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  • Rivera, Tammen Win Men’s 55/60 Grass

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols Comment

    Draws are here.

    The Men’s 55/60 Grass had a new venue, the Agawam Hunt Club in Rumford, RI. Despite some rain and big draws in the 60s, the tournament finished on schedule.

    The two winners took vastly different paths to the gold.

    In the 55s, Alfredo Rivera, seeded 4th, upset #2 Andy Stoner 63 64 in the semis and then took out John Saviano (who was trailing by a set and up 4/3 in the second when Dan Goldie (1) had to retire with an injury in the semis). Saviano won the first set 76(6) but Rivera dominated the final sets 62 62. Stoner took bronze by default.

    In contrast, Mike Tammen, the #1 seed in the 60s, sailed into the final without trouble, beating Richard Jordan(8) 62 61 in the semis. There he faced Tim Klitch. Klitch, seeded 4, also reached the final without trouble, beating unseeded Ralph Saviano (who earlier took out the #2 seed) 63, 62 in the semis. It was Klitch’s first national final. Tammen won in straight sets, but the second set was the closest Tammen had in the tournament…he had to come back from a break down to win it 64. Jordan won the bronze 76 54 ret. inj. over Saviano.

    David Box/Andy Stoner beat Tammen/Ken White 64 63 for the 55 doubles title. Sanjiv Pillai/Brad Jefferies won bronze.

    Richard Jordan/Tim Keegand beat Carl Norbeck/Scott Snow 62 61 to winthe 60 doubles. Stuart Chase/Alex Pier won the bronze.


    📂This entry was posted in ITF ITF Seniors 700 Level 1 Tournaments Men's 55/60 Grass 2021 Men's 55/60 Grass 2021 USTA 📎and tagged

  • National 40-80 Clay: Practice Day

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols Comment

    Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

    Draws are here.

    The women’s tournament season in the USA basically skipped most of the summer for higher level tournaments (only 2 from June-mid-September), but now is packed! I flew from Houston on Friday night. It was an uneventful flight but I did leave my phone in the rental (I realized it pretty quickly…before I got on the shuttle), then went through security before remembering to do my “Clear’ biometrics…which had to be done in a different terminal. I had arrived nice and early though and was still early to the gate.

    Yesterday I had a tennis rest day but a busy one…laundry, packing for my international trip next weekend, flu shot, grocery shopping (always hard to dash in and out of Costco or even Trader Joe’s for that matter) for next week (three house guests)…plus getting ready for one guest who came in last night.

    Today I practiced with Erin Nevin from Palm Beach Gardens who also practices with Jenny Klitch. We practiced a lot during lockdown and it paid off for all of us. The courts at the Palm Beach Gardens Tennis Center are really nice…new, hydro-courts and the clubhouse is also new and quite nice and beautiful to look at. Two years ago the clubhouse was a couple of temporary trailers, so this is quite an upgrade. There are two more stadium courts as well. It was breezy and warm but not too oppressive and the weather forecast for the week is mostly dry.

    I don’t play till Wednesday but then the tournament starts with a bang, singles and doubles.

    Palm Beach Gardens Tennis Center (A public facility! 20 green clay courts plus some hard courts and pickle ball. )

    📂This entry was posted in ITF ITF Seniors 700 ITF Tournaments Level 1 Tournaments Palm Beach Gardens 40-80 Women's Clay 2021 Tennis 📎and tagged

  • Houston Day 7: Smashey Wins 35 Singles; Morris/Toney Win 45 Doubles

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols Comment

    Click here to see the draws and results. 

    Click here to see photos.

    Sunday was the final day of the 2021 Clay Courts in Houston, which was the 50th anniversary of this tournament. It’s always a great event but this year’s edition seemed better than every. Many thanks to everyone who made the tournament great, especially Sue Bramlette and the very supportive Bob Bramlette. It was fun and see you next year!

    Kaysey Smashey beat Alina Mihailescu in three sets to win the 35 clay singles.

    Jennifer Toney/Tammy Morris won the 45 doubles over unseeded Corrine Loeffler/Kristin Warren 76 60. Brandi Bratek, the third seed won the bronze.

    And that’s a wrap on the 2021 Clay Courts in Houston…coming up, the 40-80 Clay in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida!


    📂This entry was posted in Houston Houston National Clay Courts Houston National Women's Clay Courts ITF ITF Seniors 1000 ITF Seniors 700 Level 1 Tournaments Travel 📎and tagged

  • Houston Day 6: Julie Thu Blanks Field to Win 45 Clay; Kaysie Smashey/Thu Win 35 Doubles

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols 2 Comments

    Click here to see the draws and results. 

    Click here to see photos.

    Last night I flew to Florida for the 60 national clay but the Houston tournament is still going. The tournament was scheduled so the older divisions started on Monday, the 45s on Wednesday and the 35s on Thursday.

    Julie Thu won the 45 singles title without dropping a set. She beat #2 seed Luciana Roldan in the final. She’s an amazing player, lefty with double handed groundies. She pummels the ball after angling opponents off the court. Leslie Wargo mount an impressive comeback to take the bronze over #3 Dianne Lee 06 62 63.

    Julie Thu

    In the 35s, Kaysie Smashey and Alina Mihailescu are in the final which will be held tomorrow (Sunday) morning. Smashey and Thu won the 35 doubles over unseeded Linda Sheldon/Megan Wnuk 62 60. Brandi Bratek (3) will face Chiara Combs for the bronze.

    In the 45 doubles, the top seeds, Anne Frautschi/Susanne Zuniga defaulted to Jennifer Toney/Tamy Morris, the 3rd seeds; they play Corrine Loeffler/Kristin Warren who took out the #2 seeds Stacey Williams/Mariana Hollman and the #3 seeds, Rainy Miller/Vikki Dudley to reach the final which is Sunday. Miller/Dudley won the bronze by default over Frautschi/Zuniga.

    In 55 consolation singles, Tracey Thompson beat Paulson by default over Christine Paulson.

    In 65 consolation singles, Pat Purcell beat Frances O’Sullivan 60 60.


    📂This entry was posted in Houston Houston National Clay Courts Houston National Women's Clay Courts ITF ITF Seniors 1000 ITF Seniors 700 Level 1 Tournaments Tennis Travel 📎and tagged

  • Houston Clay Nationals Day 5: Klitch, Nichols, DeVries, Price Win Singles Titles; Buholz/Prejean Take 55 Doubles

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols Comment

    National Women’s Clay Courts, Houston, Day 5

    Click here to see the draws and results. 

    Click here to see photos.

    It was another beautiful, sunny warm (but not humid) day in Houston Friday, and there were a lot of matches both in the main draw and consolation draws. 

