BallenIsles: Let the Tournaments Begin, 2016

The first Category II National tournament of the year started yesterday, January 20th, at the BallenIsles Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. It’s an all-women’s tournament held on clay, and offers age divisions 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80+. There are unfortunately no 30s players here but the other age divisions have pretty good attendance.

I played Anna Grier today and won 60 60. Shelly Works from San Antonio,TX, the top seed in the 50s, and with whom I’m practicing this week, won her matches in singles and doubles easily (with Mariana Hollman). Not all seeds though sailed through as well though today.

In the 50s, Sheila Chiricosta lost to Lilia Britto from Brazil. Sheila broke a finger on her left hand back in November (she’s right handed but two-handed backhand). She lost 64 63 to Lilia. However the rest of the 50s seeds advanced.

In the 60s the four seeds advanced to the quarters. However Kathy Foulk needed three seeds to overcome Dutch player Sylvia Lievers, though she finished strong, winning 60 in the third. Deborah MacFarlane Antoine edged local favorite Frances O’Sullivan 76 in the third.

In the 70s, Sue Kimball, who has been most successful in Husband/Wife events, upset #3 seeded Carol Clay in a topsy-turvy match 64 46 63. Clay was up 4-2 in the first before Kimball won 8 games on the trot…at which time, with Kimball leading 64 40, Clay won six straight games (and Kimball broke a string too at 4-4 deuce). Kimball then won the third set 63 and was quite excited. Ellen Goodman, Clay’s doubles partner, had better luck in singles, upsetting Kimball’s doubles partner, Lee Delfausse 64 64 to reach the semis. Clay/Goodman did advance in doubles in a match tiebreak over Dickenson/Graham, while the rest of the seeds advanced easily.