Friday marked the opening day of action at the USTA League National Adult 65 & Over 6.0/8.0 Invitational, hosted by the USTA National Campus. All squads entered into the event took part in two dual matches over the course of the day.

In the men’s 6.0 division, Northern (St Paul Academy & Summit School - Saint Paul, Minn.) and Southern (Independent – Birmingham, Ala.) are the only teams left undefeated heading into Saturday. Both took four of the six individual matchups they contested to post 2-0 overall records. While they have all but locked up a semifinal berth, a quartet of squads sits at 1-1 after the opening day of play.

Five crews have positioned themselves atop the women’s 6.0 standings after winning two duals on Friday. Eastern (Chestnut Ridge Racquet Club – Mount Kisco, N.Y.), Texas (Independent – Northeast Texas), and Pacific Northwest (Boeing Employees Tennis Club – Kent, Wash.) earned five court victories; Middle States (Mo’s Tennis & Fitness – East Stroudsburg, Pa.) and Caribbean (Independent – Puerto Rico) came through with four. Additionally, six teams split their matches and will be looking to stay in the mix, by winning twice on day two.

Nearly half of the men’s 8.0 division battled their way to a 2-0 start, meaning it should be a highly-competitive Saturday. Middles States (Independent – Delaware) and Mid-Atlantic (Cattail & Circle D – Woodbine, Md.) swept through all six of their individual matchups, while the trio of Eastern (The Tennis King – Port Washington, N.Y.), Southern (Independent – Birmingham, Ala.), and Southwest (Phoenix Tennis Center) prevailed in five. Florida (Parkland Tennis Center) and New England (Tennis Rhode Island Inc. – Warwick, R.I.) narrowly managed to avoid defeat with four court victories against two losses.

The Middle States (Independent – Delaware) women took over the top spot of the 8.0 competition at the completion of Friday’s slate of matches thanks to going a perfect 6-for-6 in their individual matchups. Joining them in an unbeaten effort on day one were Pacific Northwest (Athletic Club of Bend – Bend, Ore.), Mid-Atlantic (Watkins Regional Park – Upper Marlboro, Md.), and Midwest (Olympic Indoor Tennis – Columbus, Ohio). A logjam of nine squads closed out the opening day at 1-1 overall, meaning they have some ground to make up but are still very much alive for a semifinal spot.

Match play is slated to pick back up Saturday morning at 11 a.m. For more information on the USTA League National Adult 65 & Over 6.0/8.0 Invitational, click here.