The first-ever UTR Sports Tennisfest took over Rome, Ga. for three days of non-stop junior, college, and adult tennis. All held at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College from Oct. 31-Nov. 2, the four events included:
- The UTR Sports College Tennis Showcase - 45 high school-aged players competing and 20 coaches recruiting
- The second annual NAIA Individual National Championships - 45 men and 37 women vying for national titles
- The first NJCAA Individual National Championships - junior college athletes competing for the first individual trophies in NJCAA tennis history
- The inaugural UTR Sports Flex Leagues National Championships - 63 players grouped into 14 co-ed draws
Tennisfest was such a success that the 2026 dates are already confirmed: Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2026!
Cumberlands Sweeps the NAIA Individual National Championships
Highlighting the top collegiate talent from NAIA programs across the country, the individual national tournament, hosted by UTR Sports, crowned two singles champions on Sunday.
In the men’s final, the University of the Cumberlands' Maxence Petit (11.06) defeated his teammate Jacopo Cianfarini (10.88), 7-6 (1), 6-1. In the NAIA women’s final, Cumberlands senior Marina Nagai (8.41) beat her teammate Bryndis Rosa (6.73), 6-1, 6-1.
Meridian Dominates NJCAA Individual National Championships
The first-ever individual championships for the junior college tennis division saw Meridian come away with both trophies. In the men's NJCAA final, Jared Escobar (10.70) from Meridian topped Coastal Alabama's Milan Olagnon (10.31), 6-1, 6-4.
In the women’s NJCAA Sunday final, Meridian’s Reine Akombo (5.79) beat Coastal Alabama’s Nadja Walter (5.69), 6-2, 6-2.
UTR Sports College Tennis Showcase
The UTR Sports College Tennis Showcase was created to help players looking to compete at the college level. Over three days, players competed in front of U.S. college coaches with direct networking opportunities like Q&As and seminars. The first day was a College Prep Day hosted by University of Georgia men’s assistant coach Bruno Tiberti.
"Over the course of my recruiting process, I’ve noticed that College Showcases are very critical just so college coaches can see how you play and what your playing style is like," said high school senior Alexis Gard in Rome.
Parents called the event a "game changer" for their children, and the connections made "invaluable".
"If you had four of these per year, we'd come to all four of them," said First Presbyterian Day high school tennis coach Derek Lashley. "Just so I could get these coaches to see my kids play."
UTR Sports is hosting more Showcases in 2025 with prestigious partners all over hte world - see the full schedule here.
UTR Sports Flex Leagues National Championships Crowns 14 Winners
UTR Sports brought together the best adults (over 16) from the popular nationwide Flex Leagues. The national tournament saw 63 players spread out across 14 draws based on UTR Rating. Here are the final results:
- Tier 1: Edward Shepherd Johnson (9.32) def. Matteo Arnold Zabarski (7.71), 6-2, 6-3
- Tier 2: Eric Xu (8.12) def. Christopher Springer (7.35), 6-1, 6-4
- Tier 3: Jehu Mang (6.94) def. Kenny Rackers (7.03), 6-1, 6-0
- Tier 4: Devin Lindhurst (5.95) def. Marcelo Baird (6.63), 1-6, 6-1, 10-1
- Tier 5: Carter Tinsman (5.52) def. Jared Elrod (5.31), 5-7, 6-1, 10-8
- Tier 6: Zhuoqi Li (5.50) def. Ty Lee (5.21), 6-1, 6-0
- Tier 7: Chengyuan Ke (5.08) def. John Chen (4.54), 6-1, 6-3
- Tier 8: Dingyue Liu (4.70) def. Abhimanyu Rajshekar (4.64), 6-2, 6-2
- Tier 9: Caleb Wilson (4.93) def. Jonattan Diaz (4.70), 6-1, 4-6, 10-4
- Tier 10: Cullen Adre (3.96) def. Aidan Lyles (3.88), 6-0, 6-3
- Tier 11: Jaime Alberto (3.95) def. Todd Chamberlain (4.00), 6-1, 6-2
- Tier 12: Steve Potter (3.92) def. Colin Frazier (3.23), 6-4, 6-1
- Tier 13: Alex North (3.25) def. Hunter Satterfield (2.43), 6-3, 6-2
- Tier 14: Saket Verma (2.78) def. Ryan Donahue (2.49), 7-6(5), 7-5
The Tennifest was a one-of-a-kind weekend where juniors, college players, and recreational competitors shared the same stage.