Florida Players Contribute to 7 of 9 U.S. Team Wins at ITF Super-Seniors Tennis

Florida players were on four of the historic seven teams that won titles over the weekend at the 37th International Tennis Federation (ITF) Super-Seniors World Team Championships, held at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.

American teams won seven of the nine divisions, including the U.S. women sweeping every women’s division.

The U.S. Men’s 85 champions

The tournament is the senior tennis equivalent of the Davis Cup and Fed Cup competitions, with top American tennis players representing their country in the 65-, 70-, 75-, 80- and 85-and-over age groups. This is the first year the event featured the men’s 85-and-over division. The ITF Super-Seniors World Team Championships is the most prestigious team event on the ITF Seniors circuit.
 
The U.S. women brought home titles in the Kitty Godfree Cup (Women’s 65 & over), Althea Gibson Cup (Women’s 70 & over, including Carol Clay of Ft. Lauderdale), Queens’ Cup (Women’s 75 & over) and Doris Hart Cup (Women’s 80 & over).

“We did it!” Clay said afterwards. “We were unseeded and won the Althea Gibson Cup. It was a great final with all three points tightly contested. I won at No. 2, 6-4, 7-6, and Brenda Carter lost to the No. 1 seed 7-5, 7-6. Brenda and Sue Kimball won the deciding doubles, which spanned over two days due to rain, 6-4, 7-6.”

U.S. men won titles in the Britannia Cup (Men’s 65 & over, including captain Larry Turville of Dunnellon), Gardnar Mulloy Cup (Men’s 80 & over, including King van Nostrand of Vero Beach and Gordon Hammes of Naples) and Men’s 85 Cup (including Sarasota’s Clement Hopp).

This was the eighth consecutive year that the U.S. team triumphed in the Queens’ Cup, the third consecutive year for the Doris Hart Cup, and marked the sixth Gardnar Mulloy Cup victory in the last seven years.
 
Following the ITF Super-Seniors World Team Championships, the World Individual Championships will be held Oct. 14-21, also at the USTA National Campus.

For more info, including results and full team rosters, go to www.usta.com/news.