Midwest, Southern Win 40 & Over 4.5 Nationals

The women of the Midwest section and the men of the Southern section were crowned winners of the 40 & Over, USTA League National Championship after an action-packed weekend at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.

Based out of Challenge Fitness in Lockport, Ill. and representing the Chicago district, co-captains Lynne Buell and Cece Hopkins' team edged the Eastern squad from Rye Racquet Club in Harrison, N.Y. in a dramatic 3-2 final, where No.3 doubles ultimately came down to a 14-12 match tiebreak. 

In the semifinals, the Midwest swept doubles without the loss of a set - never losing more than four games in any of the six sets - en route to a 4-1 win over the Southern representatives from New Orleans.

The winning team's roster also included Tammy Mitchell, Carrie Gonzalez, Susan Arends, Natalija Todorovic-Shaw, Gillian Climo, Kim Richards, Karen Blaauw, Gena Fite, Diana Davis, Sue DeMari, Wendy Strauss, Courtney Shuster and Kathleen Pudlo.

On the men's side, Kane Haynes' team from The Club at Westport in Denver, N.C. edged Bart Borosky's team from the Pacfic Northwest section and Portland, Ore. in the championship match by a 3-2 final score.

The Southern team also edged the Texas representatives by the same score in the semifinals, despite losing two matches at No. 2 singles and No. 2 doubles via retirement. 

The winning roster consisted of Jeffrey Googins, Jim Bolger, Scott Corey, Chris Chapman, Willie Dann, Michael Davis, David Stroman, Scott Fowler, Lee Larson, Jason Abhau, Kelly Hunter, Ravi Mujumdar, Tim Kullick, Phil Payne and Christopher Ehmcke.

"I have been a USTA member since the 1990s, and I love the USTA League concept," said Haynes. "Team tennis is the ultimate sport. Playing at the USTA National Campus was spectacular, and the players on my team were overwhelmed by the facility: absolutely amazing.

"Playing for and winning the National Championship was a dream come true.  No words can describe the the excitement."