American teams had a historic week at the USTA National Campus at Lake Nona in Orlando, Fla. as teams won seven of the nine titles at the 37th International Tennis Federation (ITF) Super-Seniors World Team Championships. The women’s team swept the four women’s divisions and the men won three of five divisions, including the inaugural men’s 85-and-over division.
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 65-, 70-, 75-, 80- and 85- and-over age groups. This is the first time that the event will feature the men’s 85-and-over division. The ITF Super-Seniors World Team Championships is the most prestigious team event on the ITF Seniors circuit.
The U.S. brought home the titles in the Kitty Godfree Cup (Women’s 65 & over), Althea Gibson Cup (Women’s 70 & over), Queens’ Cup (Women’s 75 & over) and Doris Hart Cup (Women’s 80 & over), Britannia Cup (Men’s 65 & over), Gardnar Mulloy Cup (Men’s 80 & over) and Men’s 85 Cup. This was the eighth consecutive year that the U.S. team triumphed in the Queens’ Cup, the third consecutive year for the Doris Hart Cup and marked the sixth Gardnar Mulloy Cup victory in the last seven years.
Following the ITF Super-Seniors World Team Championships, the World Individual Championships will be held Oct. 14-21, also at the USTA National Campus.
Below is a list of players representing the United States in each competition and results:
Britannia Cup – Men’s 65 & over – Result: CHAMPION (USA def. Austria 2-1)
1. Larry Turville, Dunnellon, Fla., Captain
2. Paul Wulf, Salem, Ore.
3. David Sivertson, Addison, Texas
4. Leonard Wofford, Portland, Ore.
Jack Crawford Cup – Men’s 70 & over – Result: Fifth place (draw with Canada)
1. Michael Beautyman, Flourtown, Pa.
2. Leslie Buck, Asheville, N.C.
3. Jimmy Parker, Santa Fe, N.M., Captain
4. Dean Corley, Aliso Viejo, Calif.
Bitsy Grant Cup – Men’s 75 & over – Result: Fifth place (USA def. Germany 2-1)
1. Fred Drilling, Estero, Fla.
2. Joseph Bachmann, Sarasota, Fla., Captain
3. Rudy Hernando, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
4. Ivo Barbic, Atlanta
Gardnar Mulloy Cup – Men’s 80 & over – Result: CHAMPION (USA def. Austria 2-1)
1. Lester Sack, New Orleans, Captain
2. King van Nostrand, Vero Beach, Fla.
3. Gordon Hammes, Naples, Fla.
4. Jerald Hayes, Westfield, Ind.
Men’s 85 Team Cup – Men’s 85 & over – Result: CHAMPION (USA def. Canada 2-1)
1. John D. Powless, Madison, Wisc., Captain
2. George J. McCabe, Oxford, Ohio
3. Joseph Russell, Chagrin Falls, Ohio
4. Clement Hopp, Sarasota, Fla.
Kitty Godfree Cup – Women’s 65 & over – Result: CHAMPION (USA def. Austria 2-1)
1. Tina Karwasky, Glendale, Calif.
2. Wendy McClosky, Durham, N.C.
3. Molly Hahn, Belmont, Mass., Captain
4. Victoria McEvoy, Cambridge, Mass.
Althea Gibson Cup – Women’s 70 & over – Result: CHAMPION (USA def. Netherlands 2-1)
1. Brenda Carter, Charleston, S.C., Captain
2. Carol Clay, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
3. Leslie Pixley, Malvern, Pa.
4. Susan Kimball, Oak Bluffs, Mass.
Queens’ Cup – Women’s 75 & over – Result: CHAMPION (USA def. Great Britain 2-1)
1. Charleen Hillebrand, Harbor City, Calif.
2. Cathie Anderson, Del Mar, Calif.
3. Suella Steel, La Jolla, Calif., Captain
4. Susanne Clark, New City, N.Y.
Doris Hart Cup – Women’s 80 & over – Result: CHAMPION (USA def. Canada 2-1)
1. Roz King, San Diego, Calif.
2. Doris DeVries, Reno, Nev.
3. Carol Wood, Rockville, Md., Captain
4. Burnette Herrick, Tarboro, N.C.
Tennis fans and players can read more about senior tennis in the new book “Sport of a Lifetime – Enduring Personal Stories From Tennis” written by long-time tennis enthusiast Judy Aydelott.
Featuring enriching and motivational stories about those who love and participate in tennis over the age of 35, “Sport of a Lifetime” is a volume of senior tennis through the stories and experiences of players from across the tennis spectrum – from late bloomers to seasoned champions. The book features 28 chapters of personal stories, including those of high profile players and personalities such as three-time Wimbledon champion John Newcombe, current U.S. Tennis Association and former WTA Tour player Katrina Adams and former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, as well as little-known but inspiring players such as Tony Franco, who has won 44 USTA national championships since age 75, and Betty Eisenstein, who won tournament titles into her 90s.
The book also features one of the last interviews ever given by International Tennis Hall of Famer and celebrated senior tennis champion Gardnar Mulloy before his death in 2016 as well as the riveting story of how Fred Kovaleski balanced playing international tennis while being a spy for the Central Intelligence Agency.
“Sport of a Lifetime” is available for sale and download wherever books are sold, including here on Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559645/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_s7AizbEES0ZD3
Aydelott, a resident of Katonah, N.Y., is a graduate of Abbot Academy in Andover Mass., from Smith College and from Pace University School of Law. She became a trial attorney in the field of medical malpractice, a legal analyst for Court TV, a candidate for U.S. Congress in 2006 and a director of a NYS chartered commercial bank. A tennis late-comer starting in her twenties, Aydelott is married to former Dartmouth tennis standout Gordon Aydelott and also documents their personal story of her and her husband’s life and passion for tennis in the book.
Said 2017 International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee and author of “The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time” Steve Flink, “Here is a book that must be read by everyone who celebrates the best of all lifetime sports. Judy Aydelott has reached out to both renowned players and those who are less well known, and the common thread that runs across the pages is the enduring passion they all have for tennis. Yet Aydelott’s superb and poignant book transcends tennis; it is equally about the larger game of life.”
