Miami-Dade County captured their first Sectionals title of the 2020 season while Seminole and Broward counties added to their championship counts at the USTA Florida 40 & Over Men’s 3.0/4.0/4.5+ Women’s 4.5+ Sectional Championships, held Oct. 30-Nov. 2 at the USTA National Campus.
Competition in the men’s 3.0 came down to a dual between Broward County (Midtown Athletic Club, Weston) and Duval County (Florida Yacht Club, Jacksonville) after both squads swept the rest of the field at the start of the weekend. Despite dropping the first doubles court, Broward, who was looking to defend the title for a second year in a row, proved victorious with wins on the second doubles court and the lone singles court, to finish ahead of Duval for the title. Over the course of the weekend, Broward only dropped three sets, capturing 17 overall.
Not one to lose momentum, Broward County (Parkland Tennis Center, Parkland) edged out Miami-Dade County (Ron Ehmann Tennis Center, Miami) in the men’s 4.0 final 2-1. All three matchups in the championship tilt were decided in a match tiebreak — Miami-Dade got on the board with a win in singles action but Broward battled through the doubles contests to earn the trophy.
Determined to leave the National Campus with a championship title, Miami-Dade rebounded in the men’s 4.5 to collect their first Sectionals title of the 2020 season. The 4.5 Miami-Dade squad (Salvadore Park, Coral Gables) defeated Duval (San Jose Country Club, Jacksonville) 2-1 in the Championship match, securing the division for Miami-Dade for the second year in a row.
In the weekend’s sole women’s division, the 4.5+, Orange-Seminole (Heathrow Country Club, Heathrow) and Hillsborough County (HCC Tennis Complex, Tampa) met in the Championship match for some head-to-head competition. It wasn’t just the crown on the line for Orange-Seminole — the team was also looking for redemption after a fellow Heathrow squad was felled by Hillsborough in last weekend’s 55 & Over Women’s 9.0 sectional championship. They didn’t need to look far though, as the women dominated the court and swept the singles and both doubles courts to clinch the win and take home the title. Orange-Seminole last held the 40 & Over women’s 4.5+ title in 2016.
The competing teams represented various clubs, parks, recreational departments and organizations, and finished at the top of their local leagues during the 2020 season to advance to the USTA Florida 40 & Over Men’s 3.0/4.0/4.5+ Women’s 4.5+ Sectional Championships.
Final results:
40 & Over Men’s 3.0
Final: Broward County (Midtown Athletic Club, Weston) finished ahead of Duval County (Florida Yacht Club, Jacksonville) 3-0, 2-1 in round-robin play
Broward County Season Roster: Saeid Sadoughi (Captain), Elias Nunez, Ricardo Uliambre, Carlos Espina, Fernando Machado, German Avellaneda, Diego Lozano, Alex Yokana, Juan Garcia, Andres Intriago, Lawrence Freni, Mario Correa, Jeff Kramer, Alex Punsalan
40 & Over Men’s 4.0
Final: Broward County (Parkland Tennis Center, Parkland) d. Miami-Dade County (Ron Ehmann Tennis Center, Miami) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Singles: Jose Ignacio Gonzalez Nunez (Miami-Dade) d. Andre Boz 3-6, 6-4, 1-0
No. 2 Doubles: Eli Panell/Jorge Rodriguez (Broward) d. Troy Wee Tom/Gustavo Tijerino 6-4, 5-7, 1-0
No. 3 Doubles: Paul Newman/David Netburn (Broward) d. David Aguilera/Richard Mangas 6-7, 6-2, 1-0
Broward County Season Roster: Michael Kelly (Captain), James McLaughlin, Christopher Staller, Adalberto Taguchi, Charles Johnson, Joel Lerner, Michael Golieb, Frank Rosso, Andres Larrea, Eli Panell, Benjamin Daniels, Malcolm H. Waldron III, Paul Newman, Andre Boz, Jorge Rodriguez, Evan David, David Netburn
40 & Over Men’s 4.5+
Final: Miami-Dade County (Salvadore Park, Coral Gables) d. Duval County (San Jose Country Club, Jacksonville) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Singles: Brian Landeweer (Duval) d. Felipe Echeverri 0-6, 7-6, 1-0
No. 2 Doubles: Shay Coker/Todd Rubinstein (Miami-Dade) d. Richard Redick/David Paul 6-0, 6-2
No. 3 Doubles: Alex Barrellier/Raymond Hackney (Miami-Dade) d. William Morgan/Brian DeAlexandris 3-6, 6-2, 1-0
Miami-Dade County Season Roster: Raymond Hackney (Captain), Denis Pierrot, Todd Rubinstein, Paulo Lemann, Alex Barrellier, Olivier Hernandez, Felipe Echeverri, Andres Carrero, Andrew Hellinger, Danny van der Reis, Tony Franco, Robert Gorham, Mauricio Morales, Shay Coker, Mauricio Gomm Santos, Lisardo Garcia, Jorge Ramirez
40 & Over Women’s 4.5+
Final: Seminole County (Heathrow Country Club, Heathrow) d. Hillsborough County (HCC Tennis Complex, Tampa) 3-0
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Singles: Mika Todo (Seminole) d. Lisa Balsera 6-2, 6-0
No. 2 Doubles: Pamela Saffran/Tami Florin (Seminole) d. Dagmar Rocker/Sandra Lamas 6-4, 5-7, 1-0
No. 3 Doubles: Kerry Sproles/JoAnn Mokris (Seminole) d. Allegra Campos/Stephanie Geshel 6-3, 6-3
Seminole County Season Roster: Tami Florin (Captain), Christine Alfert, Maura Trubman Weiner, Suzanne Rucker, Stacy Girdley, Kristine Dionne, Anne-Marie Miller, Pamela Saffran, JoAnn Mokris, Janet Lower, Kim Frilot, Kerry Sproles, Terri Thomson, Mika Todo
2020 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 2020 season (standings through Nov. 3, recent winners in bold):
1. Broward County (5 titles) — X40&Over-7.0/8.0, 55&Over-M8.0, 40&Over-M3.0/M4.0
2T. Hillsborough County (2) — 55&Over-W9.0/M9.0
2T. Seminole County (2) — 55&Over-W7.0, 40&Over-W4.5+
3T. Brevard County (1) — 55&Over-W8.0
3T. Marion County (1) — 55&Over-M7.0
3T. Miami-Dade County (1) — 40&Over-M4.5+
3T. Pinellas County (1) — X40&Over-9.0
3T. St. Lucie County (1) — 55&Over-W6.0
3T. Volusia County (1) — X40&Over-6.0
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: Nov. 6-9, Adult 40 & Over Men’s 3.5 Women’s 2.5/3.5 Sectional Championships, 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.
