Four American juniors recently won the International Club North American 16 & Under Junior Challenge, hosted by the Evert Tennis Academy, Sept. 18-19, 2009.
The U.S. team was comprised of Josie Kuhlman of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Taylor Townsend of Jonesboro, Ga., Thai Kwiatkowski of Charlotte, N.C., and Spencer Papa of Edmond, Okla. USTA National Coach Andres Pedroso served as the team captain.
With the win, Team USA advances to the IC Challenge World Finals, which will be held in New Delhi, India, in April 2010. This is the first year the U.S. team has won the North American Challenge, as Mexico won the competition in previous years.
This event was developed by the IC Council in 2005 and is played every two years on each continent (Europe, Australia/Oceania, North America, South America, Africa and Asia). Previous World Finals have been played in Sydney and Auckland.