The upper-level divisions were swept by Broward County, victorious in the women’s 4.5, and men’s 4.5 and 3.5, over the weekend at the USTA Florida 18 & Over 2.5/3.5/4.5 League Sectional Championships, held Aug. 17-19, 2019 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.
Broward edged all three opponents 3-2 in the finals as the 4.5 women (Lauderdale Tennis Club, Ft. Lauderdale) defeated Orange County (Winter Park Tennis Center), the 3.5 men (City of Oakland Park) worked past Miami-Dade South (Doral Park), and the 4.5 men (Midtown Athletic Club, Weston) topped Miami-Dade South (Salvador Park, Coral Gables).
Also taking home titles were Alachua County (Jonesville Tennis Center, Gainesville) in the women’s 2.5 division, and Escambia County (Shoreline Park, Gulf Breeze) in the women’s 3.5.
Alachua’s win in the women’s 2.5 ended a four-year winning streak by Duval County in the division.
Broward County upped its sectionals title tally to eight in the race for the USTA Florida League Championship Cup, awarded annually to the county with the most USTA Florida League Sectionals titles during the season (see standings below). Trailing in second place in a four-way tie with three sectionals titles are Alachua, Duval, Hillsborough and Orange counties.
The event drew the top 18 & Over USTA League teams from throughout Florida, representing various clubs, parks, recreational departments and organizations that finished at the top of their local leagues. The 3.5 and 4.5 teams consisted of two singles and three doubles lines and competed in a non-elimination round-robin format, with flight winners advancing into a single-elimination semifinal followed by the final. The women 2.5 teams consisted of one singles and two doubles lines, and flight winners competed in a final.
The championship teams next advance to represent the USTA Florida Section at the USTA 18 & Over League National Championships on Oct. 4-6 for the 3.5 in Surprise, Ariz., Oct. 11-13 for the women’s 2.5 in Las Vegas, and Oct. 18-20 for the 4.5 in Surprise, Ariz.
Division winners and finalists:
18 & Over Women’s 2.5 Division
Final: Alachua County (Jonesville Tennis Center, Gainesville) d. Escambia County (Roger Scott Tennis Center, Pensacola) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Singles: Amber Fletcher (Escambia) d. Chrissy Fillmon 6-0, 6-0
No. 1 Doubles: Kelsy Hill/Lori Pennington-Gray (Alachua) d. Catherine Yoo/Kaye Whittenberger 6-7, 7-6, 1-0
No. 2 Doubles: Ashley Spink/Irina Madorsky (Alachua) d. Heba El Goweni/Mary Benson 6-2, 6-1
Alachua Season Roster: Mark Martin (captain), Kelsy Hill, Diane Beck, Jill Shea, Ashley Spink, Chrissy Fillmon, Rachel Brock, Irina Madorsky, Jamie Shively, Lori Pennington-Gray
18 & Over Women’s 3.5 Division
Final: Escambia County (Shoreline Park, Gulf Breeze) d. Hillsborough County (Hunters Green Sports Center, Tampa) 4-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Singles: Joy Allee (Hillsborough) d. Jennifer Jackson 6-1, 6-1
No. 2 Singles: Sultana Pohlmann (Escambia) d. Julie Sakre 0-6, 6-2, 1-0
No. 1 Doubles: Janie Clark/Wanda Chapman (Escambia) d. Dong Li/Tibbie Farnsworth 2-6, 7-6, 1-0
No. 2 Doubles: Tonya DelGallo/Jennifer Passeretti (Escambia) d. Phuong Cotey/Anh Flinter 6-1, 6-3
No. 3 Doubles: Anna Del Gallo/Lisa Robertson (Escambia) d. Ann Coston/Marla Adams 6-1, 6-3
Escambia Season Roster: Heather Reese (captain), Kris Pritchard, Wanda Chapman, Anna Del Gallo, Heather Doerr, Siobhan Jackman, Anne Elidemir, Tonya DelGallo, Jennifer Jackson, Cindy Ducote, Jennifer Passeretti, Lisa Robertson, Janie Clark, Kathleen Galinis, Sultana Pohlmann
18 & Over Women’s 4.5 Division
Final: Broward County (Lauderdale Tennis Club, Ft. Lauderdale) d. Orange County (Winter Park Tennis Center) 3-2
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Singles: Laura Savage (Orange) d. Amy Schmiedeler 3-6, 6-2, 1-0
No. 2 Singles: Leyvis Concepcion (Broward) d. Jennifer Myers 6-1, 6-4
No. 1 Doubles: Elizabeth McCafferty/Lisa Shelton (Orange) d. Gabriela Castanon/Miriam Radillo 7-5, 4-6, 1-0
