LAS VEGAS (Nov. 22) – The team from Fort Worth, TX, representing the USTA Texas, captured the national title at the USTA League 9.0 Mixed National Championships held at the Darling Tennis Center in Las Vegas, Nev., from Nov. 20 to Nov. 22.
The Fort Worth team defeated a team from New York, NY, 2-1 in the Championship match. Earlier in the day, the Fort Worth team defeated a team from Elmherst IL 3-0 in the semifinals. They advanced this far by winning their round-robin flight contested Friday and Saturday.
The team is captained by Rafael Omana and features Raymond Paul Haley, Kim Steinberg, Melissa Staniford, Jason Moore, Cherrie Hamilton, Brad Ibbbott, Cynthia Llewellyn, Ricardo Omana and Margery Berry and plays at the River Crest Club in Fort Worth.
The top four teams in order of finish are: Fort Worth, TX; New York, NY, Elmhurst, IL and Redondo Beach, CA.
This year’s USTA League 9.0 Mixed National Championship has drawn the top 16 teams from throughout the nation.
Established in 1980, the USTA League program has grown from 13,000 participants in a few parts of the country in its first year, to over 711,000 players across the nation today, making it the world’s largest recreational tennis league.
USTA League was established to provide adult recreational tennis players throughout the country with the opportunity to compete against players of similar ability levels. Players participate on teams in a league format, which is administered by the USTA through its 17 Sections. The league groups players by using six National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) levels, ranging from 2.5 (entry) to 5.0 (advanced). USTA League is open to any USTA member 19 years of age or older. It features Adult and Mixed Doubles divisions, as well as a Senior Division (age 50 or older) and a Super Senior Division (age 60 or older).
Head Penn Racquet Sports is in its 22nd year as official ball of USTA League.
For more information about USTA League or the USTA as a whole, visit www.usta.com.