The 2026 JTCC Champions Celebration will recognize two individuals whose leadership and achievements have profoundly shaped the organization.

Together, the honorees—Ray Benton, JTCC’s longtime Chief Executive Officer, and Denis Kudla, one of the program’s first homegrown professional players and a current member of the JTCC High Performance coaching team—represent more than 30 years of dedication to JTCC’s mission and community.

JTCC Junior wheelchair tennis player Spencer Davis has reached a major milestone, earning a #8 world ranking on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior Wheelchair Tennis Tour—placing him among the top 10 Junior wheelchair tennis players and top ranked American in the world.

A high school sophomore and member of JTCC’s High Performance Champs II program, Davis has made steady progress in the last two years training alongside High Performance athletes.
“I have been able to further develop my game and improve different parts of it recently because of JTCC and their outstanding coaches,” said Davis.

Drawing on 10 years of experience as General Manager of USTA Player Development, JTCC CEO Martin Blackman announced that he, along with JTCC President and Director of Coaching Vesa Ponkka, will oversee all of JTCC’s High Performance Training and High Performance Coach Development.

“We will implement a program that reflects the same philosophy and comprehensive training methodology that ushered in a resurgence of American tennis under the direction of USTA Player Development,” said Blackman. “Over the past decade, American tennis experienced its strongest resurgence since the early 1990s, with significant increases in representation across the Top 100, Top 50, Top 20, and Top 10 rankings. This progress was driven by a three-way partnership between USTA Player Development, the 17 USTA Sections, and the private sector.”

JTCC hosted an All-Coaches Integration Training in Building 2 on January 5, bringing coaches and players in the Adaptive programs together for a unique, hands-on learning experience.

Eight players from JTCC Wheelchair and Para Standing programs participated in integrated drills, situations where athletes with and without disabilities are learning tennis together. The players provided real-time feedback to help coaches from the High Performance and Developmental teams learn how to adapt instruction and environments to support every athlete.

It didn’t take long for Shristi Selvan to define excellence in 2026, opening the year with a truly momentous achievement.

The 15-year-old delivered a masterclass performance at the USTA Level 1 Girls’ 16s National Winter Championships in Orlando, FL, capturing the singles title and securing her first Gold Ball with a commanding 6-3, 6-1 victory over fourth-seeded Olivia Lin in the final.

What began more than a decade ago in Orange Ball programming on JTCC courts has now culminated in two players competing on one of the premier stages in Junior tennis. This week, Shristi Selvan (15) and Nico Pedraza (16) are competing in the prestigious Junior Orange Bowl, a testament from the early days when both trained in the JTCC Orange Ball programs.

High Performance player Nico Pedraza led a strong JTCC contingent at the USTA Level 1 National Indoor Championships that concluded on December 1, earning a coveted Silver Ball for reaching the finals in the Boys’ 16s Doubles division. This was Pedraza’s fifth career National Ball in Junior competition.

“My partner and I played really well together and had some good chemistry. We complement each other’s games really well,” Pedraza stated. “We had some long days where we ended up playing doubles later in the afternoon, so to stay focused and have high energy late in the day really gave us the edge.”

Holidays are a time for returning home and reconnecting with family and friends, and at JTCC, this is no exception. The building was buzzing the week of November 17 with more than 15 alumni returning to the courts to train together again where their journeys began.

Adding to the excitement, world #9 Ben Shelton stopped by for an energetic practice with alumnus Frances Tiafoe as the two pushed each other for more than three hours.