Finals Day, National Women’s Hard Courts, La Jolla: Two Marathons in One Day!
- Tag Archives gold ball
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- Friday was finals day at the USTA National Hard Courts at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. I didn’t get to see much tennis because I was on court most of the day from about 11:30 till about 8pm. Susan Wright and I played our second marathon in a month, and it was a tough match. I came away with the 26 75 76(4) win in about 3.5 hours (was down 41 in the third but kept on fighting). Susan is as gracious in defeat as in victory, the sign of a champion. About 90 minutes later Robin Harris and I took on Susan and Shannon Carney in the doubles final. Three hours later Susan and Shannon came away with a well deserved 57 63 62 win.
- Shannon won the 3/4 playoff over Cindy Johnson in a match tiebreak 14-12. Their tiebreak (they were playing next to us) seemed to go on forever, though I think their match was shorter than ours. Erin Boynton/Abbi Neuthaler won the bronze over Una Davis/Tracey Thompson. Kathy Vick took 5th and Erin Boynton took 7th. (The tournament had a quarterfinal playoff and then a 7/8 playoff for the quarterfinal losers who lost their first match in the playoff, a first.
- Jen Dawson was the only double gold winner of the week, edging top seeded Andrea Rice in a grueling 75 75 win. I saw a little of the beginning of the match and it was fantastic tennis. Jen is a rock at the baseline and Andrea played athletic all court tennis. You won’t find two nicer competitors anywhere (Shelly Works, you have competition for this title in these two!). Dawson teamed with Jenny Rens Keller to win the doubles over Rice/Anna Zimmermann 62 62. It was Jenny Keller’s first gold ball.
Conan Lorenzo, Andrea Rice and Jen Dawson with TD Bill Kellogg, photo courtesy of Mary Johnson - Kristen Kepler won the 50 singles bronze over Keller; Deb Higa/Jennifer Lyons took the bronze over Kepler/Neuthaler.
- Judy Dixon won the 70 singles with an emphatic 63 60 win over #2 seeded Molly Hahn. I believe it was her first singles gold ball. Liane Bryson/Kathy Bennett won the doubles over Dixon/Vicky McEvoy 64 63. Sue Kimball edged Carol Gay in three sets for the singles bronze but Carol Gay/Sheila Johnson came away with the doubles win against Hahn/Kimball to win the doubles bronze.
- Lorna Brooks, unseeded, won the 80 singles 62 64 over top seeded Dorothy Wasser. She did it the hard way too, beating the #3, #2 and #1 seeds en route to the title. Brooks is from Wyoming now but used to live in Exeter, in the Central Valley of California and we used to practice together about 35 years ago… I knew how good she was then and so wasn’t too surprised when she won. She was one of the top 2 juniors in SoCal as a youngster (Sally Huss was the top junior). She played with her hair down, which amazed some of the spectators (it doesn’t move). Lola O’Sullivan/Barbara Oldfield were the surprise doubles winner. For Barbara it was her first USTA ball of any color! They beat Claudia Giacommini/Dorothy Matthiessen 76(4) 63 for the gold.
- Burnett Herrick won the 80 singles bronze by default (injury) over Carol Wood; Herrick/Wasser beat Lynn Tietz/Wood for the 80 doubles bronze.
- The 90s final is this morning at 9am between Rita Price and Jane Lutz, followed by the de facto doubles final (it’s a three team round robin between the two undefeated teams) scheduled for 1pm.
- Draws are here.
- Day 1 Blog
- Day 2 Blog
- Day 3 Blog
- Day 4 Blog
- Photos (more will be added).
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National Clay Courts: Drama Free Thursday
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
The 40-80 Clay Courts continued at the Palm Beach Gardens Tennis Center Thursday. It was warm, breezy and SUNNY…no clouds at all for the afternoon matches, which made serving a challenge at times.
In the 60s, the seeds all prevailed. I played Sally Smith from Charleston and won 62 62, but the second set in particular was much closer, just a couple of points and in the last game, just a couple of shots out and in by inches, in my favor. The sun was tough on one side for serving too. Diane Barker, Susan Wright and Kathy Vick all won in straight sets. I play Susan, my doubles partner, tomorrow and Diane plays Kathy.
There were only consolation doubles matches today in all but the 80s (which is a round robin).
In the 50s, the top four seeds all advanced to the semis in straight sets; Vesna McKenna will face Jenny Klitch while Julie Cass takes on Andrea Rice.
Gwenda Ward continued her fine play in the 70s, upsetting another seed, Sue Kimball, in a tightly contested three-setter. She faces Toni Novack who bested Betty Wachob; Wachob commented that Toni played great and had improved her play…and of course, that dropshot… Judy Dixon faces Brenda Winstead in the other semi.
In the 80s, Dori DeVries blew past Burnett Herrick and Inge Weber also won easily; Lola O’Sullivan won by default over Roz King (leg injury); the match of the day was between Carol Wood and Dorothy Wasser. Carol is from Maryland and Wasser from Palm Beach Gardens…which may have been the difference, because it was hot! Carol won the first set and had a match point or two according to O’Sullivan; once Wasser fended those off, Carol wilted, Wasser didn’t and she won in three sets; she takes on her doubles partner Weber in the semis while DeVries plays O’Sullivan.
In doubles, Herrick/Wood ousted DeVries/King…
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National Clay Courts Day 2: Never in Doubt
It was a long day on the courts in Palm Beach Gardens today at the USTA National Clay Courts/ITF Grade A.
I played Carolyn Franca…we knew going in both that Carolyn would win and Carolyn would lose today. I was the victor, rallying from 1-3 in the first to win 63 60. The result first posted online showed Franca winning which resulted in a number texts to one of the other Carolyn’s of “what happened” or “congratulations, great win” till it was sorted out. However, our match was still in the first set when Susan Wright had already finished, even though she played only one more game than us, winning 60 62. The tightest match played in the round of 16 was that between Kim Dean and Bunnie Allare, which went three sets. Allare prevailed. I play Sally Smith tomorrow at 12:30pm EDT.
Our doubles prompted the second part of the headline…we played Vicky and Mary and were winning comfortably, up 5-2, 15-0, serving when it poured for a short while. We resumed 30 or so minutes later and everything changed. We did serve out the set ok, but that was the last bit of comfort we had till the last game of the match…in between…well we went down 4-1, leveled at 4-4, then lost 64…then it was tight in the third till 3-3, when they pulled ahead 5-3. We won the next game at love, then it was my serve…and we went down 15-40. We had a crazy point and Vicky had a chance to put away an overhead (though it was about her 7th one in the point…she was pooped!). Mary missed her return off my serve which could have been outpaced by a balloon punched over the net…then we won the next nine points, and I hit an overhead to finish off the match. Susan held us in…and an “Alexa” tennis joke loosened it up. We play the semis on Friday afternoon.
In the 50s there were a couple of upsets of the #5 seeds; Kristen Kepler beat #5 Daniela Esswein, though since Kepler won the indoors last year it wasn’t a huge upset. Sandy Mills upended #5 Andrea Wohlschlager. Mills takes on #4 Vesna McKenna and Kepler faces #1 Julie Cass.
