Junior wheelchair athletes reflect on experiences at 2025 World Team Cup
The U.S. Junior Wheelchair team claimed the silver medal at the 2025 BNP Paribas World Team Cup, the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) flagship wheelchair tennis event, held at the Ali Bey Club in Manavgat, Antalya, Turkey.
Despite coming home with some hardware after an impressive showing in Turkey, the American team of Max Wong (Flushing, N.Y.), Sabina Czauz (Thornton, Colo.) and Lucy Heald (Lookout Mountain, Ga.) left the tournament hungry for more after capturing the title in 2024. However, veterans Wong and Czauz helped lead the team to the finals, as the team went undefeated in the round robin stage, then kept the unbeaten streak alive in the semifinals by beating Brazil (2-0) before falling 2-0 to Great Britain, the only other undefeated team in the tournament.
Team USA wheelchair tennis coach Kevin Heim acknowledged that the color of the medals wasn’t the one the team had hoped for, but the week was a win in many other ways for the players and the future of American wheelchair tennis.
“It's a tough ending with a loss. Once you get to that final, you always want to pull through,” Heim said. “But overall, this week was an absolute success, and that was the message with the players afterwards. You always want to improve every single round, and they did that.”
“It was a great week getting two players in Max and Sabina that really haven't had a chance to be the No. 1 and No. 2 for the US. They really did a great job pulling through, and then to get Lucy Heald some match play and some experience going into the future was really important.”
The 2025 World Team Cup junior team poses with a trophy.
At just 15 years old, Heald has a few more years of eligibility in the junior division, and is already looking forward to her next chance to play at the World Team Cup. In her first appearance representing the Stars and Stripes, she notched two wins for a 2-1 record, partnering with Wong to defeat the French doubles team 6-0, 6-0, and won her first singles match, 6-0, 7-5.
She said her first win was particularly rewarding, given the high expectations and the pressure of playing on the international stage.
The 2025 World Team Cup juniors display their medals. Photo by Paige Sterner/USTA.
“I felt really happy,” Heald said. “It wasn't just like a normal win, it was one for the USA, for the team.”
Wong echoed her sentiment: “Representing the country and playing World Team Cup is always an honor for me, having the flag on my back. I always want to do it,” he said.
The tournament was also an opportunity for the players to demonstrate their skills and test their abilities when they face the world's best players. Czauz won all of her singles matches until the final, and while she was a bit dejected getting off the court, she had accomplished a lot over the course of the week.
“I beat No. 2 and No. 1 in the world, both tough matches. The journey here was great though right now is not,“ she said. “First place last year, second place now, we're not planning on backing down.“
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