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.com
Click 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
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.
The last day of the Fort Lauderdale tournament was played under sunny skies. It was very windy, at least by the time I played singles at 10:30. I beat Wendy McColskey 63 62. It was a tough match, with lots of running, and so very windy…I’d swing at a ball only for it to move several feet as I was swinging forward…and of course that happened to Wendy as well. Bunnie Jackson beat Kathy Foulk to place third.
In the 55s, Jenny Klitch played a perfect match to beat Shelly Works 61 60 in about an hour, which is not easy to do. Shelly said Jenny was great at turning defense into offense nearly perfectly. Yvette Kruger placed third when Simone Vasconcellas didn’t play the 3/4 playoff due to injury.
Wendy McColskey, playing with her sister Dale won the 65 doubles 26 64 64 over Cindy LePrevost/Betsy Savitt. Tina Karwasky/Jan Kirkland-Cochran finished third.
The 55 doubles took place between Rainy Miller/Shelly Works and Anne Frautschi/Susanne Zuniga. Frautschi/Zuniga, who upset the #1 seeds in the first round went up 5/0 in the doubles final….only to lose the next 10 games! Then they rallied to tie the set at 3-3 and 4-4 before Miller/Works closed out the match 75 64. They had a lot of long and varied points…it wasn’t easy to win a point out there. I saw Works miss one ball into the net…she must have been really frustrated when she yelled “fiddlesticks”, a Shelly Works epithet if there ever was one. Mariana Hollman/Stacey Williams edged Susan Boyer/Susan Love 64 in the third; Susan Love’s legs finally gave out after an awful lot of matches in the past 3 days.
Betty Wachob/Sue Kimball won the 75 doubles beating tournament director Margy Edmunds/Kay Britt in the final.
On a beautiful day for tennis (mid-70s, moderate breeze, thin cloud cover), play resumed in earnest at the Lauderdale Tennis Club.
The 75s final started off the day with Carolann Castell continuing where she left off in upsetting Susan Kimball…ie playing great tennis. She took on Betty Wachob, the top seed and beat her 62 64, moving very well and playing solid all-court tennis.
The 85s final between Burnett Herrick, a multiple world champion, and local favorite Lucille Kyvallos was next up. The match went the distance (yes, the 85s played a full two out of three sets) with Herrick winning 61 57 61. Kyvallos cramped in the third which tells you something about how much these ladies were running.
The 35s winner is Kristine Kraujina (three person round robin) and the 45s Ann Clark (2 entrants)\
In the 55s, Jenny Klitch played another great match, beating Yvette Kruger 2,1 and Shelly Works took out Simone Vasconcellos of Brazil 75 63.
I didn’t see the 55s (or 85s) matches because I was getting my money’s worth of tennis playing Bunnie (Allare) Jackson. I won 61 67 (5) 62. I think I wore her out but she played a great second set. We both had chances to finish off the set before it reached a tiebreaker but it wasn’t to be. I play Wendy McColskey, a 62 62 winner over Kathy Foulk…that match was played earlier and was done before we took the court. Wendy is the 2019 ITF World Champion in 65 singles…not a typical Grade 1 final, that’s for sure.
In doubles, the top seeds in the 55s and 65s are gone. Yesterday the team of Anne Frautschi/Susanne Zuniga beat Kris McDonald/Kathy Zanon 76 in the third and today they took out unseeded Susan Boyer/Susan Love in the semis 75 64. The face the #3 seeds (and Hard Court champions) Rainy Miller/Shelly Works who edged #2 seeded Mariana Hollman/Stacey Williams in two tight sets.
In the 65s, Cindy LePrevost/Betsy Savitt, unseeded, took out Tina Karwasky/Jan Kirkland-Cochran 26 76 (5) 62; they play Dale and Wendy McColskey in the final; Dale and Wendy received a walkover into the doubles final due to an injury from one of their opponents.
In the 75s, Kimball/Wachob, the top seeds did advance to the final; they face tournament director Margy Edmunds and Kay Britt who were leading Castell/Lee Delfausse when they retired due to injury.
