July 16th, 2018

Broward, Orange, Pinellas Counties Win at USTA Florida 40 & Over League Sectionals Tennis

USTA Florida League Championship Cup Adult Leagues Adult Tennis News


Don’t sleep on Broward County in the 2018 USTA Florida League Championship Cup race.

While they’ve raised the Cup the last two seasons, Broward had been blanked during the first six USTA Florida League Sectionals championships of 2018. Last weekend that changed with two wins in three finals appearances at the USTA Florida 40 & Over 3.5/4.5+ League Sectional Championships, held July 13-15 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.

The Weston Tennis Center and the Midtown Athletic Club in Weston brought home the hardware for Broward, while Orange County (Orlando Tennis Center) won its first sectional championships of the season, and Pinellas County (Tarpon Tennis Club, Tarpon Springs) won, tying for the lead in this season’s USTA Florida League Championship Cup race with Hillsborough County (see standings below).

Pinellas stopped Broward from bringing home three titles in the women’s 4.5+ division final, winning a thrilling championship meeting 3-2 that saw Pinellas’ “Lisa Brigade,” Lisa Freeman and Lisa Haidermota, win both singles, and all three doubles matches decided in third-set super-tiebreakers. Broward in the men’s 3.5 division was the winner for a second year in a row.

The championship teams next advance to represent the USTA Florida Section at the USTA 40 & Over League National Championships on Oct. 19-21 — for the 3.5 winners at the Arlington Tennis Center in Arlington, Texas, and for the 4.5+ at the Darling Tennis Center in Las Vegas.

“The teams in the 4.5+ division are so evenly matched that it takes a combination of execution and good fortune to make it through the draw,” said Orange County/Orlando men’s 4.5 captain Shawn Keiling. “This year we were fortunate to have both on our side as our team was able to battle through some injuries and illness to persevere. The team from Orlando Tennis Center would like to thank Clark, Mack, Hoku, Ron, and the rest of the USTA Florida crew for putting together a well-run tournament. Look out Vegas, here we come!”

The event drew the top 40 & Over division USTA League teams from throughout Florida, representing various clubs, parks, recreational departments and organizations that finished at the top of their local leagues. Teams consisting of two singles and three doubles lines competed in a non-elimination round-robin format, with flight winners advancing into single-elimination rounds or finals.

Division winners and finalists:

40 & Over Women’s 4.5+ Division

Final: Pinellas County (Tarpon Tennis Club, Tarpon Springs) d. Broward County (City of Oakland Park) 3-2

Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Singles: Lisa Freeman (Pinellas) d. Meg Barclay 6-4, 6-4
No. 2 Singles: Lisa Haidermota (Pinellas) d. Steffani Lomax 6-4, 6-3
No. 1 Doubles: Sheri Adler/Cheryl Hicks (Broward) d. Lisa Balsera/Maria Drew 6-2, 5-7, 1-0
No. 2 Doubles: Jessy Sadovnik/Betty Brener (Broward) d. Stephanie Means/Jillene Panella 6-3, 6-7, 1-0
No. 3 Doubles: Judi Alford/Sandra Lamas (Pinellas) d. Rachel Keene/Jodi Appelbaum-Steinbauer 6-4, 5-7, 1-0

Pinellas County Season Roster: Stephanie Means (captain), Jillene Panella, Jane Robinson, Maria Drew, Brenda Wiser, Kirsten Willis, Stephanie Geshel, Liz Theofilos, Lisa Balsera, Katie Healy, Judi Alford, Sandra Lamas, Lisa Freeman, Tracey Williams, Lisa Haidermota

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40 & Over Men’s 4.5+ Division

Final: Orange County (Orlando Tennis Center) d. Miami-Dade South (Next Level Tennis Kendalltown, Miami) 3-2

Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Singles: Pedro Leon (Miami) d. Dave Ameno 6-1, 6-1
No. 2 Singles: Danny Chang (Orlando) d. Pedro Pozzobon 6-3, 7-5
No. 1 Doubles: Jamie Feagan/Richard Schmidt (Orlando) d. Herbert Portillo/Jose Zea 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 Doubles: Alexander Romero/Ramon Hudec (Miami) d. Richard Oswald/Tim Lynch 6-2, 6-4
No. 3 Doubles: Nick O’Hern/Rogerio Magagnini (Orlando) d. Martin Escobedo/Patricio Madariaga 6-4, 6-3

