The Middle States Church Cup team is starting a trend.

For the second year in a row, USTA Middle States earned the prestigious Church Cup by defeating USTA Eastern in the final round, 6-3.

The tournament action took place on Friday and Saturday, June 26-27 and featured some of the top male players in their respective sections. Traditionally, the tournament is played on grass. Merion Cricket Club was the host facility, but rain forced the second day’s action to be moved indoors to Upper Dublin Sports Complex.

Church Cup competition began in 1918 and consisted of teams representing Boston, New York and Philadelphia. The tournament continued in this format until 1932 before taking a 13-year hiatus and reformatting the tournament structure to place USTA Sections against one another. Since 1947, Middle States has competed against New England, Eastern and Mid-Atlantic each year.

Circumstances forced New England to withdrawal this year, leaving just three sections competing for the historic trophy.

To learn more about intersectional competition, visit the Middle States website.