Florida Players on All 3 U.S. ITF Super-Seniors Champion Teams

The U.S. Doris Hart (Women’s 80 & over) Cup champions

Three U.S. teams, all containing Florida players, took home titles out of eight age-division events at the 35th International Tennis Federation (ITF) Super-Seniors World Team Championships, held Sept. 21-26, 2015 in Umag, Croatia.

The tournament is the senior tennis equivalent of the Davis Cup and Fed Cup competitions, with top American tennis players representing their countries in the 65-, 70-, 75-, and 80-and-older age groups. The event is the most prestigious team competition on the ITF Seniors circuit.

The U.S. won all three of their titles on the women’s side, capturing the Kitty Godfree Cup (65 & over), Queens’ Cup (75 & over) and Doris Hart Cup (80 & over). The Americans had two runner-up showings on the men’s side in the Britannia Cup (65 & over) and Bitsy Grant Cup (75 & over).

It was the sixth consecutive year that the U.S. team triumphed in the Queens’ Cup group, and the second year in a row the U.S. has captured the Kitty Godfree Cup.

The U.S. Queens’ Cup (Women’s 75 & over) champions

Here were the teams and rosters competing for the U.S.:

1st Place: Doris Hart Cup — Women’s 80 & over
(USA won round robin)
Roster: Burnette Herrick, Tarboro, N.C.; Judith Smith, Brookline, Mass.; Mary John Lynch, Rockport, Tex.; Rose Austin, Naples, Fla. (captain)

1st Place: Queens’ Cup — Women’s 75 & over
(USA def. Great Britain 3-0)
Roster: Lynn Little, Palm Desert, Calif.; Donna Fales, Coral Gables, Fla. (captain); Roz King, San Diego, Calif.; Grace Woo, Pittsford, N.Y.

1st Place: Kitty Godfree Cup — Women’s 65 & over
(USA def. Great Britain 2-1)
Roster: Kerry Young, Maitland, Fla.; Brenda Carter, Charleston, S.C. (captain); Carol Clay, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Kathy Bennett, Laguna Woods, Calif.

The U.S. Kitty Godfree (Women’s 65 & over) Cup champions

2nd Place: Bitsy Grant Cup — Men’s 75 & over
(Germany def. USA 2-1)
Roster: Joseph Bachmann, Sarasota, Fla. (captain); Rudy Hernando, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Lester Sack, New Orleans, La.; Bob Quall, Merced, Calif.

2nd Place: Britannia Cup — Men’s 65 & over
(Spain def. USA 2-0)
Roster: Brian Cheney, Chandler, Ariz., (captain); Padg Bolton, Monroe, La.; Michael Beautyman, Flourtown, Pa.; Owen Robertson, Lake Worth, Fla.

3rd Place: Jack Crawford Cup — Men’s 70 & over
(USA def. Germany 2-1)
Roster: Richard Johnson, Ballwin, Mo.; Jody Rush, Tumwater, Wash. (captain); David Nash, Bloomington, Minn.; Hugh Thomson, Norcross, Ga.

3rd Place: Gardnar Mulloy Cup — Men’s 80 & over
(USA def. France 2-1)
Roster: Neil Hurlbut, Big Canoe, Ga.; John Powless, Madison, Wis.; George McCabe, Oxford, Ohio (captain); Chuck Nelson, Santa Monica, Calif.

5th Place: Althea Gibson Cup — Women’s 70 & over
(USA def. Australia 2-1)
Roster: Betty Wachob, Panama City, Fla. (captain), Cathie Anderson, Del Mar, Calif.; Lee Delfausse, Waitsfield, Vt.; Peggy Andry, New Orleans, La.

For more info go to www.itftennis.com/seniors/world-team-championships/super-seniors/overview.aspx.