National

Taylor Wingate finishes the job at 2024 USTA Wheelchair National Championships

Victoria Chiesa | November 22, 2024

Last week at Richard Craig Park in McDonaugh, Ga., the USTA crowned its 2024 adult and junior national champions in wheelchair tennis. 

 

After Hurricane Helene forced the postponement of the junior event, scheduled for late September at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., the two events were consolidated into one weekend, leading to more than 50 players across the divisions flocking to the nearly 40 acres of green space in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The result was a festival of sorts for tennis, where 10 champions were crowned in four co-ed adult singles and doubles divisions, and 'A' and 'B' junior flights.

 

Two title favorites were crowned in both 'A' divisions, with unseeded Taylor Wingate and No. 1 Zane Goodwin taking the adult and junior trophies, respectively. Though Wingate didn't have a number next to his name, the Rock Hill, S.C. native wouldn't have been overlooked in the draw. The former No. 1-ranked player in the country in the 'B' division was last year's 'A' division runner-up, and won a singles event at the flight in Nashville in June. 

 

After falling just short against 16-year-old Max Wong in last year's title match, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(3), Wingate finished the job this year. He lost 10 games in three matches, which included a 6-1, 6-2 win over top seed Henry Reyes in the semifinals, and thumped Jeff Townsend 6-0, 6-1 in a matche between two men who also help to bring the sport to the next generation. Wingate holds two tennis teaching certifications, while Townsend has been integral in establishing a wheelchair tennis program at Clemson University.

"Jeff is an outstanding player. He's very consistent. He moves amazingly," he said. "Probably his best quality is just always positive on the court, super nice and it's always been fun playing him, but it's always nice to see a fellow coach and see the growth. I had to really put the ball away and not keep him in it because he keeps that ball in. He's very consistent with the topspin. I was trying to work some more angles today and put the ball in the open court a little bit more, inside-out forehands, and then going for my shots a little bit earlier."

 

Winning the title as a coach, Wingate said, was doubly rewarding.

 

"It just feels overwhelming a little bit because [of] coaching and helping people get to their next level ... it's just very moving for me for sure," he said.

Meanwhile, in the top junior bracket, Goodwin also did not lose a set, and dropped just 16 games along the way. Ranked No. 37 in the international junior rankings, he said that being crowned as the U.S. champion is a stepping stone towards his overall goals.

 

"I've been working for a big title like this since I started tennis," Goodwin, a 17-year-old from Birmingham, Ala. said. "That's always been my big dream to win a title like this. Hopefully next, one of the Grand Slams."

 

But they weren't the only top stories from the weekend. Allen Champagne of Brandon, Miss. in the 'C' singles and doubles titles, for example, and doubles flight, while in 'D' singles, a first-time champion was crowned.

 

Seattle's Prasidh Arora had never before played a sanctioned singles tournament before this year's national championships. In fact, Arora only picked up the sport six months ago, finding tennis as a result of playing wheelchair pickleball for the last year and a half. But he stormed to the title without the loss of a set, surrendering just five games in three matches. 

 

"I signed up for this, and I was very nervous because I never actually properly played anyone in these before, but it worked out well," Arora said. "I met some great people, and the matches were really fun."

 

2024 Adult & Junior National Championship Results

Co-ed 18 & Under A Singles - Zane Goodwin def. Lucy Heald 6-2, 6-4

Co-ed 18 & Under B Singles - Ethen Hansen - 4-0 round-robin record

Co-ed A Singles - Taylor Wingate def. Jeff Townsend 6-0, 6-1

Co-ed B Singles - Jerry Vaughan def. Ricardo Castaneda 6-3, 6-4

Co-ed C Singles - Allen Champagne def. Jennifer Speer 6-0, 6-1

Co-ed D Singles - Prasidh Arora def. Ken Moore 6-0, 6-1

 

Co-ed A Doubles - Henry Reyes/Jeff Townsend def. Heath Brunies/Taylor Wingate 6-3, 6-4

Co-ed B Doubles - Ryan Hundemer/James Patin III def. Venkata Anwesh Datla/Mckenna Woodhead 6-4, 6-2

Co-ed C Doubles - Allen Champagne/William LaFitte def. Wyatt McClaskey/Scott Therrell 6-3, 6-1

Co-ed D Doubles - Ken Moore/Vincenzo Piscopo - 2-0 round-robin record

Skip Advertisement

Advertisement

Related Articles

  • Visit the 2024 Wheelchair Nationals page
    2024 Wheelchair Nationals
    November 22, 2024
    After finishing as the 'A' singles runner-up a year ago, Rock Hill, S.C. native Taylor Wingate finished the job in 2024 with a dominant run to the title. Read More
  • Visit the 2024 wheelchair grants page
    2024 wheelchair grants
    July 18, 2024
    More than 50 grassroots wheelchair tennis programs that are set to benefit from more than $100,000 in grant funding from the USTA in 2024. Read More
  • Visit the Houston: Wheelchair Champs page
    Houston: Wheelchair Champs
    May 13, 2024
    University of Houston wheelchair tennis players Nicholas Tijerina and Jose Arriaga, along with coach Gabriel Gutierrez, look back on their run to the title at the 2024 ITA National Wheelchair Tennis Championships at the USTA National Campus in Orlando. Read More