Wang’s Champaign-Urbana mixed doubles squad earns trip to USTA Nationals

After sweeping four sectional matches, Champaign-Urbana mixed doubles squad will represent Illinois at the USTA Nationals in Florida.
by Clark Brooks
Sentinel Sports


INDIANAPOLIS - Kai Wang’s 18-and-over 7.0 mixed doubles tennis team is headed to Orlando after a commanding performance at the Midwest USTA sectional tournament in Indianapolis. The Champaign-Urbana squad swept through four matches over the weekend, dropping only five sets out of 26 played, to punch its ticket to the national championships set for Oct. 31–Nov. 2 at the USTA National Campus.

Mixed doubles competition pairs one male and one female player, combining their strengths on the court. The combined rating of both partners can’t exceed 7.0, and their individual numbers usually can’t differ by more than one point. Common pairings include a 3.5 player with another 3.5, or a 4.0 with a 3.0.

"Everyone is super excited about going to nationals," Wang said. A three-year veteran USTA team captain, he has led three other teams to sectional competition this year. In addition to his four team, a software developer by day, also plays on two other tennis teams. "It has always been challenging for a Champaign team to get out of sectionals. This year's sectional was very strange."

Wang said the top perrenial top team from Michigan did make it out of the state this year and the Wisconsin team was without some of their best female players due the timing of the sectional championship on the calendar.

Teams typically compete on three doubles courts, with the strongest pairing on Court 1 and the weakest on Court 3. Captains sometimes shift strategy, placing stronger teams on the No. 2 or No. 3 court. To win a team match, a squad must secure victories on at least two courts.

The victory is a glowing mark for the twin-city tennis community. Wang’s team is the first Champaign-Urbana squad to reach a national USTA event since 2014, when Dee Deschler guided a women’s 55-and-over team to Nationals. This year’s group qualified for sectionals after capturing the Illinois state crown on Sept. 13 with a hard-fought 2-1 decision.

Competing at the West Indy Racquet Club, the Champaign-Urbana squad opened with a 2-1 victory Friday against Wisconsin’s state champions, Team Putti. Saturday brought back-to-back sweeps as Wang’s side rolled past Indiana’s Team Inselberg and Michigan’s Team Armante, both by 3-0 margins. On Sunday, with a trip to Florida at stake, they sealed the deal in a 2-1 triumph over Ohio’s state titleholders, Team Ung.

Strong performances carried the weekend, including undefeated 3-0 runs by doubles pairs Chris Sarol and Kyo Nakanishi, and Minsun Kim and Angad Mehta. Their consistency proved to be a key factor in the team’s sectional success.

Wang said Nakanishi was a great addition to the team this year. The Japan native has won nine of her 12 matches since starting USTA competition this summer.

"Chris has really improved this year," he added. Sarol, a former Champaign Centennial standout, is one of the top 4.0-rated USTA players in the Mid-South Illinois region. Having played 36 matches this year, he secured victories in 31 of them. "They are really good together."

Wang highlighted Mehta and Kim as his top doubles pairing.

"Angad and M.K. are our strongest team," he said. "Angad is one of the strongest 3.5 players in our area. M.K. will probably get bumped up [to the next USTA level] next year."

Mehta, an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Illinois, said he was proud of the team’s accomplishment and grateful for the opportunity to be part of this season’s journey.

"I can’t stop thinking about this - our little team from rural Illinois, based in the middle of cornfields, becomes a state champion, then goes on to beat every other state champion at sectionals, and is now on our way to nationals," he said. Thanking his teammates, he added, "What an incredible story this is. To assemble a group like this is quite incredible."

Mehta said he is looking forward to competing on the nation’s biggest stage against teams and players from across the country.

"It should be really cool."

The roster of the advancing Champaign-Urbana team includes: Kym Man, Angad Mehta, Su A Lee, Kai Wang, Kyo Nakanishi, Jooyen Kim, Paul Cheung, Chris Sarol, Lisa Ainsworth, Ben Lee, Minsun Kim, Sung Min Moon, Teri Scaggs, Noel Castro, Patrick Hammie, and Karolyn Smith.