No. 2 Doubles: Erin Pasternack/Rachel Keene (Broward) d. Denise Tormey/Christine Alfert 6-2, 6-0
No. 3 Doubles: Alaina Fotiu-Wojtowicz/Janine Burke (Broward) d. Kim Frilot/Teresa Ferrarini 6-3, 6-3
Broward Season Roster: Alaina Fotiu-Wojtowicz (captain), Miriam Radillo, Erin Pasternack, Jessy Sadovnik, Janine Burke, Sherril Colombo, Natalia Moll, Gabriela Castanon, Amy Schmiedeler, Leyvis Concepcion, Barbara Cabral, Joann Romney, Michele Drucker, Jodi Appelbaum-Steinbauer, Rachel Keene
18 & Over Men’s 3.5 Division
Final: Broward County (City of Oakland Park) d. Miami-Dade South (Doral Park) 3-2
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Singles: Mario Guevara (Miami) d. Rene Elvir 7-6, 6-4
No. 2 Singles: Gabriel Mateluna (Miami) d. Eliu Montero 7-5, 6-4
No. 1 Doubles: Matt Corey/Fernando Calvo (Broward) d. Jose Medina/Roberto Mangupli 6-2, 6-1
No. 2 Doubles: Michael Stites/Marcus Pfenninger (Broward) d. David Suzana/Jose Viloria 7-6, 6-4
No. 3 Doubles: Andrew Brown/Le Corney (Broward) d. Leandro Gonzalez/Roger Valecillos 7-5, 6-2
Broward Season Roster: Kevin Sims (captain), Gaurav Hingorani, Eliu Montero, Fernando Calvo, Rene Elvir, Dean Lawrence, Hosea Bigirwenkya, Matt Corey, George Serbanescu, Javinne McCoy, Luis Soto, Marcus Pfenninger, Marcus Shawn Pfenninger, Joseph Wolczanski, Alejandro Pineda, Michael Stites, Andrew Brown, Le Corney, Axel Sanchez, Francisco Vargas
18 & Over Men’s 4.5 Division
Final: Broward County (Midtown Athletic Club, Weston) d. Miami-Dade South (Salvador Park, Coral Gables) 3-2
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Singles: Javier Garcia-Velez (Miami) d. Luis Lopes 6-1, 6-4
No. 2 Singles: Paul Martins (Broward) d. Alex Barrellier 6-2, 6-4
No. 1 Doubles: Kenny Torrellas/Dario Spilkin (Broward) d. Nicolas Eterovic/Patricio Casillas 6-4, 7-6
No. 2 Doubles: Shay Coker/Damian Pilewski (Miami) d. Leonardo Torrellas/Ivan Rojas 6-2, 6-3
No. 3 Doubles: Antonio Maciasvaldes/Tony Faso (Broward) d. Sid Doshi/Bruno Andrade 6-4, 6-4
Broward Season Roster: Leonardo Torrellas (captain), Jay Eisenberg, Dario Spilkin, Daniel Caminata, Tony Faso, Luis Lopes, Jeff Bill, Antonio Maciasvaldes, Brian Ambrugna Aiello, Paul Martins, Luis Moreno, Abhinav Mohan, Juan Pablo Cofino, Kenny Torrellas, Ivan Rojas
2019 USTA FLORIDA LEAGUE
CHAMPIONSHIP CUP STANDINGS
The USTA Florida League Championship Cup is awarded to the county with the most league sectionals titles during the 2019 season (standings through Aug. 20, recent winners in bold):
1. Broward County (8 titles) — 65&Over-M8.0, X40&Over-9.0, 40&Over-M3.0,M3.5, 18&Over-M3.5/M4.0/M4.5/W4.5
2T. Alachua County (3) — 55&Over-W3.5, 40&Over-W3.5, 18&Over-W2.5
2T. Duval County (3) — 65&Over-W7.0, 55&Over-M4.5, 18&Over-W3.0
2T. Hillsborough County (3) — 55&Over-W4.5,40&Over-W3.0, 18&Over-W5.0+
2T. Orange County (3) — 40&Over-M4.0, 18&Over-W4.0,M5.0+
6T. Collier County (2) — 65&Over-W6.0, X40&Over-7.0
6T. Escambia County (2) — 55&Over-W3.0, 18&Over-W2.5
6T. Miami-Dade (2) — 55&Over-M3.5, 40&Over-M4.5+
6T. Pinellas County (2) — 65&Over-W8.0, 40&Over-W4.5+
6T. Sarasota County (2) — 55&Over-W4.0, X40&Over-8.0
11T. Clay County (1) — X40&Over-6.0
11T. Leon County (1) — 18&Over-M3.0
11T. Marion County (1) — 65&Over-M7.0
11T. Martin County (1) — 40&Over-W4.0
11T. Palm Beach County (1) — 55&Over-M4.0
Note: County determined by location of team’s home club. Season-ending ties to be broken by teams’ 1st-4th place results at USTA League Nationals.
Next Sectionals: Oct. 5-7 — Mixed 18 & Over 7.0/9.0, USTA National Campus, Orlando
Established in 1980, USTA League has grown from 13,000 participants in a few parts of the country in its first year to more than 904,000 players across the nation today, making it the world’s largest recreational tennis league. The league groups players by using six National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) levels, ranging from 2.5 (entry) to 5.0 (advanced). USTA League is open to any USTA member 18 years of age or older.
For more information on USTA Florida Leagues go to www.ustaflorida.com/leagues.