Orange County Season Roster: Shawn Keiling (captain), Rogerio Magagnini, Todd White, Jamie Feagan, Jorge Vargas, Edward McNeill, Stuart Saiki, Richard Oswald, Tim Lynch, Nick O’Hern, M. Thomas, Jeremy Anderson, John Reich, Richard Schmidt, Dave Ameno, Lloyd Klusendorf, Danny Chang, Scott Stewart

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40 & Over Women’s 3.5 Division

Final: Broward County (Midtown Athletic Club, Weston) d. Seminole County (Red Bug Lake Park, Casselberry) 3-2

Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Singles: Elizabeth Smalley (Broward) d. Kristina Godiksen 6-4, 6-4
No. 2 Singles: Madelyn Escudero (Seminole) d. Valeria Cisneros 6-3, 6-0
No. 1 Doubles: Misa Kawata/Rachel Halscott (Seminole) d. Tatiana Saez de Ibarra/Sally Hernadez 6-2, 6-4
No. 2 Doubles: Janilka Perez/Lizette Ibarra (Broward) d. Jennifer Carter/Julie Fontaine 6-7, 6-2, 1-0
No. 3 Doubles: Taciana Kalili/Carolina Santos-Mayi (Broward) d. Jill Civiero/Christine Jablonski 2-6, 6-3, 1-0

Broward County Season Roster: Taciana Kalili (captain), Tatiana Saez de Ibarra, Carolina Santos-Mayi, Elizabeth Smalley, Sara Contreras, Jeanne Mosakowski, Valeria Cisneros, Lizette Ibarra, Janilka Perez, Sally Hernadez, Yenny Herrera, Nathalie Schiaffino, Giselle Rosasco, Carla Velasquez

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40 & Over Men’s 3.5 Division

Final: Broward County (Weston Tennis Center) d. Alachua County (Westside Park, Gainesville) 4-1

Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Singles: Fabricio Tobar (Broward) d. Brent Lira 6-2, 5-0 retired
No. 2 Singles: Jose Martin Gallardo (Broward) d. Enrique Vargas 6-2, 7-6
No. 1 Doubles: Tomas Echeverria/Fabian Centeno (Broward) d. Mark Martin/Aaron Harris 6-2, 1-6, 1-0
No. 2 Doubles: Cary Blakely/Rick Melzer (Alachua) d. Miguel Motolongo/Kevin Whiteside 0-6, 6-3, 1-0
No. 3 Doubles: Alejandro Gonzalez/Nelson Laboy (Broward) d. Erik Bredfeldt/Scott Rowe 6-4, 6-2

Broward County Season Roster: Jack Vargas (captain), Mario Pages, Andres Barone, Alejandro Gonzalez, Miguel Motolongo, Francisco Garcia, Fabian Centeno, Carlos Mariscal, Atanas Irinchev, Tomas Echeverria, Nairo Ruiz, Fabricio Tobar, German Echeverri, Junior Carrasquero, Andres Pompei, Kevin Whiteside, Daniel Serravite, Nelson Laboy, Jose Martin Gallardo

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NTRP levels of 40 & Over team play were 3.5 and 4.5+. For more information on NTRP levels go to www.usta.com/en/home/play/play-as-a-member/national/about-ntrp-ratings.html.

 

2018 USTA FLORIDA LEAGUE
CHAMPIONSHIP CUP STANDINGS

Pinellas leaps into a first-place tie, and Broward and Orange counties win their first titles of the season after the 40 & Over 3.5/4.5+ sectionals in July. The USTA Florida League Championship Cup is awarded to the county with the most league sectionals titles during the 2018 season (standings through July 16, recent winners in bold):

1T. Hillsborough County (5 titles) — 55&Over-M3.5/4.0/4.5,W4.5, X40&Over-7.0
1T. Pinellas County (5) — 65&Over-W7.0/8.0, 55&Over-W3.5/4.0, 40&Over-W4.5+

3. Collier County (3) — 65&Over-M7.0/8.0, 40&Over-W4.0

4T. Broward County (2) — 40&Over-M3.5/W3.5
4T. Duval County (2) — 65&Over-W6.0, 55&Over-W3.0
4T. Miami-Dade County (2) — X40&Over-9.0, 40&Over-M4.0

7T. Escambia County (1) — X40&Over-6.0
7T. Leon County (1) — 40&Over-M3.0
7T. Martin County (1) — X40&Over-8.0
7T. Orange County (1) — 40&Over-M4.5+
7T. Osceola County (1) — 40&Over-W3.0

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: Aug. 11-13, 18 & Over 3.0/4.0/5.0+, 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.

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