On Sunday, Shalimar Pointe Country Club was joined by the Broward (Midtown Athletic Club – Weston) 6.0 crew and the Alachua (Westside Park Recreation – Gainesville) 10.0 squad in 18 & Over competition along with the 55 & Over 7.0 team representing Alachua (Jonesville Tennis Center – Gainesville) as champions on the weekend.
The 2021 Mixed 18 & Over 6.0 & 8.0 & 10.0 and Mixed 55 & Over 7.0 USTA Florida Sectional Championships wrapped up over the weekend as Okaloosa/Walton/Bay (Shalimar Pointe Country Club) outlasted Sarasota (Sarasota Sports Club) in the final of the 18 & Over 8.0 division.
In what was the lone dual Sunday, the duo of Timothy Gruters and Heidi Grimes put Sarasota ahead early by taking court two 6-4, 6-2 over Ruman Meman and Kim Pennington. Okaloosa/Walton/Bay countered by claiming the opening frames at the first and third positions; however, both matchups would be pushed to decisive match tiebreaks despite Okaloosa/Walton/Bay being mere points away from closing them out in straight sets.
At line one, Lubomir Kaderjak and Elisabeth Sherwin held off Sarasota’s Michael Karka and Ann Lammers 7-5, 5-7, 1-0. It would be just as tightly-contested at the third position, where Okaloosa/Walton/Bay teammates Byron Cotton and Jenna Kafferly prevailed over Duncan Crowley and Nikki Gifford 6-4, 5-7, 1-0.
Captain Dale Rice leads the Okaloosa/Walton/Bay crew that includes a roster of Elisabeth Sherwin, Lubomir Kaderjak, Ruman Meman, Gregory Bennett, Kim Pennington, Jenna Kafferly, Kristie Edwards, Byron Cotton, Mikaela McManus, and Jose Fantauzzi.
Final results:
18 & OVER Mixed 6.0
Final: Broward County (Midtown Athletic Club – Weston) d. Alachua County (Haile Plantation Country Club) 4-Team Round Robin
Broward County Season Roster: German Avellaneda (Captain), Sima Sadoughi, Romina Fattore, Ili Montnor, Andrea Cordova, Natalia Azuero, Saeid Sadoughi, Jessika Bolin, Aldri Franco, Fernando Machado, Eduardo Cordova, Eduardo Lancara
18 & OVER Mixed 8.0
Final: Okaloosa/Walton/Bay County (Shalimar Pointe-Rice) d. Sarasota County (Pointe Club- Solomon) 7-5, 5-7, 1-0 OWB | 6-2, 6-4 Sarasota | 6-4,5-7, 1-0 OWB
Okaloosa/Walton/Bay County Season Roster: Dale Rice (Captain), Elisabeth Sherwin, Lubomir Kaderjak, Ruman Meman, Gregory Bennett, Kim Pennington, Jenna Kafferly, Kristie Edwards, Byron Cotton, Mikaela McManus, Jose Fantauzzi
18 & OVER Mixed 10.0
Final: Alachua County (Westside Park Recreation – Gainesville) d. Brevard County (Kiwi Tennis Club) 6-4- 6-7, 1-0 Alachua | 6-2, 6-3 Brevard | 6-3, 6-1 Alachua
Alachua County Season Roster: James Bratt (Captain), Campbell Harmon, Noah Shever, Erica Braschi, Isabella Herrero, Paulo Sicangco, Emmanuelle Schue, Coley Hungate, Gabriela Portmann
55 & OVER Mixed 7.0
Final: Alachua County (Jonesville Tennis Center – Gainesville) d. Escambia County (Roger Scott Tennis Center)
Alachua County Season Roster: Susie Finfrock (Captain), Mark Diblin, Christa Arnold, Philip Lancaster, Ed Stark, Jorg Bungert, Tahereh Toghiyani, Muhammad Ali, Donald van Schuppen, Pamela Wright, Anita Frankenberger, Scott Thompson
40 & OVER Women’s 3.5
Final: Pinellas County (Bardmoor County Club) d. Orange/Seminole County (Lake Cane Tennis Center)
Pinellas County Season Roster: Maribel Gross (Captain), Kim Blackmore, Carrie Kilgore, Tamera Tindell, Joann Suyao, Lucy Robertson, Karin Hartenbach, Tina Glasmann, Sandra Anthony, Kimberly Northup, Deirdre West, Terri Baun, Deborah Howells, Kelly Armagost, Josie Barber, Danielle Haggar, Irene Nasworthy
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.
