Four teams came away with sectional titles on Sunday at the 2017 USTA Florida Combo 18 & Over 6.5/8.5 Sectional Championships, held at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla. On the final day of action, Duval (men’s 6.5), Orange/Seminole (women’s 6.5), Hillsborough (men’s 8.5) and Broward (women’s 8.5) were the four teams to earn titles.

Duval took the men’s 6.5 crown with a 2-1 defeat of Alachua. The two teams clashed on Sunday morning in the championship match, as the division was only made up of two flights. In that dual, Alachua came through at the top spot 6-2, 7-5, but it wasn’t enough. Duval managed to take court two 6-4, 6-3 and the clincher on line three in dramatic fashion, 7-5, 3-6, 1-0.

In the women’s 6.5 competition, Marion and Orange/Seminole battled through the semifinals Sunday morning to set up a championship showdown. Marion had little trouble putting away Pinellas, winning in straight sets on courts two and three before finishing off the sweep with a 3-6, 7-5, 1-0 victory on line one. Orange/Seminole faced more resistance against Polk, as the two squads split the first and second positions with commanding straight sets wins. At the third and decisive spot, Orange/Seminole prevailed 6-3, 1-6, 1-0.

Despite those struggles in the semifinals by Orange/Seminole, it was smooth sailing en route to the championship victory over Marion. Orange/Seminole cruised on all three courts, surrendering a mere 21 games and being pushed past 6-4 in just one of the six sets.

Sarasota and Hillsborough advanced to the final of the men’s 8.5 division with 2-1 semifinal conquests. All three courts ended in two sets for Sarasota and IRMSL in that semifinal, with Sarasota claiming the top two spots with just 12 games lost. Hillsborough and Pinellas also turned in a trio of straight-set results, and similarly to Sarasota, it was Hillsborough getting wins on courts one and two to move on.

In the final, Sarasota inched ahead early with a 6-4, 6-2 result at the top spot, but Hillsborough responded on court three, winning 7-6, 6-3. In the contest on line two, Sarasota held a lead after taking the first set 6-4 before Hillsborough rallied in emphatic fashion, earning the second set 6-1 and using the momentum to prevail in the match tiebreak for the team title.

The women’s 8.5 championship featured Broward and Pinellas. Broward, which got into the semifinals as a wild card, lost at the top spot to South Miami/Dade but came through with ease on the other two lines, earning court two 6-0, 6-0 and court three 6-2, 6-4. The other semifinal between Pinellas and IRMSL could have gone either way. Pinellas breezed through at the third position 6-3, 6-3, but the other two spots went to third set tiebreakers. IRMSL stayed alive with a win on line two, but it wasn’t enough, as Pinellas clawed its way to a 6-7, 7-5, 1-0 victory on court one.

A convincing win along with a tough three-set result gave Broward the team crown. The team’s top duo quickly produced a 6-1, 6-1 score line to put Broward out in front. That was followed up with the squad’s No. 2 tandem hanging on for a 6-2, 3-6, 1-0 triumph. Pinellas took the third spot when Broward retired trailing 7-5, 5-3.

For full results from the 2017 USTA Florida Combo 18 & Over 6.5/8.5 Sectional Championships, click 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.