The Sentinel: USTA

Season 2 of Champaign-Urbana men’s singles tennis league starting now, high school players and women wanted

The Champaign-Urbana men’s singles tennis league is back for a second season with expanded player opportunities and new divisions forming. New leagues for women and high school players are forming soon.

CHAMPAIGN - The Champaign Men’s 3.5 and 4.0 Singles Tennis League is back for its second season, bringing more matches, more players, and new opportunities for local competition. With 11 participants already registered, the league is accepting additional sign-ups through June 20, giving players across the area a chance to join the growing community.

The summer-long league, part of the USTA Mid-South District, runs through August 31 and offers flexible scheduling for adult men looking to compete in outdoor singles play. Participants coordinate directly with their opponents to set match dates, times, and locations, with results contributing to each player's World Tennis Number (WTN).

All matches follow a best-of-three set format with a third-set tiebreak. Players may opt for short sets or no-ad scoring by mutual agreement. As in the inaugural season, each player brings a new can of tennis balls to each match, and the winner keeps the unopened can unless an alternative is agreed upon.

This season also introduces added incentives and events. The top two players from each league in each participating city will qualify for the District Championship, to be held in September at a location yet to be announced. The season will conclude with a complimentary end-of-season party featuring food and games for all league members.

Looking ahead, league coordinator Bret Schrama is collecting names for two new leagues expected to launch soon—a women’s singles league and a high school league for boys and girls ages 14 to 18. These additions aim to expand playing opportunities and increase access to competitive tennis throughout the Champaign-Urbana area.

The cost to participate in the men’s league is $26 per season. With no court fees and a community-driven approach, the league remains focused on affordability, flexibility, and local engagement.

Interested in playing competitive tennis summer? For more information or to register, contact USTA Illinois Tennis Service Representative Bret Schrama at (317) 333-3559 or by email at bret@midwest.usta.com

Tagged: Champaign tennis league, USTA Mid-South District, men’s singles tennis, Champaign-Urbana sports, summer tennis league, local tennis competition, youth tennis Champaign, women’s tennis league, World Tennis Number, amateur tennis Illinois

USTA league race heats up, KTC and the Spin Doctors share first place

Singles wins and a strong #3 doubles finish give KTC the edge over B4B in a close USTA league match.

URBANA — KTC edged closer to the pinnacle of the USTA Men's 3.5 league standings, clinching a hard-fought 3-2 triumph against B4B at Atkins Tennis Center on Wednesday night. The victory lifts KTC into a tie for first place alongside the Spin Doctors, setting up key matchups in the coming weeks.

Yongjoo Jung set the tone for KTC in singles play, securing his third win of the season with a composed 6-3, 6-4 decision over Lorenzo Vergari at the #1 spot. Jung has shown versatility this year, competing across multiple league levels, including 4.0 and 6.5 Combo action.

Andy Hur followed with a commanding performance at #2 singles, rolling past Robbie Bauer 6-0, 6-3 to give KTC early control. The team sealed its victory at #3 doubles, where Lino Jo and Sung Min Moon turned in a dominant 6-2, 6-1 effort against Tim Ellis and Charles Nerone.

B4B answered back in a pair of tightly contested doubles matches. At #1 doubles, Nitin Bhosale and Joseph Reiter edged Andrew Diep and Kim Junghyun in a comeback, 6-7, 6-3, 1-0. Meanwhile, Steve Mertens and Christopher Stewart secured another point for B4B, rallying past Jaemin Yang and Yoochan Shin 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 in a gritty effort.

Looking ahead, KTC will take on the Smokin’ Aces, who are coming off a 5-0 loss to the Spin Doctors. B4B aims to bounce back against those same Spin Doctors and hand them their first defeat of the season.

Spin Doctors roll over Smokin' Aces in Week 1

The defending champs made an early-season statement with a 5-0 win over the only the team to hand them a loss in their last 10 matches.

CHAMPAIGN — The Spin Doctors opened their USTA Men’s 3.5 league title defense in dominant fashion Wednesday night, sweeping all five matches against the Smokin’ Aces at Atkins Tennis Center. The defending champs made an early-season statement with a 5-0 win that highlighted their depth and adaptability across both singles and doubles play.

At the top of the singles lineup, Gaston Suardiaz rolled past Pete Hoppin 6-1, 6-2, while Doyeon Kim backed him up with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Jay Rafi at No. 2. Both matches were controlled from the baseline, with the Spin Doctors dictating pace and placement early. The Aces, still adjusting to outdoor conditions, couldn’t match the consistency of their counterparts.

Doubles play offered a mix of momentum shifts and strategic battles. At No. 1, the Aces’ Patrick Hammie and Andy Wilke came out hot, taking the opening set 6-3 for the only set win for their team all night. But the Spin Doctors' Paul Cheung and Ben Lee settled in and stole the match in a deciding tiebreak, 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (5). Meanwhile, John Delanois and Christopher Sisson powered past Ryan Lepp and Ryan Grosso 6-1, 6-3. Though Lepp and Grosso began to find their rhythm outdoors in the second set, pairing kept the Aces at arm’s length.

