Are you eligible to participate? Read the guidelines here. Of particular importance are the following changes which supersede the eligibility requirement and timelines as follows:
Approved 24-month USTA Category I USTA National Championship eligibility requirement, the option to participate in one USTA Super Category II National Tournament or one USTA Category II National Tournament within the last 24 months or participation in one Designated Open Sectional Championship within the last 12 months to fulfill the eligibility requirement; and
Approved to lengthen the selection time period for results that will be considered for selection from 24 months to 36 months.
2021 Young-Seniors World Championships (35/40/45)
Location: Umag, Croatia
Team Event: Sunday, Sept. 12 – Friday, Sept. 17, 2021
Players who have applied for consideration will be listed on the Preliminary Applicant List posted on USTA.com: April 13
Deadline to notify the USTA of any omissions to the posted Preliminary Applicant List (cutoff date for 24 month period for which to consider results): April 18
Team selection posted to USTA.com and players will be notified of their status: May 10
All paperwork (excluding travel itinerary) due to USTA staff (including player agreement, media packet, copy of passport, & IPIN): June 10
Players may make their travel arrangements: July 10
Click here to apply for a USA senior team. Applications closed January 10, 2021.
Location: Umag, Croatia
Team Event: Sunday, June 6 – Friday, June 11, 2021
Individual Event: Saturday, June 12 – Saturday, June 19, 2021
Are you eligible to participate? Read the guidelines here. Of particular importance are the following changes which supersede the eligibility requirement and timelines as follows:
Approved 24-month USTA Category I USTA National Championship eligibility requirement, the option to participate in one USTA Super Category II National Tournament or one USTA Category II National Tournament within the last 24 months or participation in one Designated Open Sectional Championship within the last 12 months to fulfill the eligibility requirement; and
Approved to lengthen the selection time period for results that will be considered for selection from 24 months to 36 months.
The 2021 USTA Seniors International Team Timeline is below:
2021 Seniors World Championships (50/55/60)
Location: Umag, Croatia
Team Event: Sunday, June 6 – Friday, June 11, 2021
Individual Event: Saturday, June 12 – Saturday, June 19, 2021
Applications Open: December 1, 2020:
Application Deadline: January 10, 2021
Players who have applied for consideration will be listed on the Preliminary Applicant List posted on USTA.com: January 13. Click here to view the list
Deadline to notify the USTA of any omissions to the posted Preliminary Applicant List (cutoff date for 24 month period for which to consider results): January 18
Team selection posted to USTA.com and players will be notified of their status: February 10. View the list here.
All paperwork (excluding travel itinerary) due to USTA staff (including player agreement, media packet, copy of passport, & IPIN): March 10
Players may make their travel arrangements: April 10
The International Tennis Federation is pleased to announce that the ITF Seniors (50-55-60) World Team & Individual Championships are now scheduled to be held in Umag, Croatia in June 2021.
The ITF Seniors Committee approved the alternative venue to hold the 50-55-60 World Team Championships from Sunday 6 – Friday 11 June and the 50-55-60 World Individual Championships from Saturday 12 – Saturday 19 June 2021. This follows the decision announced last month that the Championships would not be held as originally scheduled in Boca Raton & Palm Beach Gardens, USA due to the ongoing impact and uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The ITF will continue to monitor the global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and work closely with tournament hosts and the relevant authorities to prepare for this event. The priority in all decision making will remain the health and safety of participants. Nations and players are also advised to wait until the tournament fact sheet is published, expected in January 2021, before making travel and/or accommodation arrangements.
The full schedule of ITF Seniors World Championships in 2021 is now complete with the Young Seniors World Team & Individual Championships also in Umag from 12-25 September and the ITF Super-Seniors World Team & Individual Championships in Mallorca, Spain from 10-23 October 2021.
