Rye Racquet’s 12 & Under Team Reaches Finals of USTA Section Championship

Teamwork and practice paid off for young tennis players at Rye Racquet Club.  After a successful string of victories since January, the club’s USTA 12 & Under Intermediate Team returned from the USTA Section Championship in Schenectady, New York on June 7 with the finalist trophy and medals for all the players.

The team’s 13 members who hail from Rye, Harrison, Greenwich, White Plains, Larchmont, Mamaroneck and New Rochelle were thrilled with the outcome. Last year, the team qualified for the section tournament but placed third. “This year, they were ready to fight,” said Rye Racquet Club’s Go Inagawa, team coach.

Alison Zerbib of Larchmont, who barely dropped a game during the season, said she had a great time on the team. “It was fun to be on a team and have support from my friends since tennis is usually an individual sport.” Teammate Nicolas Jaramillo of Rye echoed similar sentiments about having fun, adding: “I would definitely like to go back and play one more match.”

The USTA junior team format consists of boys and girls singles and doubles and mixed doubles and unlike traditional tennis, a team victory is determined by the total number of games won, not set scores. “This encourages players to fight for every point,” explained Inagawa.   In the section tournament at Central Park in Schenectady, a round robin with matches of four-game sets with no-ad scoring,  Rye Racquet Club won 80 games, trailing behind the winning team from Maywood, New Jersey by a mere four games.  Rye Racquet Club defeated teams from Highland Park, Huntington, Schenectady, Setauket and Buffalo.  

Team tennis also allows coaching during the changeovers which Inagawa enjoys and feels is a significant factor in helping players improve. The team members all participate in the junior program at Rye Racquet Club where they work on their game and match play year-round. Next year, they will be primed for the championship title or at least a repeat performance.  For more information on Rye Racquet Club, call 914-835-3030 or visit www.ryeracquet.com.

Photo courtesy of the USTA

Rye Racquet Club USTA 12 & Under Intermediate Team Section Finalists

IDs: Front row left to right: Justin Cheigh (Rye), Reece Mullahy (Rye), Doug Yaffa (Harrison), Juliette Nask (Mamaroneck),Yui Inagawa (Greenwich),James Cruz (New Rochelle), Eddie Nakamura (Rye), Farida Ibrahim (White Plains)

Back row left to right: Nicolas Jaramillo (Rye), Finlay Ryan (Rye), Coach Go Inagawa, Alison Zerbib (Larchmont)

Not pictured but instrumental during the season: Jessica and Sydney Saviano (Harrison)