The night closed with Hans Dee and Geoffrey Lin claiming a 6-4, 6-2 win over Dan Maloney and Travis Davis. Aces captain Clark Brooks had hoped the pair’s speed would tilt the match, but the Spin Doctors' adjustments stifled their usual mix of angles and touch.

The Aces face KTC next Wednesday at 7 p.m., while the Spin Doctors take on B4B at 6 p.m. at Atkins Tennis Center.

C-U's Spin Doctors head to state tennis tournament on Saturday

BLOOMINGTON - After dominating the Champaign-Urbana 3.5 league, going 8-1 in the regular season, the Spin Doctors advanced to the USTA District Tournament on Sunday at Evergreen Racquet Club in Bloomington. Captained by Kai Wang of Champaign, the district title drought for a CU postseason team ended with a 3-2 victory by Spin Doctors over Solty's from Quincy, 3-2.

The Spin Doctors won on the #1 singles court, where Arjun Shah defeated Rick Crider, 6-1, 6-3. The team also picked up wins on two doubles courts to advance to the next round of competition. Shah, who starts graduate school this fall at Stanford University, is unbeaten in 3.5-level play this summer.

Geoffrey Lin lines up a shot during his regular season match with partner Francesco Botticella against Smokin' Aces. Lin and postseason partner D. Comte dropped both sets in a close district match against Bryan Fasano and Roberto Hernandez, 6-4, 7-6.

Paul Cheung and Ben Lee also notched a win for the CU contingent at #2 doubles, defeating Sammy Shumake and partner Martin McCarthy, 6-2, 6-3. Cheung, a doubles specialist, is 6-1 this summer. Meanwhile, Lee boasts an undefeated doubles record at 4-0.

"It's super exciting to be a part of this team and be able to represent CU at state this year after missing out for such a long time," said team member Hans Dee. Playing at #3 doubles with Wang, they easily won their match over Douglas Mallett and Travis Friye, 6-2, 6-1. "We celebrated by going to a great Chinese buffet in Bloomington after the win.

The last time a Champaign men's 3.5-level tennis team won a district title was in 2007. The Quincy team won six out of the previous seven district championships. Before 2016, the district title was won by a Bloomington or Peoria team.

The Spin Doctors advance to the state Championships to face the 19-man roster of Heritage Rustagi, who finished their regular season in a three-way 7-2 tie with Centennial Anderson and 7 River Trails Ciuca. The team match is scheduled at the Heritage Tennis Club in Arlington Heights.

So far this season, the team's only blemish this summer came on June 5 via a 3-2 loss to Smokin' Aces (2-7).

Members of the Spin Doctors are Kai Wang (Captain), Jack Wang, Arjun Shah, Aditya Gopalan, Ben Lee, Paul Cheung, D Comte, Francesco Botticella, Stephen Paul, Christopher Sisson, Geoffrey Lin, Hans Dee, Charles Sikora, Carl Guo, Jun Huang, and Doyeon Kim.

Area teams also advancing to state championships in other divisions include:

Teri Scaggs 4.0M Adult 18&O
Renee Brown 3.5W Adult 18&O
Leslie Hartman 3.0W Adult 18&O
Sangwon Park 3.0M Adult 18&O
Spin Doctors Kai Wang 3.5M Adult 18&O

Feel the Rush!

USTA 4.0 league opener delayed

URBANA - Thanks to a fast-moving thunderstorm that brought heavy rainfall to the area, the opener 2024 Mid-South Illinois Adult 18 & Over season was put on hold forty minutes into the match between Champaign 4.0 teams Bauer and Kalantzis-Cope.

Playing at #1 singles on Court 5 at Atkins Tennis Center, K-C's Glen Yang was up 2-1 over Bauer's Adam Huls. Yang, who went 3-2 in singles last summer, notched wins over David Diep, Daniel O'Brien, and Arjun Shah. When play resumes, Huls will serve to even the score in the first set.

In the second singles contest, K-C's Parham Parastaran was up two-love over Bauer's Ignacio Arretche when Mother Nature opened the sky above Champaign-Urbana's largest outdoor tennis facility. Facing a young Argentinian with a blazing two-handed backhand, Parastaran returns to USTA competition for the first time in 12 years. Arretche will serve when the match starts.

Philip Kalantzis-Cope's team also held the advantage on two of the three doubles courts.

Duo Andrew Leakey and Andrew Hartman were a point away from winning their third game at love-40 against area newcomer David Sale and Nick LeVanti, who trailed on the scoreboard 2-1.

At #2 doubles, Tom Wilson and Santiago Romero were nursing a fragile 2-1 lead before being forced to retreat to shelter. Down 15-30 in game four, Eric Helfer was ready to serve on the deuce side before the mad dash for cover ensued with partner Steve Gardner.

On the third doubles court, Mark Woolwine was about to serve at 30-love when the mass exodus from the courts started as the rain quickly transitioned from a mist to large drops. Up 2-1, Woolwine, with partner Patrick Hartman, were dialing their intensity up, hoping to distance themselves on the scorecard from Bauer's Angad Mehta and Clark Brooks.

The match will resume on Monday, July 22, alongside an ITF Futures tournament at Atkins Tennis Center.