Mixed league teams representing Pinellas and Hillsborough counties took home national titles over the weekend during the final round of USTA League National Championships events held in Surprise, Ariz. and Orlando, Fla.
At the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex, the Mixed 40 & Over 8.0 team from Pinellas (Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, Safety Harbor) defeated a team representing USTA Eastern (Tenafly, N.J.) 2-1 in the championship match to earn the title of national champions and take home the trophy. Earlier in the day, the Hillsborough squad advanced to the final after a 3-0 victory over USTA Mid Atlantic (Wheaton, Md.) in the semis.
The team is co-captained by Lisa Hueholt and David King and features Ray Pasinski, Josh Melton, Mikael Derderian, Emiliya Clark, Kim Cashman-King, Mary Miller, John Hockin, Randy Chapman, Barry Niemann, Joy DSa, Eric Landrum, Cynthia Martinez, Lara Slatniske, Natalia Illich and Mike Moenter.
Mixed 40 & Over 8.0 Champions – Pinellas (Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, Safety Harbor)
At the USTA National Campus in Orlando, the Mixed 40 & Over 9.0 team from Hillsborough (HCC Tennis Complex, Tampa) captured the national title after defeating a squad from USTA Texas (Austin, Texas) in the championship match. During the semifinals earlier in the day, the Tampa team earned a 2-1 victory over USTA Mid Atlantic (Washington, D.C.) to advance to the final.
The team is captained by Stephanie Means and features Gail Gibson, Ignacio Molina, John Hollis, Jamie Mckibban, Lisa Nicoll, Kurt Williams, Karen Blount, Judi Alford, Chris Canfield, Dagmar Rocker and Manuel Alvarez.
Mixed 40 & Over 9.0 Champions – Hillsborough (HCC Tennis Complex, Tampa)
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.
