These will change for 2021. Note that for the remainder of the year all Super Cat II, Cat II and Cat III tournaments will earn Category II points.
- Category Archives Category II Nationals
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2020 Women’s Category II Schedule (Partial, Tentative)
The USTA will publish the 2020 Cat II Schedule here. Or check on tennislink.usta.com.
The table below has a list of Cat II tournaments; only the ones which have links to tennislink sites are confirmed. Please check back for updates. Any event which has no link is TENTATIVE as to dates, location etc.
Dates (tentative unless there is a link to the website) Location Surface Category II or Super Category II ITF Grade Jan 28-Feb 1 Palm Beach Gardens Tennis CenterPalm Beach Gardens, FL Clay Super Cat II Grade 1 January 18-26 Wilson World Tennis Classic
Hard Super Cat II Grade 1 February 5-9 Lamita Jabour Grandes Dames, Lauderdale Tennis Club, Fort Lauderdale, FL Clay Super Cat II Grade 1 February 18-22 Joanne Russell Cup, Sanchez-Casal Academy, Naples, FL Clay Super Cat II Grade 1 Postponed Bermuda Cat II, Coral Beach & Tennis Club, Warwick, MB Clay Super Category II Grade 1 Cancelled Berkeley Tennis Club
Berkeley, CAHard Category II Grade 1 TBA (Postponed or Cancelled) Westwood Sr Championships Austin, TX Hard (60 and under); Clay (65 and over) Super Cat II Grade 1 TBA Lynchburg City Open
Oakwood Country Club
Lynchburg, VAClay Category II TBA Marin Seniors, Mill Valley Tennis Club, Mill Valley, CA Hard Super Category II Grade 1 TBA Senior Slam, Guilford, CT Hard Super Category II Grade 1 July 7-12 Aston Park TC
Asheville, NCClay Category II July 16-19 Oregon State Champs, Tualatin Hills Tennis Center, Beaverton, OR Hard Category II July 27-August 2 Washington State O & Srs
Seattle TC, Seattle, WAHard Super Cat II Grade 1 August 18-23 El Paso Tennis Club
El Paso, TXHard Super Cat II Grade 1 October 14-18 Cooper Cup
Lauderdale Tennis Club
Fort Lauderdale, FLClay Category II October 22-25 Texas Super Seniors
McFarlin Tennis Center
San Antonio, TXHard Category II November 2-8 Top Gun Tennis Chmpshps Orange County CA Hard Category II November 2-6 Las Vegas Senior Open, Darling TC, Las Vegas, NV Hard Category II December 9-13 Phoenix Fiesta Senior
Scottsdale, AZHard Category II
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2020 Men’s Category II Schedule (Partial)
Note that this is not a complete schedule.
USTA will publish the 2020 Category II schedule here.
Date Tournament Category (Super Category II or Category II) Surface ITF Grade Jan. 18-26 Wilson World Tennis Classic
Shadow Mountain Resort & Club, Palm Desert, CASuper Cat II Hard Grade 1 Jan. 21-27 West Coast Super Seniors Grand Prix, Sanchez-Casal Academy, Naples, Florida Super Cat II
Clay
Grade 1 Feb 24-March 1 Raymond James, St Petersburg CC, St. Petersburg, FL Super Cat II
Clay Grade 1 Postponed Bermuda Cat II, Coral Beach & Tennis Club, Warwick, MB Designated Open sectional Clay None November 18-22 NOTE NEW DATES Bocage Racquet Club, Baton Rouge, LA Super Cat II Clay Postponed Southern Men's Clay Open West
Jackson, MSCat II (Men's divisions only) Clay Cancelled (possibly postponed, check website for updates) Atlanta Sr. Invitational
Atlanta, GA .Super Cat II Clay Grade 1 Postponed to 2021 Berkeley Tennis Club
Berkeley, CACat II Hard Grade 1 TBA Westwood Sr Championships Austin, TX Super Cat II
Hard <65
Clay >65Grade 1 Postponed to 2021 Midwest Clay
Carmel Racquet Club
Carmel, INSuper Cat II Clay Grade 1 TBA Lynchburg City Open
Oakwood Country Club
Lynchburg, VACat II Clay None TBA Marin Seniors, Mill Valley Tennis Club, Mill Valley, CA Super Cat II Hard Grade 1 Postponed to 2021 Jack Dorsey
Wheeling Oglebay TC
Wheeling W. VASuper Category II Clay Grade 1 TBA Senior Slam, Guilford, CT Hard TBA Ed Rhawn, LBC
Louisville, KYClay July 7-12 Aston Park TC
Asheville, NCDesignated Open Sectional Clay July 27-Aug 2 CANCELLED
Washington State O & Srs
Seattle TC, Seattle, WAHard August 18-23 CANCELLED
El Paso Tennis Club
El Paso, TXDesignated Open Sectional
Hard September 13-20 Pacific SW Champs.
Palisades TC
Newport Beach, CADesignated Open Sectional Hard October 22-25 Texas Super Seniors
McFarlin Tennis Center
San Antonio, TXDesignated Open Sectional Hard November 2-6 Las Vegas Senior Open, Darling TC, Las Vegas, NV Designated Open Sectional Hard November 2-8 Top Gun Tennis Chmpshps Orange County CA Designated Open Sectional Hard November 30 to Dec 6 Longboat Key TC Longboat Key, FL Designated Open Sectional Clay December 9-13 Phoenix Fiesta Senior
Scottsdale, AZDesignated Open Sectional Hard
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January/February/March/April Tentative Tournament Dates 2020 (Some Men’s Events Added)
Last Update: Nov. 3, 2019
Please go to seniortennisblog.com and click on the relevant schedule. This post will no longer be updated.
THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL CALENDAR! PLEASE CHECK THE USTA TENNISLINK SITE FOR THE OFFICIAL SCHEDULE ONCE IT’S POSTED! Anything with a link is final (but click on the link for official information and to enter).
January 7-11, NSMTA Super Senior Doubles, USTA Cat III (Men’s 55 & up); Sanchez-Casal Academy, Naples, FL
Wilson World Tennis Classic: Shadow Mountain Resort, Palm Desert, CA January 18-26, 2020: 35-90, S/D/MXD Super Cat II
January 19-26, Men’s West Coast Super Seniors Grand Prix, USTA Super Category II, 55 and up, Sanchez-Casal Academy, Naples, FL
Grandes Dames, Palm Beach Gardens Tennis Center, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, late January 28-Feb 1, (W 30/40/50/60/70/80) Dates TBA
Grandes Dames, Fort Lauderdale TC, Fort Lauderdale, FL, W 35/45/55/65/75/85); February 5-9) Super Cat II
Grandes Dames, Joanne Russell Cup, Sanchez-Casal Academy, Naples, Florida, Dates: February 18-23 Super Cat II
Raymond James Super Cat II, St. Petersburg, FL (men only), Dates: February 24-March 1
NSWTA Tournament, Daniel Island, SC (near Charleston), March 11-15, EVEN divisions only, Women only
National Clay Courts, Houston, TX, (W 35/45/55/65/75/85/90); Dates: March 30-April 5; ITF Grade A
National Clay Courts, Palm Beach Gardens Tennis Center, Palm Beach Gardens, FL April 14-19 (W40/50/60/70/80); ITF Grade A
Individual World Championships, Palm Beach Gardens, FL M/W 50/55/60; May 2-9, 2020; enter via the IPIN site (ITFtennis.com/IPIN)
National Hard Courts, La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, La Jolla, CA, May 11-17, 2020; ITF Grade A
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Miami Regional Championship: Sunday Wrap
Saturday afternoon and Sunday there was still quite a bit of tennis to play in Miami Beach at the ITF Regional Championship. I’m relying on the scores from the website, so if there’s an error as to who won, let me know, and please contact the tournament director to correct it online.
Men’s 40: (1) Michael Halperin d. (4) Ry Tarpley (3 sets)
Men’s 45: renee busch d. (1) Philippe Leblanc
Men’s 50: (1) Eoin Collins d. (2) Gabriel Keymer (64 64)
Men’s 55: Vincent Horcasitas d. (2) Denis Dumas 62 61 (Horcasitas also beat the top seed 61 61 in the quarters)
Men’s 60: (1) joakim berner d. (5) Ross Persons (3 sets)
Men’s 65: (1) Frits Raijmakers d. (2) Galba Couto (60 62)
Men’s 75: 1) Jimmy Parker d. (2) Fred Drilling (61 63)
Men’s 35 and 70 finished yesterday.
Note again, that Heather Nobler won the women’s 35s. It was incorrectly recorded into the tournament software program initially.
Nobler, Smashey Doubles:
Men’s 45: Keymer/Mehech d. (1) Engel/Sack (63 63)
Men’s 55: (1) Persons/berner d. Blanno/Garman
Men’s 65: 1) Raijmakers/Shaw d. (2) Barrett/Beautyman (62 60)
Men’s 75 & 35 were played yesterday…reported in yesterday’s blog.
Women’s 45: Vasconcellos/Yanagi d. Chase/Williams (64 63)
Women’s 55: Rainy Miller/Shelly Works won a 3 team RR
Mixed 35: Rawlings/Turner d. (2) Beaudoin/Demer (by default); however Rawlings/Turner beat top seeded Choi/OLEJNIK in three sets in the semis, reported as 76 in the third.
Mixed 45: Chase/Craft d. Maheu/Martinez (75 61; no seeds in this division)
Mixed 55: Miller/Persons d. (1) Dumas/Stobbe 46 75 1-0 (6); photo below courtesy of Rainy Miller
Persons, Miller, Stobbe, Dumas Results are here: https://m.tennislink.usta.com/TournamentHome/tournament.aspx?t=232508
Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/C8xN2wqwfJTUXM1X7
Other articles about this event:
Miami Beach: North American Regional Tennis Tournament
Miami Beach RC: Friday Vibes; Works Wins a Saturday Marathon
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Miami Beach RC: Friday Vibes; Works Wins a Saturday Marathon
March 9, 2019
Friday in Miami Beach…is noisy! Bands tuning up, motorcycles racing, rush hour traffic, high season energy. I played Dagmar Sperneder from Austria in the de facto 60s final and won. We played one court removed from a busy street, and across the street from a park where a band sounded like it was making sure its instruments worked (they did, believe me). It was noisy and windy and basically a normal high season Friday afternoon in Miami.
There were a lot of players onsite yesterday, unlike the sleepy atmosphere of Wednesday afternoon. The matches ran an hour late…we barely finished before dark. Our 3:30 match was scheduled for 2:45 on Thursday night, 3pm by Friday morning and by Friday afternoon the time had changed to 3:30, with the only notifications appearing on the website.
Shelly Works was soooo happy to finally play a match. She arrived Monday and didn’t get to play till Friday (she did receive a default on Thursday). Shelly actually got to play twice…she and Rainy Miller won their 6:30 pm doubles match and Shelly looked like she wanted to run around and play singles on the doubles court. Both played well and won. Saturday update: Shelly won the final in three sets, despite losing the first set 60 and facing three consecutive match points at 4-5 in the third, taking the tiebreak 7-3 against top seeded Simone Vasconcellos. Rainy as tweeting a group of players first on changeovers, then game by game and finally point by point in the TB.
Fran, Rainy, Carolyn, Kaysie, Shelly Jenny Klitch blitzed the opposition in the 50s, winning the final against Julie Dybendahl of Australia without losing a game. Dybendahl though upset the 2nd seed in the semis, and had a good tournament herself. Donna Fales (W70) and Jenny are shown below; Donna finished 3rd in the women’s 70s and Toni Novack, USA finished 2nd. Leila Musalem won the event.
