The 2019 USTA Florida 40 & Over 3.5/4.5+ Sectional Championships concluded Monday afternoon, as three more teams collected divisional titles. Those squads included the Broward (Weston Tennis Center) 3.5 men, the 3.5 women representing Alachua (DB Racquet Club – Gainesville), and the 4.5+ women of Pinellas (City of Clearwater).

They joined the 4.5+ men from SMD (Next Level Tennis Ktown – Miami), who took home the team crown on Sunday.

In the morning’s 3.5 men’s semifinals, Broward (Weston Tennis Center) easily took care of Marion (Fort King Tennis Center – Ocala) by a 4-1 margin while wild card Orange/Seminole (Fort Gatlin Recreation Center – Orlando) defeated Polk (Beerman Family Tennis Center – Lakeland) by the same score line. Commanding singles play powered Broward into the sectional championship dual, as Marco Garcia and German Briceno gave away just three games on the two singles courts. Broward also came through at the second and third doubles positions. It was a much tougher road for Orange/Seminole, as they lost three opening frames in their clash with Polk. However, Derrick Meer rallied back 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 on singles court one while the duo of Joe Baile and Mark Meyer edged out their foes 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 at the second doubles spot to help push Orange/Seminole into the final.

A marathon final, featuring four courts that split sets, eventually went the way of Broward. Briceno won line two in straight sets once again, but Garcia had to battle back from letting the opening frame on court one slip away in order to prevail 6-7, 6-1, 1-0. All three doubles matchups were claimed by the pair losing the first set, including Pompei and Carrasquero improbably rallying for the 0-6, 6-4, 1-0 victory; Orange/Seminole took courts one and two to round out play.

Jack Vargas’ complete Broward roster includes Raul Diaz, Pompei, Carrasquero, Marcos Garcia, Francisco Garcia, Raul Sanchez Dominguez, Briceno, Marcelo Kuhn, Franco De Andreis, Jose Salazar, Gianfranco Bacigalupo, Gilberto Buitrago, George Martinez, Julio Salazar, and Domenico Matinata.

Three of the five courts contested between Pinellas (City of Clearwater) and Alachua (DB Racquet Club – Gainesville) in the women’s 3.5 semifinals went to a decisive match tiebreak. Although two of those were claimed by Pinellas, it would be Alachua’s Dorie Frum who completed a major 1-6, 6-4, 1-0 comeback to give her team the 3-2 triumph, sending them to the sectional championship. Broward (Weston Tennis Center) also got by Duval (Julington Creek Plantation – Jacksonville) with three courts going in their favor. The squads split the two singles lines, but it was Broward with more consistent doubles play; Marianne Rivas and Raiza Matheus grabbed the second doubles spot 6-2, 6-2 while Maria Lanza and Silvina Peloso teamed up to come through 6-4, 6-3 at line three.

Alachua made quick work of the championship, cruising past Broward 4-1. Beth Mills and Cynthia Reider set the tone for Alachua, sweeping through the top doubles spot 6-0, 6-0. The squad also triumphed at both singles positions, with Ching Zhou winning 6-3, 6-1 and Sheronda Thompson hanging on 6-4, 6-3. Broward did emerge victorious at line three, but retired at line two once the match was decided.

Captain Elaine Almond’s Alachua squad includes Amanda Fuller, Frum, Heather Adkins, Susan Benton, Marcia MacWilliams, Gina Dell, Ashley Murray, Reider, Susan Chase, Mills, Angela Mauriello, Sheronda Thompson, Zhou, and Tahereh Toghiyani.

For the women’s 4.5+ semifinals, Pinellas (City of Clearwater) bested Escambia (Independent) by a slim 3-2 score line. It was Pinellas staking themselves out to a comfortable lead, winning all five opening sets. Suzanne Flament-Smith and Joan Simmons each finished off their singles matchups with just five games dropped. The pairing of Maki Smith and Denise Agnew fought their way to a 7-5, 6-2 victory at the second doubles spot to deliver the clincher for Pinellas. In the other semifinal, Sarasota (Longboat Key Tennis Center) overcame being swept in singles to get past Orange/Seminole (Sanlando Park – Altamonte Springs). The dual came down to the matchup on the third doubles court, where Sarasota’s Jennifer Bright and Jennifer Peters managed to take the majority of the crucial points for an extended 7-6, 4-6, 1-0 victory.

In the championship contest, Sarasota was once again swept in singles action, but this time could not dig out of that hole. Pinellas’ Elizabeth Baldwin held on to take line one 7-5, 6-3 to go along with Chris Bartos polishing off court two 6-4, 6-1. However, the dual still came down to a match tiebreak at the second doubles spot, where Sharon Benson and Simmons narrowly avoided defeat for the 0-6, 7-6, 1-0 clinching win.

Captained by Flament-Smith, the entire Pinellas roster also includes Porter, Benson, Agnew, Bartos, Gail Gibson, Smith, Baldwin, Karen MacCormack, Dianne Albina, Simmons, Danielle Hollis, Shannon Longo, JoAnn Barbetta, and Donna Parimore.

For complete results from the 2019 USTA Florida 40 & Over 3.5/4.5+ Sectional Championships, click here.