In the 70s, Gwenda Ward upset #3 Molly Hahn and Barbara Hubbard took out #5 Leslie Pixley.
Roz King withdrew from the women’s 80s with a leg injury allowing Lola O’Sullivan (who won her first round match) to advance to the semis.
In 70 doubles, Vicky McEvoy and Judy Dixon survived the decimation of the seeds; Top seeds Liane Bryson/Kathy Bennett fell to Ann Loose/Gwenda Ward (having an awfully good tournament!); Donna Fales/Betty Wachob upset #4 Goodman/Winstead; and Hahn/Kimball edged Hubbard/Watanabe.
Addendum: Bennett and Bryson retired mid-match vs Loose/Ward; Bennett fell and hurt her right hand/fingers, we wish her a speedy recovery.
The 80 doubles is a round robin…Dori Devries/King barely avoided an upset, edging Sheila Palmer/Ingrid Rehwinkle 64 in the third.
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DeVries Wins 80s Battle; Lutz Takes 90 Crown at National Hard Courts
Dori DeVries won a long battle against her friend and doubles partner Roz King to win the gold ball at the USTA National 80 Hard Courts Sunday. She battled back after dropping the first set 61 to win the final sets 64 76(5). The two played a month ago at the National Clay Courts where King won with the loss of only two games. Dori looked pretty down after that match and a bit perplexed, but obviously found another gear today. The duo won the doubles, beating Burnett Herrick/Dorothy Wasser to claim the title.
Jane Lutz won her final round robin match to clinch the 90s title. Her toughest match was the first one, against Rita Price, which she won 75 in the third.
In women’s 70s, there was another battle from behind to win. Carter/Wachob, the #2 seeds, lost to Bennett/Bryson 64 64 at the Clay. Here the second seeds reversed the outcome, winning 06 75 62.
In 60 doubles, Robin Harris and I were up a set against Susan Wright/Tracey Thompson when it rained last night. Today we started at 9am and it was still a bit drizzly. We got started after a slight mist delay around 9:30 and won the 2nd set 63, even though I never held served the entire match! Robin though was only broken once today…no one else held serve. The conditions were heavy and slow. That and apparently we had stellar service returns! Robin played great and was everywhere on the court.
There were quite a few consolation matches today and there are a few tomorrow in the 80s, but for me, that’s a wrap on this year’s national hard courts.
Again, a sincere thank you to Bill Kellogg, Conan, Pierrette, Marilyn, Bob and the entire staff of the LJBTC, and to the Beach Club members for allowing this tournament to use all the courts.
◦ Court 1 matches are streamed here: https://www.ipcamlive.com/ljbtc
◦ Results can be found here: https://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=205807#&&s=7Draws21
◦ Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xE8s7qfPu3d6au33A
◦ Fans can tune-in to RadioTennis.com on Friday, May 11 at 9 a.m. to listen to live audio play-by-play of the day’s matches on Court No. 1. Tennis broadcaster Ken Thomas will provide the live web cast commentary at https://radiotennis.com/.
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Finals Set for Women’s 50/60/70 Singles & Doubles
It was another gorgeous La Jolla day full of lots of great tennis from 8am to after 8pm. The finals are now set for most of the women’s divisions.
In the 50s, Andrea Rice ended unseeded Michelle Saunders’ run and Ros Nideffer beat Shelly Works to book a date with Rice in the final tomorrow. In doubles, #2 seeds Debbie Higa/Jami Jones overcame a slow start to beat #3 seeded Ellie Hammargren/Jennifer Lyons 60 in the third. Debbie Spence Nasim/Ros Nideffer’s slow start consisted of dropping 2 games in the first set vs zero in the second against Paulson/Rice. It will be a rematch of the 40 Hard Court final from last December in the final. As I left, Newman/Prejeen were playing Works Zimmermann in a 5-8 playoff match at a little after 8:30. Works/Zimmermann finally won it 63 in the third. They face Lane/Karwasky who beat Oconnor/Traylor in three sets, finishing around 8:30.
Susan Wright continued her stellar play in the 60s, beating #3 seeded Leslie Airola Murveit without dropping a game, while Shannon Gordon Carney showed no ill effects from her 7 hours on court yesterday, beaing #2 seeded Tracey Thompson 75 61 to reach her first national singles final. Thompson/Wright advanced to the doubles final, edging Una Davis/Colleen Clery Ferrell 75 64. Robin Harris and I beat Tina Karwasky/Carolyn Lane 63 62. Robin played terrific tennis (to the surprise of no one). The marathon match of the day in this division was in the quarterfinal playoff between Andrea Barnes and Sherri Bronson, finally won 76 in the third by Bronson.
In the 70s Brenda Carter won the battle of the Brendas, beating Brenda Winstead to advance to the final. Molly Hahn finally ended Betty Wachob’s marathon run, beating her 75 75. This final will be a repeat of the clay final from three weeks ago in Naples, Florida. The doubles final will be a repeat of the semis at that event. Leona Bryson/Kathy Bennett beat Elizabeth Barnhill/Barbara Hubbard and Carter/Wachob showed no mercy on Carol Gay/Sheila Johnson.
The 80s moved into the semis without upsets, other than that #4 Carol Wood defaulted her quarterfinal singles match due to injury and Dorothy Matthiessen retired up a set and down 43 to Burnette Herrick.
Next report will probably be on Saturday morning. We play at 2:30. If on Court 1 you can stream it online.
- Court 1 matches are streamed here: https://www.ipcamlive.com/ljbtc
- Results can be found here: https://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=205807#&&s=7Draws21
- Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xE8s7qfPu3d6au33A
- Fans can tune-in to RadioTennis.com on Friday, May 11 at 9 a.m. to listen to live audio play-by-play of the day’s matches on Court No. 1. Tennis broadcaster Ken Thomas will provide the live web cast commentary at https://radiotennis.com/.
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National Hard Courts Day 3: Long Matches, Great Tennis
Wednesday May 9, 2018
La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, La Jolla, CA
The National Women’s Hard Courts continued on Wednesday, which was quarterfinal day for the women’s 50 & 60s. There were lots of long matches, great matches and a few upsets too.
Betty Wachob won another grueling match today over Gwenda Ward, 61 57 76 (5)…the same score by which she beat Carolann Castell the day before. Luckily though her doubles was shorter…she combined with Brenda Carter to advance quickly to the semis.
Shannon Gordon-Carney also won a three+ hour singles, upsetting #4 seeded Colleen Clery Ferrell, a local tennis director and fan favorite, 46 62 64. Her doubles though was also long and grueling, lasting over three hours against Clery Ferrell and Beach Club member Una Davis. Colleen and Una won it 67 (6) 63 64, finishing around 8:30 pm under lights. Colleen/Una had multiple set points in the first set before succumbing in the tiebreak and fought hard to win the second…points were lasting 10, 20, 30 shots even though Una and Colleen were at the net more often than not. Cindy Abel, Shannon’s partner, was just returning to national play after a long absence but was lobbing and moving as well as ever and Shannon, who played at UCLA, is a fine doubles player. The match was played in great spirit before an engaged crowd on Court 1.
