USA Takes Two Titles at Seniors Team Championships 

They came, they saw, the conquered. Team USA took home two cups last week at the 2018 ITF Seniors World Team Championships in Ulm, Germany. 

The American senior tennis contingent won titles in the Vonn Cramm Cup (Men’s 60) and Maria Esther Bueno Cup (Women’s 50). The tournament is the senior tennis equivalent of the Davis Cup and Fed Cup competitions, with top American tennis players representing their country in the 50-, 55- and 60-and-over age groups.

In the Von Cramm Cup final, Team USA beat Australia, 2-1, to capture the cup.  Americans Mark Vines and Wesley Cash won a hard fought three set match, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.

“It’s been tough, we’ve (Vines and Cash) been on five world championship teams together, and this is the first time we were able to win,” said an elated Vines afterward. “Not having done it before and being so close. I’ve tasted that so many times, and that taste is not good. I’ve been training hard, the crowd was great, the atmosphere was awesome, and it having to come down to this match and being on the winning side feels good.”

The third time was a charm for the American women playing for the Maria Esther Bueno Cup as the ladies finally hoisted the cup after finishing runners-up the past two years with a, 2-0, victory over Germany.  

Following the ITF Seniors World Team Championships, the World Individual Championships will be held August 18-25.

Below is a list of players representing the United States for each Cup:

Fred Perry Cup - Men's 50 & over (7th Place)

1. Eoin Collins, Houston, Captain

2. Fredrik Skoglund, Rockville, Md. 

3. Tim Kullick, Charlotte, N.C.

4. Willie Alumbaugh, Leawood, Kan.

Austria Cup - Men's 55 & over (4th Place)

1. Bill Moss, Malibu, Calif.  

2. Kenneth White, Elma, N.Y.

3. Michael Tammen, Portland, Ore., Captain

4. Stuart Saiki, Orlando, Fla.

Von Cramm Cup - Men's 60 & over (Champion – USA def. Australia, 2-1)

1. Mark Vines, Naples, Fla.

2. Maxime Buyckx, Marietta, Ga.

3. Ross Persons, Houston, Captain

4. Wesley Cash, Chattanooga, Tenn.

Maria Esther Bueno Cup - Women's 50 & over (Champion – USA def. Germany, 2-1)

1. Andrea Rice, Bethesda, Md.

2. Debbie Spence-Nasim, Carlsbad, Calif. 

3. Jenny Klitch, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. 

4. Rosalyn Nideffer, San Diego, Captain 

Maureen Connolly Cup - Women's 55 & over (3rd Place – USA def. Italy, 2-1)

1. Mary Dailey, Delray Beach, Fla.

2. Shelly Works, San Antonio, Captain

3. Tracy Houk, Montara, Calif., Captain

4. Vicki Vasicek Buholz, Dallas

Alice Marble Cup - Women's 60 & over (2nd Place – Australia def. USA, 2-1)

1. Carolyn Nichols, Rancho Santa Fe, N.M., Captain

2. Diane Barker, Daniel Island, S.C. 

3. Patricia Purcell, St. Louis

4. Susan Wright, Grand Junction, Colo.