    As usual there was a delicious lunch and breakfast for the players…on the menu for lunch were make your own burger (using hamburger, barbecued chicken or portabella mushrooms), various salads, green, coleslaw, potato, house made potato chips, sweet potato fries and the club’s awesome cookies. Again, I cannot say enough thanks to Sue Bramlette for directing the best senior tournament, full stop. 

    I had a 9am match, and Jenny K and I warmed up as usual at 7:30. I played Tina Karwasky, the 2017-9 champion in the 65s and won 62 63. Tina slipped during the second set and skinned her knee…she was icing it, her other knee and right shoulder after the match. The conditions weather wise were perfect..70s and no wind, but the extreme contrast between sun and shadow made play tricky at times. Bunnie Jackson beat Sherri Bronson in three sets to take the 65 bronze. Lisa Musgrave beat Andrea Barnes in three sets to place fifth. In the consolation to determine 9th place, Pat Purcell beat Leslie Murveit in three sets and takes on Frances O’Sullivan next. 

    After I finished, we took some photos and I watched Jenny Klitch, (#1 in the world in 55s) play Renee Saheim, an energetic lefty who is an excellent player. Klitch though played a terrific match, smacking winners left and right (no Renee hit seemed safe from Jenny’s returns) and making Renee run a lot. The points were great but Klitch won 62 62. Gayle Prejean took third. In consolation, beating Laurie Capra 62 ret. (Capra had a loooong match two days earlier, with kathy Vick, plus doubles), Tracey Thompson won a marathon with Heidi Gerger 67 76 (12) 63! She faces Paulson in the 9-10 playoff. Vicki Buholz won the 5-8 playoff over McWilliams (winner of the 5 hour 15 minute match against Kathy Vick yesterday) 61, ret. McWilliams was pulling up after every point. Winning a match against Kathy Vick this tournament was a pyrrhic victory. After singles Renee had the doubles final with Lori Gonzalez against Buholz/Prejean, the 55 world doubles champions. Buholz/Prejean dropped the first set but rallied to win and take the gold in three sets.

    Dori Devries won the Women’s 85s when Carol Wood had to retire after dropping the first set 64 with hamstring and arm injuries. Sheila Palmer took the bronze over Burnett Herrick 64 64. Laurie Leach was 5th.

    Julie Thu took very little time in beating Dianne Lee Friday..Lee didn’t play badly but Thu just kept hitting winners at the end of points, angles then line shots. She plays Luciana Roldan in the 45s final this morning. In 45 doubles, the 1, 3 and 4 seeds survived but the #2 seeds, Stacey Williams/Mariana Hollman lost to Loeffler/Warren.

    Kaysie Smashey started her tournament with a win in the 35s and faces #3 Brandi Bratek in the semis. Alina Mihailescu (2) faces unseeded Chiara Combs who beat the 4th seed when she had to retire at 1-1 in the third set.

    Rita Price won the 90 singles despite not having played singles for two years and being 95! She attributed her wins to Tai Chi and dancing…and she is a very good dancer. If you are on Facebook check out the video from the player party of Rita dancing to New York New York.


    📂This entry was posted in Houston Houston National Clay Courts Houston National Women's Clay Courts ITF ITF Seniors 1000 ITF Tournaments Level 1 Tournaments Travel USTA 📎and tagged

  • Houston National Clay Courts Day 4: Carter Takes 75 Singles Crown (corrected); Jackson/Savitt Win 65 Doubles; Castell/Kimball Win 75 Doubles; Devries/Wood Win 85 Doubles

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols Comment

    Houston, Texas

    Click here to see the draws and results. 

    Click here to see photos.

    Brenda Carter mounted an impressive comeback in the second set to win the 75 singles gold ball in Houston today. She won 62 76(8), rallying from 2-5 in the second set against Carolann Castell. Castell did a good job during the second set of hitting deep and finishing at net to forge a 5-2 lead, but Carter became more aggressive according to Castell and closed out the match in straight sets.

    In the 55s, Jenny Klitch beat Laurie Capra 61 61 and Renee Saheim beat Gayle Prejean 62 63 to advance to the final. Klitch and Capra played in the shadows on the third court down but Klitch played a near perfect match, and ran off what was left of Capra’s legs (she had a marathon match yesterday with Kathy Vick). Saheim and Prejean played in front of the clubhouse and it was an interesting match; they hadn’t played before and you could see the players adjust their strategies; Saheim, a lefty, alternated drops, approaches to the net, and hard hit backhands in her win. In the backdraw, Vicki Buholz went down 4/0 against Shelly Works, then won the next 12 games…Jacqueline McWilliams edged kathy Vick in a 5 hour 15 minute match to reach the 5/6 playoff match against Buholz…I heard there were a lot of high (moon) balls in that match.

    Saheim/L Gonzalez, unseeded, took out the # 2 seeds in 55 doubles yesterday and today beat the #3 seeds, both in straight sets. They face Buholz/Prejean who won in straight sets to reach the final.

    Tina Karwasky just loves the matchup with Sherri Bronson…it’s great for Tina and bad for Sherri, matchups are like that sometimes. Tina won 60 60 and Sherri said Tina played flawlessly. I played Bunny Jackson and won 60 61 in a good match, closer than the score. Bunny is a tall lefty and tricky, it was a good win and am looking forward to tomorrow. In the backdraw Andrea Barnes beat Kathy Foulk 61 61 and Lisa Musgrave ended Ginny Beneke’s singles tournament 61 61 by coming to net on most points.

    In 65 doubles, Bunny Jackson/Betsy Savitt edged Andrea Barnes/Leslie Murveit in the first set of the final 76, rallying from 1-4 and 4-5 down, then took the second 62 to win the gold. Karwasky/Jan Cochran won the bronze over Kandy Chain/Lisa Musgrave 62 62.

    Bottom: Carol Wood/Dori DeVries, Brenda Carter, Winstead, Anderson, Kimball, Castell

    Castell/Sue Kimball won the 75 doubles 60 76 over Cathie Anderson/Brenda Winstead. Till the second set Castell/Kimball hadn’t lost a game all tournament. Elizabeth Barnhill/Sherri Floor took the bronze.

    The 85 doubles title was won by Dori DeVries/Carol Wood in a tight match over Sheila Palmer/Burnett Herrick 75 76. Palmer thought her team had some set points along the way.

    The 45s is underway and Leslie Wargo upset 3rd seeded Teresa Merklin to reach the semis as the other seeds advanced. Thus far there are no upsets in 45 doubles.

    The 55, 65 & 85 singles final and 55 doubles final are tomorrow.


