Team Atlanta Defeats Team Tampa and Claims First Ever INTENNSE™ Tennis Championship
INTENNSE Tennis
2 MINS | Published on 08/9/25
ATLANTA, GA — August 10, 2025 - The atmosphere inside INTENNSE™ Arena on Saturday night was electric. The title race had come down to this: Team Atlanta could clinch the inaugural Bata Trophy with a victory, while host Team Tampa, riding a two Dual winning streak despite missing standout Vicky Flores, aimed to play the role of dream crushers and keep the race alive for one more night. Jacksonville, also in contention, watched closely, knowing their championship hopes depended on the result.
From the start, the tension was undeniable. Tampa entered the night undefeated all season in Women’s Singles, but Atlanta’s Tanya Sasnouskaya delivered a performance that rewrote that storyline. Playing fearless, attacking tennis, Sasnouskaya forced Seone Mendez into too many unforced errors, even as Mendez fought to find her rhythm with several plus two winners.
“Yeah, very disappointing. Honestly, I didn’t play great at all. It was probably one of my worst days out of the whole season,” Mendez said. “But what can you do? I’ve got to give kudos to Tanya. She played well. There was a massive crowd tonight, so a little bit more pressure, and we’re playing for the championship, so there was a lot more on the line today. And yeah, I just couldn’t deliver, which is disappointing.”
Sasnouskaya’s aggressive shot making and quick adjustments by coach Marcelo Ferreira gave Atlanta the Women’s Singles victory 70 to 61, ending Tampa’s perfect run and putting Atlanta in front early.
In Men’s Singles, Tampa responded with determination. Kevin King, Atlanta’s steady leader all season, had been virtually untouchable, but Sam Frizelle rose to the moment. With pinpoint placement and an extra plus two in the third Bolt, Frizelle secured a 70 to 60 win which gave Tampa a one point overall lead, 131 to 130, heading into Doubles and brought the home crowd to life.
Women’s Doubles was closely contested, but Atlanta edged ahead to reclaim the lead. Tampa head coach Yelena Labat reflected on the challenges of adjusting on short notice.
“We had a last minute call with a new player. We knew that it was going to be tough because they never play together,” Labat said.
In Men’s Doubles, Noori Adam and Trey Mallory had stretches of inspired play, but Atlanta’s pairing kept the pressure on. By the time Mixed Doubles began, Kevin King and Sasnouskaya, joined by Dalayna Hewitt, took control. Their poise under pressure helped Atlanta sweep all three Bolts in Doubles, winning the segment 85 to 72 and closing out the Dual 215 to 203 to secure the inaugural championship.
Raul Garcia, who stepped in during Men’s Singles and played a key role in Doubles, credited the moment and the fans.
“I think the crowd, my team, everything. I think it was just the perfect environment for the final. Such a pleasure to play with these guys. It was so fun the whole time,” Garcia said. “Yeah, the crowd, everything. It helped us a lot. It was a big opportunity today to show up, what we’ve been working on, and it just feels amazing. It feels amazing to be the first champion in Atlanta, and it was here, our hometown, so yeah, it’s great.”
For coach Ferreira, the significance of the victory went beyond the score.
“It’s incredibly special, incredibly special. It really is. Coming into the league, I didn’t really know what to expect. I don’t think anybody knew what to expect. I really want to give a huge shout out to everybody that made this happen,” Ferreira said.
“I’m really proud of this team because we had some adversity with injuries, What also made this special is the quality of the other teams. It makes it more special because it was very very competitive.”
The Bata Trophy presentation will take place immediately following tomorrow’s 2 p.m. Dual between Team Jacksonville and Team Tampa.
