Closing out the month of May, the third Adult League Sectionals event of the calendar year took place, with 40 & Over men and women at the 3.0 and 4.0 levels competing in San Diego. Over the weekend, qualifying matches took place on Friday and Saturday at both Peninsula Tennis Club and Barnes Tennis Center, while championship matches commenced on Sunday exclusively at Barnes.

More than just sectional titles were at stake for those competing, as champions at each level of play secured a spot at the 2024 USTA National Championships. Both the 3.0 and 4.0 National Championships will be played between October 25-27, as the 3.0 teams head to the Scottsdale Ranch Park & Indian School Park in Scottsdale, Arizona, while the 4.0 teams travel to the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida. 

Within the qualifying rounds, the 3.0 women as well as the 4.0 men and women all competed in three unflighted matches with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals, while the 3.0 men played a singular round robin to determine its champion.

3.0 WOMEN

Taking home the area’s first title of the weekend, Orange County kicked off championship Sunday with a victory in the 3.0 women’s division. Captained by Kristie Carsten-Hensley, the women from Laguna Niguel Racquet Club displayed an impressive showing in the qualifying rounds, amassing a record of 3-0 along with the second-highest percentage of games won amongst all teams. OC’s first match of the weekend resulted in a 3-1 win over Central Coast on Friday afternoon, which was then followed up by another 3-1 victory, this time against Ventura County the following morning. Carsten-Hesnley’s squad wrapped up their play in qualifiers on Saturday with the team’s third win, once again taking down a group from Ventura County by a score of 3-1.

Coming off three dominant performances, OC entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the bracket, and in doing so matched up against the No. 3 seeded Beach Cities team out of Manhattan Country Club. Keeping their winning ways alive, OC secured a crucial victory, winning their fourth match of the event by a score of 3-1. This win set up a title match between the top two teams of the tournament, as OC faced their toughest challenge yet in the form of the No. 1 seeded San Fernando Valley “Volley Girls.” Meredith Levine’s Volley Girls gave everything they had in the finale, but it would be OC that would prevail once more, capping off their undefeated weekend with a fifth victory of a 3-1 score.

3.0 MEN

Clinching their first title of both the weekend and the year, Beach Cities took home the hardware on Sunday, claiming gold in the Men’s 3.0 division. With this win, Beach Cities became the sixth different area to win a Sectionals’ championship this season. Led by captain John Lanterman, Beach Cities began their tournament play with a bang, beginning their round robin with a 4-0 victory over San Gabriel Valley’s “Sultans of Swing.”. Following this match, BC would be victorious once more, defeating Los Angeles’ “Mountain Gators” by a final of 4-0. With only one match left to play and an 8-0 individual match record entering the contest, the championship was in near sight for Lanterman’s team. Ending the event not necessarily how they envisioned, BC would fall in their last match to SGV’s “Dare Doubles,” losing the match by a score of 3-1. While not able to remain undefeated, the singular set won in their final match would be just what BC needed to secure their championship. BC’s  9-3 overall record throughout individual matches nearly edged out the “Mountain Gators,” who held an 8-4 record themselves.

4.0 WOMEN

Securing their second championship of the tournament, Orange County finished off the sweep of the women’s division, winning the title in the 4.0 division. Julie Mak’s “Classy On The Court” ladies out of Lower Peters Canyon Park kickstarted their play with a 3-1 victory over Los Angeles, before shutting out Beach Cities later that day, 4-0. After claiming their first two wins, OC was handed their first loss of the tournament just a day later, falling to San Fernando Valley. Sitting with a record of 2-1 following the qualifying rounds, Mak’s squad was able to squeak into the playoffs, earning themselves the No. 4 seed of the bracket. 

Taking their opportunity and running with it, OC gave everything they had in the playoffs, and in doing so, took down an undefeated SGV team by a score of 3-1. Heading to the finals with this win, OC had their work cut out for them once more, facing another undefeated team in the form of Rene Carmichael’s bunch from SDNC. Completing the upset in the finale, OC took down SDNC in controlling fashion, winning the match and the championship by a score of 4-0. 

This victory now places Orange County at the top of the championship win column, as they are the only area with four titles thus far through three Sectionals events. Joining San Gabriel Valley as the only other area to complete a gender-based sweep in Sectionals, this win also helped OC eclipse SGV (three championships) in the overall totals, who recently secured their second and third championships of the year at the 40 & Over 3.5/4.5 League Sectionals. 

4.0 MEN

With a championship victory in the men’s 4.0 division, San Diego took home its first trophy of the weekend, and second of the season. Under leadership of captain Kevin Mallery, the men from Balboa Tennis Club had themselves a fantastic weekend of tennis, beginning with a first match win over Santa Barbara. Dropping their next match to San Fernando valley, SD quickly bounced back, clinching a crucial victory over Ventura County. With this win, SD thrust themselves into the playoff picture, claiming the fourth and final spot in the bracket.

In a playoff field of all undefeated teams, the cards were stacked against SD early on. Matched up against the No. 1 seeded SFV, SD got its retribution for the two’s prior meetup, avenging their loss with a dominant 4-0 win. Now in the championship match, SD took on Spencer Ngyuen’s Inland Empire team, who recently pulled off an upset of their own. In a tight finale, it would be SD that prevailed once more, downing IE and earning themselves the championship with a 3-1 win.

CAPSTONE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Representing an elite group of players aged 40 and over, the capstone championships were also held over the weekend. Players ranging between the levels of 4.5, 5.0 and 5.5 were allowed to compete, with the best teams from each area advancing to San Diego and competing at Barnes.

WOMEN’S CAPSTONE

Winning another title on home soil, San Diego walked away from Sectionals with the women’s capstone championship. With Carlota LeFon at the helm, the ladies were unstoppable, going undefeated throughout all of their matches with an individual win-loss record of 11-1 to boot. 

Pooled in a group of six total teams, each team in this event would compete in three qualifying matches to determine playoff seeding. Following the qualifiers, the top two teams based on record would advance to the overall championship. Beginning their weekend on the right foot, SD took on a Beach Cities team, who they would ultimately defeat by a final of 3-0. Following the match, LeFon’s squad  then took on two consecutive teams out of Orange County, who they would also beat by scores of 2-1 and 3-0 respectively. With a 3-0 record, San Diego sat atop the leaderboards heading into the playoffs, just above the OC team that they beat in their most recent match. Now in the championship, SD would once again topple Tracy Harris’ OC bunch, this time by a final of 3-0. 

MEN’S CAPSTONE

In the driver’s seat all event long, Orange County cruised to a men’s capstone title in San Diego. Captain Avi Mehta led the charge for the OC men, guiding his team to an undefeated weekend, and in doing so an individual win-loss record of 11-1. 

With three qualified men’s capstone teams competing in the event, a round robin commenced to determine the overall victor, with each team playing each other twice. Getting their play started on day one, OC matched up with another team from the same area, defeating them in straight sets, 3-0. This victory was followed up with a 2-1 triumph over San Diego to close out their Saturday. Entering Sunday in control of the lead, OC did not let up, and in doing so bested each opponent once more by scores of 3-0 in both matches. Clinching the championship, OC edged out the San Diego group led by Rob Mehran, who compiled a 2-2 record themselves.

SPIRIT AWARD

San Diego became the third different area to take home a spirit award this Sectionals’ season, as the ladies from Dominique Gambale’s 4.0 squad out of Carmel Valley Rec Center were recognized for their colorful display of purple attire over the weekend. Chosen as the winner through a contest on USTA Southern California’s social media channels, San Diego joins teams from Beach Cities and Central Coast as recipients thus far.

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