June 18th, 2018
Hillsborough Wins 3 of 4 Titles at USTA Florida Adult 55 & Over 3.5/4.5 League Tennis Sectionals
Hillsborough showed itself as the powerhouse county of Florida 55 & Over tennis last weekend, claiming three of the four division titles at the USTA Florida 55 & Over League 3.5/4.5 Sectional Championships at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.
Hillsborough clubs from Palma Ceia Country Club in Tampa, the Cheval Athletic Club in Lutz, and the Temple Terrace Tennis Center lifted Hillsborough into a first-place tie with Pinellas County in the 2018 USTA Florida League Championship Cup Standings (see standings below). The USTA Florida League Championship Cup is awarded to the county with the most league sectionals titles during the 2018 season.
Pinellas County (Countryside Country Club, Clearwater) won the women’s 3.5 division, denying Sarasota County which had two second-place finishes during the weekend.
Last year Hillsborough County came up empty at the Florida 55 & Over Sectionals, but in 2018 has won four of the seven divisions contested overall (men’s 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, and women’s 4.5).
The sectional championships were the conclusion of the original date on May 19-21 that was postponed due to rain.
The four championship teams next advance to represent the USTA Florida Section at the USTA 55 & Over League National Championships on Oct. 19-21 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.
Division winners and finalists:
Adult 55 & Over — 3.5 Women’s Division
Final: Pinellas County (Countryside Country Club, Clearwater) d. Sarasota County (Bath and Racquet Club, Sarasota) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: B. Sue Wyman/Robin Gerlach (Pinellas) d. Judith Hall/Taffy Anderson 1-0 (retired)
No. 2 Doubles: Marianne Zentz/Mary Foxwell (Sarasota) d. Henriette Skoczen/Barbera Loy 6-3, 6-0
No. 3 Doubles: Diane Flammer/Debra Gross (Pinellas) d. Sigi Moriece/Beverly Austgen 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (super-tiebreaker)
Pinellas Season Roster: Lisa Mahler (captain), Kathy Duncan, Robin Gerlach, Barbera Loy, Pam Collins, Carol Byrne, Henriette Skoczen, Debra Gross, Debra Rothberg, Caron Hobson, B. Sue Wyman, Kathy Pisciotta, Deirdre Sokol, Deena Fields, Diane Flammer
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Adult 55 & Over — 3.5 Men’s Division
Final: Hillsborough County (Temple Terrace Tennis Center) d. Broward County (Weston Tennis Center) 3-0
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Joe Moxley/Chris Wiley (Hillsborough) d. Jack Vargas/Sergio Chanteiro 6-2, 6-3
No. 2 Doubles: Richard Warrener/Michael Costanza (Hillsborough) d. Jose Salazar/Mauro Pinera 7-6, 7-5
No. 3 Doubles: Robert Chen/Larry Palombo (Hillsborough) d. Jesus Belisario/Miguel Motolongo 6-2, 6-2
Hillsborough Season Roster: Rick Burkhart (captain), Mack Roulhac, Jerry Roberts, Robert Chen, Gonzalo Casares, Gerald Coakley, Thomas Kessler, Chris Wiley, Joe Moxley, Richard Warrener, Albert Martini, Michael Costanza, Larry Palombo
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Adult 55 & Over — 4.5 Women’s Division
Final: Hillsborough County (Cheval Athletic Club, Lutz) finished ahead of Orange County (Azalea Park, Winter Park) 4-0 to 3-1 in round robin play
Hillsborough Season Roster: Mary Paul (captain), Ann Carlson, Susan Williams, Sharon Benson, Katherine Reed, Donna Parimore, Faith Sincich, Maura Kemm, Chris Bartos, Mary Turnes, Laurie Gereaue
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Adult 55 & Over — 4.5 Men’s Division
Final: Hillsborough County (Palma Ceia C.C., Tampa) finished ahead of Sarasota County (Palm-Aire Racquet Club, Sarasota) 3-0 to 2-1 in round robin play
Hillsborough Season Roster: Gary Downing (captain), Douglas Dace, Michael Erbe, Tim O’Brien, Marc Mazo, William Rogers, Scott Bartos, Ignacio Molina, Brad Welch, Pedro Camacho, Michael Rothberg, Robert Graham, Jeff Dadamo
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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 3.5 and 4.5. For more information on NTRP levels go to www.usta.com/en/home/play/play-as-a-member/national/about-ntrp-ratings.html.
2018 USTA FLORIDA LEAGUE
CHAMPIONSHIP CUP STANDINGS
Hillsborough leaps into a first place tie with Pinellas after winning three of four division titles at the 55 & Over 3.5/4.5 sectionals. The USTA Florida League Championship Cup is awarded to the county with the most league sectionals titles during the 2018 season (standings through June 19, recent winners in bold):
1T. Hillsborough County (4 titles) — 55&Over-M3.5/4.0/4.5,W4.5
1T. Pinellas County (4) — 65&Over-W7.0/8.0, 55&Over-W3.5/4.0
3T. Collier County (2) — 65&Over-M7.0/8.0
3T. Duval County (2) — 65&Over-W6.0,55&Over-W3.0
5T. Escambia County (1) — X40&Over-6.0
5T. Martin County (1) — X40&Over-8.0
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 23-25, 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.