    📂This entry was posted in Houston Houston National Clay Courts Houston National Women's Clay Courts ITF ITF Seniors 1000 Level 1 Tournaments Travel 📎and tagged

  • National Women’s Clay Courts Day 3: Jones/Kuckhahn Win 90 Doubles

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols 1 Comment

    Houston, Texas

    Click here to see the draws and results. 

    Click here to see photos.

    The weather changed from torrid to delightful overnight and today it was breezy, sunny, warm and the humidity dropped (in other words Houston weather changed to San Diego weather). I even had to get out my warm up pants and jacket! The tennis wasn’t bad either!

    Lunch today was excellent; salad with all the fixings (cheese, olives, mushrooms, peas, corn, pecans and more); chicken, beef and pork which could be put into a tortilla cup with the fixings (beans, salsa, avocado etc.), tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches, and three kinds of cookies.

    And there was tennis too. I played at 9am…Jenny K and I warmed up early, then I played Andrea Barnes. I won 60 62 but the second set in particular was quite good; Andrea and I both had to make some strategy changes as the match advanced. Jenny beat Jacqueline McWilliams from Texas 60 61 but they had some great points and used the entire court.

    In the 65s, the seeds advanced; I play Bunny Jackson (a 6′ lefty) who beat Kathy Foulk 60 63; Tina Karwasky fended off a challenge from Lisa Culp Musgrave, 76 (5) 62; Lisa had a set point and missed a drop shot in the first set. Sherri Bronson ousted and outlasted Ginny Beneke (described as an energizer bunny) 75 57 61, using her experience and competitiveness to win the match. However, the doubles matches both resulted in upsets; Jackson/Betsy Savitt beat Karwasky/Jan Cochran (#1) 60 46 61 and Barnes/Leslie Murveit took out #2 seeds Musgrave/Kandy Chain in three long sets 75 36 64…the final should be another great match.

    In the 55s, Renee (Tharpe) Saheim (5) played a great match to beat Vicki Buholz (#2); Renee is a lefty with a great two-handed backhand, nice volleys and excellent mobility…she won 64 61. Renee plays Gayle Prejean (5) who upset Shelly Works (4) 63 62 in a match that had VERY long rallies…the match lasted several hours. Laurie Capra (unseeded) beat #3 Kathy Vick in a match that was about three hours long 64 67 64. Towards the end of the third both competitors had game points in the 4-4 and 5-4 games but Capra finally got over the finish line with an aggressive groundstroke. The 55 doubles are still going on…

    In the 75s, Brenda Carter beat Sue Kimball 62 64; Kimball said it was the best she’d played to date against Carter; Carolann Castell took out Cathie Anderson (winner of the marathon with Brenda Winstead yesterday) 62 63. Speaking of Winstead; after finishing play yesterday (she also played doubles with Anderson after their three-set singles), she had to visit the emergency room for full body cramping. Castell/Kimball were supposed to play Anderson/Winstead today but agreed to postpone the match till tomorrow to allow Winstead some recovery time (unless it rained in which case Castell/Kimball would take the default according to Kimball). The weather forecast though is for dry weather tomorrow.

    In the 85s, Carol Wood and Dori DeVries won their respective round robin groups and will play the final on Friday. In doubles Burnett Herrick/Sheila Palmer and DeVries/Wood both won easily and will play their final round robin match, this one for a gold ball, tomorrow.

    The 45 singles and doubles began today; there were no upsets but Dianne Lee (3) had to dig out a tough match against Emma Nguyen 36 60 76 (4).

    And then for the 90s…I had the ages wrong yesterday: Rita Price is 95; Sally Fuller is not 97 but 91 or 92; Janet Hubbard is 92 and Joyce Vanderpol is 97 (see photo below). Also Joyce Jones is 91. Trudy Kuckhahn and Jones won the gold in the 90s over Vanderpol/Fuller 60 62. Jones beat Fuller in the round robin singles 62 60 and Price beat Hubbard by default; Price and Jones play tomorrow.

    Fuller, Vanderpol, Jones, Kuckhahn


    📂This entry was posted in Houston Houston National Clay Courts ITF ITF Seniors 1000 ITF Seniors 700 Level 1 Tournaments Tennis Travel 📎and tagged

  • National Women’s Clay Courts: Torrid Tuesday in Houston

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols Comment

    Houston, Texas, USA

    Click here to see the draws and results.

    Click here to see photos.

    It was sweltering, torrid, hot, humid, oppressive, sultry…air temps around 100 with high humidity in Houston today. Not everyone survived the heat (to finish her match…no one keeled over). I warmed up again at 7:30 with Jenny Klitch and was soaked after just over 30 minutes of warm up. I played Debbie Burgess and was soaked again after about an hour of play. Jenny was less soaked but her match was shorter.

    There were a few upsets and some very good matches today. And as usual the club put on a great buffet breakfast (same options as yesterday, why change a good thing?) and today a very nice lunch (salad with the fixings of nuts, fruit, cheese and dressing), bread, butter, crackers, baked sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, all the fixings (sour cream, butter, green onions, bacon, cheese) and pulled pork, shredded beef and shredded chicken…and barbecue sauce (it is Texas)…plus lemon cupcakes and chocolate chip blondies for desert.

    The 55s had no upsets today other than Anna Zimmermann who had to withdraw due to illness. In doubles, Rainy Miller was able to get a replacement in doubles (Renee Heckler), thanks to the efforts of tournament director extraordinaire Sue Bramlette) and they won today. Most winning players were efficient in their matches today.

    In the 65s, Lisa (Cup) Musgrave took out #5 seed Leslie Murveit 61 76. The biggest upset though was that of energizer bunny Ginny Beneke (who played a long 3-setter yesterday) over Pat Purcell…actually it was 5-5 in the first set when Pat had to retire due to injury. And it was very hot. Tomorrow I play Andrea Barnes, a 62 63 winner over Frances O’Sullivan; Beneke takes on Sherri Bronson; Bunny Jackson plays Kathy Foulk and Tina Karwasky plays Musgrave. Musgrave and Kandy Chain, the #2 seeds, had a tough match today with Bronson/Foulk. The latter team was up 5-2 in the first set and had several set points at 53 and 54 before falling 76 63. There were some stellar lobs by Sherri Bronson but Musgrave added some nice volleys and drops of her own…it was a good match.

    Ginny Beneke, Brenda Carter

    In the 75s, doubles partners Cathie Anderson and Brenda Winstead had to play each other in the quarters and had a long, hot, very good battle. Cathie took the first set; Brenda blitzed Cathie in the second but Cathie has unbelievably good anticipation (and a killer backhand)…she sliced and dropped her way to a third set win. Anderson plays Castell next (who took a direct, efficient path to the semis); Brenda Carter faces Sue Kimball on the other half. Anderson/Winstead won their doubles match in straight sets to reach the final against Kimball/Castell.

