The energy was high over the weekend while USTA Tennis on Campus National Championships were going on in tandem with the USTA Florida 65 & Over 6.0/7.0/8.0 League Sectional Championships at the USTA National Campus courts.
The shared energy resulted in Hillsborough County recording two title wins while Collier, Pinellas and Duval counties each claimed one at the USTA Florida 65 & Over 6.0/7.0/8.0 League Sectional Championship.
Three out of the five winning squads were first-time title winners in the division, while Pinellas County won the 7.0 women’s divisions for the second year in a row. Hillsborough claimed the women’s 6.0 division for the first time and defeated Brevard’s attempt to claim the title.
Collier County took home the 7.0 men’s division title again after winning the title in 2018 and 2013. Duval and Hillsborough counties brought home titles in their respective men’s and women’s 8.0 divisions for the first time in the 65 & Over League.
The competing teams represented various clubs, parks, recreational departments and organizations, and finished at the top of their local leagues during the 2022 season to advance to the USTA Florida 65 & Over Sectional Championships.
Championship results:
Adult 65 & Over Women’s 6.0
Final: Hillsborough County (Sun City Center) finished ahead of Brevard County by going undefeated (3-0) in the round robin.
Hillsborough County Season Roster: Mary Huntington (Captain), Anita Vestal, Sharon Woodruff, Kathleen Norton, Juanita Vila, Janet Smith, Sheryl Doom, Debra Lowe, Charlotte Wood
Adult 65 & Over Men’s 7.0
Final: Collier County (Club at Longshore Lake, Naples) d. Marion County (Glenview Champions Tennis Club, The Villages) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Mark Davis/George Borlase (Marion) d. Peter Zink/William Danford 2-6, 6-2, 1-0
No. 2 Doubles: Kyle Vankleeck/Ben Yocom (Collier) d. Robert Kluemper/Blake Gall 6-3, 6-3
No. 3 Doubles: Robert Folger/Andy Mintz (Collier) d. Jerry Johnson/Robert Anglace 2-6, 6-3, 1-0
Collier County Season Roster: Mike Van Parys (Captain), Andy Mintz (Captain), Pete Zink, Paul Michaels, William Danford, Al Laich, Naum Beloshkurenko, Tommy Chappell, George Kovolenko, Ben Yocom, Manny Acacio, Kyle VanKleeck, Robert Folger
Adult 65 & Over Women’s 7.0
Final: Pinellas County (Tarpon Tennis Club, Tarpon Springs) d. Marion County (Nancy Lopez Legacy Tennis Center, The Villages) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Susan Bry/Beth Riendeau (Marion) d. Jeannine Hodges/Anne Meisterlin 6-3, 6-2
No. 2 Doubles: Karen Cady/Joan Johnson (Pinellas) d. Patricia James/Linda Jones 4-6, 6-3, 1-0
No. 3 Doubles: Gail Eberhardt/Jani Parrish (Pinellas) d. Sally Perkins/Rita Wilhelm 6-2, 6-4
Pinellas County Season Roster: Ellen Hellmers (Captain), Karen Cady, Patriciai Alfonso, Jani Parrish, Gail Eberhardt, Anne Meisterlin, Jeannine Hodges, Barbara Nicoll, Sherrie Bourgeois, Joan Johnson, Sandra Lamy, Debbie Ramker, Susan Lazarides
Adult 65 & Over Men’s 8.0
Final: Duval County (Magnolia Point Golf and Country Club, Green Cove Springs) finished ahead of Collier County (Lighthouse Bay, Bonita Springs) by going undefeated (4-0) in the round robin.
Duval County Season Roster: George Sanders (Captain), Robert Williamson, Jack Raftery, John Dister, Ronny Willis, Felix Nazareno, Kevin Mulvihill, Jan Willem Dankelman, R. Duncan Harvey, Gregory Mueller, Sanford Aldrich, Guy Davis, Michael Lege, Andrew Shackelford, James Meekins, Patrick Swafford
Adult 65 & Over Women’s 8.0
Final: Hillsborough County (Apollo Beach Racquet Fitness Club, Apollo Beach) finished ahead of Marion County (Glenview Champions Tennis Club, The Villages) by going undefeated (4-0) in the round robin.
Hillsborough County Season Roster: Lee Greenlee (Captain), Linda Bacon, Marti Turocy, Debbie Beardsley, Janet Hoffman, Mary Beth Sultenfuss, Janet George, Valerie Elvin, Vicki Knauff
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.
