Southwest FL Men Compete at USTA Regionals
Bonita Bay Club & Pelican Landings Host Tennis League Championship
Florida’s Southwest Region USTA Adult League Championships will he contested at Bonita Bay and Pelican Landings Tennis Club from Friday July 18 through Sunday July 20. Eighteen (18) men’s teams and 20 women's teams, from as far north as Tampa and as far south as Naples, will vie for the privilege of representing the Southwest at the Sectional Championships in Daytona, FL August 8 - 10. Sectional winners will represent Florida at the USTA League National Championships in Tucson, AZ in October.
Men’s 4.0
The men’s 4.0 division shapes up as one of the more competitive divisions at the Championship. Grandezza, with Captain Michael Stevens and co-Captain John Dolle at the helm, went 8-1 and will battle cross-town rivals Three Oaks Park (9-1), led by Robert Zapiec, and three other one-loss teams (Naples: 9-1, Sarasota: 6-1. and Tampa: 7-1). The Sarasota team, from the Bath and Racquet Club (B&R Snyder) upended the Sarasota team that represented the Southwest in 2007 in a 3-2 match, with every match having at least one 7-5 or tiebreak set. Sarasota looks like the favorite in this division.
Men’s 3.5
Another men’s division that should send sparks flying across the nets is the men’s 3.5 division. From Fort Myers, Cross Creek Estates (CCE), led by Ken Savage, posted a 9-1 record, losing only to a Village Racquet team that went 8-2. CCE’s one loss was a 2-3 match, and five of its nine wins were 3-2.
Three of the other four teams in the men’s 3.5 division are undefeated, including a dominating Longwood Run team from Sarasota. Longwood overwhelmed its league competition, going 12-0, with three times as many wins as the league’s second place finisher. Naples (6-0) and Punta Gorda (8-0) are the other undefeated teams, while Tampa comes in at 8-1. Although Sarasota would appear to have the edge, none of these teams can be counted out.
Men’s 3.0
Kevin Gaines’ FMRC team won the Regional Championship in 2007, and returned to the playoffs with a 6-1 regular season record. They will face two 4-2 teams from Tampa and Naples, and the odds are good that they will represent the southwest region at Sectionals again. However, Gaines is cautiously optimistic. “The fact that we only have eight players available this week for the eight positions needed, will make it pretty tough. However, the guys are very experienced at playing at the regional level and I feel that this experience could carry us through the tournament,” he explained.
Men’s 4.5
Park Meadow Tennis Center and Grandezza will represent Fort Myers in the men’s 4.5 division, competing against teams from Sarasota, Tampa and Naples. Grandezza, captained by John Ramsey, won the Spring League with a 5-1 record, and Oliver Stenger’s Park Meadow squad won the Fall League with a 7-2 record. With barely eight available players, Park Meadow’s prognosis is not favorable.
The Tampa Eagles (8-2) won a playoff against Harbour Island (8-2) for the right to represent the Tampa area, and Sarasota’s Payne Park (7-2) also won a playoff against the team that finished second in last year’s 4.5 Regional Championship. Naples, last year’s winner, rounds out the field, coming in with a 5-0 record. Given their recent playoff wins, the smart money would favor the teams from Tampa and Sarasota.
The men’s 3.0, 3.5 and 4.5 will be at Bonita Bay Club (239-495-3573), and men’s 4.0 will be at Pelican Landings Tennis Club (239-495-8100). Matches start at 8:00 A.M. at both sites all three days.
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