6 Different Winners at USTA Florida Combo 50 & Over Championships

Teams from Alachua County (Gainesville Golf & Country Club), Hillsborough County (Avila Golf & Country Club, Tampa), Marion County (Ft. King Tennis Center, Ocala), Pinellas County (St. Pete Tennis Center, St. Petersburg), South Miami-Dade County (Coral Oaks Tennis Club, Miami), and Volusia/Flagler counties (Florida Tennis Center, Daytona Beach) captured Florida state titles over the weekend at the 2014 USTA Florida Combo 50 & Over Sectional Championships, held Dec. 12-14, at the Florida Tennis Center in Daytona Beach.

Pinellas County successfully defended it’s title from 2013 in the Women’s 7.5 Division, edging Lee/Charlotte counties (Paseo) 2-1.

Both Jacksonville and Pensacola teams were frustrated in finals, each posting an 0-2 record respectively.

The competing teams represented various clubs, parks, recreational departments and organizations, and finished at the top of their local leagues during the 2014 season in the state of Florida to advance to the USTA Florida Combo 50 & Over Sectional Championships.

For Combo 50 & Over 6.5-8.5 doubles-only division play, the combined NTRP (National Tennis Rating Program) ratings of each doubles team may not exceed the level in which they are competing, and the NTRP rating difference between members of an individual doubles pair may not exceed 0.5. 

Winners and finalists in each division:

Women’s 6.5 Division

Final: Marion County (Ft. King Tennis Center, Ocala) d. Duval County (Deercreek Country Club, Jacksonville) 2-1
Final Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Lori Croy/Fay Owings (Marion) d. Robin Braddock/Karen Sayre 6-0, 6-2
No. 2 Doubles: Elizabeth Bouffard/Deborah Borge-Shaffer (Marion) d. Hyacinth Bohlinger/Bonnie King 6-2, 6-1
No. 3 Doubles: Patricia Toole/Janet Daechsel (Duval) d. Roseann Fusco/Ellen Perrone 6-0, 6-2
Ocala Roster: Roseann Fusco (captain), Charlotte Rozanski, Donna Sullivan, Deborah Borge-Shaffer, Fay Owings, Hera Peterson, Ellen Perrone, Lori Croy, Lori Cluster, Peggy Blue, Elizabeth Bouffard, Debby McCoy, Karen Romanac

The Women’s 6.5 champs from Ocala	The Women’s 6.5 finalists from Jacksonville

Women’s 7.5 Division

Final: Pinellas County (St. Pete Tennis Center, St. Petersburg) d. Lee/Charlotte counties (Paseo) 2-1
Final Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Katie Healy/Ellen Johnson (Pinellas) d. Janet Byer/Patricia Bosshard 6-1, 7-6
No. 2 Doubles: Kay Caldwell/Patricia Conroy (Pinellas) d. Kristy Brooks/Joan Lake 6-4, 6-1
No. 3 Doubles: Elaine Kearney/Karen Steuber (L/C) d. Norma Rizzo/Linda Riffe 6-2, 1-6, 1-0 (super-tiebreak)
St. Pete Roster: Janet Matthews (captain), Ellen Johnson, Norma Rizzo, Clara Reynolds, Linda Riffe, Patricia Conroy, Josie Barber, Katie Healy, Ruth Barnett, Frances Strazzulla, Christine Jones, Kay Caldwell

The Women’s 7.5 champs from St. Pete	The Women’s 7.5 finalists from Paseo

Women’s 8.5 Division

Final: Volusia/Flagler counties (Florida Tennis Center, Daytona Beach) d. Duval County (Boone Park, Jacksonville) 2-1
Final Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Jane Fountain/Beth Good (V/F) d. Lisa Miller/Anne Joseph 6-3, 7-6
No. 2 Doubles: Katherine Barnard/Linda Vanis (V/F) d. Kathy Roan/Wendy McCurry 6-4, 6-2
No. 3 Doubles: Margaret Hatfield/Holly Middleton (Duval) d. Kathy Gray/Nancy Munier 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (super-tiebreak)
Daytona Beach Roster: Kathryn Preston, Sylvia Whitehouse, Valerie Vatterott, Nancy Munier, April Wagner, Katherine Barnard, Kristi Rice, Kathy Gray, Debbie Zinsmaster, Linda Vanis, Jane Fountain, Beth Good

The Women’s 8.5 champs from Daytona Beach	The Women’s 8.5 finalists from Jacksonville

Men’s 6.5 Division

Final: Alachua County (Gainesville Golf & Country Club) finished ahead of Escambia County (Roger Scott Tennis Center, Pensacola) 3-1 to 1-3 in round robin play
Gainesville Roster: Richard Menendez (captain), Russ Metler, Thomas Walsh, Stephen Walsh, William Pettinato, Scott Lamp, Muhammad Ali, Donald van Schuppen, Gary Grooms, Steve Dennis, Jorg Bungert, Oscar Leyva, Malcolm Maden, William Wiltbank, John Brandt

The Men’s 6.5 champs from Gainesville	The Men’s 6.5 finalists from Pensacola

Men’s 7.5 Division

Final: South Miami-Dade County (Coral Oaks Tennis Club, Miami) d. Sarasota/Manatee counties (Bath & Racquet Fitness Club, Sarasota) 2-1
Final Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Lane Trotter/Randy Brodsky (S/M) d. Raul Moskovitz/Carmelo Rubio 6-2, 6-4
No. 2 Doubles: Jorge Hernando/Michael Schlesinger (SMD) d. Andy Hratko/Mark Davy 6-7, 6-1, 1-0 (super-tiebreak)
No. 3 Doubles: Patricio Comparini/Manuel Fernandez (SMD) d. Todd Smith/Cliff Menezes 6-1, 6-1
Miami Roster: Carmelo Rubio, Kenneth Pyatt, Patricio Comparini, Raul Moskovitz, Frank Rosenberg, Douglas Orth, Oscar Orihuela, Jorge Hernando, Ricardo Salgo, Javier Siu, Michael Schlesinger, Miguel Daud, Manuel Fernandez

The Men’s 7.5 champs from Miami	The Men’s 7.5 finalists from Sarasota

Men’s 8.5 Division

Final: Hillsborough County (Avila Golf & Country Club, Tampa) finished ahead of Escambia County (Roger Scott Tennis Center, Pensacola) in round robin play 3-1 to 2-2
Pensacola Roster: Barney Bailey (captain), Darin Garner, Jeff Ralph, William Malone, Albert Alhadeff, Michael Kosloske, Marvin Wilhite, John Knierman, Richard Larcomb, Martin Revello, Tony Yamnitz

The Men’s 8.5 champs from Tampa	The Men’s 8.5 finalists from Pensacola