Eight Austin Tennis Academy athletes fought to qualify for the next step in the progression of junior tennis is Texas this past weekend. Four players at the San Antonio ZAT earned enough points to advance to the Champ division, while four players at the College Station Champ paved their paths to Super-Champ status.

“More players qualified this past weekend than in any weekend in the history of the Austin Tennis Academy,” Coach Jack Newman said. “It is a testament to the work put in by each of these players for the past 4-6 months.”

At the San Antonio ZAT, 6 players reached the semifinals and 4 reached the finals. In the boy’s 12s draw, Tyler Anson took the title, going undefeated on the weekend.

“Tyler played with great energy all weekend and raised his game to new heights in the finals,” Coach Notis said. “He played with courage all weekend.”

Julian Sweeney battled for a spot in the finals of his boy’s 14s draw on Sunday.

“Julian competed well all weekend, playing with patience, setting up points and playing with intensity,” Coach Notis said.

Kristen Kerrigan also fought for a top 2 finish by reaching the final round, and even coming a point from winning the tournament.

“Kristen stayed focused the entire tournament,” Coach Notis said. “She limited errors and used her excellent speed to her advantage.”

Alex Mjos worked to become the 4th ATA finalist at the San Antonio ZAT. Alex had spent a few months away from tournament competition while working on a new forehand, which she showcased all weekend.

“Alex played with great intensity all weekend,” Coach Notis said. “Her new forehand was solid and she played with a great attitude.”

All 4 players will be representing ATA at the JTT State Tournament this weekend at Newks on the ATA Aces, joining Jay Spiers, a ZAT semi-finalist this weekend, Georgia Wright and Jack Schiffman (who are both already champ level players). Good luck Aces!

While the ZAT players succeeded in San Antonio, many of their teammates were competing in the College Station Champ MZ.

“The champ tournament was amazing,” Coach Estevam Strecker said.

Breck Spencer claimed the championship crown with a 7-6, 7-6 victory in the final round.

“The finals was a long, hard fought match and he out lasted his opponent,” Coach Strecker said. “He was more consistent, and played smarter tennis.”

Also earning the tournament championship, Austin Mayo stormed through his boy’s 18s draw in what was his first champ tournament is 6 years.

“Mayo knew he wanted to play one champ and be done with it forever, and that is exactly what he did,” Coach Strecker said. “He dominated his draw and was superior in every aspect. He learned a valuable lesson, that with focused effort he can accomplish anything he sets his mind into.”

Liam Leddy joined the other ATA champions last weekend by winning his boy’s 16s draw at the Champ tournament.

“Liam had a very tough quarter-final match on Saturday,” Coach Strecker said. “He kept his composure and dug very deep, ending up pulling off a 3rd set win. I think that win gave him the confidence he needed to win the whole thing.”

Liam attributed his success to his dedication over the past month to scripting, a major part of ATA’s mental training program.

"Liam has been working extremely hard and has improved so much,” said Coach Kendall Brooks, who watched his semifinal and final round matches. “He had a battle in the finals and his persistence and commitment to playing his game style of using his big serve and finishing at the net helped him to pull it out. I was very proud of his focus, emotional control and fight."

Keaton Qualls made it an even 8 qualifiers when he secured the championship of his draw.

"Keaton continued to play amazingly solid tennis building on last month's Final appearance,” Coach Kendall said. “He handled himself very well, even when challenged, and played a whole level above his competition- proving he is ready for Supers."

The ringing sentiment around ATA is that this past weekend is among the most successful in the history of the program. The coaches explained to the Academy group that these titles were earned through focused hard work, and that this type of success at the super champ major zones will only come with the same consistent dedication to the process.