NEWS & EVENTS
From Beaverton to Arthur Ashe:
USTA PNW Captain Tosses Coin at the US Open
You could hear a pin drop when Sev Flores, a USTA Pacific Northwest (PNW) League captain, walked onto center court at the U.S. Open on Friday, August 29th.
Just 24 hours earlier, Sev had no idea he’d be standing between Cameron Norrie and Novak Djokovic, flipping the coin on one of tennis’s biggest stages. All he knew was that his longtime friend, Adam Hutchinson — Director of Adult Competition at USTA and fellow high school tennis teammate — had invited him to attend the Open. For Sev, it was a dream years in the making.
Flores, who captains the 3.5 Men’s Adult 18 & Over and Adult 40 & Over teams at THPRD in Beaverton, Oregon, is one of the many passionate leaders in the Pacific Northwest Section who are helping to grow local tennis. He stepped into the captain role in spring 2024, saying it was “at the last hour” to register a team. That team went on to reach the playoffs for the first time — and he’s never looked back.
“I didn’t see myself in this position,” said Flores. “But captaining this team has been more than just about tennis — it’s about community, hearing people’s stories, and building something together.”
Originally, Sev was headed to New York to support a Red Ball Tennis demo with Hutchinson. But when he landed at JFK, his phone blew up with messages — and one stood out: he’d been selected to toss the coin before one of the U.S. Open’s premier matches.
“My jaw dropped,” said Flores. “Then I found out my wife was in on it too! It all went over my head. I don’t know what I did to deserve this honor, but I’m so grateful to Adam.”
Hutchinson said, “When we hit 1 million USTA League registrations, I knew I wanted to spotlight that success and our amazing League captains — and Sev immediately came to mind.”
Flores said he wasn’t too nervous before the toss — “It was a good one!” he laughed — but the highlight was shaking hands with two of the sport’s top pros. He didn’t get to keep the official coin, but he did take home a souvenir one — a memento from what he calls his “15 minutes of fame.”
“This was a dream come true,” he said. “Being in New York, meeting the players, getting a front-row moment — I’ll never forget it.”
Hutchinson added, “Sev is the kind of captain who makes the PNW Section proud. He brings balance — competitiveness, sportsmanship, integrity, and love for the game. And it’s clear his family and tennis community mean everything to him.”
This story is a powerful reminder: great tennis moments don’t just happen under stadium lights. They’re built in communities like ours — at local courts, with leaders like Sev, through programs like USTA League.
Thanks to the incredible PNW community — and facilities like Tualatin Hills Tennis Center — national moments like this start right here at home.