USA
senior and super senior teams won four titles in Turkey at the ITF Senior and Super
Senior World Team Championships.
USA sent
19 teams to Antalya Turkey to compete in the largest
international tennis team competition ever held. USA came home with four
championships, and finished in the top three in 14 divisions overall. The USA won the
women’s 50, 55 and 75 and over age divisions and the men’s 75 and over age
division. USA
was the finalist in eight divisions: men’s 45, 55, 70, and 80 and women’s 60,
65 and 70. USA
won the bronze medal in the women’s 45 and men’s 50 and 65 age divisions. In
the other age divisions, USA
finished 4th in the men’s 40s and women’s 35s; 5th in the
men’s 60s; 6th in the men’s 35s, and 7th in the women’s
40s.
The most dramatic match of the tournament occurred on the
final day in the men’s 75s. The USA
was playing Canada
for the fourth year in a row. Canada
was the three-time defending champion, led by Lorne Main who was undefeated in
international team singles play in that division. The USA started off
the tie with a win by George McCabe at #2 singles over Ken Sinclair. John
Powless, the US #1 player
then played Main…and played and played. The
match between the two lasted four hours and was the best match of the
tournament according the myriad onlookers. Powless stands about a foot taller
than Main and attacked, while Lorne
counterpunched brilliantly. Powless won the first set, held match points in the
second before Main rallied to win it. Powless
then forged a 52 lead in the third set when Main
called for a trainer, due to a back injury. Resuming play after the time out, Main rallied, winning four games and serving for the
match at 6-5. Powless broke, and won the ensuing tiebreaker, and the players
embraced at the net to a standing ovation. It was truly senior tennis and
sportsmanship of the highest quality. It also secured the Bitsy Grant Cup for
the USA.
Saul Snyder and Jack Vredevelt completed the USA Bitsy Grant Cup team.
The USA
won the Queens’ Cup, women’s 75s, after
a two year absence, beating Canada
in the final 2-1, with Nancy Reed and Mary Boswell winning the deciding doubles
point. Lucille Kyvallos and Louise Russ completed the USA
Queen’s Cup team.
USA
retained the Maria Bueno (women’s 50s) and Maureen Connolly (women’s 55s) Cups.
The USA
beat Australia
in the Bueno final for the third year in a row, this time 2-1. Diane Fishburne
and Susan Wright were undefeated in singles. Fishburne took on Aussie Number
One Ros Balodis in singles. She beat Ros 61 67 61 in a brilliantly played
match. Diane had four match points in the second set but the loss of the set
didn’t phase her and she ran her taller opponent ragged in the third set.
Wright started the day with a 61 62 drubbing of Aussie #2 Lyn Mortimer. The
Aussies salvaged the doubles point, winning 63 62 against Carolyn Nichols, Phyllis Blackwell.
USA beat unseeded
Australia
convincingly in the Connolly Cup final. Mary Ginnard and Tina
Karwasky played the singles; Martha Downing and Kerry Young
played the doubles.
USA
finished second in seven divisions: Men’s 45, 55, 70 and 80; and women’s 60, 65
and 70s. USA split the
singles in the men’s 55 (against Australia),
70 (against Germany), and
80s (against Australia) and
in the women’s 70s (against South
Africa), but lost the deciding doubles
point, and in the case of the men’s 70s and 80s, in three sets.
USA lost
to both singles against France
in the final of the women’s 60s; to Germany
in the final of the women’s 65s and to Spain in the final of the men’s
45s.
USA
women’s 45s lost in the semis to the unseeded Czech
Republic team, 2-1, losing the doubles
point in three sets but beat France
3-0 to win the bronze. Fran Chandler
had some brilliant wins at #1 singles, beating Barbora Koutna of the Czech Republic
in three sets and Catherine Suire of France. Czech
Republic beat Italy to win the Margaret Court
Cup.
USA
women’s 50s, the Perry Cup, beat France in a tight third set of
doubles to win the bronze.
Next year the seniors, ages 35-55 will be playing in April
in Mallorca, Spain
and the super seniors, ages 60-80 will be playing in Perth, Australia
in November.