Shannon Cindy 
Colleen Una 
Joy 
Shannon 
Colleen 
Una Davis In the 50s, Michele Saunders caused her second upset in a row, beating #4 seeded Alicia Rowley 76 57 63. With such long matches, it’s understandable why matches were backed up so long today! Saunders takes on Andrea Rice next while Shelly Works will face Ros Nideffer. Rice beat another Beach Club member and fan favorite, Jenny Rens in an entertaining match 64 64. Rice teamed with Paulson to upset the #4 seeds, Works/Anna Zimmermann in three sets to advance to the semis.
Jenny Rens 
Jenny Rens Robin Harris and I beat Donna Drosner/Debbie Burgess 61 61 and take on Tina Karwasky/Carolyn Lane, who upset #4 seeds Andrea Barnes/Leslie Airola-Murveit 60 63. Colleen/Una face Tracey Thompson/Susan Wright on the other side of the draw.
In the 70s, Brenda Winstead upset Mary Alice Pisani, the 4th seed 75 36 64. In doubles Carol Gay/Sheila Johnson ousted Molly Hahn/Suella Steel, the #3 seeds.
- Court 1 matches are streamed here: https://www.ipcamlive.com/ljbtc
- Results can be found here: https://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=205807#&&s=7Draws21
- Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xE8s7qfPu3d6au33A
- Fans can tune-in to RadioTennis.com on Friday, May 11 at 9 a.m. to listen to live audio play-by-play of the day’s matches on Court No. 1. Tennis broadcaster Ken Thomas will provide the live web cast commentary at https://radiotennis.com/.
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Keller, Saunders Cause Upsets in 50 Singles
On the second day of play at the National Hard Courts at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club (lbjtc.com), there were some close escapes by seeded players but only two upsets, both in the 50 singles. Michele Saunders took out Anna Zimmermann, a 5-8 seed, 61 64 to advance to the quarters. Jenny Rens Keller, a La Jolla dentist and Beach Club member, played before a packed crowd on Court 8 against Ellie Hammargren. Keller, better known for her doubles prowess, proved equally adept at singles, taking out the #5 seed 46 62 64 in a grinding battle that lasted well over three hours. Hammargren had bloodied knees by the end….and a doubles match to play (which she and her partner Jennifer Lyons won handily).
All seeds in the 60s advanced in straight sets, though Sherri Bronson had to work hard in the second set against Cindy Abel…she won 61 76.
Betty Wachob, third seeded in the 70s, narrowly avoided an upset, edging Carolann Castell 61 57 76 to advance to the semis.
Most impressive was the stamina of the top 90s players, Jane Lutz and Rita Price. Lutz is new to the age division and Price is the defending champion, and they are doubles partners. They battled each other for three sets before Lutz prevailed 61 26 75 in what may have been the defacto final of the round robin draw. They then teamed up to win their doubles match. All this tennis didn’t seem to slow down Price a bit as she was walking a talking a mile a minute after her matches!
There was only one doubles upset: Andi Polisky/Leslie Zauher upset Cathie Anderson/Mary Alice Pisani, the 4th seeds, 62 62.
Tomorrow is quarterfinal day in all divisions and there should be a ton of good singles and doubles matches.
- Court 1 matches are streamed here: https://www.ipcamlive.com/ljbtc
- Results can be found here: https://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=205807#&&s=7Draws21
- Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xE8s7qfPu3d6au33A
- Fans can tune-in to RadioTennis.com on Friday, May 11 at 9 a.m. to listen to live audio play-by-play of the day’s matches on Court No. 1. Tennis broadcaster Ken Thomas will provide the live web cast commentary at https://radiotennis.com/.
My doubles partner, Robin Harris and I won 61 60 today and play a 5-8 seed, Burgess/Drosner, tomorrow at 3pm. Most players seem to have gone to the barbecue on the beach this evening…burgers (meat and veggie), hot dogs, salads and deserts were on the menu…it was all very good and the setting was perfect.
Robin Harris & Carolyn Nichols 
Tuesday Night Barbecue on the Beach
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National Women’s Hard Court Nationals, La Jolla: Day 1
The USTA National Women’s 50-90 Hard Courts are underway at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. For the first time, this tournament’s matches played on Court 1 will be streamed LIVE by going to https://www.ipcamlive.com/ljbtc. You won’t be able to smell the sea air but you will be able to see some great senior women’s (and later in the week, men’s) tennis.
There were 30 teams in the women’s 50 doubles, and that division featured the match of the day: Carolyn Lane, returning to national play after a long hiatus/Tina Karwasky (who has never had a hiatus since hitting her first ball!) against Karen Ann Broe/Rainy Miller, two strong local players. Lane, from Arizona, adapted quickly to the much heavier sea air, and imposed herself on the match at critical times in each set, never allowing Broe/Miller to stretch a lead. Karwasky drilled returns to set up Lane; Miller was a wall especially on her returns and Broe served and volleyed beautifully. In the end Lane/Karwasky’s greater experience ruled, and they won 75 46 64 in a highly entertaining match on Court 3.
Una Davis/Prentiss Van Den Berg a 5-8 seed, were upset by San Diegans Shelley Goodson/Karyn McCartney in 50 doubles. Una was happy to have made it to the courts at all because she thought her first match wasn’t till Tuesday.
All draws and results can be found here.
Below are some photos of a first round 50s match featuring club member Lucia Romanov Stark. You can see the court one camera (white) above the LJBTC logo.
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Klitch, Rice, Barker, Hahn Claim National Singles Titles Saturday in Naples
There were four singles finals on Saturday (Roz King claimed the 80s title on Friday). One match stood out though, which was the nearly two and a half hour battle between Susan Wright the #2 seed, and top seeded Diane Barker. It was a reprisal of the final of the world championships last year, and was another tight battle. Diane won the first set 64 but not before Susan rallied from 35 15-40. The second set went on serve (unusual in general in women’s tennis, let alone in the 60+ division) for the entire set with very few break points, though Susan did have a break point with Diane serving at 5-6, so also a set point. Diane played a brave point and eventually forced a tiebreak which she won 7-3, and with it another gold ball and national clay title.
The 40s final was between Jenny Klitch and Lizl Kotz. Klitch had too much variety for Kotz, winning 61 61. The 50s final between Shelly Works and Andrea Rice was won 60 61 by Rice who played brilliantly. the 70s final was also one sided with Molly Hahn putting on a great display, slicing deep and attacking throughout to win 61 61 in her first national 70s final.
There was no 40s doubles. The 50s doubles title was won by Klitch/Vesna McKenna 61 46 retired over Mary Dailey/Rice. (Rice had to catch a plane….matches started late on Saturday.)The 60s doubles was finished yesterday, won by Nichols/Wright. The 4th seeds, Kathy Bennett/Liane Bryson beat Hubbard/Watanabe to take the 70s 60 61. And the 80s finished yesterday, won by DeVries/King.
