Dodo won gold ball #371…is 400 in within reach? She beat Jean Harris in singles in the RR.

In the 80s, Irene Shepard captured her 2nd 80s singles title of 2008, beating Jane Lutz in the final in straight sets. Nancy Stout beat Rita Price to place third.

Nancy though won her first gold ball, in doubles, a surprise to her since she normally does not play doubles. She teamed with Elaine Mason, who was making a comeback from knee replacement surgery. They beat the top seeds, Lutz/Marilyn Skiffington in the final. The eventual winners led 41 ad in and by a set when I sat down…and promptly lost 4 straight games and were down a set point at 45. They rallied for the win, overcoming nerves and surviving a spate of excellent lobs by their opponents.

No change in the pecking order in the 70s happened today. Dorothy Matthiessen beat long time rival Dori deVries 63 75, holding off a set point in the 2nd set to do so. Dorothy then combined with Lynn Little to win the doubles, but it was a battle and a terrific showcase for senior women’s tennis. They edged Lyn Tietz/Kathy Langer 64 in the third and there were great volleys, lobs, drives down the middle and angles all match long. Little and Matthiessen were a little more powerful in the end.

Brenda Carter won again in the 60s and as in Huntsville at the clay courts, beat Betty Wachob in 3 sets in the final, before combining with her to win the doubles, also in 3 sets, over Kathy Bennett/Molly Hahn.

The 50s run of Phyllis Blackwell came to an end today. In a match worthy of any pro tournament, Susan Wright beat Blackwell 75, 63, rallying from 03 in the second to win the match. One onlooker marvelled at Wright’s movement and ablility to get to Blackwell’s hard hit drives in time to pause and hit a bullet back. It was a high level match. Nichols beat Tracey Thompson 60 62 to earn the bronze (and the 2 matches were played simultaneously and finished within minutes of each other).

Wright added to her gold ball total by combining with Kathy May Fritz to beat Thompson/Robin Harris 67 62 61. It was her 6th straight 50s title and she’s half way to a gold slam this year in singles and doubles (as are Irene Shepard in singles and Matthiessen in singles and doubles, Carter in singles and Carter/Wachob in singles/doubles).