USTA Names SoCal Players to Super Senior Teams
The United States Tennis Association has announced that seven Southern California players are among the world’s best and will represent the United States at the 32nd International Tennis Federation (ITF) Super-Seniors World Team Championships hosted by the Hrvatski Teniski Savez (Croatian Tennis Association) Sept. 10-15 in Umag, Croatia.
The area players are:
- Tina Karwasky of Glendale, Calif. named to women’s 60 & over Alice Marble Cup.
- Charleen Hillebrand of San Pedro, Calif. named to women’s 70 & over Althea Gibson Cup.
- Dorothy Matthiessen of Pasadena, Calif. named to women’s 75 & over Queens’ Cup.
- Wesley Jackson of Rancho Mirage, Calif. named to men’s 60 & over Von Cramm Cup. James Nelson of Palm Desert, Calif. named captain of men’s 75 & over Bitsy Grant Cup.
- Saul Snyder of San Diego, Calif. named to men’s 80 & over Gardnar Mulloy Cup.
- Cathie Anderson of Del Mar, Calif. named to women’s 70 & over Althea Gibson Cup.
The tournament is the senior tennis equivalent of the Davis Cup and Fed Cup, with the top American tennis players representing their country in the 60, 65, 70, 75 and 80 and older age groups. The ITF Super-Seniors World Team Championships is the most prestigious team event on the ITF Seniors circuit.
The Americans will enter the event as the defending champions in nine divisions: defending four Cups in the men’s divisions, including the Von Cramm Cup, Britannia, Bitsy Grant Cup and Gardnar Mulloy Cup; and three in the women’s division, including the Alice Marble Cup, Althea Gibson Cup and Queens’ Cup.
Since the inception of the ITF Super-Seniors World Team Championships in 1981, the number of competitors taking part in the tournament has increased each year. In 1993, the ITF made the decision to divide the Seniors World Championships into two groups – Seniors (35-55) and Super-Seniors (60-80).
Following the ITF Super-Seniors World Team Championships, the World Individual Championships will take place Sept. 16-23.
Below is a list of the players representing the United States at the 2012 ITF Super-Seniors World Team Championships.
Von Cramm Cup-Men's 60 & over
1. Larry Turville, Naples, FL, Captain
2. Paul Wulf, Salem, OR
3. Tony Dawson, Carmel, CA
4. Wesley Jackson, Rancho Mirage, CA
Britannia Cup-Men's 65 & over
1. Armistead Neely, Atlanta, GA, Captain
2. Brian Cheney, Chandler, AZ
3. Jim Parker, Santa Fe, NM
4. Richard Johnson, Ballwin, MO
Jack Crawford Cup-Men's 70 & over
1. Fred Drilling, Estero, FL, Captain
2. Allan Carter, Boca Raton, FL
3. Rudy Hernando, Fort Lauderdale, FL
4. Tom Brunkow, Bethesda, MD
Bitsy Grant Cup-Men's 75 & over
1. James Nelson, Palm Desert, CA, Captain
2. Lester Sack, New Orleans, LA
3. Herman Ahlers, Las Vegas, NV
4. Larry Sears, Boston, MA
Gardnar Mulloy Cup-Men's 80 & over
1. George McCabe, Oxford, OH, Captain
2. John Powless, Madison, WI
3. Saul Snyder, San Diego, CA
4. Joe Russell, Chagrin Falls, OH
Alice Marble Cup-Women's 60 & over
1. Martha Downing, Shingle Springs, CA, Captain
2. Mary Ginnard, Fort Lauderdale, FL
3. Tina Karwasky, Glendale, CA
4. Toni Novack, Fort Myers, FL
Kitty Godfree Cup-Women's 65 & over
1. Betty Wachob, Panama City, FL, Captain
2. Brenda Carter, Charleston, SC
3. Carol Clay, Fort Lauderdale, FL
4. Leslie Pixley, Malvern, PA
Althea Gibson Cup-Women's 70 & over
1. Donna Fales, Coral Gables, FL, Captain
2. Cathie Anderson, Del Mar, CA
3. Charleen Hillebrand, San Pedro, CA
4. Lurline Fujii, Honolulu, HI
Queens' Cup-Women's 75 & over
1. Kathy Langer, Rockwall, TX, Captain
2. Dorothy Matthiessen, Pasadena, CA
3. Dori de Vries, Reno, Nev.
4. Lyn Tietz, Oak Brook, IL
Doris Hart Cup-Women's 80 & over
1. Doris "Jane" Lutz, Sarasota, FL, Captain
2. Lucille Kyvallos, Fort Lauderdale, FL
3. Margaret Canby, San Antonio, TX
4. Joyce Jones, Bothell, WA