The forecast for today was for rain and the prediction was correct…it poured most of the morning in Fort Lauderdale. An hour north it also rained hard but stopped an hour or two earlier. All the rain meant no matches started till 3:30pm.
I warmed up in Palm Beach Gardens and then drove down, arriving just as the tournament decided to postpone the 65 singles till tomorrow, which, given that we were in the semis and the tournament ends on Friday was a good decision. It did mean I drove about 2.5 hours unnecessarily, but it wasn’t rush hour either way, it happens. The 85s final was also postponed, as were (I believe) the 55 semis.
But there was tennis. The 55 singles quarters were all played and in a “Groundhog Day” match, Jenny Klitch beat Susan Love 64 62 in a match that was very similar to their second round encounter from last week. Same opponents, same score. All four seeds advanced, Klitch to play Yvette Kruger and Shelly Works to play Simone Vasconcellas of Brazil.
The 75s did play their semis, with Betty Wachob beating Sheila Weinstock and Carolann Castell upsetting #2 seeded Sue Kimball.
On a warm (80s), windy, humid day, most players were in action in the 55/65/75 & 85 divisions. In singles the upsets were hard to come by but in 55 doubles, Susan Boyer (back from a two year hiatus) and Susan Love (back from a hiatus as well) combined perfectly to pick off the #4 seeds, Tina Karwasky and Jan Kirkland-Cochran in the round of 16. Karwasky/Kirkland-Cochran though had no problems advancing in the 65s, where they are in the quarters.
All the singles seeds advanced in the 55 & 65s without drama. In the 75s, Ann Hunt defaulted to Sheila Weinstock, her doubles partner, the other three seeds advanced. Sue Kimball and Betty Wachob are the 2nd and 1st seeds, age ups this year.
The 85s final is set between Lucille Kyvallos (who fell, tweaked her ankle and skinned her elbow…and won nonetheless over Esther Williams; she faces Burnett Herrick who weathered a stern test from Judy Smith in the second set but prevailed 62 75.
In 65 doubles, Kathy Foulk/Lil Pelt-Petow had to default due to injury; the remaining seeds progressed. The seeds in the grass 75s also advanced.
In 2020 the USTA scheduled the Palm Beach Gardens (for even age divisions) and Fort Lauderdale (for odd age divisions) back to back. The Fort Lauderdale tournament began today at the Lauderdale Tennis Club, an old fashioned, tennis-centric club surrounded by condominium buildings named for historic tennis players (Lenglen, Tildon etc.).
This week I’m playing my first 65s tournament. Last year I played the 55s, so I keep looking for my name in the 55s…it’s not there this year, though Shelly Works, the woman I played in the final is the second seed again this year. (Jenny Klitch is the top seed.)
I played Miriam Morey from North Carolina. She’s a professor at Duke in NC ( From the Duke website: “The general focus of Dr. Morey’s work is exercise and aging. All of her research examines how physical activity, exercise training, or physical fitness influence”). Miram plays at the same club where Wendy McColskey, the #2 seed here is a member. She’s a quick counterpuncher, and after adjusting to the wind we had some good rallies but I came out ahead. I play Helga Immerfall next in the quarters.
There were no close matches in the 65s and all the seeds won. The seeds in other singles divisions had byes and in doubles, the seeds are playing tomorrow for the most part.
The 85s draw, though only 6 players, is quite strong with Burnett Herrick, Judy Smith, Lucille Kyvallos, Margaret Canby, Esther Williams and Laurie Leach all playing. Smith beat Canby and Williams beat Leach today. All are enthusiastic about the thought of the ITF holding the Women’s 85 Cup in Mallorca this fall.
Jenny Klitch went three for three in Palm Beach Gardens, winning the 50 singles & doubles (with Lisa Bonder-Kerkorian) on Friday and adding the 40 doubles title (with Andi Pliski) on Saturday, beating the impending rain. The 40s final was a three-setter with the Palm Beach Gardens Tennis Center pro Tara Pressley and Julie Axlerod giving the defending champions a strong challenge, taking the second set 62 before Klitch/Pliski won the third 62. There were a lot of spectators cheering despite the overcast skies.
