Four teams from the Richmond Tennis Association (RTA) won their respective U.S. Tennis Association league championships.
Both the RTA men’s and RTA women’s 8.5 rated teams completed the regular season as champs. The men needed a win in a 10 point super tiebreaker via Tomas Perez Alfonso and Joaquin Fuenzalida to to seal their team victory over their opponents from the team from renown Davie Stadium in Oakland.
The women also needed a win in their 10 point super tiebreaker via Barbara Sullivan and Jil van Slyke to seal their team victory over their opponents playing out of Mills College in Oakland.
Both 8.5 teams were captained by Jorge Salinas with his analytic prowess.
RTA’s 7.5 rated men’s team squeaked by via a dramatic come from behind win in their semi-final playoff match versus the Chabot Tennis Club in Oakland. In the deciding line (the score was tied 1-1 after splitting the first two lines), the RTA team of Roberto Olivares-Amaya and Fernando Ramos fell behind 0-3 and were struggling against one of Chabot’s top ranked teams. Spurred on by the cheering RTA bystanders, Roberto and Fernando dug deep and ran off six straight games to decide their line and win the match for their team.
After this dramatic win, the RTA team played with renewed energy and confidence in the finals playoff match to sweep the team from archrival Claremont Resort and Spa, winning all three lines with another 10 point super tiebreak win by Emmanuel Briones Diaz and Marco Valgonio.
This team was captained and inspired by David Kardon.
RTA’s 6.5 rated men’s team dominated their opponents during the regular season, winning with an 80 percent record over the second rated team record at 60 percent. They continued that winning streak by sweeping the league championship match against Washington Park in Alameda. Once again, another 10 point super tiebreak win by Eddy Quijada and Ivan Scruby sealed this championship match. This team was energized by the enthusiasm of captain Phillip Villagomez.
Now, all four teams will travel to Sacramento in January to compete in the USTA Northern California Sectional Championships for the right to represent Richmond in the USTA National Championships.
“RTA is proud to represent the city of Richmond through their commitment to improving the healthy lifestyles for Richmond residents of all ages through active participation in vigorous tennis programs along with enhanced facilities and adjacent parks,” said Garry Hurlbut, RTA president and executive director.
