USA the big winners at 2022 ITF Super-Seniors World Team Championships
USA made home advantage count at the 2022 ITF Super-Seniors World Team Championships (65-70-75-80-85) in Palm Beach County, Florida.
After a hiatus in 2020 and 2021, Team USA came back with a bang, claiming six of ten titles available.
Setting the tone for the USA title surge was the women’s 65s, with an impressive team performance culminating in the hosts defeating Great Britain to take the Kitty Godfree (W65) title.
An upset occurred in the Britannia Cup (M65), however, as Australia clinched the win in a nerve-racking deciding doubles. Glenn Busby and Wayne Pascoe held their nerve to seal a big win against previous world champions Dan Waldman and Mark Vines in a high quality final.
The Jack Crawford Cup (M70) brought better news for USA, as Marc Mazo and Paul Wulf won the decisive doubles rubber to crush Austrian dreams. In the Althea Gibson Cup (W70), straight sets win for both singles players secured gold for the USA, victors over Great Britain.
The Bitsy Grant Cup (M75) and Queens Cup (W75) both saw European winners – denying the USA two further titles. In the W75 event, Gail Benedetti and Lawence Goulard won the deciding doubles in an exciting 6-3 final set to give France its first gold medal of the championships.
Spain clinched its maiden title of the 2022 championships with yet another exciting doubles decider. Jorge Camina Borda and Jairo Velasco Ramirez proved too strong for Leslie Buck and Donald Long (USA), taking the doubles 6-3 6-1.
USA returned to winning ways in the Gardnar Mulloy Cup (M80), defeating Great Britain 2-1, while the Doris Hart Cup (W80) saw Germany crowned champions when Irmgard Gerlatzka and Heide Orth produced a dominant performance to prevail 6-2 6-0.
Appropriately, the USA swept the 85s division to cap a successful week. King Van Nostrand and Jerald B Hayes brought home the gold medal for the host nation in the Lorne Main Cup (M85). In the Angela Mortimer Cup (W85), the formidable trio of Roz King, Dorothy Wasser and Carol Wood rounded off the title haul for the USA.
The ITF Super-Seniors World Individual Championships (65-70-75-80-85-90) follows the team event, running from 30 April-7 May.
Completed draws and results from each of the cups across the team event are also available at the links below:
Kitty Godfree Cup (Women’s 65)