Lake Forest Senior Women Crowned National Tennis Champs

A women’s recreational tennis team from Lake Forest has captured the national title at the United States Tennis Association League's 9.0 Super Senior National Championships at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet complex in Surprise, AZ. 

The team played as the representive of the USTA Southern California Section. This year’s USTA League 9.0 Super Senior National Championship drew the top 24 teams (15 men’s and 9 women’s) from throughout the nation.

The Lake Forest team defeated a team from Chico 2-1 in the championship match. Earlier in the day, the Lake Forest team defeated a team from Charlotte, NC, 3-0 in the semifinals. They advanced this far by winning their round-robin flight on Friday and Saturday.

The team, which plays at the Lake Forest Beach & Tennis Club, is captained by Cheryl Smith and features Yuna Crawford, Sharon St Clair, Barbara Jo Graves, Anne Folks, Mary Jo Shaver, Donna Kenyon, Nancy Fussell and Judianne Kelly.

The top four teams in order of finish at the competition are: Southern California Section, Northern California Section, Southern Section and New England Section.

USTA League celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2005. Since its inception in 1980, USTA League has grown from 13,000 participants in its first year to over 750,000 players across the nation today, making it the world’s largest recreational tennis league.

The league was established to provide adult recreational tennis players throughout the country with the opportunity to compete against players of similar ability levels. 

Players participate on teams in a league format, which is administered by the USTA through its 17 sections. The league groups players by using six National Tennis Rating Program levels, ranging from 2.5 (entry) to 5.0 (advanced). 

USTA League is open to any USTA member 19 years of age or older. It features Adult and Mixed Doubles divisions, as well as a Senior Division (age 50 or older) and a Super Senior Division (age 60 or older).

For more information about USTA League or the USTA as a whole, visit USTA.com.

—Thanks to the United States Tennis Association for this information.