Nancy Hilliard (45) and Kaysie Smashey (35) added to the trophy haul for Texas, winning their singles events. Smashey beat Heather Nobler 63 63 in the final. CORRECTION: Nobler BEAT Smashey 63 63. Hilliard beat unseeded Tangerine Manning who fought her way to the final with consecutive 3-set wins, upsetting Kristen Kepler in the semis.
In men’s divisions, winners are: M35: Henry Choi; M40: Ry Tarpley UPDATE: I omitted Tarpley’s opponent, he plays vs Michael Halperin in the final. M45: Renee Busch vs Philippe LeBlanc in the final tomorrow; M50: Eoin Collins vs Gabriel Keymer; M55: Denis Dumas vs Vincent Horcasitas; M60: Ross Persons (seeded #5; #2 seeded Stu Saiki retired due to a bum leg in the quarters to Eric Friedman; Persons beat Friedman); M65: Fritz Raijmakers (Netherlands) vs Galba Couto; M70: Michael Beautyman, seeded 2, beat top seeded Bruce Barrett (also his doubles partner) in three sets; M75: Jimmy Parker and Fred Drilling play the final tomorrow; M80 had only 2 players.
Bruce Barrett In doubles: M35: Choi/Nick Rainey won; M45: Keymer/Mehech d. (1) Engel/Sack; M55: Persons/berner d. Blanno/Garman; M65:(1)Raijmakers/Danny Shaw d. (2) Barrett/Beautyman; M75: Jonsson/Parker won; unfortunately they had to play Drilling/Tibbits in the semis and won that in three sets…
In women’s doubles: 35s: Heather Nobler/Smashey won the 35s (only two teams); 45s: Chase/Williams will face Vasconcellos/Yanagi who beat the #2 and #1 seeds respectively. Michelle Willams is Rhyne Williams mom… 55s is a round robin and finishes tomorrow.
Draws are here: https://m.tennislink.usta.com/TournamentHome/tournament.aspx?t=232508
Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/C8xN2wqwfJTUXM1X7
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Miami Beach: North American Regional Tennis Tournament
March 7, 2019
Miami Beach…March…what a nice place to be while the North is freezing and the West is raining! Even though the weather has been variable this week, from 90 on Monday to highs around 70 on Wednesday, it’s a nice place for a winter tournament.
The entries, particularly for the women, weren’t as large as expected but there are enough foreign players, especially from South America and Canada, to give the tournament an international vibe.
On check in we received a (men’s) t-shirt (courtesy of Lucky in Love), a towel, sunglasses and a tote bag.
I played Suzanne Siegler yesterday in the 60 singles round robin and won. Today Dagmar Sperneder of Austria beat Suzanne 61 64 so we play tomorrow for the title. In the 50s, Jenny Klitch is the top seed, and won yesterday to advance to the semis to be played tomorrow. She’s the only American left in the draw, along with two So American players and an Aussie. (Miami is a nice place to be when it’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere). Shelly Works is the 2nd seed and Simona Vasconcellos is the top seed in the 55s. Vasconcellos plays an intriguing match against Fran Chandler in the semis. Fran won their only prior meeting in three sets. Works, who arrived Monday, is looking forward to playing her first match tomorrow…she got a default today and plays fellow Texan Gayle Prejean tomorrow. Donna Fales and Toni Novack are playing 70s., though Toni lost her first match in the four player round robin. Kaysie Smashey, who was a singles finalist at the world championships in November here, leads the 35s seeds while another Texan, Nancy Hilliard, is the top seed in the 45s.
The younger men’s draws were pretty large, and there are a lot of familiar names. 2014 world champion Eoin Collins leads the men’s 50; Michael Halperin is the top seed in men’s 40s; Phillips Leblanc is the Men’s 45 top seed; Jimmy Parker leads the 75s; Achim Gass and Denis Dumas are the top 55 seeds; Joaquin Berner and Stu Saiki top the 60 seeds; Fritz Raijmakers of the Netherlands is the 65 #1 seed. Bruce Barrett was the top 70 seed but was injured in his first match; Correction:the incorrect winner was reported and Barrett in fact WON by retirement. (His opponent was in a car accident). Michael Beautyman is the 2nd seed.
There was a fantastic player party on Wednesday night. Everyone LOVED the food. (Even Fran Chandler!). There was a pasta bar (everything from fettuccine to butternut squash ravioli to cheese tortellini plus toppings of veggies, chicken, shrimp, cheese and three sauces); a sushi bar, poke bowls, great hors d’oeurves, and a wonderful desserts, (brownies with ice cream; yummy chocolate chip cookies and more). The location is right on the beach.
I also took a walk along the boardwalk (some sketchy hotels, which apparently will make room for new buildings soon) but the life guard stations were cool!
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Fort Lauderdale Grandes Dames; ITF Grade 1; USTA Super Cat 2, Thursday
The second of a series of four “Grandes Dames” Women’s tournaments is going on now in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and finishes Sunday. This year, in addition to USTA members earning USTA Super Cat II points, players with IPINs will earn ITF Grade 1 points. The tournament is sponsored by Lamita Jabour.
The events being held are women’s 55/65/75 singles and doubles. 35/45/85 were on offer but not enough people entered to make a draw.
In the 55s, the top three seeds won, Shelly Works, Terri Thompson and I won. MJ Pachl, the #4 seed played fellow Canadian Jeanie MacEarchen. MacEarchen looked to be on her way to a comfortable win, leading a set and 41, but MJ rallied to force a third and led 42 and 54, but MacEarchen stopped missing altogether and won 75 in the third.
There were no upsets in doubles either.