Box Scores:

Team Wang vs Putti, Wisconsin
FINAL: 2-1
#1 - Prathap Palaniswamy/Megan Prahl def Jooyen Kim/Kai Wang - 6-3, 6-2
#2 - Kyo Nakanishi/Chris Sarol def Abtin Molavi/Molly Moritz - 6-4, 6-1
#3 - Paul Cheung/Minsun Kim def Amberlee Baugus/Hung Mahn Nguyen - 6-3, 6-3

Team Wang vs Inselberg, Indiana
FINAL: 3-0
#1 - Sarol/Nakanishi def Shelby Ackerman/Alex Aukerman - 6-3, 4-6, 1-0
#2 - Angad Mehta/Minsun Kim def Ashley DeMello/Jacob Lewis - 6-2, 6-1
#3 - Noel Castro/Kym Man def Mallory Inselberg/Damon Grothe - 6-1, 6-1

Team Wang vs Amante, Michigan
FINAL: 3-0
#1 - Mehta/Kim def Yvonne Boucher/Patrick van Tuinen - 6-1, 6-3
#2 - Castro/Man def Gary Arp/Pam Kloet - 6-0, 6-2
#3 - Teri Scaggs/Sung Min Moon def Joe Morris/Nicole Morris - 6-2, 6-1

Team Wang vs Ung, Ohio
FINAL: 2-1
#1 - Denise Hwang/Phong Nguyen def Castro/Man - 6-3, 3-6, 1-0
#2 - Sarol/Nakanishi def Eileen Connell/Craig Nine - 6-1, 6-2
#3 - Mehta/Kim def David Blond/Marybeth Esposito - 6-2, 6-3

More stories ~
  • Madigan wins back-to-back titles at Labor Day Tournament
  • Six champions crowned at Champaign Labor Day tennis tournament
  • Top seven cities in the Midwest to move if you love to play tennis
  • Labor Day tennis tournament crowns champions
  • State-Bound: Local tennis players ready for IHSA Finals this weekend
  • Ranked #4 in the nation, Scott Aikman has sights set at Cincy tennis invite

    • TAGS: USTA Nationals 2025 Orlando, Champaign-Urbana tennis history, Kai Wang mixed doubles team, Midwest USTA sectional results, Illinois tennis champions
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    Guest Commentary |
    The price of free speech in the workplace

    by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator


    The First Amendment ensures speech, not paychecks. From TV hosts to pastors, free expression at work often collides with financial realities.


    The first amendment protects our free speech but employers will protect their bottom line.

    However, to some extent, there are some limitations and barriers for all of us. When he began his career, national radio personality Howard Stern couldn’t keep a job. His content was so raw and shocking that station owners and managers couldn’t afford to keep him on because advertisers couldn’t afford to risk supporting him. Things changed. He eventually became acceptable to enough listeners that he was hugely profitable. A massive contract with Sirius XM radio gave him a huge audience, allowed him to say whatever he wanted and paid him handsomely. Since 2004, they have paid him hundreds of millions of dollars. His employer found him to be profitable and accepted by many.

    Stearns’ contract recently expired and his deal hasn’t been renewed. The renewal won’t be based on Stearns’ freedom of speech but it will be based on whether he will be profitable for Sirius XM radio which means he probably won’t be returning.

    Glenn Mollette
    Jimmy Kimmel is off the air, for now. He has been making a nice $15M a year salary from the Disney corporation who owns ABC and the ESPN network as well. He has had a nice job with them for 20 years and come out five nights a week saying whatever he wanted to say. After some recent comments made about Charlie Kirk that have been replayed numerous times on national TV, Disney decided to take his show down for a while, possibly forever.

    Stations across the country let it be known to Disney they weren’t going to air Kimmel’s show after his remarks about Kirk and Disney listened. It was about money. Disney is in the business to make money, big money. The Stephen Colbert show was losing $40M a year and Colbert’s show had better ratings than Kimmel. The idea of losing millions of dollars on Kimmel was unacceptable to Disney. If TV station chains, cable companies and local stations around the country had applauded Kimmel, if ratings and profitability had soared, Disney would have kept Kimmel on.

    No employer is going to keep you on the payroll if your mouth is bankrupting the business. You may have the right to speak but you may be speaking on the street corner somewhere without a paycheck if the employer doesn’t like what you are saying.

    The minister of your local church may have the freedom to preach the Bible. Yet, he or she could find themselves unemployed if they ruffle enough feathers of the congregation’s leadership. A politician may speak freely but only has a job if he or she can sway enough voters. You can walk into wherever you work and say whatever you want about the company or your boss. Most likely, you’ll end up in the unemployment line. Plus, you will not be able to obtain a reference or recommendation for your next interview.

    Yes, we have freedom of speech but it has limitations and consequences. Charlie Kirk was his own employer. That seems to be about the only way you can really pull off free speech. He said just about whatever he wanted and there wasn’t anyone to fire him, so someone killed him. Sadly, Charlie Kirk’s free speech cost him his life.

    There is almost always a price to be paid for freedom of speech. It is important and it is American, but your employer doesn’t have to agree with you or keep you on the payroll.


    About the author ~

    Glen Mollett is the author of 13 books including Uncommom Sense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states.


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    The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.
    Charlie Kirk assassination legacy, history of assassinated American leaders, free speech and violence in America, political debate versus violence, legacy of voices after tragedy
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