Two Florida Teams Finish 2nd, 4th at USTA League Nationals Tennis

The finalists from Gulf Breeze

Florida Mixed 40 & Over teams from Gulf Breeze and Clearwater finished in 2nd and 4th respectively over the weekend at the 2014 USTA League Mixed 40 & Over 7.0, 9.0 National Championships, held Nov. 21-23 in Surprise, Ariz.

The Gulf Breeze squad lost to a team from Oahu representing the USTA Hawaii Section 3-0 in the Mixed 40 & Over 7.0 championship match. Earlier in the day, the Gulf Breeze team defeated a team from Edison, N.J., 2-1 in the semifinals. They advanced to the semifinals by winning their round-robin flight contested Friday and Saturday.

The Clearwater team after winning the USTA Florida Section championship

The team was captained by Brad Bradford and featured David Jenkins, Angela Stewart, Thom Newcomb, Julie Cobb, Danny Khaled, Truli Hartley, Renee Baggett, during the regular season playing out of Club II.

The top four USTA Section teams in order of finish were Hawaii, Florida, Eastern and Pacific Northwest.

In the Mixed 40 & Over 9.0 division the team from Clearwater finished 4th after losing the 3rd/4th place playoff to the team from the USTA Southern Section (Greenville, S.C.) 2-1.

Earlier in the day the team lost in the semifinals to the eventual champions from the USTA Texas Section (Dallas) 2-1. They advanced to the semifinals by winning their round-robin flight contested Friday and Saturday.

The Clearwater team’s regular-season roster was comprised of David King (captain), Kim Cashman, Drew Wager, Brenda Sturm, Stephanie Wager, Ronald Wiser, Darla Gatesman, Jane Robinson, Stephanie Means, Kay Caldwell, Michael Erbe, Chris Allen, Kenneth Cherven, and James Smiechewicz. They played their regular-season matches out of the Henry McMullen Tennis Center.

Established in 1980, USTA League has grown from 13,000 participants in a few parts of the country in its first year, to over 820,000 players across the nation today, making it the world’s largest recreational tennis league.

Players participate on teams in a league format, which is administered by the USTA through its 17 Sections. 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 League tennis go to www.USTAFlorida.com/Leagues.