In the 65s, Becky Timmis, the 4th seed, had to fight hard to beat Miriam Morey in three tight sets…her reward is a semifinal meeting with Wendy McColskey. Sue Bramlette takes on Lil Peltz-Petow on the bottom half of the draw.
In 65 doubles, all the matches were tight except for the McColskey’s who won 62 62. They face Bramlette/Kerry Young while Leprevost/Ann Stanley face the hyphenated team, Kirkland-Cochran/Peltz-Petow in the semis.
The 75 singles semis are set with CarolAnn Castell to take on Cathie Anderson for the 2nd time this year already and Donna Fales will play Susanne Clark.
The 75s doubles final will take place tomorrow: Anderson/Fales vs Castell/Delfausse.
There’s a dinner tonight and there were free box lunches this afternoon. The weather was sunny, warm and breezy.
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Les Grandes Dames Palm Beach Gardens Cat II/ITF Grade I Finished with a Blast of Air
Fort Lauderdale, FL
I’ll start today’s blog by wishing my dad a happy 94th birthday. He’s a tennis player and when I called to wish him a happy birthday he naturally asked how the tournament went….so this is how it went.
It was WINDY today…the Palm Beach Gardens Tennis Center is a wonderful public facility but doesn’t have a lot of breaks from the wind. It rained for several hours starting around 7am but stopped about 10…and the wind continued.
I played Diane Barker. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve lost to her over the past 25 or so years and I lost again today but it was a good and long match, 64 76 (3). The first three games of the second set took about 45 minutes! On one point I hit (attempted to hit) a crosscourt forehand and saw the ball change directions 90 degrees in the air and land on the line…and bounce over the side fence! (Diane didn’t win that point). On another, I set up to hit a forehand and I think whiffed when the wind pulled the ball an entirely different direction. Despite these challenges, we had long points and overall the match was of good quality. In the tiebreak Diane tightened up her game and didn’t make an error…too good. (Thanks Brad Sprayberry for the photo below.)
The 3/4 playoff between Kathy Vick and Wendy McColskey was even longer than ours, and was at 5-5 in the third when we finished. McColskey won 75 57 75. Kathy is definitely getting her court time this week, this was her second singles three-setter and she’s had two three-set doubles matches too.
Bunny Allare won the 5-8 playoff group with a 63 76 (8) win over Frances O’Sullivan.
Suzanne Siegler finished 9th.
In doubles, Ligia Bottinelli and Abi Neuthaler beat Ann Jacobs/Betsy Savitt to claim the title, 76 75. Foulk/Allare beat Vick/Kim Jones to place third.
And that’s a wrap on the first tournament of the year. The odd divisions will be played in February in Fort Lauderdale and the evens will reconvene in Naples at the end of February.
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Kraujina, Klitch, Novack, Weber Win Singles Titles Saturday
Kristin Kraujina of Florida won the 30 singles on a sunny, breezy Saturday. Kraujina lives in a town called Sunny Isles Beach, which sounds awfully pleasant! She won the four player round robin without dropping a set.
Jenny Klitch of Florida dominated the 50 singles, dropping only two games (routing her opponents en route to the title one could say). She beat Yvette Kruger who is a very good tennis player, 60 61, playing steady, aggressive and smart tennis. Alice Stubbs of NC placed third, winning a tough three-setter over Canadian Adrienne Simmons.
Toni Novack, also currently residing in Florida (there’s a theme here), upset top seeded Molly Hahn of MA 64 62, hitting her usual (for her) magical dropshots to take the 70s title. Susan Kimball placed third over Brenda Winstead.
Inge Weber, of Canada (but spending the winter in, you guessed it, Florida) beat Dorothy Wasser, her doubles partner 75 62 to take the 80s crown. Burnett Herrick took third over Lucille Kyvallos.
The 60s had a larger draw so only the semis were played today. I beat a tired Kathy Vick 61 62 and in the upset of the day, Wendy McColskey won a set from Diane Barker. Then Diane, according to Wendy, changed her strategy, which was a very effective adjustment since Diane won the next two sets 61 61. Their match lasted only a few minutes longer than our match.
Klitch and Andi Piski won the 40 doubles over Stacey Williams/Mariana Hollman 61 62 in an entertaining match.
Susan Harris/Patricia Randolph from Alabama won the 50 doubles, beating Williams/Hollman in a marathon match 76 (5) in the third!
Ellen Goodman/Winstead upset Hahn/Kimball in the 70 doubles final, 64 67 64. Hahn/Kimball rallied from 15 down in the second to force a deciding set, but Goodman/Winstead played awfully well to get the win. It was really windy in the afternoon (I saw a tent blow over) which affected the 70s doubles match a lot but overall the quality was very good.
Wasser/Weber won the 80s round robin doubles over Carol Wood/Herrick in three sets.
In semifinal action, the 60s doubles semis were both decided by a third set. Ann Jacobs/Betsy Savitt took out Kathy Vick/Kim Jones in three sets while Ligia Bottinelli/Abbi Neuthaler beat Kathy Foulk/Bunny Allare 61 in the third.
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Palm Beach Gardens Friday, Sun & Smashes
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
It was another sunny 70s day in Palm Beach Gardens today, pretty much perfect for tennis.
I played Kim Dean, whom I’d not played before. She’s originally from California, now from Atlanta and is a tough player. The 62 61 score was not indicative of how many close games and points we had.
In the 60s, the only upset was Kathy Vick, new to the 60s, edging Bunny Allare in three tough sets. Diane Barker and Wendy McColskey advanced convincingly to the semis where they play each other; I play Kathy.
The 50s final is set, between top seeded Jenny Klitch, who has yet to lose a game, and Yvette Kruger, the 2nd seed.
In the 70s, the two top seeds advanced by very different scores. Toni Novack drove and dropped her way to victory against Brenda Winstead 63 63 while Molly Hahn edged her doubles partner in a spirited match 67 64 75.
