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Nobody took Sydney Jara’s phone away before she started competing in the USTA Girls 14s National Championships. She did that herself.

Jara wanted to focus strictly on her tennis during the nine days in Georgia. The blue chip rising eighth grader from Wenham, Massachusetts didn’t want any outside distractions sidetracking her from her goal.

Singles Champion Sydney Jara (Left) & Finalist Claire Hill
© Contributed Photo

The isolation strategy worked to perfection. The fifth-seeded Jara didn’t drop a single set in the entire tournament, securing her first gold ball with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over No. 2 Claire Hill of Cary, North Carolina in the singles final at Rome Tennis Center.

“It feels great. Right as match point ended, I threw my hands up. I was in disbelief,” Jara said. “I didn’t really get good results in my last tournament at Clay Courts, so winning and redeeming myself really means a lot.”