Matt Byford, ITF Juniors & Seniors manager said “The ITF is delighted that an alternative host for our Seniors World Championships has been secured so quickly and would like to thank the Croatian Seniors Tennis Association, Croatian Tennis Association, Plava Laguna and the City of Umag for their cooperation. The World Team & Individual Championships are a great highlight of the ITF Seniors calendar and it is fantastic for our playing community that they can now look ahead to June 2021 after the unfortunate cancellation of the event this year.”
This is the 2021 calendar to date from the USTA. Please check for updates here and at usta.com (https://www.usta.com/en/home/play/adult-tennis/programs/national/adult-tournaments-category-i-schedule.html)
Note that the Indoor Nationals now appear on the Level 2 Calendar and the winners do not receive gold balls.
Level 2 tournaments were formerly Super Category 2 Tournaments. Up to 8 will receive ITF Seniors points.
As of Dec 6, 2020, all Level 1-3 women’s tournaments have been cancelled for January and February.
The USTA schedule (as of 11/4/21) for Men’s Level 1 (Gold Ball) tournaments. For 2021 and going forward the Indoors will no longer receive Level 1 (formerly Category 1) points nor will gold balls be awarded to the winners. Click here to see the official USTA schedule and to check for updates and cancellations: https://www.usta.com/en/home/play/adult-tennis/programs/national/adult-tournaments-category-i-schedule.html ITF Points: The Clay and Hard will be ITF Level 1000 events; the Grass will be Level 700 events.
The following information is courtesy of and reprinted with permission of the NWTO (National Women’s Tennis Organization (click here to go its website).
Summary:
The USTA Adult Competition Committee (ACC) has decided to eliminate the Indoor Nationals as Gold ball events since they were the nationals which overall had the fewest participants of any Level I Nationals (formerly Cat I)
The ACC has also decided to eliminate required consolation at Level I & II tournaments and to instead require daily voluntary consolation sign ups (for draws of 6 or more players) Edit: Or allow feed-in consolation or feed-in to the quarters with a quarterfinal playoff, i.e. consolation for Level 1 & 2 will be mandatory but flexible as to format.
The ACC will require round robin doubles draws (with a knockout round or rounds) using a match tiebreak (10 point) instead of a full third set for Level I & II tournaments EDIT: Feed-in consolation (full or to QF) will also be allowed.
For ITF Ranking purposes the Hard and Clay Level 1 tournaments will receive more points (as “Masters” events) than the Grass Nationals
Certain Level 2 and Level 3 tournaments will receive ITF points
Family events will require round robin play up till the elimination round
Draws of 5 or fewer must be played as round robins
Tournament draws for 45 and under must start by Thursday (though there’s a qualifier “unless the draw size requires an earlier start) EDIT: qualifying may be allowed for draws too large to play in four days; which players must qualify to be determined (based on ranking, and where the players reside)
Maximum (note change from “minimum” to “maximum”) numbers of Level 2 and Level 3 tournaments set); EDIT: for Level 2 events there will be a maximum of 8 tournaments PER AGE DIVISION AND GENDER (so more than 8 tournaments overall…if one Level 2 tournament has only men and another only women, they would count as 1 ITF tournaments and 1 Level 2 tournament)
Also study the PPR tables: the winner of a Level 2 tournament receives the same points as the losing finalist of a Level 1; the winner of a Level 3 tournament receives the same points as the losing finalists of a Level 2 tournament or the losing semifinalist of a Level 1 tournament. Basically the winner of a Level 2 receives 70% of Level 1 points. The PPR tables can be found here.
Change 1: Eliminate one Category 1 (Level 1) surface in each Division (where there are four Category 1 (Level 1) events in a Division and play is on the four different surfaces – clay, grass, hard and indoor)
Change 1 Background: Over 50% of tournament participation comes from the top 25% of tournaments. 80% of tournament participation comes from the top 50% of events. Eliminating one Category 1 (Level 1) event in each Division streamlines the tournament calendar without materially effecting overall tournament participation.
Change 2: The Category 1 (Level 1) surface to be eliminated is the indoor surface for all Level 1 indoor events in all Divisions.
Change 2 Background: For events played on all 4 surfaces, participation in indoor events is in the bottom half in over 83% of the Divisions, and in the bottom quartile in 60% of the Divisions.