In the 80s, Inge Weber beat Lucille Kyvallos, and Dorothy Wasser upset #2 seeded Burnett Herrick in three sets. They face off in singles, then will combine to play the doubles final against Herrick/Carol Wood.
In 60 doubles, Vick/Kim Jones took out the #2 seeds, Frances O’Sullivan/Dean in three sets. Ann Jacobs/Betsy Savitt upset the #4 seeds, McColskey and her sister Dale McColskey.
In 50 doubles, top seeded Mariana Hollman/Stacy Williams edged Daniela Esswein/Susie Brown to advance to the final while the unseeded team of Susan Harris/Patricia Randolph advanced to the final from the bottom half.
Hollman/Williams made it 2 for 2 by advancing to the final in the 40s to face Klitch/Andrea Piski in the final.
In 70 doubles, Hahn/Kimaball didn’t have any negative hangover from their long singles; they advanced to the doubles final and will face the #2 seeds, Ellen Goodman/Winstead.
Finals in all but the 60s will take place tomorrow.
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New Category 2 in Massachusetts: Clem Easton Tournament
The USTA has added a Category 2 tournament to the national schedule. It will be held June 21-24 at the Field Club of Longmeadow in East Longmeadow, MA. This tournament will be played on green clay. Age divisions offered are Men’s, Women’s and Mixed starting with the 60+ age division and going up to 90 (men) and 75 (women).
Deadline to enter is June 18, 2018
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Bermuda USTA Category II Tournament!
The Coral Beach and Tennis Club is hosting a USTA Cat II clay court tournament in Bermuda from April 11th-15th, 2018.
The flyer can be found here: bda breeze tennis
The categories will be 40, 50, 60, 65, 70 for men and women in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
USTA registration for this tournament is now open and the link is: http://tennislink.usta.
com/Tournaments/ TournamentHome/Tournament. aspx?T=215986#&&s= The tournament will be publishing a comprehensive website fairly soon with all the activities to do in Bermuda, along with information about accommodation and travel. Bermuda is located only 90 minutes from NYC, Boston and Philly, so there should be lots of USTA members who will be interested in this event. So I wanted to get this information out to you quickly now to help encourage signups over the holidays.
A little bit of history: Bermudians brought tennis to the US and then co-founded the USTA in 1881. So in a way USTA tennis is coming home for this tournament.
Note that you will need a passport to reach Bermuda.
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2018 National Schedule Now Posting on Carolynnichols.com
2018 Schedule with links has started posting on carolynnichols.com Click here to see schedule. This will be updated periodically. The date of the last update will appear on the site.
New for 2018 are NTRP National Championships in the 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5 divisions.
Click here to see the schedule on USTA.com. Scroll down past the 2017 Schedule to see the 2018 Schedule (without links). Note that some dates are off on this schedule compared to the tennislink dates. I’ve gone with the tennislink dates when this is an issue.
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A Tournament Held in a Paradise Called La Jolla
The 50/60/70/80/90 Women’s Hard Courts began today at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club in La Jolla, CA, near San Diego. The club is wonderful, located right on the La Jolla Shores beach, with a dozen hard courts, many of them lighted. Photos of tennis players from different eras who have played there are displayed throughout the club, along with International Hall of Fame member Dodo Cheney’s nearly 400 gold balls. (They aren’t real gold, so anyone thinking of making off with a “gold mine”, you’ll be disappointed…they represent accomplishment, not riches.)
After an unseasonable rainy weekend, today was a sparkling clear day. I played my first match today, the round of 32, against Anna Greer from Florida, and won. Tomorrow I play someone from Utah, Marianne, whom I’d not met before today.
There’s also a senior men’s tournament here which is very popular, in singles and doubles 60-80+. It attracts quite a few really good national players and all the locals as well.
National tournaments for the women are a lot like reunions especially the first day or two. Some players I haven’t seen since last year here, some were in Bocage just a couple of weeks ago. It’s an energetic, fun atmosphere, full of hope and health and energy at the beginning!
One funny thing happened today. There are seagulls everywhere…they are looking for lunch, players are eating lunch…sometimes the two don’t go together. I was carefully eating my sandwich and reached for something in my purse…and lost 1/4 of my sandwich..good thing it was a big one. These are some well fed seagulls here.
The less funny thing was that Christina Kaus fell during her first round match with Andrea Rice and hurt her wrist and had to withdraw.
Draws: http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/tournamenthome/tournament.aspx?T=188290#&&s=7Draws18
Tomorrow doubles also starts for Robin Harris and me. I’ll take a few photos too. But for now I’ll leave you with this one from a prior year.
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Barker, Carter, King Take Singles Gold in Bocage
Baton Rouge, LA, April 21, 2017
I played Diane Barker in the final of the 60 clay courts and she won for about the 50th or so time against me…I’ve lost track, since we first played about 25 or so years ago. Today I lost 63 62 and had my moments…generally quashed by a laser guided missile in the form of a forehand or backhand that hit an inch from each line (or perhaps on the edge of the line) for a winner or near winner (in which case a volley to the open court ensued). Anyway, I ran, she pounded, rock beat scissors. It was actually a nearly two hour match with a lot of good points after the first few games, and a positive tournament. Back to work!
In the 70s, Brenda Carter ran Leslie Pixley side to side till she couldn’t reach the last shot (must be a Charleston thing) and retained the clay court title she won last year with a 63 63 score.
Roz King won the 80s yesterday over Dori DeVries.
There’s a Super Cat II men’s event going on in Bocage through the weekend with many top men’s players there including Ross Persons, Fred Robinson, Hugh Thomson, and Oren Motevassel. Those draws can be found here:http://m.tennislink.usta.com/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=187854
And that’s a wrap on the 60/70/80 Clay. Next up for me: 80+ father/daughter with my 92 year old dad in the California Desert town of Rancho Mirage in two weeks.
