Day two’s full slate of matches was played under sunny skies at the USTA National Campus, a much different setting from a day ago at the 2018 USTA Florida 40 & Over 3.5/4.5+ Sectional Championships. The 3.5 competitions along with the women’s 4.5+ division will crown their champions on Sunday while the men’s 4.5+ title was claimed by Orange/Seminole (OTC) Saturday afternoon.

All four women’s 3.5 semifinalists went through the first two days of play undefeated. Orange/Seminole (Red Bug) and Duval (Boone Park) were the class of Flight 1. They met in the last match of the flight, where Orange/Seminole won 4-1; that was the lone court Orange/Seminole lost in their four round robin matches. Hillsborough (FishHawk Ranch) bested the four other teams in Flight 2, taking 15 of the 20 total courts in their four dual matches. SMD (Dante Fascell Park) emerged from Flight 3 after letting just three courts and six sets slip away, and Broward (Midtown) came through Flight 4 thanks to a head-to-head win against Volusia (Deland). On Sunday, Hillsborough has drawn Broward and Orange/Seminole will be across the net from SMD.

The men’s 3.5 semifinals are set after the completion of play Saturday. Leon (Forestmeadows Park and Athletic Center) capped off their run through Flight 1 at 3-0 to book a place in the final four, where they will meet Alachua (Westside Park), the undefeated representative out of Flight 3. Also finishing round robin action without faltering was Broward (Weston TC), who took Flight 2 in commanding fashion. They are matched up with wild card entrant Lee/Charlotte, which finished as the runner-up in Flight 3 with a 2-2 overall record.

Sunday’s women’s 4.5+ final will feature Broward (City of Oakland Park) versus Pinellas (Tarpon Tennis Club). Broward was one of three squads to post a 3-1 record in Flight 1, but managed to move into the championship dual thanks to owning one more court win (13) than both Duval (Independent) and Sarasota (Longboat Key Tennis Center). Pinellas had little trouble navigating through Flight 2, sweeping their four team matches thanks to a total of 15 individual court victories. All other teams in the flight ended with at least two losses.

The men’s 4.5+ championship match pitted Orange/Seminole against SMD (Kendalltown), the two squads who came into the day as the favorites to advance to the final. SMD went undefeated while Orange/Seminole finished flight play at 2-1; both won 11 of the 15 individual courts they contested.

All five lines of the dual were decided in straight sets. SMD’s Pedro Leon got his team off to a hot start, posting a 6-1, 6-1 victory at the top spot. Danny Chang countered for Orange/Seminole, prevailing 6-3, 7-5 at the second position. Alexander Romero and Ramon Hudec came through at line two doubles by the final margin of 6-2, 6-4 for SMD, but it wasn’t enough. Jamie Feagan and Richard Schmidt cruised on court one (6-2, 6-2) while Nick OHern and Rogerio Magagnini held on at line three (6-4, 6-3), giving Orange/Seminole the title with the 3-2 triumph.

The men’s and women’s 3.5 semifinals will get underway at 8:00 a.m. with the finals to be played at 11:00 a.m.; the women’s 4.5+ championship match will hit the courts at 9:00 a.m.

A complete listing of the women’s 3.5 schedule and flights can be viewed here, while the men’s 3.5 details can be found here. On the 4.5 side, click here for the women’s division schedule of play and here for complete results from the men’s side.

Established in 1980, USTA League has grown from 13,000 players in a few parts of the country in its first year to more than 900,000 players across the nation today, making it the world’s largest recreational tennis league.

USTA League was established to provide adult recreational players throughout the country with the opportunity to compete against players of similar ability levels. 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.