    Cathie Anderson and Brenda Winstead right after their match, which was really a great match. They combined to reach the doubles final later in the day.

    The 85s and 90s began today too. They have four doubles teams and are playing a round robin; Carol Wood/Dori DeVries and Burnett Herrick/Sheila Palmer both won. Wood beat Herrick in singles and Devries beat Laurie Leach (there are two groups of 3 players; the winners of each group play for gold; the second place finishers play for bronze).

    Rita Price, Joyce Jones and Sally Fuller are playing a round robin in the 90s; Fuller is 97, Rita 96; Janet Hubbard got sick.

    Rita Price and Kathy Langer

    Kathy Langer came by today to visit friends and watch players…it was great to see her, it’s been years.


    📂This entry was posted in Houston Houston National Clay Courts Houston National Women's Clay Courts ITF ITF Seniors 1000 ITF Seniors 700 Level 1 Tournaments Travel 📎and tagged

  • Houston, National Women’s Clay Courts Day 1; Practice Day 2

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols Comment

    Houston, TX

    Today was my last practice day here in Houston. I practiced early (7;30!) with Jenny Klitch. It was HUMID (and warm) … by 9am I was soaked. After hitting there was of course a little more chatting. I caught up with Cindy Babb among other friends.

    I had eaten breakfast but did check out the buffet (and had some regrets about having already had breakfast). It looked amazing, omelets or eggs made to order, oatmeal and all the fixings, fresh cut fruit, potatoes, CRISPY bacon, bacon, egg and and cheese breakfast tacos. This is the 50th anniversary of this event and the Houston Racquet Club and Sue Bramlette are sparing no effort to make this tournament special. The daily breakfasts and lunches are free to all players.

    Breakfast Buffet, Houston Racquet Club, 50th Annual Senior Women’s Clay Nationals

    After breakfast the matches began, with most of the 55s playing today and many of the 65s and 75s. Kristen Guszak beat Tracey Thompson (5) 75 55 retired (it was really hot…Tracey is ok now). The rest of the 55s seeds survived and the round of 16 is tomorrow around 9am.

    In the 65s, there weren’t any seeds in action but there were some long matches. Ginny Beneke from San Diego ousted Houstonian Mary Morgan in three sets (Ginny is a runner and super fit; she said Mary served great). Donna Drosner from Wisconsin survived the heat and Becky Timmis to win in three long sets.

    There weren’t any upsets in the 55 or 65 doubles; the 65s are out to the quarters and all seeds were in action, and won easily today. In the 75s, there was a terrific first round doubles between Brenda Carter/Ellen Goodman and Brenda Winstead/Cathie Anderson. Anderson/Winstead won in three very competitive sets.


    📂This entry was posted in Houston Houston National Clay Courts Houston National Women's Clay Courts ITF ITF Seniors 1000 Level 1 Tournaments Tennis Travel 📎and tagged

  • Travel Day: Houston!

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols Comment

    Today, Saturday, I flew from Florida to Houston got the national (Level 1, gold ball) 65 clay courts. I drove to Ft Lauderdale from Palm Beach Gardens, and parked my car for the week. It was super smooth, 25 minutes from Park n Go to clear security which include a shuttle ride and checking a bag!

    The terminal wasn’t very crowded.. I sat at a gate with no flight, snd had a row to myself on the flight. We had to return to the terminal after having taxied to the runway because a (relatively young) passenger was ill. But flight arrived nearly on time.

    Houston/Bush was pretty busy. I rented a car then had to wait 20-30 minutes for one to be available…the lot was devoid of cars!

    After checking into my Airbnb (and waiting out a big thunderstorm), I drove over to the tournament venue, the Houston Racquet Club. The courts were soaked but I caught up with some friends, some of whom I hadn’t seen in a few years. Below are Tammy Simon, Anna Zimmermann and Rainy Miller from the 55s.

    My next stops were Kroger and Trader Joe’s. Then back to the apartment to get ready for the busy week ahead.


    📂This entry was posted in ITF ITF Seniors 1000 ITF Seniors 700 Level 1 Tournaments Tennis 📎and tagged

  • USA Women’s 45 Takes Bronze in Umag; Men’s 45s Take 4th (Copper)

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols Comment

    Click here to see the Team Draws and the Individual Draws.

    The USA Women’s 45 team took bronze over Spain on Thursday. Sophie Woorons won the #2 singles 60 62; Debbie Spence Nasim fell l76 62 at #1 and Woorons/Spence Nasim won the doubles point decisively 61 61.

    The USA Men’s 45 team lost to Netherlands 2/1 in the quarters on Thursday. Guillermo Cosson lost at #2 62 62; Chris Groer lost at #1 61 64; Netherlands defaulted the doubles.

    The USA Men’s 45s team fell today in the 3/4 playoff to Germany, dropping both singles points. Cosson lost 2,2 and Groer fought hard but fell 61 76 (6); The doubles wasn’t played.

    The Women’s 40s finished 8th, falling to Switzerland in the 7/8 playoff 2/0; Mary Beth Williams lost at #2 60 30 ret; Yulia Bolotova lost 61 63 at #1 and the doubles was not played. Williams, normally a doubles player, and playing down from the 50s, did a stellar job anchoring the #2 singles this week.

    The Women’s 35s finished 6th, falling to Argentina 2/1 in the 5/6 playoff. Jennifer Sinclair lost 75 60 at #2; And a Perianu won 26 61 63 at #1 and Evgenia Docktor/Sinclair lost the deciding doubles point 62 62. Perianu was a rock star for this team all week.

    The Men’s 40s finished 5th, beating Denmark 2/0 today. There must have been rain because the match was played using short sets and match tiebreakers. Ross Duncan won 42 42; Marvin Colley won a close one 41 14 10-12. The doubles point wasn’t played. Duncan was very successful at #2 singles all week and Colley gained valuable red clay experience this week.

    The Italia Cup (M35) team finished 8th, losing a tight 7/8 playoff today. Ryan Sablan lost at #2 singles 4-1 5-4(2); Jonathas Sucupira won at #1 singles 41 41 and Darrin Cohen/Sablan lost the doubles point 5-3 5-4(5). So close!

    So the final standings of the USA teams:

    • M35: 8th
    • M40: 5th
    • M45: 4th
    • W35: 6th
    • W40: 8th
    • W45: 3rd

    It’s very tough to compete on the red clay (which is NOTHING like green clay in case you were wondering…much slower and the balls used are much heavier) against all the European (and a smattering of South American teams). They are used to the dirt (though transition well to green clay or hard courts) and have many more tournaments all summer long plus leagues that aren’t available to players in the USA. Congratulations to all the Young Seniors teams.