Draws: http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=187853
Photos: https://goo.gl/photos/qLNMdEqrZjAZCnX79
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National Clay Courts, Baton Rouge, LA, USA: Successful Day on the Dirt
Bocage Racquet Club.
Today I played the quarters of the national clay courts against Rita Giles from Washington DC. We had a good match, plenty of long rallies which I tried to contain by going to net to finish points…in fact I think I hit more volleys in singles than I did in doubles! I won 61 60. I play my doubles partner Susan Wright, who moved quickly past a tired Mary Morgan by a similar score. Diane Barker, the top seed, also dropped only a game in beating Kandy Chain. Pat Purcell caused the only upset of the day, overcoming multiple set points against her to beat her doubles partner, Bunny Allare 75 60.
Susan and I won our doubles 61 62 over Vicky Nagy/Mary Jackson in a fun match…lots of good points but we had more firepower and more consistency overall. We play Allare/Purcell, who won 62 61 over Sally Smith/Janet Mosely.
In the 80s, top seeded Dori DeVries beat 2016 80s world champion Inge Weber from Canada 64 62 while Roz King, the #2 seed, beat Carol Wood 61 62. In doubles, Weber/Kathy Langer upset the #1 seeds, DeVies/Wood, 64 64. Weber is hoping to retain the doubles title she won last year with Judy Smith. They play King/Burnett Herrick in the final tomorrow.
In the 70s, #2 seeded Betty Wachob was the highest casualty in the tournament, falling in a lengthy battle to Leslie Pixley 57 75 75. Pixley plays unseeded Judy Louie, a 64 64 winner over unseeded Brenda Winstead in the semis. Carol Clay stopped Ann Eaton’s run and will play Brenda Carter tomorrow. Carter moved past Mary Alice Pisani in the quarters. Clay/Ellen Goodman added another upset win to their bag, beating Lee Delfausse/Sue Kimball 64 60 to advance to the final against Carter/Wachob, who dispatched Ann Hunt/Louie in straight sets.
Photos: https://goo.gl/photos/qLNMdEqrZjAZCnX79
Draws: http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=187853#&&s=7Draws7
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Team Bryan Category 2 Cancelled
From the USTA Caregory II Grid
Dates: May 1-5
Tournament: Team Bryan Senior Open CANCELLED
Location: Las Verage, NV
Age Divisions: Men’s and Women’s 50-85 & Open Singles, Doubles, Mixed
Ranking Points: Category II
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McDonald, Nichols, Carter & Weber Win Singles at Joanne Russell Cup Sunday
Naples, Florida, 2/19/17
Kris McDonald won the 50s at the Russell Cup Category II today, but not before dropping the first set 60! She rebounded nicely though to win the final sets 61 61. Daniela Esswein took out Sheila Chiricosta 61 62.
I won the 60s over Janet Mosely 60 60, though we had some close games and long points. In fact Janet started the match winning three straight points, but I managed to win the game and wear her down as the match went on. It was a warm and humid day today…temps reached 89 later in the day on my drive back to Fort Lauderdale.
Brenda Carter held off a second set surge by Sue Kimball, beating her 61 64. Carter led 52 before Kimball rallied to 54, but Carter closed it out there. Kimball took out the #2 seed, Betty Wachob, yesterday. Betty Wachob eased past Ellen Goodman 62 62 to place third.
Inge Weber dropped the first set to Carol Wood…who won it with a dropshot. However, Wood was forced to retire early in the third set with hand cramps. Inge on the other hand, went out soon after the singles and teamed with Rosie Fortna to play the 3/4 playoff, won by Leary/Smylie.
In the 70 doubles final, Carter/Wachob beat Carol Clay/Goodman 61 61.
The match of the day was the 55 doubles final, which went on for hours. Margaret Lumia/Lijia Bottinelli edged McDonald/Betsy Savitt 64 36 64. I watched a lot of the match, but left before the third and had no idea who would win, it was that close.
Link to Draws:http://m.tennislink.usta.com/TournamentHome/tournament.aspx?t=190084
Link to photos: https://goo.gl/photos/NfCR1tPt4WdCNB9a7
And from yesterday: Russell/Solins won 36 60 61 in a match that ended near 7pm.
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Joanne Russell Cup: Russell Makes Successful Tournament Debut on Friday
There was much to be happy about on Friday: lots of tennis, wonderful weather and a big and happy crowd for Joanne Russell’s first match in the tournament named for her.
Russell combined with Terry Solins from Maryland to beat Lil Peltz-Petow/Eileen Reynolds tonight in front of a large crowd, which was fueled by happy hour drinks, and generally was quite happy to see a good match, won by the top seeds, Russell/Solins 61 63. They play Kathy Foulk/Betsy Savitt in the final tomorrow.
I played my quarterfinal singles match against a Danish player, Birgitte Hostrop and won 60 60. I play Frances O’Sullivan, who advanced easily today 61 61. The other half of the draw hogged the court time. #2 seed Kathy Foulk played Elizabeth Froehling for the 2nd time this year and once again the two split sets. This time they played out the third and Froehling was once again the victor 75 in the third, showing a lot of consistency and grit. She’ll need that tomorrow against #3 seeded Janet Mosely, who found herself down 53 in the the first set against Pat Hirsch but rebounded nicely to win the final 10 games! Both matches lasted over two hours.
In doubles, Leslie Wargo and I won the 40 doubles over a Valerie Khammash/ Hilary Kuker 61 60. Leslie is a fine player as well as a partner in a law firm in Ohio. It was the first time we’d played together, but our opponents were in the same boat. It was funny, other players couldn’t figure what was going on, or at least what age division I was playing, since my partner and opponents were obviously much younger than me.
