November 8th, 2023
Wellington Announces Winners of 2023 USTA National Family Clay Court Championships
More than 140 players from 20 states descended on the Village of Wellington for the USTA National Family Clay Court Championships on November 3rd through 5th.
The Clay Court Championships are part of four National events on multiple Surfaces, Grass, Hard, Indoor, and Clay Court events held across the United States.
This month’s event, which took place at the Wellington Tennis Center, is a USTA Category One Gold Ball Championship event with players competing for national ranking points as well as the prestigious Gold, Silver, and Bronze Ball awards. Play was hosted in various divisions and age groups with teams of Mother/Son, Father/Daughter, and Mother/Daughter competing in various age groups.
The competition was at an extremely high level as many of the players were past and current D1 college players, National Champions, ATP tour players, and current ITF Competitors.
“This is the third year we have hosted the USTA Family Clay Court Championships, and the level of tennis this year was better than ever! Many matches were decided by the super tie-breaker, and upsets were seen each day,” said Tournament Director and Wellington’s Director of Tennis, Chuck Gill. “The tournament continues to showcase everything that is good about the sport of tennis: players of all ages, competing with family members at a great venue. We look forward to bigger and better tennis in 2024.” “This year the players did a great job of “sharing the awards” as Gold, Silver, and Bronze balls were won by players representing 16 different states,” Gill added.
A noteworthy Winner was the team of David and Karlyn Martin from Chicago, whose win in the Super Senior 70-over division completed their winning the “grand slam” of all four titles (Grass, Hard, Indoor, and Clay) in the 2023 calendar year. Congrats to the Martins!
Winners and Finalists are listed below:
Father Daughter Open
Champions: Tomas and Claudia Catar/ Fairhope, Alabama
Finalists: Eddie and Sophia Pacheco/ Weston, Florida
3rd Place: Ed and Audrey Butterworth/ Glen Allen, Virginia
Father Daughter Senior
Champions: Ned and Harper Caswell/ Chattanooga, Tennessee
Finalists: Robert and Cammy Frei/Winnetka, Illinois
3rd Place: Tres and Cate Cushing/Colleyville, Texas
Father Daughter Super Senior
Champions: David and Karlyn Martin/ Chicago, Illinois
Finalist: Lyle and Kalla Schaefer/ Madison, Wisconsin
3rd Place: Bill and Emma Allen/ Delran, New Jersey
Father Daughter Ultra Senior
Champions: Ben Moorman, Ft Myers, Florida and Spencer Shelfer-Moorman, Prospect, Kentucky
Finalist: Jerry Wayne, Saint Helena Island, South Carolina, Tammy Johnston, Marietta, Georgia
3rd Place: Michael Hanna, Fairport, New York and Elizabeth Morrison, Johns Creek, Georgia
Mother Son Open
Champions: Ben and Suzette Solomon/ Indianapolis, Indiana
Finalist: Mikael Rodriguez Guerra and Sally Guerra/ Pembroke Pines, Florida
3rd Place: Tommy and Erinn Cowell/ Tequesta, Florida
Mother Son Senior 60-over
Champions: Hall Fess, Chicago Illinois and Judi Fess/ Little Rock, Arkansas
Finalist: Chris and Susan Love/ Charlotte, North Carolina
3rd Place: Andrew and Ann Clark/ Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Mother Daughter Open
Champions: Sasha and Julie Dimitrov/ Alpharetta, Georgia
Finalist: Caroline Verhelle and Olivia Soffer/ Ft. Lauderdale Florida
3rd Place: Carolina and Catherine Blouin/ Augusta, Georgia
Mother Daughter Senior
Champions: Sheila Chirocosta and Christine Dieken/ Avon Lake, Ohio
Finalist: Becky Timmis and Nicole Hossler/ Peachtree City, Georgia
3rd Place: Sheri Adler, Wilton Manors, Florida and Erin Manten, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Mother Daughter Super Senior
Champions: Ghia Godfree and Linda Lyke/ Los Angeles, California
Finalist: Becky Timmis and Nicole Hossler/ Peachtree City, Georgia
3rd Place: Myra and Myra Alyne O’Dell/ Johnson City, Tennessee
Stay up to date on events and activities coming up in Wellington by signing up for the monthly Play Wellington Newsletter at www.wellingtonfl.gov/PlayWellington.
As another way to stay informed on the latest news and updates from the Village, residents are invited to sign up for Wellington information and updates at www.wellingtonfl.gov/Newsletter.
For information about other Wellington programs, events, activities, and updates, please visit www.wellingtonfl.gov or watch WellingtonTV for the latest happenings.
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This Press Release was provided to USTA Florida from the Village of Wellington, if you have any questions, please contact Chuck Gil, 561-791-4775.
