Broward County won one title and lost in the final of another when the 2019 USTA Florida Mixed 40 & Over League 7.0/9.0 Sectional Championships were contested on June 23-25 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.
Broward (Midtown Athletic Club, Weston) in the Mixed 40 & Over 9.0 division final edged Sarasota County (Bath & Racquet Club, Sarasota) 2-1. Another Broward team (Frank Veltri Tennis Center, Plantation) reached the Mixed 40 & Over 7.0 final, but Collier County (Pelican Bay Community Park, Naples) denied them a sweep, winning 2-1 in the final, including two wins in third-set super-tiebreaks.
It was Broward’s first win in the Mixed 40 & Over 9.0 division since 2013, and Collier’s first-ever win in any division in the Mixed 40 & Over.
The wins vaulted Broward and Collier into a four-way tie for first place with Duval and Sarasota counties in the standings for the 2019 USTA Florida League Championship Cup, awarded to the county with the most sectional titles during the year (see current standings below).
The two championship teams next advance to represent the USTA Florida Section at the USTA Mixed 40 & Over League National Championships on Nov. 15-17 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.
Teams consisting of three doubles lines competed in a non-elimination round-robin format. The winner of each flight/division was determined by team matches won. The winner of each flight then advanced into a single-elimination semifinal followed by the final. NTRP levels of play were 7.0 and 9.0 in combined mixed doubles teams. For more information on NTRP levels go to www.usta.com.
Division winners and finalists:
Mixed 40 & Over 9.0
Final: Broward County (Midtown Athletic Club, Weston) d. Sarasota County (Bath & Racquet Club, Sarasota) 2-1
Championship Match:
No. 1 Doubles: Dean Dancer/Adriana Garcia (Sarasota) d. Gregorio Rodriguez/Lorena Villar Seminario de Guzman-Barron 6-3, 6-1
No. 2 Doubles: Kenny Torrellas/Barbara Barrios (Broward) d. Kathy Rosenberg/Scott Schuhriemen 2-6, 6-4, 1-0
No. 3 Doubles: Justin Touchstone/Ivy Touchstone (Broward) d. Amy Lyons/Jeffrey Stern 3-6, 6-4, 1-0
Broward Season Roster: Emilio Baez (captain), Rubens Jacob, Lorena Villar Seminario de Guzman-Barron, Kenny Torrellas, Laura Di Lauro, Jacqueline Pichardo, Alvaro Ortiz, Gregorio Rodriguez, Leonardo Torrellas, Barbara Barrios, Ivy Touchstone, Justin Touchstone
Mixed 40 & Over 7.0
Final: Collier County (Pelican Bay Community Park, Naples) d. Broward County (Frank Veltri Tennis Center, Plantation) 2-1
Championship Match:
No. 1 Doubles: Corey Stranger/Carmelo Rubio (Collier) d. Jorge Prado/Lucy Bastidas 1-6, 6-1, 1-0
No. 2 Doubles: Nora Slusar/Andy Mintz (Collier) d. Nick Boros/Maria Escarra 6-4, 3-6, 1-0
No. 3 Doubles: Ronald Coletto/Kerri Paul (Broward) d. Lynn Mariotti/Juan Quiroga 6-0, 6-3
Collier Season Roster: Juan Quiroga (captain), Carmelo Rubio, Nora Slusar, Andy Mintz, Eileen Hung, Flora Loomis, Lynn Mariotti, Michelle Kaytaz, Tamara Blanco, Charles Ferrara, Mark Allan, Corey Stranger
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 June 25, recent winners in bold):
1T. Broward County (2 titles) — 65&Over-M8.0, X40&Over-9.0
1T. Collier County (2) — 65&Over-W6.0, X40&Over-7.0
1T. Duval County (2) — 65&Over-W7.0, 55&Over-M4.5
1T. Sarasota County (2) — 55&Over-W4.0, X40&Over-8.0
5T. Alachua County (1) — 55&Over-W3.5
5T. Clay County (1) — X40&Over-6.0
5T. Escambia County (1) — 55&Over-W3.0
5T. Hillsborough County (1) — 55&Over-W4.5
5T. Marion County (1) — 65&Over-M7.0
5T. Miami-Dade South (1) — 55&Over-M3.5
5T. Palm Beach County (1) — 55&Over-M4.0
5T. 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: July 20-22 — 40 & 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.