There weren’t a lot of upsets in other divisions, and the top seeds advanced to the semis in the 50 & 70 singles; most of the doubles were round robin, though three of the top 4 seeds advanced to the semis of the 55 doubles and the top seeds have yet to play in the 70 doubles.
Draws: http://m.tennislink.usta.com/TournamentHome/tournament.aspx?t=190084
Photos: https://goo.gl/photos/NfCR1tPt4WdCNB9a7
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Russell Grandes Dames, A Category II USTA Tournament
There is a new Category II tournament in Naples, for women age 40-80, even divisions for singles and odd and even for 50-80, plus 40 doubles. I am playing 60 singles and 40 doubles (with Leslie Wargo from Ohio).
The team is named for Naples resident Joanne Russell, the former tour player and TV commentator. She’s also playing, 60 doubles, though she normally plays pickleball, not tennis these days.
The site is the Naples Bath and Tennis Club, home of the Sanchez/Casal tennis academy, There are a few hard courts and about 30 clay courts here, it’s a massive facility and a nice one.
Play began today in all divisions. The 80s has a 5 person round robin, and Carol Wood was upset that she’d have to play two singles matches in one day (the sanction for the tournament was for Wed Feb 15-Sunday Feb 19, but the tournament director shortened it to the 16-19 long after entries opened and plane tickets were purchased. To be fair, the draws are mostly pretty small, which is probably why he shortened it. In the end, Carol upset Burnett Herrick, the 2015 World Champion in the 80s, in three sets, after dropping the first set. (Burnett also had to play an earlier match). Inge Weber, the 2016 world champion in the 80s, also advanced.
The rest of the results went pretty much as expected. Many of the seeds don’t play till tomorrow.
Naples is on the West Coast of Florida, on the Gulf of Mexico. I went to the Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park later in the afternoon, after a light practice. It’s a nice park, a mile or so long with a path adjacent to the beach, lots of picnic tables, and a quiet beach (with lots of shells). It was very windy today, and the sunset wasn’t a spectacular one, but it was nice to see a sunset over the water.
Tomorrow I have singles & doubles.
Link to draws: http://m.tennislink.usta.com/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=190084
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Manning, Nichols, McColskey & Anderson Win Singles Titles Sunday at Crawford Cup
Sunday was a beautiful day to play tennis, albeit a bit warm for Northerners, as temperatures flirted with 80 and the humidity increased. All the singles started at 9am.
I played Ann Clark, who is not yet 55 (she turns 55 in May). She took out the #4 seed, Sally Smith, in straight sets on Thursday and was on Fran Chandler’s side of the draw. (Fran hurt her leg in warm up yesterday). Anyway, Ann is a good player, moved well and we played well over 90 minutes before I won 60 63. The 3/4 was a double default as Susan Boyer hurt herself in the second set of our match yesterday.
Wendy McColskey, making her 65s debut, beat Anne Guerrant (who ranked as high as #11 in the world and who won the Australian Open doubles title twice) 63 63. Wendy impressed with her forehand and movement all week. The 3/4 was a long battle finally won 9-7 in the third set tiebreak over Toni Novack in about three hours.
Cathie Anderson and Charleen HIllebrand, both from Southern California, have had many battles. Cathie anticipates really well and Charleen has always had aggressive ground strokes. Cathie came out on top after dropping the first set; she won the final sets 64 63 and wore out Hillebrand in the hot and humid conditions. Hillebrand though recovered well enough to combine with Sheila Weinstock to win the 75 doubles 63 62 over Ria Graham/Carol Wood. Sheila fell to Susanne Clark in three sets in the 3/4 playoff.
Tangerine Manning, a tall big hitter, overpowered Martha Garzon 62 75 to win the 45 singles. Kris McDonald and Kathy Zanon though won the 45 doubles over much younger opponents Barni/O’Hern 62 75.
Results: http://m.tennislink.usta.com/TournamentHome/tournament.aspx?t=192561
Photos: https://goo.gl/photos/Wmf39qxu2CQjofAk8
Thanks to Margy Edmund, Peggy Machoian, the staff and members of the Lauderdale Tennis Club for hosting another successful Crawford Cup tournament. Great weather, nice crowds, lots of fun.
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Crawford Cup Saturday: Injuries Plague 55s; Wendy McColskey Impresses in 65s Debut; All California 75s Final
There was a lot of great tennis, particularly in singles on another sunny, warm, gorgeous day in South Florida. With temperatures approaching 80, the play also heated up.
Starting with the oldest division: the 85s finished yesterday and Canada’s legendary Rosie Asch took home all the titles. She moves incredibly well and is the current 85s world champion. She beat Jane Lutz from the USA who won all the 85 nationals last year. In doubles, Rosie and Lucille Kyvallos beat Lutz/Wiedemann in the doubles final.
I played the semis today against Susan Boyer. Yesterday I beat Terri Thompson from the Orlando area, a tricky lefty, lots of big forehands combined with a nice backhand dropshot; she hit a lot of lines but missed some too and I won 62 62. Today, Susan Boyer was another tricky opponent. Susan rarely misses a ball and trying to outrally her can cause you to end up in the hospital with dehydration! I came to net as much as possible and was leading 63 20 30-40 when she heard a pop and had pain in her arch. She tried to continue and won that game but had to retire. Earlier, at 4-2, I had slightly sprained my ankle, but it didn’t seem to hamper me once it was wrapped. I play Ann Clark tomorrow. Ann only played 1 game against Fran Chandler, who injured her knee in warm up with me (on a serve, not running); she too heard a pop and was having a hard time walking afterwards, She tried playing but wasn’t able to play. Ann upset #4 seeded Sally Smith earlier in the tournament and I am to play her at 9am tomorrow. Pam and I finished third in doubles because we were to play Susan Boyer and Abbi Neuthaler and Susan could not play.