Bottom Bottom
Half Quartile
Clay 31% 11%
Grass 55% 22%
Hard 31% 7%
Indoor 83% 60%
Change 3: Award ITF Seniors 1000 points for USTA Level 1 events for Gender Divisions played on clay and hard courts only. Award ITF Seniors 700 points for USTA Level 1 events for Gender Divisions played on grass courts.
Change 3 Background: In 2021, the ITF is awarding ITF Seniors 1000 points for USTA Level 1 gender Divisions played on two different. This is an enhancement for USTA Level 1 events which currently receive ITF Seniors 700 points. Because the highest participation events are on clay and hard court surfaces, Divisions played on those surfaces will be awarded ITF Seniors 1000 points. Level 1 gender Divisions played on grass will be awarded ITF Seniors 700 points.
Change 4: Level 1 gender events – For singles main draws of 6 or more players, Level 1 events will require a traditional single elimination draw with a daily voluntary consolation sign-up. Main draw singles matches will use a match format of best of 3 tie break sets. Singles consolation matches will use a match format of two sets and a match tiebreak in lieu of a third set. In doubles, Level 1 events will require Round Robin draws or Round Robin flights with elimination playoffs and a match format of two sets and a match tiebreak in lieu of a third set. The Coman tiebreak will be used for all tiebreaks.
Change 4 Background: A key goal for the ACC is to enhance the tournament experience for singles and doubles players in all events. In singles the physical demands of playing in the consolation rounds plus frequent player withdrawals have hurt player experience and participation. In doubles, player evaluation and feedback supports high player satisfaction and success in Divisions played with Round Robin formats. Match formats other than the traditional three full sets are becoming more common, and it is believed that in all events except main draw singles that it is the appropriate time to implement two sets and a match tiebreak in lieu of a third set across all national events. These changes align with ITF requirements so that the events receive ITF status and points.
Change 5: For gender related Level 1 and Level 2 events with participants age 45 and under, tournaments will be required to start no sooner than Thursday unless required by draw size. Main draw singles matches will use a match format of best of 3 tie break sets for events that are longer than 4 days. For singles events that are 4 days or less and for singles consolation matches will use a match format of two sets and a match tiebreak in lieu of a third set.
Change 5 Background: A key goal for the ACC is to enhance the tournament experience for players in all events. Players in many age groups, and especially in the age 45 and under age groups, have less discretionary time in which to play national tournaments. By shortening the length of the events it is hoped that more players will be attracted to participate. Using an alternative match format for age 45 and under events is consistent with ITF standards.
Change 6: Family Divisions – All Level 1 Family will require Round Robin draws or Round Robin flights with elimination playoffs, and a match format of two sets and a match tiebreak in lieu of a third set. Alternative play and scoring formats for Family events must be submitted to and approved by the Sanctions Committee.
Change 6 Background: In doubles, player evaluation and feedback support high player satisfaction and success in Divisions played with Round Robin formats. Match scoring formats other than the traditional three full sets are becoming more common, and it is believed that it is the appropriate time to implement two sets and a match tiebreak in lieu of a third set across all national Family events. It is understood that there are Family events with large draws played over 3-4 days, thus the Sanctions Committee will consider alternative formats for these types of events.
Change 7: Level 2 gender events – For singles main draws of 6 or more players, Level 2 events will require a traditional single elimination draw with a daily voluntary consolation sign-up. Main draw singles matches will use a match format of best of 3 tie break sets. Singles consolation matches will use a match format of two sets and a match tiebreak in lieu of a third set. In doubles, Level 2 events will require a Round Robin draws or Round Robin flights with elimination playoff and a match format of two sets and a match tiebreak in lieu of a third set. The Coman tiebreak will be used for all tiebreaks. These changes align with ITF requirements so that the events receive ITF status and points.