Susanne Clark, unseeded, won the 80 singles without dropping a set, beating her doubles partner, Grace Woo in the final. Clark/Woo finished second in doubles, beating the #2 seeds, Carol Wood/Burnett Herrick in two tight sets. The top seeds, Inge Weber/Dorothy Wasser, won the 80 doubles title, winning all three matches in straight sets.
Kathy Zanon/Ann Jacobs were tied at 2-2 in the third with top seeds Abbi Neuthaler/Kim Jones when the rain stopped the match under the Friday night lights. When they returned Saturday Jacobs/Zanon won the third set 63 and advanced to the final against #2 seeds Aimee Norris/Anne Frautschi. Frautschi/Norris came out of the gates strong, winning the first set 63, but Jacobs/Zanon played a nearly perfect final two sets winning 62 in the third to claim the 60 doubles title. Jones/Neuthaler finished third.
Friday was a long and busy day at the Palm Beach Gardens Tennis Center. Matches started early and were only halted after 7pm by a downpour.
Singles:
Lisa Bonder-Kerkorian started off the singles with a win in the 40 singles over Kristine Kraujina 61 62.
Erin Boynton and I started at the same time; Bonder-Kerkorian finished their match about the same time we finished the first set! It was a very close match, with a lot of momentum changes. I won 64 63, but the finish was in doubt till the last point finished. Wendy McColskey beat Terri Thomson 61 64 to finish third.
Jenny Klitch played after her doubles partner Bonder-Kerkorian on the same court and we just managed to finish before Klitch beat Julie Dybenthal 60 61. However Dybenthal was happy with her play and said she played much better than she had last time against Klitch. Laurie Capra beat Jill Sickle 61 61 to finish third.
Judy Dixon edged Toni Novack 76 76 in a repeat of last year’s 70 clay court final. Toni said Judy played great. I watched a bit of that match and Judy moves really well and was able to get to many of Novack’s deadly drop shots. Brenda Carter received a default from Molly Hahn, so finished third.
In the 80s, Susanne Clark beat Burnett Herrick and Grace Woo edged Carol Wood 76 in the third; the doubles partners face each other in the final today (weather permitting).
The 30s is a round robin; however Elizabeth Kobak of NY has won the division winning all three of her matches including a 63 63 win over Bonder-Kerkorian.
Doubles:
The 30s had only two teams but Kristen Charlton/Grace Haggerty got their money’s worth in one match, winning 61 36 76 over Kobak/Jennifer Einhorn.
The 40s final is today (weather permitting) and pits Klitch/Andi Piski agains Tara Pressley/Julie Axelrod.
The 50s was won by Klitch/Bonder-Kerkorian over Boynton/Abbi Neuthaler 61 63. Karen Rembert /Alice Stubbs beat Daniella Esswein/Dybenthal in three sets to place third.
The 60s semis have Aimee Norris/Anne Frautschi against the winner of the rain interrupted match between Neuthaler/Kim Jones and Anne Jacobs/Kathy Zanon which is tied at 22 in the third.
Carter/Dixon won the 70s over Sue Kimball/Pam Simons (who upset #2 seeds Sue Bramlette/Hahn). Carol Clay/Ellen Goodman won the 3/4 playoff by default.
Carter/Dixon; Weber/Wood; Simons/Kimball; Ellen Markowitz, Weber/Boynton, Clark/Woo
So in the 80s all the seeds are gone; Inge Weber (CAN) the top seed and reigning world champion fell in her first match to Susanne Clark of NY 63 64. Clark is new to the division, four years younger than Weber and an excellent player who has played on may USA Cup teams, so it wasn’t as big a surprise as it may seem. Carol Wood had her dropshots in full force against #2 seed Dorothy (I don’t like singles) Wasser today (but Dorothy can really move) and edged her in three sets. Wood plays Grace Woo (another age up) and Weber takes on Burnett Herrick (who edged Irma De Marco in two tight sets).
