SOUTH CAROLINA & ALABAMA LEAD WITH TWO CHAMPIONS
Six of the nine states in USTA Southern had champions in the 2017 USTA League Adult 55 & Over Southern Sectional Championships, which was played in Asheville, N.C., Sept. 15-17.
All states except for Arkansas had at least a champion or finalist in the three-day event. South Carolina had two winners and a finalist while Alabama had two champions. North Carolina was another standout with a champion and two finalists.
Matches were played at Asheville Racquet Club Downtown (tournament headquarters), Asheville Racquet Club South and Aston Park Tennis Center.
This year’s event drew the top 76 teams consisting of about 700 players. Players must be 55 years of age or older at any time in 2017.
The tournament has added a host of amenities to this year’s edition, with a prize wheel and iPads that allow players to immediately view results via the tournament website. Also, the championships have notably increased signage on and off the tennis sites.
Champions and finalists were:
|
Level
|
Champion
Hometown - Captain/s
|
Finalist
Hometown – Captain/s
|
Score
in final
|
|
Men’s 3.0
|
Raleigh, N.C.
Chris Evans
|
Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Michael Wojcik & Peter Martin
|
2-1
|
|
Men’s 3.5
|
Greenwood, S.C.
James Rhodes
|
Lake Oconee, Ga.
Mark Watkins & Roger Fields
|
2-1
|
|
Men’s 4.0
|
Lexington, Ky. (A)
John Houston & Kevin Kelly
|
Mandeville/Covington, La.
Bentley Harvey
|
2-1
|
|
Men’s 9.0 combined
|
Bluffton, S.C. (A)
John Brittis
|
Wilmington, N.C. (A)
Albert Elrod & Ben Baggett
|
2-1
|
|
Women’s 3.0
|
Mobile, Ala.
Dianne Mareno
|
Durham, N.C.
Donna Webb
|
2-1
|
|
Women’s 3.5
|
Lafayette, La.
Carla Moylan
|
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Jane Moore
|
3-0
|
|
Women’s 4.0
|
Nashville, Tenn.
Jeanne Moran-Jones
|
Ridgeland, Miss.
Lynn Ogden
|
3-0
|
|
Women’s 9.0 combined
|
Birmingham, Ala.
Barbara Ernest
|
Louisville, Ky.
Susan Britney
|
2-1
|
This year’s event drew the top teams from throughout the section’s nine states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Many of the teams – which represent various clubs, parks, recreational departments and organizations – have finished at the top of their local leagues or are noted as top teams in their respective states.
The 2016 tournament is presented by USTA Southern in cooperation with strong local volunteer support. Penn Racquet Sports is in its 27th year as official ball of USTA League Tennis.