Change 7 Background: A key goal for the ACC is to enhance the tournament experience for singles and doubles players in all Level 2 events. In singles the “one and done” approach has hurt player experience and participation. In doubles, player evaluation and feedback supports high player satisfaction and success in Divisions played with Round Robin formats. Match formats other than the traditional three full sets are becoming more common, and it is believed that in all events except main draw singles that it is the appropriate time to implement two sets and a match tiebreak in lieu of a third set across all events.
Change 8: Designate up to 10 tournaments as Level 2 events and 12 tournaments as Level 3 events in 2021. Provide ITF Seniors 700 points for the gender and mixed divisions appropriate for Level 2 events and ITF Seniors 400 points for the gender and mixed divisions in Level 3 events. The sanction for Level 2 and Level 3 tournaments will be based on (1) overall tournament participation, (2) players per event (PPE), (3) number of Divisions in the tournament and (4) other criteria such as player feedback, quality of courts and player social events. Standards for comparable ITF events will also be considered when awarding sanctions for these events. There may be Level 2 and Level 3 tournaments that will not receive ITF Seniors points.
Change 8 Background: Limiting the number of Level 2 and Level 3 tournaments including those receiving ITF Seniors points is expected to grow the number of Level 2 and Level 3 events. [comment: this paragraph seems to have an error in it…stay tuned for an update.]
The USTA has announced that the teams listed above will represent the USA in International competition in Umag, Croatia June 6-11 2021. The individual Seniors World Championships will follow June 12-19. Click here to see the announcement on usta.com.
NEW DATES: September 20-26, 2021 for the Women’s 35-90 Clay Courts at the Houston Racquet Club Sue Bramlette TD off the Houston Women’s Clay Court Championships reported today that the USTA has confirmed the dates of September 20-26 for the National Women’s Clay Courts in Houston. The dates changed due to the delay in the vaccine distribution, making the original mid-April too risky for the players and club.
Here is the link to the official USTA Level 1-3 Schedule to date: https://www.usta.com/en/home/play/adult-tennis/programs/national/adult-tournaments1.html As of February 9, 2021 the following tournaments have been cancelled for 2021: Women’s 35-85 Grass at Germantown: Cancelled Women’s 30-80 Grass at Forest Hills: Cancelled Men’s 40/45/50 Grass at Germantown: Cancelled Father/Daughter & Mother/Son Indoors in So Barrington IL: Cancelled West Coast Seniors (Level 2, Men) and Joanne Russell Cup (Level 2 Women) in Naples: Cancelled The Lamita Jabour Grandes Dames tournament in Fort Lauderdale Grandes Dames, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Both were to be ITF S700. Men’s Level 3 tournament in Naples January 10-16 St Petersburg men’s Level 2 tournament which was to take place in February has been cancelled. From TD Jerry Ratledge (via Joe Rasgado): “I can now confirm that our tournament has been officially cancelled. We reluctantly concluded that the risks of holding a large, Level 2, National & International tournament during an escalating pandemic are simply too great. We look forward to a fun, safe, and normalized tournament in 2022.” El Paso Senior Open Level 3 (Aug 25-30) Marin Seniors Men’s Bocage Kevel 2, Baton Rouge, LA Good News!: Jan 19 Update: Mission Hills has approved the Women’s 35-85 Hard […]
The application for a spot on one of the Senior Cup teams (Men/Women 50/55/60+) are now closed. View the list of applicants here: Applicants USTA.com 2021 ITF Seniors Team Championships.xlsx List of 2021 Senior Team Players Applications will closed Jan 10, 2021 The Cups will take place in June in Umag, Croatia. (Coronavirus permitting). Read more about the Cups and view the timeline here.