In contrast to the 80s, the top two seeds have reached the final of the 70s. Toni Novack beat Brenda Carter while Judy Dixon beat Molly Hahn, by identical 62 62 scores.
Another current world champion, Wendy McColskey, the #2 seed, fell in the 60s. However McColskey is the defending 65 world champion and lost to the top Canadian 60s player Erin Boynton 62 63in a well played match by both players. Boynton, a rangy 6 footer, served great, moved well and didn’t make many errors in victory. I beat #4 seeded Terri Thomson 60 62, so face Boynton tomorrow.
In the 50s, the top seeds made it to the final; Jenny Klitch (1) beat Laurie Capra of TX 61 60 and Julie Dybenthal (2) beat Jill Sickle 2,3.
The results for the 40s have the #2 seed Kristine Kraujina advancing to the final while the result for the other semi between top seeded Lisa Bonder-Kerkorkian and TereTennis Stowell (great name for a player) have yet to be posted.
On another sunny, beautiful, breezy Florida day, there was lots of good tennis at the Palm Beach Gardens Tennis Center.
I warmed up early and played at 10:30 against Mary Colonna from Michigan, our first meeting in 30 years. I won, and play Terri Thomson, the 4th seed, who ended Grace Hagerty’s run to the quarters 62 64, hitting deep, and mixing in angles and drop shots. Wendy McColskey blanked Suzanne Siegler and Erin Boynton beat Terri Thyssen 64 61.
There are a lot of Canadians here including Irwin Tobias, Rudy & MJ Pachl (who are USA citizens too) and Erin Boynton. See photos below of Terri Thomson, Erin Boynton & Thomson; Rudy Pachl and Irwin Tobias; Kathy Foulk and Frances O’Sullivan, Thomson, Grace Hagerty
In the 50s, #3 seed Danielle Esswein fell to Laurie Capra in straight sets. Other winners were Jill Sickle and Julie Dybenthal. The match of the day though was that between Susan Love and top seeded Jenny Klitch. I saw most of the second set; they were playing amazing points and Susan seemed to have to hit a line to win a point. Klitch won 64 62, displaying her great movement and court position while Love whacked her forehand and hit some nice volleys.
In the 70s, Molly Hahn edged Rosie Fortna and the three remaining seeds advanced, including Brenda Carter who beat Carol Clay 64 64.
The 40s got started and the top seeds advanced with ease.
The doubles so far is going according to form in all divisions.
Tomorrow are the semis in the 50, 60 & 70 singles and quarters in the 40s & 50s. 30 singles round robin singles play begins.
Hopefully the weather holds; there’s thunder, lightning and rain at 9:15pm!
This week there is a strong tournament going on at the Palm Beach Gardens Tennis Center for women 30-80 (even divisions only). The courts are great, though the new and improved clubhouse is under construction (so facilities are located in temporary trailers). Fortunately the weather is great and there are large tents where the players can relax or eat.
I’m playing in the 60s, which has a very large (25) and strong field. Wendy McColskey, #1 in the world in W65 held off a determined attack from Aimee Norris, winning in three sets, though you’d never know by watching that she was threatened, she’s very calm. Also in the 60s, only one of the 5-8 seeds (Suzanne Siegler) survived. The others fell as follows: 1: Grace Haggerty of Vero Beach took out Kathy Foulk, 62 62 and followed it up later in the day with a victory over Cori Reese by the same score; 2: Terri Thyssen of TX took out Janet Mosely, in straight sets; 3: Mary Colonna, MI, also beat Tami Bass, VT in a long three setter.
In the 50s, Jill Sickle of Chicago and Palm Beach Gardens upset #4 seed Andrea Wohlschlaeger. Julie Dybenthal of Tallahassee escaped in three sets against Andrea Hines but won the third set 61.
