Six Counties Capture Wins at Combo 50 & Over 5.5/6.5/7.5/8.5 Sectional Championships

2025 is here and so are USTA Florida Adult League Sectionals. The Combo 50 & Over division got things started and the competition was great. 

For Combo 50 & Over 5.5/6.5/7.5/8.5, the combined NTRP (National Tennis Rating Program) ratings of each doubles team may not exceed the level in which they are competing, and the NTRP rating difference between members of an individual doubles pair may not exceed 0.5.  

There were seven divisions up for grabs with five taking part in pool play and a championship flight, while two were played with a round robin format. 

Across the seven divisions, there were six different counties that came out with wins, showing the Florida tennis talent is spread throughout the state. Let’s take a look at how each draw played out. 

Combo 50 & Over 5.5 Women 

Results: Escambia County finished in first place of the round robin with a record of 3-0. Marion County finished in second place of the round robin.

      

Escambia County Season Roster: Wendy McIntosh Holmes (Captain), Jennifer Bollinger, Denise Prindiville, Sandra Wilson, Erika Phan-Lung, Kaye Whittenberger, Mary Pene, Liz Payne, Melanie Barry-Griggs, Elizabeth Chadwick, Margaret Menear, Jessica Isakson, Kelli Filardi, Penelope Bradley 

Combo 50 & Over 6.5 Women 

Championship: Orange County (USTA National Campus) defeated Broward County (Frank Veltri Tennis Center) 2-1 

      

No. 1 Doubles: Silvia Landgraf/Lisa Chang (Orange) d. Maria Riccobono/Michelle Pellow 6-2, 3-6, 1-0 

No. 2 Doubles: Xiaohong Tu/Laura Nemes (Orange) d. Sara Contreras/Paulette Janice Snagg 6-3, 6-2 

No. 3 Doubles: Kathleen Mason/Melissa Morim (Broward) d. Daisy Alvarez/Marites Tandoc 6-4, 6-3 

Orange County Season Roster: Daisy Alvarez (Captain), Lisa Chang, Silvia Landgraf, Susannah Randolph, Marites Tandoc, Xiaohong Tu, Haiyan Liu, Maria Victoria Chiu, Kathleen Sipio, Laura Hanlon, Laura Nemes, Brenda Wilkinson, Cheryl Tolentino, Zesa Manhart 

Combo 50 & Over 6.5 Men 

Championship: Orange County (Sanlando Park) defeated Alachua County (Play Tennis Gainesville) 3-0 

      

No. 1 Doubles: Huan Le/Tim Thomas (Orange) d. Joseph Cox IV/Chihong Yun 6-1, 6-0 

No. 2 Doubles: Luis Escalona/Alfonso Vargas (Orange) d. Don Monk/Song Lai 6-3, 1-6, 1-0 

No. 3 Doubles: Rob Haben/Richard Cooper (Orange) d. Thomas Yonge/Gary Wimsett 6-1, 3-6, 1-0 

Orange County Season Roster: Tom Phan (Captain), Gary Graham, Tim Thomas, Richard Cooper, X D Peng, Rob Haben, Long Vuong, Scott Sullivan, Gabriel Noboa, Alfonso Vargas, Libardo Lambrano, Huan Le , Luis Escalona 

Combo 50 & Over 7.5 Women 

Championship: Pinellas County (City of Clearwater) defeated Orange County (Sanlando Park) 2-1 

      

No. 1 Doubles: Julie Zalloum/Richelle Hayes (Orange) d. Karen Braudis/Sigrid Bratic 6-2, 6-3 

No. 2 Doubles: Teresa Orr/Morgan Domson (Pinellas) d. Lara Luck/Aly Wood 6-1, 6-2 

No. 3 Doubles: Kathleen Annichiarico/Patricia Ryan (Pinellas) d. Leticia Monge/Stephanie Weinard 6-1, 3-6, 1-0  

Pinellas County Season Roster: Karen Braudis (Captain), Christine Klanac, Kari Matheny, Cindi Crockett, Helene Newsome, Patricia Ryan, Kathleen Annichiarico, Morgan Domson, Sigrid Bratic, Sonya Tobeck, Liwen Tao, Sherry Miller, Suzanne Ehrlich, Mary Raimondo, Teresa Orr

Combo 50 & Over 7.5 Men 

Championship: Broward County (Weston Racquet Club) defeated Hillsborough County (HCC Tennis Complex) 3-0 

      

No. 1 Doubles: Jorge Balsamo/Mauricio Camacho (Broward) d. Gvozden Dokic/Eugen Schwarz 6-2, 6-2 

No. 2 Doubles: Santiago Restrepo/Carlos Cadet (Broward) d. Jose Alomar/William Arfsten 6-1, 6-1, 

No. 3 Doubles: Alejandro Matheus/Fernando Blasi (Broward) d. Erik Breitenbach/Chris Donahue 6-2, 6-1 

Broward County Season Roster: Jack Vargas (Captain), Jorge Evaristo (Captain), Ivan E Paez C, Domenico Matinata, Alejandro Matheus, Fernando Blasi, Roberto Palma, Roberto Nieves, Michael Kamrad, Mauricio Camacho, Jose F Mendez, Franco De Andreis, Santiago Restrepo, Jorge Balsamo, Ernesto Perez, Augusto Alizo, Carlos Cadet 

Combo 50 & Over 8.5 Women 

Results: Hillsborough County (HCC Tennis Complex) finished in first place in the round robin with a record of 4-2 

      

Hillsborough County Season Roster: Kelly Armagost (Captain), Karen Abrams (Captain), Leticia Leppert, Dianne Albina, Christina Dorothy, Janet Karpan, Lara Slatniske, Katie Healy, Cheryl Pawlowski, Jenny Hughes, Angela Bowes, Michele Ironsmith, Anne-Lucie Bouchard 

Combo 50 & Over 8.5 Men  

Championship: Duval County (Huguenot Park) defeated Broward County (Parkland Tennis Center) 2-1 

      

No. 1 Doubles: Phil Cooper/Matt Sylvester (Duval) d. Paul Newman/Stephen Markward 6-2, 6-4 

No. 2 Doubles: Charles Johnson II/Greg Brusey (Broward) d. Josh Ezring/Jeff Leinan 6-2, 6-1 

No. 3 Doubles: Billy Burgess/Scott Haines (Duval) d. Santiago Restrepo/Ronen Bickel 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 

Duval County Season Roster: Douglas Robison (Captain), Fred Pensotti, Joseph Guy, Matt Braun, Peter Gibson, Stephen Duncan, Josh Ezring, Joseph Montaldo, Matt Sylvester, Darin Pobst, Billy Burgess, Andres Gutierrez, Scott Haines, Jeff Leinan, Phil Cooper, Gary Herzfeld