3.5 18+ Men’s “Redeem Team” Wins USTA Southwest Sectionals
The Surprise Tennis Club 18+ 3.5 men’s team captured the USTA Southwest Section Championships title after an undefeated 5-0 run in Albuquerque, New Mexico, August 8–10.
Led by captain Chris Heath, the team adopted the nickname “The Redeem Team” in a nod to the 2008 U.S. Men’s Basketball team, which rebounded from a disappointing finish in the prior Olympics to win gold. In a similar fashion, the Surprise 3.5 men’s team narrowly finished second at the 2024 Section Championships, then came back this year with renewed determination to claim victory.
The championship roster includes: Andrew Cates, Benjamin Cates, Billy Steele, Bradley Randall, Brian Cornfield, Brian Lee, Dean Schlenker, Eric Comer, Eric Ross, Keith Buikema, Kevin Bernal, Marcus Corley, Mike Yokoyama, Murphy Lyons, Pablo Aguilar, Rafael Lopez, Rudy Dudebout, Senthilvelan Mohandoss, Trevor Gattis, and Vidya Sagar Avadutala.
The path to the title was nothing short of dominant — the team went undefeated in the regular season, then won both the playoffs and district championships to earn their spot at sectionals. Once there, they proved unstoppable, becoming the top men’s 3.5 USTA team in the Southwest after defeating teams from Northern New Mexico, Flagstaff, and two from El Paso.
Next up is the ultimate stage — the USTA National Championships, October 10–12, on their home courts in Surprise, Arizona. The team is fired up for a shot at the national title and is calling on the entire local tennis community to pack the courts, make some noise, and help power them to victory!
Nationals Match Schedule
Friday, October 10:
Schedule altered due to weather
7:00 AM vs Nor Cal
10:00 AM vs New England
Format Change
2 out of 3 short sets with a 7 point tiebreaker in lieu of a 3rd set
Short set to 4 (tiebreaker at 3-3)
All tiebreakers will NOT be won by 2 points. First to 7 (sudden death point at 6-6).
Coman tiebreak procedure
No-Ad scoring
Saturday, October 11
11:30 AM vs Mid Atlantic
6:30 PM vs Hawaii