The First Preseason Event is a Wrap: Jacksonville
The First Preseason Surge is a Wrap!
February 2, 2025: Team Jacksonville secured a win against Team Tampa in a 90-minute match. Team Tampa took an early lead and the win in Men’s Singles; Jacksonville struck back winning Women’s Singles and bringing the team score to a near tie at 117-112. Midway through Mixed Doubles, JAX started to pull away; team captain Martin Gutierrez caught fire with a string of 2-point winners accelerating the momentum in their favor, finishing with a final score of 196-167. The event showcased more than just speed and stamina—it highlighted teamwork, adaptability, and strategic decision-making.
Match Highlights
In Men’s Singles, Noureldin Noori Adam and Ivan Yatsuk from Team Tampa edged out a close 67-63 win against Martin Gutierrez and Patrick "PJ" Kotan from Team Jacksonville.
In Women’s Singles, Abigail Rencheli and Deniz Khazan (Jacksonville) battled Ema Burgic and Olga Govortsova (Tampa). Jacksonville came out on top with a 54-45 victory.
Heading into Mixed Doubles, the match was incredibly close, with momentum shifts in each direction. In the second bolt of the 3-bolt match, Team Jacksonville got into a groove and never looked back, securing the win with a final score of 196-167.
How Does That Compare to Traditional Tennis?
In a standard best-of-three-set tennis match, players typically generate roughly 120-180 points, depending on the number of sets and games. The first 90-minute professional INTENNSE match featured 363 total points, nearly double the amount seen with a traditional scoring format.
Beyond the sheer number of points played, the structure of INTENNSE introduced a completely different match dynamic. Traditional tennis has breaks between games and set changes, giving players time to recover and reset. INTENNSE, however, eliminates those long pauses, keeping the energy levels high and demanding sustained focus from start to finish.
In a traditional tennis match, spectators would see two or three sets between the same two players. In contrast, INTENNSE packed three matches into that same timeframe, featuring eight different players across three categories: Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, and Mixed Doubles.
INTENNSE Tennis
Team Leadership
Strong leadership played a crucial role in the competition, with experienced coaches guiding their teams and captains making key on-court decisions.
Team Tampa was led by Coach Pascal Collard and Captain Noureldin Noori Adam, while Coach Claudio Pistolesi and Captain Martin Gutierrez steered Team Jacksonville to victory.
What’s Next?
With Team Jacksonville securing the first win of the preseason, the INTENNSE league focus shifts to Atlanta where, Team Atlanta hosts Team Knoxville at the Ken Byer’s Tennis Complex on the Georgia Tech Campus.
