Sarasota County (Longboat Key Tennis Center) surged to a second Florida sectionals tennis title of the year and Clay County (Fleming Island Plantation) won its first at the 2019 USTA Florida Mixed 40 & Over 6.0/8.0 Sectional Championships, held June 1-3 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.
It was also the first time either county has won a Florida sectionals title in their respective divisions.
With the win Sarasota County tied Duval County at No. 1 in the race for the 2019 USTA Florida League Championship Cup, which is awarded to the county with the most sectional titles during the year (see current standings below).
The runner-up counties Alachua and Hillsborough were each seeking a second title of the season.
The two championship teams next advance to represent the USTA Florida Section at the USTA Mixed 40 & Over League National Championships on Nov. 15-17 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.
Teams consisting of three doubles lines competed in a non-elimination round-robin format. The winner of each flight/division was determined by team matches won. The winner of each flight then advanced into a single-elimination semifinal followed by the final. NTRP levels of play were 6.0 and 8.0 in combined mixed doubles teams. For more information on NTRP levels go to www.usta.com.
Division winners and finalists:
40 & Over Mixed 6.0 Division
Final: Clay County (Fleming Island Plantation) d. Alachua County (Westside Park, Gainesville) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Nathan Wycoff/Kannika Torres (Alachua) d. Jack Francis/Pam Fritz 6-4, 6-0
No. 2 Doubles: Changhong Tang/Chau Do (Clay) d. Jorge Torres/Amanda Fuller 6-0, 6-2
No. 3 Doubles: Len Pfuntner/Kim Le (Clay) d. Timothy Ferguson/Julia Morrisroe 6-3, 6-1
Clay Season Roster: Tai Pham (captain), Len Pfuntner, Vivienne Tran, Adam Mercer, Chau Do, Kim-Lan Huynh, Maureen Pelletier, Changhong Tang, Jack Francis, Pam Fritz, Kim Le
40 & Over Mixed 8.0 Division
Final: Sarasota County (Longboat Key Tennis Center) d. Hillsborough County (Hillsborough Community College, Tampa) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Clark Maccullough/Justine Nelson (HCC) d. Eric Abbott/Ann Lammers 4-6, 4-5, retired
No. 2 Doubles: Jeffrey Stern/Rosa Rojas Weis (Sarasota) d. Josh Melton/Lisa Oonk 6-3, 1-6, 1-0
No. 3 Doubles: Nick Hardy/Sandra Poston (Sarasota) d. Richard Helme/Cinthia Cespedes 6-3, 6-1
Sarasota Season Roster: Janet Sperling (captain), Coquina Homer, Jeffrey Stern, Nick Hardy, Calvin Hac, Eric Abbott, Jim Capazola, Babette Paige, Dean Dancer, Ann Lammers, Jill Lyons, Rosa Rojas Weis, Jane Hancock, Margaret Wieczerzak, Sandra Poston
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 June 4, recent winners in bold):
1T. Duval County (2 titles) — 65&Over-W7.0, 55&Over-M4.5
1T. Sarasota County (2) — 55&Over-W4.0, X40&Over-8.0
3T. Alachua County (1) — 55&Over-W3.5
3T. Broward County (1) — 65&Over-M8.0
3T. Clay County (1) — X40&Over-6.0
3T. Collier County (1) — 65&Over-W6.0
3T. Escambia County (1) — 55&Over-W3.0
3T. Hillsborough County (1) — 55&Over-W4.5
3T. Marion County (1) — 65&Over-M7.0
3T. Miami-Dade South (1) — 55&Over-M3.5
3T. Palm Beach County (1) — 55&Over-M4.0
3T. Pinellas County (1) — 65&Over-W8.0
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: June 22-24 — Mixed 40 & 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.