There were also a lot of bronze ball matches. In 50 singles, Alicia Rowley edged McKenna 63 76. Rowley/Works won the doubles bronze too with a straight set win over Kruger/Waterlek. The 60s 3/4 playoff was won by Bunny Allare in three sets over Frances O’Sullivan. Jones/Neuthaler won the doubles bronze yesterday. Betty Wachob took bronze in 70 singles with a 63 60 win over Lesley Pixley and she took the 70 doubles bronze too with Carter over Carol Clay/Ellen Goodman in 3 sets. This match pretty much was the last of the tournament…it was nearly 3 hours long and ended around dinner time Saturday.
The other interesting result was that between Toni Novack and Ellen Goodman who were playing for 5th in the 70s. Novack led 60 50 40-0, and made a wrong move, tried to stretch it out…and couldn’t so had to retire, leaving Goodman with the win. Never give up!
Draws are here.
Photos are here.
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King Crowned 80s Champ; Nichols/Wright Win 60 Doubles in Naples
Roz King is peaking at age 80. The San Diegan easily beat a former nemesis, and good friend, Dori DeVries to win the 80 national clay courts and then teamed up with DeVries to beat the #2 seeds, Dorothy Wasser/Inge Weber in the doubles final. DeVries said she had no answers today, that King is moving great and just playing really well. Weber took the bronze in 80 singles while Carol Wood/Burnett Herrick won the doubles bronze.
In the 70s, Brenda Carter had to go to a tiebreak for the second straight day, this time in the first set, against Leslie Pixley. She won the match 76 64 to advance to the final, where she’ll meet the “new kid on the block”, Molly Hahn. Hahn ousted Betty Wachob in the semis. In doubles, Hubbard/Watanabe continued their fine play, beating Carol Clay/Ellen Goodman in straight sets to advance to the final. There they will face Californians Kathy Bennett/Liane Bryson, who took out top seeded Carter/Wachob in the other semi.
Susan Wright and I played very well to beat Pat Purcell/Bunny Allare 75 60. We didn’t drop serve the entire match (probably a first for me on clay…well on any surface!). The first set was very tight, with several deuce games…we won the set when I poached on set point (not our first one) after Susan hit a nice set up shot. We won the big points in the second set, as Bunny and Pat had game points in at least three of the games we won. Abbi Neuthaler/Kim Jones won the bronze with a tough 3-set win over Sherri Bronson (who was playing her third match in 6 hours!) and Kathy Foulk.
In the 50s, Shelly Works worked hard (and hit many many high moon balls) to oust top-seeded Alicia Rowley 63 57 63. The moon balls got under Alicia’s skin…I saw her break her racquet after losing one point, but the two had a nice handshake and hug at the net after the match. Andrea Rice beat Vesna McKenna 64 64 in a well played match to advance to the final against Shelly. In doubles, Rice/Mary Dailey will take on McKenna/Jenny Klitch.
The 40s final will be Klitch vs Lizl Kotz.
And finally, thanks to the tournament volunteers!
Draws are here: http://m.tennislink.usta.com/tournamenthome?T=212073
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Carter, O’Sullivan Win Marathon Matches in Naples
Frances O’Sullivan upset #4 seeded Pat Purcell in a very very long match today at the National Clay Courts in Naples. This is not the first time the two have played a long three setter, as the two bring out the best in each other. After splitting sets, O’Sullivan forged a 4-1 lead before Purcell rallied and the set fittingly ended in a tiebreak, won by O’Sullivan 9-7 (I think that’s the correct score).
Purcell though rallied to combine with Bunny Allare to play a beautiful doubles match against Sherri Bronson and Kathy Foulk. They are now in the final against Susan Wright and me. We bet Abbi Neuthaler/Kim Jones in our semi.
Susan Wright plays O’Sullivan next and Diane Barker plays Allare. Barker and Allare will be rekindling a rivalry which began as juniors in Florida.
Toni Novack had three match points today against Brenda Carter, one in the second set and two in the third, before Carter prevailed in a third set tiebreak. These courts are soft, even for clay and Toni has a wicket dropshot which repeatedly nestled into the court for a winner. Carter said she didn’t know how she won, she was just trying to hang in there! Lesley Pixley beat Carol Clay in the quarters, which on the face wasn’t an upset (though Clay hadn’t lost previously to Pixley). Clay said Pixley played a fabulous match. Betty Wachob and Molly Hahn complete the final four in the 70s.
Toni Novack 
Brenda Carter There was a marathon doubles match as well, won by Carol Clay/Ellen Goodman 76 in the third (of course)…they rallied from 2-5 down in the third to beat unseeded Ann Loose and Andi Polisky.
The seeding committee did a great job too in the 50s, as the top four seeds advanced to the semi i singles and doubles. Andrea Rice, Vesna McKenna, Shelly Works and Alicia Rowley are in the semis; Works plays Rowley and Rice faces McKenna. Dailey Rice, Kruger/Wauterlek, Rowley Works and Klitch McKenna are in the semis. None lost a set though Dailey/Rice had to go to a tiebreak to beat Dybendahl/Esswein.
Lizl Kotz and Jenny Klitch are in the finals of the 40s. Kotz beat Renee Alexis and Klitch beat Tangerine Manning 62 61.
Roz King and Dori DeVries are in the final of the 80s with straight set wins over Inge Weber and Burnett Herrick respectively. DeVries/King upset #1 seeded Carol Wood/Burnett Herrick in straight sets and play Wasser/Weber in the final.
There was an NSWTA (National Senior Women’s Tennis Assn) social today and player dinner. Photos are in the album linked below.
And an update on Carol Gay…she was looking much better at the player dinner.
Carol Gay Draws are here: http://m.tennislink.usta.com/tournamenthome?T=212073
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Naples Day 1: HOT!
I know those of you reading this from northern climes may not sympathize, but heat that sent at least one player to the hospital is nothing to take lightly. Carol Gay from San Diego ended up retiring against Mary Alice Pisani (NorCal) down 2/0 in the deciding set. It was shortly after noon when the ambulance and paramedics arrived and took Carol away on a stretcher. She was suffering from the heat and cramping. . However, she’s much better now and back from the hospital after IVs. Carol Gay shown below in cooler conditions.
Another very long match took place between Carolann Castell from Seattle and Rosi Fortna from Florida. It was a morning match (someone said 9:30 but I’m not sure), and they just split after 1pm! Castell finally won 26 75 62. Match of the day.
All of the seeds are in action in singles and doubles tomorrow in the 60/70/80 and most of the seeds are in action in the 50s.
The weather now is looking pretty windy and stormy out but the rest of the week looks warm but not too wet.
We play tomorrow (finally!) at 4:30 pm EDT. I tuned up with a short but excellent massage from Joann (pink shirt). Carol Clay and Susan Wright are all smiles…Carol won her match today!
Draws are here: http://m.tennislink.usta.com/tournamenthome?T=212073
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40/50 Clay Courts Set for Naples After Hurricane Irma
The USTA Women’s 40/50 Clay will be held as scheduled in Naples, Florida in October.
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2018 Dates Announced for National Women’s 35/45/55/65/75/85/90 Clay Courts
Sue Bramlette, the Tournament Director for the USTA National Women’s 35/45/55/65/75/85/90 Clay Courts in Houston has announced the 2018 dates for this wonderful tournament. This tournament is open to all USTA female members who meet the age requirement.
