Caribbean Sweeps Titles at 18 & Over 3.0 

With their unsurpassed passion and enthusiasm for tennis, the men’s and women’s Caribbean Section teams swept both titles at the 2018 USTA League Adult 18 & Over 3.0 National Championship this weekend at the Darling Tennis Center.

The Caribbean Section men’s team from Guaynabo, P.R., opened the day by scoring a narrow 3-2 semifinal victory over the Pacific Northwest Section team from Kirkland, Wash., to advance to the final against the locally-based Intermountain section team from Las Vegas.

In a thrilling championship match, the men’s team from Puerto Rico, which played its USTA League matches at Canchas De Torrimar, pulled out a 3-2 decision over the Intermountain Section to secure the title.

“We are very, very happy to win the title here in the United States and represent Puerto Rico. This is a significant victory for our team. It wasn’t easy getting here. Our Sectional tournament was very tough,” said team captain Alberto Vidal.  “To play together as a team and to meet players from other teams will be our best memory from this weekend.” 

The Caribbean Section women’s team, which is based at Club de Rio Piedras in San Juan, P.R., began the day by edging a tough Northern California team from Alamo, Calif., 3-2 in the semifinals to move into the championship.

In the final match, the women from Puerto Rico were tied 2-2 with the Southern California Section women’s team from Manhattan Beach, Calif., but won the deciding match to capture the championship. 

“We had tryouts back in January and began playing our league in April. The girls did a great job. Most of these players had not traveled before, so I’m super happy to see them come here to play,” said team captain Hector Baez-Ramos. “It’s been a year since the hurricane, so things like this are very positive for our country of Puerto Rico.” 

Click here to see pictures of all the on-court action.