Adult League competition in the 2024 calendar year season wrapped up this past weekend, with the final event concluding during back-to-back weekends of Sectionals. Adult league players spanning from all 13 areas in the section traveled to Orange County to do battle, competing at the Great Park Tennis Center, Laguna Niguel Racquet Club, and Costa Mesa Tennis Center. All championship matches for each event were held exclusively at Great Park.

The first weekend, held from December 6-8, featured the 18 and Over Tri-Level Sectionals, with seven divisions based on skill level and gender. The following weekend showcased 18 and Over Mixed Tri-Level, along with Mixed 55 and Over play. The Tri-Level format provides for two of the most exciting Sectionals events of the year, offering a unique team league experience where players of different NTRP levels compete together on the same team.

WEEKEND #1 – DECEMBER 6-8

TRI-LEVEL

2.5-3.5 Women – Kicking off the action, San Diego added to their impressive tally of Sectionals championships with a victory in the 2.5-3.5 division of women’s Tri-Level.  The “Santaluz” squad led by Rachel Wagner and Marcela Flores were dominant throughout, compiling an undefeated record of 4-0 in all of their matches. Here, they took down teams from Los Angeles, San Diego, Inland Empire and San Fernando Valley. Earning recognition as runner-ups were Los Angeles’ “Mountain Gate” bunch. Led by Dylan Nogay, the group held an overall record of 3-1. 

3.0-4.0 Women – Putting together an undefeated weekend for themselves, Orange County took home the crown as women’s 3.0-4.0 champions. Cheryl Gates’ “Aces High” was a force to be reckoned with, picking up victories over teams from San Diego North County, San Diego, and Bakersfield during their pool play. Advancing to the playoffs as a top seed, they first bested Beach Cities in the semifinals, before defeating San Diego in the championship by a final of 2-1. Led by Kristin DeWitt and Kathy Williams, SD’s “Santaluz” had a great run of their own, making the playoffs as the best team in their bracket, before claiming victory in their semifinals match. 

3.0-4.0 Men – Captained by John Gonzales, Los Angeles’ “Queen Anne” held strong throughout their round robin, completing an undefeated weekend and earning themselves the title as 3.0-4.0 men’s champions. En route to their title, LA took down teams from San Gabriel, Orange County, San Diego and San Fernando Valley. Runner-Ups for the event were San Gabriel Valley’s “Underdogs,” who were led by captains  Adrian Tay and Chinna Ponnagaanti to an overall record of 3-1. 

3.5-4.5 Women – Claiming the area’s first title of the weekend San Gabriel Valley left Sunday as women’s 3.5- 4.5 champions. Captained by Colin Tang and Laurie Manley, the “Wild Cards” escaped play in rounders as the No. 1 overall seed, following victories over teams from San Diego North County, Ventura County and San Diego. In their first round matchup during the playoffs, they came out swinging with a sweep against San Fernando Valley. The “Wild Cards” kept their momentum rolling in the finale, completing their undefeated weekend with a 2-1 victory over Inland Empire. The finalists, Benny Chung’s “Elevenis” had an extremely formidable showing throughout, having not lost a match prior to the finals. 

3.5-4.5 Men – Completing a sweep at the 3.5-4.5 level, San Gabriel Valley and Colin Tang each picked up their second Sectionals championship of the weekend, this time in the men’s division. The “Wild Cards” once again took home the gold, and did so in nearly identical fashion to that of their female counterparts. In rounders, SGV went undefeated with wins over teams from Los Angeles, Beach Cities and Ventura County. In the playoffs, they pulled off back-to-back sweeps, first defeating San Diego North County before taking down San Fernando Valley. Raquel Andal’s “Club Osa” had a very strong weekend of play, not dropping a match throughout play before the championship match. With this victory, Tang joins Michael Gu as the only captains this season to lead their teams to two championships in a single event. Gu first accomplished this feat during Mixed 40 & Over Sectionals. 

4.0-5.0 Women – At the 4.0-5.0 women’s division, April Hartstein captained her “Slay All Day” team to an undefeated weekend, helping Los Angeles triumph for a second time this weekend. Within the round robin, LA did not drop a match, beating teams from San Diego and Orange County on their way to a 3-0 record. Earning the title as runner-ups were San Diego’s “Super HT” led by Masako Wilson who compiled an overall record of 2-1 throughout play. 