    📂This entry was posted in 2021 ITF Young Seniors World Team Championships, Umag 2021 Seniors World Championships, Umag, Croatia ITF Individual World Championships ITF World Team Championships Tennis Travel Umag, Croatia USTA Young Seniors International Teams 📎and tagged

  • USA Men’s 45 Advance to Semis, Remain in Gold Medal Contention; Men’s 40, Women’s 45 Fall

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols Comment

    View the team and individual world championship draws here (plus a link to photos).

    The USA Men’s 45s team, led by Chris Groer, beat France 2/1 to advance to the semifinals. After Jesse Walter lost 75 61 at #2 singles, Groer won 75 64 at #1 singles and combined with Guillermo Cosson to win the doubles point 63 63.

    The Men’s 40 team fell 2/1 to Argentina. Ross Duncan won at #1 singles 64 75, Marvin Colley lost 61 60 at #1 singles and Colley/Duncan narrowly fell in doubles 57 75 62. They play next the 5/6 playoff.

    The Women’s 45 lost in the semis to France 2/0 (the doubles was not played). Sophie Woorons lost at #2 64 62; Debbie Spence Nasim fell 64 63 at #1. They play next for bronze in the 3/4 playoff.

    The Women’s 35 team beat Hungary 3/0 to advance to the 5/6 playoff. Jennifer Sinclair played another marathon match, winning 63 57 62; And a Perianu won 60 61 at #1 singles and Perianu/Evgenia Docktor won the doubles point 60 60.

    The Women’s 40 team fell 2/1 to Estonia. Mary Beth Williams won at #2 singles 36 63 64; Yulia Bolotova lost 64 61 at #1 singles and Quynh Le/Williams lost the deciding doubles point 62 76 (2). They will play the 7/8 playoff next.

    The Men’s 35 team lost 3/0 to Ukraine and will play the 7/8 playoff next. Ryan Sablan lost 75 62 at #2 singles; Jonathas Sucupira fell 46 64 64 at #1 singles and Darrin Cohen/Sablan lost the doubles point 61 64.


    📂This entry was posted in 2021 ITF Young Seniors World Team Championships, Umag ITF Individual World Championships ITF World Team Championships Tennis USTA Young Seniors International Teams Young Seniors Individual World Championships, Umag 📎and tagged

  • USA Advances To Medal Rounds in M40/45 and W45; M35, W35/40 Play for Fifth

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols Comment

    Click here for a link to draws and photos.

    The USA Men’s 40/45 and Women’s 45 were unbeaten in the preliminary round robin play Sunday through Tuesday.

    Women’s 45: USA beat Switzerland 2/1, coming back to win after losing #2 singles. Patricia Zerdan fell at #2 64 63; Sophie Woorons won 62 64 at #1 singles and Debbie Spence-Nasim/Woorons won the doubles. mint 61 62. They face France tomorrow in the semifinals.

    USA Men’s 40s beat Chile 3/0. Ross Duncan won at #2 singles 61 60; Marvin Colley won at #1 singles 46 64 60 and Duncan/Ryan Pang completed the sweep with a 61 60 trouncing in doubles. They play Argentina in the quarterfinals tomorrow.

    Men’s 45s: USA beat Argentina 2/1, sweeping both singles and defaulting the doubles point. Jesse Walter won at #2 singles 75 63; Chris Groer took the #1 singles point 64 61 to clinch the win. USA plays France in the quarterfinals tomorrow.

    Women’s 35s: USA finished second in their round robin group of three and had the day off today. USA plays Hungary tomorrow in the 5-8 playoff.

    Women’s 40s: USA defeated Croatia 3/0; Quynh Le won at #2 singles 63 62; Yulia Bolotova won at #1 61 60 and Rocio Rodriguez/Mary Beth Williams took the doubles point 64 60. USA faces Estonia next in the 5th-8th place playoff.

    Men’s 35: Netherlands beat USA 2/1, winning both singles points. Ryan Sablan lost 60 62 at #2; Jonathas Sucupira fell 63 63 at #1 and Darrin Cohen/Sablan had won the first set of doubles 76(5) when Netherlands retired. They face Ukraine tomorrow in the 5-8 place playoff.


    📂This entry was posted in 2021 ITF Young Seniors World Team Championships, Umag ITF World Team Championships Travel Umag, Croatia USTA Young Senior International Teams 📎and tagged

  • USTA Removes USA Super Senior Teams from ITF World Championships in Mallorca

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols 2 Comments

    Several people have asked why I didn’t write anything about the USTA removing the USA Super Senior teams from the ITF Super Seniors World Team Championships in Mallorca, Spain. So here is some information about it. It caught everyone by surprise especially since the Young Seniors were off to Croatia just as the news hit that the Super Seniors were grounded.

    The USTA informed players selected by the USTA to participate in the ITF Super Senior World Team Championships in Mallorca that it had withdrawn the teams from the event on September 8, 2021.

    Timeline:

    • Dates of Young Seniors World Team Championships: September 12-17 (Croatia)
    • Dates of Super Seniors World Team Championships: October 10-15 (Spain)
    • July 26, 2021: US Department of State adds Spain to “do not travel” list (due to Covid)
    • August 1, 2021: players are allowed to book flights and hotels for world championships
    • August 30, 2021: USA removed from EU Safe list due to surging COVID cases in USA (which fyi are higher than in Spain or Croatia).
    • August 30, 2021: USTA notifies players that EU dropped USA from safe list and is “hoping for more information in a day or two“.
    • September 8-9, 2021: Young Seniors allowed to leave USA and participate in Young Seniors World Team Championships in Croatia (over a week AFTER EU dropped USA from the safe list).
    • September 6, 2021: Spain adds vaccination for Covid-19 as requirement for entry into Spain from a country not on the safe list (previously neither a negative covid test nor vaccination for Covid-19 was required to enter from the USA since it was on the “safe list”.) The USTA did not require that its team members be vaccinated in order to participate in this event.
    • September 8, 2021: USA Super Senior players informed that the USTA was withdrawing the United States from “competition in the ITF Super SeniorTeam {sic} World Championships…to be held in Mallorca, Spain”.

    Rationale used by USTA:

    • A variety of factors
    • Ongoing Covid Level 4 status in Spain
    • Travel warning issued by US, EU and Spain regarding travelers entering from the United States (basically Americans now have to be vaccinated to enter from September 6th).
    • The fact that (allegedly) Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia had recently withdrawn from the championships. (In fact, none of these countries ever entered this event nor had they entered the Seniors or Young Seniors World Team Championships.)

