Irvine Valley men's tennis coach Ross Duncan has been chosen to represent the U.S. against players from 25 other countries in the ITF Young Seniors World Team Championships.
Duncan is one of 24 of the top American players in the age categories of 35-45 that will be heading to Croatia for the event.
The senior equivalent of Davis Cup and Fed Cup competitions will be held May 1-6 in the city of Umag. The championships were previously part of the ITF Seniors World Team Championships, but will be getting their own event for the second year in a row.
It will be the highest-ranked event on the ITF Seniors Circuit for male and female players in these age categories.
The ITF Young Seniors World Individual Championships will take place along with the ITF Young Seniors World Team Championships. Many of the same players are expected to participate in the individual events.
Duncan will be taking part in the Italia Cup for Men's 35 and over.
It is the fifth straight year that he has been named to the team.
Duncan has been named captain of this year's squad (for the second year in a row) and will team with Marcio Pepe of Laguna Hills, Mark Tepes of Medford, N.J. and Alex Wong of Newton, Mass.
There are also tournaments for the Trabert Cup for Men's 40 and over, Dubler Cup for Men's 45 and over Suzanne Lenglen Cup for Women's 35 and over, Young Cup for Women's 40 and over and Margaret Court Cup for Women's 45 and over.
Since taking over the Irvine Valley men's team four years ago, Duncan has turned the Lasers into one of the top programs in the state. IVC won its first ever CCCAA State Championship in 2015 and is expected to challenge for the title again this year. IVC has also won three straight Orange Empire Conference titles and finished as runner-up in the state in 2014.
The Lasers start their 2016 season on Jan. 28 with a match at San Diego Christian.
