Sixteen adult tennis championships were contested at Boca Pointe Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida and most were decided despite the rain on Championship Sunday.

One hundred fifty-five players signed up for the USTA Florida Adult State Championships, from the Open division to 85s on the men’s side, and Open to 65s on the women’s. The tournament was to be held at the beautiful Boca Pointe Country Club in Boca Raton, from September 26 - 30. As of October 1, all matches had not been played, and according to tournament director and director of tennis at Boca Pointe, Angel Rodriguez, they wouldn’t be completed until October 2.

Rain on Championship Sunday

Until the rain-dampened Championship Sunday, the event had progressed without a hitch under the guidance of Rodriguez and his able staff. But with tropical-storm-like winds on Saturday night and early Sunday morning, and rain most of the day Sunday, completing the 16 scheduled events was a challenge. Utilizing both the main site and the Athletic Club at Boca Pointe, all of the singles titles except the Men’s Open were decided by Sunday. Some doubles events would be played the following two days.

Youth Dominates Open Events

As usual, the Open events drew heavy hitting juniors and college players who make life difficult for anyone over the age of 24 to have a fighting chance at claiming the title. In the Men’s Open, 15-seed Tye Myers of Naples, FL and No.2 singles player at Ouachita Baptist University, was scheduled to play unseeded Damar Johnson of Miramar, FL a recent graduate of University of Louisville in Kentucky, in the final, but rain resulted in an abandoned final.

The Women’s Open featured a number of Florida Atlantic University players, but 13-year-old Justina Lawrence of Lake Worth, FL, seeded fourth, trounced No.1 seed Janine Kremling of Tampa 6-0, 6-1 in the semis to secure a spot in the final. Lawrence was then dismantled in the final by another teenager, No.3 seed Monica Chow of Miami, FL 6-0, 6-0.

Women's 35s & 45s

In a small Women’s 35s draw, Claudia Pardo of Boca Raton, FL upset the No.1 seed Marie-Josee Pachl of Delray Beach, FL 6-4, 6-1 before going on to win the event over Suzanne Mesko of Sunrise, FL 6-1, 6-1. Only four women entered the Women’s 45s and Carolyn Nichols of Lodi, CA beat No.1 seed Suzanne Lippe-Siegler of Boca Raton, FL 6-0, 6-0 for the championship.

Men's 35s

The Men’s 35s went according to schedule with No.1 seed and No.2 ranked player in the country in Men’s 35s, Carlos Gomez-Diaz of Fort Lauderdale, FL, winning all of his matches with little struggle. Gomez-Diaz, dropped only seven games in the four matches he played, claiming the title with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Lee Rosenthal of Davie, FL. Rosenthal upset No.2 seed Robert Coriat of Deerfield Beach, FL in three sets 6-2, 1-6, 6-2 to make the final.

Men's 45s

The unexpected withdrawal of Norman Schellenger, the top Men’s 45s player in the State, opened up the draw for some relative newcomers in the Men’s 45s. Unseeded Ervin Mendel of Hollywood, FL took out No.1 seed Gary Clermont 6-2, 6-1 and No.4 seed Mark Wagner 6-3, 7-6 en route to claiming the title against No.7 seed T. A. Niles of Fort Myers 6-3, 3-6, 7-5. Niles reached the final by eliminating No.3 seed Eric Ernstrom 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 over two days, and No.2 seed Selim Benbadis 6-2, 6-1 in the quarters and semis respectively.

Men's 55s

No.3 seed Jeff Feldman of Wellington, FL had to post two three-set victories before he could claim the Men’s 55s Championship over No.5 seed Steve Shortridge of Fort Myers in the final 6-3, 6-2. Feldman beat No.1 seed Marc Mazo of Clearwater, FL and No.6 seed William Busiek of Marblehead, MA before upending Shortridge. Shortridge edged No.4 seed Jack Cooper in the quarters, and unseeded, but very tough, Tim Farwell in the semis to earn his spot in the final.

Women's 55s & 65s

Carol Clay of Ft Lauderdale, FL beat Sandra Faddis of Pompano Beach, FL 6-0, 6-0 for the Women’s 55s title and Susan Martin of Sarasota, FL claimed victory over Rosalind Waitman of Boca Raton, FL in the Women’s 65s.

Men's 65s, 75s, & 85s

In the Men's 65s, No.1 seed Joseph Backmann of Sarasota, FL had straight-set victories throughout, taking the winner’s prize with a 6-2, 7-6 win over No.2 seed Jim Baker of Lauderdale by the Sea, FL. Neither Bachmann nor Baker faced another seed along the way, and Baker received a walkover in the semis. No.1 seed Clement Hopp of Sarasota, FL won the Men’s 75s over Joseph La Rue of Delray Beach, FL in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, and Robert Threadgill of Maitland, FL, beat Jack Cook of Miami, FL 7-6, 6-4 to claim the Men’s 85s division.

Congratulations in Order

Considering the quality if tennis in Florida, hearty congratulations on a job well done should be extended to all who managed to walk away with the title of “State Champion” in their events at the USTA Florida Adult State Championships.