The dates are February 26 – March 4 2018.
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Gold!
Today, Saturday, Susan Wright and I played for the gold balls in Seattle against Andrea Barnes and Leslie Murveit and won 63 63 in a very fun match with lots of good points. Earlier in the day Leslie made sure neither she nor Andrea would be worn out for their doubles final by playing a very good and not overly long match against Andrea and winning it and the bronze ball.
The match of the day however was the battle between Susan, seeded #2 and Diane Barker, seeded #1. Diane had won all but one previous encounter, but it had been 10 years since the two had played on an indoor court, which is Susan’s favorite surface. Susan played a flawless first set, and Diane misfired on more backhands than usual..Susan won the set 62. Diane was more consistent and forced Susan into hitting short more in the second set and took it 62, and looked ready to run away with the match in the third when she led 3-1 and Susan momentarily looked resigned to a loss. But Susan’s backhand regained its depth and she reeled off the next 4 games before finally finishing off the set and the match 64. The third set was very high quality from both players and the first two weren’t too shabby.
France O’Sullivan/Mary Morgan took the third in the doubles with a three set win.
Susan went for a third gold ball in mixed but had to settle for a silver. Jennifer Shorr/Kurt Chan were just too powerful for Susan and Ross, serving big, volleying well and returning well to regain their mixed title first won last year. Shannon Gordon-Carney/Rollin Rhone beat Jack and Diane Barker to take bronze. Rollin was happy earlier today to receive a care package from Adidas. Rollin had his bag and racquets stolen earlier in the week downtown and bought shoes from Big 5 for the tournament…they were nearly bald by today.
On the men’s side, Mark Vines was close to going down 3-0 and 4-1 against Ross Persons, but changed up his patterns enough to eke out the first set 76 and then cruised to a 61 second set win. He faces Tony Crabel in the final.
Wes Cash/Vines won the men’s doubles with a victory over Doug Ditmer/Fred Robinson.
The men’s singles final is tomorrow. The winner takes home $2000 courtesy of Crabel Capital which sponsors the men’s 60 division at all four 60s nationals. Vines plays Crabel in the final.
Draws are here: http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=186516
Photos are here: https://goo.gl/photos/xN8UASoymWb3FtVn6
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Susan Wright Reaches Three Finals in Seattle
Susan Wright is a triple threat in Seattle. Today she beat Leslie Murveit 60 64 in a good match. Leslie had game points in four of the six games she lost in the first set, so it was much closer than the score would indicate. In the second set, Susan and Leslie each held, then there were five consecutive breaks of serve and Leslie led 4-3, before Susan found another gear and won the final three games. There were lots of long, full court (angle to deep to volley) rallies, keeping the viewing audience entertained. While Susan and Leslie were playing on the first court, Andrea Barnes and Diane Barker played for the first time on the last court. Diane won 63 60.
In the doubles semis, Susan and I played Carolann Castell and Anne Corsano, the #4 seeds today and won 62 60. Next to us, Andrea Barnes and Leslie Murveit fell behind 4-1 in the first set and then 5-4, but rallied to win the final 9 games of the match. We play them tomorrow at 9am.
Susan and Ross Persons beat Shannon Gordon-Carney/Rollin Rhone in one mixed semis and played really well..there were some amazing points, but Susan and Ross seemed to come up with one last shot each time. Even Susan’s father Enver was impressed! They face Jennifer Shorr/Kurt Chan who were 62 62 winners over Diane/Jack Barker.
Myron Pushyk upset #2 seed Fred Robinson, winning the third set 60 to advance to the semis against #4 seed Tony Crabel. Mark Vines and Ross Persons advanced to the semis in straight sets and play the other semi.
Doug Ditmer/Robinson play top seeded Vines/Wes Cash in the men’s doubles final tomorrow.
There was a really nice player dinner on the lawn, featuring salmon of course. The desert, a warm berry cobbler or shortcake was really special. Leslie and Andre arranged a photo of most of the women players here, though they missed one, Kari Anderson, who played mixed (shown below with Susan Wright).
Lime Bike update: Today the lime bikes were not working so I walked…they kept saying bike already in service, even though they were locked and there was basically no human customer service. Too bad, it was fun to ride them. But they have a lot of kinks to work out.
Draws are here: http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=186516
Photos are here: https://goo.gl/photos/xN8UASoymWb3FtVn6
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Christian & Kathy Settles Win Mother Son Hard Courts
Second seeded Christian and Kathy Settles won a rain interrupted marginal today, May 8th in Rancho Mirage. They beat defending champions Dina/Parker McBride 57 75 75.
The McBrides led 75 1–2, and were serving when rain stopped play for the day. The match resumed at 9:45 today and finished a couple of hours later. The Settles broke Dina at 5-6 in the second and third sets to win their second gold ball together. The McBrides had rallied from 1-4 down in the third to get back on serve and keep the match exciting for the dozen or so spectators.
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Successful Semifinal Day
Dad and I played Cheryl & Bob Hicks today in Rancho Mirage in the 80+ Father Daughter category. Fortunately, the heat abated and it was only in the 80s, dry with a breeze, pleasant playing conditions. It was fortunate because our match lasted nearly 2.5 hours and my dad is 92 and I was running…a lot! Dad played well…his hands are still amazing and he hit a lot of volley winners (to no one’s surprise other than our opponents, in the first set anyway). We won 62 36 63. Tomorrow we play the top seeds, Alissa & Ralph Finerman who beat Walsh/Watkins 75 62. We play the finals tomorrow at 10, weather permitting.
Palm Springs is an interesting geographical area weather wise. It was raining on the other side of the mountains today and in San Diego, while here, with the mountains blocking the rain clouds (which were just beginning to peek over the mountaintops around 3pm) it was sunny and mild.
In the senior father/daughter, the Knox’s beat the Buterbaughs 62 64 in a relatively uneventful match. The last match of the day though was Richard & Julia Cohen vs Tom & Bettina Rettenmaier and it was one which attracted a good crowd (plus, it was the only match going on by the third set). Bettina was a good college player and has a beautiful serve; Tom is a regular on the seniors circuit and a tall, very good player, big serve and overhead. Quite a contrast to Richard who is shorter and uses guile rather than power to play, though he did play college tennis for University of Pennsylvania. Julia has played since she was 2 (she’s 28 now) and played for University of Florida and then on tour where she reached a career high ranking of 98 in 2012. The Buterbaugh’s play straight up aggressive mostly serve and volley, chip and charge tennis; the Cohen’s style involves tricky spiny underhanded serves by Richard, lots of lobs (by Richard) and power baseline play combined with stellar court coverage by Julia. In the end the Cohen’s prevailed in three sets in a highly entertaining match.
The Cohen’s are also in the 70+ (Super Senior) father/daughter tomorrow against the Liz & Hugh Burris from Texas.
Greg Failla, playing this year with his younger daughter, Julia, is in the final of the open father/daughter. They take on the second seeds, Bruce and Sabrina Man Son Hing, who have cruised to the final.
