2024 Ozaki Cup
The Southern Ozaki Junior Cup is an annual team tournament that features the top junior players in all age divisions (12s, 14s, 16s, 18s) from each of the nine states in the Southern Section. Rome, Georgia was again the site for this tournament, with matches played over 3 days at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College. This tournament is one the top junior events in the South, with each state selecting the top 3 guys and 3 girls from each age group to come and compete on a large, 24-player team.
"Our players look forward to this event more than almost any other tournament in the Section," said William Foreman, Competitive Pathway Director for USTA Mississippi. "Being selected for the team is the first honor, then getting to compete against the top players in the Section and having coaches on court during your matches creates an environment second to none. They are competing for their state as a team, and building that camaraderie with players of all ages is something we love to see."
The format of each team match sees everyone play a singles match followed by a doubles match. Singles players play on line 1, 2, or 3 while doubles features a boys doubles, a girls doubles, and a mixed doubles match. On top of the fun team environment, coaching is allowed. This year, each state was allowed to select and bring 4 coaches with the team to the tournament. Coaches for Team MS this year were Zoe Douglas, Sylvia Viljoen, and Chicho Chavez, with Justyn Schelver returning as the head coach. These coaches are on site early every day, running the team warmups each morning and moving from court to court throughout the day. With rules similar to college, the coaches can be on the court with the players to provide support throughout the match. These unique aspects combine to form a competitive team atmosphere usually found during a college tournament. Players come off the court and are ready to support all of their teammates still on the court.
This year, Mississippi drew two tough matches on Friday, competing against North Carolina, Louisiana, and Tennessee. The team played their hearts out against great opponents from those states, with several players seeing wins but not enough to put MS over the top. Saturday and Sunday play saw MS in the Bronze Division, playing against two other teams who also lost the round-robin play on Friday, Arkansas and Kentucky. Our players fought hard the whole weekend and racked up numerous wins over top-ranked opponents throughout the weekend, but couldn’t quite find enough wins to get a team win in the Bronze Division. The camaraderie the team experienced throughout the weekend created memories that will last a lifetime. We competed well and will come back next year, energized and ready to stand with our teammates again, and hope to better our results from the previous year. This is what the Ozaki Cup is all about.
