Dominant Broward County won another sectionals, and Miami-Dade collected their third of the season when the USTA Florida Mixed 18 & Over 7.0/9.0 League Sectional Championships were held on Oct. 5-7, 2019 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.
In the 7.0 division Broward won its second title in a row, both from the Dillon Tennis Center in Oakland Park, just north of Ft. Lauderdale. It was Broward’s third title in the last four years in the division.
Miami-Dade South (Coral Pine Park, Pinecrest) won its first Mixed 18 & Over 9.0 title since 2014, back when the Crandon Park facility team from Key Biscayne lifted the trophy.
Broward last year won both division championships. The Mixed 18 & over 7.0 title was Broward’s ninth sectionals title of the season and they retain a commanding lead in the USTA Florida League Championship Cup standings. The USTA Florida League Championship Cup is awarded at season’s end to the county that wins the most USTA Florida League Sectionals titles in 2019 (see standings below).
The event drew the top Mixed 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. Teams consisted of three doubles lines competing in a non-elimination round-robin format, with flight winners advancing into a single-elimination semifinal followed by the final.
The Miami and Broward teams will next represent the USTA Florida Section at the USTA League Mixed 18 & Over National Championships on Nov. 1-3, 2019 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.
Final Results:
Mixed 18 & Over 7.0 Division
Final: Broward County (Dillon Tennis Center, Oakland Park) d. Hillsborough County (Hunters Green Sports Center, Tampa) 3-0
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Marcus Pfenninger/Jenna Painter (Broward) d. Enrique Escobar/Lily Ly 6-3, 3-6, 1-0
No. 2 Doubles: Anthony Phillips/Natasha Torres (Broward) d. Joy Allee/Quyen Nguyen 6-3, 6-3
No. 3 Doubles: Michael Stites/Maria Lanza (Broward) d. Michael Bitting/Fan Wang 6-3, 6-3
Broward County Season Roster: Kevin Sims (captain), Sue Mitchell-Greig, Eliu Montero, Brandon Cox, Chuck Greig, Frances Cubano, Marie Ferrigno, Michael Stites, Jenna Painter, Natasha Torres, Marcus Pfenninger, Eduardo Noriega, Maria Lanza, Loren Levine, Patricia Vegas, Armando Orozco, Stuart Flanzer, Anthony Phillips, Rene Elvir
Mixed 18 & Over 9.0 Division
Final: Miami-Dade South (Coral Pine Park, Pinecrest) d. Pinellas County (Total Tennis, Clearwater) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Antonio Necuze/Michele Drucker (Miami) d. Dianne Albina/Clark Maccullough 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 Doubles: Amy Schmiedeler/Matt Sauerman (Miami) d. Nicholas Cary/Denise Reichenbach 7-6, 6-3
No. 3 Doubles: Jeffrey Hirsch/Susan Dean (Pinellas) d. Andres Lozano/Janine Burke 6-7, 2-5, retired
Miami-Dade South County Season Roster: Werner Vondrak (captain), Michele Drucker, Laura Herskowitz, Carin Blanchard, G. Emerson Fales, Matt Sauerman, Leyvis Concepcion, Andres Lozano, Amy Schmiedeler, Antonio Necuze, Jonathan Drucker, Francisco Musalem, Janine Burke, Miriam Radillo
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 Oct. 8, recent winners in bold):
1. Broward County (9 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, X18&Over-7.0
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. Miami-Dade (3) — 55&Over-M3.5, 40&Over-M4.5+, X18&Over-9.0
2T. Orange County (3) — 40&Over-M4.0, 18&Over-W4.0,M5.0+
7T. Collier County (2) — 65&Over-W6.0, X40&Over-7.0
7T. Escambia County (2) — 55&Over-W3.0, 18&Over-W2.5
7T. Pinellas County (2) — 65&Over-W8.0, 40&Over-W4.5+
7T. 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. 12-14, Mixed 18 & Over 6.0/8.0/10.0, 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.
