Five different winners at 50-55-60 ITF Masters World Team Champs
Hosted this year in Mexico City, Mexico, the 2024 edition of the 50-55-60 ITF Masters World Team Championships saw 101 teams from 26 nations compete for the ultimate award on the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour: a World Championship gold medal.
An array of ITF Masters stars represented their countries in the Mexican capital, including a number of former ATP and WTA players.
With home hopes gone, finals day saw five different nations win across six cups. The USA was the only country to win multiple titles - the Men's 60 Von Cramm Cup and the Women's 55 Maureen Connolly Cup.
As in 2023, it was Italy who dominated the finals line-up, with teams in four of the six finals. A classy Italian team took on surprise package India in the final of the Fred Perry Cup (M50).
India had taken out a number of high-profile seeds along the way, including France and Great Britain. However, the Italians' stellar singles record continued in the gold medal match, as Lorenzo Pennisi and Davide Gregianin saw off spirited Indian opposition to claim the first title of the day.
The Maria Esther Bueno Cup (W50) saw Italy go for the monopoly over the 50+ division. Standing in their way was a formidable Great Britain team, featuring former top 200 WTA player Lucie Ahl and former World Champion Michelle Oldham.
In a thrilling contest that finished at 8pm local time, Oldham took the second singles over Silvia Sanna in a tight three set contest, before Italy levelled the tie - a 6-4 6-4 victory for Valentina Paula over Ahl.
With everything coming down to the deciding doubles match, it was Great Britain who held their nerve when it mattered. Oldham and Ahl wrapped up a nervy 7-6 6-4 win to seal victory for the Brits.
Italy were to be denied again in the final of the Maureen Connolly Cup (W55), as the USA won their first team gold of the day. Long, nervy encounters proved the theme of the finals, and it was no different in this match as Julie Cass defeated Katy Agnelli 4-6 6-1 7-6 in an epic contest.
In the No. 1 singles, Debbie Spence-Nasim ensured the USA gold with a 6-3 7-5 win over Simona Isidori. Victory for the USA completed a hugely impressive week, in which the Americans did not concede a rubber en route to the trophy.
Italy, wounded after two finals losses in the W50 and W55, hoped to bounce back in the Austria Cup (M55). However, the Italians would suffer more finals day heartbreak against an extremely strong Spain team.
Former World Championships finalist Fernando Jesus Granero kicked the day off for the Spanish, defeating Enrico Casadei 6-4 6-3 in a closely contested match. The No. 1 singles would go the same way, Isidro Lledo-Boyer comfortably beating Paolo Pambianco 6-1 6-2 to secure the gold medal.
The USA wrested the title from France in the Von Cramm Cup, coming out on top in a nail-biting encounter. Peter Smith got the ball rolling for the USA, defeating Arnaud Deleval 6-4 7-6 to give the Americans the advantage.
France would not give their title over lightly, though, and fought back through Franck Hervy at No. 1 singles. The Frenchman took down Bill Moss with a commanding display, 6-3 6-1, to level the tie.
In one of the matches of the day, the USA won a highly entertaining doubles decider to take the M60 crown off France. Smith and doubles specialist Polo Cowan defeated Hervy and Alain Coffe 3-6 6-3 10-5 to seal the victory.
Finally, Germany produced a repeat performance of their 2023 win by defeating the USA in the final of the Alice Marble Cup (W60). In an exact rematch of the 2023 singles match-ups, Kerstin Garcia and Helga Nauck lined up against Fran Chandler and Vicki Buholz respectively.
Garcia once more defeated Chandler in straight sets to give Germany a 1-0 lead in the tie. However, Buholz turned the tables dramatically on Nauck in their singles, winning 6-1 6-3 to level the match.
Germany would not be overcome, though, as Nauck bounced back in the deciding doubles to snatch a third gold of the day from the USA's grasp. Nauck and Garcia teamed up to take down Buholz and Gayle Prejean, 6-3 6-4, to once more secure the Alice Marble Cup for Germany.
Attention now turns to the culmination of the ITF Masters 50-55-60 World Individual Championships on 4-11 May, when players will battle it out for individual glory across the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles events in Mexico City.
Click the links below for all 50-55-60 Team Cup results:
Maria Esther Bueno Cup(W50)
Maureen Connolly Cup(W55)
Alice Marble Cup (W60)
Fred Perry Cup (M50)
Austria Cup (M55)
Von Cramm Cup (M60)