Location: Mallorca, Spain Team Event: Sunday, Oct. 10 – Friday, Oct. 15, 2021 Individual Event: Saturday, Oct. 16 – Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021 Are you eligible to participate? Read the guidelines here. Of particular importance are the following changes which supersede the eligibility requirement and timelines as follows: Approved 24-month USTA Category I USTA National Championship eligibility requirement, the option to participate in one USTA Super Category II National Tournament or one USTA Category II National Tournament within the last 24 months or participation in one Designated Open Sectional Championship within the last 12 months to fulfill the eligibility requirement; and Approved to lengthen the selection time period for results that will be considered for selection from 24 months to 36 months. 2021 Super Senior International Teams Timeline Location: Mallorca, Spain Team Event: Sunday, Oct. 10 – Friday, Oct. 15, 2021 Individual Event: Saturday, Oct. 16 – Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021 Applications Open: April 1, 2021 Application Deadline: May 1, 2021 Players who have applied for consideration will be listed on the Preliminary Applicant List posted on USTA.com: May 5 Deadline to notify the USTA of any omissions to the posted Preliminary Applicant List (cutoff date for 24 month period […]
Andi Polisky, the tournament director of the 35-85 Women’s Hard Courts scheduled for October in Rancho Mirage, CA has cancelled this event.
Trish Faulkner, the tournament director for the Women’s 40-80 Clay Courts scheduled for October in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, has cancelled this event.
Both tournament directors expect their events to resume in 2021.
Both tournaments were ITF Grade A events, all of which have been cancelled for 2020 (unless granted a downgrade to a Grade 2, 3, or 4).
Update: All USTA Category I Family, Age Division and Open tournaments have been cancelled for 2020. Tournaments have the option to hold these events as Designated Sectional tournaments with Category II points.
The ITF has announced a resumption of play for the ITF Seniors Circuits of August 31, 2020.
Grade 2, 3, and 4 tournaments only shall resume in 2020; Regional, Grade A and Grade 1 tournaments can apply to take place as Grade 2 tournaments if the ITF approves the change.
Rankings:
Best 4 tournaments from the period of March 18, 2019-March 14 2021 will be used.
Starting March 15, 2021, results from 2019 or 2020 will start to drop, replaced by their 2021 points. This is subject to change if the pandemic continues to restrict travel or for other reasons determined by the ITF.
Through at least December 31, 2020, players can only add to their point total, they cannot have their frozen point total reduced.
The ITF plans to return to the 52 week ranking period in December 2021.
Read below for exact details. This is subject to change if ongoing travel restrictions and lack of tournaments warrants it.
From the ITF Website: “(updated 14 July). Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the ITF Seniors (50-55-60 years), the ITF Young Seniors (35-40-45 years) and the ITF Super-Seniors (65-70-75-80-85years) World Team & Individual Championships will not be held in 2020.”
These events will be held at the same locations in 2021 as they were scheduled to be played in 2020.
The dates for the Seniors World Team Championships are confirmed to be April 25-May 8 2021 in Boca Raton and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
I hope everyone is staying healthy and playing tennis near home. Hope to see you next year!
The ITF Press Release regarding the new tournament grades reads in part:
“2021 will see changes to the tournament structure, tournament grading system and a new tournament recognition scheme….”
“Among the most important changes to be introduced in 2021 is a new, refined and simplified tournament structure. The previous Grade A to Grade 4 naming will be replaced by numeric figures representing the points available to the winning player or players in each event.”
[These will be the World Championships, ITF Seniors 1000 (maximum of 12 world wide, minimum of one but no more than four in any one region) 700, 400, 200 and 100 tournaments.]
“The ITF Seniors World Championships – Young Seniors, Seniors and Super-Seniors categories – will remain the highlight of the season and the highest grade on the circuit.
The 2021 structure will also introduce a new grade – ITF Seniors 1000, a small number of global tournaments aimed at elite players within each age group. These events will offer a greater value of ranking points, relative to the points available at the World Championships.
In addition, four further grades will exist to provide a more appropriate tournament experience to players of different standards. Clearly defined entry-level tournaments – ITF Seniors 100 – are designed to provide more competitive opportunities and appropriate tournament formats for the huge number of players who already compete, while also attracting new tournaments and players to the circuit.”
“Matt Byford, Manager, ITF Seniors said: “We are very pleased to announce several developments to further enhance the tournament experience for players, officials, tournament organisers and our member nations from 2021 onwards….”
