Pinellas and Broward counties took home victories from the USTA National Campus after strong showings at the USTA Florida Adult 40 & Over Women’s 3.0/4.0 Sectional Championships, held Nov. 14-16.
The 3.0 women from Broward (Midtown Athletic Club, Weston) captured their first-ever title in the division, with a 2-1 defeat over Orange-Seminole (USTA National Campus, Orlando). Orange’s Tolentino-Bernabe controlled the singles court 6-2, 6-0 handing Broward a loss, but both Broward doubles squads found wins in the doubles contests, cementing Orange’s defeat.
It was a neighboring county rivalry in the 4.0 women’s final, as Pinellas County (McMullen Tennis Complex, Clearwater) and Hillsborough County (FishHawk Ranch, Lithia) went head-to-head on the court. Pinellas’ Jennifer Drukteinis claimed the singles court for the squad, while teammates Jennifer Garlick and Aspen Kahl joined forces to secure an extended 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 victory in the top doubles spot to earn Pinellas the Sectional trophy. Pinellas retired the second doubles court once the title had been clinched, putting the final score at 2-1 with the Hillsborough win.
The competing teams represented various clubs, parks, recreational departments and organizations, and finished at the top of their local leagues during the 2020 season to advance to the USTA Florida 40 & Over Men’s 3.5 Women’s 2.5/3.5 Sectional Championships.
Final results:
40 & Over Women’s 3.0
Final: Broward County (Midtown Athletic Club, Weston) d. Orange County (USTA National Campus, Lake Nona) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Singles: Cheryl Tolentino-Bernabe (Orange) d. Vanesa Toledo 6-2, 6-0
No. 2 Doubles: Adriana Montserrat/Andrea Tarud (Broward) d. Victoria Karen/Zoe Kindley 6-4, 6-4
No. 3 Doubles: Sondra Carpio/Sima Sadoughi (Broward) d. Kelly DeLattre/Nicole Prihoda 6-0, 7-5
Broward County Season Roster: Adriana Montserrat (Captain), Sondra Carpio, Juan Yang, Maria Diaz, Andrea Tarud, Sheryl Hurwit, Melissa Pflum, Sima Sadoughi, Vanesa Toledo, Adriana Martin, Carol Kelly, Julie Solomon, Natalie Lavery, Yolanda Reyes-Retana
40 & Over Women’s 4.0
Final: Pinellas County (McMullen Tennis Complex, Clearwater) d. Hillsborough County (FishHawk Ranch, Lithia) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Singles: Jennifer Drukteinis (Pinellas) d. Catheleine Rossborough 6-1, 6-3
No. 2 Doubles: Aspen Kahl/Jennifer Garlick (Pinellas) d. Julie Martin/Christina Dorothy 6-4, 3-6, 1-0
No. 3 Doubles: Jackie Caouette/Shannon Deck (Hillsborough) d. Kelly Hansen/Monica Sanchez 6-7, 5-5 retired
Pinellas County Season Roster: Kelly Hansen (Captain), Dorothy Crosse, Anna Fotopoulos, Holly Charles, Debbie Dawson, Monica Sanchez, Jennifer Bell, Aspen Kahl, Jennifer Drukteinis, Laura Hungiville, Jennifer Garlick, Anne Pulley
2020 USTA FLORIDA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP CUP STANDINGS
The USTA Florida League Championship Cup is awarded to the county with the most league sectionals titles during the 2020 season (standings through Nov. 17, recent winners in bold):
1. Broward County (6 titles) — X40&Over-7.0/8.0, 55&Over-M8.0, 40&Over-M3.0/M4.0/W3.0
2T. Hillsborough County (2) — 55&Over-W9.0/M9.0
2T. Seminole County (2) — 55&Over-W7.0, 40&Over-W4.5+
2T. Brevard County (2) — 55&Over-W8.0, 40&Over-M3.5
2T. Pinellas County (2) — X40&Over-9.0, 40&Over-W4.0
3T. Alachua County (1) — 40&Over-W2.5
3T. Marion County (1) — 55&Over-M7.0
3T. Miami-Dade County (1) — 40&Over-M4.5+
3T. St. Lucie County (1) — 55&Over-W6.0
3T. Volusia County (1) — X40&Over-6.0
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: Dec. 4-8, Adult 18 & Over Men’s 3.0/3.5/4.5 Women’s 3.5/4.0/5.0+ Sectional Championships, 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.
