As Sunday concluded, five more Sunshine State squads earned titles on the final day of the 2017 USTA Florida 18 & Over 2.5/3.5/4.5 Sectional Championships. For the women, Duval (2.5), Broward (3.5) and Orange/Seminole/Lake (4.5) will represent the section at Nationals this fall while Orange/Seminole (3.5) and SMD (4.5) earned their national championship berths on the men's side.

Brevard and Orange/Seminole survived tight 3-2 semifinals in men’s 3.5 action. Brevard took on Alachua, where they looked to be in good shape to claim the dual after quick victories at the top singles spot (6-1, 6-4) and the third doubles court (6-2, 6-1). However, Alachua came through at the second doubles line 6-4, 6-3 and outlasted the Brevard duo on the No. 1 doubles court 5-7, 6-3, 1-0. In the end, Brevard moved on after taking the second singles spot by the final margin of 6-3, 3-6, 1-0. Orange/Seminole and Broward split the two singles courts in their semifinal, as Broward cruised 6-2, 6-0 on court two and Orange/Seminole battled to a 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 court one triumph. Broward also earned the No. 1 doubles position and had a chance for the team victory after forcing the second spot to a match tiebreak, but once again Orange/Seminole hung tough for the 6-2, 3-6, 1-0 conquest. That coupled with the 7-6, 6-4 result they produced on the No. 3 doubles court propelled them into the final.

The final continued with the theme of tense contests. Brevard snagged an early lead thanks to a retirement at the top singles line, but it was short lived after Orange/Seminole won 6-1, 6-1 on the No. 2 doubles court.  Orange/Seminole would also claim the second doubles position by the final of 6-1, 6-4 while Brevard took the first doubles spot 6-1, 6-4. All eyes were locked on the No. 3 doubles court, where Brevard edged out the opening set 6-4 and Orange/Seminole rattled off the second frame 6-2. With just a match tiebreak left to decide which squad moved on to nationals, Orange/Seminole came out on top to put the final team score at 3-2 in their favor.

Duval and SMD came through the men’s 4.5 semifinals to earn the right to compete for the sectional crown. Duval took down Sarasota/Manatee 3-2 in a dual highlighted by three match tiebreaks. By virtue of winning two of those, at the top singles spot and the No. 2 doubles position, plus cruising to a 6-2, 6-1 result at the third doubles line, Duval moved through to the final. SMD made much quicker work of Alachua, winning 4-1 behind a sweep of the doubles positions. All four of their court wins came in straight sets, with the most games surrendered in any matchup just five.

The final would be decided by the two singles courts, as both were pushed the distance, while the trio of doubles lines ended in straight sets. SMD won the top doubles position 6-3, 6-1 and the third 6-2, 6-3, but Duval stayed alive with a 6-3, 6-4 victory on the second court. Duval would end up the victor at the second singles position after a 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 battle, and actually held the upper hand on the No. 1 singles court as well after winning the opening set 6-3. The second set went into a tiebreak, which was won by the player from SMD, who kept the momentum en route to securing the match tiebreak, and therefore, the team triumph.

In the women’s 2.5 division, three teams entered the day at 3-1. Duval and Marion were pitted against each other, meaning the loser would be eliminated from contention. Duval was able to take that matchup, while Hillsborough also secured a victory to end the weekend at 4-1 . Since Duval and Hillsborough held the same record, the champion was decided by the tiebreaker procedure. Despite Hillsborough owning a head-to-head triumph over Duval, Duval was declared the section champion thanks to winning 12 individual courts compared to only 10 for Hillsborough.

Broward and SMD both impressed in women’s 3.5 semifinal play. Though the final margin was just 3-2 in favor of Broward over Marion, the three courts Broward claimed were done so in commanding fashion. Losing no more than four games in each of those contests, Broward won the No. 2 singles spot along with the top two doubles courts. SMD defeated Duval 4-1, clinching their place in the final behind easy victories at the second singles position plus the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles courts. SMD also won a back-and-forth battle at the top singles spot. Duval earned their lone team point on the No. 1 doubles court.

In the final, Broward triumphed 4-1 despite the match being much closer than the score would indicate. SMD raced through the contest on the No. 3 doubles court 6-1, 6-4, but Broward got a quick 6-3, 6-3 victory from the top singles line to even the team tally. After an easy first frame, Broward had to fight to get a win at the first doubles spot 6-1, 7-6. The last two matches on court, the No. 2 singles and doubles positions, were extended to a match tiebreak before Broward took both.

The women’s 4.5 division featured only a final between Broward and Orange/Seminole/Lake on Sunday after its round robin play consisted of just two flights. Four of the five courts were decided in straight sets while the match came down to the No. 1 doubles position. Broward breezed through the two singles contests, winning 6-3, 6-1 at the top spot and 6-2, 6-3 on the second court.  Orange/Seminole/Lake was just as dominant at the second and third doubles positions, posting a pair of 6-3, 6-2 victories. Broward took the opening set on the first doubles court 6-3 but Orange/Seminole/Lake bounced back in the second 6-2. That left the sectional championship to be determined by a match tiebreak, which went the way of Orange/Seminole/Lake.

For complete results from the 2017 USTA Florida 2.5/3.5/4.5 Sectional Championships, click here.