ITF Statement regarding ITF Seniors (50-55-60) World Team & Individual Championships
In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the ITF has suspended all Tours, including the ITF Seniors Tour until 13 July 2020, aligning with the ATP and WTA Tours respectively. This includes the postponement of the ITF Seniors (50-55-60 years) World Team & Individual Championships which had been scheduled to take place In Boca Raton and Palm Beach Gardens, USA from 26 April to 9 May 2020.
The ITF has been working with the host organiser, venues, event partners and independent travel advisors in recent weeks to identify a safe and viable date to reschedule the event in 2020. Protecting the health and well-being of players, officials, guests, club members and local communities has remained the priority.
Due to the ongoing global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has not been possible to achieve the criteria set for the event to be rescheduled in 2020, and as such the ITF Seniors (50-55-60 years) World Team & Individual Championships will not be held in 2020.
The 2021 ITF Seniors (50-55-60 years) World Team & Individual Championships will therefore take place in Boca Raton & Palm Beach Gardens, with the precise dates to be announced in due course. The ITF will continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation alongside tournament hosts and partners, with the aim of resuming ITF tournaments as soon as it is safe to do so.
The ITF Young Seniors (35-40-45 years) World Championships scheduled for 13-26 September 2020 in Umag, Croatia and the ITF Super-Seniors (65-70-75-80-85 years) World Championships scheduled for 11- 24 October 2020 in Mallorca, Spain both remain on the 2020 calendar.
If you have any queries, please contact the ITF Seniors Department by email – seniors@itftennis.com
USTA Statment: “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 July 12.”
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.
Updated April 1, 2020: Events now suspended until July 13, 2020.
Updated May 15, 2020: ITF Cancels all events through July 31, 2020 (including all seniors events).
The ITF today announced that all ITF events, including seniors events, are cancelled until at least June 8, 2020 (now July 13th). Read more here.
Here is the full text of the press release:
“Statement 18 MAR 2020”
“ALL ITF EVENTS POSTPONED UNTIL 8 JUNE 2020”
“After careful consideration and in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the ITF has postponed the ITF World Tennis Tour until Monday 8 June 2020. This aligns with the ATP and WTA’s suspension of their respective tours and the decision by the Fédération Française de Tennis to postpone Roland Garros.
In addition to the suspension of the men’s and women’s ITF World Tennis Tour, the ITF will also postpone the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors, the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour, ITF Beach Tennis World Tour, and ITF Seniors Tour until 8 June 2020.
The ITF, ATP and WTA firmly believe it is better for everyone in the tennis community if we work together. We are committed to working through these matters with players, tournaments and our national and regional associations in the weeks and months ahead. More than ever, the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic to professional tennis demand collaboration and unity in order for us to do what is right for our fans, players and tournaments.
ITF President David Haggerty said, “In these challenging times, it is more important than ever for our sport to pull together to provide as much certainty as possible to all those affected by these postponements. We recognise the huge impact this will have, but ultimately the health and safety of players, officials and spectators has to be our primary concern. The ITF is committed to taking a responsible approach, working with all tennis stakeholders to enable players of all levels to resume playing as soon as it is safe to do so.”
2020 ITF Seniors (50-55-60) World Team & Individual Championships
*POSTPONED*
Updated April 23, 2020: Postponed till 2021, dates TBA
Location
Team Championships: Boca Raton, Florida, USA
Individual Championships: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA
Dates
As of 17 March 2020, the ITF Seniors (50-55-60) World Team & Individual Championships is postponed as a precautionary measure linked to the potential impact of the COVID-19 virus on the event.
Every effort will be made by the host organisers, USTA and ITF to reschedule the event for a later date in 2020 provided a safe, viable date can be identified. Further updates relating to this will follow in due course.
Venues
Team Championships: Boca Raton, Florida, USA
Individual Championships: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA
Fact Sheet
The fact sheet for both the Team & Individual Championships are available below should they be helpful to you in contacting hotels in the City. They will remain until the end of March for this purpose.
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.
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.
