LOCAL TEAM TAKES 3rd AT WORLD TEAM TENNIS NATIONALS
11/7/06

l to r: Manh Nguyen, Kerri Rhodes, Sallie Taylor, Grant Slegowski

A Richmond-based team traveled to Palm Springs, CA and placed 3^rd in the World Team Tennis (WTT) National Finals November 2-5.  The annual event drew its largest turnout ever, with over 400 players competing on 48 teams across 10 divisions (3.0-Open, Senior and Corporate).  The tournament was held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden – home to the Pacific Life Open and the 2^nd largest tennis stadium in the world.

Team members participating at Nationals were Grant Slegowski (Captain - Raintree), Sallie Taylor (CCV), Kerri Rhodes (Ridgetop) and Manh Nguyen (Robious).  This foursome opened round robin play with victories over teams from Schenectady, NY, Saint Louis and Henderson, NV, which set up a showdown against the defending champions from Albany, NY, who squeezed by the Richmonders in overtime by just a single game.  “Based on the tiebreaker criteria, we finished 3^rd, but we were literally one point away from winning it all,” said Slegowski.  “Win or lose, we were glad to have the opportunity to represent Virginia tennis at the national level.  The quality of the facilities, the level of competition and the camaraderie amongst the players were all top notch.”  

Another highlight for the team was getting to meet tennis legend Billie Jean King, who co-founded WTT in the 1970s.  Billie Jean attends the National finals each year and speaks at a banquet that is held for all of the players.

Other members of the team that competed in local and regional play included: Esther Fratkin, Charles Wayland, Linda Paret, Ed Gelletly, Robin Petrine and Bill Uecker.  To qualify for Nationals, the team first won its local Richmond league and then won a WTT National Qualifier at the Racquet Club of the South in Atlanta, where team Richmond outscored its opponents 139-45 in their four matches.

WTT has now been played for over 30 years, expanding to more than 435,000 players in over 1,000 cities.  The fun, fast-paced format features co-ed teams competing in six sets: men’s and women’s doubles, men’s and women’s singles and mixed doubles.  No-ad and cumulative scoring is used, along with on-court coaching, player substitutions, overtime and supertiebreakers.  Fans and players alike are encouraged to cheer and support their teams throughout the matches.

For more information about World Team Tennis, click here