Tennis Briefs: Del Potro Commits to 2017 ATP Delray; Florida at USTA League Nationals

Florida Teams 2nd, 3rd at USTA League 18 & Over National Championships

The USTA League Nationals women’s 2.5 runners-up from Jacksonville

Florida teams posted runner-up and third-place finishes in two of five divisions over the weekend at the USTA League Adult 18 & Over 2.5/4.0/5.0 National Championships, held in Mobile, Ala., and Rancho Mirage, Calif.

The women’s 2.5 team from Duval County, the Jacksonville Golf & Country Club, ran all the way to the final of the USTA League Adult 18 & Over 2.5 National Championships in Mobile, Ala., before they were stopped 3-0 in the championship match by the USTA Pacific Northwest Section (Bellevue, Wash.) 3-0.

In the semifinal the Florida women edged the USTA Southern Section (Knoxville, Tenn.) 2-1 to reach the championship match. It was the second straight year that Duval County/Jacksonville won the women’s 2.5 title at the Florida Section level.

The Jacksonville 2.5 women’s season roster was comprised of Jodie Nutter, Cathy Mathis, Amy Rosa, Charleen Bearup, Carole Doudy, Karen Green, Allison Carbonneau, Mary Tice, Michelle Mendez, and Kim Drager.

The USTA League Nationals men’s 4.0 3rd place finishers from Doral

At the USTA League Adult 18 & Over 4.0 National Championships in Rancho Mirage, Calif., the Florida men’s 4.0 team from Doral (Miami-Dade County) finished third after winning the 3rd/4th place playoff match against the USTA Texas Section (The Woodlands, Texas) 4-1.

The Florida men prior to that match lost in the semifinals to the USTA Intermountain Section (Las Vegas, Nev.) 3-2. The USTA Intermountain team was then edged 3-2 in the final by a team from the USTA Northern California Section (San Francisco).

Captained by Eli Panell, the Doral men’s roster also included Luciano Cuneo, Guillermo Brito, Armando Cabane, John Narus, Jean Texier, Stephane Camguilhem, Jairo Furniel, Octavio Gomez, Cristian Mateluna, Patrick Kettel, Tom Buetikofer, Lynn Vance, Alfredo Lomeli, Diego Mujica, Diego Mateluna, Frank Fernandez, and Ricardo Morales.

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.

The 2016 USTA League season will be the fourth season with an updated structure and format that offers four age categories (Adult 18 & Over, Adult 40 & Over and Adult 55 & Over and Mixed 18 & Over) to better align participants with players their own age. A fifth age division, the Mixed 40 & Over, was added in 2014.

For more info go to www.usta.com/Adult-Tennis/USTA-League/National-Championships/usta_league_national_championships_results.

Del Potro, Sock Commit to 2017 Delray Beach Open

Jack Sock

Former US Open champ Juan Martin del Potro, U.S. No. 2 Jack Sock, and former champ Ivo Karlovic are among players recently confirmed for the 25th-year anniversary of the Delray Beach Open, which will be held on Feb. 17-26, 2017.

Del Potro and Karlovic won titles in Delray Beach in 2011 and 2014, respectively. The three join Wimbledon finalist and world No. 6 Milos Raonic and the all-time No. 1 doubles tandem Bryan brothers.

“This is an amazing start for us — to have such an outstanding group of players this early in our planning,” said Tournament Director Mark Baron. “We are thrilled that Juan Martin had great experiences in his previous trips to Delray Beach and that he’s eager to play here again. We will continue to sign additional top players who want to make our tournament their destination in February.”

The tournament is featuring its series packages that include tickets for all 17 sessions at a discounted price. The 10-day event begins with three days of ATP Champions Tour competition featuring legends of the game, and then showcases a full seven days of ATP World Tour action.

The Courtside Box Series packages are discounted to $1,500 for two seats (regular price: $1,700/value: $2,638) or $2,650 for four seats (regular price: $2,750/value: $5,276). The on-court “Best Seats in the House” package is $3,000 for two seats, or $4,500 for four. VIP parking and other amenities are included with the packages.

For tickets or more info go to www.YellowTennisBall.com.