JTCC (Junior Tennis Champions Center)

In preparation for the Junior Boys’ and Girls’ US Open, 200 of the Top Junior players in the world from 35 different countries battled at JTCC and competed in the J300 ITF Wayne K. Curry Prince George’s County International Junior Tennis Championships presented by Laurel Springs School.

Demonstrating the skills that make him one of the world’s top players, JTCC alumnus Frances Tiafoe advanced to the US Open semifinals for the second time in three years earning him the distinction of being the only American man to reach the semifinals two times since 2000.

JTCC players certainly didn’t let any grass grow under their feet at Wimbledon as three alumni raced to victories on the hallowed grass courts. Robin Montgomery fought through three matches in qualifying to earn her first entry into the women’s singles main draw. She followed up with an impressive first round defeat of Olivia Gadecki, 6-4, 6-4, to achieve a personal milestone winning her first Grand Slam main draw match.

After a fun-filled session learning the game of tennis, 262 students, ages 6-12, graduated from the Spring Game On! session that wrapped up June 9.

JTCC High Performance Coach Ali Agnamba made history earlier this month by training the Togolese women’s team as they prepared for their country’s first appearance in the Billie Jean King Cup!

Three former JTCC players and two alumni had strong showings at the NCAA Division I Championships in Stillwater, OK recently, with Alexa Noel capturing the Women’s Singles Championship. Noel rallied from a set and 3-1 down to capture the title with an impressive 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 come-back victory over Georgia’s Anastasiia Lopata.

Thirteen JTCC graduates in attendance were dressed to impress in front of the more than 100 proud parents, families, alumni, and friends who gathered in the JTCC lobby for the May 29 graduation ceremony for the Class of 2024. The new alumni received their diplomas and portraits which will hang on the JTCC Walk of Fame hallway. This year’s class included four additional graduates who were unable to attend. The group joined the more than 330 other successful alumni.

Imani Jean’s freshman season at Howard University was memorable and one for the history books. The JTCC alumna, who finished her first collegiate season 13-3 overall in singles, was recognized for her stellar performance being named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s (MEAC) 2024 Rookie of the Year and was a MEAC First Team selection.

JTCC was recognized on April 14 as the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) Chapter of the Year during the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Annual Conference in Orlando, FL. For its work specifically with under-served youth, JTCC was selected from among more than 250 NJTL chapters nationwide as the NJTL of the Year for positively impacting youth through the powerful combination of tennis and education.

JTCC was transformed for an unforgettable evening on April 10 to salute JTCC’s 25th Anniversary honoring alumnus Frances Tiafoe and University of Maryland President Darryll Pines at the GEICO Champions Celebration presented by Amazon and the Bisnow Family.

JTCC is home to the University of Maryland (UMD) women’s varsity tennis team, and it was jam-packed with more than 100 spectators wearing black to “Black Out” the bubble on March 2 when the Lady Terps took on Liberty University. Fans cheered outstanding National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I tennis and were delighted at the outcome when Maryland cruised to a 4-0 shutout victory in front of the energetic crowd.

Leaving behind her family and hometown of Yonkers, NY, Stefanie Smart-Abbey, at 13-years-old joined JTCC’s Full-Time High Performance program in late 2022 to pursue her dream to be the best player she could be. Smart-Abbey’s father, a seasoned tennis coach from Ghana, taught his 10-year-old daughter how to play tennis. She began making her mark at a young age in local tournaments by holding her own and competing in older age groups despite having only two years of tennis experience.