4.0-5.0 Men – The second team to pull off a skill-level based sweep this weekend, Los Angeles took home the title once more, this time in the men’s 4.0-5.0 division. Debbie Halim’s “Sets on Fire” put together an overall record of 3-0 in their round robin, as they beat teams from San Diego and Los Angeles. William Chu managed his San Diego bunch to a finish as runner-ups with an overall record of 2-1 on the weekend. With their victory, LA joins SGV as the only areas to have won three sectional titles in a singles event, a milestone SGV first achieved during 55 & Over Sectionals. 

Spirit Award Winner – Beach Cities’ “Billie Jean King TC” earned the ninth Spirit Award of the season, recognized as the team that displayed the most Southern California spirit during the event. In a contest conducted through USTA SoCal’s social media platforms, Jo Navarro Garrett‘s team was selected as the winner by followers across the various channels.

WEEKEND #2 – DECEMBER 13-15

MIXED TRI-LEVEL

3.0-4.0 Mixed – The championship match for the 3.0-4.0 Mixed division will be rescheduled for a later date. Michael Gu and Nicole Doan‘s “Meta Legend” were the only team among the nine total to finish the round robin undefeated. With a perfect 4-0 record, OC triumphed over teams from San Diego, San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, and San Diego North County. San Fernando Valley’s “Smash & Dash,” led by Dan Lula, finished with a strong 3-1 record, securing victories over teams from San Diego North County, Central Coast, and San Diego. OC and SFV will now face off for the title.

3.5-4.5 Mixed – Orange County once again showcased its dominance, capturing the title in both divisions of the Mixed Tri-Level, this time in the 3.5-4.5 division. After making their way into Sectionals as a Wild Card, OC took their opportunity and never looked back. Undefeated in pool play, Lee Nguyen’s team stormed through the competition, defeating teams from San Fernando Valley, San Diego, and the Central Coast. In the final, a showdown between two undefeated OC teams took place, as Nguyen’s squad triumphed over the team led by Avinash Mehta and Kim Tran. They secured a 2-1 victory to claim the championship.

MIXED 55 & OVER

7.0 Mixed – Taking down the competition, Don Hoak’s 7.0 mixed team from Inland Empire were more than impressive en route to earning a Sectionals title. In rounders, Hoak led his bunch to an undefeated overall record of 3-0, while only having lost one individual match throughout. IE’s play was enough to secure them the top-seed in the playoffs, where they first matched up against San Gabriel Valley. Squeaking out a 2-1 victory in the semifinals, IE advanced to the finals where they would once again claim victory, this time over San Fernando Valley. Finalists, Ade Quingco’s squad put together an overall record of 4-0 leading up to the finale. The championship marks the first of 2024 for the Inland Empire. 

8.0 Mixed – Adding a section-leading eighteenth Sectionals championship for its area in 2024, Orange County was victorious once again, securing the Mixed 8.0 title. Frank Tran’s crew went undefeated throughout their flighted matches, defeating teams from the areas of San Gabriel Valley, Ventura County and San Diego North County on their way to the playoffs. Immediately playing for the championship, OC took on San Diego’s “Rangers,” who were led by Mark Warren and Deborah Fitzgerald. In the title match, OC pulled out a dominant 3-0 victory to complete their weekend. 

–

Sectional Titles Per Area in 2024

Bakersfield – 0
Beach Cities – 4
Central Coast – 1
Coachella Valley –  0
Inland Empire – 1
Los Angeles – 9
Orange County – 18
San Diego & San Diego North County – 8
San Fernando Valley – 1
San Gabriel Valley – 9
Santa Barbara – 0
Ventura County – 0

–

Most Sectionals Titles By a Captain in 2024

Michael Gu – 6
Colin Tang – 4
April Hartstein – 3
Carlota LeFon, Deping Liu, Laurie Manley, Lee Nguyen – 2 

–

Interested in joining an Adult League team? Learn more about program offerings and discover your league area! Click here for more information.