July 28th, 2026
South Florida and the Panhandle Shine at Adult 40 & Over Women’s 3.5 and Men’s 3.0/4.0 Sectional Championships
Champions came from three corners of the state at the 2026 USTA Florida Adult 40 & Over Sectional Championships, held July 25-27 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando. Across the Women’s 3.5 and Men’s 3.0 and 4.0 divisions, three different counties each walked away with a title.
The weekend delivered close finals, three-set battles, and a showcase of the depth of Florida’s adult league tennis. With sectional titles and national bids on the line, every court mattered.
Orange County took the Women’s 3.5 final, downing Miami-Dade County 4-1 behind a sweep of the doubles courts. Broward County was dominant in the Men’s 3.0 division, shutting out Orange County 5-0 without dropping a court. And in the Men’s 4.0 final, Okaloosa-Walton-Bay Counties edged Broward County 3-2, rallying to win the last three doubles matches after falling behind early.
With their sectional wins, these teams advance to the USTA League National Championships, which take place in October.
Adult 40 & Over Results:
3.0 Men
Championship: Broward County (Heron Bay Tennis Center) defeated Orange County (Sanlando Park) 5-0
No. 1 Singles: Darren Banham (Broward) d. James Sheedy 6-7, 7-6, 1-0
No. 1 Doubles: Jose Loo/Ravi Seeram (Broward) d. Don Hill/Cesar Ortiz 6-4, 2-6, 1-0
No. 2 Doubles: Jay Deshpande/Dixen Chen (Broward) d. Brian Gruber/Robert Machado 3-6, 7-6, 1-0
No. 3 Doubles: Todd Victor/Jake Miller (Broward) d. Emmanuel Lee/Jose Luis Alvarez 6-2, 6-3
No. 4 Doubles: Neil Bass/David Zlochower (Broward) d. Huy Truong/Roland Gutierrez 6-3, 7-6
Broward County Season Roster: Darren Banham (Captain), Neil Bass, Jose Loo, Jake Miller, Alexey Gutin, David Zlochower, Kevin Ferber, Luis Obando, Kevin Berry, Dixen Chen, Jay Deshpande, Ravi Seeram, Todd Victor, Raul M Viveros Naranjo
3.5 Women
Championship: Orange County (Sanlando Park) defeated Miami-Dade County (Ron Ehmann Tennis Center) 4-1
3.5 Women’s Champions Orange County
No. 1 Singles: Alejandra Gil (Miami) d. Tanishia Neal 7-6, 6-2
No. 1 Doubles: Rosana Monteiro/Kristy Pietrolaj (Orange) d. Donna Kass/Sara Cleveland 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 Doubles: Michelle Smith/Caitlyn Martino (Orange) d. Penelope Johnson/Leticia Diaz 7-6, 5-5 RET.
No. 3 Doubles: Amanda Norvell/Trish Teague (Orange) d. Rebeca Villafane/Ashley Galvin 6-4, 7-5
No. 4 Doubles: Julie Zalloum/Carol Campos (Orange) d. Nathalia Blanco/Emily Albanese 3-6, 6-1, 1-0
Orange County Season Roster: Jaqueline Pelliccia (Captain), Rosana Monteiro, Michelle Ford, Lisa Alpert, Leticia Monge, Karen Crane, Trish Teague, Lara Luck, Carol Campos, Tanishia Neal, Amanda Norvell, Jillian Baptiste, Michelle Smith, Dana Baumgarten, Kristy Pietrolaj, Yardise Jones, Pauline Peterkin, Caitlyn Martino, Julie Zalloum
4.0 Men
Championship: Okaloosa-Walton-Bay Counties (Rosemary Beach Racquet Club) defeated Broward County (John H. Quigley Park) 3-2
No. 1 Singles: Christopher Staller (Broward) d. John Sherrod 6-0, 6-0
No. 1 Doubles: Chad Zakin/Radu Carean (Broward) d. Tommy Zaner/Robert Abbott 7-6, 6-3
No. 2 Doubles: Brad Brown/Byron Cotton (Okaloosa-Walton-Bay) d. Jose Mejia/Giovanni Guido 6-2, 4-6, 1-0
No. 3 Doubles: Travis Sykes/John Hooks (Okaloosa-Walton-Bay) d. Alejandro Gonzalez/Luis Novella 6-3, 3-6, 1-0
No. 4 Doubles: Brandon Bachman/Derek Cotton (Okaloosa-Walton-Bay) d. Paul Newman/Santiago Restrepo 2-6, 6-3, 1-0
Okaloosa-Walton-Bay Counties Season Roster: Brandon Bachman (Captain), Hari Prasad, Travis Sykes, Rusty Butcher, John Hooks, Christopher Moore, Todd Zaborski, Brad Brown, Robert DeMars, Robert Abbott, Bart Salim, John Sherrod, Tommy Zaner, Nick Afuta, Derek Cotton, Byron Cotton
