Reims, France – After three days of fierce competition at what is being described as “The World Event of University Tennis”, it is Team Great Britain who will take home gold at the 2025 Master’U BNP Paribas Championship after dethroning Team USA in Sunday’s championship match.
The win marked Great Britain’s first gold at the championship since 2017 and marks the end of a five-year winning streak for Team USA as they have been the perennial powerhouse of this competition, winning the most gold medals of any competing nation in the tournament’s storied history.
In the championship match, the team was Great Britain who took an early lead after dominant performances from Oliver Okonkwo (Illinois) and Finlay Murgett (Auburn) to give the British a 2-0 lead over the Americans. For Okonkwo, he defeated Nicolas Kotzen (Columbia) 7-5, 3-6, 10-6 in what proved to be a decisive point in the overall makeup of the match, while Murgett defeated Aidan Kim (Ohio State) 6-2, 7-6 to complete the strong start to the morning.
Without backing down, it was the American players of Reese Brantmeier (North Carolina) and Valerie Glozman (Stanford) who brought Team USA back into the game with back-to-back wins in the women’s singles. Brantmeier, who faced Eliz Maloney, won 6-4, 6-1 to claim the first point for Team USA, while Glozman defeated Grace Piper (USC) 6-4, 6-2 to level the match at two points.
Moving on to the doubles, it was another points split between the men’s and women’s doubles as Team Great Britain earned the men’s doubles point and Team USA claimed the women’s doubles point. Luciana Perry (Ohio State) and Brantmeier needed a third-set tiebreaker to keep the match alive in the women’s doubles, then won 6-1, 6-7, 10-3 to force a winner-take-all mixed doubles match.
Pairing Kotzen and Perry for Team USA, the duo would face Jamie Connell (Furman/Florida State) and Sophia Johnson (Old Dominion) in the deciding match. While the British batted first in the first set, Kotzen and Perry were able to recover in the second set, forcing a match tiebreak in the third set. After exchanging mini-breaks to start the tiebreak, it was Connell and Johnson who pulled away towards the end of the match to win 10-7 against the Americans and take home gold.
The gold marks the second time in the tournament’s history that Great Britain has taken home top honors. In Sunday’s third-place match, Team France defeated Team Australia to claim the bronze medal in their home country.
Continue reading below for a full recap of all of Team USA’s matches at the 2025 Master’U BNP Paribas Championship:
Quarterfinals: Team USA def. Team Ireland 4-0
Men’s singles: Nicolas Kotzen (USA) def. Freddy Murray (IRL) 6-3, 6-1
Men’s singles: Aidan Kim (USA) def. Conor Gannon (IRL) 3-6, 6-4, 10-4
Women’s singles: Luciana Perry (USA) def. Breda Brennan (IRL) 6-2, 6-1
Women’s singles: Valerie Glozman (USA) def. Aisling O’Connor (IRL) 6-3, 6-3
Men’s doubles: Banerjee/Kim (USA) def. McDonnell/Murray (IRL) 8-4
Women’s doubles: Brantmeier/Perry (USA) def. Gardiner/O’Connor (IRL) 8-4
Mixed double: Brantmeier/Banerjee (USA) def. Gardiner/McDonnell 8-3
Semifinals: Team USA def. Team France 4-3
Men’s singles: Arthur Nagel (FRA) def. Nicolas Kotzen (USA) 4-6, 6-3, 10-8
Men’s singles: Aidan Kim (USA) def. Hugo Car (FRA) 6-4, 6-4
Women’s singles: Reese Brantmeier (USA) def. Savine Erler (FRA) 6-4, 6-4
Women’s singles: Alice Robbe (FRA) defeats. Valerie Glozman (USA) 6-3, 1-6, 10-6
Men’s doubles: Auto/Nagel (FRA) final Kim/Kotzen (USA) 6-2, 4-6, 10-3
Women’s doubles: Brantmeier/Perry (USA) def. Leclercq/Robbe (FRA) 6-3, 7-6
Mixed double: Kotzen/Perry (USA) def. Jucha/Leclercq (FRA) 6-3, 6-4
Final: Team Great Britain final Team USA 4-3
Men’s singles: Oliver Okonkwo (GBR) def. Nicolas Kotzen (USA) 7-5, 3-6, 10-6
Men’s singles: Finlay Murgett (GBR) def. Aidan Kim (USA) 6-2, 7-6
Women’s singles: Reese Brantmeier (USA) def. Eliz Maloney (GBR) 6-4, 6-1
Women’s singles: Valerie Glozman (USA) def. Grace Piper (GBR) 6-4, 6-2
Men’s doubles: Murgett/Okonkwo (GBR) def. Banerjee/Kim (USA) 6-4, 6-4
Women’s doubles: Brantmeier/Perry (USA) def. Johnson/Piper (GBR) 6-1, 6-7, 10-3
Mixed double: Connell/Johnson (GBR) def. Kotzen/Perry (USA) 6-1, 4-6, 10-7
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