The 2018 USTA Florida Adult 55 & Over 3.0/4.0 Sectional Championships, hosted by the USTA National Campus, concluded on Monday morning as three teams claimed sectional titles. For the women’s side, Duval (Southside Tennis Center) won the 3.0 division and Pinellas (SPTC) prevailed in the 4.0 competition. In the lone men’s division, Hillsborough (River Hills) earned the 4.0 crown.

Duval was up against Leon in the women’s 3.0 final, looking to keep the title in the county after the squad from Deercreek won in 2017. Taking first sets at lines one and two, Duval raced out to a hot start and was able to ride that momentum to a championship victory via a 3-0 sweep. Sandy Wedge and Shari Shuman delivered a 6-3, 6-3 result at the top spot while Jean Levis and Floris Singletary came through 6-4, 6-4 at the second position. Irene Perazzo and Valencia Oglesby closed out the sweep with a 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 triumph on court three.

Escaping close calls in the semifinals, Pinellas and Collier (Pelican Bay North) fittingly played a tight match to decide the women’s 4.0 champion on Monday. Kathy Moll and Frances Strazzulla made quick work of line one, winning 6-1, 6-2 for Pinellas. Line two would go to Collier thanks to Lissa Ruffolo and Gail Hayton’s 6-2, 0-6, 1-0 victory. However, it was not enough, as Kim Fernald and Nancy Bahls toughed out the opening set 7-5 and breezed through the second 6-0 at the third spot to clinch for Pinellas.

In a rematch of the top two finishers in Flight 3 of the men’s 4.0 division, Hillsborough exacted revenge over Collier (The Strand) in commanding fashion for the team title. Donald Bell and Randy Chapman got Hillsborough rolling early, taking line three by a 6-2, 6-2 score. Hillsborough also staked early leads on the other two courts, with Mark Wolfson and John Holland eventually winning at the second spot by a slim 6-4, 6-4 margin. An extended battle at line one eventually went the way of Hillsborough, as Roger Bensinger and Thor Moody hung on 4-6, 7-6, 1-0.

Complete results from the 3.0 competition can be found here, the 4.0 women here, and the 4.0 men here.

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.