s and women’s 2.5 and 3.5 teams fought for the final Sectionals tiles over the three-week stretch. Within the qualifying matches, every team battled it out within unflighted matches. Both the 3.5 men and women played in three unflighted matches with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals, while the 2.5 women competed in three unflighted matches with only the top two teams advancing. Following the qualifiers, all advancing teams would then take part in playoff matches to crown a champion. 

Looking towards Nationals, the 18 & Over 2.5 National Championships will occur between October 18-20 at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex in Surprise, Arizona, while the 3.5 National Championships will take place from October 25-27 at the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego, California. 

2.5 WOMEN – Taking home the area’s fifth Sectionals championship this season, Los Angeles won the women’s 2.5 title. Under leadership of Laura Lemle-Birch and Michelle Kramer, the “Kick Aces” fought back after a tough first loss in the qualifiers to the LA “Fuzz Off,” picking up two consecutive wins against Orange County and another Los Angeles squad to end their unflighted matches. With a record good enough for second in their pool, they advanced into the championship match where they would have to face the top-seeded “Fuzz Off” once more. Avenging their loss, the “Kick Aces” took down Dylan Nogay’s squad by a final of 2-1. This championship would become Michelle Kramer’s second title this season, with both coming in the span of just three weeks.

3.5 MEN – Making their presence felt, Orange County was dominant in the men’s 3.5 division, taking home the gold. Led by captains Michael Gu and Nicholas Lau, OC “Meta Legend” put together an impressive showing in the qualifiers. The squad compiled an undefeated overall record against teams from San Fernando Valley, Bakersfield and Los Angeles, to pair with their fourteen team wins to just one loss. Advancing to the playoffs, OC handedly took down Inland Empire in their first match. They followed this up by getting the best of Jonathan Lababit and Tyler Barnhardt’s Beach Cities squad, defeating them in the championship by a final of 3-2. The victory would place Michael Gu atop all captains with his third Sectionals title. 

3.5 WOMEN – Securing its second title for the area over the weekend, Orange County caught fire once more, this time with a championship victory in the women’s 3.5 division. With an astounding 15-0 win/loss record in their qualifying matches, Elyzabeth Pham and Genesis Arreola’s “Laguna Angels” went undefeated to start play, beating teams from San Fernando Valley and Inland Empire. Clinching a playoff berth, OC kept their momentum rolling, first taking down Beach Cities in the semifinals. In the championship against Jo Ann Thrailkill and Helen McCusker’s SFV “Volley Girls,” OC secured their title with a 4-1 win. In winning this championship, Orange County has now had a team win a Sectionals title in five of the six events this season. The area currently leads all others with a section-best nine overall championships.

SPIRIT AWARD WINNER – Capturing the spirit award during the final chapter of the three-week Sectionals stretch, Ventura County’s “Malibu Beach Ballers” were honored as the team that showed the most SoCal spirit during the event. In a contest voted on through USTA SoCal’s social media channels, Candace Kelly’s squad was deemed the winner by the various channels’ followers, helping Ventura County become the first area to win the award in back-to-back weeks this season.

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