Talent was a start, but it was teamwork that made them successful.

The Richmond Hill Area Tennis Association (RHATA) junior tennis teams in 12U, 14U and 18U represented the Savannah Area Tennis Association (SATA) to compete at the state championship held July 25-27 in Macon.

Team matches consisted of one match each of boys and girls singles, boys and girls doubles, and a mixed doubles with team scoring based on cumulative games won.

“In a team competition like this, you’re a lot harder on yourself after a loss because you feel like you’re letting your team down,” said Jackson Martin, who is only 11 years old and played up in the 14U bracket.

Losses, however, were few and far between for the RHATA players, who could always count on support from their camaraderie.

“It was a pretty tough competition, and there were no easy wins,” said Kevin Zhu, a Richmond Hill High School sophomore who played in the 18U bracket. “You fought for every win.”

“The greatest thing about those teams was, not only did they have great tennis players, they were really motivated and got along great! Anyone could play doubles with anyone else. They are so comfortable!” said coach Linda Sun, who was head coach for all three teams.

All of the players and their parents thank SewMuchBaggage and RHATA who supported our teams with team uniforms.