The team Pam and I lost to yesterday, Ginnard/Bottinelli, beat the top seeds (and last year’s 50 clay court finalists), McDonald/Zanon in another marathon. We lost in 2.5 hours yesterday; McDonald/Zanon barely beat Boyer/Neuthaler 76 (5) in the third in about 3.5 hours. The match today was plenty long, won 63 67 63 and it was hard to finish a point on that court. The large crowd was highly entertained. Mary Ginnard teaches here at the Lauderdale Club and so had the crowd cheering enthusiastically for her.
In the 65s, Wendy McColskey rode her forehand, mobility and dropshot to a 63 63 win over Vicky McEvoy. She will face Anne Guerrant, who edged Toni Novack 76 in the first set, then won the second 61; it will be an interesting final tomorrow between players who have quite different styles of play, baseline (McColskey) vs all court. McColskey/Cindy Babb struggled past Novack/McEvoy yesterday in three sets but were sharp today against Lil Peltz-Petow/Sue Kimball, winning 61 61. McEvoy/Novack took third with a hard fought 75 75 win over Sue Bramlette/Cindy LePrevost.
The 75s final will pit Charleen Hillebrand and Cathie Anderson, both from SoCal against each other. They are both experienced players who have met many times before; Hillebrand dominates with her forehand and flat drives; Anderson has a beautiful slice backhand and wicked drop shot. Hillebrand/Sheila Weinstock play Carol Wood/Ria Graham in doubles.
The 45s is a round robin but tomorrow the two heretofore undefeated players, Martha Garzon and Tangerine Manning will meet for the title; Garzon is an all court player who uses finesse and power; Manning is a hard flatball hitter. Both are nice players and it should be a good final. Barni/O’Hern took out the #2 seeds, Cooke/Neuthaler in 45 doubles 61 61; Pam said that they were very good and hit very hard and ran very fast; they take on McDonald/Zanon tomorrow.
Draws are here: http://m.tennislink.usta.com/TournamentHome/tournament.aspx?t=192561
Photos are here: https://goo.gl/photos/Wmf39qxu2CQjofAk8 (more will be uploaded tomorrow).
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Ronan, Works, Barker, Clay, & Weber Win Singles Titles on a Warm & Windy Sunday at BallenIsles
Canadians won two singles titles Sunday at the USTA Super Category II Tournament in Florida, at opposite ends of the age scale. Sophie Ronan won the five person round robin, which cumulated in a victory over her childhood friend and rival Paula Myslivecek yesterday. It was a hard fought 62 63 battle played in 25 mph winds and 88 degree temperatures! Inge Weber, the reigning world champion in the 80s, trounced the field, beating Carol Wood in the final 64 62.
Shelly Works ground down Terri Gaskell in the 50s final. For the second time, Gaskill had to retire against the relentlessly fit and consistent Works, though this time she nearly finished off Works before heat exhaustion set in. Gaskill rallied from 3-5 down in the first set to take it 75, then went up 53 in the 2nd before Works rallied to take it 75. On the changeover, Works could be seen trying to help Gaskill continue (that’s who Shelly Works is, genuinely nice to the core, yet a fierce competitor), but Gaskill had to retire after just one game in the third with dehydration, and cramps. Rene Tharpe placed third with a straight set win over Erin Boynton. Shelly & Erin are shown below
Diane Barker beat me 62 60. It was a two hour match, though I didn’t have much to show for it! She ran me all over the court and got more consistent and aggressive as the match went on. (That running crosscourt forehand…). The 3/4 playoff was a long battle, finally won 67 75 62 by Wendy McColskey over Bunny Allare. Diane and I are below…Diane apparently is a “Giant” killer!
In the 70s, Carol Clay completed a successful comeback from knee surgery with a three set win over top seeded Betty Wachob, 36 64 62. Clay’s ability to hit through the wind was crucial. The 3/4 playoff was another long bruising battle between Sue Kimball and Charleen Hillebrand. Kimball prevailed 75 46 64 in about three hours.
There were lots of great doubles matches on Sunday too.
The 40s final featured the Canadians, Myslivecek and Ronan against local favorites Andi Piski (the pro at Mirasol) and Jenny Klitch (Mirasol member) , who had a large and politely enthusiastic group of students and friends watching. It was really windy and the wind was tougher to fight in doubles than in singles. I even saw a complete whiff of an overhead in this match even though the player seemed to be set up to hit it perfectly…a two ounce tennis ball is no match for a 25 mph wind. Klitch/Piski won 61 62, but they had some great points and long games and the crowd was well entertained.
The 50s final also featured Klitch, playing with Kim Jones (a former top 30 player) against last year’s clay court champions, Mariana Hollman/Works. Jones/Klitch barely escaped the quarters with a win over Boynton/Susan Boyer but got progressively stronger as the tournament went on. In the final Jones found the alleys with volleys and Klitch both with backhand angles and volleys; they won 61 63. Boyer/Boynton won the backdraw to finish fifth.
Pat Purcell and I edged Abbi Neuthaler/Kathy Foulk 62 36 10-6 (match tiebreak). It was very windy…there was one shot that I was ready to smash…it was 3 feet from the net and as I was swinging a gust moved it several feet and I barely touched it; at other times any one of us would be midswing and the ball would catch a gust and die, or hop over our heads. It was a good match anyway, and we were happy to escape with a win!
The 70s and 80s finished on Saturday with Hillebrand/Wachob winning the 70s and Wasser/Weber prevailing in the 80s.
The tournament won’t be held at BallenIsles in 2018, since they will be undergoing a big renovation of their main clubhouse, but will move to the Polo Club in Boca Raton.
Photos: https://goo.gl/photos/ctyxYzJKrZmd5Rbb8
All results: BallenIsles Super Cat II Jan 2017