The third seed in the women’s 70s, Brenda Winstead of VA had to withdraw with an injury but the remaining three seeds advanced including Brenda Carter of SC who is making a singles comeback after an ACL injury. She faces Carol Clay, Ft Lauderdale who is making her way back after knee and shoulder injuries.
It’s a wonderful, addictive and often painful sport, tennis.
The 80s start tomorrow. There are current and former singles and/or doubles world champions in the 80s including Burnett Herrick, Inge Weber, Dorothy Wasser and Carol Wood. Six out of the nine entrants have played on USA or Canadian cup teams!
Also playing this week in 30 & 40 singles and 50 doubles is Lisa Bonner a former top 10 player.
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)
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
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 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
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.
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!
Shelly Works can run….and hit a tennis ball too, she played a smart match and handled the wind very well and beat me in the 55s final in Fort Lauderdale. We had a 3 hour delay to the match because we were waiting for a 75s 3/4 match..(CarolAnn Castell finally put away Susanne Clark in three sets) and there was a 30 minute rain delay. Terri Thompson finished 3rd.
The late start to our singles meant Shelly and Rainy Miller vs Abbi Neuthaler/Frances O’Sullivan was the late afternoon/cocktail entertainment…Works and Miller placed third.
The 55s doubles final was a good one judging by the cheering (the match was on the court behind ours) and intense (judging but the cursing by one of the players…don’t know which one) and when I saw the score I understood why. Kris McDonald and Kathy Zanon won 76 76 over Sheri Adler/Cheryl Hicks.
Wendy McColskey easily won the 65 singles, to no one’s surprise, beating Lil Peltz-Petow in the final and looked to be on her way to winning the doubles too with sister Dale McColskey…they took the first set 62 before Lil and Jan Kirkland-Cochran rebounded to win 64 in the third before a big crowd. Becky Timmons placed third in singles and Cindy Babb/Ann Stanley placed third in doubles.
Donna Fales dropped the first set in the 75 singles to her doubles partner Cathie Anderson, who handled the windy conditions well with her steady play. Fales came back though to win 63 in the third.
And that’s a wrap on the Lamita Jabour/Les Grandes Dames/Fort Lauderdale Cat II/ITF Grade 1 tournament. I have next week off, then will play the next Grandes Dames/JoAnne Russell/ITF Grade1/USTA Cat II tournament in Naples, FL.
Here’s a photo of the McColskey sisters plus one…who doesn’t belong?
The final of the 75 doubles and the singles semis were held today at the Fort Lauderdale Cat II/ITF Grade 1. Carolann Castell/Lee Delfausse, seeded 2, upset top seeded Cathie Anderson/Donna Fales in a topsy-turvy match 6136 62. Castell avenged the singles loss she suffered to Anderson earlier in the day. Anderson won a tightly contested singles match 75 (after leading 51) 64 (after trailing 3/0). Fales beat Susanne Clark 62 63 in the other semi. The final is tomorrow.
The 65s went strictly according to the seeds today, with Wendy McColskey beating Becky Timmis 64 60 and Lil Peltz-Petow playing flawlessly to beat Sue Bramlette. Pelt-Petow continued her flawless play in doubles, combining with Jan Kirkland-Cochran to beat Cindy LePrevost/Ann Stanley in straight sets. McColskey and her sister Dale overpowered Bramlette/Kerry Young to reach the final.
In the 55s, I beat Terri Thompson 61 60…she hit four winners in the first game but luckily for me cooled off a bit after that, and Shelly Works beat Jeannie MacEachern 60 61. We are scheduled to play tomorrow at 11am. I’m bringing my lunch with me!
In 55 doubles, Kris McDonald/Kathy Zanon were solid against Frances O’Sullivan/Abbi Neuthaler and Cheryl Hicks/Sheri Adler overpowered Rainy Miller/Shelly Works, or at least Adler did. She has a seriously good forehand! And her volleys weren’t bad either.
There was an exhibition 85 singles match too, Lucille Kyvallos vs a Brazilian lady. Lucille won convincingly…she’s playing very well, perhaps motivated by thoughts of a women’s 85 cup this year.
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.
