Purcell, Gordon-Carney have strong showings at ITF World Championships

USTA St. Louis standout competitors Pat Purcell and Shannon Gordon-Carney recently represented the United States at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Masters World Team Championships in Florida, with Purcell and her teammates capturing the Women’s 70 & Over championship. Gordon-Carney’s squad earned a second-place finish in the Women’s 65 & Over division.

Purcell—a longtime league organizer, legendary coach at Chesterfield Athletic Club and barrier-breaking player at Washington University in St. Louis—continued her sterling senior playing career by helping the USA win the Althea Gibson Cup on home soil. Purcell and her three teammates from California defeated France by a 3-0 scoreline to claim the world championship in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Gordon-Carney—a lifelong tennis player and head coach of the Principia College women’s tennis team in Elsah, Illinois—collected a runner-up finish alongside her trio of teammates in the Kitty Godfree Cup. The Americans fell 2-1 to Australia in the title match.

The ITF World Team Championships took place May 11-16. The tournament is the masters equivalent of the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup competitions, with the top American players competing in 60+, 65+ and 70+ age groups.

In total, the USA advanced to five of the six finals and claimed two team titles. On May 17-24 the individual championships were held, and the Americans snagged multiple titles in the singles and doubles tournaments.

For more information on the USA’s participation in the ITF World Team Championships, click here.