Cherry Hill-Based Tennis Squad Takes 2nd at USTA Nationals

A team including four Cherry Hill residents took second overall in the United States Tennis Association’s USTA League 8.0 adult mixed doubles national championship at the Hilton El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort in Tucson, AZ, this month.

Representing the Middle States section in a 16-team tournament, the locals fell to Southern California’s Irvine, CA, team, 2-1, in the championship after edging Southwest champ Phoenix, AZ, in the semis, 2-1.

Captained by Bradley Pawlikowski, of Mount Laurel, the team, which plays out of the Cherry Hill Health and Racquet Club, consists of Cherry Hill residents Su Nguyen, Susan Dixon Thompson, Kimberly Nguyen and Lon Pham, as well as Adria Wentzel, of Hainesport, and Adrian Fong, of Hockessin, DE.

The USTA’s League 8.0 is one of the higher-level adult recreational leagues in the country, with teams formed by combining the National Tennis Rating Program of two players, which can’t exceed 8.0. Players are ranked on a scale of 1.5 to 7.0.

Across all levels of play, USTA League involves about 835,000 players throughout the United States.