Milpitas Tennis Team Competes In 2011 USTA Adult League Mens 4.0

What started out as a gathering of tennis enthusiasts turned out to be much better than what the Avengers had anticipated.

Perry Lim decided to form a tennis team in Milpitas because he felt a need for a local team. Through word of mouth and encouraging friends who have been playing tennis for years, Lim commissioned a 16-player tennis team and dubbed them the Avengers, in early April of 2011. 

"We're trying to let people know tennis is available in Milpitas," team captain Lim said. "Milpitas is kind of a smaller city and it doesn't have a tennis center like Mountain View or Sunnyvale."

Lim and his teammates registered with the USTA (United States Tennis Association) League, and started competing in weekly matches. Teams and matches are set up according to NTRP (National Tennis Rating Program) ratings, so teammates and opponents compete at the same skill level. The Avengers are rated 4.0, which is considered advance. 

"It's a big commitment because people have their jobs and families, but you have to commit quite a few hours, that's why some people play socially because they don't want the headache of competition, but the league is nice because it forces you to work on your game," Lim said.

 The hard work paid off because the Avengers went on finishing the regular season undefeated with a record of 14-0 — placing the team in first place among 200 teams in Northern California.

"It was fun," Lim said. "We had fun because we didn't expect too much. It was mainly to have fun and get out, so we were very excited every week. Some of the matches were very close. It can come down to one or two points, so a couple of weeks we won by one or two points."

The Avengers qualified for the 2011 USTA Adult League Mens 4.0. Despite their successful regular season, the superhero tennis team lost in the playoffs.

"That was heartbreaking," Lim said. "I mean its life, some times things don't go your way, but you have to keep fighting and don't think about winning, but think about doing the best you can. That's why it was still a successful season."

Tom Diep, number one doubles player, credits Lim's leadership for the team's success.

"For a first time captain, he's been doing really well," Diep said. "Usually for a first time captain things don't go very smoothly at all. You have people who don't show up for matches or you have committed players, but at the last minute back out, so cases like that, Lim would have to step in and substitute or find another player, so those are the toughest things a captain has to do is to find people last minute to stand in to play a match."

The team, which is self-funded, practices at local parks including Hall Memorial and Yellowstone Park in Milpitas.  

Fu Hwang, a doubles player, said he enjoys playing USTA matches because he has a competitive nature. 

"Nothing can compare to the great feeling when I win a match after playing hard," he said. "Even though happiness is built on other people's sadness, it's not too bad as it is just a game. But the winning feeling is still great."