The INTENNSE™ tennis league debuted to a full house tonight at the INTENNSE Arena at Electric Owl Studios in Decatur, GA. The first matches bring to life a format designed for today's audiences, incorporating timed segments to ensure predictability for players, fans, and broadcasters alike.

The evening began when Sam Nicholson of Team Jacksonville hit the first shot in INTENNSE team play.

“My mindset was to stay solid throughout and trust in our training,” he said. “I wasn’t sure what to expect out there. I think tennis can go either way, and today, it went my way. “I’ll just keep my head up for tomorrow and take some confidence from it, but tomorrow it starts nil-nil."

Team Jacksonville won the evening’s dual 205-181 and will pick up one point in the league standings. Led by dominance in doubles, while both sets of singles showcased the league’s signature blend of speed, strategy, and entertainment.

Men’s Singles:  Team Jacksonville won the coin toss and served first with two-time First Team All-Big South Singles selection, Sam Nicholson. Nicholson went head-to-head with Team Tampa Captain Nouri Adam, and after a substitution, it was former college teammate Sam Frizelle. At the end of the first bolt, it was all Team Jacksonville with a 33-10 lead.

“We’re just going to stay consistent,” Nicholson said after the first bolt. “They can do what they want, I am going to focus on myself. We are barely scratching the surface.”

That statement couldn’t have been more true as Nicholson worked his way through the Team Tampa lineup to the tune of a 62-27 lead at the end of the second bolt.

“It’s all Sam Nicholson right now,” analyst Irina Falconi Hartman said during the broadcast. Fellow commentator JY Aubone added, “He's got the golden torch in his hand."

Indeed, he did as Nicholson helped the squad reach an 83-51 victory in the Men's Singles competition.

Women’s Singles: Team JAX won the toss and jumped out to a 5-1 lead thanks to Annabelle Thomas. After that, it was all Seone Mendez. The Australian standout with Argentine roots made her mark on the professional tennis circuit. Reaching career-high WTA rankings of No. 198 in singles and No. 304 in doubles, Mendez helped Team Tampa cut the lead after the first bolt.

“I feel like we are just coming out aggressive and trying to play our game,” Mendez said. “We know how to beat them, so we're just going to execute our strategy. We're the fitter team, so we just need to keep our composure and keep the ball rolling.”

Team Tampa won the second bolt 29-11  and finished the three-bolts with a 62-49 in Women’s Singles and closed the team gap to a 132-113 Team JAX lead.

"Seone Mendez changed the energy for Team Tampa,” Falconi Hartman noted. Knowing that she was able to turn it around from that deficit. She utilized the drop shot well."It was all Seone for a lot of it.”

Mixed Doubles: Team Tampa Captain Nouri Adam and doubles partner Trey Mallory were not hanging up the towel just yet. Adam, a standout player, who earned All-MEAC honors during his time at Florida A&M. Adam, originally from Sudan, began his tennis journey at the New Mexico Military Institute and achieved his first ATP points at just 16 years old, showcasing his early potential, wasn’t wasting anytime, using that formidable forehand to help Team TPA chip away at the lead closing the overall gap to just over ten points.

“We had a slow start, and the other team played well,” Adam said. “The girls got us back, and we've found our way on the doubles. Everything is flowing now, the crowd, everything is great. I hope it continues to go this way.”

Team Jacksonville’s duo of Khrystyna Vozniak and Annabelle Thomas utilized the momentum and played with confidence in the Women’s Doubles to give their squad a 177-162 lead heading into the final bolt of the evening.

In the end, it was Team Jacksonville who proved to be too good and too consistent the entire time, as they won 205-181.

“Today was the first real go through, and I think we proved that we are a good team and we all love each other,” Nicholson said. “ I think we showed that. It does show, and the energy throughout that helps."

Pre-match highlight: Earlier in the day, the Challenge Team coached by Irina Falconi-Hartman. registered a decisive win over Team Atlanta 212-186 with a 76-63 win in Men’s and 65-51 victory in Women’s and a one-point loss, 72-71 in doubles.

The Challenge team is a gateway for aspiring players to break into the league, offering a direct path to professional competition
Team member Tyler Stice added, “I just tried to go out there, I was very nervous beforehand, so I just tried to come out and play as solid as I could and just try to do the best I could for the team.”

Up Next:
The surge continues at 2 PM ET on Sunday with Team Jacksonville hosting Team Atlanta for the weekend’s closing dual. All matches are live-streamed on Twitch @INTENNSE and YouTube.

The season continues next weekend:
●       Sat, June 28: 7 PM ET – Jacksonville vs. Atlanta
●       Sun, June 29: 2 PM ET – Tampa vs. Atlanta

The full schedule Is available here: INTENNSE Schedule
Limited tickets are available, offering multiple experiences. Further details can be found via the INTENNSE Tickets.