In Mother/Son, the top two seeds took different paths, but both arrived in the finals. The Settles, Kathy & Christian, edged Tim Sah/Valerie Tan 64 67 63 (then it was off to prom for Christian); Dina/Parker McBride beat the Nash’s 63 63. It was Dina’s first tournament since tearing her Achilles in the final of the 40 Hard last December; now she has matching scars on her Achilles, as she tore the other one in the final of the 40 hard 5 years earlier.
There was a nice dinner at the country club tonight, appetizers, an excellent buffet and a nice atmosphere. Tad & Lisa Yukawa with my mom & dad.
All results: http://m.tennislink.usta.com/TournamentHome/tournament.aspx?t=187933
Photos: https://goo.gl/photos/8gFbt8m6XpbAaXCq9
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Father/Daughter, Mother/Son Hard Courts: Surviving the Heat!
The Father/Daughter (Open, 60,70 & 80+) & Mother/Son Hard Courts is taking place this weekend in Rancho Mirage, CA, near Palm Springs.
I drove over on Wednesday from San Diego where it was sunny, balmy (70s) sort of day…when I arrived in Palm Desert it was in the 90s at dusk. That’s California, if you don’t like the weather, drive East or North and it’ll change.
Dad and I had a good practice match on Thursday with Hirsch, who with wife Sheryl run this event, and Tad Yukawa, a long time friend who lives in the area. It was already in the 90s when I drove to the Springs Country Club at 8:30am…and well over 100 by the time we finished. But it’s a dry heat (and still super hot!). I did some running drills after with Tad and believe me, dry heat or not, it’s hard to breathe after a while.
It was a great warm up and today we won our first round, but have a much tougher match tomorrow against a team that won the Indoors in this division, father/daughter 80+ a couple of months ago, the HIcks. The 80+ means the dad has to turn 80 sometime in 2017. My dad is 92 (!). And competitive. It was over 100 again today too.
There are a lot of really good players in these events: Alissa Finerman who has won a lot of doubles gold and has been on winning cup teams, is playing the 80+; Dina McBride and her husband Desi are playing Mother/Son and Father/Daughter respectively; Kathy Settles is playing Mother/Son with Christian; Tim Sah who is going to Stanford and playing on the team there next year is playing Mother/Son too with Valerie Tan (and they play the Settles tomorrow). Julia Cohen, a former top 100 player is playing 60+and 70+ with Richard. Julia already has over 40 gold balls and is only 28! Semis are tomorrow in all divisions.
Tomorrow the weather changes a lot, with highs only in the 80s, and the wind will pick up a lot as well. By Sunday it will only hit 70.
Below is a photo of the courts and one of Sheryl and Hirsch.
Draws can be found here: http://m.tennislink.usta.com/TournamentHome/tournament.aspx?t=187933
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George McCabe, Tony Franco & Rita Price Win Double Gold Slams in 2016
Most senior players dream of winning a single gold ball; some become accustomed to winning them fairly often; but winning all four nationals, on four different surfaces, in one calendar year, a senior “Gold Slam” is an amazing feat, in singles or in doubles, and is one that should be celebrated! . Here are this year’s Men’s, Women’s and Family Gold Slam Champions:
Family:
In the Father/Son 80+ division (the father has to be 80 in 2016), Ron Tonidandel (FL) and Jeff Tonidandel (NC) won the Hard, Grass and Clay titles. (This event is not offered at the Indoors).
Women:
Brenda Carter (SC)/Betty Wachob (FL), had their share of three setters but won all four nationals this year in the women’s 70+ division. Brenda also won the 70 Clay, Hard and Indoor singles titles but was stopped (a bit ironically) by her doubles partner at the Grass in the final. Betty won the 70 singles Gold Slam in 2015. Carter also won the 70 mixed and doubles at the ITF World Championships.
Dori DeVries (NV) isn’t even 80 yet as of this writing (her birthday is in December), but she won the Gold Slam in 80+ singles. The toughest match all year for Dori was the final of the Hard Courts where she defeated her long time rival Dorothy Matthiessen in the final in a terrific three-setter. She also won the 80 Hard and Grass with Carol Wood (MD), correction: the 80 Indoors with Mary John Lynch, TX, and 75 Grass (with Wood). Inge Weber (CAN)/Judith Smith (MA) beat DeVries/Wood at the Clay in three sets.
Jane Lutz (FL), is the rare player for whom failing to win a Gold Slam is a shock! She won the 85 singles Gold Slam again in 2016 at age 89, which makes it even more remarkable. She also won the 85 Hard (with Wiedemann) and 85 Indoors (with Price).
Rita Price (CO) is a dancing, singing 90 year old whose love of life is infectious. She danced her way past all opposition in the 90s this year, winning the Clay, Hard and Indoors (the Grass was not held in this division) in singles and doubles (with Joyce Vanderpool (WA) and Betty Cookson (CA)).
Men:
George McCabe (FL) turned 85 this year and made the division his hunting ground. He ran past his opposition on all surfaces in singles and in doubles (with Joe Russell (OH) and Clem Hopp (FL)) to win both the 85 singles and doubles gold slams.
Tony Franco (NY) won the 90 Gold Slam in singles and doubles for the second year and again didn’t lose a set in singles or doubles. He won the doubles with Graydon Nichols (CA) for the second straight year. (Note, Graydon is my my father.) Tony has had two knee replacements (one right, one left) and does not run like any other 90 year old.
Congratulations to all.
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Thu, Smashey Advance to 35s Singles Final Saturday in Houston
Julie Thu and Kaysie Smashey took different routes to the 35s final, but both arrived there in straight sets. Thu blasted her way past Julie Lessiter 61 60, in a match that looked closer than that score. Thu, a Stanford star in the 90s, is a lefty who hits two-handed off both sides.ThoughThu said she much prefers hard courts, she looked pretty comfortable on the clay. Smashey edged her way past #2 seeded Nancy Hilliard, in a closely contested semi. Smashey had a 4/1 lead in the first set, at which time Hilliard served a 15 or so minute game and held, and broke…they stayed on serve but Smashey broke at 65 for the set and won the second 63. Smashey is aptly named…when I first came by the court, onlookers told me to look for her overhead smash, which they said was amazing. The final is a repeat of the 30 hard court final in March, which Thu won.
In doubles, Smashey/Thu and McCambell/Hilliard advanced to the final without drama.
In other action, Susan Boyer will meet Sally Smith in the 55 consolation final. Boyer beat Buholz 62 61. Susan was just too consistent and crafty on the clay for Buholz. Smith edged Kathy Vick in a long match…one in which Vick actually won more games. 75 16 64. Smith said she was a bit more aggressive in the third set and quit thinking too much.
Sue Bramlette, the many hat wearer, survived a long match with Cindy Babb (and retrieved a lot of drop shots). She will face Carol Gay who had a walkover.
Grace Woo beat Kathy Langer in the 75s Kathy said the balls got heavy in the 2nd set which favored her, but that Grace blasted her off the court in the third with new balls. Patti Boyer beat Dorcus Miller 61 64.
