January 11th, 2023
Six Counties Victorious at Combo 50 & Over Sectional Championships
2023 is here and Adult League Sectional Championships are back! The weekend of January 7-9 marked the first tournament of the calendar year with the Combo 50 & Over 6.5/7.5/8.5 Championships. Everyone was thrilled to begin 2023 on the tennis courts!
Six divisions were up for grabs and the competition was fierce. In the two 6.5 divisions, USTA National Campus’ Orange County representative took home first place in a tough match with Escambia. While in the Men’s draw, Alachua County’s team from Westside took down Escambia County in a nailbiter.
In the 7.5 Divisions, Collier County from the Greater Marco Family YMCA defeated the Women’s team from Orange County. Collier has now won back-to-back titles in this division. For the Men, Broward County took down Indian River/Martin/St. Lucie County for their first championship.
Finally, in the 8.5 bracket, Miami-Dade won its first Women’s title ever. Over in the Men’s draw Pinellas County took home top honors for the first time since 2012.
For Combo 50 & Over 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. For more information on NTRP levels, click here.
FINAL RESULTS:
Combo 50 & Over 6.5 Women
Final: Orange County (USTA National Campus) defeated Escambia County 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Gail Burr/Teresa Bethel (Orange) d. Darcy Meredeth/Karen Penn 6-4, 4-6, 1-0
No. 2 Doubles: Judith Melendez/Sanja Radmanovic (Orange) d. Rene Abel/Jeannette Fabbro 6-3, 6-2
No. 3 Doubles: Jacqueline Wallace/Maria Hicks (Escambia) d. Jaqueline Pelliccia/Yardise Jones 4-6, 7-6, 1-0
Orange County Season Roster: Leticia Monge (Captain), Yolanda Vega (Captain), Sanja Radmanovic, Silvia Landgraf, Milagro Rubio, Jaqueline Pelliccia, Yardise Jones, Judith Melendez, Gail Burr, Alida Astudillo, Kelli Forgione, Teresa Bethel
Combo 50 & Over 6.5 Men
Final: Alachua County (Westside) defeated Escambia County 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: John Wimberly/Arturo Ojeda Peraza (Escambia) d. Song Lai/Changburm Cho 6-1, 6-3
No. 2 Doubles: Don Baik/Chihong Yun (Alachua) d. Russell Ball/Craig Abel 6-4, 6-1
No. 3 Doubles: Xiaoping Zhang/Rubin Crespo (Alachua) d. Andrew Hillman/A Haigler 7-6, 6-4
Alachua County Season Roster: Song Lai (Captain), Don Baik, Chihong Yun, Rubin Crespo, Thomas Yonge, Timothy Ferguson, Jim Severance, Jixiu Shan, Dale Williams, Xiaoping Zhang, Nathan Wycoff, Changburm Cho, Yong Jae Ko
Combo 50 & Over 7.5 Women
Final: Collier County (Greater Marco Family YMCA) defeated Orange County (Lake Cane Tennis Center) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Cheryl Fuccillo/Marzenna Nowak (Collier) d. Jennifer Widga-Kirby/Aly Wood 6-3, 4-6, 1-0
No. 2 Doubles: Bernadette DiPino/Andrea Washak (Collier) d. Penny Watzka/Kellye Hug 6-2, 7-6
No. 3 Doubles: Kelly Foote/Angela Tuckerman (Orange) d. Ann Heinauer/Suzanne Messere 6-4, 6-4
Collier County Season Roster: Andrea Washak (Captain), Connie Johnson, Bernadette DiPino, Andrea Washak, Ellen Harvey, Susan Julich, Corey Stranger, Ann Heinauer, Lynne Huggins, Jeanette Thevening, Patricia MacDonald, Linda Keely, Lori Irvin Hawes, Mary Husted, Stephanie Opel, Marzenna Nowak, Suzanne Messere, Marianne Khayat, Cheryl Fuccillo
Combo 50 & Over 7.5 Men
Final: Broward County (Weston Racquet Club) defeated IRMSL County 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Augusto Alizo/Fancisco Garcia (Broward) d. Kirk Dunn/Alex Lopez 6-4, 5-7, 1-0
No. 2 Doubles: Alfredo Tellez/Ernesto Perez (Broward) d. Mark Hanlon/Donald Spaeth 6-4, 6-1
No. 3 Doubles: Sandeep Sura/Randall Jacobs (IRMSL) d. Hugo Barraez/Christian Orellana 6-1, 2-6, 1-0
Broward County Season Roster: Jack Vargas (Captain), Roberto Palma, Francisco Garcia, Michael Kamrad, Augusto Alizo, Jorge Balsamo, Christian Orellana, Alejandro Matheus, Boris Horna, Franco De Andreis, Ernesto Perez, Alfredo Tellez, Saverio Riccobono, Hugo Barraez
Combo 50 & Over 8.5 Women
Final: Miami-Dade County (Dante Fascell Park) defeated IRMSL County 3-0
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Jill Reiter/Julia Banks (Miami) d. Maria Vallecillo-Dunn/Lisa Wigley 6-3, 6-3
No. 2 Doubles: Laura Herskowitz/Carin Blanchard (Miami) d. Deborah Cone/Susan Gore 6-3, 6-0
No. 3 Doubles: Maria Hulett/Jamie Richman (Miami) d. Karin Decoste/Susan Dennett 6-3, 6-3
Miami-Dade County Season Roster: Nina Lindsey (Captain), Dilia Grossman, Laura Herskowitz, Kimberly Kaskel, Amanda Mejia, Carin Blanchard, Allison Cohen, Jill Reiter, Julia Banks, Maria Hulett, Donna Kass, Steffi Kordy, Jamie Richman, Janine Burke, Diana McCoy
Combo 50 & Over 8.5 Men
Final: Pinellas County (Seminole Lake Family Tennis) defeated Broward County (Quigley Park) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Stephen Markward/Ronen Bickel (Broward) d. Mauricio Caccia/Nick Hardy 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 Doubles: Brian Hodapp/Tom Berning (Pinellas) d. Atif Raoof/Paul Newman 6-2, 7-5
No. 3 Doubles: Chris Eversole/Chris Canfield (Pinellas) d. Christian Orellana/Giovanni Guido 7-6, 6-2
Pinellas County Season Roster: Gary Hutton (Captain), Chris Eversole, Tom Berning, John Hockin, Mauricio Caccia, Jack Davis, Devin Danehy, Thinh Duong, Brian Hodapp, Chris Canfield, Nick Hardy
