By Jeff Altstadter
At its core, INTENNSE is about opportunity — the belief that the right player, given the right environment, will rise. The Challenge Series presented by BOAST is where that belief gets tested. It doesn't matter where you come from or who knows your name. What matters is how you compete. Show up, perform, and the door is open. That's the meritocracy INTENNSE is built on.
Not a tryout, not a showcase, but actual competition in the INTENNSE format, week after week, where the stakes are real and the prize money is earned. The players who come through it — the ones who figure out the format, handle the pressure, and keep showing up have the opportunity to stand out from the crowd and be noticed by the league.
For three players last season, that opportunity turned into a place on an INTENNSE team roster. Tyler Stice, Adriana Reami and Danijal Muminovic got drafted out of it. That's not a coincidence. There's a moment that every challenger seems to describe the same way. Tyler remembers his mind racing. Adriana calls it mind-blowing. Danijal says it felt unreal. None of them were fully ready for what INTENNSE actually is — and that's kind of the point.
The Challenge Series presented by BOAST exists because there's no substitute for being in it. Running every Thursday and Friday at the INTENNSE Arena in Atlanta, it gives competitive players seven chances across the summer to walk into that environment, figure out the format under real pressure, and earn prize money doing it. For some, it's a standalone goal. For others, it turns into something they didn't see coming.
Tyler had different plans. Then he played his first bolt, and everything he thought he knew about competition went sideways. "My mind was racing a million miles an hour," he says. "I was in complete shock with how different it was from normal tennis." But he kept showing up. Kept playing. And slowly, the chaos started making sense — he learned when he could ease off a point or two, and when he needed to lock in completely. By the time he earned a spot and faced Team Atlanta in the first week of the pro season, he could see the same disorientation in their players that he'd felt during his own first bolt. Except now he was on the other side of it. "Having been in that situation before was key to getting the team their win."
Adriana's entry point was simpler — she filled in on a Challenge Team once, almost casually, and it changed her entire summer. "One thing is to hear about it," she says, "but experiencing it is completely different." That one appearance was enough. Coaches and players saw how she competed in that environment, and when the draft opened up, she was a second round pick.. "Even if I only participated once or twice, it was impactful enough."
The Challenge Series keeps the league connected to its roots and the broader player base and ensures that the talent finding its way onto INTENNSE rosters has already been tested in the arena. That's one of the things about the Challenge Series that doesn't show up in the promotional material: the league is watching how players handle adversity, how they carry themselves between bolts, how they respond when things go sideways. A single strong showing can be the difference between being overlooked and getting a call for next season.
Danijal wasn't even thinking about INTENNSE when the summer started. "As someone who had different plans, INTENNSE was not even on my radar," he says. One phone call changed that. He signed up, started competing, and found something he hadn't expected — a community built through competition itself. Week after week, the same faces kept showing up. Rivals in one bolt, potential teammates in the next. "From enemies to friends, competing toward one goal — to beat the pro team." Then the pro team needed a fill-in, and Danijal got the call. He stepped across the line, experienced the side of INTENNSE he'd only seen from the outside, and knew he wanted back in. Team Tampa welcomed him like he'd been there the whole time. "Starting from the coach to the players, I felt like I had been their teammate the whole summer."
The structure behind all of this is straightforward. Thursday is the group phase — players compete in a minimum of three bolts, with the top two from each group advancing to shootout rounds. Friday is single elimination. The top three men and top three women qualify for the Challenge Team, which takes on a composite INTENNSE pro squad on Saturday at noon.
The Challenge Team experience is elevated by a rotating cast of high-profile celebrity coaches throughout the season, including WTA Player and Coach Conny Perrin and former ATP Player and Broadcaster Nick Monroe, bringing star power and credibility that amplify every player's moment in the spotlight. These marquee names don't just mentor; they experience the format firsthand, serving as a vital pipeline of coaching talent that will fuel the league's continued growth and long-term success.
Prize money comes in at every stage, and the top six performers on each side across the full season qualify for the Challenge Series Playoff Final at the end of the INTENNSE season. Seven events. June through July. All of them at the INTENNSE Arena in Atlanta.
The pathway is real. Tyler, Adriana, and Danijal all walked it. The question is who's next?
HOW IT WORKS
The Challenge Series presented by BOAST is a two-day competition structured for maximum intensity and clear merit-based progression followed by competition against the INTENNSE pros.
Thursday (8:30am) — Group Phase: Players are placed into groups of four and compete in a minimum of three BOLTS. The top two in each group advance to the Shootout Phase
Friday — Shootout Phase: A single-elimination knockout. The top three finishers in each gender qualify for the Challenge Team to compete the following day.
Saturday, 12pm — Challenge Team Showcase: The top three men and top three women form the Challenge Team and compete against an INTENNSE composite pro squad at the INTENNSE Arena.
Prize money is earned at every stage — for every win. And the top six performers on each side across the season qualify for the Challenge Series Playoff Final, held during the last weekend of the INTENNSE season.
Earning Opportunities
- Win cash for every win
- $2,500 each event
- $175,000 Total Prize Fund ** 2026 EVENT DATES** All events are held Thursday–Friday at the INTENNSE Arena, Atlanta. Play begins at 8:30am on Thursday.
June 4–5 | June 11–12 | June 18–19 | June 25–26 | July 9–10 | July 16–17 | July 23–24
Seven events. Seven chances to prove yourself — and earn your place in the league.
Want to take your chance to see if you have what it takes? Signup: INTENNSE Challenge Series Presented by BOAST.