In 45 doubles, Hartsock/Thomason will play Hess/Schaefer. Charlotte Hartsock won the backdraw yesterday.
In 55 doubles, Smith/Warden were down 26 15 0-40 when their opponents retired (plane to catch tomorrow). They play Boyer/Erin Boynton tomorrow.
In 65 doubles, Gay/Johnson will take on Pruitt/Simmons for 5th tomorrow.
In 75 doubles, Langer/Tietz will play O’Sullivan/Oldfield.
In 35 doubles, Loeffler/Phillips play Graham/Guszak.
All results: http://m.tennislink.usta.com/TournamentHome/tournament.aspx?t=171179
Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/111133686884013323699/HoustonNationalSeniorWomenSClayCourts2016
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Barker, Downing, Fales, Lutz & Price Earn Singles Gold in Houston
There were gold ball matches and main draw 35 matches going on all around the club today but the match of the day had to be the 45 consolation doubles match between Pam Cooke/Kim Lackey, the #3 seeds and Susan Dawson/Tosha Smith. I heard that Dawson/Smith had nine (9!) match points but Pam/Kim won 16 76(14) 75 to live to play another day.
Diane Barker completed her utter domination of the 55s with a comprehensive 62 60 defeat of Tracy Houk. Barker hit winner after winner past Houk, which no one else was able to do all week. Houk moves extremely well, and defends really well, so getting the ball past her isn’t easy, but Diane hit laserlike groundies corner to corner and finished with sharp angles and volleys. She played just amazingly well. I took bronze over Susan by default (sore/tired shoulder).
in the 65s, Martha Downing was just as precise in beating Toni Novack, if not hitting with quite the same power. She hit her targets and didn’t allow Novack to hit her famous dropshots, or not often enough anyway. Molly Hahn won the bronze over Kathy Barnes.
Donna Fales moved smoothly past Charleen Hillebrand to take the 75 crown in straight sets. Suella Steel beat Sheila Weinstock for the bronze.
Jane Lutz won the 85 singles …again!
Rita Price beat Cathie Hall in the final 90s RR match, with men from a nearby senior center watching on and cheering (I heard Rita got a marriage proposal afterwards!). Rita won 61 62, she moved beautifully.
Julie Cass/Alissa Finerman won the 45 doubles, edging Jean Marie Alpert/Tammy Morris 76 75. The #4 seeds, Laura Hudson/Cynthia Rice won the 3/4 playoff over Neuthaler/Bottinelli
In doubles, Tracy Houk and Kathy Vick played a terrific match to beat Susan and me. The ball just kept coming back…our match lasted about three hours. Lots of interesting exchanges. Unfortunately for us Diane didn’t let Tracy hit enough balls to wear her out! Vicki Buholz/Marianne Caplan took the bronze with a 75 62 victory over Pam Cooke/Kim Lackey.
The 65 doubles champions are Ann Stanley/Sue Bramlette (sorry, had the wrong winner’s name earlier but the right photo!) who beat Downing/Kathy Bennett 63 21 retired (Kathy was ill). Leslie Vallejo/Kathy Barnes took the bronze with a marathon three setter over Cindy Babb/Barbara Hubbard 75 in the third.
Hillebrand/Steel won the 75 doubles over Weinstock/Jane Pang. Donna Fales/Roberta Sung took the bronze.
And the 35s were in action too today. Julie Lessiter upset #4 seed Amy McCambell but the rest of the seeds advanced to the semis including Nancy Hilliard.
All results: http://m.tennislink.usta.com/TournamentHome/tournament.aspx?t=171179
Photos of players: https://picasaweb.google.com/111133686884013323699/HoustonNationalSeniorWomenSClayCourts2016
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Jolene Watanabe Wins 45 Singles Gold in Houston; Finals Set for 55, 65 & 75s
Jolene Watanabe avenged her 2015 loss here in the final to Julie Cass this year, beating Cass 76 64 to win the 45 Clay for the second time. Jean Marie Alpert, who upset #4 seed Hudson in the quarters, took out #3 seeded Shelly Works 63 61 to win the bronze. In doubles, Cass is still in the running for the gold, teaming today with Alisa Finerman to beat Neuthaler/Bottincelli. They will face #4 seeded Tammy Morris/Alpert in the final.
In the 55s, Tracy Houk upset #2 seeded Susan Wright 61 64 in a two hour plus match. Tracy has wicked topspin on her backhand, a funky slice on her forehand, and a “refuse to lose” attitude…and fast fast feet. She’ll need all of that in the final against Diane Barker, who beat me 62 61 today in a match which was not nearly as competitive as even that lopsided score would indicate. I was like a target on a tree and Diane was the rifleman lining up shots…she missed a few at first, then honed in on the center. She was hitting laser-like shots to any spot on the court I wasn’t near. The good news is that the match did not wear me out for our doubles! Susan and I took on Vicki Buholz/Marianne Caplan. Caplan was nursing a knee injury from the previous day (she had to play Susan and they had a 76 64 match, followed by doubles). Susan and I won 61 62, but the points were often long and there were several long deuce games, lots of lobs again. We play Houk/Kathy Vick, the #2 seeds, in the final. They beat Pam Cooke/Kim Lackey in the semis 26 62 60. So it will be a good final tomorrow afternoon.
In the 65s, Martha Downing cruised into the final against Molly Hahn 61 62 but the 2nd set was close, every game going to deuce. Martha plays Toni Novack in the final. Toni beat Kathy Barnes 64 76, rallying from 04 down in the 2nd to win. Downing/Kathy Bennett beat Cindy Ball/Barbara Hubbard in one semi. They face Sue Bramlette/Ann Stanley, who edged Kathy Barnes/Leslie Vallejo in three sets (Kathy probably spent the rest of the day in the hot tub or ice bath…running after Toni’s drop shots and Sue’s lobs will do that to a person).
The 75s went according to the seeds today: Donna Fales beat Suella Steel 1,1 and Charleen Hillebrand beat Sheila Weinstock (who is fortunately mostly recovered from a nasty bicycle accident she was involved in last year) 63 63. Hillebrand/Steel are in the doubles final. I’m not quite sure who they play…the results say Fales/Roberta Sung but I thought Donna told me she’d lost the first set, so I’lll check tomorrow. They played Jane Pang/Weinstock.
In the 85s, Jane Lutz won again over Caroline Clark. Rita Price/Joyce Vanderpol won the 90 doubles over Elaine Mason/Cathie Hall.
In 85 doubles, Clark and Lutz are getting their money’s worth…they’ve gone 3 sets in every match, but only lost to Jones/Ray. The 85s are shown below, the top four teams.
There was a nice player dinner tonight and NSWTA silent auction. Cindy Babb won the Betty Gray Washington sportswoman award.
Results: http://m.tennislink.usta.com/TournamentHome/tournament.aspx?t=171179
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Houston Wednesday: On to the Semis and a Visit by Katrina Adams
We had an early start today, 8:30, but it was overcast, so the shadows weren’t a factor today at least and the weather was fine, 60s in the morning and 80s in the afternoon with a brief rain shower.
