This tournament had a smaller than usual numer of entrants due to the late date of the tournament, near Thanksgiving. However, there were some terrific matches and top players in the 55s and 45s.
Carol Clay hadn’t played a singles match since February…which may be the reason she headed off for Orlando on Thursday for an 11:30 match (a 3 plus hour drive)…without her tennis shoes and orthotics. However, Ellen Goodman, her doubles partner did what a good partner does and gave Carol the shoes off her feet (could be why Ellen didn’t win her first round match?) and Carol proceeded to upset the top seed, Liz Leigh 76 in the third. Kerry Young, back playing after a second knee replacement pulled a muscle and had to withdraw from singles, though she and Margie Cooper reached the doules finalwith a hard fought 3 set win over Cindy Babb/Susie Peiffer. They face Leigh/Janet Harpold (who is nursing her own arm/shoulder injury) in the final. Clay will play Toni Novack, who beat this year’s Indoor finalist, Susie Peiffer in the semis. Carol is ready to run after dropshots…and Toni is ready to hit them.
Update: Toni hit the dropshots and Carol ran after them for 3 sets. Clay showed she’s fully recovered from the plantar fascia injury that sidelined her most of the year, and won the match in three sets.
Ria Graham and Louise Stolitzky are in the 65 singles final. Graham and Boots Van Nostrand upset Rosie Livings/Laurinda Manthorne in straight sets in the 65 doubles semis and face Belmar Gunderson/Nancy Reed in the final. They beat Mary Ann Plante/Lura Lendhart in the semis.
Update: Gaham beat Stolitzky in 3 sets in the singles final. Graham showed she was in great shape, teaming with Boots to win the doubles final, also in 3 sets.
The 35s get underway tomorrow and the semis of the 45s take place then too. The 75s is a round robin.
Update: 35s final: Trish Riddell beat Robin Keener 63 75 under very warm and muggy conditions. Trish said she wasn’t sure she’d have lasted 3 sets, and was happy to finish off Robin in two, which was not easy, Robin is a tough competitor.
Doubles: Mary Dailey/Diane Fisburne beat Riddell/Stacey Williams 63 64 in the final.
Update: 45s: The much anticipated final between Fishburne/Fran Chandler, and the rubber match of the year between them, lived up to expectations. Fishburne won the first set with some aggressive play; Chandler rallied to win the 2nd set 60 and the third 63. Onlookers said the match was terrific, with Chandler running down seeming winners and Fishburne attacking the net more than she usually does. Chandler’s speed and ball placement resulted in some errors from Fishburne which was the difference between winning and losing.
45 Doubles:Claudette Laliberte/Sue Rasmussen beat the "what the h–l" team (description given by Margy Edmunds) of Edmunds and Joyce Cole 62 75.
75 singles: Peggy Winningham won the three person round robin and Zoe Williams was second. There was no doubles in this division.