    As you can see from the timeline, the travel warning issued by the US State Department was issued in July, but the USTA waited till September 8th to withdraw the US teams.

    The removal of the USA from the European “safe list” occurred August 30th, yet the USTA allowed the Young Seniors teams to travel to Croatia for the team championships there.

    The only differences between the event in Croatia for the Young Seniors and the event in Mallorca for Super Seniors appear to be age, the requirement for a vaccine to enter Spain (which should make it more not less safe from Covid) and the Level 3 vs Level 4 (which goes back and forth often) Covid status of Croatia (though right now Covid rates are very similar in the two countries and lower than the USA according to some statistics).

    Addendum: Senior Team players had to show proof of vaccination to USTA or proof of vaccination; this was not initially a requirement from the USTA for the Super Senior Team members.

    Needless to say the players are quite disappointed and the USTA waited to pull the teams till quite late. There was no communication regarding this decision after August 30th till September 8th. The announcement was sent in batches to the players…90 minutes apart. I didn’t hear about the USTA pulling the teams from the USTA but from Fromuth, which was arranging for team uniforms (which also were cancelled though many players had already received them). The rationale that GBR, NZL and AUS pulled their teams (which had never entered and which were not in Croatia either) as a reason to pull the USA teams makes one wonder what the real reason was that the super senior teams were withdrawn but not the young seniors playing right now in Croatia.

    USA players can of course still participate in the Individual World Championships and several are planning on doing so, including myself.


    📂This entry was posted in 2021 ITF Young Seniors World Team Championships, Umag 2021 Super Senior World Team Championships, Mallorca ITF ITF World Team Championships Tennis USTA USTA Super Senior International Teams USTA Young Senior International Teams 📎and tagged

  • USA Men’s Teams and Women’s 45 Remain Undefeated in Round Robin Play in Young Seniors World Championships, Umag, Croatia

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols 2 Comments

    Monday, August 13, 2021

    Draws and a link to photos (provided to me by various players…I am not in Umag) can be found here.

    The USA Women’s 45 team remained undefeated in Umag, trouncing Sweden 3/0 behind the singles player of Patricia Zerdan at #2 singles (63 60), Debbie Spence Nasim at #1 (60 60) and the doubles play of Tracie Currie/Sophie Woorons (60 60). The team has lost 7 games in two matches so far but it gets tougher from here on out.

    The USA Women’s 35 team rebounded from their loss yesterday to beat Finland 2/0 behind singles wins by Jennifer Sinclair at #2 singles 63 76(6) and And a Perianu 60 62. Doubles is ongoing.

    The USA Women’s 40 team were trounced by Italy with Mary Beth Williams losing at #2 singles 60 62 and Yulia Bolotova falling 61 61 at #1 singles. Doubles will follow

    The Men’s 35 team remains undefeated with a 3/0 win over Turkey today. Ryan Sablan won at #2 singles 62 60; Jonathas Sucupira won at #1 61 61 and Darrin Cohen/Sablan won the doubles point 62 60. (Though Tyler Browne is listed as the number one player on this team he did not make the trip to Umag.)

    The Men’s 40s advanced 3/0 over India; Ross Duncan won 61 60 at #2 singles; Marvin Colley won 62 62 at #1 singles and Duncan/Ryan Pang took the doubles point 61 61.

    The Men’s 45 team won 3/0 for the second straight day, beating Portugal 3/0. Jesse Walter won at #2 singles 62 74; Chris Groer won at #1 singles 63 61 and Guillermo Cosson/Walter took the doubles point 75 26 60.

    No photos sent to me today…if any of the players are reading this, photos are appreciated from Umag! You can message me on FB or twitter (@tenniscan).


    📂This entry was posted in 2021 ITF Young Seniors World Team Championships, Umag ITF World Team Championships Travel Umag, Croatia USTA Young Senior International Teams 📎and tagged

  • USA Goes 5/1 on First Day of Play in Umag

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols Comment

    Draws and a link to photos are here.

    The USA Young Seniors overall had a good start on Sunday the 12th in Croatia.

    Women’s 35s: The Lenglen Cup team fell to Portugal 2/1. And a Perianu won the sole point, at #1 singles no less, winning 63 63. Jennifer Sinclair lost 61 62 at #2 singles and Perianu/Sinclair lost 63 61 in doubles. This is a three person team, since doubles specialist Lauren Lancaster hurt her knee and was unable to play.

    Women’s 40s: The Young Cup team (which has four players, only one of which was initially named to the team!) is up 2/0 over Sweden. Mary Beth Williams at #2 won 61 63 and Yulia Bolotova won 64 76(4) at #1 singles. Quynh Le/Rocio Rodriguez made it 3/0 with a 6/1 63 win in doubles.

    Women’s 45: The Margaret Court Cup team swept Slovenia with the loss of only four games. Sophie Woorons at #2 won 60 60; Debbie Spence-Nasim won 60 61 and Tracie Currie/Patricia Zerdan won the doubles 61 62

    Men’s 35: The Italia Cup team beat Croatia 2/1. Ryan Sablan lost at #2 singles 64 76 (7) but Jonathas Sucupira won 60 60 at #1 and Darrin Cohen/Sablan won the doubles point (which the #2 singles player did not play) 61 61.

    Men’s 40: The Trabert Cup team faced Portugal. Ross Duncan won at #2 singles 61 46 61. Marvin Colley lost 64 26 63 at #1 singles, but Duncan/Colley won the deciding doubles match 63 64 to beat Portugal 2/1

    Men’s 45: The USA beat Denmark. Jesse Walters won 64 64 at #2 singles; Chris Groer won 61 63 at #1 singles. Guillermo Cosson/Groer won the doubles point 61 62.

    Missing are photos of the Men’s 45 team

    • Women’s 40
    • Men’s 40
    • Women’s 45
    • Men’s 35
    Women’s 35s


    📂This entry was posted in 2021 ITF Young Seniors World Team Championships, Umag ITF World Team Championships Tennis USTA Young Senior International Teams 📎and tagged

  • Young Seniors World Championship Draws (35/40/45)

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols Comment

    Photos will be here.

    See draws for individual “world” championships here.

    Note: USA players actually participating are listed, in order of strength.

    Italia Cup

    USA Players: Jonathas Sucupira (captain), Ryan Sablan, Darrin Cohen (#1 player Tyler Browne was not able to make the trip.)

    USA is in Group C with Croatia, Turkey and Netherlands.

    USA is now playing for 5th.

    Tony Trabert Cup

    USA Players: Marvin Colley, Stuart (Ross) Duncan (Captain), Ryan Pang

    USA is in Group F with Chile, India and Portugal

    USA is now in the 1-6 playoff and is in the quarterfinals.

