It had come to this… two players in the championship match, each trying to write their own OTA legacy, to win the largest OTA Championship tournament ever. In one corner – Mallory Tabler, seeking to become the first girl to win the title since Abbey Sharpe did it three years in a row. She was also vying for the family legacy, as it was older brother Martin who ended Abbey’s reign in the finals 6 years ago. In the other – Jack Vaughan. THE Jack Vaughan, who has surely and steadily been climbing the OTA (and state) ranks. He’s quiet, unassuming, and far tougher than most people realize. Two competitors, both of whom represent themselves and OTA in the best possible way, who are “Respect all, fear none” embodied.
The result?
Jack Vaughan adds his name to the list of OTA Champions, withstanding a late rally by Mallory, who – like the champion we all know her to be – refused to go quietly, and made Jack play his best at the end to secure the title.
At nearly 80 players and 11 divisions, there was fierce competition all over the facility for three days. Three very DRY days, thankfully! Here is the list of Division winners:
Djoker (Tournament Champion) – Jack Vaughan def Mallory Tabler
Halep – Gwyn Gifford def Sarah Schneringer
Murray – Sankalp Pandey def Taylor Brandt
Serena – David Cordero (above) def Jack Isola
Raonic – Ogden Wells (below left) def Amrutha Parvathaneni
Sharapova – Zac Curtis (above, with entourage) def Apoorva Krovvidi
Rafa – Katelyn Long (below) def Ashlyn Pursel
Azarenka – Jovan Knight def Kristen Wells
Dimitrov – Abyan Das def Mariska Desselle
Keys – Cameron Isola won the tiebreaker after a round robin tie with Brylee Patterson
Nishikori – John Lacy went undefeated in the 7 player round robin
So congratulations to Jack Vaughan once again, and to all of our division champs! And thank you to all of the parents… the values and sportsmanship that OTA represents is only possible when modeled by all of you. It was a fantastic weekend, and we’re looking forward to a fantastic summer… Go OTA!!!!