June 26th, 2018
Miami Ends Pinellas’ 4-Year Reign at USTA Florida Mixed 40 & Over League Tennis Sectionals
Miami-Dade South (Coral Pine Park, Pinecrest) and Hillsborough County (Hunters Green Sports Center, Tampa) were both winners over the weekend at the 2018 USTA Florida Mixed 40 & Over 7.0/9.0 League Sectional Championships, held June 23-25 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.
Each team edged through their final by a 2-1 match score which included a super-tiebreak. Miami-Dade beat Pinellas County in the 9.0 final, ending Pinellas’ four-year title reign in the 9.0 division.
Mixed 40 & Over 9.0 Division Sectionals Winner History:
2018 — Miami-Dade South (Coral Pine Park, Pinecrest)
2017 — Pinellas County (St. Pete Tennis Center, St. Petersburg)
2016 — Pinellas County (McMullen Tennis Center, Clearwater)
2015 — Pinellas County (St. Petersburg Tennis Club)
2014 — Pinellas County (McMullen Tennis Center, Clearwater)
2013 — Broward County (Oakland Park Tennis Center, Oakland Park)
2012 — Hillsborough County (Hillsborough Community College, Tampa)
* 2012 debuted the USTA League realigned age divisions
It was Miami-Dade’s first USTA Florida League Sectionals title of the year, and the fifth for Hillsborough County, which gives them sole possession of first place in the USTA Florida League Championship Cup Standings (see below). The USTA Florida League Championship Cup is awarded to the county with the most league sectionals titles during the 2018 season.
“This has been a great experience,” said Miami captain Werner Vondrak. “As our team name says, we love to play, we love to compete and we love to have fun — Game, Set, Mimosas!”
The league-leading Hillsborough County is one win from matching its 2017 total of six sectionals titles when it finished third in the 2017 USTA Florida League Championship Cup Standings.
“I just want to congratulate my team’s great performance. It was exceptional,” said Hillsborough/Tampa winning captain Richard Helme. “They never gave up and came out winners. It is a real pleasure for me to captain this great group of people. We look forward to representing Florida in November and hopefully winning nationals.”
The two championship teams next advance to represent the USTA Florida Section at the USTA Mixed 40 & Over League National Championships on Nov. 16-18 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.
Division winners and finalists:
Mixed 40 & Over 9.0 Division
Final: Miami-Dade South (Coral Pine Park, Pinecrest) d. Pinellas County (Tarpon Tennis Club, Tarpon Springs) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Antonio Necuze/Laura Herskowitz (Miami) d. Jillene Panella/Chris Allen 6-3, 6-3
No. 2 Doubles: Stephanie Means/Kurt Williams (Pinellas) d. Kenny Oliver/Miriam Radillo 6-7, 6-2, 1-0 (super-tiebreak)
No. 3 Doubles: Andres Lozano/Janine Burke (Miami) d. Judi Alford/Dale Alford 6-3, 6-3
Miami-Dade Season Roster: Werner Vondrak (captain), Miguel Fundora, Andres Lozano, Carin Blanchard, Antonio Necuze, Miriam Radillo, Kenny Oliver, Maria Hulett, Janine Burke, Laura Herskowitz, Karla Mihm, Yeffrens Paiva
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Mixed 40 & Over 7.0 Division
Final: Hillsborough County (Hunters Green Sports Center, Tampa) d. Duval County (Boone Park, Jacksonville) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Marvin Ho/Nelci Rodrigues (Hillsborough) d. Paul Asuncion/Amy Curley 6-1, 7-6
No. 2 Doubles: Eddie Collins/Cinthia Cespedes (Hillsborough) d. Joe Deering/Kendall Taylor 4-6, 7-6, 1-0 (super-tiebreak)
No. 3 Doubles: Eric Constable/Caroline Morris (Duval) d. Tu Phan/Nikki Spirakis 6-2, 6-2
Hillsborough Season Roster: Richard Helme (captain), Sharon Patterson, Carmen Heggen, Nikki Spirakis, Alecia Collins, Cindy Arment, Stephen Hunter, Eddie Collins, Robert Arment, Jim Giblin, Sherry Peterson, Cinthia Cespedes, Catherine Hoyord, Nelci Rodrigues, Marvin Ho, Joe Orsini, Tu Phan
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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 Mixed 40 & Over team play were 7.0 and 9.0. 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
Hillsborough takes sole possession of 1st place after adding a sectionals title at the end of June at the Mixed 40 & Overs. The USTA Florida League Championship Cup is awarded to the county with the most league sectionals titles during the 2018 season (standings through June 26, recent winners in bold):
1. Hillsborough County (5 titles) — 55&Over-M3.5/4.0/4.5,W4.5, X40&Over-7.0
2. Pinellas County (4) — 65&Over-W7.0/8.0, 55&Over-W3.5/4.0
3T. Collier County (2) — 65&Over-M7.0/8.0
3T. Duval County (2) — 65&Over-W6.0,55&Over-W3.0
5T. Escambia County (1) — X40&Over-6.0
5T. Martin County (1) — X40&Over-8.0
5T. Miami-Dade County (1) — X40&Over-9.0
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 7-9, 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.