    Dubler Cup

    USA Players: Chris Groer (captain), Jesse Walter, Guilermo Cosson, Jared Jacobs

    USA is in Group F with Denmark, Portugal and Argentina

    USA is now in the 1-6 playoff and is in the quarters.

    Suzanne Lenglen Cup

    USA Players: Andi Perianu, Jennifer Sinclair, Evgenia Docktor (Captain)

    USA is in Group D with Finland and Portugal

    USA is now in the 5-8 playoff.

    Young Cup

    USA Players: Yulia Bolotova (Captain), Mary Beth Williams, Quynh Le, Rocio Rodriguez

    USA is in Group B with Croatia, Italy and Sweden

    USA is now in the 5-8 playoff.

    Margaret Court Cup

    USA Players: Debbie Spence-Nasim (Captain), Sophie Woorons, Patricia Zerdan, Tracie Currie

    USA is in Group B with Slovenia, Switzerland and Sweden

    USA is now in the semifinals.


    📂This entry was posted in 2021 ITF Young Seniors World Team Championships, Umag ITF World Team Championships Tennis Travel Umag, Croatia Young Seniors Individual World Championships, Umag 📎and tagged

  • Klitch Wins 55 Singles; Coulton, Prejean/Buholz &Tammen/Fedderly Win Doubles Titles in Umag

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols 1 Comment

    Jenny Klitch saw an opening this year, she trained hard and smart for the team and world championships and is now the 55 singles world champion. She beat Rosa Bielsa-Hierro, the #4 seed in the final 63 57 62 to win her first world title. She wasn’t done after that (even though she admitted she was exhausted afterwards)…she combined with Tom Coulton (USA) 64 26 10-7 to take the mixed 55 doubles titles too over Lisa Prechtel/Christian Greuter. Added to her two titles was a bronze (with Andrea Rice) in 50 doubles. Congratulations!

    Coulton added the men’s 55 doubles gold to his mixed gold. He combined with Anders Jarryd to cruise through the doubles draw, winning the final 62 60 over the 4th seeds.

    Vicki Buholz/Gayle Prejean won the 55 doubles 75 64 over unseeded Ekberg/Sekkenes (they took out the top seeds). But it was their remarkable semifinal won 14-12 in the match tiebreak which got them to the final. Vicki also reached the singles final, falling to Helga Nauck 60 63 (Nauck took out American Fran Chandler in three sets in the semis). Prejean was a consolation finalist in singles.

    Chandler/Susan Wright lost to Nauck/Boeroecz 75 61 in the 60 doubles final. Shannon Gordon-Carney was a consolation finalist and 60 mixed semifinalist.

    Mike Tammen/Mike Fedderly won the 60 doubles 60 62 over unseeded Jacques Hervet/Alain Coffe of France. Stu Saiki was a 60 singles semifinalist.

    From top left: Jenny Klitch/Tom Coulton; Klitch; Mike Tammen/Mike Fedderly; Gayle Prejean/Vicki Buholz; Anders Jarryd (SWE)/Coulton
    From top left: Susan Wright/Fran Chandler; Vicki Buholz; Chandler; Medalists; Shannon Gordon-Carney & partner

    In summary, Americans who medaled in the individuals:

    Jenny Klitch, Won W55S/55 Mixed; Bronze 50 doubles (with Andrea Rice)

    Tom Coulton Won 55 Doubles (with Jarryd, SWE) and Mixed

    Andrea Rice W50 doubles bronze

    Vicki Buholz, Won W55 doubles (with Gayle Prejean); Final 60 singles

    Gayle Prejean, Won 55 doubles (with Buholz)

    Susan Wright: Final, 60 Doubles (with Chandler)

    Fran Chandler: Final 60 doubles (with Wright) & 60 singles bronze

    Stu Saiki: Bronze, 60 singles

    Mike Fedderly/Mike Tammen: Gold 60 doubles

    Congratulations all! And another shout out to Denise Saiki for all the great photos she’s sent me this week!


    📂This entry was posted in 2021 Seniors World Championships, Umag, Croatia ITF Individual World Championships Tennis Travel Umag, Croatia 📎and tagged

  • Tammen/Fedderly & Klitch/Coulton Advance to Final

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols Comment
    Fedderly/Tammen & Stu Saiki

    Photos by Denise Saiki

    Mike Fedderly and Mike Tammen advanced to the Men’s 60 doubles final in Umag. Stu Saiki fell in three sets in the semis but earned his first individual medal by reaching the semis.

    Tom Coulton/Jenny Klitch won their mixed 55 semi in straight sets. Coulton reached 55 doubles final too (with Andrea Jarryd).

    Klitch/Andrea Rice lost their doubles semi in a tight 2-setter. Shannon Gordon-Carney lost her 60 mixed semi.

    Finals tomorrow.

    Clockwise:Klitch/Rice; Wright/Chandler; Shannon, Klitch, Klitch, Rice


    📂This entry was posted in 2021 Seniors World Championships, Umag, Croatia ITF Individual World Championships Tennis 📎and tagged

  • Klitch (55) & Buholz (60) into Singles Finals

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols Comment

    Draws are here.

    The American players who stayed to play the individual world championships have adapted well to the slow red clay and are starring in the second week.

    Jenny Klitch (W55) beat the #2 seed, Lisa Prechtel from the Netherlands 46 62 62 in the semis today. The singles final is later in the week but Klitch will be busy playing the 50 doubles semis (with Andrea Rice) and 55 mixed semis (with Tom Coulton) tomorrow.

    Vicki Buholz edged Italian Tortorella (who upset Susan Wright yesterday) 76 63 to reach the final against Helga Nauck. Nauck beat American Fran Chandler 62 26 63, a much closer match than they had in the team final last week. Buholz combined with Gayle Prejean (USA) to win the 55 doubles semis by the closest of margins, 36 76(6) 14-12! Chandler/Wright won their doubles semis pretty easily 62 62 but face a tough team in the final (Nauck and Boerocecz).

    In men’s action, Tom Coulton is also in the semis of 55 doubles with Anders Jarryd. They seem to be breaking their opponents, winning the round of 16 1/0 ret. and the quarters 62 41ret…so he should have plenty of energy for 55 mixed tomorrow!

    Stu Saiki, who was a late addition to the men’s 60s team has gone the furthest in singles, beating the #4 seed 63 61 to advance to the semis where he’ll face the #2 seed (who beat Mike Fedderly, USA 4/3 retired). Bill Moss played a terrific match against Jarryd and had two match points (on Jarryd’s serve) before falling 60 36 75. Fedderly and Tammen are in the doubles semis while Saiki/Alex Pier lost in the quarters today.