I played Vicki Buholz, a 5-8 seed today. She’s from the Dallas area, and teaches tennis at T-Bar there and is a member of the 2016 USA Maureen Connolly Cup team. The conditions were quite heavy and slow which probably favored me a bit. We had a 2+ hour match which was much closer than the 61 64 score would indicate. I did a lot of running! Diane Barker took out Susan Boyer 64 61 and I play Diane tomorrow morning. Susan Wright had a tussle with Marianne Caplan but won 76 64 (and finished before Vicki and I did, even though we started at the same time). Tracy Houk outlasted Kathy Vick 62 61. Tracy and Susan, who have known each other since the juniors in NorCal, will face off tomorrow.
In doubles, Susan and I played Abbi Neuthaler and Ligia Bottinelli. We won 63 62 but it lasted nearly two hours and featured a lot of long points and games (and lobs..hey, it’s clay).
We play Vicki and Marianne in doubles tomorrow; they beat Yvonne Gallop/Anne Pellow 64 62 today. Pam Cooke/Kim Lackey took out Kathy Foulk/Terri Thompson and in the match of the day, Houk and Vick beat Boyer/Erin Boynton 64 in the third…that was a match that had a lot of long points and rallies…it was fun to watch.
The 45s finals are set for singles and will be a repeat of the 2015 final between Jolene Watanabe and Julie Cass. Both advanced easily to the final, losing only 3 games between them. so both should be well rested for the final. Cass combined with Alissa Finerman to advance to the semis. They face the team we beat today in the semis. Abbi and Ligia upset #3 seeds Cooke/Lackey 76 (4) 75, rallying from 53 down in the second to win the final four games.
In the 65s, there were a number of upsets. In singles, Molly Hahn (5) took out her doubles partner, Vicky McEvoy (3) 64 63. Kathy Barnes advanced when Anne Guerrant retired after Kathy won the second set (she lost the first). Toni Novack beat Sue Bramlette and Martha Downing took out Carol Gay. In doubles, Barnes/Leslie Vallejo upset #3 seeded Hahn/McEvoy 46 64 64 but the remaining seeds advanced, though Cindy Babb/Barbara Hubbard barely escaped with a win over Debra Pruitt/Pam Simmons.
The four top seeds prevailed in the 75 doubles, though Miller and Woo won by the skin of their teeth over Judy Janc/Norma Veal 76 (5) in the third (no wonder Norma was napping in the locker room later in the day!). However, in singles, Donna Fales, Charleen Hillebrand, Sheila Weinstock and Suella Steel advanced with ease to the semis.
In the 85s, Carol Cofer and Jane Lutz are headed for a collision as are Cathie Hall and Rita Price in the 90s.
There was a super cocktail party with great food in the afternoon and Katrina Adams came by to watch some tennis and talk to the players and answer questions here. It was nice for the Chair of the Board of the USTA to take the time out of her busy schedule to visit the best senior tournament in the world.
More results: http://m.tennislink.usta.com/TournamentHome/tournament.aspx?t=171179
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Finals Set After Rainy Friday/Saturday in La Jolla: Hurlbut Wins 80 Indoors
Tina Karwasky and Jan Kirkland-Cochran finished their rain delayed 60s semis about 6pm yesterday. It poured til mid-afternoon in the San Diego area but the staff at LJBTC had the courts dried before the 4om resumption time. Martha Downing (neck, knee) had to retire from 60 singles and doubles, so Una Davis and I advanced to the final 64 02 ret. inj.
In the 50s, Judy Newman/Lisa Namu edged #2 seeded Erika Smith/Mary Dailey. Newman/Namu led 62 67 1/0 when play was suspended for the final time Friday and completed the upset 75 in the third. They play Hammagren/Lyons today.
Meanwhile in Vancouver, WA, Neil Hurlbut won his second straight 80s singles title
rollers at the ready in La Jolla to dry the courts
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Houston Clay Courts, Tuesday/Wednesday: The Balmy Calm before the Wintry Cold
The weather in Houston has been subject to a lot of discussion and many views of the Weather Channel on everyone’s smartphone this week. Originally it looked like a lot of rain each day…that hasn’t materialized fortunately. However, after a warm day today (low 80s), tomorrow brings a resumption of frigid weather (high of about 40) and wind. However the past two days have been pleasant and lots of great tennis has been played. The 35s begin tomorrow.
The 45s are out to the quarters, with Pam Ponwith scoring the only upset, over Daniela Esswein, a 5-8 seed. In doubles, the top four seeds reached the quarters. The top four seeds in the 45 doubles all advanced to the semis without the loss of more than a few games today.
In the 55s, Cindy Johnson began the tournament with a win over a 5-8 seed, and today beat #3 seeded Kathy Vick 60 63. The match was closer than the score, particularly the second set. Cindy is as patient though as Kathy, and there were lots of long moonball rallies, but Cindy was more effective at net and won the long rallies. Erin Boynton took on Susan Wright on the front court. Erin served well and used her heavy ground strokes to push Susan out of her comfort zone but Susan won the key points with some great passing shots and angles and made fewer errors in her 63 64 victory. Diane Barker made short work of Athena Cajas, winning 61 61. Ann Pellow rallied from a set down to beat Tracey Thompson 16 62 63. Thompson commented that Pellow played really well, hitting multiple lines and playing consistently deep. Barker plays Pellow and Johnson plays Wright tomorrow. In 55 doubles, yesterday, Ann Pellow/Kim Lackey upset the #2 seeds, Pam Cooke and Tracey Thompson 64 75. Pam and Tracey led 41 in the first set before Kim and Ann rallied, then Kim and Ann led 53 in the second only to go down 5-5 0-40 before rallying for the win. Today Susan Wright and I beat Yvonne Gallop/Kathy Foulk (who had taken out the 4th seeds) 63 62. We play Kim Steinmetz/Kathy Vick in the final. They beat Lackey/Pellow 62 62 today. This is a rematch of last year’s 55 indoor final.
The 65s had no upsets after the win by Pell over Bramlette on Monday. The top four seeds are out to the semis. Martha Downing is into the semis without losing a game and plays Anne Guerrant tomorrow while Brenda Carter takes on Kerry Young. In the 65 doubles, Cindy Babb/Brenda Carter rallied to beat #3 seeded Molly Hahn/Vicky McEvoy in three sets; they face #2 seeds Sue Bramlette/Kathy Barnes in the semis. Downing/Kathy Bennett face Bunny Smith/Kerry Young.
In the 75s, Ria Graham, a 5-8 seed, after narrowly avoiding an upset herself on Monday (winning 76 in the third against Kathy Langer), beat Roz King, the third seed, 76 (6) in the third set tiebreak today. She plays Donna Fales tomorrow, while Dori Devries, a three set winner over Dorcus Miller takes on Lyn Little. In doubles, Graham and Jessie Von Hippel ousted #4 seeded Chris Smith/Michaelin Watts 62 61 while Langer/Lyn Tietz, seeded 3rd, fell to Judy Janc/Susan Martin.
In the 85s, Jane Lutz takes on her doubles partner, Rita Price in the final.
Photos below from play on Tuesday and from the breakfast provided by the Club for the players (which is fantastic).
