Saturday marked a busy opening day for the USTA Florida 55 & Over 6.0/8.0 Sectional Championships, as all three divisions were in action for two rounds of flight play at the USTA National Campus.

Teams are competing in dual matches that consist of three doubles contests; in order to claim the overall dual victory, a team needs to win at least two of those three courts.

For the women’s 6.0 division, each flight has just one undefeated squad remaining. Escambia (Roger Scott Tennis Center – Pensacola) sits atop the five-team Flight 1 with a perfect 2-0 record, while Miami-Dade (Flamingo Park Tennis Center – Miami Beach) and Collier (Greater Marco Family YMCA – Marco Island) grasped control of Flights 2 and 3, respectively. Escambia is still two team wins away from officially locking up a spot in the divisional semifinals, while Miami-Dade and Collier only need to win their lone dual on Sunday to advance.

The women’s 8.0 competition saw Orange/Seminole/Lake (Lake Cane Tennis Center – Orlando) battle their way to the top of a very competitive Flight 1 with a pair of dual victories to open up the event. Meanwhile, both Miami-Dade (Dante Fascell Park – Miami) and Brevard (Kiwanis Island Park Recreation Center – Merritt Island) got through Saturday unscathed in Flight 2 to go along with 2-0 Hillsborough (River Hills Country Club – Valrico) earning the inside track in Flight 3.

In the men’s 8.0 division, Duval (Magnolia Point Golf & Country Club – Green Cove Springs) holds the advantage over the rest of the Flight 1 field as does Broward (Midtown Athletic Club – Weston) after cruising through the opening day. Escambia (Roger Scott Tennis Center – Pensacola) is the third crew to sit at the top of the standings heading into Sunday, but they have been challenged so far by their Flight 3 competitors.

Sunday’s matches are scheduled for a 7:30 a.m. start. For more information on the USTA Florida 55 & Over 6.0/8.0 Sectional Championships, click here.