From NSMTA.net.
- Category Archives Category II Tournaments
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2020 Tournament Recategorizations due to Covid-19
Press Release from the USTA:
Designated Open Sectional Championship
In light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the USTA family would like to encourage local play as opposed to traveling to play national tournaments. With this in mind, we’ve reclassified the remaining Super Category 2, Category 2, and Category 3 National
Tournaments as Designated Open Sectional Championships.These Designated Open Sectional Championships will have NationalCategory 2 point allocation for the players. The participants will have the opportunity to earn national points while playing at the sectional level.
At this time, the remaining Category 1 Tournaments will continue to be rescheduled for later in the year.
If you have any questions or for more information, please
contact: adulttournaments@usta.comClick here to see the Adult National Schedule at USTA.com. Note that the remaining Super Category II, Category II and Category III tournaments listed will now be “Designated Open Sectionals” which will receive Category II National Ranking points for 2020.
In 2021 there will be new tournament levels replacing the designation “Category” with 1 being the lowest and 7 being the highest and new points per round tables. Read more here: USTA Adult Tournament Changes For 2021
2020 Ranking Tables: 2020 Points Per Round Tables
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2020 Points Per Round Tables
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.
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USTA Extends Suspension of USTA Sanctioned Tennis Events
April 1, 2020
USTA has suspended ITF sanctioned Senior events till July 13, 2020.
USTA has suspended tournaments and programs including leagues which are not ITF sanctioned till June 1.
The full statement from USTA.com is below:
Updated Statement – March 23, 2020:
Due to the continued situation surrounding the COVID-19 virus, and after discussions with the USTA Medical Advisory Committee, effective immediately the USTA will extend the suspension of USTA sanctioned products and events, including Adult and Junior Tournaments, USTA League, Junior Team Tennis, Team Challenge, Team Tournaments, USTA Schools programs, Tennis on Campus and Wheelchair events, through May 3.
Additionally, recognizing the evolving and fast-changing nature of this situation, the USTA will continue to monitor and assess conditions to make future determinations about events and activities taking place after May 3.
All Category 1 and Super Category 2 National Adult Tournaments with an ITF status, all ITF Junior events and all USTA Pro Circuit and professional events will align with the same calendar as the ITF, ATP and WTA, and be suspended through June 7.
Both the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., and the USTA National Campus, in the Lake Nona area of Orlando, Fla., will remain closed for play and instructional opportunities through May 3. Any patron who wishes to cancel participation in a scheduled activity should contact the specific location for refund information. These policies will be in effect pending additional guidance or directives from each local governmental agency and the CDC. The USTA will continue to monitor and assess conditions to make future determinations about all activities at these facilities.
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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 CANCELLED Hard Category II July 27-August 2 CANCELLED Hard Super Cat II Grade 1 August 18-23 CANCELLED Hard CANCELLED Grade 1 October 14-18 Cooper Cup
Lauderdale Tennis Club
Fort Lauderdale, FLClay Designated Sectional Open October 22-25 Texas Super Seniors
McFarlin Tennis Center
San Antonio, TXHard Designated Sectional Open November 2-8 Top Gun Tennis Chmpshps Orange County CA Hard Designated SectionalOpen November 2-6 Las Vegas Senior Open, Darling TC, Las Vegas, NV Hard Designated Sectional Open December 9-13 Phoenix Fiesta Senior
Scottsdale, AZHard Designated Sectional Open
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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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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 USTA National Schedule
Scroll down PAST 2017 schedule to see 2018 Schedule. Links to tournaments are not yet available.
Update: Some links now listed here: Carolynnichols.com/18Schedule
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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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Finals Set for Sunday in 50/60/70 Singles; Wargo Wins 40 Singles; Joanne Russell Cup
Saturday was another gorgeous day in Naples, warm and humid but neither windy nor overly hot (temperature about 80).
I played singles at 12:15 against Frances O’Sullivan. I played well and Frances had a bit of a calf injury…maybe more than a bit and I won 60 60, though we had some good points and games. I play Janet Mosely in the final; she took out Elizabeth Froehling 61 62. When I left the 60s doubles was going on between Kathy Foulk/Betsy Savitt and Joanne Russell/Terry Solins. Foulk and Savitt won the first set 63, and were bageled in the second; I’ll have the final result tomorrow.
Leslie Wargo won the 40s with another 61 61 win, this over Jody Pearce (who was playing 50 doubles). Leslie and Jody are shown below with Emilio Sanchez.
In the 50s, the two semis were of contrasting length, but the end result was that both the #1 and #2 seeds were eliminated by lower seeds. Heather Herman beat Sheila Chiricosta 61 61 while Daniella Esswein, the #2 seed was edged by Kris McDonald 75 76 (7); McDonald rallied from 1-6 down in the tiebreak to win it (not sure if the tiebreak was in the first or second set though). They were out there a good long time. McDonald/Savitt won their 55 doubles later to reach the final; there they face Margaret Lumia/Ligia Bottinelli. Herman and Leslie Baird beat Esswein/Pearce to win the 50 doubles.
In the 70s, Sue Kimball upset #2 seeded Betty Wachob 63 64. Wachob edged Kimball in three sets at BallenIsles last month, but this time Sue found a way to hit a lot of forehands and get to net more. Kimball combined later with Lil Peltz-Petow to win the 65 doubles. Kimball faces Brenda Carter, the top seed, in the final; Carter beat Ellen Goodman in the semis. Carter/Wachob play Goodman/Carol Clay in the 70 doubles final tomorrow.
Judy Smith/Michaelin Watts won the 75 doubles
Burnett Herrick/Dorothy Wasser won the 80 doubles. In 80 singles, Carol Wood and Inge Weber face off for the championship tomorrow; both are undefeated in round robin play.
After I finished playing I watched Emilio Sanchez (former top 10 player, brother of Aranxta Sanchez Vicario) drill his son and another, good adult player, doing various “Spanish” drills. His son is about 11 and has a one-handed backhand, and he’s pretty good already. The drills were tough; each player drilled for a few minutes, then recovered while the other player drilled and it was very interesting to watch, lots of emphasis on feet for the adult, hand speed too for the boy.
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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.