    Shannon Gordon-Carney plays mixed semis today and is in the singles consolation semis of 60s.

    Gayle Prejean is in the 55 singles consolation semis.


    📂This entry was posted in 2021 Seniors World Championships, Umag, Croatia ITF ITF Individual World Championships 📎and tagged

  • Klitch, Chandler, Buholz into Singles Semis in Umag; Moss, Fedderly, Saiki Advance in Men’s 60s

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols Comment

    The Seniors World Championships are ongoing in Umag, Croatia this week. The tournament is scheduled to end Saturday (though most divisions may end by Friday).

    Draws are here.

    W55: Jenny Klitch is into the semis where she’ll face #2 seeded Lisa Prechtel of Netherlands. She beat Simone Vasconcellas 64 64 today.

    WD55: Vicki Buholz/Gayle Prejean advanced to the semis.

    X55: Tom Coulter/Klitch are in the quarters.

    WS60: Fran Chandler had an easier time today advancing to the semis 62 62 than in her round of 16 match where she had to go three sets. She faces Helga Nauck in the semis; she lost to her in straight sets last week in the final of the team event. Her USA teammate and top seed Susan Wright had a tougher time, falling in straight sets to Tortorella of Italy in the quarters. Tortorella won the 60s in Barcelona in July. I watched her play…she’s very very smooth and very good…serve or hit anything short and the ball is going. Vicki Buholz won today against Laura deVittori, another Italian in a close two setter and faces Tortorella in the semis.

    WD60: Chandler/Wright advanced to the semis today and play the 4th seeds tomorrow.

    x60; Shannon Gordon-Carney is into the semis of mixed with a British partner. They face the #2 seeds tomorrow.

    Fran Chandler after a tough win; Gayle Prejean; Gayle, Vicki Buholz, Fran and Susan Wright; Denise Saiki (the photographer) Fran and Susan.

    WS50: Andrea Rice, the 12th seed, lost in the round of 16 to Anke Wurst.

    WD 50: Rice/Klitch are in the doubles quarters. (If you re keeping track, Klitch has three matches tomorrow!)

    MS60: Mike Fedderly ran the #7 seed, Gass, out of the tournament in three sets to reach the quarters. ; Mike Tammen had a tough loss to Norbert Henn in the round of 16; Stu Saiki won and faces the #4 seed next, and Bill Moss faces Anders Jarryd (former top 10 player and the top seed) in the quarters.

    MD 60: Fedderly/Tammen are in the quarters. EDIT Alex Pier and Saiki are also in the men’s doubles quarters.

    Mike Tammen showing his perfect backhand technique, Bill Moss’ running forehand; Stu Saiki; photos by Denise Saiki

    There are a few players in consolation…but play starts for the most part tomorrow.


    📂This entry was posted in 2021 Seniors World Championships, Umag, Croatia ITF Individual World Championships Tennis Travel Umag, Croatia 📎and tagged

  • USA Medals in W55 & 60 in Umag

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols Comment

    The individual world championships begin tomorrow; click here to view draws and seeds.

    Draws and results from the each of the cups across the team event are also available at the links below.

    Photos can be found here.

    The USA Women’s 60 played Germany in the final (spoiler alert, Germany swept the women’s divisions…they are great on clay, have tons of tournaments and leagues and are a stone’s throw away from Umag..and did I mention they are great on players especially on clay).

    Susan Wright lost a very tough match at #2 singles, 64 26 64; Helga Nauck, a particularly tremendous German player beat Fran Chandler 61 63…they could have a rematch next week. So Germany won the Cup and the USA took the silver medals.

    Dailey/Newman; Klitch; USA W60 (Chandler/Wright/Gordon-Carney); US W55 & 60 (Newman, Klitch, Dailey, Wright, Gordon-Carney, Chandler); Congratulations!!!!

    The USA Women’s 55s played France in the 3/4 playoff. Vesna McKenna played #2 singles and lost 76 4/0 retired. (I don’t know what happened). Jenny Klitch at #1 played a tremendous match to beat Sylvie Mattel 46 74 75 and level the tie. The French though dominated the doubles, beating Mary Dailey and Judy Newman in straight sets to take the bronze. USA took copper.

    The Men’s 60s team beat Italy 2/1 to finish 5th. Fernando Cavalleri beat Stu Saiki at #2 63 61; Bill Moss leveled the tie against Raffaello Putti 63 75 and Mike Fedderly/Mike Tammen (the #1 seeds next week) clinched the win with a 62 62 win over Cavalleri/Alessio Frontespezi.

    Fedderly/Tammen; Saiki; Moss

    The USA Men’s 50s team finished on a high, beating Slovenia 2/1 behind the singles play of Brendan Murphy at #2 (63 67 63) and (61 62). USA defaulted the doubles point.

    The USA Men’s 55 team finished 6th, falling to Sweden 2/0 (Willie Alumbaugh lost at #2 75 63 and Andy Stoner at #1 75 62).

    And that’s a wrap for this year’s ITF Seniors World Championships. I’ll be posting occasionally during the individuals and in a week’s time will resume daily posts for the Young Seniors World Championships. Thanks for reading!


    📂This entry was posted in 2021 Seniors World Championships, Umag ITF Individual World Championships ITF World Team Championships Tennis Travel Umag Umag, Croatia USTA Senior International Teams 📎and tagged

  • ITF Seniors Individual World Championships Draws

    Posted on by Carolyn Nichols Comment

    The ITF Seniors World Championships begins Saturday September 4, 2021 in Umag, Croatia for the 50/55/60 age divisions.

    The draws can be found here.

    There are a number of USA players seeded, particularly in the 55 & 60 divisions. The ITF does not appear to have made many deviations from the rankings in doing its seedings despite the pandemic which pretty much limited play in high level ITF tournaments to Europe this year. Though to be fair, the 2019 results are still on everyone’s records.

    Jenny Klitch is seeded #2 in 50 doubles (with Andrea Rice), #2 in 55 mixed (with Tom Colton, USA) and #3 in 55 singles.

    Rice is also seeded 12 in 50 singles. Colton is seeded #1 in 55 doubles (with Anders Jarryd)

    The USA dominates the top of the women’s 60 seedings. The ITF did not deviate from the ITF rankings. Susan Wright is seeded #1, Fran Chandler #3 and Vicki Buholz #4; Chandler/Wright are the top seeds in 60 doubles. Buholz & Gayle Prejean are the #2 seeds in 55 doubles.

    Mike Tammen/Mike Fedderly are the top seeds in 60 doubles; Stu Saiki/Alex Pier are the # 8 se