Five different winners came out of five different divisions at the 2019 USTA Florida Adult 65 & Over League Sectional Championships, held on April 13-15 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.
Winning teams:
6.0 Women’s Division — Collier County (Players Club & Spa, Naples)
7.0 Women’s Division — Duval County (Boone Park, Jacksonville)
7.0 Men’s Division — Marion County (The Villages)
8.0 Women’s Division — Pinellas County (McMullen Tennis Center, Clearwater)
8.0 Men’s Division — Broward County (Parkland Tennis Center, Parkland)
Pinellas County successfully defended its title from 2018 in the women’s 8.0 division, while the Marion County men won the 7.0 division for the second time in three years.
“Overall a very fun and challenging experience for all my players,” said Mike James, captain of the Marion County Men’s 7.0 team playing out of The Villages. “We are all very pleased and excited to be competing at this level and looking forward to our second opportunity at the national invitational championships.”
In the women’s 6.0, Collier County broke a two-year stranglehold on the division by Duval County, which has won the division in six of the last eight years. Last year Collier won two titles and appeared in all five finals at the 65 & Over sectionals. This year Collier won one title in four final appearances.
The USTA Florida Adult 65 & Over League Sectional Championships is the first USTA Florida League Sectional Championships of the 2019 league season. The season-ending county leader in USTA Florida League Sectional Championships titles will receive the USTA Florida League Championship Cup.
Division winners and finalists:
65 & Over Women’s 8.0 Division
Final: Pinellas County (McMullen Tennis Center, Clearwater) d. Collier County (Pelican Bay Park, Naples) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Holly Charles/Linda Miller (Pinellas) d. Patricia Gladstone/Ann Soper 6-2, 2-6, 1-0
No. 2 Doubles: Peggy Reynolds/Colleen Keenan (Collier) d. Clara Reynolds/Susan Tarantino 6-3, 6-2
No. 3 Doubles: Debbie Dawson/Kathy Moll (Pinellas) d. Joan Baker/Barbara Burke 6-2, 6-2
Pinellas Season Roster: Kathy Moll (captain), Ann Worthington, Clara Reynolds, Debbie Dawson, Susan Hobbs, Joanne Cannon, Holly Charles, Susan Tarantino, Linda Miller
65 & Over Men’s 8.0 Division
Final: Broward County (Parkland Tennis Center, Parkland) d. Collier County (Lighthouse Bay, Naples) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Russell Latham/John Dolle (Collier) d. Charles Fox/Howard Weinstein 6-0, 6-2
No. 2 Doubles: Kevin McCarthy/William Dellinger (Broward) d. Frank Bova/Edward Underwood 7-6, 4-6, 1-0
No. 3 Doubles: Johnny Cisneros/Malcolm Waldron III (Broward) d. Richard Werner/John Gilchrist 6-2, 5-7, 1-0
Broward Season Roster: Les Liese (captain), Malcolm Waldron, Johnny Cisneros, Carlos Rios, William Dellinger, Howard Weinstein, Charles Fox, Kevin McCarthy, Arnold Resnick
65 & Over Women’s 7.0 Division
Final: Duval County (Boone Park, Jacksonville) d. Sarasota County (Lakewood Ranch) 3-0
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Deidre Martin/Martha Poitevent (Duval) d. Maureen Meaney/Patricia Cunningham 6-2, 6-4
No. 2 Doubles: Susan Sceifers/Rosemary Arnold (Duval) d. Jamie Reagan/Linda Frazier 6-3, 1-6, 1-0
No. 3 Doubles: Vicki Collins/Pam Cohen (Duval) d. Nancy Bartlett/Leona Harris 6-0, 4-6, 1-0
Duval Season Roster: Pam Cohen (captain), Deidre Martin, Diane Hendry, Myrle Robinson, Susan Sceifers, Michele Rainwater, Rosemary Arnold, Catherine Davis, Vicki Collins, Shelley Thompson, Martha Poitevent
65 & Over Men’s 7.0 Division
Final: Marion County (The Villages) finished ahead of Collier County (Longshore Lake, Naples) 4-1 tied, and Marion won the individual scores tiebreaker
Marion Season Roster: Michael James (captain), David O’Steen, David Barnes, John Ulrich, James Robertson, James VanEmburgh, Robert Anglace, Tim Puckett, Carlos Munoz, Robert Kluemper, Juno Guevara, Paul Whitehead
65 & Over Women’s 6.0 Division
Final: Collier County (Players Club & Spa, Naples) finished ahead of Marion County (Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club, Ocala) in round robin play 4-0 to 1-3
Collier Season Roster: Judith Cappello (captain), Janet Olliges, Michelle Taj, Karen Shmihluk, Diane Sullivan, Laurie Dwyer, Geri Cerio, Melanie Rose, Beverley Wilen, Ann Putnam, Robin Harper
The NTRP (National Tennis Rating Program) scale for doubles progresses from 6.0 to 8.0 combined levels of play for the USTA Florida Adult 65 & Over League Championships. For more information on NTRP levels go to www.usta.com/en/home/play/play-as-a-member/national/about-ntrp-ratings.html.
For additional event info go to www.ustaflorida.com/event/2019-adult-65-over-sectional-championships.
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2019 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 2019 season (standings through April 15):
1T. Broward County (1 title) — 65 & Over M8.0
1T. Collier County (1) — 65 & Over W6.0
1T. Duval County (1) — 65 & Over W7.0
1T. Marion County (1) — 65 & Over M7.0
1T. Pinellas County (1) — 65 & Over W8.0
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: May 4-6 — 55 & Over 3.0/4.0, 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.
