Southwest Regional Men's Teams Set for Daytona
Naples and Fort Myers Racquet Club Repeat as Tennis Champions
Four men’s tennis teams were crowned champions of the USTA's Southwest Region this weekend, and will compete at the USTA Florida Adult League Sectional Championships in Daytona, August 8 – 10. Sectional winners earn the privilege of representing Florida at the National Championships in Tucson, Arizona in October.
Naples Repeats as 4.5 Champion
When the clay-dust had cleared on Regional Championship weekend, Naples World Tennis Club (NWTC) emerged, for the second consecutive year, as Southwest Florida’s representative in the Men’s 4.5 competition at Sectionals. NWTC demonstrated, once again, that good balance and strong doubles teams are keys to success in the league format, which calls for two individual singles and three individual doubles matches per team match.
NWTC went 11-1 in twelve individual doubles matches played, and also did well in singles, winning five of eight matches for a 16-4 individual match total. In contrast, Park Meadow Tennis Center, the second place finishers, went 10-10 overall, going 6-2 in singles and 4-8 in doubles. The lack of doubles strength, as a result of a short-handed team, was debilitating for Park Meadow, which defaulted two doubles matches.
Doubles Leads the Way in 4.0
The Men’s 4.0 Division proved to be one of the more competitive divisions at the Championships. Three teams, Tampa Aces, Charlotte Grandezza, and Sarasota Bath & Racquet all finished with 3-1 records. The Tampa Aces edged Grandezza by posting a 15-5 record to Grandezza’s 14-6 in individual matches. Sarasota finished at 12-8.
This division was so evenly matched at the top, that the Tampa Aces beat Grandezza, Sarasota beat the Aces, and Grandezza beat Sarasota. The other two teams in the division, Naples Owlers and Lee Three Oaks Park, finished 1-3 and 0-4 respectively. The Aces claimed the victory by shutting out both of these teams, while Sarasota suffered individual losses against the Owlers and Three Oaks, and Grandezza lost one match to the Owlers.
Again, strong doubles proved to be a factor. Division winner Tampa went 9-3 in doubles and 6-2 in singles. Grandezza, the second place finishers went 10-2 in doubles and 4-4 in singles, while Sarasota went 6-2 in singles, but only 6-6 in doubles. Despite the strong showing in singles, Sarasota fell just short of the second spot to the team that had the best doubles numbers in the division.
Cross Creek Doubles Dominates 3.5
As promised, the Men’s 3.5 Division offered fierce competition, with five of the ten team matches in this division resulting in 3-2 scores. Cross Creek Estates (CCE), listed as Charlotte but playing out of Lee County, won the event by a single individual match. CCE’s 13-7 mark broke the hearts of Naples YMCA’s hopefuls, who went 12-8.
No team offered better support for having strong doubles teams than CCE. Ten of their 13 individual match wins came by way of doubles (10-2). CCE emerged as champions despite winning only three of eight singles matches (3-5). In contrast, second place Naples went 6-6 in doubles matches and 6-2 in singles.
Fort Myers Racquet Defends 3.0 Title
Defending Champion Fort Myers Racquet Club (FMRC) continued their success in the Southwest Men’s 3.0 Division. They notched four team wins against no losses, with a 13-7 individual match record, but none of the victories was easy. Three of the four wins were 3-2 team matches, and FMRC needed two super-tiebreak wins to clinch their 4-1 match against Naples Marco YMCA.
FMRC’s 3.0 men proved that there is an exception to every rule. They were the only team to win a division with mediocre doubles (6-6) and strong singles (7-1) records. Yet, they were no exception to the rule that stands across all levels: They went 6-2 in third-set super-tiebreaks, demonstrating the mental toughness that is needed to succeed in touch competitive environments.
According to FMRC Captain, Kevin Gaines, "We were able to prevail against youth, injury, and heat this weekend." Fielding only eight players (two of them over 60 and two over 70-years-old), and with one player sustaining an injury in the morning match of the final day, but continued Gaines, "...all of these guys played excellent tennis when it counted in the afternoon..." Unfortunately, the team may not be able to field eight players for the Sectional Championships.
Preparing for Next Year
As team captains who were turned away this year look toward next year's competition, using sound doubles as the foundation for their teams might be a strategy to give serious consideration. As they prepare for the competition in Daytona, daily doubles practice might just be the ticket for a trip to Arizona.
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