ATLANTA, GA – July 21, 2025 – In a matchup between the top two teams in the league entering Week 4, Team Jacksonville leaned on a record-setting performance from Sam Nicholson to hold off a furious rally from Team Atlanta, winning the Dual 208 to 191 at the INTENNSE Arena.

Just 24 hours earlier, Jacksonville suffered a gutting loss to Team Tampa, but Saturday they bounced back with urgency and fire. In Men’s Singles, Nicholson exploded for an 83 to 45 win, delivering one of the most dominant individual performances of the season and giving Jacksonville a 38-point cushion to start the night.

“You know, I hate losing, obviously, and yesterday, we got beat by a team who hadn't won yet,” Nicholson said. “Then watching them gloat about it after really kind of keeps you up at night, so a bit of difference in hunger and motivation today.”

Jacksonville Coach Caio Ravagnani praised Nicholson’s execution.

“He did amazing, did fantastic, so proud of him. Played with such confidence and making his shots just like I asked him to do.”

With Jacksonville having the lead firmly in hand, Atlanta had work to do. In Women’s Singles, it was a seesaw battle with Atlanta winning the first Bolt 19-18, then Jacksonville winning the second Bolt 19-17, setting the tone for a showdown in the third and final Bolt.

Team captain Michaela Gordon entered off the bench and took over late. Down four with time expiring, she played one of the gutsiest points of the season and helped Atlanta secure a narrow 57 to 56 win and $4,000 in prize money.
“I was ready to go in. I was ready on the sidelines the entire Match, and I knew we were down by, I think, four or five, so I was just trying to literally not miss a ball,” Gordon said. “And the last point, I saw the clock ticking down, and I realized this could be it, and I just thought, I'm not going to miss. When I get the right ball, I'm going to be aggressive, and that's it.”

The win in Women’s Singles trimmed Jacksonville’s lead to 139 to 102.

“I am really proud of how we competed as a team,” Gordon said. “Obviously, I'm disappointed because I truly, in my heart, feel like we're the better team. But, you know, it's hard when you start off with Sam on their team playing absolutely incredible. But really proud of how we came through in the women's singles, winning by one, and then mixed absolutely crushing it.”

Atlanta found its rhythm in Doubles. Kevin King, playing through a knee injury, helped anchor a crew that included Trent Bryde, Raul Garcia, Tanya Sasnouskaya, and Ava Hrastar. Together, they sparked a run that saw Atlanta win Doubles 89 to 69 and close the gap to just 17 points with one bolt remaining.

Atlanta won five of the last six bolts, but it still wasn’t enough to get out of the hole dug for them by Team Jacksonville’s Sam Nicholson.

“They had enough time if they played perfect tennis,” said INTENNSE analyst J.Y. Aubone. “But they just couldn’t. Nicholson’s lead was too much to overcome.”

The bench energy on both sides played a role, especially for Jacksonville, which was still reeling from Saturday’s loss.

“Yeah, team dynamics were awesome,” Ravagnani said. “That’s what we talked about the most yesterday, coming in from the first point and bringing the most energy. We knew there would be a big crowd against us, so we had to be louder than everybody.”

Nicholson added, “Yeah, I think we did do a 180 in our team energy. Everyone was up off the bench. Yesterday, in hindsight, was a little flat, so we should learn from that.”

While Atlanta’s comeback was impressive, they’ll likely be reviewing footage of Nicholson ahead of their next meeting. Only Sam Frizelle of Team Tampa has cracked the code, defeating Nicholson 34 to 21 in Friday’s trials and leading Tampa to a win in Men’s Doubles over Jacksonville. 

Will Atlanta be studying the tape before their next encounter?

After Saturday’s win, host Team Jacksonville improves to 4 and 2 on the season, splitting their Surge Weekend following Saturday night’s loss to Tampa. Their record puts them in first place overall in the team standings, while Team Atlanta falls to 3 and 2.
 

INTENNSE League action resumes August 2nd and August 3rd at the INTENNSE Arena:

SATURDAY

Tampa vs. Challenge Team — 2 PM ET 
Jacksonville vs. Atlanta — 7 PM ET

SUNDAY

Tampa vs. Atlanta — 7 PM ET