Tampa Closes Inaugural Season with Victory Over Jacksonville in Final Dual
INTENNSE Tennis
2 MINS | Published on 08/11/25
ATLANTA, GA — August 11, 2025 - The INTENNSE™ Arena was electric for the final Dual of the inaugural Season. Fans packed the stands, bringing nonstop energy from the first serve to the final point. While the Championship had already been secured by Atlanta the night before, there was still prize money and plenty of pride on the line.
Before the Dual began, the league recognized standout performers from the season. Seone Mendez of Tampa and Sam Nicholson of Jacksonville were named MVPs. Annabelle Thomas of Jacksonville received the Impact Player award, and Danijal Muminovic earned the Outstanding Challenge Series Player honor.
Tampa entered the Match looking to respond after a tough loss to Atlanta less than 24 hours earlier. The question was whether they could summon the focus and energy needed to close out the season on a high note.
Mendez, Tampa’s MVP, came into the day determined to bounce back from her lowest performance of the year. From her first point, she was composed and precise, giving Tampa a lead heading into Men’s Singles.
Sam Nicholson, the League MVP and Team Jacksonville superstar, took the first two Bolts 24–21 and 26–19 over Sam Frizelle. Trey Mallory subbed in late for Tampa during Men’s Singles and kept the scoreline close against Nicholson, preventing Jacksonville from extending their lead, but Team Jacksonville claimed Men’s Singles 72–68, their only team win of the night.
After Men’s Singles, the Dual moved to Doubles with the women leading things off. Jacksonville won the first women’s portion with Sofia Johnson and Annabelle Thomas, 31-25 which set the stage for Men’s Doubles where Mallory, a former UNC Wilmington teammate of Nicholson, entered and kept the scoreline close against one of the league’s toughest Men’s Singles players. Noori Adam had one of his best performances of the season as well. That effort proved crucial in keeping Tampa in front on the scoreboard.
Coach Yelena Labat said she was impressed with how her team stayed locked in. “That was amazing. Really tight, but they kept it up.”
The Men’s Doubles pairing of Mallory and Adam provided a major lift with disciplined, high-percentage play and several key plus-twos that swung the momentum back to Tampa. That lead carried into Mixed Doubles, where Tampa fed off the energy of the crowd to seal the Dual.
When the final points were tallied, Team Tampa had earned a 218–203 victory over Team Jacksonville.
Tampa’s Kate Sharabura said the atmosphere and the way the team performed made it a fitting end to the season. “I think it was just a great way to end the season, honestly. Everyone had so much energy and just a lot of fun on the sidelines. And I feel like everyone played pretty high level. So I was really happy with it. I am just so glad that INTENNSE exists, honestly. It's so fun, and I'm just really grateful to have my team around me and this whole organization.”
The win was Tampa’s third in their final four Duals, a turnaround Frizelle believes will carry into the next season. “We didn’t have a good start. We started 0-4, but I’m really proud of the way we came together as a team, you know, winning three of our last four. I think it shows a lot about the kind of team we are, the character we have, and how we were able to bounce back, and I think we're going to make a really big impact in season two.”
From Mendez’s redemptive performance to Mallory’s leadership and the overwhelming support from the crowd, Tampa’s 218–203 victory was a celebration of growth, resilience, and the community that has fueled the inaugural season of INTENNSE Tennis.
